half-a-crown for a front place to see. As I have said, all day long
there are casual veldt-fires springing up in this country. Just now
two or three began down in the valley, tracing fine golden lines in
spirals and circles. The grass is short, so that there is no great
blaze, but the effect is that of some great unseen hand writing
cabalistic sentences (perhaps the "Mene, Mene" of De Wet!), with a pen
dipped in fire. This night there was scarcely a breath of wind to
determine the track of the fires, or quicken their speed, and they
wound and intersected at their own caprice, describing fantastic arcs
and curves from which one could imagine pictures and letters. The
valley gradually became full of a dull, soft glow, and overhung with
red, murky smoke, through which the moon shone down with the strangest
mingling of diverse lights. Very suddenly a faint breeze began to blow
in from the valley directly towards our camp. At once the aimless
traceries of fine flame seemed to concentrate into a long resolute
line, and a wave of fire, roaring as it approached, gained the foot of
the hill, and began to climb it towards us. Watchful eyes had been on
the lookout. "Drivers, stand to your horses," was shouted. "Out with
your blankets, men," to our gunners and the infantry behind, and in an
instant the chosen sons of Cork were bounding out of their lines and
down the hill, and belabouring the fire with blankets and
ground-sheets and sacks. They seemed to think it a fine joke, and
raised a pæan of triumph when it was got under. "Wan more victory," I
heard one say.

_July 10._--Slack day, most of it spent in grazing the horses. For
this duty each man takes four horses, so that only half of us need go;
but on the other hand, if you stay, you may come in for a "fatigue,"
which it requires some insight to predict. Beyond that, our whole
energies were concentrated on cooking our meals, raw meat only being