here peeped in with the usual koss, accompanied by the arm raised, and began to laugh as all natives, Zulus more than others, do when they wish to be serious.

"Well, Johnnie; what do you want?"

"Me want general, sare; you general, sare?"

"He says he wants to see the Commandant, sir," slid in the grizzly

one.

"Yes, that's me; now what is it?"

"He won't tell you, sir; he says he wants to see you alone."

"Well, we are alone, go on."

"No, sare, oder gentlemans here," said the Zulu, pointing to my friends the doctor and one of the captains, who were sitting upon their stretchers on either side of

me.

"They are nothing-they are only friends; go on." "No, sare; see you by self, not here if you please, sare.

"He says he must see you quite alone, sir," echoed the escort. So I had to get up and go into the office-tent, into which followed the Zulu, also the volunteer. The pair then with much secrecy pulled the curtain down, hooked up the sides, and closed the door. We only wanted the "Conspirators' Chorus" to make the scene perfect.

The Zulu had a small bundle of clothes over his shoulder, supported by a stick run through the knot; this he took down, and pulling out the stick, offered it to me.

"Yes, all right, but where is the letter, if that is what you have brought?" I asked.

He replied by tapping the stick, still holding it out to me.

"He means it's in the stick, sir. Here, Johnnie, where is it, this end or that?" continued the volunteer, pulling out his clasp-knife and cutting away at one end.

And so it turned out. The stick had been hollowed out, and a small roll of paper inserted, the hole being filled with a plug, when it was quite impossible to detect that it had been tampered with. The roll of paper contained a despatch from Pretoria, photographs of general orders, and a map of the road, all microscopic, and containing in a space smaller than a child's little finger a whole budget of news. It was addressed to Sir George Colley, commanding the troops at Standerton, where it was fully believed that he would be by the time the stick arrived. It was, as we learned long after, the day of Laing's Nek, when he tried so well to redeem his word and to be with

us.

The secret of the Zulu being given up, he went outside, and at once became the centre of an admiring crowd of soldiers, to whom his adventures were like a page from the Arabian Nights' after their newsless life. He was the hero of the hour. One man gave him a pair of trousers, another a coat, and a third an old wideawake, which was immediately adorned with a tuft of black ostrichfeathers, from under which his face peered out with an air of self-complacency most amusing.

The news he brought in his stick was nothing, however, to that which he told us. For three days he had been a prisoner with the Dutch laager from Potchefstroom, which had left that place, and was moving on to unite with the Boers before Standerton to attack us. It counted 160 waggons, which, at seven men apiece, the usual average, gave a reinforcement of 1100 men. The sudden move of the laager which we had noticed, appeared to back up the statement, as it had gone in the direction in which the new one was advancing,

taking up its fresh position not far from the Heidelberg road.

Here was another menace threatening my weakest side, and fresh measures to meet it must be taken without delay. The advancing waggons had been left at Waterfall River, twenty miles distant, on the previous day, and would be here the same evening, giving us just the day for preparations.

Breakfast over, we occupied the two koppies lying to the north of the town, about a mile distant, one on either side of the road, and some 1200 yards apart, and commenced a work on each in readiness for occupation that evening; a third was also started on Graveyard Koppie, thus surrounding the town on two sides with a line of small forts, the main work covering the third, and the river the fourth. An officer and twenty men held each of the new forts, while I was ready to start with one hundred men to the assistance of any that required it. This left a bare hundred to hold the fort and town; but I calculated, that if driven back from the outworks, the men would retire on the central defences, and form their garrisons.

All day the mounted men were scouting about; we should have at least twenty minutes' warning did the Boers come on. A second fieldwork was traced in front of the fort to assist the one already made, and was begun that night, as the place was under fire; and until cover was obtained all work had to be done in the dark. It was a day of real hard work, the officers and men toiling in their shirt-sleeves, neglecting meals in their determination to be a match for the Dutch; and so well did they succeed, that by nightfall the koppies were each topped by a stout work, loopholed, and strong enough to resist any ordinary at

VOL. CXXX.-NO. DCCXC.

tack. The garrisons were told off, and slept in each from that day till the proclamation of peace without changing, a plan the men liked, and one I always found worked better than any other. In the end we heard that the expected waggons had turned off within ten miles of us, and had made for a "drift" across the Vaal higher up. But the report of its advance did good service, pointing out weak places, and so enabling us to strengthen the position, until nothing but guns or accident could have forced it from us.

our

That afternoon I read out the greater part of the Kafir's despatch to the townspeople, much after the style of the town crier; but still it was the shortest and easiest way of letting every one know the truth. When people literally hunger for news it is best to tell them what you know, or the result will be rumours and reports both false and dispiriting.

