hey had hardened our natures, had yet left us
the power of laughter.

The South African War was rich in incidents that tended to lighten our
burdens. Hardly a day passed by without something happening, either on
the battlefield or in the camp, which caused us amusement. The burghers,
in spite of looks and behaviour, had a keen sense of humour. Even when
we were so hotly pressed that there was often no pause made for a meal,
a joke in the saddle was relished in the place of food. In little
groups, too, round the camp fires we would beguile the long evenings of
winter nights by relating our personal adventures. We will record a few
of these, acquired from personal experience or overheard at such
gatherings.

Moving in the Reddersburg district, we camped for a night at a dam which
contained a small quantity of water. The next morning the burghers,
discovering that there were fish in the pool, but having no
fishing-hooks, undressed and began to convert the water into a muddy
mass, thus compelling the fish to come to the surface for air. While
still engaged in this impromptu fishing, with bodies mud-covered from
top to toe, they heard the cry "Opzaal! opzaal! Khakis near by." So near
was the enemy that they could not afford to lose a minute. As there was
neither clean water nor time to wash off the mud, they were obliged to
jump into their clothes, besmeared as they were with mud. It was an
amusing sight to see them running to their clothes, black as negroes,
and, regardless of the mud, dressing as quickly as they could. Some of
them had a very narrow escape, and not before sunset could they take
another bath.

The destruction of the railway-line afforded us much fun. There were
burghers who dreaded this kind of work much more than actual fighting.
They would rather get into the firing-line than go to the railway-line.
They feared nothing so much as to handle a charge of dynamite, by which
the destruction was usually accomplished. To prevent any accidents, a
whistle was blown as a signal to apply the lights to all the fuses at
once, so that the men could all withdraw to a safe distance before the
explosion took place. On one occasion a burgher, intentionally or out of
fright, lit his fuse while the others were still engaged depositing
their charges under the rails. The surprise of the rest on seeing the
fuse alight took the form of helter-skeltering away, some rushing
against the railway fence, others almost breaking thei