They passed us far to
the right, regardless of the trail, and galloping through the high
grass. We pulled up when we saw them, for they had green facings to
their gray uniforms, and no one with Buller's column wore green
facings.
We gave a yell in chorus. "Are you from Ladysmith?" we shouted. The
men, before they answered, wheeled and cheered, and came toward us
laughing jubilant. "We're the first men out," cried the officer and
we rode in among them, shaking hands and offering our good wishes.
"We're glad to see you," we said. "We're glad to see YOU," they
said. It was not an original greeting, but it seemed sufficient to
all of us. "Are the Boers on Bulwana?" we asked. "No, they've
trekked up Dundee way. You can go right in."
We parted at the word and started to go right in. We found the
culverts along the railroad cut away and the bridges down, and that
galloping ponies over the roadbed of a railroad is a difficult feat
at the best, even when the road is in working order.
Some men, cleanly dressed and rather pale-looking, met us and said:
"Good-morning." "Are you from Ladysmith?" we called.
