were perforce content to go about in such a
condition of deplorable dilapidation as anywhere else would inevitably
result in their being "run in" for flagrant disregard of public
decorum.

The Canadians took rank from the first as among the very finest troops
in all the field, and adopted as their own the following singular
marching song:--

"We will follow ROBERTS,
Follow, follow, follow;
Anywhere, everywhere,
We will follow him!"

Brave fellows that they were, they meant it absolutely, utterly, even
unto death. But thus without boots and other yet more essential
belongings, how could they?

[Sidenote: _Remounts._]

The cavalry was in equally serious plight. It is said that Sir George
White took with him into Ladysmith over 10,000 mules and horses, but
brought away at the close of the siege less than 1100. Many of the
rest had meanwhile been transformed into beefsteak and sausages. We
also, during the month that brought us to Bloemfontein had used up a
similar number. A cavalryman told me that out of 540 horses belonging
to his regiment only 50 were left; and in that case the sausage-making
machine was in no degree responsible for the diminished numbers. Yet a
cavalryman without a horse is as helpless as a cripple without a
crutch. It was therefore quite clear that most of our cavalry
regiments would have to remain rooted to the spot till their remounts
arrived.

Not until May 1st was another forward move found possible; and during
one of those weeks of waiting there happened the Sanna's Post
disaster, a grievous surrender of some of our men at Reddersburg, a
serious little fight at Karee, and a satisfactory skirmish at Boshof,
which made an end of General de Villebois-Mareuil and his commando of
foreign supporters of the Boers; but in none of these affairs were
the Guards involved.

[Sidenote: _Regimental Pets._]

Meanwhile the men during their few leisure hours found it no easy
matter to amuse themselves. In the rush for Bloemfontein, footballs
and cricket bats were all left behind. There were no canteens and no
open-air concerts. The only pets the men had left were pet animals,
and of them they made the most. The Welsh, of course, had their goat
to go before them, and were prouder of it than ever. The Canadians at
Belmont bought a chimpanzee which still grinned at them from the top
of its pole in front of their lines, and with patient perseverance,
still did all