The Duke of Lancaster's Own Yeomanry Cavalry, 23rd Co., I.Y; A Record of Incidents Connected with the Services of the First Contingent of the D.L.O.Y. - L H Johnson

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can usually download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1902 edition. Excerpt: ...no chance to forage or loot in this district, everything having been taken long since by the Boers. For a whole month we lived on the regulation rations, which must be so arranged as to allow for a man to forage for himself and provide a good portion of sustenance for himself, as it would be impossible to keep body and soul together much longer than a month on what is supplied by the authorities. We waited patiently day after day, almost as though we were besieged by the enemy, praying that some passing wagon might bring condensed milk or Quaker Oats, the two choicest and most convenient additions to our food supply when procurable, as we could stow them away comfortably in small tins into our saddle wallets. But we waited in vain, the only change that was possible in such an outlandish part of the country, far away from railway, transport and towns, was to issue to each man a portion of flour in place of the biscuits, and let him manufacture the best sort of food he could manage with the materials at his disposal. It might have been a happy idea if we had been able to get some fat or grease with which to cook, but as there was nothing in this line, it simply meant slow poison to the fellows, who turned out a variety of strange looking and stranger tasting messes, in the shape of pancakes, &c., the results of which was more work for the doctor, and the exhaustion of the supply of No. 9 pills. While we waited here I had an opportunity to use my little shilling tin box of water colour paints, which I had bought in Worcester, Cape Colony, when we passed through there, and which I carried with me all through our marches, wrapped up with a small sketching block of paper in the remains of an india-rubber air-pillow, which protected my little...