ad to take the road again. We occupied the club, we occupied the
shops and hotels, we occupied even the homes of the simple townspeople;
and we occupied the streets, so that all day the town resounded to the
din of tramping feet. When one has slept for a month under the stars,
sheets and a roof are stifling; so as the railway was not yet open,
Major Pollock (of _The Times_) and I decided to go to Kimberley by road,
assured that the moral effect of the proclamation would keep us out of
danger from the Queen's enemies.

Our little caravan set forth by moonlight, taking the road travelled by
the left-hand column of the three parallel columns that had advanced on
Bloemfontein, and somewhat to the north of that taken by Lord Roberts
and the central column, with which we had gone in. The journey itself
was uneventful enough, full of the little interests and anxieties and
pleasures of the road, full of joy for the travellers, but without
serious interest to anyone else. There was just enough risk of
encountering a commando to give the necessary spice of adventure; two
despatch-riders--not mine, by the good fortune of half a mile--had been
captured the day before, and we kept a bright look-out. But by the time
we came across them the commandos were forlornly[2] dispersing. For the
rest, there was the unending charm of the climate and the place; the
gorgeous evenings, when sunset and moonrise encircled the horizon in a
flame of gold and silver; the spring-cold mornings, with the veldt
glowing from violet to purple and crimson; the noonday rest in some
deserted farm garden; the bed at nightfall, with the sound of horses
munching their corn for a lullaby--all the circumstances of simple
travel accomplished by the means that nature has provided. After having
been for so long in the company of 30,000 men we found the loneliness
and quietness refreshing, and we passed almost unnoticed through the
birds and beasts and flowers. We swam once more in the muddy Modder, now
quite an old friend. The track of the army was marked for us in two
ways--one ludicrous, the other tragic; both unmistakable. For all along
the way bright tin biscuit canisters of the Army Service Corps shone
like diamonds in the sun; and all along the way, at intervals, tired and
sick old cavalry horses stood by the roadside, each surrounded by a
crowd of foul aasvoegels, the vultures of South Africa, waiting.

[Footnote 2: For the time being.]

The chief party of Bo