dt there is a
curious moment, when all colour fades out except the steel blue of a
twilight sky, and the whole firmament is equally lighted, so that it
would be hard to say where the sun was going to rise. The next moment,
a sharp rim of dazzling gold cuts the veldt, and in an instant it is
broad day. The same applies to sunset. There are no "fine sunsets"
here, worthy of Ruskinian rhapsodies; they are just exquisitely subtle
transitions from day to night. But, of course, directly the sun is
below the horizon, night follows quickly, as in all countries in these
latitudes. There is very little twilight.

_(9.30 A.M.)_--The country we cross is studded thickly with small
trees. About 6.30 the enemy's rifle-fire began on our front. Our side
at first answered with pom-poms, Maxims, and rifle-fire, but our guns
have just come into action. The enemy's position appears to be a low
ridge ahead covered with bush.--I fancy they were only a skirmishing
rear-guard, for after a bit of shrapnel-practice we moved on, and had
a long, tiring day of slow marching and halting, with scattered firing
going on in front and on the flanks. The country must demand great
caution, for the bush is thick now, and whole commandos might be
concealed anywhere. The Wilts Regiment (some companies of which are
brigaded with us) lost several men and an officer. We camped on an
open space just at dark. Watering was a long, tiresome business, from
buckets, at a deep, rocky pool. There were snipers about, and a shot
now and then during the evening.

_August 21._--We harnessed up at four; but waited till seven to move
off. This is always tiresome, as drivers have to stay by their horses
all the time; but of course it is necessary that in such a camp, with
the enemy in the bush near, all the force should be ready to move at
an early hour. The nights are warm now, but there is a very chilly
time in the small hours. We marched through the same undulating,
wooded country, crossing a brute of a drift over a river, where we
hooked in an extra pair of horses to our team. In the summer this must
be a lovely region, when the trees and grass are green; very like the
New Forest, I should think. We had a long halt in the middle of the
day, and then marched on till five, when we camped. We waited till
eight for tea, as the buck-waggons had stuck somewhere; but I made
some cocoa on a fire of mealy-stalks. I forgot to say that
Baden-Powell has joined the column with a moun