peripatetic adventures
they were more dead than alive when the head-gear of De Beers burst upon
their view. The spectacle revivified them, and with a desperate rally
they crawled undetected through the Boer lines, to an asylum in which
they were glad to find even horseflesh to eat.

Wednesday was in no way eventful; lassitude had gripped the people. This
was the more noticeable in that our friends outside appeared to be
uncommonly vigorous. They devoted great attention to their redoubts, to
strengthening them, and conducted themselves like men who were sanguine
of the fall of Kimberley. They bombarded us lightly in the afternoon, on
the chance of stretching _hors-de-combat_ a unit of the garrison--not
more than one or two, as they had no special desire to prejudice the
appeal they felt sure we must soon make for food. They did not want that
consummation delayed a moment longer than was necessary. It would leave
them free to establish railway communication between Kimberley and
Bloemfontein; they had such a scheme in contemplation.

All these things, however, were now of secondary interest; it was the
horseflesh peril that held the field. The masses were still determined
never to submit to such an ordinance on the eve of the twentieth
century; the innovation was too horrible. But the military, undaunted
by popular opposition, were bent on making the horse acceptable; and
their next move was to _equalise_ the proportions of the two species
that constituted a ration. The effect of this little twist of the screw
was to reduce our meat ration (nobody allowed that horseflesh was meat!)
to two ounces. The ounces from the ribs of the tougher animal were left
severely alone--by the majority of the people. On the other hand,
controversialists of strong anti-vegetarian views were forced to
experiment. Their verdicts differed. Some of them knew a _little_ about
cooking, and _they_ were "not surprised." Others, who knew nothing of
cooking, re-harnessed the horse at once; while a third school, expert in
the culinary art, triumphantly overcame their prejudices, but were
afraid openly to smack their lips. Unanimous approval or toleration was
never forthcoming, and, for myself, I am most inclined to respect the
judgment of the heretics who pronounced the equine dish "as good as the
_meat_ that was going." It was certainly not better, and to make it
universally acceptable it would require to have been very much better.

On one "point"