FROM THE ATBARA TO WAD HAMED 77 Once more, there is the non-journalistic amateur, who, in order to go through the campaign, has secured a permit to act as a correspondent for some newspaper. As I was myself a humble member of this class, I will refrain from criticising its merits and defects, though later on a brief tribute may well be paid to the memory of two of its members, who, alas, did not return—Cross and Howard.

Now, concerning war correspondents enough has been said. Let no one be offended by fair criticism and good-natured banter— Quicquid agunt homines, votum, timor, ira, voluptas, Gaudia, discursus, nostri est farrago libelli.

At the same time it seems likely that the day of the highly paid war correspondent, with carte blanche to spend as much as he likes, is almost over. Scores of capable men with a ’Varsity education would be delighted to do war correspondent’s work for a tithe of what is paid to some of these gentlemen ; and as agencies like Reuter supply excellent telegrams, there is no crying need for additional “wires.” At least one of our leading newspapers was quite uncertain for a long time as to whether it would send a special corre-