DETAILS. 5

also brown ankle-boots. That was what appeared

outwardly. Inwardly, in their ordinary valise, were

sundries in the shape of a grey serge jumper (always

worn in Egypt), goggles, veil, drawers, cholera-belt,

Prayer Book, housewife, spurs (which were never

once used), spare pair of boots, shirts, socks, and

all the usual paraphernalia of a man's kit. Officers

were dressed much the same, except that they gene-

rally wore long field-boots instead of putties ; their

arms being, of course, sword and revolver, attached

to a brown leather belt with shoulder-braces. I

forgot to mention another peculiar article carried

by the men, namely, a Namaqua rifle-bucket, for

attaching to the saddle, the rifle being placed in it

butt foremost.

At length, after several alterations had been made

as to the ships and dates we were to sail by, we

found ourselves embarked at Portsmouth on the

26th September in the P. and O. Deccan, together

with the Heavies, some 130 stronger than ourselves.

With the reader's leave we'll skip all the leave-takings

and farewells, and consider ourselves started.