The Zulu promised to go on again after a day's rest; so a fresh stick was got ready, another despatch added, and himself provided with some money and food, and allowed to strut about, as the hero of the hour -a rôle he played to perfection.

The question ever present was food, and every day forced it more to the front. The soldiers I could keep under my hand, but waste and extravagance were too prevalent among the civilians. They had unlimited confidence in my ability to produce supplies. So I suddenly seized all provisions in the town, going through every store and carting away the things taken; entering people's houses, and obtaining either a declaration that they could last so long without coming to me, or else taking everything and putting them on the ration-list. The food, when collected, was placed in a store under care of the Landdrost,

8

with my former friend, who swore allegiance, rather than be shot, as store keeper-general. A scale of rations was drawn up: mighty scanty it was the highest eight ounces for a woman, either sago or meal, soon reduced to half; for children a mere mouthful.

The principal store keeper, a man who drove his carriage, and so a magnate among the rest, elected to find himself. So after a lecture on economy, and the necessity of keeping to his bargain of holding out for the time he had given in, he was allowed his own way. A few days later I happened to call in, when he said :

"Ah, major, I've taken to heart what you said, and have stopped all waste. Even yesterday I went into the kitchen and found a lot of crusts and bits of stale bread, which we usually give to the Kafirs, and I had them all put into a pudding for dinner to-day." So much for the straits which we starving people endured.

However, to make things fair for every one, the same day we reduced our own rations again, getting a mouthful of bread twice a-week, biscuit the remainder. As an instance of what children soldiers are, a little after this reduction, it being bread day, a deputation went to the "orderly officer," with a complaint that the bread was heavy, and they would like it changed for biscuit, -and this when every pound of bread-stuff meant ability to hold out.

Our Zulu meantime found he had fallen on such pleasant times that he thought he should like to stay permanently with us, and it wanted some pressure to induce him to go on. I think he saw that his popularity was on the wane, and so at last consented. A second native volunteered to go with him. He got a big-coat, money, scoff that is, food for the journey-his

precious stick, and, after much delay, at last started. To conclude his history at once: three days later he returned, crest-fallen, wet, and draggled-he had lain out in the open six miles away, within a few yards of the Dutch; the country was infested by them; patrols and sentries were everywhere; it was impossible to get through. He expected to return, as before, a hero. But we were all disgusted at being sold, and he was noticed-the men no longer asked him for his adventures; two Hottentot women at the waggons were said to have spat at him in scorn. He was broken-hearted, and came humbly enough after a day of it to ask to be allowed to try again. On this being granted, he made a fresh plan, got put across the river with his friend on a horse, and made off.

un

It turned out that they were soon made prisoners by some Kafirs, and brought back to the Dutch laager just across the river, where he was kept for five days, being armed with an assegai with which he promised to kill the English if they attacked. One night, I remember, we did return their fire rather sharply-we knocked over nine of them; another, every Dutchman, seized with panic, bolted out of the laager, thinking that we had got dynamite in by some mysterious dodge. At last, by the most artful lies, he so imposed on the poor simple Dutch that they gave him a pass to the Free State, for which he set out, taking with him the precious stick, and getting through all right. In my despatch I asked Sir George Colley if he could reward the brave fellow with ten cows, and he actually received thirty pounds, the value of the cows. The Zulu subsequently turned up as servant to the correspondent of the 'Standard,' and on arriving at Standerton made straight for me, once more a hero.

And this was the only message we got through in the whole three months.

One dodge-we were full of dodges -is worth relating, as it was everything to magnify our force as much as possible. It was our habit to relieve the night garrisons of the two forts about 3 A.M. with the men who held them during the day, as attacks might be expected about that time, and to meet them the garrison was doubled in the manner stated, when the men had orders to show themselves as much as they could, so that the Boers, counting them up, would be under the impression that what they saw was always in garrison.

A second dodge was accidental, and did no harm. It happened that the attacks we made took place on rainy mornings, and in consequence a rainy morning never came round but we saw the patrols doubled, searching about with extra diligence, heedless of wet and cold, expecting us; and many a laugh we had at the poor fellows' anxiety. But the best dodge of all was our gun. There was a large coffee-mill in camp, worked with two fly-wheels, and one evening the men turned this out on its side, making pretence it was a gun, running it about, loading and firing with great delight. The idea was a capital one, and we at once got a wooden gun made, mounted on a pair of waggonwheels, when, unless close to it, no one could tell the difference. This was run out one morning by a regular gun detachment, loaded, rammed, and the action of firing gone through, as if the party was at drill. Up ran the Dutch to their look-out places, glasses were pointed, and when the truth dawned on them, bang came a dozen volleys at the unwelcome stranger. And to our gun we always put down the reason of the respectful distance

kept by the Boers when it was visible.

