ys he came from
Madagascar into the Transvaal by Delagoa Bay, and was commandeered to
join the Boer army. He came with a lot of German officers, who drank
champagne hard. On his arrival it was found he could not ride or shoot,
or live on biltong. He could do nothing but talk French, a useless
accomplishment in South Africa. And so they sent him into our camp to
help eat our rations. The information he gave was small. Joubert
believes he can starve us out in a fortnight. He little knows. We could
still hold out for over a month without eating a single horse, to say
nothing of rats. It is true we have to drop our luxuries. Butter has
gone long ago, and whisky has followed. Tinned meats, biscuits,
jams--all are gone. "I wish to Heaven the relief column would hurry up,"
sighed a young officer to me. "Poor fellow," I thought, "he longs for
the letters from his own true love." "You see, we can't get any more
Quaker oats," he added in explanation.

In the afternoon I took copies of the _Ladysmith Lyre_ to some of the
outlying troops. It is but a single page of four short columns, and with
a cartoon by Mr. Maud. But the pathetic gratitude with which it was
received, proved that to appreciate literature of the highest order, you
have only to be shut up for a month under shell fire.

_November 28, 1899._

Hopeful news came of British successes, both at Estcourt and Mooi River.
The relief column is now thought to be at Frere, not far below Colenso.
A large Boer convoy, with 800 mounted men, was seen trending away
towards the Free State passes, perhaps retiring. Everybody was much
cheered up. The Boer guns fired now and then, but did little damage. At
night we placed two howitzers on a nek in Waggon Hill, where the 60th
have a post south-west of the town.

_November 29, 1899._

A few more Kaffirs came through from Estcourt, but brought no later
news. Their report of the fighting on the Mooi River was: "The English
burnt the Dutch like paraffin. The Dutch have their ears down." Did I
not say that Zulu was the future language of opera? Riding past the
unfinished hospital I saw a private of the 18th Hussars cut down by a
shell splinter--the only casualty to-day resulting from several hundred
pounds' worth of ammunition. The two greatest events were, first, the
attempt of our two old howitzers on Waggon Hill to silence the 6 in. gun
on Middle Hill beyond them. They fired pretty steadily from 4 to 5 p.m.,
sending out