to have seen you
before you leave, but I hope you will tell your gallant officers and
men how much I have appreciated their cheerful and ready assistance
while with me during the campaign."

My men have to-day hoisted a paying-off pennant with a large bunch of
flowers at the end of it. This looks very fine and is greatly admired
in camp. Much to our surprise we had a little excitement in the
afternoon as the Boers round us bagged a patrol of Bethune's Horse,
and on coming within shell fire to drive oxen and horses off from
Parson's farm, my beloved gun in this position was brought into action
by the Garrison Artillery under Lieutenant Campbell (who had taken
over from me on the 21st), four shells bursting all round the
marauders and scattering them at once.

Later on the Boers sent Bethune's captured men back to Grass Kop,
having shot their horses and smashed their rifles before their eyes.
Poynder and the Major gave me a big farewell dinner, and we all turned
in early this evening expecting an attack during the night, but
nothing happened. So next morning, the 24th, we got under way, with
our paying-off pennant streaming in the wind from a wagon, after
saying good-bye (amid cheers and hand-shakings) to all our kind
military comrades and friends at Grass Kop. I was more than sorry to
leave the Queen's.[5]

[Footnote 5: Poor Poynder! I was dreadfully sorry to hear he
died of enteric at Kronstadt just a year after this event;
there was never a nicer chap or a better soldier, and it's
hard lines losing him.]

[Illustration: _Photo by Knight, Aldershot._

Lt.-Gen. Sir H. J. T. Hildyard, K.C.B.]

I won't describe the journey down at length; the entraining at
Sandspruit and meeting all the rest of the Brigade; the farewells and
cheers and "beers" from the Queen's; and the false bottle of whisky
handed to Halsey by Colonel Pink, D.S.O., which I could not get him to
open on the way down. We saw Reeves, R.S.O., at Charlestown, and
many other old friends, and ran through to Durban by 8 a.m. on the
25th. Unluckily, I and the middy were in a carriage from Maritzburg in
which we couldn't get a wash, so one's feelings at Durban may be
imagined when we got out dirty and tired, and saw a large crowd of
officers and the Mayor of Durban and others ready to receive us on the
platform. What a welcome they did give us! The speeches, the cheers of
the crowd, the marching through the streets, and t