jority belonging
to the Liverpool regiment and the 18th regiment of Hussars. They were
all taken to our laager.

We succeeded in bringing away the captured gun in perfect order, also
some waggons. Unfortunately the cart with the projectiles or shell,
stuck in the morass and had to be left behind.

I gave orders to have a gun which we had left with the reserve
burghers at Bakenkop, brought up, to open fire on the two pieces which
were firing at us from Zwartkoppies, and to cover our movements while
we were taking away the prisoners-of-war and the captured stores. I
was in hopes of getting an opportunity of releasing the carts which
stuck. But Fate was against us. A heavy hailstorm accompanied by
thunder and lightning, fiercer than I have ever witnessed in South
Africa before, broke over our heads. Several times the lightning
struck the ground around us, and the weather became so alarming that
the drunken "Tommies" began to talk about their souls, and further
efforts to save the carts had to be abandoned.

Whoever may have been the officer in command at Zwartkoppies he really
deserved a D.S.O., which he obtained, too.

What that order really means I wot not, but I know that an English
soldier is quite prepared to risk his life to deserve one, and as the
decoration itself cannot be very expensive, it pays the British
Government to be very liberal with it. A Boer would be satisfied with
nothing less than promotion as a reward for heroism.

When the storm subsided we went on. It was a remarkable sight--a long
procession of "Tommies," burghers, carts, and the naval gun, 18 feet
long, an elephantine one when compared with our small guns.

It struck me again on this occasion what little bad feeling there was
really between Boer and Briton, and how they both fight simply to do
their duty as soldiers. As I rode along the stream of men I noticed
several groups of burghers and soldiers sitting together along the
road, eating from one tin of jam and dividing their loaf between them,
and drinking out of the same field flask.

I remember some snatches of conversation I overheard:--

TOMMY: By Jove, but you fellows gave us jip. If you had come
a little later you wouldn't have got us so easy, you know.

BURGHER: Never mind, Tommy, we got you. I suppose next time
you will get us. Fortunes of war, you know. Have some more,
old boy. Oh, I say, here is the general coming.

TOMMY: Who's he? Du Wyte o