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-                      MAFEKING: A DIARY OF A SIEGE
-
-
-
-
-This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost
-no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it
-under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this
-eBook or online at http://www.gutenberg.org/license.
-
-
-
-Title: Mafeking: A Diary of a Siege
-Author: F. D. Baillie
-Release Date: November 29, 2012 [EBook #41511]
-Language: English
-Character set encoding: US-ASCII
-
-
-*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MAFEKING: A DIARY OF A SIEGE
-***
-
-
-
-
-Produced by Al Haines.
-
-
-
-
-[Illustration: Cover]
-
-
-
-[Illustration: WRECKING THE ARMOURED TRAIN AT KRAAIPAN.]
-
-
-
-
-                                MAFEKING
-
-                          A Diary of the Siege
-
-
-                                   BY
-                          MAJOR F. D. BAILLIE
-
-                        LATE IVTH (Q.O.) HUSSARS
-
-
-
-           [Illustration: SIGNALLING FROM AN ARMOURED TRAIN.]
-
-
-
-                     _WITH NUMEROUS ILLUSTRATIONS_
-
-
-
-                              WESTMINSTER
-                  ARCHIBALD CONSTABLE & COMPANY, LTD.
-                                  1900
-
-
-
-
-                             Prefatory Note
-
-
-I must crave the indulgence of the public for producing a more or less
-rough form of diary in the form of a book, and it is only the interest
-which they have manifested in Mafeking which has induced me to do so. To
-the proprietor of _The Morning Post_ I am indebted for his kindness in
-allowing me to re-publish the diary in book form.  To the proprietors of
-_The Daily Graphic_ I am indeed grateful for the sketches with which
-they have allowed me to supplement my diary. Such as it is, I dedicate
-it to all members of my dear old regiment, past and present. Four of us
-were serving there: myself, and Private Brierly, B squadron, now
-B.S.A.P., Private Williams and Private Lambart, D squadron (the former
-now sergeant), Protectorate Regiment, while the adjutant of the I.L.H.
-portion of the relieving force was Captain Barnes, also B squadron.
-These are only matters of regimental interest, but as the publication is
-dedicated to the regiment, I feel justified in giving these details.
-
-F. D. BAILLIE, Major,
-_late 4th Queen's Own Hussars._
-
-
-
-
-                         The Siege of Mafeking
-
-
-
-"War declared to-night, October 10th, 1899, by old Kruger.  So much the
-better, this intolerable waiting is over."  This I find is the entry in
-my diary for that date, but little did I know we were about to commence
-the "Siege of Mafeking"--a much more intolerable wait, with the
-additional pleasure of being fired at without the chance of returning it
-with effect.
-
-Till you have experienced it no one (at least I hadn't) has any idea how
-trying it is to exist without news of the outside world.
-
-On October 11th nothing happened.  On the 12th, the Protectorate
-Regiment under Colonel Hore took up a position on the eastern heights,
-which overlook the town and waited attack.  The Boers, however, did not
-arrive.
-
-In the meantime the town defences under Colonel Vyvyan and Major Panzera
-were progressing apace.  We had only quite recently been enabled to do
-anything in that direction, owing to the repressive policy of the Bond
-Ministry.  Therefore the defences at this time consisted merely of a few
-breastworks, wagons drawn across the ends of roads leading on to the
-market square, and a few strands of barbed wire fastened up on these
-points.
-
-October 13th, 1899.  In the morning the same programme; the Boers
-reported to the south and also to the north.  Whilst lying on the
-heights--if they can be so called--we saw a magnificent sight.  For
-safety two trucks of dynamite were being run up to a northern siding
-clear of the town.  About eight miles out the Boers commenced firing.
-The engine-driver uncoupled his trucks and ran his engine back towards
-the town.  The Boers closed in and continued firing, thinking it was the
-armoured train.  Result--a terrific explosion, a column of smoke
-shooting up into the air and mushrooming out until it became a vast
-cloud in the clear blue sky. In the afternoon I went out in the armoured
-train to inspect the damage, but they had pulled up the line short of
-the spot.  We opened with a Maxim on the body of Boers engaged in
-inspecting the hole and bagged a couple.  The remainder galloped in the
-utmost confusion towards their laager.
-
-The armoured train had previously been out in the morning due south and
-bagged one, and went out again in the same direction on its return,
-under Captain Williams, and secured another.
-
-October 14th, 1899.  The fight to-day may be summarized thus: Boers
-firing on the picquets; Boer retirement harassed by the armoured train,
-which was eventually supported by one squadron, which engaged the
-retreating Boers heavily.  The Boers tried to cut them off, but the
-arrival of another squadron and a seven-pounder settled the matter.
-Their attack was repelled with great loss, and we retired to our lines.
-
-Whilst we were at breakfast firing was heard in the direction of the
-cemetery to the north of the town, and shortly afterwards increased in
-volume; then came the bark of the Maxim, the boom of heavy guns and the
-increasing rattle of musketry.  D squadron of the Protectorate Regiment
-was ordered out to support the armoured train.  We waited on the Market
-Square knowing nothing, hearing only the heavy fire.
-
-What had transpired was this: a squadron of the Protectorate Regiment
-commanded by Lord Charles Bentinck had furnished a strong patrol to
-discover the whereabouts of the Boers.  He happened to come upon them
-about four miles out.  They promptly pursued and tried to cut him off.
-The Corporal with his right flank patrol galloped on to the armoured
-train, and on his own initiative directed it to move out in support.
-The Boers were driven back, hotly engaged by the armoured train, in
-charge of Captain Williams, British South Africa Police, a train which
-was constructed and conducted by Lieutenant More, Railway Volunteers.
-The train drove their artillery from two positions; their shells burst
-all round, under and over the train, and, strange to say, only two men
-were slightly scratched.
-
-[Illustration: THE CREW OF THE H.M.S. "FIREFLY."]
-
-At that period Captain Fitzclarence arrived, and engaged the Boers who
-were withdrawing, firing at the armoured train, towards their own
-laager.  To explain the situation now, I must describe the field of
-battle.  The railway runs due north and south of Mafeking. The Boers'
-laager about eight miles N.N.E. of the town.  The train had driven the
-enemy about five miles and a half back from the town, therefore by this
-divergence, when Captain Fitzclarence came into action he had perforce
-lost the effective support of the train, and the squadron fought on its
-own account.  It numbered about seventy men: it faced about five or six
-hundred.  Two orderlies were sent to Captain Fitzclarence and the
-armoured train to tell them to fall back, one on a bicycle who was
-captured, and the other on horseback.
-
-Now to show the advantage of khaki as a fighting colour on the
-well-bleached Veldt.  The horseman rode up to the Boers and was fired
-upon.  He then galloped along the front of, and through and along the
-rear of our own men without seeing a man, delivered his message to the
-armoured train, and returned to seek his invisible friends
-unsuccessfully.  His horse was shot, and he returned to Mafeking on an
-engine.  In at least two instances he was within thirty yards of his own
-men and could not see them.  The dark clothing of the Boers is, however,
-more conspicuous, but with smokeless powder and khaki the firing line
-even at short ranges is invisible as a target.
-
-To return to the actual fight.  The Boers pelted by a well-directed fire
-returned a wild and ineffectual one.  The incidents of the fight
-commenced.  Two cousins, Corporals Walshe and Parland, Irishmen, and men
-of means who had joined not for pay but for patriotism, quickly fell,
-both shot through the head by the same Dutchman, who was ensconced in a
-tree, but unfortunately for himself he let fall a piece of paper which
-caught the quick eye of Private Wormald, who promptly picked him off
-like a rook.  Several other Dutchmen in like positions met the same
-fate. This treatment did not appeal to the Boer, who came out to shoot
-and not to be shot at, and so he made his usual move to work round and
-cut off the squadron from their base.
-
-At the distance the squadron was from the line (over three quarters of a
-mile), and at the angle it was to the line, in addition to the
-difficulty with smokeless powder of telling friend from foe, it was
-impossible for the armoured train to act.  Previous to this they had
-been supported by a troop of A squadron under Lieutenant Brady who was
-wounded on coming into action.  The situation was distinctly serious,
-their flank was nearly turned, and the Boers had almost interposed
-themselves between the squadron and Mafeking; at this critical juncture
-Lord Charles Bentinck and two more troops with a seven-pound gun arrived
-within striking distance.  Two rounds of shrapnel and the Boers
-commenced retiring.  When their retirement was assured D squadron
-withdrew, placing their wounded in the armoured train.  The fight was
-over.
-
-Surgeon-Major Anderson, who had had his horse shot, attended to the
-wounded throughout the fight in the firing line.  Our losses were two
-killed, twelve wounded, two of whom subsequently died.  Four horses
-killed, twelve wounded.  Boer losses reported eighty killed, about twice
-that number wounded.
-
-Too much credit cannot be given to Captain Fitzclarence and Lord Charles
-Bentinck for the coolness and gallantry with which they handled their
-men, or to the men for the way they responded, and what is said of them
-applies in the same degree to Captain Williams and the men of the
-British South Africa Police and Railway Volunteers engaged.  The Boers
-had fought in the scrubb, in vastly superior numbers and had been
-thoroughly beaten.
-
-The strain on Colonel Baden-Powell and the headquarter staff must indeed
-have been great.  For four hours they were anxiously waiting, reports
-were not favourable, and they knew that a disaster to a small force
-engaged risked the whole defence as there was literally not another man
-to send to their support. Indeed one squadron engaged was actually a
-part of the defence of the northern portion of the town.  On the return
-of the wounded a train with a relief party under Major Baillie with
-Father Ogle, and Mr. Peart, Wesleyan minister, went to recover the
-bodies, and if necessary to render assistance to any wounded Boers who
-might have been left in the retreat.  The train stopped near the scene
-of the action and the party with stretchers, preceded by a large Red
-Cross flag, moved towards the spot.  They were fired on about half a
-mile before they reached it, and as the firing increased it was decided
-to retire as the men were known to be dead, and all the wounded were
-brought in.
-
-This they did quietly, the Boers in the meantime were working round to
-the line to cut them off from the train.  The train returned to
-Mafeking, and on a report being made to Colonel Baden-Powell he
-addressed a letter of remonstrance to General Cronje.
-
-15th, Sunday.  Landau and pair, with huge Red Cross flag, arrived
-containing Dr. Pirow, Cronje's doctor, who came to lunch. He explained
-that the firing on the Red Cross was a mistake, as the Boers thought
-that the train was the armoured train returning, and gave us news of
-Lieutenant Nesbitt and our prisoners of the armoured train which has
-been captured at Kraaipan.  He took whisky and beer back with him for
-Cronje.  Sunday is a tacit truce with both parties, and no fighting goes
-on.  I suppose we are the only two Nations who would observe it.  The
-ambulance went out and fetched in the dead.  They were buried by
-moonlight by Father Ogle, a most impressive ceremony.  The Father said a
-few words to the effect that it was a righteous war, and that the
-Sisters were praying for us.
-
-16th, Monday.  The Boers brought up two twelve-pounders to a long-range
-position N.-E. of the town and commenced bombarding. They drove in our
-picquet at the head of the waterworks and occupied the trench. They
-directed their fire mainly on the town and station, consequently did
-most damage in the convent, which was flying the Red Cross and was
-fitted up as a hospital.  The shells that missed the convent struck the
-centre of the town, but did little harm.  The shells that missed the
-station pitched round the B.S.A.P. fort, which was occupied by Colonel
-Hore and a squadron of the Protectorate Regiment.  This they continued
-all day.  Casualties _nil_.  Our seven-pounders out-ranged.  No reply
-made to their fire.
-
-The Boers had thus occupied the head of the waterworks and cut off our
-water supply. The headquarter staff had made provision for this, and
-under Major Hepworth's supervision had had all wells cleaned out and Sir
-Charles Warren's old well reopened.  We thus have an abundance of water.
-
-Towards mid-day a flag of truce, borne by a renegade English Colonial,
-rode towards our lines.  This was unfortunate.  They had not detected
-the armoured train, and the skirmishing line of the Boers and their
-artillery was just coming within deadly Maxim range.  They rode straight
-on to the armoured train, and of course the trap was disclosed.  It was
-a message from Cronje, who sent in to demand surrender to avoid further
-bloodshed. Baden-Powell answered, "Certainly, but when will bloodshed
-begin?" and pointed out that they were again firing on the Red Cross
-flag.
-
-Two of our wounded, both corporals, died to-day.  The town is
-practically surrounded.
-
-17th, 18th, and 19th.  Nothing happened. Investment completed.  Boers
-estimated six thousand men, undoubtedly correct.
-
-20th.  Boers cut off some cattle which had strayed out too far.
