ite depressing. No wonder the
townspeople soon took to calling the soldiers "locusts," not merely
out of compliment to the gay colour of their costume, but also as
aptly descriptive of their apparent countlessness. They seemed like
the sands by the seashore, innumerable. They bade fair to swallow up
the place.

That last expression, however, suggests yet another point of
resemblance. For longer than these men seemed able to remember, the
order of the day had been "long marches and short rations." When,
therefore, they reached this welcome halting-place they were simply
famished; insatiably hungry, they eagerly spent their last coin in
buying up whatever provisions had fortunately escaped the
commandeering of the Boers. There was no looting, no lawlessness of
any kind; and many a civilian gave his last loaf to a starving
trooper. There was soon a famine in the place and no train to bring us
fresh supplies. All the bakeries of the town were commandeered by the
new government for the benefit of the troops; but like the five loaves
of the gospel story, "What were they among so many?" I saw the men,
like swarms of bees, clustering around the doors and clambering on to
the window-sills of these establishments, enjoying apparently the
smell of the baking bread, and cherishing the vain hope of being able
to purchase a loaf when at last the ovens were emptied.

So too at the grocers' shops, a "tail" was daily formed outside the
door, which at intervals was cautiously opened to let in a few at a
time of these clamorous customers, who presently retired by the back
door, laden more or less with such articles as happened to be still in
store; but muttering as they came out "this is like Klondyke," with
evident reference not to Klondyke gold, but to Klondyke prices. It was
not the traders that needed protection as against the troopers, but
the troopers that needed protection as against some of the traders.
Even proclamation prices were alarmingly high, as for instance, a
shilling for a pound of sugar. Sixpence was the popular price for a
cup of tea, often without milk or sugar. The quartermaster whose tent
I shared was charged four shillings for a single "whisky and soda,"
and was informed that if he wanted a bottle of whisky the price would
be thirty-five shillings. On such terms tradesmen who, before the war,
had laid in large and semi-secret stores now reaped a magnificent
harvest. One provision merchant was reported to have thu