Oddities of the Zulu Campaign, By \Varney Burton. (Cecil Brooke.)—Hero
we have a glimpse of the "seamy side" of the military redcoat. Ensign Dobbs, who, getting a little frightened one night, rides off to get help for his men, and is a hero for a few hours, and Mr. Septimus Block, who sells a few hundred tons of wheat straw to a " Commissariat Boss," who fancies that horses can eat it, represent not altogether creditable incidents of a cam- paign. All soldiers are not heroes (as the Duke of Wellington remarked more than once, with considerable emphasis), and all colonists are not patriots. We may be unfeignedly glad that there is now less probability than there was a fortnight ego of the recur- rence of swell a dialogue as the following :—" Englishman. I have heard that your farmers got about seven times the ordinary price for their meshes; is that true P Nattmlian. Yes, it is true; but they lost in other ways.—E. In what other ways. N. Oh ! in lots of ways. They had to pay higher prices for everything they bought at the stores.—E. But that went into the storekeeper's pockets ? N. Well, I suppose it must have gone somewhere.—E. Did your merchants make any money ? N. Yes ; they made a big pile all rounch—E. How did your transport-riders get on ? N. Ah ! they did the thing properly. —E. How do you mean ? N. I mean what I say. They were the fellows who made all the money. I know one of thorn, with only six wuggons, who cleared over 29,000 in the nine months ho was at it.— How did he manage it ? N. Why, he hired them out to your Commis- sariat people at £3 10s. a day each, right through.—E. But ho must have lost some oxen ? N. Of course he did. They all died of red- water at the first go off ; but your people made them good." Four thousand pounds on a capital of £600, is a pretty good thing out of John Bull's pocket.
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