There were two very nasty accidents, both in the five mile races

December 26th 1898

Kimberley Club,

Kimberley.

My dear little Mary, Raymond & Joe

Your very nice letters reached me on Thursday. Such a day I have had! Christmas day falling on Sunday has practically given me two Christmas days to celebrate. You know that this Christmas festival has never been a holiday for me. I have always enjoyed them but they are tiring when all is over. But the sports in the Compound were grand today. Good races — no delays — no hitch. Everyone enjoyed them — Kaffirs[sic] — visitors — ladies — everybody. You should have seen the walking of the greasy pole and the scrambling for money in the bath. Such splendid fun it was!

Last week my burglar went to the Haddocks

Kimberley Club,

Kimberley.

November 28th 1898

My dear Raymond & Joe

Last mail brought me no letters from you. Something must have gone wrong & hindered you from writing. I can't write a long letter this mail. The air is hot, close, moist and full of suppressed thunder. Such a day it has been! Hot is no name for it. The locusts are still about and more millions of myriads of them are on the march making straight for Kimberley. Lovely rains fell last week and the grass is begining to show up all over. This morning as I lay in bed a jolly friendly Cock–a–vick came into the front garden — (there must have been two of them) and sang his old familiar song "Bok–bok makiri" – "Cock–avick". It was very pleasant to lie with the sweet morning breeze pouring in at the open French Window & hear that simple old song again.

Bravo Joe you are a John Bull to the core!!!

Kimberley Club,

Kimberley.

November 21st 1898

My dear Joe

I am in a thundering hurry, so you must excuse the writing — the spelling — the composition — and all errors.

I received your very interesting letter of Oct 27th on Thursday last. Bravo Joe — you are a John Bull to the core!!! Speaking of the Fashoda inicident you say — "it is a very serious matter, and the French want to be taught their place — after England — but not before"!!!! Hurooh!! more power to your elbow old chap!!! Thems just my sentiments and the sentiments of every Britisher on the Face of the earth — and there are millions of them.

They covered the rails and as the wheels of the train crushed them...

Kimberley Club,

Kimberley.

November 7th 1898

My dear Raymond and Joe,

Your letters, which unfortunately I have not by me to "comment on", arrived last Thursday. They were both of them jolly good letters; well written and excellently put together. In order to give you an idea which letters they were, Raymond's letter contained an awful fragment of an awful parody on "The Boy stood on the burning deck." Some hideous nonsense about a boy in the dining hall drinking tea and eating crust until he bust and made a mess on the floor! Where did you get that nightmare from Raymond? Well my dear boys I accept your defence of Cromer from the attacks I made on it. You have convinced me that Cromer is an ideal holiday resort, far from the madding crowd of Arrys & Arriets and only frequented as Joe puts it by a very "High class lot".

Youth is the time to build up health and strength for the future

Kimberley Club,

Kimberley.

October 17th 1898

My dear Raymond and Joe,

Last mail brought me no letters from you. I suppose you were not able to write on account of the bustle of returning to school, just about the time you ought to have been writing for the mail.

I am so glad you had such a good time at Cromer; and I hope you will have an equally good time at school, working hard, and playing hard, & winning golden opinions all round. I was sorry to hear Joe, that Mother said you were not looking well when you went back. She said you had a chrinic cold and were looking pale. I hope all this has passed away. You must take plenty of excercise. Never mope or lie about — never loaf. Always be doing something, working in work time — playing in play time. Occupy yourself always body and mind.

Did you see the Aurora Borealis?

Kimberly Club,

Kimberley.

October 10th 1898

My dear Raymond & Joe

I received your last letters from Cromer on Friday. I cannot remember the dates because I have not the letters by me. They were both capital letters, and very interesting. You had got almost to the end of your holidays, and were to leave Cromer in a few days. By this time you will be back at school, and working hard again at all your studies. Your days are getting shorter, and the weather colder. Did you see the Aurora Borealis? I see by the newspapers it was visible in England last month. It is not much to look at, as seen in England. It is but the faintest ghost of the glorious illumination seen in high fatitudes (that last word is latitudes.)

You ought to hear how I brag about you

Kind regards to Sir Edmund & Mr. Milne. FM

Kimberley Club,

Kimberley.

Oct 3rd 1898

My dear Raymond & Joe,

Your last letters from Cromer, which inadvertently were undated, came early last week. They must have been written about Sept 9th; for that was the date of Mother's and Mary's, letters by the same mail. How I should have liked to have been there with you to go out fishing and catch heaps of codlings & lings and dabchicks - I mean sanddabs - and rock whiting. Gwock! your descriptions of it all, made my mouth water. It ran down the sides of my mouth - just as you see it run down from a pointer, who is watching someone eating.