very one felt proud and happy. The words were worth a fresh brigade.

In the morning a consultation was held on the condition of the cavalry
horses. At first it was determined to kill three hundred, so as to save
food for the rest, but afterwards the orders were to turn them out on
the flat beyond the racecourse, and let them survive if they could. The
artillery horses must be fed as long as possible. The unfortunate walers
of the 19th Hussars will probably be among the first to go. Coming
straight from India, they were put to terribly hard work on landing,
and have never recovered. Walers cannot do on grass which keeps local
horses and even Arabs fat enough. What the average horse is chiefly
suffering from now is a kind of influenza, accompanied by a frightful
cough. My own talking horse kept trying to lie down to-day, and said he
felt languid and queer. When he endeavoured to trot or canter a cough
took him fit to break his mother's heart.

CHAPTER XIX

HOPE DEFERRED

_January 29, 1900._

The only change to-day was the steady passage of Boers westward, to
concentrate afresh round Taba Nyama. Their new laager up the Long Valley
had disappeared. Large bodies of men had been seen coming up from
Colenso. The crisis of the war in Natal is evidently near. Meantime
Kaffir deserters brought in a lot of chatter about the recent fighting.
On one point they generally agreed--that Kruger himself was with his
men. It is very likely. The staunch old prophet and patriot would hardly
stay away when the issue involves the existence of his people.

But when the Kaffirs go on to say that Kruger, Joubert, and Steyn stood
together on Mount Moriah (Loskop) to witness the battle, the addition
may be only picturesque. It would be well if that were the worst fiction
credulity swallowed. One of the head nurses from Intombi told me to-day
that the Boers had bribed an old herbalist--she thought at Dundee or
somewhere--to reveal a terrible poison, into which they dipped their
cartridges, and even the bullets inside their shrapnel! To this she
attributed the suppuration of several recent wounds. Of the garrison's
unhealthy condition she took no account whatever. No, it was poison. She
had heard the tale somewhere--from a railway official, she thought--and
believed it with the assurance of the Christian verity. Nearly every one
is like that, and the wildest story finds disciples.

Rations are again reduced to-day to the followin