and watered.  There was a curious and beautiful sight just before, the sun sinking red into the veldt straight ahead, and the moon rising golden out of it straight behind us.  It seems we are bound to Smalldeel, a station on the main line, now eleven miles off.  We left all the prisoners at Winberg.  Some chaps bought schamboks, saddle-bags, and spurs from them, but being stableman, I hadn’t time.  I write this by moonlight, crouching close to a fine wood fire, 10 P.M.  Well, I shall turn in now.

August 11.—­Reveille at 5.45.  We started at eight, and marched the remaining eleven miles in a blinding dust-storm, blown by a gale of cutting wind right in our faces.  My eyes were sometimes so bunged up that I couldn’t see at all, and thanked my stars I was not driving leads.  The worst march we have had yet.  About 11.30 we came to the railway, and groped through a dreary little tin village round a station, built on dust, and surrounded by bare, dusty veldt.  This was Smalldeel.  There was a general rush to the stores after dinner, as we hear we are to entrain for Pretoria to-morrow.  To-day we revolutionized our harness by giving up our off-saddles, our kit to be carried on a waggon.  Some time before centre and lead horses had been relieved of breeching and breast-strap, which of course are only needed for wheelers.  In the ordinary way all artillery horses are so harnessed that they can be used as wheelers at any moment.  The off horse is now very light therefore, having only collar, traces, and crupper, with an improvised strap across the back to support the traces.  Of course there are always “spare wheelers,” ready-harnessed, following each subdivision in case of casualties.  As far back as Bethlehem we discarded big bits also and side-reins, which are quite useless, and waste time in taking in and out when you want to water rapidly, or graze for a few moments.  The harness is much simplified now, and takes half the time to put on.  The mystery is why it is ever considered necessary to have so much on active service, or even at home, unless to keep drivers from getting too much leisure.  Several houses in this place have been wrecked, and many fellows slept under the shells.  In one of them a man was selling hot coffee in the evening, at 6d. a cup.  It was a striking scene, which I shall always remember—­a large building, floorless and gutted inside, and full of heaps of rubble, very dimly lit by a couple of lanterns, in the light of which cloaked and helmeted figures moved.  I thought of sleeping in a house, for it was the coldest night I remember; but habit prevailed, and I turned in as usual by my harness.  The horses have got a head-rope-eating epidemic, and seemed to be loose all night.

August 12.—­Sunday.—­Reveille at six.  Harnessed up, and waited for orders to entrain for Pretoria.  The 38th Battery have gone already, and the Wilts Yeomanry.  A draft of twenty new men from England came in by train.  They looked strangely pale and clean and tidy beside our patched and soiled and sunburnt selves.  Marched down to station, and were entraining guns, waggons, horses, etc., till about four.  The usual exciting scenes with mules, but it all seems routine now.  Our subdivision of thirty men were packed like herrings into an open truck, also occupied by a gun and limber.