to get what little warmth they could. Everybody was wet
through to the knee, a good many to the waist, while some were soused
all over, for in the course of our march we had turned due north, and
crossed the Vaal at Lindeque Drift. The river is very broad here, and
split up into numerous small streams, in the wading of which many
humorous incidents took place, owing to the slippery nature of the
rolling stones in the bottom of the river. A rolling stone may not
gather much moss, but it is undoubtedly capable of gathering a
considerable quantity of slimy weeds, and when concealed by two or
three feet of running water it offers about as precarious a footing as
it is possible to imagine.

[Illustration: The Vaal River, Lindeque Drift.]

Winding our way through the low hills on the Transvaal side of the
river, we at length emerged on to an enormous plain. The far horizon
was bounded by the Gatsrand hills, with which, as with another
detached clump of rounded kopjes on our left, known as the Losberg, we
were destined ere long to become closely acquainted. As we finally
turned in about 11 p.m. we heard reveille was not to sound till 4.30
a.m., but when some subaltern attempted a feeble joke about a 'Europe
morning,' his effort met with nothing but silent contempt.

There is little doubt that any one who shared in that next day's march
will never forget it. As we proceeded across the illimitable plain a
strong head-wind began to blow, increasing in strength as the day wore
on. De Wet had fired all the grass ahead of us, with the result that
the air was laden with millions and millions of particles of minute
ashes and sharp cinders. These soon filled eyes, ears, nostrils,
throats, and lungs, until breathing became well-nigh impossible, and
the agony caused by their penetration into our eyes almost
intolerable. But woe to him who endeavoured to alleviate his distress
by wiping his eyes with grimy hands. Such action merely had the effect
of 'rubbing it in,' and so accentuating the misery and discomfort. The
men very soon began to fall out in ever-increasing numbers. On one
occasion Captain Nelson, R.M.L.I., was seen straggling off right away
from the column. Lieutenant Bradford went after him and found that he
was temporarily quite blind. At last, after hours of torment, we
reached a pass in the Gatsrand, on the far side of which we halted, as
night fell. A big grass fire almost immediately broke out, and as the
grass was lon