be, long after the
capture of both capitals.

_August 15._--I had gone to sleep in splendid isolation under the
verandah of an empty house, but awoke among some Munsters, who greeted
dawn with ribald songs. Harnessed up after breakfast, and marched off
through the town, past the head-quarters, where Roberts reviewed us
and the 38th. He was standing with a large Staff at the foot of the
steps. The order "eyes right" gave us a good view of him, and very
small, fit, and alert he looked.

"'E's little, but 'e's wise,
'E's a terror for 'is size."

I liked what we saw of the town, broad boulevards edged with trees,
and houses set back deep in gardens; the men all in khaki uniforms, or
niggers, but a good many English ladies and nurses. We marched to a
camp on the top of a hill outside the town, and joined the rest of the
brigade. A lovely view of the town from here, in a hollow of
encircling hills, half-buried in trees, looking something like
Florence in the distance. I can hardly believe we are really here when
I think of the hopeless depression of June and May at Bloemfontein.
Much to our disgust, we weren't allowed to go down to the town in the
afternoon. However, we visited a reservoir instead, where a pipe took
away the overflow, and here we got a real cold bath in limpid water,
on a shingly bottom, a delicious experience. After evening stables
Williams and I got leave to go down to town. We passed through broad
tree-bordered streets, the central ones having fine shops and
buildings, but all looking dark and dead, and came to the Central
Square, where we made for the Grand Hotel, and soon found ourselves
dining like gentlemen at tables with table-cloths and glasses and
forks, and clean plates for every course. The complexity of civilized
paraphernalia after the simplicity of a pocket-knife and mess-tin, was
quite bewildering. The room was full of men in khaki. Heavens! how
hungry that dinner made me! We ordered a bottle of claret, the
cheapest being seven shillings. The waiter when he brought it up
paused mysteriously, and then, in a discreet whisper to Williams, said
he supposed we were sergeant-majors, as none under that rank could be
served with wine. Gunner Williams smilingly reassured him, and Driver
Childers did his best to look like a sergeant-major, with, I fear,
indifferent success. Anyway the waiter was easily satisfied, and left
us the claret, which, as there were three officers at the table, was
credi