-
-21st.  In addition to the main railway line, a temporary line had been
-laid down in an easterly direction towards the race course, and north of
-the town extending about a mile and a half.  The armoured train now
-patrolled this line; painted green and covered with bushes, it was
-indistinguishable from the scrub surrounding it.  I slept in the
-armoured train at the railhead.  In the early morning Captain Williams
-commenced firing on the Boers at the head of the waterworks as they came
-out of their trench to make their coffee, with two Maxims.  I fear they
-got their coffee rather late, and that some even did not get it at all.
-This went on with fitful replies for two or three hours, and then firing
-in that quarter ceased.
-
-On the western front in the afternoon the Boers looted some cattle which
-had strayed, and from this date sniping commenced, pretty generally all
-round on both sides.
-
-22nd, Sunday.  Band and calls on various outlying forts, hospitals, &c.
-All church services were held.
-
-[Illustration: FIRING FROM AN ARMOURED TRAIN]
-
-And now to endeavour to describe the town and defences of Mafeking.
-Mafeking is situated on a rise about three hundred yards north of the
-Molopo river, which flows from east to west.  It is about three-quarters
-of a mile square.  The railroad runs to the west of the town, and
-practically speaking, due north and south, but immediately south where
-it crosses the Molopo by an iron bridge it inclines rather westward for
-a distance of two or three miles.  The railway embankment north and
-south of the river thus furnishes cover from the east and south-east
-heights on the southern bank of the Molopo.  To the west again of the
-railway, and nearly butting it half a mile south of the Molopo, is the
-native stadt, lying on both sides of the river, and on the northern
-bank, commencing about half a mile from the railway, then running in a
-north-westerly direction for about a mile and a half, and ends about a
-mile and three-quarters west of the railway.  The ground in front of the
-northern end is slightly higher than the stadt and soon commences to
-sink away from it, affording good cover to an enemy moving on that side.
-Near the railway the ground slopes gradually down for a considerable
-distance to the river.  The country round Mafeking to the west, north
-and east, is flat, but across the Molopo to the south and south-east it
-commands the town.  The ground to the west of the stadt commands the
-stadt.
-
-Situated two thousand yards south, and slightly east of the centre of
-the town, is an old fort of Sir Charles Warren's--Cannon Kopje.  This is
-the key of the position.  It is an old circular stone fort, and only by
-dint of extraordinary exertion had it been possible to bring it by this
-time up in any degree to a state of efficiency enough to enable it to
-resist even old ordinary seven-pounder guns.  It has an interior
-diameter of approximately twenty-five yards.  The native location
-occupied by half-breeds lies directly between Cannon Kopje and the town
-on the southern bank of the river.  Following the course of the river
-eastward about twelve hundred yards from the town, and on the northern
-bank extend the brickfields (eventually occupied by both parties), while
-in the same direction, and about three miles and a half from Mafeking on
-a ridge, is MacMullan's farm (subsequently the Boer headquarters).  To
-return to the town--at the north-eastern corner is the convent.  Due
-east of that is the grand stand about a mile away, while N.N.E. from the
-convent, and a mile and a half away, is the base of the waterworks,
-which extend to a trench at their head in the same direction for nearly
-a mile.
-
-Thus we have the railway station the north-west corner, the convent the
-north-east corner, Ellis's house the south-east corner, and the
-south-west corner the pound; while in a line from the south-west corner
-of the town and the northern portion of the stadt, the B.S.A.P. barracks
-and fort lie about midway.  With the exception of a strip of scrub about
-a mile wide to the north and east of the convent the country all round
-is almost bare.
-
-The town is composed of one-storey houses built of soft bricks and
-roofed with corrugated iron, the only exception being the convent of two
-storeys and the station, which is not yet complete.  The native stadt
-consists of Kaffir huts.  The B.S.A.P. fort is a duplicate of Cannon
-Kopje, thus the outline of the defences of Mafeking is, roughly
-speaking, an obtuse angled triangle, of which the apex is Cannon Kopje,
-while the other two angles are the northern end of the native stadt and
-the convent.  The population in time of peace is, Mafeking two thousand
-whites, the native stadt four to five thousand, location five hundred.
-At the present moment fifteen hundred whites approximately, native stadt
-seven thousand owing to native refugees, location five hundred.
-
-The perimeter of the defences was between five and six miles.
-Commencing with the convent, and working westward at the outset, the
-defences were as follows:--The railway line and armoured train protected
-the north-west front, then nearer to the railway came Fort Victoria,
-occupied by Railway Volunteers; and in the arc of a circle extending to
-the north end of the stadt trenches occupied by the Protectorate
-Regiment at night.  These were gradually turned into forts.  The women's
-laager was established on the edge of the stadt near the B.S.A.P.
-officers' quarters, and a refugee camp in the hollow north of the stadt,
-the northern end of which was held by Captain Vernon and C squadron
-Protectorate Regiment, while B squadron, under Captain Marsh, and the
-natives, held the stadt itself--the whole under Major Godley, who
-commanded the western outposts.  The town was garrisoned by the Cape
-Police under Captains Brown and Marsh; these and the Railway Volunteers
-being under Colonel Vyvyan, while Cannon Kopje was entrusted to Colonel
-Walford and the B.S.A.P.  Colonel Baden-Powell retained one squadron of
-the Protectorate Regiment as reserve under his own immediate control.
-These arrangements were subsequently much augmented.  After the convent
-had been practically demolished by shell fire and the railway line all
-round the town pulled up or mined during the close investment by the
-Boers, the small work was erected at the convent corner, garrisoned by
-the Cape Police and a Maxim, under Lieutenant Murray, who was also put
-in charge of the armoured train, which had, however, been withdrawn to
-the railway station out of harm's way.  The Railway Volunteers
-garrisoned the cemetery, and had an advanced trench about eight hundred
-yards to the front and immediately to the right of the line.  To the
-westward came Fort Cardigan, and then again Fort Miller.  In the
-south-west was Major Godley's fort, at the north of the native stadt,
-with an advance fort--Fort Ayr--crowning the down to the northern end of
-the stadt.  Although this was rather detached, it commanded a view and
-fire for a great distance to the south of the northern portion of the
-stadt, and here the Cape Police were entrenched with the Maxim.  Five
-hundred yards to the west front of Captain Marsh's post lay Limestone
-fort, commanding the valley, on the other side of which lay the Boer
-laager and entrenchments.  At the south-western corner, and on the edge
-of the stadt Captain Marsh's fort was situated.  The whole of the edge
-of the stadt was furnished with loopholes and trenches, and garrisoned
-by the native inhabitants.  By the railway were situated two armoured
-trucks with a Nordenfeldt.  Cannon Kopje, with two Maxims and a
-seven-pounder, lay to the south-east.  And now to the immediate defence
-of the town. At the south-western corner is the pound, garrisoned by
-Cape Police, under Captain Marsh; then eastwards Early's fort, Dixon's
-redan, Dall's fort, Ellis's corner, with Maxim and Cape Police, under
-Captain Brown.  On the eastern front, Ellitson's kraal, Musson's fort,
-De Kock's fort, with Maxim, recreation ground fort, and so back to the
-convent, on the left of which lies the hospital fort--all these, unless
-otherwise mentioned, garrisoned by Town Guard.  These so-called forts
-are garrisoned with from fifteen to forty men, and furnished with head
-cover and bomb proofs against artillery.  Bomb proofs have been
-constructed everywhere, traverses erected at the end of streets,
-trenches giving cover leading from every portion of the town and
-defences; and it is possible to walk round the town without being
-exposed to aimed fire.  The trenches are constructed with a view to
-being manned in case of need. Telephones are established in all the
-headquarter bomb proofs of outlying forts, and are connected with the
-headquarter bomb proof, thus securing instant communication and avoiding
-the chance of orderlies being sniped, which would assuredly otherwise be
-the case. These defences were all improvised on the spot--every
-conceivable sort of material being utilized therein.
-
-23rd, Monday.  Bombardment threatened, so commenced by forestalling it.
-Two guns under Captain Williams, B.S.A.P., and Lieutenant Murchison,
-Protectorate Regiment, started at 3 a.m., to take up a position at our
-end of the waterworks and the rail head temporary line, respectively,
-with orders not to fire unless fired on.  I rode out with them and saw
-as pretty an artillery duel in miniature as one would wish to see.  We
-waited patiently, Lieutenant Murchison laid his gun on the enemy's
-seven-pounder, which we could distinctly see in their trenches at the
-head of the waterworks. We were under cover from view.  At last a puff
-of smoke came from their gun, and before it was well clear of the muzzle
-ours had answered, and that gun was out of action for a considerable
-period.  In the meantime, both of our guns were playing gaily on their
-trenches and remaining gun.  This went on intermittently till mid-day,
-and then both their guns ceased fire altogether.  We then returned, and
-since heard that their guns were rendered useless for some time.  On the
-south-western portion of the defences a similar seven-pounder fight was
-going on, and the Boers then fired their twelve-pounder high velocity
-gun a few times.  Their ninety-four-pounder Creechy (an abbreviation for
-Marguerite) or, as the men call her, Creaky, has arrived and taken up a
-position at Jackall Tree, 3400 yards S.S.W. of Cannon Kopje, accompanied
-by some field guns.
-
-24th.  Creaky commenced her ministrations by firing about forty shells
-and damaged property but hurt no one.  The convent of course was hit,
-and the twelve-pounders also joined in the fire.  Marvellous escapes
-reported all round.
-
-25th.  Creaky began in real earnest, and also seven-pounders,
-twelve-pounders, Maxims, and all.  They fired about four hundred shells,
-mostly in the direction of the convent hospital, trying, I fancy, to hit
-the station. I was in the trenches in the recreation ground.  The
-convent was struck several times.  Their shell fire seemed very noisy,
-but its effect was more moral than physical, as casualties therefrom
-were few; the musketry fire, however, did more damage. The advance party
-down the Malmani road had a man hit badly (since dead), young Kelly,
-Protectorate Regiment, and when a party went out to fetch him, though
-obviously wounded, they were exposed to a hail of bullets--for at least
-half a mile.  I saw the lad in the hospital, and his only anxiety was to
-get out and have another go at them. At the same time on the other flank
-the Boers made an attack on the native staff, hoping on the assurance of
-the Baralongs to obtain a footing there; and then when they had got us
-thoroughly engaged on the south-western face, their real attack was to
-have been made from the north.  The Baralongs, however, supplemented by
-two squadrons of ours, greeted them with a heavy fire, killing many.
-Consequently that attack on our face never came off.
-
-27th.  Shelling continued, and now, having beaten the enemy in the
-field, Colonel Baden-Powell resolved to give them a taste of cold steel,
-accordingly, at 8 p.m. D squadron, fifty-three strong, paraded under
-Captain Fitzclarence, with two parties of the Cape Police in support.
-It was a fine dark night, and the squadron moved off with injunctions
-only to use the bayonet.  The two parties of Cape Police moved towards
-the brickfields, one considerably further east than the other to
-enfilade the rear of the Boer trenches.  The object of the attack was
-some trenches of Commandant Louw's on our side of the racecourse and to
-the north of the Malmani road (which runs due east of the town to
-Malmani). It was a still night, and lying waiting one could hear the
-order to charge, and then the din began.  The first trench was carried
-with a rush; the Boers lying under tarpaulins did not hear the advance
-till they were almost on them.  Sword and bayonet did their work well,
-and with the flanking parties firing on the rear trench, and the Boers
-commencing a heavy fire in all directions and from all quarters, things
-for a time were very lively indeed.  It was estimated that six hundred
-Boers were in laager, so after giving them a thorough dose of the
-bayonet, the signal to retire was given by a loud whistle, and carried
-out in the same cool and orderly manner as the advance.  In the meantime
-a furious fire was being maintained by the Boers all round; the volleys
-from the Cape Police completed their confusion, and they kept on firing
-even after the wounded had been dressed and placed in hospital.
-Something frightened them again about 2 a.m., and they recommenced their
-fusilade at nothing and continued it for about an hour.  Our losses were
-six killed, eleven wounded and two prisoners, including Captain
-Fitzclarence and Lieutenant Swinburne slightly wounded.  We subsequently
-heard that the Boers lost one hundred--forty killed by the bayonet, and
-sixty whom they had probably shot themselves in the hideous confusion
-that reigned in their camp. Captain Fitzclarence used his sword with
-good effect.  The Cape Police, who were under Lieutenant Murray, lost
-none.  The attacking squadron did not fire a shot, but in the rush to
-the second trench the occupants probably shot their own men in the dark
-at close range. This story later shows the terror the Boers here have of
-cold steel.  Our snipers were now close to the enemy's trench, and one
-of the Boers, probably an artilleryman, waved his sword over the top,
-whereupon one of his comrades was overheard to shout, "For God's sake do
-not do that, or they will come with their bayonets."
-
-[Illustration: FITZCLARENCE'S BAYONET CHARGE.]
