s.

Once again we are amongst our old enemies, the kopjes, which, south of
the Orange River Colony, begin to assert themselves again. There has
been any amount of rain down this way, and muddy water is flowing like
the milk and honey of the promised land. From wet tents and saturated
blanket kennels bronzed ragamuffins appear at every halting spot, and
simultaneously they and we ask each other the old, old question, "Any
news?"

Sometimes they break the monotony of the negative by telling us that "De
Wet is mortally wounded," or "has got away again," and we tell them that
"Botha is surrounded." Some of the sanguine spirits aboard this train
are buoying themselves up with the idea of getting home. Alas! there's
many a slip 'twixt the land and the ship, as I fear they will find to
their bitter disappointment.

It is now Tuesday evening. We have just reached Naauwpoort, where we are
spending the night. The Cape mail train has been detained here all day,
the line ahead having been blown up, or some such thing, a train
derailed and fired on, a Yeoman and several niggers killed, and other
fellows injured. Brother Boer seems more in evidence down here than in
any other place we have passed between Pretoria and this place.

IMPERIAL YEOMANRY HOSPITAL,
DEELFONTEIN.

We arrived here on Thursday, February 21st. Between Naauwpoort and De
Aar we passed the derailed train. Mr. Boer had done his work well--from
his point of view. The engine (575) was lying on its side quite smashed,
as were also several broken and splintered trucks, while a few graves
completed the picture. But the line was intact once again. An officer of
Engineers and some men were standing by their completed task as we
slowly came up and passed the spot.

Line Clear: o'er blood and sweat, and pain, and sorrow's road I ran,
And every sleeper was a wound, and every rail a man.

The first person I beheld from the carriage window on arriving here was
one of our Sussex fellows. He seemed very pleased to see me, and I
certainly was to see him. He has been here a week or more, and in that
time had acquainted himself with the ropes. Having been given
accommodation in the emergency tent for the night, he took me by divers
ways to a bell tent in which I found two or three men of Paget's Horse,
acquaintances of the "Delphic" days, another Sussex man, and a large
washing basin conta