=Mounted Infantry.=--Good shots of the infantry mounted and joined into separate companies. The Boers have taught us the value of mounted infantry, and in the near future they will probably become a permanent arm of the British forces. =Naauwpoort.=--Situated at the junction of the branch line to De Aar and the main line to Pietersburg, _viâ_ Bloemfontein and Pretoria. It is about 270 miles distant from Port Elizabeth. =Nachtmaal.=--The Communion Service. Held quarterly by the Boers, who congregate from different parts to partake of it together. =Natal.=--_Terra Natalis_, or Christmas land, was so named by its discoverer, Vasco da Gama, on the 25th of December 1497. Population 900,000, a tenth of whom are whites. Natal became a British Colony in 1843, and in 1856 was made independent of Cape Colony. The total area of New Natal is 35,000 square miles. Pietermaritzburg is the capital, and its most flourishing seaport is Durban. The climate is excellent, and has been likened to that of "Kashmir with a dash of English South Down thrown in." It is called the Garden of South Africa, and its picturesqueness is generally commented on. Some declare the scenery to be reminiscent of Scotland, though on a larger scale. Perhaps this very likeness to their native land may have influenced the early British explorers to settle in the place, which from then till now has been everywhere redolent of the Scotsman. The names of Glencoe and Dundee bear witness to his early enterprise, and the railway system, so admirably managed, serves to show how energetically he has continued to make this region entirely his own. The revenue for 1898 was £2,121,034; the expenditure £1,923,978. The Postal Telegraph Service acquired a profit of £36,767. Since 1897 Natal has supplied free of cost 12,000 tons of coal to the British Navy. =Naval Brigade.=--A detachment of seamen, marines, and guns landed from men-of-war to assist the army ashore. A Naval Brigade did signal service in the siege of Sebastopol, and earned twelve out of sixty-two Victoria Crosses presented to the British forces. In the Indian Mutiny and in the Zulu War they were again active, and several times in African campaigns the bluejacket has shown the desperate valour, fertility of resource, and versatility of accomplishments that have earned for him the nickname of "The Handy Man." =Nek.=--Junction between two hills. =Newcastle.=--Population 1746. This small town, eighty miles north of Ladysmith, is noted for its coal. The place, situated at the foot of the Drakensberg range, was used as the base of military operations in 1881. =Non-Commissioned Officer.=--The title includes staff-clerks, sergeants, corporals, and bombardiers. Above them in rank are sergeant-majors and bandmasters, who are warrant officers. "Non-coms." are described as "the backbone of the army," many of them, when their officers have been stricken down, having led the men to victory. _See_ vol. iv. p. 104.