260 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



if one had remembered his fondness and placed some 

 flowers on his dressing-table, one would be touched to find 

 on going into his room in the morning, that they had 

 been brought to a chair by his bedside where he could 

 see them on first waking. When he was on block-house 

 duty in South Africa, he made his temporary prison quite 

 pretty and cheerful with a well -laid- out garden, and 

 there are several photographs of his camping- ground 

 on trek which show that when the halt was too 

 short for plants to grow, bower-bird like he would 

 deck his tent with cut flowers and the entrance with 

 branches. 



During the South African War, a young theatrical 

 manager (I forget his name) by a stroke of genius hit upon a 

 most original scheme and brought a company of children from 

 Australia, training them upon the voyage to act, and dance, 

 and sing. He then opened the theatres at all the chief towns 

 of South Africa with plays performed by his child-company. 

 And it is strange to think of, that often when the country 

 just outside was in a state of war, the people of the town and 

 the soldiers of the garrison could go to the theatre and see 

 happy little children romping through a play. At first the 

 performers were rather more quaint than precise, but soon with 

 the constant practice two or three discovered real genius. But 

 nearly all became good actors, for almost all children have 

 inspiration, and it was not long before they were giving 

 such ambitious pieces as The Belle of New York and even 

 Carmen. It was natural that my brother should very soon 

 discover them, and they were to him such a joy that he 

 never missed an opportunity of seeing them play or of 



