Amid all this strain, intent upon vital issues, one hardly takes note of
trivialities. Even the daily bombardment seems of little importance, and
nobody cares how many shots "Puffing Billy" fired yesterday. For me the
strain is tightened by news heliographed this morning that another son
has come round from Bulawayo and joined the relieving force as a
lieutenant of Thorneycroft's Mounted Infantry. I don't know whether
pride or anxiety is paramount when I think of these two boys fighting
their way towards me. Both are with Lord Dundonald's Irregular Horse, of
which we have heard much from Kaffirs, who tell us that Thorneycroft's
Rifles and the "Sakkabulu boys," who are now identified as the South
African Light Horse, have been in the front of every fight. It may seem
egotistical to let this personal note stand, but I take the incident to
be an illustration of the spirit that animates English youth at this
moment.

On Saturday (February 17) the artillery fire sounded far off on the
other side of the Tugela. Next morning we could see shells bursting
along the nearer crest of Monte Cristo, and up to eleven o'clock the
fierce cannonade was ceaseless. How the action had ended we could only
judge by Boer movements. From Observation Hill I saw their ambulance
waggons trekking heavy across the plain behind Rifleman's Ridge, then a
bigger waggon, uncovered, drawn by a large span of oxen. There may have
been a long gun in that waggon, its movements were so slow and
cumbersome. Two ambulance waggons passed in the opposite direction,
light and moving at a gallop.

Yesterday came news of General Buller's success in the capture of
Cingolo Hill, but before it was signalled we had seen from Caesar's Camp
British infantry crowning the nearer ridge of Monte Cristo. They came up
in column, and deployed with a steadiness that showed them to be masters
of the position. In the evening I met Sir George White, who told me that
he believed Sir Redvers had gained another success. To-day, again,
shells from the southern guns have been bursting about ridges south of
Caesar's Camp, where the Boers are still in force. This afternoon, and
well on to evening, we could hear the busy hum of field guns in action
firing very rapidly, as if a fresh attack were about to develop. Sir
Redvers is evidently resolved not to give the enemy any rest or time for
fortifying other positions.

The above was written on 20th February. General Buller had captur