good many. Major Bird left
us at this time to go to Natal, where he was to arrange about our
property, and organize orderly-room papers, etc. Major English was
unfortunately down with a severe attack of dysentery, and had it not
been for Major Rutherford's arrival on the morning of the 29th the
battalion would have been Majorless. Our padre, Father Mathews,
presented us with a very fine pair of koodoo horns which he picked up
at a store while we were here. He had originally been attached to the
Royal Irish Fusiliers, but had come to us after Nicholson's Nek. He
remained with us till the end of the war, and proved himself a brave
soldier and a welcome member of the mess.

[Illustration: Father Mathews.]

Orders were eventually issued for a start at 6 a.m. on the morning of
the 29th, but a night of heavy rain and succession of thunderstorms
put an early start out of the question, and we did not get off till 3
p.m. The force was known as the Pochefstroom Column,[11] and our
mission, as far as we knew, was to lay waste the country between
Krugersdorp and that place, to fight the enemy whenever we met him,
to bring in women and children, to destroy anything in the way of
forage, &c., which might be useful to our enemies, if we could not
bring it along for our own use; to collect waggons, cape-carts,
animals, harness, &c.; and generally to carry fire and sword
throughout the land.

[Footnote 11: South Wales Borderers, Royal Dublin Fusiliers,
half-battalion Somersetshire Light Infantry, 4.7 Naval Gun,
28th Battery Royal Field Artillery, Marshall's Horse, and
Yeomanry.]

Moving off in a southerly direction through the town, we came to what
should have been a harmless little drift, about two or three miles
out. The recent rains had, however, transformed it into a formidable
obstacle, and waggon after waggon stuck hopelessly in its miry
embrace. The General, therefore, determined to halt on a rising slope
on the far side, and as many waggons as possible were man-handled over
the bog. Tents were pitched, but scarcely were they up when a furious
storm burst overhead. In a minute everything and everybody was soused
through and through, the scene being vividly lit up by the almost
continuous flashes of vivid lightning, while the crashing, bellowing
boom of the thunder in our ears made voices inaudible and orders
perfectly useless. What sort of teas the regimental cooks prepared we
did not kn