fences. I had a talk with
him about matters and he does not seem to anticipate a further advance
of the 5th Division just yet. However, here we are, and the kop "has a
fine healthy air," as the General who was quite blue with cold
remarked. Neither my men nor self have had any letters for weeks,
which is rather dreary for us; our mails are, no doubt, chasing the
Commander-in-Chief at Ermelo. One feels a certain amount of pity for
these Boers; they are, owing to their reckless and cunning leaders, in
the position of a conquered race, and this position to such a people
who are naturally proud, cunning and overbearing must be awful. One
notices this much even among the few old men, boys and women who are
left on the farms; they display a certain air of dejection and are
even cringing till they see that they are not going to be robbed or
hurt when their self-confidence soon reasserts itself. There is a
typical old Boer farmer and his family living at the foot of Grass
Kop; a few presents of coffee and sugar have made this family grateful
and quite glad to see us; still one detects the cunning in their
nature, and they don't hide for a moment that they wish the English
anywhere but in their country. Poor people, they have one good point
in their characters which is that they won't hear of anyone running
down their President even although he has terribly sold them.

_Wednesday, 15th August._--We have now watched two fights round the
town of Amersfoort, about eighteen miles north of us. On the 7th
General Buller occupied the place and we were all in readiness to
defend our right flank if need be, but our friends the Boers bolted
to Ermelo instead of coming our way. We were all rather annoyed at
Grass Kop, however, to see a Boer laager with a dozen wagons, guns and
ambulances inspan at almost the last moment and slip off under the
very noses of our Cavalry who were drawn up in force under a long
ridge, doing nothing for an hour at least. This is all the more vexing
because for a fortnight or more we had sent in accurate reports as to
this very laager which a single flank movement of the Cavalry would
have easily taken _en bloc_, instead of which they paid no attention
to our heliograph from Major Adams to "hurry up and at them." These
frontal attacks on towns without flanking movements seem to be absurd,
as the enemy and his guns invariably get away under our noses. To-day
General Buller occupied Ermelo, but as ill-luck will ha