of air, and the defence was nearly broken
down.

Judging from this casual intercourse, he represents a type very common
among colonial volunteers, but not encouraged by our own military
system--I mean that of the independent, intelligent, resourceful unit.
If there are many like him in his corps, it accounts amply for the
splendid work they have done. He told me that not one of them had been
taken prisoner, which, looking at the history of the war, and at the
kind of work such a corps has to do, speaks volumes for the standard
of ability in all ranks. But what I don't like, and can't altogether
understand, is the intense and implacable bitterness against the
Boers, which all South Africans such as him show. Nothing is too bad
for the Boers. "Boiling oil" is far too good. Deportation to Ceylon is
pitiful leniency. Any suggestion that the civilized customs of war
should be kept up with such an enemy, is scouted. Making all
allowances for the natural resentment of those who have known what it
is to be an Uitlander, allowing too for "white flag" episodes and so
on, I yet fail to understand this excess of animosity, which goes out
of its way even to deny any ability to Boer statesmen and soldiers,
regardless of the slur such a denial casts on British arms and
statesmanship. After all, we have lost ten thousand or more prisoners
to the Boers, and, for my part, the fact that I have never heard a
complaint of bad treatment (unnecessarily bad, I mean) from an
ex-prisoner, tells more strongly than anything with me in forming a
friendly impression of the enemy we are fighting. Many a hot argument
have we had about Boer and Briton; and I'm afraid he thinks me but a
knock-kneed imperialist.

_September 10._--_Monday._--To my great delight, Henry turned up as an
inmate here, the commanding officer at the convalescent camp having
most kindly managed his transference, with some difficulty. The state
of his foot didn't enter into the question at all, but official
"etiquette" was in danger of being outraged. The commanding officer
was a very good chap, though, and Henry seems to have escaped somehow
in the tumult, unpursued. He had to walk over here.

A wounded man from Warm Baths came in to-day, and said they had had
two days' fighting there; camp heavily shelled by Grobelaar.

_September 13._--_Thursday._--Foot nearly well, but am not allowed to
walk, and very jealous of Henry, who has been given a crutch, and
makes rapid kangaro