CURRENT LITERATURE.
/Tow I Volunteered for the Cape. By T. E. Fenn. (Samuel Tinsley and Co.)—This is a young Volunteer's diary of nine months spent at the seat of war in South Africa, in active service as a lieutenant of the "Frontier Light Horse." It is a perfectly simple and fairly animated account of what Mr. Fenn himself saw and did, and cense- quentls is not dull ; audit will be interesting to those who can recall the scenes and incidents described, and may be useful to young men who, from duty or inclination, are going out to similar scenes and experiences. But it treats of nothing more serious than skirmishing ; and as much space is given to details, and as much importance to a shopping expedition or a ride that ends only in an order to return, as to engagements in which a hundred Kafir s are killed or taken prisoners. Everything about the book is thoroughly boyish—style, grammar, con- duct, and opinions—and it is because Mr. Fenn is evidently so young, that we must not regard too seriously his apparently heartless way of speaking of his "eagerness," for instance, "to shoot a Kafir," of his having "no fun," as the Kaflrs did not come his way ; and his generally speaking, of the Keith's—invariably designated "niggers "- as he would of animals to be hunted in sport. Boyish-like, this callous- ness is mingled with many an innocent little' hit of self-glorification in genuinely kind little acts done by him to Kafirs and others, which he describes with an amnsingly child-like self-complacency. On the same ground of youthfulness, we forgive the very shallow arguments with which he grandly settles, in three or four pages, the whole ques- tion of Missionary effort arpongst savage nations, deciding that it is worse than useless; most generously adding, however, his valuable testimony to their wen-meaning, be hopes that, having "made the amende honorable to the Missionaries, and, if not averted, light- ened the storm which his outspoken words threaten to bring down," he may resume his story. We think it possible that the Missionaries may never bear of Mr. Penn's *mighty disapproval, and may thus be spared so terrible a blow to all their hopes ; but if they should be so unhappy, we trust they will bring their Christian . patience to boar, and endeavour to forgive the youthful soldier, and still more youthful and inexperienced thinker and author.
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