_Sunday, January 26th, 1901._
Still at the above address, but going strong, and almost losing the
Spartan habits engendered by my recent life on the veldt!
News is very scarce with us, and to dare to write you a long letter
would be the height of impudence, so I will let you off with a
moderately short one this week.
Last week an original burlesque (perhaps I ought to politely designate
it a musical comedy) was produced in a large marquee here, which is
called "the theatre." I don't know what the name of the piece was but it
dealt with a Hospital Commission, and the _dramatis personae_ consisted
of a Boer spy, posing as the Commissioner, the real Commissioner, as a
new nurse, nurses, orderlies, Kaffirs and doctors, amongst the latter
being a Scotch Doctor, who drank a deal of "whuskey" and whose diagnoses
were most entertaining. It was quite pathetic to watch the keen interest
with which the audience followed the diversions of "Dr. Sandy" with the
bottle.
I have been concerned in "doing something" in our day nurse's album
lately (I think I have already alluded to the presence of the album evil
out here). I have willingly volunteered to contribute to these volumes,
hoping to see their contents, but, alas, in most cases I have had to
start the tome; however, in the present case the album has been well
started by various patients. Most of the efforts are strikingly original
and all in verse, so I determined to do something for the honour of the
county of my birth, and, securing a pen and ink, perpetrated some
Michael Angelic-like sketches of "the-ministering-angel-thou," order.
Then, hearing that a poem (scratch a Tommy and you'll find a poet) was
expected, valiantly started off with something like this:
"She wore a cape of scarlet,
The eve when first we met;
A gown of grey was on her form
(I wore some flannelette!):
She was a sister to us all,
And yet no relation;
She stuck upon my dexter leg,
A hot fomentation."
But appearing suggestive of something else, I crossed it out and finally
produced the following ambitious ode:--