The day peace was proclaimed Joubert rode up with his staff to shake hands, and tell me he was going round his posts to order his men to disperse. The gun stood opposite the front face of the fort, behind it was a small-arm ammunition-cart. The take-in was perfect, and I saw the Boers looking at it most anxiously. After the interview they rode away, but not near enough to detect the sham; and several kept looking over their shoulders, and discussing it in perfect seriousness.

The four natives who were in prison on suspicion of the murder of the volunteer, above related, afforded us a little excitement. It appeared that they had been conspiring to escape to the enemy; and one day, when working further from the town than they should have been, they suddenly made a bolt for Stander's Kop. The native guard made after them, and our men opened fire without effect. Three of them managed to escape, reaching the top, where we saw them met by the rebels and taken away. The fourth was not so fast, and after getting an assegai through his leg, was captured and brought back. I sent him for examination before the Landdrost, and his guilt being proved, I determined to shoot him as an example. He was a tall, repulsive-looking black, with fierce eyes, unkempt hair, and the blood still trickling from the wound in his thigh. At 4 P.M. the guard led him away, quite unconscious, to the place selected for the execution, where a party had already dug a grave. Facing this, at a short distance, were drawn up in line the whole native population, about three hundred, dressed in their best clothes, beads, and ornaments, as if for a holiday. Between them

and the grave stood the firing-party of twelve men under a sergeant. On the far side of the grave rose a rocky koppie hiding us from the

enemy.

As soon as the doomed wretch saw the grave, the line of natives, and the firing-party, he recognised his position, and covered his head with his hands, the only sign of emotion he made. The Landdrost made a speech to the natives in Dutch, translated by the interpreter in energetic language and gestures, interrupted by loud responses, after the Kafir custom; and this done, the prisoner, still hiding his face, was led to the side of the grave, a cloth tied round his head, and left alone; on which he squatted on the heap of earth thrown up, his side towards the party-not a sound, not a movement in his body. A clear word of command-the rattle of the breechloaders a line of rifles pointed-a sharp report-and the body rolled quietly over, and lay still for ever. Death was instantaneous. I walked up to ascertain if he was dead: three of the bullets had pierced the head-there was no further need to look. The men marched off, the natives dispersed, leaving some of them to bury the corpse, and all was done. This execution had a wonderful effect on all classes. On several occasions when ill-doers were sent up before me, I saw their eyes fixed on me most despairingly; they trembled with terror when brought up for judgment.

One

man, the town scoundrel, when up for stealing, was a study, so cowed was his manner. On my asking him what he thought I should do to him for the crime, he faltered out, "You can shoot me, sir. Oh, sir, have mercy, and don't do it!" He was left in suspense till the evening, and then released-his face a picture; never was transition from abject fear to life and joy so well portrayed.

The Dutch, who had been in the habit on early mornings of creeping in the long grass to within a few hundred yards of the vedettes and firing on them, at last managed to hit a horse, the man coming in unharmed. This game was annoying, and made the men unsteady. So I arranged a counter-plan to show them that I could creep as well as they. Their main laager was about two miles outside our line of forts, in the direction of Heidelberg, a byroad from the town leading past it. Between our position and this laager was a slight valley, and at the bottom a line of pans, water-holes ; half a mile beyond this line was their laager, the ground sloping down to the valley on either side. To the right, about two miles away, was the position they had left on the morning when we built our forts, now occupied by a small work and some sixty Dutch. My plan was to conceal a body of on the edge of this valley, while the mounted men made a feigned attack on the work to the right. This I hoped would draw the Boers across my front, as the nearest line they could take when going to the assistance of their friends.

men

The evening before I had gone out with the officer commanding the mounted men, and had thoroughly inspected the ground, using some discretion, as there were vedettes opposite with eyes like hawks. The men were to move along the road leading to the laager, to a certain spot which was marked by a rope stretched across it, to bring me up in the dark, when all were to turn off to the right, advance for 300 paces, and lie down in the long grass.

We mustered about seventy men, mostly from the fort; the rest were to be picked up on our way through the town. It was three in the morning when we started-pitchy dark, not