hounds, his men rose
up and dashed pell-mell into the panic-stricken host. There was a
shock, a wavering, and then a pell-mell rush to the rear. The
Australians had won. They had _not_ been surprised.

"Cease fire! Sound the 'Officers' Call,'" ordered the chief umpire,
galloping up. From far and near came the leaders to the pow-wow.

* * * * *

"Well, gentlemen," said the umpire (the Commander-in-Chief), "I've seen
much to-day. There has been little to deplore and a great deal to
commend. Throughout the whole show there has been shown skill,
enthusiasm, and dash. Leadership was good, communication fair, and
nothing very rash was done. Your eight months' training has improved
you beyond recognition.

"To-day I tested our Australian friends. I planned to trick them, to
throw them into confusion, and to cause a general panic by a sudden
onslaught while they were resting and apparently finished for the day.
The trap failed because General Fearless was cool and appreciated the
situation. That, to me, is an important point. The surprises of war
are the things which make us or break us. Surprises in South Africa
smashed more reputations than anything else. It is perfectly easy at
manoeuvres to carry out a scheme laid down. It is not easy suddenly to
meet a dramatic development or side issue.

"Now for another point. Our colonial friends still suffer from an
abundance of vitality and the too daring use of the initiative. That
is a good fault, and yet a bad one. In guerilla warfare it would be a
tremendous asset. In a concerted scheme it might prove disastrous. No
matter how daring and clever the individual soldier or officer, if he
forgets that there are men, sections, regiments, and brigades to his
right or left--if he fails to appreciate the full value of
co-ordination and co-operation, he is a danger to himself and his
force. Of course, gentlemen, I fully appreciate that this charming
recklessness of our overseas cousins is due to temperament, not to
intent or a desire to be big at the expense of their fellows. That is
why we have trained you so hard. Without any desire to give offence, I
say boldly that the Australians and New Zealanders are an infinitely
better trained, better disciplined, and, therefore, a more useful body
of men than was sent by these Dominions to South Africa.

"It has been a very long, weary road, gentlemen. Your men, I am sure,
have cursed me of