-
-What I said about coolness and gallantry in the first fight applies in
-even a greater degree to this encounter.  The men were admirably led and
-did splendidly.  Our success so far was marked.  The Boers had been kept
-at a respectful distance from the town.  They never felt safe at night;
-they had been beaten at their own game in the open, and we practically
-disregarded their vaunted artillery, on which they had pinned their
-faith to reduce the town.  Daily the situation became more a question of
-endurance.
-
-28th.  Ambulance, under a flag of truce, fetched in our dead.  Boers
-very surly.  The dead were buried that night.  Shell-fire and sniping
-continued; little harm done.
-
-29th, Sunday.  Band, &c.
-
-30th.  Transferred my residence to the western portion to watch the
-Boers moving to and fro on our western front, about two miles out,
-sniping going on both sides all round.  Desultory shell fire.
-
-31st.  Enemy's force occupied a position on the south-eastern heights
-and from Jackall Tree three thousand four hundred yards S.S.W. of Cannon
-Kopje, where they had erected earthworks, their artillery pushed forward
-to within two thousand yards, and opened a heavy fire on the kopje,
-commencing at 4.40 a.m., under cover of which their infantry attack was
-pushed from the south-east to within three hundred yards of the kopje,
-but was repelled by the B.S.A.P., fifty-seven strong, with two Maxims
-and a seven-pounder under Colonel Walford.  They attacked with great
-resolution, but our fire was held till they came within good range, and
-then after sustaining it for some time they broke and fled. Their
-ambulances came to pick up the dead and, under their cover, many who had
-been playing "possum" got up and ran for their lives. Our losses were
-six killed, including Captain the Hon. D. H. Marsham and Captain
-Pechell, K.R.R., and two sergeant-majors, five wounded severely.  I may
-perhaps be permitted to say a few words about personal friends.  It
-seemed as if it could not be true.  In Captain Marsham's case, well
-known as he was to the Boers, and popular as he was on both sides of the
-border, the enemy will regret his death almost as deeply as his comrades
-here did. Captain Pechell had a brother serving here as a private in the
-Protectorate, who has since got his commission in that regiment; an
-additional sympathy must be felt for his family and regiment, as almost
-at the same time his brother in the same regiment was killed in a Natal
-fight.  I only voice the one feeling here of personal sorrow for their
-loss and sympathy with their relations.
-
-The Boers were well thrashed, and my previous description of Cannon
-Kopje will enable readers to grasp what a thoroughly gallant fight it
-was.  The Boers must have lost very heavily.  Later in the day they
-attacked the southern end of the native stadt, in a half-hearted manner,
-but it was not pushed home, and were easily driven off.  Both these
-fights were easily visible across the valley, with the exception of the
-commencement of the Boer infantry advance, which one could only gather
-from the continuous musketry fire.  This night we buried the dead, all
-the available officers in the garrison attending.
-
-November 1st.  The enemy shelled Cannon Kopje again, and galloped up
-from the south within about a mile, dismounted, and made a show of
-attack, but were driven away.  Shell fire and sniping.
-
-2nd.  Desultory shell fire and lots of sniping at horses watering, five
-horses wounded.  At about 10 p.m. Lieutenant Murchison shot Mr. Parslow,
-_Daily Chronicle_ representative, but as the matter is still _sub
-judice_, comments or opinions are undesirable.
-
-3rd.  Heavy shelling and sniping.  The Boers having occupied a position
-in the brickfields, Captain Goodyear and the Cape Boys attacked them and
-turned them out, during which Captain Goodyear was unfortunately
-severely wounded in the leg.
-
-Inquest this morning returned a verdict of wilful murder against
-Lieutenant Murchison, who will be tried by Field General Court Martial.
-Mr. Parslow's funeral took place to-night, attended by the staff and
-many others; the other correspondents and myself carried the coffin to
-the grave.
-
-4th.  Heavy shelling and sniping all round, eight horses shot.  The
-Boers having experienced the delights of the dynamite explosion, now
-determine to repay us in our own coin. Loading a truck with dynamite,
-they brought it up to the top of the incline on the railway, which runs
-from the north down to Mafeking Station, meaning to run it into the
-station and explode it in the town.  In this amiable intention they were
-foiled, as either owing to the rustiness or roughness of the line, which
-had not been used for three weeks, to the defective fuse, or some other
-unexplained cause, it blew up a mile and a half out of town, and I trust
-assisted a few of them to the other world.  The curious part of the
-explosion was that everyone insisted that a shell had burst exactly over
-the spot he happened to be in, and it was not until next day that the
-occurrence was explained.
-
-5th.  Sunday.  Band, and celebrated Guy Fawkes day with fireworks, first
-warning the enemy not to be alarmed.
-
-6th.  A smart bit of work on the part of the Boers.  Their big gun
-opened fire at 4.30 a.m., and after firing one shot they took her round
-to the south-eastern heights, where they had erected a work for her, and
-fired again within twelve hours; by the remote road they preferred, it
-must have been more than four miles; two field guns and a large escort
-accompanied her.
-
-[Illustration: RELICS.]
-
-7th.  Rumours were rife as to the intended attack on the native stadt
-this morning, but this pleasant attention was anticipated.  At 3 a.m.
-Major Godley paraded with Captain Vernon's squadron, Protectorate
-Regiment and mounted Bechuanaland Rifles under Captain Cowan, with two
-seven-pounders and the Hotchkiss gun, under Lieutenant Daniel, B.S.A.P.,
-Captain Marsh's Squadron P.R., being held in readiness to support, if
-necessary, from the southern portion of the stadt.  And here it must be
-explained that due west the Boers had established a laager with about
-two hundred and fifty men, two twelve-pounders and a diabolical
-one-pound Maxim in entrenchments, and daily shelled the stadt and
-western defences, and that it was from this quarter that the attack was
-expected. However, Major Godley took up a position within good range of
-the laager, and as day broke the Boers were roused by the seven-pounders
-and the Hotchkiss, supplemented by long range volleys.  The Boers broke
-to ward Cronje's large laager, about three or four miles south-west of
-the stadt.  I was watching operations from the top of the B.S.A.P. fort,
-and the whole fight was clearly discernible in its earlier stages, an
-admirable example of Boer tactics, as their advance to their attacking
-position was across our western front, though at safe distance from
-rifle fire. Within ten minutes of the commencement of fire knots of
-Boers came galloping from the large laager, in tens, twenties, twos and
-threes, anyhow, in fact, and about half way they met the Boers who were
-retreating, who then rallied and returned with them to the attack. They
-swept over the ridge towards the north, and as they drew nearer were
-assailed by long range volleys from Captain Marsh, and then the fight
-began.  There could not have been less than five hundred, personally I
-fancy eight.  Their guns were in full swing and firing wildly
-fortunately, for the majority of the shells burst by the women's laager
-and the fort, which did not seem logical, as we were not hurting them.
-Their one-pound Maxim, however, was putting in good work. The object of
-the sortie had been attained in drawing the attack where we wanted it,
-and a gradual and slow retirement on the works commenced.  Then,
-unfortunately, one of our guns was temporarily disabled, but under a
-very heavy fire was righted without any casualty, which was miraculous,
-as the one-pounder had got the range and put shells around it all the
-time, shooting off the heel of a man's boot and bursting all around and
-among the men and horses.  However, all got under cover all right.
-Captain Vernon handled his men coolly and well, and retiring by
-alternate troops they kept the enemy at bay.  The fire was very heavy,
-and but that the majority of the Boer firing was wild, we should have
-lost heavily.  Major Godley was shot through the hat, slightly wounded
-in the hand, and his horse shot.  The Bechuanaland Rifles at their
-baptism of fire behaved steadily and well, and Captain Cowan was well
-justified at his pride in his men.  The Boers attacked the
-entrenchments, advancing to within six hundred yards of them, but were
-beaten off with loss.  Working round to the northern flank, however,
-they managed to account for eleven horses and two men in about as many
-seconds, but the undesirable attention of the stationary Maxim convinced
-them that their presence was no longer necessary.  It was very hot
-whilst it lasted, and then to the looker-on came the welcome sight of
-first one, then twos and threes, then larger bodies, cantering off in
-the direction from which they had come, and then, the most welcome sight
-of all, three large wagons flying the Red Cross flag coming to pick up
-their casualties, showing that their loss must have been heavy.  Our
-loss, six men wounded, six horses killed, nine wounded, and many cattle
-and donkeys in the vicinity of the forts killed and wounded.
-
-8th.  Sniping and shelling and a new earthwork being constructed by the
-Boers three thousand yards due north of the B.S.A.P. fort, called Game
-Tree fort.
-
-9th.  The cheering news from Natal of three British victories has
-arrived, great excitement prevails, and naturally--it is our first news
-for nearly a month.  Shelling and sniping of course goes on, and one
-shell burst in Colonel Walford's stable, where three horses were
-together, and killed the centre horse, thirty-one shrapnel bullets being
-found in it.  The others were untouched, as were also the men all round.
-
-10th.  Game Tree fort has begun with high velocity twelve-pounders.
-These are pernicious guns.  Old Creaky can be provided for.  She is
-carefully watched from everywhere--if she is pointed a bell rings, when
-the smoke comes from her muzzle another bell rings, and everybody goes
-to ground till the shell does (or does not) burst.  But these smokeless
-guns give no warning; the report and the shell arrive simultaneously.
-Twenty-seven shells were fired in a very short time round the fort,
-three burst in it, and one knocked a bucket from a nigger.  But when
-they had got the range accurately the Boers desisted. Their artillery
-tactics are marvellous.  They fire in a casual way at any thing; if they
-get the range accurately they seem satisfied, and begin to shoot at
-something else.  They keep on shooting for some time and unexpectedly
-stop; then just as vaguely begin again, with apparently no ulterior
-object, but general annoyance.  One thing only is certain, that from
-4.30 to 5 a.m. Creaky will fire a round or two, and probably stop till
-after breakfast, and that from 8.30 to 9 p.m. she has never missed her
-farewell shot.
-
-11th.  Shelling all day, sniping getting really lively.
-
-12th.  News of Colonel Plumer's column. We were all grieved to hear of
-poor Blackburne's death.
-
-13th.  Slight shell fire, very quiet all round.
-
-14th.  Sniping and shelling rather lively, to compensate for yesterday.
-
-15th.  Very quiet.  Heavy rain during the night; the Boers entrenching
-themselves towards the brickfields.  An American despatch rider of
-Reuter's, Mr. Pearson, arrived, having ridden from south of Kimberley--a
-great performance.
-
-16th.  Heavy thunderstorm and rain; shelling and sniping all round.
-
-17th.  Shelling and sniping.  The big gun again shifted rather farther
-back.  Mr. Pearson started on his adventurous ride back to Cape Town.  I
-wish him every success.
-
-18th.  To-day is the beginning of the end, I hope.  Cronje's laager to
-the south-west is breaking up and trekking south.  All squadrons have
-been warned to be in readiness to start at once, and we hope our turn is
-coming at last, but General Cronje is capable of any ruse to draw us out
-and endeavour to overwhelm us in the open.  They do not forget to leave
-us Creaky, who gave us a heavy doing to-day; sniping is going on
-continually daily on our south-eastern and eastern front.
-
-At this point of the siege it is worth while to review the situation.
-The Boers have been compelled to detach a large portion of their force
-to the south, leaving, however, ample men to invest the town.  They have
-had four severe lessons and seem more disinclined than ever to come to
-close quarters.  They have, however, entrenched themselves in suitable
-positions round the town, and it is impossible to say at any given point
-what their strength might be.  Our strength is about nine hundred
-rifles, including all available white men, and a sortie, even if
-successful, might seriously impair our strength; whereas, as we are, we
-can hold the town, which is our primary object.  For a sortie at the
-most we could only hope for two hundred to two hundred and fifty men,
-and the rapidity with which the Boers concentrate, and their vast
-superiority in artillery, would give them a very good chance of
-inflicting a defeat, which might be ruinous.  No! their shell and
-musketry fire is annoying, but with the precautions that have been taken
-they cannot inflict sufficient damage to compel surrender. Thus, the
-whole thing resolves itself into a matter of "patience, our turn is
-coming soon."  For if we cannot get out, neither they nor three times
-their number can get in.
-
-From this time on till the beginning of December it may be as well to
-explain the situation in advance.  The fighting on the western and
-southern fronts had almost ceased, but the Boer entrenchments were
-occupied by picquets, who indulged in occasional sniping, and it was
-unknown how many were in the rear of them.  The fort to the north, Game
-Tree fort, was armed with a five-pounder gun, and was occupied fairly
-strongly, and between that and the waterworks was another trench,
-occupied by the Boers, from which they were eventually ousted by the
-fire of the Bechuanaland Rifles.  To our eastern front lay the trench by
-the race-course, strongly held; and south of that in front of McMullen's
-farm (the Boer main laager), a trench about thirteen hundred yards from
-the town.  There are four or five brick-kilns about eleven to twelve
-hundred yards from the town, running in a diagonal direction from the
-trench down towards the Molopo, and it was about here that the
-continuous skirmishing took place; our works being pushed out to meet
-theirs from the bed of the river, which was connected with the town by a
-trench running due south from Ellis's corner, past the old Dutch church.
