patriot is a man who
puts his country first thing of all. The final result of it all, "the
uselessness of prolonging the struggle," and such newspaper talk as
that, is not for him. There fronts him one fact, his country is invaded;
and there fronts him one duty, to fight till he dies for it. This would
have been a Greek's definition of the word, and it is the Boer farmer's
definition. It is of course just because patriots never do count the
cost, and are what the newspapers call "deaf to reason," that they
sometimes bring off such astonishing results.

The Boers have now to watch a slow, implacable, methodical devastation
of their country, tract by tract. Day by day they fight, and one by one
they fall. Comrades and friends drop at each other's sides; sons drop by
fathers, and brothers by brothers. The smoke rises in the valley, and
the home is blotted out. All that makes life worth living goes, then
life itself. What sterner test can a nation be put to than this? It is a
torture long and slow; the agony and bloody sweat. I know well that if
my own country were invaded I should, or hope I should, behave exactly
as these men are doing; and as I should call it patriotism in my own
case, I cannot refuse to call it the same in theirs. You see bribery and
coercion are not adequate motives, and do not explain the facts; only,
unfortunately, a lot of people would rather hunt up any base motive,
however inadequate, than take the obvious one if it did their enemy any
credit.

It is most important that the situation should be realised at home, for
if it were the conduct of the war would be changed. You cannot torture
and terrorise men like this into submission. Probably no system will end
the war off quickly, but certainly kind, or at least fair, treatment is
the best chance and best policy in every way. The present system hardens
these men's resolution to iron, and so tends to prolong the war; and it
embitters Dutch hatred of the British, and so tends to perpetuate the
ill effects of the war. In fact, I am convinced that it is the worst
policy you could possibly adopt, and the sooner you change it the
better.

As for the fighting itself, you must make great allowance for our
difficulties. So long as we had big commandoes with guns, convoys, &c.,
to deal with, there was a definite object to hit at. It was possible to
deal a blow that took effect. Now we are fighting shadows. Our columns
march through the country and see no en