A FAREWELL LETTER FROM 8.0.8.

Otago Witness, Volume 26, Issue 2419, 26 July 1900, Page 61

A FAREWELL LETTER FROM 8.0.8.

' My Dear Dot and Little Folk, — I prn ashamed to say that I have been very lazy and have not written for a long time, though I have seen kind inquiries from some of the little folk as to what has become of me. The fact is, I have been so much interested in our new company of mounted rifles that any less warlike matters have been quite neglected. We have been having foot drills for some time, but last week we had our" first mounted drill on the racecourse. There were 70 of us, thick and thin, and short and tall, but all had a decent sort of a mount, and we were told by the officer commanding that we shaped pretty well for a lot of new chums. Some of our company had been in other volunteer corps, and knew all abcut the vario-is movements, and these were a great help in steadying the crowd of raw reciuits. I had some foot drill in tfafe High School Cadet Corps, but have had no mounted piactice. We have received cur rifles, and are going to get a shooting rai.ge scon for practice, and- 1 hope my shooting, will be as good as it was at the High School. You will be surprised to learn that my pet horse Moses' has gone to serve his country in South Africa, and I don't suppose he will ev'ei see his native folk's photos'in'the Witness lately. Poor wee. Wullie looks a sad sort of a chap, and I can imagine him writing just the. s~ort of letters he sends to you. Laddie is a neighbour of mine, and comes out well. I like the girls' faces, too — they look like jolly good sorts, for girls. Ziska seems to have dropped out, and also a few other old acquaintances, but what a tremendous lot of new correspondents you are getting, Dot ; and the badges seem to be going ofT like hot pies. It seems a long time since I wrote my first letter to yoti, and /I have -losi count of the number. You began numbering them at first, but after a bit you seemed to think that the figures would run short, and so you let them go without. There has, been a lot of frost this winter, but no snow yet, ard I hope we shan't get any. I don't like a big dope of frozen snow — it stops about too long, and gets very monotonous. - Skating and sliding are good fun, and keep a fellow warm when there is nothing better to do. How would you like to be in China now. Dot? Kruger says his Boers are going to fight till they are all exterminated, and that won't take very long, but it will be a big contract to wipe out all the 300,000,000 Ching Chongs in China. I may, have a chance to get a cut pt them before the job is finished. I wonder how old Con is getting on, and if he ever wishes he were back punching tram tickets instead of Boors' heads? He looks a smart fellow in his photo, and I hope he will come back safe and sound. Now, Dot, I must say good-bye to your column, and to all your correspondents. I " shall always take a x j l easure in reading the letters, but I think it is lime T dropped out and made room for those who want to come in and can't find loom. I hope to get to Dunedin t-gain some day, and then I may see you' again, "or perhaps- I can startthat Witness smile going once more. ' Meanwhile I beg to be~ allowed to subscribe myself your sincere friend, 1 ROBE RT ENGLAND GILLING-HAM (Alias "B.O.B.") [I shall not say that 8.Q.8.'5 -retirement has come as a su'rpriss to me, for I have liad anidea. that il.i 1 . Wa,s imminent for some little time. ; Tt is, none the less, with a paug that I rer-d his farewell ' letter, and I am quite sui-e my readers will all"feel "that we' are parting 'witli an old friand this week. " 8.0.8.'s letters from the Back Blocks were the brightest bit of reading in our page for many a long day, and though ha has been breaking us off gradually for some time we shall miss him all the same. I hope however, he will join us once again, but of course only for the once, in Old Writers' Week, for I am counting on a letter from him then, and shall be seriously disappointed if he fails us.— DO/T.]