While they had lain at the fort some of their prejudices were strongly displayed. The night before the march a few of the elders, attracted by the sound of the music, looked into the filibusters' ball-room, where various couples, shaved and unshaved, disported themselves on the floor. "My goodness!" said one old gentleman, "Captain Aylward, those Englishmen are soul-less devils, to dance like that when they may be all killed to-morrow!" Just to amuse him I looked in, when I found, as usual, that the dancers, most of whom were Africanders, could all speak Dutch. I called them, one after another, for his inspection, when he was still more astounded to discover that some of them belonged to eminent Boer families, whilst the majority claimed Africa as their parent country. Peace be with him! the old man was astonished, and, I fear, disgusted.

But to return to the expedition. The next day all were again safely within the fort. There had been a great many narrow escapes, but no loss of life on our side. I have been particular in describing this affair, because its effects upon the Kafirs were outrageously out of proportion to its real importance. They believed us omnipresent, and christened us "wild dogs" because of our ubiquity and speed. They never knew from this when to expect us, or to what lofty height they must look to see us rushing—apparently from the clouds. There is a great difference between fighting against brave and disciplined forces who, worked on fixed principles, hold positions only for definite and intelligible reasons, and fight not only with a will but with a purpose; and the sort of warfare we were engaged in. We speedily learned that to lose men for a position of no value to either party when gained, and whose possession could have no possible influence on the result of the war, was simply folly. The Kafirs' system, if they ventured to attack, was simply to make a snap and get away as quickly as possible. attacked them, unless specially ready for our reception, their unprepared outlying people ran in at once towards the first rocks that offered shelter. There they would begin to resist, falling back as they were forced from one rocky grotto to another, and detaining us as much as possible in our approach to the centre of the stronghold. This was almost

If we

invariably like a rabbit-burrow, with this difference, that instead of grains of sand and roots of trees, nothing but rocks, stone walls, caves, and crevices in the cliffs presented themselves. It was simply wonderful into what a little hole a Kafir could insinuate himself. Sometimes, however, three or four of them would get together in one spot-generally a small cave almost inaccessible from either above or below, and which could be only approached by working along the sides under the fire of dozens of other caves and loopholes, every one of which seemed scooped out for the especial purpose of creating a cross fire. To force home the attack on such positions is the greatest folly an officer can be guilty of, especially if he is working with only small numbers. Let us suppose that only two or three of his men are hit in gaining the principal platforms: they will have to be carried out of fire slowly, and with great inconvenience and trouble. If the troops should be repulsed, unless they have immediate access to a very open country, great disasters may occur; in fact, if the enemy find the retreat hampered with wounded, they may worry one sorely. New officers occasionally make the great mistake of considering that they have driven the Kafirs from every wall and kraal they and their men may have succeeded in gaining in the beginning of a fight. The retreat from wall to wall and kraal to kraal, especially in broken and mountainous country, is as much the Kafir's method and manner of fighting as the bayonet-charge used to be the peculiarity of the English. The great secret of Kafir warfare is to terrify your enemy; to make him unhappy; to leave no path or road, no glen however deep and dark, and no mountain-top however high, where he can hope to avoid you.

Patrols even of small numbers must be organised every day. These, selecting the best and highest ground, and moving with every reasonable precaution, continually meeting, changing their course, appearing and disappearing at distant and unexpected places,-will, by their moral effect, reduce to terrified submission any Kafir tribe in the world. It breaks their hearts, sitting behind their rocks in chosen positions, to find that you have learned their own game, and know better than to throw away men fighting for fifty or a

hundred yards of cliff, which, when captured, would not be worth the heel of an old boot. A good plan, however, is to make reconnaissances occasionally against the chiefs' strongholds, commencing the fight, exploring the position, and drawing your men off before the affair becomes too serious. This wastes the Kafirs' ammunition, and as they always attribute the worst possible motives to your every action, causes them many a sleepless night. As a rule, a repetition of the reconnaissance, if stealthily made at any time within a week, will find the place deserted.

The middle of January found us extending the fort and improving the houses, as the lateness of the arrival of the rainy season, with the intense heat, threatened a possible outbreak of sickness. The war was languishing, and I wrote to the President, consenting that the corps should be reduced to 100 men, on condition that horses should be re-supplied more promptly than they had been.

venture.

