gfield Drift,
over the Tugela. Then a large body--500 or 600--galloped hurriedly in
the same direction.

A sadness was thrown over the day by Lord Ava's death early in the
afternoon. If he could have recovered the doctors say he would have been
paralysed or have lost his memory. He was the best type of
Englishman--Irish-English, if you will--excellently made, delighting in
his strength and all kinds of sport, his eye full of light, his voice
singularly beautiful and attractive. His courage was extraordinary, and
did not come of ignorance. At Elands Laagte I saw him with a rifle
fighting side by side with the Gordons. He went through the battle in
their firing line, but he told me afterwards that the horror of the
field had sickened him of war. In manner he was peculiarly frank and
courteous. I can imagine no one speaking ill of him. His best epitaph
perhaps is the saying of the Irish sergeant's which I have already
quoted.

The ration of sugar was increased by one ounce to-day, the mealies by
two ounces, so as to give the men porridge in the morning. For a
fortnight past all the milk has been under military control, and can
only be obtained on a doctor's certificate. We began eating trek-oxen
three days ago. Some battalions prefer horse-flesh, and get it.
Dysentery and enteric are as bad as ever, but do not increase in
proportion to the length of siege. There are 1,700 soldiers at Intombi
sick camp now. A great many horses die every day, but not of the
"horse-sickness." Their bodies are thrown on waste ground along the
Helpmakaar road, and poison the air for the Liverpools and Rifles there.
To-night the varied smell all over the town is hardly endurable.

_January 12, 1900._

A quiet day again. Hardly a gun was fired. Wild rumours flew--the Boers
were trekking north in crowds--they were moving the gun on Bulwan--all
lies!

I spent the whole day trying to induce a Kaffir to risk his life for
L15. A Kaffir lives on mealie-pap, varied by an occasional cow's head.
He drinks nothing but slightly fermented barley-water. Yet he will not
risk death for L15! After four false starts, my message remains where it
was. The last Kaffir who tried to get through the Boers with it was shot
in the thigh by our pickets as he was returning. That does not encourage
the rest.

_January 13, 1900._

Between seven and eight in the morning the Bulwan gun hurled three
shells into our midst, and repeated the exploit in the