3s. 6d.
Turkeys, " 6s. to 8s.
Butter, per lb. 1s. to 1s. 6d.

_Saturday, 13th October._--Many exciting things have crowded
themselves into the last few days. The Boers who had slipped away from
the Vryheid district are again moving north, and are reported in some
force at Waterfal on the Elandsberg, 20 deg. N.E. of us. They are said to
have a Pom-pom and two Creusots; it seems to be the Wakkerstroom
commando and Swaziland police, some 300 strong; the Ermelo commando
has also moved on to the Barberton district. These commandos have been
raiding cattle and horses every day, keeping well out of reach of our
guns; many rumours of their intent to attack us at Grass Kop have been
brought in but we are quite ready for them. This raiding has had the
effect of bringing all the Dutch farmers and their sons flying back to
their farms to look after their stock; they are highly indignant with
the looters, have all surrendered and taken the oath at Volksrust, and
ride up here to the foot of the hill every day with many reports and
much advice about their former comrades' movements, and how to attack
and kill them! Many old Dutch women have come also to the hill in
tears over their losses from Boer marauders and say they are starving.
All this gives Major Dawson and Lieutenant Poynder, Adjutant of the
Queen's, a great deal of work and many walks down the hill to
interview these people.

Our Naval camp has been strengthened by building stone sangars round
our tents to prevent any risk of the enemy creeping up and sniping us
in our sleep; still, with barbed wires round the hill, hung with old
tins, and trenches and sangars to protect the position, we feel pretty
safe, although the gallant Cowper of the Queen's has gone down with
one company to reinforce Sandspruit and we miss him greatly.

To go back a few days, I must now mention that on the 11th October
came a wire from Admiral Harris to Halsey telling him to arrange the
return of our remnant of Naval Brigade to Natal as soon as possible,
our brother officers and men who were with Lord Roberts on the other
side having left Pretoria on the 8th and arrived at Simon's Town. This
wire, as may be imagined, caused us much joy up here after a year's
fighting, and I personally celebrated it with the Queen's by a great
dinner on some partridges and pigeons that I had bagged down hill on
the 10th.

To cap this telegram I received one forwarded on f