ess
veldt, which, after all, is the main fact of South African life, seems
to carry these little unexpected towns on its breast with the same ease
and unconsciousness that the sea carries its fleets of ships;
surrounding and lapping at their very hulls; not changed itself nor
influenced by their presence.

During our stay of a day or two at Lindley it became increasingly
evident that the people of that neighbourhood resented our presence
there. Our pickets were constantly engaged. There are some rather abrupt
hills on the east side of the town, among the nearer ones of which our
look-outs were stationed while the Boers prowled among the others. Here
the Mausers and Lee-Metfords talked incessantly, and the conversation
was carried on in a desultory way down in the river valley and among the
rolling hills on the southern side. It was plain that the enemy was
quite prepared to "put up a show" for us, and no one was surprised, when
the morning of our departure came, to see the strong force of Mounted
Infantry told off for rearguard, or note the presence of the General
himself in that part of the field.

There are long slanting hills that rise above the village on its south
side, the crests of which were occupied by our pickets. As the pickets
were withdrawn, the Boers rapidly followed them up, occupied the crest
in turn, and began to put in a heavy fire and press hard on our
retreating men.

From a square and flat-topped kopje just north of the town we had the
whole scene of the withdrawal down the opposite slopes before our eyes.
Our Mounted Infantry were hotly engaged but perfectly steady. They lay
in the grass in open order, firing, their groups of horses clustered
lower down the hill; then retired by troops and set to work again. This
giving ground steadily and by degrees is a test of coolness and
steadiness, and it was easy to see that our men were under perfect
control. At last they came under the protection of our hill. We had got
our battery of guns up it, and it was a moment of great satisfaction to
all concerned, except possibly the Boers, when the first angry roar rose
above the splutter of rifles, and the shell pitched among some of the
foremost of the enemy's sharpshooters. In a duel of this sort the
interference of artillery is usually regarded as decisive. Guns, as
people say, have "a moral effect" that is sometimes out of proportion to
the actual damage they inflict. Anyway, skirmishers seldom advance
un