-Their guns were admirably placed for raking the town, stadt, and
-defences on the south-eastern heights, about three thousand yards from
-the town.  To the south of the river the Cape boys occupied a trench,
-near the eastern end of location, and about two thousand yards from the
-enemy's big gun.
-
-19th, Sunday.  Band and calls.  Laager, to the north-east at Signal
-Hill, trekking eastward.
-
-20th to 23rd.  Daily shelling and sniping. Captain Sandford moved the
-Boers and the seven-pounders from the western entrenchments.  One of
-these guns they now abandoned with the exception of a picquet.
-
-24th.  Shelling and sniping; the B.S.A.P. fort came in for most of it;
-two men wounded.
-
-26th, Sunday.  We had our first game of polo, a concert, and a football
-match.  Church in the evening.
-
-27th.  An advanced trench had been constructed in the river bed, six
-hundred yards from the Boer trench, and fourteen hundred yards from the
-big gun: Lord Charles Bentinck occupied it after dark.
-
-28th.  The big gun was harassed by volleys all day, and did not fire
-much, a lively skirmish going on at intervals throughout the day on the
-eastern front, Maxims, guns and rifles; Cape Boys partaking from the
-south of the Molopo.  Fitzclarence relieved Lord Charles Bentinck this
-evening.  The Boers vacated the brick-kilns after the firing had been
-going on for some time.
-
-29th.  The long-range volleys have undoubtedly had good effect.  The big
-gun cocked up her nose and fired two rounds wildly this morning.  On the
-eastern front was a crowd with telescopes and field glasses, laughing at
-the gunners, who could plainly be seen dodging about, and making many
-futile efforts to get off their piece safely somehow. Ellis's corner,
-Fitzclarence's squadron, the Cape Boys in the river bed and in the
-trench, volleyed him directly old Creaky's muzzle was elevated.  The
-enemy could not find out where the fire came from, and fired their
-smaller guns and one-pound Maxim, on chance, all about the place, but
-did no harm.  Creaky only got off three rounds to-day.  When the Boers
-in the trench tried to join in, the Maxim at Ellis's corner was turned
-on to them; while the Maxim from De Kock's fort paid a similar attention
-to the race-course trenches. The Boers in the north-west also shelled
-to-day.  Lord Charles Bentinck relieved Fitzclarence after dark.
-
-30th.  This was the hottest day's firing we have had for some time.  At
-3 a.m. a heavy fire commenced all round.  The Boers had been annoyed by
-our native snipers in the river and brickfields, and commenced firing
-so-called volleys from their trench in the direction of the river bed.
-The Cape Boys and the squadron fired on the big gun and Ellis's corner
-fired on the Boers.  Our Hotchkiss also fired, but the seven-pounder
-gun, concealed in the bed of the river, did not fire, but awaited
-developments, as its position was still unknown to the enemy; this went
-on with short intervals all day, but an hour and an half before sundown
-began a most furious fusillade all round.  Creaky, who had now been
-furnished with cover for her gunners, joined in the fray, and for over
-an hour heavy firing was incessant, and a very pretty fight followed. In
-all this firing on the south-eastern corner the bullets drop in the
-town, and the market square and surrounding streets are no places for a
-contemplative stroll at these times.  The other day, during a game of
-football, a ninety-four-pound shell passed through the players and burst
-in the town house, in the centre of the square, but marvellous to
-relate, none were injured though the interior of the town house has
-disappeared.  To return to the skirmish, after a vast expenditure of
-ammunition our casualties were nil; I trust the enemy's were heavy.  In
-a Transvaal paper, dated December 2nd, they confessed to several being
-slightly wounded lately by our continuous fire.
-
-December 1st.  To check an undesirable expenditure of ammunition,
-Colonel Baden-Powell detailed an officer, Mr. Greenfield and six men to
-accompany the Cape Boys (who invariably opened the ball) up the river
-bed with orders not to fire unless sure of killing some one, because,
-though they thoroughly enjoyed themselves yesterday they got through an
-enormous quantity of powder and shot. These Cape Boys are good men, fair
-shots, very brave, and have accounted for quite a large number of Boers
-while out sniping. In consequence of these orders sniping resumed its
-old condition, and not many volleys were fired.  Creaky, in consequence,
-fired rather more.
-
-2nd.  The fire of the Bechuanaland Rifles drove the Boers from their
-advanced trench to the north-east, which they had occupied, but
-subsequently abandoned and destroyed, as it was too advanced.  But
-another trench was constructed midway between this trench and our own
-advanced trench.  Four railway men out sniping towards Game Tree fort,
-came upon the niggers the Boers had posted in advance of that earthwork,
-and shot one, the rest fled. The Boers swarmed into the trench and their
-commander was heard to order some men to go and cut the party off.
-Sharp came the answer, "No, the rooineks are attacking in force."
-Eventually, after crawling a thousand yards under fire, the party got
-off safely, having accounted for two Boers.
-
-3rd, Sunday.  As our parties were digging late Saturday night and early
-this morning in the vicinity of the Boer trenches the Boers sent in a
-flag this morning to ask if we meant to fight on Sunday.  We sent back
-to say no. I rode round the western outpost from the outside and was
-much struck by the admirable way Major Godley had laid out the trenches;
-they were practically impregnable.  I also went up to Cannon Kopje
-which, with infinite difficulty, has been much strengthened daily, or, I
-should say, nightly.  We then had sports, tilting at the ring,
-tent-pegging, &c., two pony races, and a polo match, and all the rank
-and fashion of Mafeking assembled to partake of Colonel Hore's and the
-Protectorate Regiment's hospitality, and to "listen to the band."  The
-only thing that has been thoroughly levelled in Mafeking is the Polo
-ground, which is very fair, and the ponies surprisingly good. Practising
-polo, and mounted sports, however, have been forbidden during week days,
-as it draws so much fire.  Indeed, Creaky elevated her muzzle once
-during the afternoon, which caused a certain amount of sensation, as we
-do not exactly trust our foes, and one shell in the crowd would have
-secured a good bag.  It was probably to show her to the Dutch ladies who
-drive out to their camp on Sunday.  These ladies have ceased watching
-the effects of the shells on the town since long range volleys began.
-Church in the evening.  Sunday is indeed a welcome fillip all round,
-particularly for the poor women and children, who are confined to the
-laager all the week; eleven of the latter have died since the
-commencement of the siege.  There are services for all denominations,
-every Sunday; but I think the evening ones are the more plentifully
-attended.
-
-4th.  A quiet day; not much shelling or sniping.
-
-5th.  Shelling and sniping.  A shell burst in Well's store, killing a
-nigger outside (at least he died afterwards), close to me.  The pieces
-flew all about, and I had not time to analyse where they were falling;
-they came too quick, but it was a pretty close shave; but then there
-have been innumerable close shaves and marvellous little damage done to
-life so far.  The shell passed through the roof, just below the look-out
-man, whom the shot threw into the air.  Fortunately it exploded in the
-next store, otherwise no doubt he would have been blown to pieces.  As I
-write two shells have just exploded, one blowing a Kaffir to pieces and
-wrecking a chemist shop, the other knocking over a white man, who is
-just being removed to hospital; how much hurt I do not know.  (I hear
-that he was killed.)  About 3 o'clock began the most tremendous rain,
-which lasted for two hours, the market square became a lake, the streets
-rivers, whilst our little Molopo developed at short notice into a raging
-torrent. It swept away all impedimenta, wooden bridges, &c., at once.
-The squadron in the river bed had to retire and Captain Fitzclarence
-while endeavouring to cross was nearly drowned. The seven-pounder was
-nearly washed away; the ammunition was.  The trenches and bomb proofs
-were full to the brim, many of them proving to be in the beds of regular
-streams. Had the Boers known or been able to seize their opportunity
-they might have made it very nasty for us with shell fire, but as it was
-they were in a worse plight than we were, as they had no dry cover for
-drying their clothes, and could not replace them, and when they emerged
-from their trenches our Maxims opened on them.  The headquarters' staff
-set to work and had everybody fairly comfortable by 7 o'clock.  Natives
-were at work bailing all night; dry clothes were given to those who had
-no change, brandy and quinine served out to all the trenches, the men
-sleeping in adjacent cover. Wagons fetched up the women from the laager,
-and blankets were distributed to all who required them.  As usual all
-rose to the occasion, and having proved themselves under fire now
-repeated the process under this onslaught from water.  Perhaps the
-people who were worst off were the B.S.A.P. at Cannon Kopje.  A wet
-night--their shelters flooded--and literally everything they possessed
-carried away, except their blankets, arms and the clothes they stood up
-in, and no shelter at all.  However, take it all round, the enemy were
-much worse off than we, which is always consoling, and consequently
-being miserable, and having nothing to do, they opened a lively fire on
-the town generally, lasting about half an hour.
-
-6th.  Shelling and sniping as usual.  It is their custom now to begin in
-the evening about 4, keep it up till dark, and then fire Creaky once
-from about 8.30 to 9 o'clock. Mr. Gerrans, town councillor, was
-extracting the fuse of an exploded shell--result--he was blown down and
-severely injured.  His foreman, Green, had his foot blown off, and a
-passer by, Smith, a Johannesburg refugee, returning to his trench, was
-so injured that he died in an hour.  Everybody was much depressed by
-this; it seemed so sad that more damage should be caused among the
-whites by an accident than had hitherto been the result of six weeks'
-shelling by the enemy's heavy gun.  However, since artillery has been
-invented mankind will tamper with loaded shells, in spite of all
-warnings, orders, or entreaties to the contrary.
-
-7th.  Lady Sarah Wilson arrived this morning, having been exchanged for
-Viljoen who had been sentenced to six months' imprisonment before the
-war began.  He, I fancy, will look fatter and in better condition than
-his friends outside, and did not appear over keen to join them.  This
-plucky lady was received with loud cheers when she entered the town; she
-has indeed had a bad time, and everybody was greatly relieved to see her
-back safely, though perhaps this is not quite the best place that I know
-of to have a villa residence.  As she drove up to her house the firing
-commenced again--they did not waste much time.  Heavy shelling continued
-after dark.  Three men killed, eight wounded.
-
-Apropos of shells, I presume in the course of his life Colonel
-Baden-Powell has had many curious communications, but certainly none
-more curious than this one.  The other morning a Kaffir picked up an
-unexploded five-pound shell; when the fuse was unscrewed, instead of a
-charge the following missive was found:--
-
-"Mr. Baden-Powell,
-
-Pleas excuse me for sending this iron messenger i have no other to send
-at Present.  He is rather exentric but vorgive him if he does not behave
-well i wish to ask you not to let your men drink all the whisky as i
-wish to have a drink when we all come to see you.  cindly tell Mrs.
-Dunkley that her mother and vamily are all quite well.
-
-I remaijn, Yours trewly, a Republican."
-
-I am afraid the ingenious gentleman in question will have to wait a
-while for his whisky.
-
-8th.  Quiet all the morning; but this afternoon shell fire began,
-killing one man, Protectorate Regiment, and wounding two. Creaky only
-fired one round, our snipers keeping her quiet; but sniping all round
-made things pretty lively.
-
-9th.  Pretty quiet; not much shell fire in the morning, but began in the
-evening, and pretty smart sniping continued all day.  I must now
-endeavour to describe the hospital arrangements, and the noble work done
-by the ladies of Mafeking.  The hospital arrangements for the defence of
-the town were made under the supervision of Dr. Haves, Major Anderson,
-R.A.M.C., and Surgeon Holmden assisting him; Major Anderson being
-attached to the Protectorate Regiment, which might have been moved at
-any time.  In addition to being under a hot fire the whole of the first
-fight, he accompanied the ambulance to Cannon Kopje, during the fight
-there.  Bullets whistled round the Red Cross the whole way there and
-round the stretchers (which he assisted to carry) on their return to the
-shelter of the railway embankment.  There may have been some excuse for
-firing on the Red Cross during the first fight, on the second occasion
-there can have been none; probably the Boers considered that we adopted
-the same practice as themselves and brought up our ammunition in
-ambulances.  Whether this is a valid excuse or not, I will leave my
-readers to decide.  The Red Cross flag, at the commencement of the siege
-floated over the railway embankment, the first dressing station, the
-refugee camp dressing station, the women's laager, Messrs. Weil's (who
-had placed their house at the disposal of the authorities for the use of
-the wounded), the convent, which is fitted up as a hospital, and the
-Victoria Hospital.  General Cronje stated, and with some show of reason,
-that he could only recognize one hospital, and the women's laager.
