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".