2110-1-12-10

PRETORIA CLUB, PRETORIA.

Dec: 14: 1902

My dear old Nan

This must be a short and snappy letter, as I have had so busy a week that I have had no time to write, and now I am so dog-tired with a 50 miles journey today that I must get soon to bed. Many thanks for your last letter. It is amazing what lies newspapers invent about one. I hope the wee Mhor is quite recovered of his cough. I have also been suffering from childish complaints this week,

as I have been stricken with MUMPS – a painful, if harmless, ailment. My enemies, the Johannesburg papers, have had paragraphs saying that they "regret to learn that young Mr Buchan is suffering from one of the maladies incident to extreme youth." I had a letter from Maud, who says she is sending me a book, which is very kind of her. I had also a letter from Archie Balfour asking me for advice about what profession he should choose. I had already written to his mother last week.

During the first few days of last week

I was stewing 12 hours a day in an office. On Wednesday it became necessary for me to go down & settle up some trouble in our horse farm at Standerton. Not being able to get away in time to catch the mail train, I had to travel all night in a goods train in a cattle truck with a draft of utterly intoxicated Seaforth Highlanders, who kept falling over me & murmuring "Scotland For Ever". I wished that Scotland had been a little less "for ever" that night. It was very cold & unpleasant & did my mumps no good. The next day I rode 40 miles & enjoyed it immensely – a

magnificent breezy, upland country. I returned on Friday & had to set out at once to meet a gathering of Boers in Rustenburg who were in trouble about their farms & other matters. I met them yesterday and talked nearly all day – interesting but wearing work. The old fellows were very nice & very hospitable, & appreciated my broken Dutch immensely. Today Sir Arthur Lawley kindly drove out in a four-in- hand to pick me up, & we had a very pleasant return journey. Duncan Hay wants to come out to me, so Lawley says. My office is rapidly

becoming a Scots settlement.

Lord Milner returns on Tuesday from his travels, and then I do not really see how I am to run a large department in Pretoria & do my ordinary private secretary's work at the same time. That is the worst of being a glutton for work, & doing most things oneself.

I think Bengal will do very well for Willie. I gather from Anglo- Indians out here that India is