"Here," Mr. Barnes cried, "who are you? Where are you going?"
"Oh, mon," said one of the poor unnerved chaps, "we are a' that's left o' the —— ——."
In defence of themselves against some inconvenience which Mr. Burleigh had complained, some telegraphers of the R.E. Corps declared that the staff in Bloemfontein "performed seventeen hours last Sunday in order to remove pressure produced to a great extent by work other than military. Whilst every other arm of the service had been enjoying a brief and well-earned rest, our portion has consisted of at least twelve hours' hard work at the instrument, cooped up in a room reeking with a pestilential atmosphere which has, in several cases, produced violent vomiting.
"After all, we can nurse to our breasts the satisfaction that our gallant Commander-in-Chief has been pleased to specially thank the much-despised corps for the indispensable services rendered by it."
THE FRIEND.
(Edited by the War Correspondents with Lord Roberts' Force.)
No. 11.]
[Price One Penny
BLOEMFONTEIN, THURSDAY, MARCH 29, 1900.