a mile of transport waggons, of ammunition
carts, of provision carts, with sundry naval guns, each drawn by a
team of thirty-two oxen, had somehow to be got down the dangerous
slope on one side of the drift, then across the stream, and up the
still more difficult slope on the other side. It was a herculean
task at which men and mules and horses toiled on far into the night.
Meanwhile, when the troops reached their camping ground some miles
beyond the river, they found they would have to wait for hours before
they could get a scrap of beef or biscuit, and that it would probably
be still longer before their overcoats or blankets arrived. For the
hungry and shivering men this seemed an almost interminable interval,
and for their officers it was scarcely less trying. A devoted
Methodist non-commissioned officer perceiving my sorry plight most
seasonably procured for me the loan of a capital military greatcoat. I
also fortunately found a warm anthill, which the Boers earlier in the
day had hollowed out and turned into an excellent stove or
cooking-place. I stirred up the hot ashes inside with my
walking-stick, but could find no trace of actual fire, so lay down
beside the mound for the sake of its gentle warmth and instantly fell
fast asleep. In my sleep I must have leaned hard against the anthill,
for presently a burning sensation at my back awoke me, to discover
that already a big hole had been charred in the coat I wore; and
"alas! master, it was borrowed." Boer rifle fire never harmed a hair
of my head, but this Boer fire did mischief nobody bargained for.
Clearly our pursuit was much too hot for my personal comfort!

[Illustration: _From a photograph by Mr Westerman_

The Deviation Bridge at Modder River.]

A little earlier in the evening another glowing anthill had been found
by one of our officers, and the thought of possible soup at once
suggested itself. A three-legged crock was borrowed from a native and
a fire of green mimosa shrub was laboriously coaxed into vigour by a
young aspirant to a seat in the House of Lords. Into the crockful
of water one of us cast a few meat lozenges reserved for just such a
day of dire need; another found in his haversack a further slender
store, which instantly shared the same fate. Somebody else cast into
the pot the contents of a tiny tin of condensed beef tea; and with
sundry other contributions of the same kind there was presently
produced a delightful cup of soup for all con