r to see the force of the argument, that it was, after all,
necessary, for their own health, as they would otherwise be out in the
open veldt, should the post be attacked.

The Kaffirs served as a welcome relief to my men as they got tired.
They also dug a separate hole for themselves on one side of and behind
our trench, in a small ravine.

By evening we had quite a decent trench dug--the parapet was about
two feet six inches thick at the top, and was quite bullet-proof, as I
tested it. Our trench was not all in one straight line, but in two
portions, broken back at a slight angle, so as to get a more divergent
fire [rather cunning of me], though each half was of course as
straight as I could get it.

It was astonishing what difficulty I had to get the men to dig in a
nice straight line. I was particular as to this point, because I once
heard a certain captain severely "told off" at manoeuvres by a very
senior officer for having his trenches "out of dressing." No one could
tell whether some "brass hat" might not come around and inspect us
next day, so it was as well to be prepared for anything.

At dusk the guard on Waschout Hill, for whom a trench had also been
dug, was relieved and increased to six men, and after teas and giving
out the orders for the next day, we all "turned in" in our trenches.
The tents were not pitched, as we were not going to occupy them, and
it was no good merely showing up our position. A guard was mounted
over our prisoners, or rather "guests," and furnished one sentry to
watch over them.

Before falling asleep I ran over my seven lessons, and it seemed to me
I had left nothing undone which could possibly help towards success.
We were entrenched, had a good bullet-proof defence, all our rations
and ammunition close at hand in the trenches, and water-bottles
filled. It was with a contented feeling of having done everything
right and of being quite "the little white-haired boy" that I
gradually dozed off.

Next morning dawned brightly and uneventfully, and we had about an
hour's work improving details of our trenches before breakfasts were
ready. Just as breakfast was over, the sentry on Waschout Hill
reported a cloud of dust away to the north, by Regret Table Mountain.
This was caused by a large party of men mounted with wheeled transport
of some sort. They were most probably the enemy, and seemed to be
trekking in all innocence of our presence for the drift.

What a "scoop," I though