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Title: Ten Months in the Field with the Boers Author: Anonymous Release Date: November 24, 2012 [EBook #41488] Language: English Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1
*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK TEN MONTHS IN THE FIELD WITH THE BOERS
[Illustration: GENERAL DE VILLEBOIS-MAREUIL]
By An Ex-Lieutenant of General de Villebois-Mareuil
_To you, General, who, from the Paradise of the Valiant, can read in my heart the sentiments of respect and affection that guide me, I dedicate these lines in token of the profound admiration of your former Lieutenant._
This was the phrase that greeted my friend De C---- and myself at the door of every carriage we tried.
The fast train for Marseilles leaving Paris at 8.25 was, indeed, full to overflowing that night of December 23; by eight o'clock not a place was left.
Finally, after treading on a good many toes, and exchanging a good many elbowings, we installed ourselves more or less comfortably--a good deal less, to be accurate--one in the front of the train, the other close to the luggage-van.
A last clasp of the hand to the comrades who have come to the station with us, and we are off.
The lights of Paris begin to die out in the distance; conversation languishes; the monotonous rumble of the train lulls the travellers into drowsiness; heads nod and droop in the dim light of the lamp.
And, much depressed, we return to our respective carriages.
At last the patience under discomfort habitual to men of our unsettled lives asserts itself, and we sleep soundly till we reach Arles, when we find two seats together.
At Marseilles we were kindly received by a pleasant cousin of mine, and by a delightful lady, also of my kindred.
The 24th we spent with some comrades, officers of the neighbouring garrison, and on the 25th we and our baggage were safely on board the _Natal_, of the Messageries Maritimes.
I make special mention of our baggage, which, in preparation for the campaign we are about to undertake, consists of two little canteens. The two together weigh exactly 38 kilos, making about 19 kilos each. They hold all our belongings, including our two revolvers and two hundred cartridges. We are not overloaded with baggage.