-However, prior to this, he had sent many shells through the convent,
-possibly from its being a two-storied building and naturally a
-conspicuous mark. Consequently Victoria Hospital, always the main
-hospital, became the only one used throughout the operations.  Dr. Haves
-was the P.M.O., Miss Hill the matron; and here, on behalf of the
-garrison of Mafeking, I must endeavour to convey our feelings of deep
-gratitude and admiration for the work done by this lady, the nurses, and
-their assistants (the ladies of Mafeking) during the siege. I can
-testify personally to their devoted care and attention to patients, and
-Britain may well be proud of them.  One ninety-four pounder went through
-the hospital, wrecking a ward and killing a little native boy.  Shells
-fell all round it, and bullets were continually hitting it, one, indeed,
-wounded an already wounded man, but these ladies continued their work
-undisturbed, assisted to the utmost by the sisters from the adjacent
-convent, situated some fifty yards away. These poor ladies having had to
-abandon their home (which was literally wrecked, and will have to be
-entirely rebuilt), had to take refuge in a dug-out by the hospital.  The
-hospital arrangements and the attention of Dr. Haves, Major Anderson,
-and Surgeon Holmden (who was himself sick in the hospital), were beyond
-all praise. Fortunately the accommodation was adequate, an additional
-building being erected for Kaffirs. But these for the most part
-preferred being treated and returning to their own abode. They appear
-nearly insensible to pain.
-
-To give a few instances, one native was shot with a Martini bullet
-through the lung; he roared with laughter when it was extracted, and
-will not part with it for anything, and is now all right.  A Zulu
-wounded in the toe, on seeing a man's temperature being taken, when
-given the thermometer, placed it between his toes, and on being told to
-put it in his mouth, said he was not hurt in the mouth, but in the foot.
-Another native was shot through the head with a Mauser and lived; so,
-indeed, did a railway volunteer, Nelson; the bullet went clean through
-his head, and he is well and out of hospital.  But the natives, though
-suffering from horrible injuries, seem to regard them lightly. Most of
-the native wounded are by shells; they are very careless, but I fancy
-the numerous casualties are making them more cautious. The unfortunate
-man killed yesterday was a man named Footman, of the Protectorate
-Regiment, who was in a room singing a song, "Poor old Joe has gone to
-rest," to the accompaniment of a banjo, when the shell burst on him, and
-literally blew him to pieces--two more men were slightly injured, and a
-chaff-cutter knocked to pieces; but the remainder were providentially
-untouched. The worst of sniping is that it consumes such a lot of the
-ammunition which we may eventually require, though it certainly has a
-quietening effect upon the enemy's artillery; but I cannot believe the
-Boers will abandon this place without one more serious attack, when they
-hear of the advance of our troops, and the remnants of other commandoes
-join them. They must have one tangible proof of success. So far, beyond
-doubt, the prolonged defence of Mafeking has resulted in the natives
-either keeping quiet or rising on our side, whereas had the Boers been
-successful in these parts, the natives must have perforce sided with
-them, as their emissaries had strained every nerve to induce them to do,
-prior to the war. I sincerely trust that the penalties of treason will
-be rigidly enforced, and that if not death, at least outlawry and
-confiscation will be inflicted on the Colonial Dutch who have risen, for
-no man has a right to a vote who has deliberately risen in British
-territory and fought against Her Majesty.  The Transvaal is another
-matter, though they have raided our territory, burnt farms, and looted
-cattle and annexed British Bechuanaland--that is a matter for settlement
-by the Government and not for individuals to suffer.  If the Boers are
-well thrashed, and they have fought well, the two nationalities will
-soon settle down together.  But a Dutchman, or at least the lower
-classes (which correspond, after all, to poor whites of America with
-this difference, that they have a lot of black blood in them), cannot
-understand anything but a good licking.  Disarm them rigorously, and
-give them a just government and they will soon peacefully acquiesce
-therein.  But pack the Hollander-cum-German official back to his own
-country.  South Africa is no place for them.  Let them try the South
-American Republics; with their venal habits, they will be thoroughly at
-home.
-
-A more heterogeneous garrison has seldom been collected.  A mounted
-corps (the Protectorate Regiment), two detachments of mounted Cape
-Police, the B.S.A.P., also mounted, the Bechuanaland Rifles, the Railway
-D.W., and the Town Guard, all employed in trenches, and the horses only
-used for orderly work.  The Town Guard is composed of every white man or
-householder, Indian or otherwise, capable of bearing arms, unless
-enrolled under the Red Cross.  They are formed into companies in their
-own districts, and under their own commanders, Colonel Vyvyan being
-commander of the whole, and range from boys of sixteen to men of
-seventy.  The younger boys are employed as messengers.  The Town Guard
-have been subjected to severe tests, sleeping and living in trenches,
-and enduring the hardships of war for two months, without a chance of
-returning the enemy's fire.  A few individuals who are good shots are
-permitted to go out sniping, but the majority have to keep their fire
-for short ranges, in case of an assault.  They have done their duty
-well, and been under fire continually.  All sorts and conditions of men
-are there, and a more mixed body it would be impossible to conceive.  In
-any case, they have stood the test well, and surprised myself and indeed
-everybody by their efficiency.  Of the police of both corps, it is
-impossible to say too much--they are as fine a body of men as you could
-wish to see, and the work they have done speaks for itself.  The
-B.S.A.P. have had the more opportunities as a body, but wherever the
-Cape Police have had a chance they have done every bit as well. The
-Protectorate Regiment I have already described fully, and they also have
-proved themselves to be the fine fighting material I thought them from
-the first.  But when, oh! when, shall we use our horses?  The
-Bechuanaland Rifles, a fine body of men, largely augmented since the
-commencement of the war, had a mounted detachment under Captain Cowell.
-The Railway Division under Captain Moore, who has been promoted since
-the commencement of the war, are also a fine body of men who can turn
-their hand to anything, from fighting in a land ironclad to manning
-their own works.  The authorities were warned long prior to the outbreak
-of hostilities, that more troops were required here.  With even two
-squadrons of cavalry and half a battery we should have been able to keep
-the Boers at a greater distance from the town, and beaten them
-occasionally in the open, well away from our lines.  Half a battalion of
-infantry would have done the garrison work as efficiently as the
-dismounted men of our mounted corps.  In fact, we might long ago have
-raised the siege by a decisive blow, which we have been, under our
-present circumstances, unable to deliver.  I think I stated this in a
-letter some six weeks prior to the outbreak of the war.  However, I
-presume we shall soon be out of this now, though we have no news, as for
-the past fortnight no runners seem able to get through at all.
-
-10th, Sunday.  We had mounted sports, polo, and in the evening, church.
-Heavy rain threatened, but held off.  I watched through a telescope a
-party of Dutch ladies being shown Creaky, who was put through her
-antics, being elevated, depressed, levelled in various directions, for
-their benefit.  So, both sides enjoyed themselves after their kind.
-
-General Snyman's harangues and reports of victories (which roughly
-surmised are--extirpation of the British army--the only two places in
-South Africa held by the British, being Mafeking and Cape
-Town--possession of Delagoa Bay, and a fight at sea, where the British
-were defeated) are now received in silence and _cum grano_, by his
-followers, instead of being greeted with cheers, as formerly. Really, I
-begin to believe there is a limit to the credulity of the Boer, though
-hitherto I had supposed it boundless.  But what can equal their colossal
-impudence, in invading the suzerain power, annexing Bechuanaland, and
-proclaiming us rebels.  Colonel Baden-Powell has recently organized a
-troop of old cavalry soldiers, and armed them with lances. They have
-to-day ridden all round the town, showing themselves in all quarters, to
-the great astonishment of the Boers, who, I suppose, now expect another
-little surprise packet, and will be anxious for a few days; as they knew
-we had no lances with us.
-
-11th, Monday.  Colonel Baden-Powell has issued a proclamation calling
-upon all burghers to return to their farms by the 14th, and that if they
-do so, and surrendered their rifles and one hundred and fifty rounds of
-ammunition, they will not be molested, otherwise, they will be treated
-most rigorously, when we take the offensive; that they are being grossly
-misled by their leaders; that foreign intervention is hopeless.  The
-Staats Artillery may surrender as prisoners of war at any time; this
-does not apply to British subjects, traitors or deserters.  This might
-have produced an increase of shell fire, I should fancy, judging from
-our heavy days' shelling last week.  Their General rode forth with his
-escort, our snipers placed three volleys round him, whereupon he
-galloped back to the big gun, and all the artillery began merrily,
-trying to hit our headquarters.  They fired a few shells this morning,
-but the heavy rain seriously damped their ardour.  Still, if the General
-be annoyed, they will probably re-commence their attentions.  Later.
-The orderlies with the various flags of truce, have returned,
-proclamations were sent to each of their outworks, and all the Dutchmen
-volunteered that they were quite sick of it, and had had enough, which I
-can quite believe.  The rains are beginning, they complained of the
-soakings they have already had, and with inadequate cover sickness will
-soon play havoc with them.  The orderlies gave them cigarettes and
-conversed with them, and in two or three cases they asked them how they
-came to let the re-inforcements in, referring to the lancer troop.  In
-one case the Dutchman said he had heard them come in, but did not know
-what it was, in the other cases they said they had not seen the
-re-inforcements, but they had seen their spoor.  Shelling has
-recommenced.  To-night we send up fire balloons, weather permitting,
-which will probably produce some effect on their side.
-
-The following is a copy of Colonel Baden-Powell's letter to Snyman and
-the proclamation to the burghers:--
-
-
-                         A LETTER TO THE BOERS.
-
-Mafeking, 8th Dec., 1899.
-
-To General J. P. Snyman,
-       near Mafeking.
-
-SIR,--I beg to thank you for having handed over Lady Sarah Wilson in
-exchange for the convict P. Viljoen.
-
-At the same time, I beg to point out that I have only consented to the
-exchange under protest, as being contrary to the custom of civilised
-warfare.
-
-In treating this lady as a prisoner of war, as well as in various other
-acts, you have in the present campaign, altered the usual conditions of
-war.  This is a very serious matter; and I do not know whether it has
-the sanction of General Joubert or not, but I warn you of the
-consequences.
-
-The war was at first, and would remain, as far as Her Majesty's troops
-are concerned, a war between one Government and another; but you are
-making it one of people against people in which women are considered as
-belligerents.  I warn you that the consequence of this may shortly be
-very serious to your own people, and you yourself will be to blame for
-anything that may happen.
-
-Regarding your complaint as to your being attacked by Natives, I beg to
-refer you to my letter dated 14th November, addressed to your
-predecessor General Cronje.  In this letter I went out of my way, as one
-white man to another, to warn you that the Natives are becoming
-extremely incensed at your stealing their cattle, and the wanton burning
-of their Kraals; they argued that the war lay only between our two
-Nations, and that the quarrel had nothing to do with themselves, and
-they had remained neutral in consequence, excepting in the case of the
-Mafeking Baralongs, who had to defend their homes in consequence of your
-unjustifiable invasion.  Nevertheless you thought fit to carry on cattle
-thefts and raids against them, and you are now beginning to feel the
-consequences; and, as I told you, I could not be responsible.  And I
-fear from what I have just heard by wireless telegraph that the Natives
-are contemplating further operations should your Forces continue to
-remain within or on the borders of their territories.  Before the
-commencement of the war the High Commissioner issued stringent orders to
-all Natives that they were to remain quiet and not to take up Arms
-unless their territory were invaded (in which case, of course, they had
-a perfect right to defend themselves).
-
-Linchwe--of whom you complain--remained neutral until you brought a
-force into his principal town and looted his traders' stores, and were
-making preparations for shelling his stadt on the 26th ultimo.  Having
-obtained accurate information of these intentions of yours, and warned
-by what had happened to the Natives near Mafeking, he attacked your
-laager on the 24th in order to save his town from being shelled and
-consequent loss of life amongst his women and children. In this I
-consider he was quite justified, and you have no one but yourself to
-blame in the matter.
-
-While on the subject of Natives please do not suppose that I am ignorant
-of what you have been doing with regard to seeking the assistance of
-armed natives, nor of the use of the Natives by you in the destruction
-of the railway line south of Mafeking.  However, having done my duty in
-briefly giving you warning on these points, I do not propose to further
-discuss them by letter.
-
-I have the honour to be,
-      Sir,
-   Your obedient servant,
-      R.S.S. BADEN-POWELL.
-
-
-                                 NOTICE
-
-
-To THE BURGHERS OP THE Z.A.R. AT PRESENT UNDER ARMS NEAR MAFEKING.
-
-_From the Officer Commanding Her Majesty's Forces, Mafeking_.
