ller leaves
for England -- Final withdrawal of the Naval Brigade, and our
arrival at Durban -- Our reception there -- I sail for England --
Conclusion.

_Tuesday, 2nd October._--Grass Kop. Still here with the Queen's and my
friends Major Dawson and Lieutenant Poynder. What an odd sort of
climate we seem to have in South Africa. Two days ago unbearable heat
with rain and thunder, and to-day so cold, with a heavy Scotch mist,
as to make one think of the North Pole; so we are shivering in wraps
and balaclavas, while occasional N.W. gales lower some of our tents.
The partridges seem to have forsaken this hill, so poor "John" the
pointer doesn't get enough work to please him; but his master, Major
Dawson, when able to prowl about safe from Boer snipers, still downs
many a pigeon and guinea fowl which keeps our table going.

_Friday, 5th October._--We are all delighted to hear that Lord Roberts
is appointed Commander-in-Chief at home; report says that he comes
down from Pretoria in a few days to inspect the Natal battlefields and
to look at his gallant son's grave at Colenso. I must try and see him
if I can. One of our convoys from Vryheid reported to be captured on
the 1st by Boers, the Volunteer escort being made prisoners and some
killed; this has delayed the return of the Natal Volunteers who were
to have been called in for good on that day.

_Wednesday, 10th October._--Still we drag on to the inevitable end.
The reported capture of a convoy turns out to be only a few wagons
escorted by a small party of Volunteers who were unwounded and
released after a few days.

This is a great week of anniversaries. Yesterday, the 9th, was that of
the insolent Boer Ultimatum of 1899 which brought Kruger and his lot
to ruin; to-day and to-morrow a year ago (10th and 11th October), the
Boer forces were mobilizing at this very place, Sandspruit; and on the
12th they entered Natal full of bumptious boasting. They were going,
as they said, to "eat fish in Durban" within a month, and many of them
carried tin cases containing dress suits and new clothes in
preparation for that convivial event. And they would have done so
except for the fish (sailors) and the women (Highlanders), as they
styled us, who, they said, were too much for them, combined I think
with the Ladysmith sweet shop, which proved their Scylla with Colenso
as their Charybdis.

Major Burrell of the Queen's was up here a few days ago and made a
special re