CHAP. XXI. 
THE GRAND BATTUE. 
205 
and get our share; but they were told that we were not 
to have any portion of the forage, as there was not 
enough for the Governor’s horses and mules. 
Currie could not stand this, and without saying a 
word he went off himself to the wagon and took twenty- 
four sheaves, on which our friend Bivers went to Sir. 
George Grey and complained, but did not tell him any¬ 
thing about the arrangement and agreement that had 
been made about it. Of course the Governor was very 
irate. It looked like mutiny in the camp. He came to 
our fire, took me by the arm, and we walked some 
distance out of camp ; then commenced such a storm as 
I have seldom heard. After he had quite done I told him 
how the case stood, and he not only exonerated Currie, 
but ordered that we were to have our full share of the 
forage, and we got a third of the whole supply. We 
did not, however, feed our cattle with this oat-hay. We 
watched our mules as usual the whole night, packed 
the oat-sheaves into our wagon, and for the remaining 
three nights before we reached Pietermauritzberg gave 
back a portion of this very forage to feed the Prince’s and 
the Governor’s own horses. It is well we did this, for 
every blade of grass in the country was burnt up, and 
there was not a vestige of forage to be got on the way. 
Our own mules knocked up, and only reached Pieter¬ 
mauritzberg the day after the Prince arrived. Luckily 
we were met by Commandos mounted escorts from the 