-
-BURGHERS,--I address you in this manner because I have only recently
-learnt how you are being intentionally kept in the dark by your officers
-and your Government newspapers as to what is really happening in other
-parts of South Africa.
-
-As officer commanding Her Majesty's troops on this border I think it
-right to point out to you clearly the inevitable result of your
-remaining any longer in arms against Great Britain.
-
-You are all aware that the present war was caused by the invasion of
-British territory by your forces, and as most of you know, without any
-justifiable reason.
-
-Your leaders do not tell you that so far your forces have met with what
-is only the advanced guard of the British force, and that circumstances
-have changed within the past week; the main body of the British is now
-daily arriving by thousands from England, Canada, India, and Australia,
-and is about to advance through your country.  In a few weeks the South
-African Republic will be in the hands of the English; no sacrifice of
-life on your part can stop it.  The question now to put to yourselves
-before it is, is this: Is it worth while losing your lives in a vain
-attempt to stop their invasion or to take a town beyond your borders
-which, if taken, would be of no use to you?  (And I may tell you that
-Mafeking cannot be taken by sitting down and looking at it, for we have
-ample supplies for several months to come).
-
-The Staat Artillery have done us very little damage, and we are now well
-protected with forts and mines. Your presence here, or elsewhere, under
-arms, cannot stop the British advancing into your country.
-
-Your leaders and newspapers are also trying to make you believe that
-some foreign continental powers are likely to intervene in your behalf
-against England. This is not in keeping with their pretence that your
-side is going to be victorious, nor is it in accordance with facts.  The
-S.A.R. having declared war and taken the offensive cannot claim
-intervention on its behalf.  And were it not so, the German Emperor is
-at present in England, and fully in sympathy with us: the American
-Government have warned others of their intention to side with England
-should any other nation interfere; France has large interests in the
-gold fields identical with those of England; and Italy is entirely in
-accord with us; and Russia sees no cause to interfere.
-
-The war is a war of one Government against another and not of people
-against people.  The duty assigned to my troops is to sit still here
-until the proper time arrives and then to fight and to kill until you
-give in. You, on the other hand, have other interests to think of, in
-your families and farms and their safety.
-
-Your leaders have caused the destruction of farms in this country and
-have fired on women and children, and our men are becoming hard to
-restrain in consequence.  Your leaders have also caused invasion of
-Kaffir territory, and looting of their cattle, and have thus induced
-them to rise, and in their turn to invade your country, and to kill your
-burghers.  As one white man to another, I warned General Cronje on the
-14th November that this would occur, and yesterday I heard that more
-Kaffirs are rising, and are contemplating similar moves; and I have
-warned Snyman accordingly. Thus great bloodshed, and destruction of
-farms threaten you on all sides, and I wish to offer you a chance of
-avoiding it.  To this end my advice to you is to return without delay to
-your homes and there remain peacefully till the war is over.  Those of
-you who do this before the 14th instant will be as far as possible
-protected, as regards yourselves, your families, and property, from
-confiscations, looting, and other penalties to which those who remain
-under arms may be subjected when the invasion takes place.
-
-Our secret agents will communicate to me the names of those who do and
-of those who do not avail themselves, before the 13th instant, of the
-terms now offered. To ensure their property being respected, all the men
-of a family must be present at home when the troops arrive and be
-prepared to hand over a rifle and 150 rounds of ammunition each.
-
-The above terms do not apply to officers or to members of the Staats
-Artillery, who may surrender as prisoners of war at any time; nor do
-they apply to rebels from British territory or others against whom there
-may be other charges.  It is probable that my force will shortly again
-take the offensive.
-
-To those who, after this warning, defer their submission till too late,
-I can offer no promise, and they will only have themselves to blame for
-an injury or loss of property that they or their families may afterwards
-suffer.
-
-(Signed) R.S.S. BADEN-POWELL,
-   _Colonel._
-MAFEKING, 10th Dec., 1899.
-
-
-The proclamation has either had a good effect or it is a curious
-coincidence, that, since its issue, the town has been barely shelled at
-all, sniping has almost ceased, and the Boers have only shelled the
-trenches in front of the native location, and the location itself, in a
-perfunctory manner, the result being that though we have shot a few
-Boers, our casualties have been nil, except some natives in the
-location, and from the 12th to the 15th nothing worth mentioning has
-happened. I fancy their news from the south must be bad, and undoubtedly
-men and cattle have gone away lately.  Thanks to their recent vigilance,
-our native runners have failed to get through, and I imagine the same
-fate has befallen the runners trying to come in, for we have been
-absolutely without reliable news for the last three weeks.  General
-Snyman sent in a copy of the _Volkstem_, relating our enormities and
-their victories, all underlined. I am bound to say the news was taken
-with much salt; but still it was news of a sort. The leading articles
-were mainly whining for foreign intervention, so we could read between
-the lines.
-
-15th.  Later.  I was somewhat previous in my remarks, they have just
-placed a shell within a hundred yards of the hotel.
-
-December 16th.  (Dingaan Day.)  We were aroused at 2.39 a.m. by the
-Boers celebrating their independence.  They sent a ninety-four pounder
-through the corner of Dixon's Hotel, which is our headquarters,
-consequently all rooms and passages are full of sleepers, the orderlies
-sleeping in the passages and billiard room.  However, fortunately they
-managed to put their shell through the bar, which is the only empty room
-in the house, and wrecked a portion of it and the stoep, which by day is
-full of occupants.  A splinter stopped the town clock, hence the
-accuracy with which we timed our unlooked-for alarum.  They have tried
-to hit headquarters for some weeks, shells pitching all round the hotel
-and wrecking neighbouring buildings, but heretofore we had escaped.
-Then, having drawn their bow at a venture by night, they have at last
-succeeded in hitting it.  After having inspected the damage I turned in
-again.  But as our seven-pounder at Cannon Kopje returned the fire, it
-became universal, and I think the Boers intended to attack.  Colonel
-Baden-Powell having anticipated something of the sort, had had the
-little gun laid on their big one the night before. As it was impossible
-to sleep, I went down to Ellis's corner to join in the fun.  For nearly
-three weeks we had let them fire away without taking much notice of
-them.  To-day, however, knowing it was their national festival, we were
-determined to disturb their amusement.  Our old seven-pounders had their
-advanced trenches well in range, and three of them, about three-quarters
-of a mile apart, commenced playing havoc with the said trenches, shells
-bursting beautifully in and over them.  While Creaky, like a big dog
-annoyed by little ones, snapped hurriedly at each of its puny
-antagonists in turn.  It made better practice than I have yet seen, and
-burst its huge shells within fifteen and twenty yards of the guns.  When
-the smoke from its muzzle was seen, our gun detachments laid down, but
-the explosion and smoke of the big shells had not died away before
-"boom," through the smoke, came the derisive return of its tiny
-antagonist, showing "a miss to the Boers." The guns took no notice of
-Creaky after the first shot, but concentrated their attention on the
-trenches, leaving her to be soothed by musketry volleys.  Our shell fire
-had a most quieting effect on the occupants of the trenches, and we had
-to stir them up by sniping their individuals, and then when they woke up
-a bit the Maxims assisted in calming their unruly spirits again.
-Altogether a most enjoyable morning.  It is so dull being shot at
-without answering, but when one's own guns keep the game going, it is
-quite another thing.  This lasted till about 6.30.  Just to prevent
-their being too much taken up by any amusements they might have
-contemplated, to celebrate the day, our guns fired a few rounds again at
-noon, but the big gun only answered with a few rounds, and after a
-feeble spatter of musketry we knocked off. On the western front, about
-dusk, our seven-pounder, under Captain Sandford, knocked out their
-five-pounder, and they dismantled their fort and withdrew to a more
-retired position.
-
-[Illustration: REMOVING THE EFFECTS OF A BOER SHELL.]
-
-We have advanced our seven-pounder to Fort Ayr, and hope to repeat the
-process. The first of our shells burst right among them whilst they were
-outside making coffee.
-
-17th, Sunday.  We had a handicap polo tournament.  Here are the teams
-and the result from _The Mafeking Mail_:--
-
-    No. I.--Colonel Baden-Powell (Captain),
-            Captain Gordon Wilson,
-            Captain Singleton,
-            Lieutenant Hon. A. Hanbury-Tracey.
-
-    No. II.--Captain Lord C. Cavendish-Bentinck (Captain),
-             Lieutenant-Colonel Walford,
-             Major Anderson,
-             Lieutenant Mackenzie.
-
-    No. III.--Lieutenant-Colonel Hore (Captain),
-              Captain Sandford,
-              Captain Vernon,
-              Lieutenant Bridges.
-
-    No. IV.--Major Godley (Captain),
-             Major Goold-Adams, C.B., C.M.G.,
-             Captain Fitzclarence,
-             Lieutenant Moncreiffe.
-
-    No. V.--Major Baillie (Captain),
-            Captain Marsh,
-            Captain Cowan,
-            Lieutenant Paton.
-
-
-    *Match.*                    *Goals scored*.
-
-    1 Colonel Hore . . . . . . . . .  1
-      Lord C. Bentinck . . . . . . .  1
-    2 Colonel Baden-Powell . . . . .  0
-      Major Godley . . . . . . . . .  1
-    3 Lord C. Bentinck . . . . . . .  1
-      Major Baillie  . . . . . . . .  1
-    4 Colonel Baden-Powell . . . . .  0
-      Colonel Hore . . . . . . . . .  1
-    5 Major Godley . . . . . . . . .  0
-      Major Baillie  . . . . . . . .  2
-    6 Lord C. Bentinck . . . . . . .  0
-      Colonel Baden-Powell . . . . .  1
-    7 Major Godley . . . . . . . . .  1
-      Colonel Hore . . . . . . . . .  1
-    8 Major Baillie  . . . . . . . .  0
-      Colonel Baden-Powell . . . . .  1
-    9 Lord C. Bentinck . . . . . . .  1
-      Major Godley . . . . . . . . .  0
-    10 Major Baillie . . . . . . . .  1
-       Colonel Hore  . . . . . . . .  0
-
-                                      Total
-                                   goals scored.
-
-    Colonel Baden-Powell's team  . . . . 2
-    Captain Lord C. Bentinck's team  . . 3
-    Lieutenant-Colonel Hore's team . . . 3
-    Major Baillie's team . . . . . . . . 4
-    Major Godley's team  . . . . . . . . 2
-
-Colonel Baden-Powell's team had a Captain who played an excellent game.
-Major Baillie was decidedly the mainstay of his team, not only by the
-unerring accuracy with which he hit the ball, but also on account of the
-verbal assistance delivered unceasingly in stentorian tones to his side.
-
-
-We are now making great preparations for Christmas, which we are
-apparently condemned to spend here.  Church services as usual.
-
-18th.  A quiet day; except on the western front, where their
-five-pounder keeps pegging away; however, no one takes any notice of it,
-as our new gun-pit is not yet completed. To-morrow we hope to have
-another lively morning.  The Boers have been drilling, apparently
-practising an attack formation, somewhat late in the day, however, and
-not of much use now, as they could not get in if they tried, and they
-are not likely to make the attempt.  As I before said, Colonel
-Baden-Powell has collected some thirty lances and armed a troop with
-them, so that, if the enemy depart hurriedly, we may be able to speed
-them on their way.  Went sniping in the evening; they fired the
-one-pound Maxim and a good deal of musketry fire.  Our troops in the
-advance trenches had quite good shooting all day.
-
-19th.  As I anticipated.  The Boers' _reveille_ was sounded for them at
-4.30 a.m. by our seven-pounders, which made excellent practice on the
-brickfield trench.  Their big gun repeated its performance of Saturday
-harmlessly.  We shifted them from their trenches and turned Maxims on
-them, while the Nordenfeldt at long range volleys pestered their big
-gun.  Their one-pound Maxim fire was wild, but they slew an inoffensive
-jackass.  This lasted until about 6, and was very pretty.  At about 7
-Creaky began to fire at Cannon Kopje, but without effect; she shot
-straighter in the morning; and at about 9 our seven-pounders began
-again, but the enemy would not be drawn, and now only occasional
-dropping shots come idly from both sides.  On the western front our
-seven-pounder silenced the five-pounder at Game Tree fort.  On the
-eastern front the race-course trench much annoyed the gun under Major
-Panzera, with volleys, till kept under by the convent Maxim and our
-one-pound Maxim.  These two artillery fights cannot much impress the
-Boers with the extraordinary value of the much belauded ten-tonner, and
-must destroy her moral effect, for whichever of our guns she fires at
-immediately returns her fire.  However, she has annoyed us quite enough
-and done sufficient damage to life and property, but if we had only had
-a gun which could have reached her properly, we should have knocked her
-out long ago.  A duel between our Nordenfeldt and Creaky began this
-afternoon, and has since been of daily occurrence, amidst the laughter
-and applause of the spectators. No sooner has the big shell struck, than
-crack, crack, comes from the Nordenfeldt.  Indeed, of late the little
-gun fires when the smoke from Creaky's muzzle appears, and gets off its
-three shots before the arrival of the shell, which the gunners of the
-monster do not seem to appreciate at all.  It is a regular case of
-dignity and impudence with the laugh on the side of impudence.  In the
-evening Captain Sandford silenced the Boer gun on the western front.
