ng on picked
horses, armed only with revolvers, and ranging seven or eight miles
from the main body. De Wet always rode a white horse, and wore a
covert coat. By his side rode ex-President Steyn, unarmed. The
prisoners were fed as well as the Boers themselves, but that was
badly, for they were nearly always short of food, and generally had
only Kaffir corn, with occasional meat. One day a prisoner asked a
field-cornet when they were going to get something to eat. "I don't
care if you're a brass band," he said, "but give us some food." "Well,
I'm very sorry," was the apologetic reply, "we've been trying for a
week to get one of your convoys; it will be all right when we get it."
De Wet himself was very pleasant to them, and took good care they got
their proper rations. They rode always on waggons, and he spoke
feelingly of the horrible monotony of the jolt, jolt, jolt, from
morning to night. They nearly always had a British force close on
their heels, and no sooner had they outspanned for a rest than it
would be "Inspan--trek." "Up you get, Khakis; the British are coming!"
Then pom-pom-pom, whew-w-w-w, as shells came singing over the
rear-guard. At these interesting moments they used to put the
prisoners in the extreme rear, so that the British if they saw them,
could not fire. He accounted for the superior speed of the Boers by
their skill in managing their convoy; every Boer is a born driver (in
fact, most of their black drivers had deserted), and they take waggons
over ground we should shudder at, leaving the roads if need be, and
surmounting impossible ascents. Again they confine their transport to
the limits of strict necessity, and are not cumbered with all the
waggon-loads of officers' kit which our generals choose to allow.
Their rapidity in inspanning is marvellous; all the cattle may be
scattered about grazing, but in five minutes from the word "Trek!"
they are inspanned and ready. Their horses, he said, were wretched,
and many rode donkeys; how they managed to get about so well he never
could understand, but supposed the secret of their success was this
body of well-mounted, reliable scouts, who saved all unnecessary
travelling to the main body. A very large proportion of the Boer force
were foreigners--French, Germans, Dutch, Russians, Norwegians.

The soul of this tent is Jock, an Argyll and Sutherland Highlander. He
was wounded at Modder River, and is now nominally suffering from the
old wound, but there i