Soldiering and Sport in Uganda 



to all this the surprising inability of the mind 

 to imprint on itself even the most striking visionary 

 effects. 



Try as we will to recall an effective view, a 

 glorious sunrise, the face of a pretty girl, or even 

 that of your dearest friend or relation. How faint 

 is the recollection, even after ever so slight an 

 interval. We possibly remember the position of a 

 hill, or the colour of the hair, but the totit ensemble 

 has been sadly obliterated. 



After sleeping three nights in the trenches, we 

 came to the conclusion that the Belgian troops had 

 no intention of attacking. So my captain and I 

 acrreed to build a "banda" of logs and grass and 

 to pitch our tents. Rough as this comfort was, it 

 seemed a paradise after the trench existence, and 

 I felt as contented as possible, notwithstanding the 

 simplicity of our pleasures. Well, we continued to 

 live our simple life with little or no variation for 

 over a month, and I must say I felt fitter every day. 

 We built "sangars" of stone on every possible 

 prominence, which commanded every niche and 

 nook, unproductive labour, and unlikely to lead to 

 any profitable result, but that is the drawback of 

 the whole profession — bullets and rifles, guns and 

 armies. 



It was not till our third week of impatient 

 inactivity that we received news that we had been 

 utterly cut of^. The natives on our rear and on 

 our lines of communication had become hostile and 

 captured all our mails and boxes of food. You 



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