-
-20th and 21st.  Quiet days.
-
-22nd.  Quiet, but furious musketry fire at night, bullets flying
-everywhere.
-
-23rd, Saturday.  Fairly quiet.
-
-I broke my head taking a fall at polo, which we now play two or three
-times a week; it is a new experience going to and from the polo ground
-under fire.
-
-24th, Sunday.  Owing to siege exigencies it was deemed necessary to hold
-our Christmas on the Sunday, as the Boers' religious festival is held on
-New Year's Day.  All creeds held their ordinary Church services.  Lady
-Sarah Wilson and Mr. B. Weil had organized a Christmas tree and tea for
-the two hundred and fifty children of Dutch and English parentage who
-were in the town.  Brakes were running to and from the laager, filled
-with children, shrilly cheering and waving the Union Jack, the most
-effective one run by poor Captain Vernon, who was killed within
-forty-eight hours.  The children seemed thoroughly to enjoy themselves,
-and great thanks are due to the organizers of the fete and their
-assistants, for everyone was pleased to see the children enjoy
-themselves. For the adults, sports were held, and a cheerful Christmas
-Day was passed.
-
-Christmas Day.  All creeds held their usual Christmas services though
-under some difficulty, as everyone was on duty, though the Boers kept
-Christmas as Sunday; yet it was no certainty to commence with.  The Rev.
-Mr. Weekes, the Church of England clergyman, had to play the harmonium,
-as well as conduct the service.
-
-26th.  The myriads of locusts which had lately devastated our grazing
-grounds, already insufficient for the large number of cattle in and
-about the town, had rendered it imperative that some steps should be
-taken to raise our close investment sufficiently to obtain an extended
-field for grazing secure from attack or raid.  This was sufficient
-reason for action in itself, but in addition, the approach of our forces
-to Gaberones in the north, made it advisable to prepare to open up the
-line and endeavour to join hands with them, and thus by extending our
-perimeter and line of forts to throw additional work on the investing
-force, and so prevent reinforcements being sent to the commandoes acting
-against our troops north and south; nay, we even hoped to draw
-reinforcement from these commandoes to assist in maintaining the strict
-investment which the Boers deemed it so necessary to retain around
-Mafeking.  Accordingly, Colonel Baden-Powell decided to attack Game Tree
-fort, which commands the line to the north.  And now, before going
-further with an account of the fight, let me say that in spite of great
-secrecy, as to the time or place of attack, the Boers, through
-treachery, were forewarned and forearmed as to our intentions. The
-garrison was doubled, and the fort from an open earthwork turned into a
-block-house with three tiers of fire, while the line was broken in the
-night between the fort and the town, preventing the efficient
-co-operation of the armoured train.  On Christmas night, at about 11
-o'clock, the chief of the staff, Lord Edward Cecil, collected the
-correspondents and told them of the intended attack, advising them to
-rendezvous at 3 o'clock, with the headquarters at Dummie fort.  The plan
-of attack was as follows:--C squadron, Protectorate Regiment, were to
-take up a position during the night near the railway to the west of Game
-Tree fort, supported by D squadron, under Captain Fitzclarence, and the
-armoured train with a Hotchkiss and Maxim, under Captain Williams,
-B.S.A.P.  The right flank being protected by the Bechuanaland Rifles,
-under Captain Cowan.  The whole of the right attack under Major Godley.
-The left attack being composed of three seven-pounder guns, one cavalry
-Maxim, and one troop, Lord Charles Bentinck's A squadron, Protectorate
-Regiment, under Major Panzera, with the other two troops in support, the
-whole left attack being under Colonel Hore.  The Dummie fort lay midway
-between the two attacks.  The wait from 3 o'clock seemed interminable,
-but at 4.28 the first gun fired, and then our seven-pounder shells burst
-merrily over the fort. The infantry commenced volleys and the Maxim
-joined in.  The armoured train was stopped by the broken line some half
-mile from where it could have efficiently co-operated, and the squadrons
-commenced their attack from the railway line, D being escheloned some
-three hundred yards in the rear of C.  From the Dummie fort the attack
-could be perfectly seen, as it advanced rapidly across our front.  The
-rushes were well made, and the charge in perfect order, the leaders
-racing in front of their men right up to the fort, where the firing for
-a while ceased, and then broke out again with renewed vigour. From where
-I was, I thought the attacking squadron had secured the position, and,
-from the slowness and deliberation with which the men retired, that the
-supporting squadron was falling back to its lines, as, with the
-smokeless powder, we could not see our men firing, and the sound was
-drowned in the rattle of Boer musketry.  This, alas, was not the case.
-Captain Vernon, who had been wounded in the advance, led his men most
-gallantly up to the work, to find it with three tiers of loopholes and
-an iron roof, the bushes in front concealing this until right on to the
-fort.  Here he and Lieutenant Paton and fifteen men fell, and his
-sergeant-major mortally wounded. Captain Sandford had been shot twice
-just short of the work, but called on his men to charge.  These were the
-last words he spoke, and only four of the men of his troop were not
-placed _hors de combat_.  Captain Fitzclarence had also fallen wounded,
-before reaching the work, but I am glad to say is doing well.  With this
-spirit shown by the officers and responded to by the men, small wonder
-that we may be proud of the attack, even though unsuccessful in
-obtaining possession of the work, and that the Boers afterwards seemed
-more depressed than ourselves.  They knew the men they had to deal with.
-Corporal Cooke got on the roof of the work, and had four bullets through
-his tunic, but was untouched.  Mr. Paton and Sergeant-Major Paget were
-shot whilst firing with their revolvers through the loop-holes (the
-Boers still speak of Paton's courage), and so were many men.  After the
-retirement, the stretcher parties went out, and the Boers assisted in
-succouring our wounded, and behaved on the whole very well, though some
-young roughs got out of hand and plundered the dead and wounded.  Their
-leaders behaved exceedingly well, and did their best to restrain them.
-I went up there and a more ghastly collection of wounds could not be
-imagined, mostly shot at the muzzles of the rifles in the head, and in
-some cases with large Boer bullets.  Death must have been instantaneous.
-The field cornets told me they had been expecting the attack, and the
-rapidity with which reinforcements arrived--the presence of General
-Snyman, and several leaders, and the destruction of the line, together
-with the increase of the garrison, tend to endorse their statements.
-Our wounded were all wounded in front, some of the men retiring
-backwards so as not to be shot in the back.  Sergeant Barry, mortally
-wounded, sent word to his mother that he had three wounds all in front.
-Our force was under one hundred actually attacking.  The Boers when
-reinforced about four hundred. Our losses killed or since dead: Captain
-Vernon, Captain Sandford, Lieutenant Paton, twenty-one rank and file;
-wounded: Captain Fitzclarence, twenty-two rank and file; four prisoners.
-The men retiring were quite cool and willing to have another go--smoking
-and laughing in some cases, but in the majority bitter and angry at not
-having got in. British troops have certainly performed as fine feats of
-arms, but no more determined attack with inferior numbers against an
-enemy armed with modern rifles in a strong position has ever been pushed
-home, or a more deliberate and gallant retirement under heavy fire been
-made.  The enemy were much impressed, and said they had never seen such
-brave men, and though we failed in taking the fort, the action has
-resulted in the enemy daily strengthening every work, and upset them
-greatly, as they hourly anticipate a fresh attack, and gusts of musketry
-break out from, their lines at night, for no apparent reason. Indeed,
-the rapidity with which their white flags were hoisted on the arrival of
-our ambulances make me, in my own mind, absolutely certain that they
-were prepared to contemplate surrender, and in any case they will
-certainly not be able to spare men from this place to assist their
-retiring commandoes. Altogether their rash and insolent advance into
-British territory has placed them here, as elsewhere, in about as
-unpleasant a position for irregular troops as can well be imagined. In
-the evening we buried our dead.
-
-The Protectorate Regiment, after a life of four months, and a strength
-of four hundred, has now suffered one hundred and ten casualties.  It
-has accordingly had to be re-organized from four squadrons into three.
-On no occasion has it been engaged without distinguishing itself, and I
-think in its last action, though repulsed, it has, if possible,
-distinguished itself most.
-
-What I have said about the contemplated surrender of the Boers has since
-been confirmed by what I heard on my journey south towards Vryburg.
-Keely, now Resident Magistrate in these parts, had been taken into camp
-about this time to swear neutrality; and the Boers made no secret of
-their intention to surrender the fort; but they were kept up to the mark
-by one determined man, who, lying behind an ammunition box, swore he
-would blow out the brains of the first man who offered to surrender.  It
-was at this man that Paton was firing through a loophole with a pistol
-when he was shot.  Nobody else on our side seems to have spotted the
-individual in question, hence the Boers, on our retiring, continued the
-fight.
-
-27th, 28th, and 29th.  Desultory shelling, sniping, and occasional wild
-firing from the enemy by night.  We hear cheering native rumours from
-the south.
-
-31st, Sunday.  Sports, &c., driving competition, horse-show.  I won hack
-competition.
-
-January 1st, 1900, New Year's Day.  We had anticipated a quiet day, as
-this is a Boer festival.  I presume they thought we anticipated this,
-for they commenced early with a heavy bombardment and experimented with
-incendiary bombs, which however were of no success.  A valuable member
-of the garrison, one of our few carpenters, Slater by name, was killed.
-
-2nd.  Our usual shelling, and a niece of a Baralong chief killed in the
-stadt, amongst others.  In the evening Mr. Hamilton, _Times_
-correspondent, gave the staff and the other correspondents a most
-excellent dinner, which we all thoroughly appreciated, at Riesle's
-Hotel.  How so good a dinner could be served after about four months'
-siege is indeed extraordinary.
-
-3rd.  The quick Q.-F. Krupp was moved to the north-west of the town, and
-fired on the western forts, amongst other places into the women's
-laager, killing two children, one Dutch, one English.
-
-4th.  Typhoid has broken out in the women's laager.  I suppose we may
-consider ourselves lucky it is not more prevalent.  The usual shelling
-goes on.
-
-5th.  Enemy quiet, with the usual shelling, which is terribly
-monotonous.
-
-6th.  Boers rather vicious to-day, and the usual Saturday's spar all
-round at sundown. Runners went north and south.
-
-7th, Sunday.  In the early morning heavy musketry fire from the Boers,
-quite contrary to their usual custom.  Sports, Christie Minstrels, and a
-comical turn-out competition.
-
-8th.  Rained hard.  Shelling went on as usual, and my usual sniping
-ground destroyed by four shells, and the occupant fatally injured,
-Shrapnell fired over the women's laager.
-
-9th.  From now onwards we may assume a very heavy shelling every day.
-Two whites and two natives injured while tampering with a hundred pound
-shell, one white since dead.
-
-10th.  Mrs. Poulton, born a Dutch woman, shot through the head and
-killed, also a few natives; this woman's sister at the commencement of
-the siege expressed the wish that the streets of Mafeking might run with
-English blood.  This charming lady, named Hammond, created so much
-disturbance at the commencement of the siege that she was put under
-restraint; her daughter has since been severely wounded.  Curses, like
-chickens, come home to roost.
-
-11th.  Usual day of shelling.
-
-12th.  A Boer attack on Fort Ayr.  They galloped wildly fifty yards in
-advance of their trenches, about one thousand five hundred yards from
-Fort Ayr, and indulged in a fantasia, but never came any nearer.  Their
-guns, however, five, twelve, and one hundred pounders, shot very
-straight and shelled for two hours.  Our casualties, one man wounded,
-since dead.
-
-13th.  Big gun did not fire, enemy very quiet; expect they are running
-short of small arm ammunition.
-
-14th, Sunday.  Great excitement caused by disappearance of Creaky, many
-rumours. She was seen in at least six different places, but we all hoped
-she had taken a fond farewell.
-
-15th.  Creaky actually discovered about two miles down the Malmani Road.
-She had apparently been moved by our persistent persecutions, and we
-thought she had been moved into a worse position for her.  We have
-materially changed our minds, at any rate, at the eastern end of the
-town, where she fires regularly at meal times, mostly hitting hotels.
-She commenced firing at 11 o'clock.
-
-16th.  Dislike the shelling more since I have fever; one shell struck
-auxiliary hospital.
