Here and there Kaffir families sat squatting about their primitive huts, or kept watch over flocks of goats and sheep.  Ostriches stalked solemnly up to the railway and gazed at the train, and sometimes their curiosity cost them the loss of a few tail feathers if we could get a snatch at them through the wire railings.  On one occasion a soldier attempting to take this liberty with an ostrich was turned upon by the indignant bird, and a struggle ensued which might have proved serious to the man; he was, however, lucky enough to get a grip on the creature’s neck and succeeded by a great effort in killing it.  Ordinarily, however, the ostriches, despite an occasional surrender of tail feathers, lived on terms of amity with our men, and at Belmont they were to be seen walking about the camp and concealing their curiosity under a great show of dignity.  During the fight one of these birds took up its quarters with a battery, and watched the whole battle without taking any food, except that on one occasion when a man lit his pipe the bird suddenly reached out for the box of lucifers and swallowed it with great gusto.

It was curious to notice a variety of chalk marks upon some of the ant hills on the battle-field.  The Boers had carefully measured their ground beforehand, as we did at Omdurman, and knew exactly how to adjust their sights as we advanced against their position.  The battle of Graspan consisted, as at Belmont, in a frontal attack upon a line of kopjes held by a much larger force of the enemy than was present at the earlier engagement.  Lord Methuen succeeded in working his way to the foot of the kopjes, and a final rush swept the Boers away in headlong flight.  His victory would have been much more complete had the cavalry succeeded in cutting off the enemy’s retreat, but this was not done.

We brought back a load of wounded men from this fight.  The corps which suffered most heavily was the naval brigade, composed of 200 marines and 50 bluejackets.  It is worth mentioning the numbers here, because I have seen several accounts of this fight in which the gallantry of the “bluejackets” is spoken of in the warmest terms with absolutely no mention of the marines.  Correspondents, some of them without any previous knowledge of military matters, repeatedly single out certain regiments and corps for special mention, even when these favoured battalions have not taken any leading part in the battle.  We have, of course, had the case of the Gordons at Dargai—­who ever hears of any other regiment popularly mentioned in this connection?  Again, at the battle of Magersfontein the Gordons were not amongst the Highland battalions which bore the full brunt of that awful fusilade, yet various English newspapers singled them out for special mention.  I speak in this way not because I am at all lacking in appreciation for the valour and dash of both Gordons and “bluejackets,” but simply because other regiments who have often done as good or even better work—­in special cases—­bitterly resent the unfair manner in which their own achievements are sometimes slurred over in the press.  Needless to say these thoughtless reports are due almost entirely to journalists and would be repudiated by none more keenly than the gallant men of the Gordon Highlanders and the Royal Navy.