o eating
matters if he thereby served the "Military Situation."

Friday was quiet--in the cannonading line; the wind and dust were
bellicose enough. Fodder was scarce, and the animal creation was sharing
with us the privations of a siege. Hundreds of horses were turned out to
"grass." To be reduced to dependence on Karoo grass was a sad fate for
the poor quadrupeds. On a billiard table they could have feasted their
eyes at least on green; but the veld could not offer even that ocular
consolation. Hay and straw were at a premium; the "fighting" horses had
first call, and they were numerous enough to make hard the lot of the
steeds of peace. The poor cart horses were sadly neglected; it was
pitiful to behold their protruding ribs, their forlorn looks. Every sort
of garbage was raked up to keep them alive--second-hand straw hat mashes
being the most notable repasts in vogue. Cab-men were obliged to descend
from their boxes and face the dignity of labour with a pick and shovel.
The dearth of fodder brought down the prices of beasts, and
thenceforward they were sold for songs--ditties to the tune of thirty
shillings. Half-a-dozen horses were on one occasion sold for seven
pounds--animals that were worth a great deal more each. The purchasers
took risks of course. But the booming of cannon was still to be heard in
the land--it boomed all the afternoon--and the possibility of keeping
the quadrupeds alive until the Column came to the rescue was not yet
despaired of.

Saturday was the seventy-seventh day of our investment, with relief not
yet in sight. True, it was within hearing; but so it had been three
weeks before, on Magersfontein day. We were weary of this interminable
thunder, which showed us no results. Colonel Kekewich was as reticent as
ever. Of guesswork there was plenty. Had Methuen not had time
sufficiently to augment his forces to cut his way through. The troops
were in the country; we were placated with the information that they
were "falling over one another in Cape Town." This comforting gem
glittered less in our minds as the days sped past, and the prospects of
a speedy liberation receded correspondingly. The delay was to us
incomprehensible. We fell back on our old theory, that the more
protracted the Siege the greater the fame and honour for the men to
whose 'prentice hands had been committed the destinies of a free
community. It was hard to believe that these armed martinets could play
with their responsib