talk with Hervey at this time, and was greatly impressed by his high ideals, by his earnestness, and by the scope and proportion of his views. His personal acquaintance with administrative difficulties and requirements led him to attach the greatest importance to the introduction of a little red-tape into our methods of administration, and as he fully realized the necessity of establishing the administration on the basis of departmental responsibility, which was the special object I had in view in accepting for a time the office of Administrator, his companionship and talk were to me of the greatest assistance.

'I am confident,' he writes to his sister on July 12, 'that sooner or later the whole of South Africa will be federated under British protection.'

He was longing all this time to get out in the field, whenever his services as Paymaster could be dispensed with. As soon as I was satisfied that the duties for which he was responsible could be safely entrusted to the officer1 who became his successor, I relieved him from a post which I was aware was irksome to him, and Hervey, like a boy released from school, hurried to the front.

1 Major Everett.

CHAPTER VIII

THE LAST FIGHT

(1896)

FOR some time past it had become evident that no real progress could be made with the war until the Matabele had been dislodged, either by diplomacy or by arms, from the strongholds in the Matoppo Hills in which they had taken refuge. This was the difficult and anxious task now confronting the leaders of the campaign; and on July 24 Hervey joined the forces to take part in these operations. His spirits rose in proportion to the danger.

To HIS SISTER.

BULAWAYO, July 23, 1896.

'I had half thought of not telling you that I am off again, for a fortnight anyhow, on active service. . . . I am delighted. . . . You see I am telling you, because I think the most uncomfort

able position is to feel that anyone at a distance is concealing anything. . . . I am going to-morrow to the Matoppos, where General Carrington and Colonel Plumer are in command. I have lots of friends there. . . . I am so pleased to get to active service again. ... All this was only settled to-day. . . .

General Carrington, to whom he had applied, sent him out to the column under Colonel Plumer, who gave him command of one of the detachments of his corps. It was composed of a small section of white men who had voluntarily enlisted with Robertson's Cape Boys, but who had recently petitioned General Carrington to be formed into a separate troop. Later a small number of the Bulawayo Field Force was incorporated with them, making about fifty in all, under Hervey's command.

Taking the greatest interest in his work and his men, he very soon won their confidence and affection, and led them throughout the marching and fighting of July 31, and of the early days of August.