sang a verse of a hymn and the Volkslied (their national anthem), and after listening to a short address from their commandant, they dispersed.

’Commandant De Wet was annoyed at our having dug trenches within the lines of our hospital, and said it was a breach of the Geneva Convention, and that we were taking an undue advantage of our privileges; but when we pointed out to him that it had been done to protect the wounded, some native women, and an old native man and child who came in for protection, and not as a protection to our troops who were in the firing lines, he was satisfied.

’The trenches were dug under a tolerably heavy fire.  The enemy captured all our horses and saddlery, some of our kits and water-bottles, and one of our buck wagons marked with the Red Cross.  Both the medical officers and I had our horses and kits taken from us, but the commandant assured each of us that they would be returned, but we have not seen them yet.  In the evening these two officers with an orderly walked a distance of three or four miles to the Boer laager in the hope of recovering their kits, only to find that the laager had been removed and the enemy were nowhere to be seen.  They took my servant, and would not hear of his remaining behind.  We were released by Commandant De Wet, who told us to bury our dead and take the wounded where we liked.

=Consolation to the Dying.=

’Our casualties were ten killed and thirty-five wounded.  I went over the battle-field with the ambulance party seeking for the dead and wounded, and came across a man who was dying, and said to him, “Do you know Jesus?” He replied, “Yes, I’m trusting Jesus as my Saviour.”  I said, “That’s right, brother.  ’This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.’  ’Christ died the just for the unjust that He might bring us to God.’  ’The blood of Jesus Christ His Son cleanseth from all sin.’  Do you know me?” I asked.  “Yes,” he replied, “you are our chaplain,” and turning his dying face to me, he said, “Pray for me.”  I knelt down by his side, surrounded by our stretcher-bearers, as well as by the Boers on horseback, who were witnesses of this pathetic scene, and commended him to God.  He then said he was thirsty, and asked for a drink of water, which it was my privilege to give him from the water-bottle slung by my right side.  We then laid him on the stretcher and carried him as gently as we possibly could to the field hospital, but in a few minutes his disembodied spirit had left its tenement of clay and gone to answer the roll call up yonder.

’One cannot speak too highly of the unremitting care and attention bestowed upon our dear wounded fellows by the army surgeons.  Our officers in the field behaved most gallantly, and were as cool as possible under the most galling fire.  The “O.C.,” Captain McWhinnie, could be seen against the sky line again and again,