ished
his apology for a toilet. Having washed and struggled into his tunic,
the officer commanding the Cavalry Brigade was in a position to give
his undivided attention to his correspondence. He strode over to the
four packing-cases, which in their disguise as tables represented the
brigade mess, and called for his Intelligence and acting staff
officer. That officer's toilet took even less time than that of his
chief, for he just rolled out from between two blankets, and appeared
ready made, as it were, for the day's wear and tear.

_Brigadier._ "Here, you lazy scoundrel, read that" (_and he passed the
slip of paper over to his subordinate._)

_I. O._ "These are orders, sir."

_B._ "It was not necessary to send for you to discover that. But how
does it affect the orders you issued last night?"

_I. O._ "It cancels them. Instead of taking us north-east, it will
take us due west toward the Prieska Road as soon as we strike Beer
Vlei."

_B._ "It looks as if Mr Brass Hat over there is going to dry-nurse me.
My orders are to co-operate with him--not to follow him about like a
dog at heel. I'm not sent here to be at the beck and call of every
column commander a day senior to myself. I am here to catch
Bojers[29]--not to tramp about roads in the rear of other people. This
is not co-operation; it is aiding and abetting 'refusal' tactics. Now
look here, Mr Intelligence; just let us examine our information, and
if we are right and Brass Hat is wrong, I'll just send him back a note
which will keep him halted all day wiring to Pretoria for permission
to cast me into irons. Now, what is his information?"

_I. O._ (_reads_) "Information arrived late last night that Pretorius
and Brand have taken the road to Prieska. This is confirmed by the
scouts who went out last night. The enemy retired over Minie Kloof and
halted at a farm on the far side of the pass."

_B._ "Therefore the officer commanding the New Cavalry Brigade, having
covered the whole force over Minie Kloof, will halt and allow the
brave general to pass through his brigade, and then follow him along a
Karoo road into Prieska. So these are this sportsman's ideas on the
co-operation of columns. They are about equal with his conception of
the military methods most adapted for catching the present edition of
'Brother.' What is our private information?"

_I. O._ "That Brand, Hertzog, and Pretorius with four hundred men left
this yesterday afternoon,--the former with th