s into the trenches, sometimes among the houses of Colenso, and
always directed with marvellous accuracy. At last the guns were covered
up again in their tarpaulins, the crowd of military spectators broke up
and dispersed amid the tents, and soon it became night.

CHAPTER XIII

CHRISTMAS AND NEW YEAR

Frere: January 4, 1900.

December 25.--Christmas Day! 'Glory to God in the Highest, and on earth,
peace and goodwill towards men.' So no great shells were fired into the
Boer entrenchments at dawn, and the hostile camps remained tranquil
throughout the day. Even the pickets forbore to snipe each other, and
both armies attended divine service in the morning and implored Heaven's
blessing on their righteous causes. In the afternoon the British held
athletic sports, an impromptu military tournament, and a gymkhana, all
of which caused much merriment and diversion, and the Boers profited by
the cessation of the shell fire to shovel away at their trenches. In the
evening there were Christmas dinners in our camp--roast beef, plum
pudding, a quart of beer for everyone, and various smoking concerts
afterwards. I cannot describe the enemy's festivities.

But since that peaceful day we have had desultory picket firing, and the
great guns in the naval battery have spoken whenever an opportunity
presented itself. The opposing outpost lines are drawn so far apart that
with the best intentions they can scarcely harm each other. But the long
range of the smallbore rifles encourages fancy shooting, so that there
is often a brisk fusillade and no one any the worse. On our side we have
only had one infantry soldier wounded. We do not know what the fortunes
of the Boers may have been, but it is probable that they lose a few men
every day from the bombardment, and certain that on Monday last there
were three burghers killed and several wounded and one horse. It
happened in this wise: beyond the strong Infantry pickets which remain
in position always, there is a more or less extended line of cavalry
outposts, which are sprinkled all along the kopjes to the east and west
of the camp, and are sometimes nearly three miles from it. On the Monday
in question--New Year's Day to wit--200 Boers set forth and attacked our
picket on the extreme right. The picket, which was composed of the South
African Light Horse, fell back with discretion, and the Boers following
without their usual caution did not observe that eight troopers had been
dro