It was my first intention to reproduce all the Reading Matter which appeared in THE FRIEND during the period in which we managed it (March 16th to April 16, 1900) but this would have formed a ponderous book of 270,000 words--without including the Military Proclamations. Such a work could not be produced for a price at the command of the general reader, and, furthermore, the general reader would have found it too tiresome to work his way through the many Technical Articles and others which time has rendered stale or of little interest. Therefore, not without regret, I felt obliged to select, as my best judgment prompted, the matter of the Most Peculiar character, or of Widest Interest for reproduction here. As the former Editors of THE FRIEND have now formed themselves into an Order to which none is eligible except he or she who tells the truth without fear of consequences, the reader may as well prepare himself to meet with that rare quality in some of the pages that follow. THE AUTHOR. CONTENTS CHAP. PAGE I. THE BIRTH OF "THE FRIEND" 1 II. ITS INFANCY 12 III. WE PUBLISH A "CURIO" NUMBER 28 IV. WE BEGIN TO FEEL AT HOME 41 V. TREATING OF MANY PEOPLES 63 VI. OURS WAS NO BED OF ROSES 82 VII. RUDYARD KIPLING, ASSOCIATE EDITOR 99 VIII. LORD ROBERTS'S HEADQUARTERS 112 IX. "OH, HOW GOOD IT WAS!" 131 X. I VISIT MISS BLOEMFONTEIN 160 XI. OUR VERY MIXED PUBLIC 182 XII. "VIVE LA COMPAGNIE" 200 XIII. WE LEAVE "THE FRIEND" TO SEE A FIGHT 221 XIV. MY HORSE OFFERED FOR SALE 237 XV. GENERAL POLE-CAREW IN WAR 248 XVI. OUR LOSS AND THE ARMY'S 258 XVII. THE CENSOR AS AN EDITOR 268 XVIII. OUR CHRISTENING COMPETITION 274 XIX. FOOLED BY THE BOERS 283 XX. DR. A. CONAN DOYLE CONTRIBUTES 305 XXI. LOOT AND LURID CRAZES 318 XXII. IN THE SHADOW OF SANNA'S POST 330 XXIII. A COMPLETE NEWSPAPER 346 XXIV. FALSE HEARTS AROUND US 350 XXV. THE END APPROACHES 361 XXVI. WANTED, A MILLIONAIRE 371 XXVII. A NOTABLE NUMBER 385 XXVIII. OUR "FRIEND" NO LONGER 398 XXIX. ADIEU TO "THE FRIEND" 410 INDEX 417