332 Dr. Budge on the Horse in Egypt [1899 



proposed taking that year in Arabia, but which Cavagnari's death at 

 Kabul and Lytton's recall from India prevented. (See 'India under 

 Ripon.')] 



" 10th Oct. — The streets are placarded with the Boer ultimatum, so 

 I hope the end has come. 



" To the British Museum with Cockerell, and saw Dr. Budge, of the 

 Egyptian Department. He gave us a deal of information about the 

 Hyksos and Assyrians in connection with Horse History. But all these 

 authorities differ so much from each other in what they tell you, that 

 one cannot have much confidence in their knowledge. As Huxley said, 

 it is still all ' guess work.' 



" 12th Oct. — Dined with Sibell and George, and Lady Windsor in 

 Park Lane, and went with them to see ' King John' at Her Majesty's 

 theatre, an egregious performance. I never cared about ' King John,' 

 and, as acted by Tree, it was a violent piece of ranting. George, with 

 whom I walked home after it, told me that Tree had chosen the play 

 as being full of Jingo tags and no Popery talk. But the audience was 

 too dull to seize the points. 



" We talked much about the war, which is declared to-day. George's 

 brother Guy is on White's Staff at Ladysmith, and he expects them to 

 advance. White's orders from England have been generally to stand 

 on the defensive, but George is sure he will not remain quiet, and ' of 

 course we must leave all liberty to the men on the spot.' Baden Powell 

 is at Mafeking, and there will be fighting there. He told me a good 



story of a certain J , who is notorious for keeping clear of danger. 



He has just telegraphed to his wife from Kimberley, seven hundred 

 miles away from Mafeking, ' War declared. Mafeking will be at- 

 tacked by Boers to-morrow — probably destroyed. No cause for anx- 

 iety.' About the general prospects of the war, George still believes in 

 the theory that Kruger is ' bluffing,' and that after a bit of a fight he 

 will knock under to Buller and make terms, otherwise he thinks it will 

 be a very long and tough job. He says that the Cabinet would really 

 have come to an arrangement with Kruger but for the bitterness of the 

 feeling against Chamberlain. There was a moment when they would 

 have accepted terms which, while giving Chamberlain an appearance 

 of a diplomatic success, would have left the real advantage to Kruger. 

 Kruger, he thinks, ought to have accepted the proposal of inquiry and 

 discussion, have agreed to go himself to Cape Town, and then have 

 delayed and put off till everybody was tired of it. He had himself 

 heard Chamberlain say when they expected such acceptance by Kruger, 

 ' It seems my failure has been changed into a pesan! Now, however, 

 there is no way but to fight it out. I told him I, too, was glad it was to 

 be so. My chief fear had been lest the Boers should be jockeyed out 

 of their independence without fighting. Besides, I look upon the war 



