KRUGERSDORP.
_Wednesday, December 12th, 1900._
As we are under orders to leave here and join Clements to-morrow, I am
writing so as to catch the mail which goes out on Thursday.
On Sunday we had a Church Service, and in the afternoon had a visit from
Nobby--the Border Regiment has been resting at Krugersdorp for a few
weeks--who entertained us till, what out here we should term a late
hour, about nine.
On Monday I heard that another of our Sussex fellows had died of enteric
at Pretoria.
Nobby has just looked in again, he is rather a swell, wearing one of our
new war hats we had served out, and which I gave him, preferring to keep
my old one; in his words, he looks as if he belonged to the "Yeomandry."
It is wonderful how all our fellows get on with our professional
brethren. Take for instance one of our men, a 'Varsity man, hight
Pember, he is a dry, self-contained beggar, and lives his own life. Into
this life has come a man of the Northumberland Fusiliers. They both hail
from the same county. After the day's march, when the Infantry not on
picket are in camp, a dark figure often slouches up our lines, and a
voice inquires, "Is Pem 'ere?" and Pember of ours, late of Trinity Hall,
calls out from the darkness, "Here you are, mate," and forthwith the man
of the Fighting Fifth and the Imperial Yeoman sit down together and chat
of Heaven knows what, and the latter gives the former half of his prized
hard tack ration (he wouldn't give me a biscuit for his soul's
salvation), for the Northumberlands do not fare well at their
quartermaster's hands, at least they did not the last time we were on
the trek. Then, at about the same time Nobby is leaving us, the Fusilier
also arises and disappears with a "Good night, chummy," into the
darkness.
The dry canteen, for the troops, in the town, is now quite empty.
Fortunately, we still have some of the Great Candle Loot left, otherwise
we should be very much in the dark after sunset. To save our candles
from draughts and get a good light, we always burn them in biscuit
tins, a practice I can recommended highly if ever you go out campaigning
and lack a lantern. A convoy going to Rustenburg from Pretoria was
attacked and part captured a few days ago by Delarey's crowd. I had
expected that to happen soon, the length of the convoy and insufficiency
of its guard, having frequently struck me as very tempting for Brother
Boer.
Well, I must conclude, as I have nothing of note to narrate, and must
begin to pack my possessions in a manner to circumvent our
quartermaster-sergeant when packing our kits on the waggon.