ow, but the invaluable and ubiquitous Corporal Tierney
managed to bring each of us a cup of hot tea and a rasher or a steak
in our tents. The storm lasted till dawn, when the heavy clouds, as if
despoiled of their victims by the rising sun, reluctantly drew off
northwards. A glorious morning was the consequence, but, of course,
there was no chance of trekking for some hours to come.

At 2 p.m. a start was again made, but as the tents and everything else
were soaked through, and weighed fifty per cent. more than they would
under ordinary circumstances, there was little hope that our transport
animals would be able to drag them through any bad drifts. We only
managed to do some seven miles before darkness came on, when we camped
for the night at the Madeline Gold-mine. It was jumpy work here, as
the whole place was honeycombed with prospecting-holes and ditches,
varying in depth from three feet to about three hundred. How on earth
no one fell in must ever remain a mystery, as, to add to the
delightful freshness of the situation, a large herd of bullocks took
command, and meandered through the camp, one of which moved the mess
president on some considerable distance, fortunately for him with a
horn on each side of him, instead of one through him, as was doubtless
intended.

We marched from the Madeline at 7 a.m. on August 31st, and after
trekking some miles arrived at a large coal-mine, which seemed to be
in very good order. This country had been the scene of a goodish bit
of fighting. Not far off the ill-fated Jameson raid had come to its
inglorious conclusion; a little further on the Gordons had suffered
severely during the advance on Johannesburg; and here the Pochefstroom
column was to be 'blooded.'

We did not know that anything interesting was on the tapis until we
saw the white cotton-wool puffs of our shrapnel bursting against a
range of kopjes in our front. Then the Colonel told us that there were
supposed to be a good many Boers on ahead, and that the General had
gone off with a portion of the column to attack them, while we were to
advance and seize and hold a nek, with a view to cutting off the
retreating Boers, or threatening their left flank, or reinforcing our
right, or some obscure purpose. It was the same in so many of our days
of scrapping and trekking. Talk about the fog of war: we who were
actually in the battle knew nothing about it. Doubtless the Commanding
Officer was in the know, but the Company