It all happened that afternoon just as he had told me. The House cheered
and cheered as Mr. Barr Smith's offer--following on the notification to
members that it was the decision of the Government to send the mounted
contingent--was announced. Then followed the singing of "God Save the
Queen." Before they had time to settle down Kingston told them I had been
selected as a special service officer for duty in South Africa. More
cheers. All was well. My long absence was forgotten. All were glad to see
me back. All pleased that the opportunity was being given me to go on
active service. I was presented with two splendid chargers, a bay and a
blue roan, a sword, revolver, binoculars, and enough knitted mufflers,
Crimean helmets, housewives and the like to last me a lifetime. The only
thing to be done was to select the men, purchase the horses, and get
ready to embark as soon as a transport could be secured. Those selected
were first-class riders accustomed to the care of horses--most of them
members of the Mounted Rifles, and men who could shoot straight. Within
three or four weeks we should be on board the transport, and could polish
up a little their drill and discipline during the voyage.

We arranged with the New South Wales and Western Australian Governments
for the ss. _Surrey_ to convey our three contingents to Cape Town. We
totalled some three hundred and eighty officers and men and four hundred
horses. One squadron from a New South Wales cavalry regiment, one South
Australian Mounted Rifles squadron, and a similar one from Western
Australia. The _Surrey_, with the full complement on board, left
Fremantle, in Western Australia, in January, 1900. I can still shut my
eyes and see the immense crowds that wished us "God speed," and hear the
continuous cheers of the people of Adelaide on the day when we marched
through the principal streets of the city on our way to embarkation. It
was one of those events that one does not forget. Once more I was on my
way across the seas to the other side of the world. My eighth voyage.

Fine weather across the Indian Ocean. I was not in charge of the troops
on board the ship. I was merely a passenger, as a special service
officer. Lieut.-Colonel Parrott, a New South Wales engineer officer, was
in command. I had particularly arranged for this, as I had heard of the
difficulties that had arisen in connexion with the transport of the first
infantry units, and had considered it more advisa