Unfortunately a fresh band of recruits were announced as on their way to us from Pretoria. These were under the command of a person calling himself "Gunn of Gunn," and sometimes "The Gunn of Gunn." He was a handsome, soldierly-looking though rather foppish man, with a most engaging, and apparently candid, manner. He, however, overdid his part a little, having the unblushing impudence to sport, not only the Iron Cross of Prussia, but the Victoria Cross, won, as he asserted, in some hairbreadth Indian adHis conversation was suited to the character he assumed. He knew Scotland better than any one I had ever seen or heard of; and he interlarded his accounts of the places he had visited, and the castles he had been welcomed at, with so much physical fact and correct description, that many took him at his own valuation, and believed him to be the chosen companion of men of the highest rank and repute, whilst he was merely a clever and plausible humbug. Is there a 66 Gunn of Gunn"? If there is, and I were he, I would send my gillies, if necessary, ten thousand miles over sea and land, till they had scourged the impudence of this claimant to his dignity.

How he got into the Transvaal service at all is easily told. A Mr Perrott had been instructed by Schlieckmann to beat

A SCOTCH CON CREGAN."

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up for more men on the Diamond Fields. Perrott was sick, and gave over the work to his boon companion and brother convivialist, "The Gunn of Gunn," who, with five decent men and twenty ruffians-the sweepings of Kimberley jailentered the Transvaal, and introduced himself to Mr Burgers as an officer in search of employment. He actually stuffed the President with the tale that he had been distinguished on the special staff of his Imperial Highness the Crown Prince of Prussia; so that his Honour, not knowing what to make of him, told him to hurry on to Fort Burgers, shrewdly calculating that there, at least, he would meet with people able to estimate correctly the exact value of his pretensions.

man

"The Gunn of Gunn" had an amusing side to his charHe was, in fact-although forty-five, and a Scotchthe very counterpart of some of Lever's reckless heroes. He was nothing if not extravagant and bombastic; and he ran his pretensions and their successes to the utmost while they lasted. In Pretoria he added nine other sans culottes to his band, for whom he had supplied the following extraordinary costume: Caps and havelocks, blue hussar jackets, with yellow braid, colourless cord knee - breeches, with stockings, boots, spurs, shoes, veld-schoons, and every conceivable form of disguise for the foot. But his most magnificent idea was when he established two gallowglasses and a piper, whom he compelled to attend on him, as if he were indeed a Lord of the Isles." His pretensions met with a ready acceptance among a certain set in Pretoria. He put no bounds to his extravagant insolence, and night after night entertained his friends in the Edinburgh Hotel; while his piper (a real Scotchman in real Highland togs, and armed with real Highland bagpipes) strutted fiercely up and down in front of the great man's mess, proclaiming in hideous, ear-splitting music the fame and the triumphs of his chief and his clan.

66

Having christened his gang the "Gunn Highlanders," this modern Con Cregan was at length induced to start for the front. The excesses committed by his men along the road attracted considerable attention. He added to his numbers a deserter, who was even then a prisoner, having

been placed in his custody for conveyance to Middleburg, to take his trial for a crime of abominable obscenity. He also picked up a man we had just expelled from Fort Burgers, and banished from the war district. "The Gunn of Gunn," knowing that when he reached the fort he would have to confront German and Austrian officers, as well as others who had known him and watched his career, with amused interest, from 1871-did his utmost to avoid completing his march. He delayed so long on the road, and in Lydenberg all the time demanding immense supplies of goods and provisions-that the Landdrost was compelled to suspect him of harbouring ulterior designs. What these were we afterwards discovered. They are of no public interest, as he was never permitted to initiate them.

When his presence in Lydenberg was reported at the fort, an order was at once transmitted to him to move up at once. The adjutant, White, subsequently called on him, and vainly endeavoured to induce him to obey the district commandant. "The Gunn of Gunn" was fertile in resources and fruitful in excuses; and it at length became necessary to ask him by what commission or authority he was marching about the country, with an armed band, yclept the "Gunn Highlanders -a body unknown to the law, and who could not be permitted to carry on their intrigues and drunken capers unchecked. He refused to give any authority, alleging that he was promised the command-in-chief by the President, and was independent of any lower functionary. However, he moved his main body as far as Kruger's Post, whence, with his staff and his piper, he again returned to Lydenberg, and continued his course of delay and intimidation. This became unbearable, and summary measures were resolved

upon.

It was impossible to allow the "Gunn Highlanders" to remain at Kruger's Post, whence they might easily march to the Gold Fields, where the malcontents would have been only too glad of their assistance to drive out the constituted authorities, and commence a sedition which would have immediately placed the Europeans and Boers of the district in a position of hostility to each other.

Taking the cavalry from the fort to Kruger's Post during