I 1 8 TALES OF A NOMAD. 



and that the explosion blew a dog and a lot of skins out 

 of the main entrance of the cave. If so, the people 

 within must all have perished. 



To revert. The reader may consider the use of gun- 

 cotton to be inhuman. If the reader had possessed 

 cattle and these cattle had been stolen by the Basutos ; 

 if he had attacked the Basutos and had been peppered 

 by them from behind rocks and breastworks, and when 

 he had carried the position found that they had run to 

 earth I think the reader would have said : " By all 

 means bring a few waggon-loads of gun-cotton, melinite, 

 ecrasite, bellite, dynamite and concentrated essence of 

 hell-fire stuff it into the holes set a light to it, and 

 blow them all to blazes ! " 



It is one thing to sit in an easy-chair and lay down 

 the law as to what you think ought or ought not to be 

 done in warfare, and quite another thing to have to 

 suffer and be still. War really means driving your 

 enemy on his knees for mercy, and it is no use pretend- 

 ing that it is anything else. 



If cant is to rule the roast, then let the nations of 

 Europe interdict shells, torpedoes, and mines. 



To resume. We arrived before Secocoeni's town. Bush- 

 man's column never actually effected a junction with 

 ours, for it was some miles away on the other side of the 

 hills. The general, however, rode round and interviewed 

 Colonel Bushman, to concert with him measures for a 

 simultaneous attack upon the enemy from both sides of 

 the position. I commanded the general's escort on this 

 occasion. I met Campbell, of Shipka Pass fame, a fine 

 fellow, of magnificent physique. He was one of McLeod's 

 officers in charge of the Amaswazi. He was in high 

 spirits at the prospect of fighting, and asked me if I 



