COL. ANSTRUTHER THOMSON 353 



Mercifully we stopped before we got to camp. We 

 had been ordered off to Barkley East, about sixty 

 miles, and horse rations were already out. We 

 marched about twelve miles in the rain that day, up 

 and up and up. It was very cold. Next morning 

 we did a short march down into a valley. I rested 

 until about five, and then went on for a twenty-mile 

 march. It was very cold and very dark. No less 

 than three horses died in my Cape cart alone. They 

 were very poor, but still it was rather a nuisance. 

 The head of the column got into camp at 10.30, the 

 last at four. 



" We lost three mules and two black boys, who fell 

 over a precipice. Next day I went and stole two 

 large and fat spare mules, and have had no more 

 difficulty with the cart. Next morning we moved 

 off at eight and had not got far before we met 

 Scobell's column, and all turned back and retraced 

 our steps to a place called Siberia, which we had 

 passed the night before, and camped at a place 

 called Clifford. Here it rained like anything, and 

 they held a court-martial on a rebel called Besters, 

 whom they had caught a day or two before. He 

 had been in the C.P. and was afterwards a subaltern 

 in the M.M.R. He was shot the next morning by 

 the 9th Lancers, and behaved very well, 



" We received orders to go to Dordrecht for 

 provisions with the convoy and got there in two days. 

 Philip (Ruthven) was there and dined with me. He 

 is on sick leave. 



" The troops with Scobell were 9th Lancers, 17th 



VOL. II. 23 