-
-17th.  Enemy tried to foist Kaffirs into the town, to further diminish
-our food supply, under a flag of truce.  Colonel Baden-Powell refused to
-receive them.  They fired heavily and inexplicably on our white flag
-carried by Ronny Moncrieffe while retreating. Tremendous indignation in
-the town, though there is some rumour that one of our Kaffirs fired a
-shot somewhere (this was subsequently found to be untrue).  Shell hit
-bomb proof occupied by Mr. Vere Stent, Reuter's representative, and
-myself.  Large pieces ricocheted through Dixon's Hotel which was
-crowded; usual providential escapes.
-
-18th.  They shell the town as usual.  Most unpleasant this end.  They
-knocked off all corners of the square in two days; several casualties.
-
-Our system of avoiding the gun is having look-out men in all parts, who
-ring so many strokes when the gun is loaded, so many when pointed, three
-strokes for the town, six when pointed off it.  The enemy, however, have
-rather frustrated this, as they do not fire till uncertain intervals
-after the gun is pointed, ranging from an hour downwards.  The lookout
-then rings another bell, but it gives a remarkably short time to take
-cover, and it is these odd shells and not a sustained shell fire which
-causes the loss of life; at any rate, there is no doubt that since the
-change of position of the gun a far greater proportion of damage has
-been done.
-
-19th.  There was an artillery duel between one of our
-seven-pounders--whose shells were made at our own factory here, and the
-fuses designed by Lieutenant Daniels, B.S.A.P., in which the shells and
-fuses proved a complete success--and the enemy's five-pounder which was
-almost immediately silenced.  And now as regards the factory.  The
-ammunition for the ship's gun, that weapon of our grandfathers, which
-was unearthed in the stadt, and which shoots with great violence, though
-doubtful precision, to enormous ranges, has been cast here.  The
-seven-pounder's shells have been cast, studded, fused, and in every
-respect made perfect here.  Some 2.5-pounder shells, left here by Dr.
-Jameson, have been fitted with two enlarged driving-bands and have been
-fired from our seven-pounders with complete success.  Too much credit
-cannot be given to the ingenuity, ability, and energy with which Conolly
-and all his mates have worked at strengthening that portion of our
-defences.
-
-20th.  The two sides when at trench work happened on each other at night
-in the vicinity of Fort Ayr, and we drove them back.  A very effective
-day's shelling.
-
-21st, Sunday.  Agricultural and produce show, including babies.  The
-first prize for foals since the commencement of the siege to Mr.
-Minchin, Bechuanaland Rifles; for babies, to Sergeant Brady, B.S.A.P.; a
-great success, and really extraordinarily good show.  My fever nearly
-gone.
-
-22nd.  Rather late shelling to-day, and rumoured attack on Kaffir stadt
-by Boer friendlies did not take place.  A certain amount of firing from
-Fort Ayr.  Rain begun again.
-
-Colonel Baden-Powell protested the other day against the firing on our
-white flag, and General Snynian, who, as far as I could judge personally
-whilst in conversation with him after the action at Game Tree fort, is a
-crabbed old gentleman, somewhat naturally rabidly anti-British, and
-according to the Boer standard an extreme martinet, sent in an answer
-apologising for his burghers having fired on the white flag, and stating
-with regard to Colonel Baden-Powell's remonstrance to his arming and
-raising the natives, that he had merely armed a few as cattle guards.
-In that case the Boers must have many cattle in close proximity to our
-camp, unseen and unknown to us.  He further stated that he had noticed
-us building fortifications on Sunday, to which Colonel Baden-Powell
-replied that we had merely taken out and relaid some mine lines, and
-that he had been vastly interested, while riding round the western
-outposts on Sunday, to see the assiduity with which the Boers had been
-working at their new fortifications in that part.
-
-23rd.  The usual sniping continues on the western front, but peace,
-punctuated occasionally by one-hundred pound shell, is more or less
-prevalent on the eastern.  As regards our food supply, luxuries
-purchased at store are a thing of the past, as the authorities have
-taken charge of all tinned and other eatables in the place.  We have now
-stood four months' siege, and it seems probable that this may be
-indefinitely prolonged, and it is mainly owing to the private enterprise
-of Mr. Benjamin Weil, the representative of Julius Weil & Co. here, that
-we are really ready to stand, as far as provisions and stores go, as
-long a time again.  In addition to having supplied all the Government
-required, he laid in large stocks on his own account, and when the
-history of the siege of Mafeking comes to be written, he will be found
-to have played by no means the least important part.  In addition to the
-white troops employed, and to the Baralongs, who defend their own stadt,
-we have four other black contingents: the Fingoes under Webster, the
-Cape Boys under Corporal Currie, C.P., a detachment of Baralongs under
-Sergeant Abrahams, and the "Black Watch" under Mackenzie, a mixed Zulu
-crowd.  These gentry, to their huge delight, are continually engaged in
-endeavouring, with some success, to spend as much gunpowder and spill as
-much blood as in them lies.  The Cape Boys, under Corporal Currie, who
-took charge of them after Captain Goodyear's wound, from which I am glad
-to say he is recovering, have done notably good service, their motto and
-apparently only principle being "Don't know retiring."  In this there is
-a good deal of common sense; for the Boer, though not very dangerous
-when faced, becomes deadly and dangerous when he can shoot quietly at
-you as you retire.  There is another portion of our defences--or perhaps
-that is a misnomer, I should rather say of our forces--to which I have
-hitherto not alluded, and that is the excellent transport service.  All
-the mules were individually selected by Colonel Baden-Powell and Colonel
-Walford, assisted by Mr. Dunlop Smith, A.V.D., and Mr. Mackenzie,
-transport officer, and anybody who saw the beautiful spans of mules
-turned out for the driving competitions would have felt that in all
-cases their choice was well justified, and the condition of the mules
-reflected the greatest credit on the squadron leaders (for each squadron
-leader is responsible for his own transport), conductors and drivers,
-and to the care and supervision given by the two officers before
-mentioned.  The driving was excellent, and the mules looked in the pink
-of condition. Rather heavy shelling, and more sniping than usual.  There
-were several casualties, mostly natives, one shell exploding in a hut
-and killing and wounding most of its occupants.  From this date the
-authorities have taken over all stores of food and drink, and nothing,
-even luxuries, can be obtained without an order from headquarters.
-
-24th.  Desultory shelling.
-
-25th.  There was a good deal of firing to-day round the western
-trenches.  In the evening a native convicted as a spy was executed.  He
-had been sent in to obtain full information as to the stores, forts,
-their garrisons, and the general disposition of the forces of the town.
-He quite acknowledged the justice of his sentence, but only seemed to
-think that it was hard lines that he should be executed before he had
-had time to procure any information at all.  This is the third native
-spy executed, and the various native contingents are detailed in turn
-for the duty.
-
-26th.  Bradley's Hotel was partially wrecked by a shell.  This is the
-most effective explosion we have so far had.  A large piece from the
-shell went humming overhead beyond the B.S.A.P. fort, quite
-three-quarters of a mile from its bursting.  There is generally time for
-a morning ride before the big gun commences shelling, but during the
-last three or four hundred yards into the town, if the bells have begun
-to ring, there is a certain amount of excitement in returning to the
-hotel, as it is to this portion of the town that the enemy generally
-confines his attentions about breakfast time.  Later in the afternoon,
-Lady Sarah Wilson and Captain Wilson, who are both now convalescent,
-were seated with Major Goold Adams in a passage in the upper storey of
-the convent, when a shell burst about four feet over their heads,
-covering them with a pile of bricks and rubbish, but fortunately they
-escaped with a few bruises.  There were rumours of a contemplated attack
-early next morning, and the northern and western fronts accordingly
-stood to arms.  More significance was given to the rumours in that the
-Dutch women in the women's laager unanimously sought the shelter of the
-bomb proofs at an early hour.  It was not till the next day that the
-reason was patent.
-
-27th.  During my return from my morning ride the big gun fired, and I
-saw the shell burst somewhat short of the women's laager. I naturally
-supposed this was an accident. It was not, however, the case.  The big
-gun commenced a rapid fire in the same direction, and the effects of the
-shells as they fell were heliographed back from the western heights.
-The messages were intercepted by our signallers, under Sergeant Moffat.
-They placed eight large shells in and close round the laager, and we now
-understood the reason for the Dutch women taking the cover they did.  It
-was a most deliberate piece of barbarism; mercifully, there were no
-casualties.
-
-28th, Sunday.  A quiet day.  I rode round the western outposts in the
-morning and found them considerably augmented in strength.  They are now
-a series of bomb-proof block-houses, a zig-zag approach runs from the
-refugee laager up to Fort Ayr.  So approach is possible without danger
-(which was not so before).  A thousand yards to the front of Fort Ayr
-the new Boer fort is plainly visible, and flies a flag we have not seen
-before, blue, white, and orange, with a vertical green stripe.  It is
-possible that there may be some political significance attached to this,
-possibly that our friends, the Transvaalers, by uniting the two
-Republics, hope to get the Free State Boers to fight their battles
-further away from their own territory; but, after all, it is pure
-surmise, for we get but little news of any sort--and of political news
-none at all. Due south, and about eight hundred yards away from Fort
-Ayr, a new fort has been constructed, commanding the bed of the Molopo,
-and garrisoned by Cape Police.  It is about on the position of the old
-look-out post.  In the afternoon I rode round the eastern works.  A
-trench now runs from Ellis's corner across the river, past the gun
-emplacement, past Webster's Kraal, up to and beyond the Nordenfelt
-position.  It is hard to believe with the much stronger position we now
-have, and the reduced number of Boers, that they will attack again; but,
-on the other hand, it is harder to believe that they will leave Mafeking
-without a desperate effort to capture it.  In any case, the garrison are
-confident.  On the termination of evening service we sing the National
-Anthem.  I have heard it sung in many places, the most impressive of all
-at St. Paul's on Jubilee day; certainly next to that occasion, I think
-the singing of it in Mafeking appealed to me most. For the men who were
-singing it on Sunday night would be fighting for it on Monday morning.
-And now, whilst on the subject, and having just read Mr. Kipling's poem,
-I hope the widows and children of the irregular troops serving out here
-will not be forgotten when it comes to "pay, pay, pay."
-
-[Illustration: THE OLD NAVAL GUN AT WORK.]
-
-29th.  Good news of victories from the south.  It seems as if the tide
-had turned, and as if Old England, slow as usual, was going to forge
-ahead at last.  Her Majesty's message was received with the deepest
-satisfaction here.  It was a month late, but none the less acceptable
-for being delayed.  Colonel Baden-Powell issued an order, in which he
-referred to the execution of the spy, and warning all persons, women
-included, who might be found treasonably corresponding with the enemy,
-that, on conviction, they would be inevitably shot; also that he
-regretted having to take such strong measures, but that as the enemy
-chose to fire on the women's laager, he should confine the Dutch
-prisoners in a gaol constructed in the laager, so that, if the enemy
-persisted in their brutality, they would kill their own friends.  (It
-was a curious coincidence that on Sunday, after Saturday's performance,
-there was a feeling of insecurity in the town, and most people were of
-opinion that in all probability the Boers would violate the Sunday
-truce; but when the Dutch women were seen walking about, the feeling of
-confidence was quickly restored.)  In the afternoon the gun bequeathed
-to us by Lord Nelson commenced firing on the Boer laager at Weasel's
-Springs, near the head of the waterworks--a range of something over
-three thousand yards.  Her round shot bounded about the veldt through,
-over, short of, the laager, rapidly dispersing a mounted body of Boers
-in its proximity; for, unlike a shell, when she strikes, you have by no
-means done with her.  The drill is somewhat complicated, but thanks to
-an edition of Captain Marryatt's works, we have succeeded in
-resuscitating this long extinct form of exercise.
-
-30th.  The results of our ancient piece's firing last night has been
-that the laager has shifted away, in the direction of Signal Hill, and
-that the Boers generally have been so busy that they have not yet found
-time (mid-day) to discharge their Creuzot gun.  There was an alarm, last
-night, and the eastern front and reserve squadron were held in readiness
-all night.  Yesterday the Boers re-established themselves on the nearest
-brick-kiln, and a sniping entertainment was organized for them by
-Corporal Currie, C.P., who has charge of the Cape Boy Post, within three
-hundred yards.  One Boer, who for some extraordinary reason, wore a
-white shirt (which he will never do again) occasionally showed his back
-over the edge of a shelter he was constructing for himself, acting
-apparently on the principle of the ostrich, Trooper Piper of the Cape
-Police eventually got him, and at the same moment, his friend who was
-firing from a loop-hole, fired at Piper; fortunately Currie, who was
-covering the loop-hole, fired almost simultaneously and got him too, to
-the huge delight of the Cape Boys; stretchers came up under the Red
-Cross and removed the bodies, the second man was a bearded man and a
-well known sniper, he was an excellent shot, and the news of his demise
-was received with universal pleasure by the garrison, while for the rest
-of the day his friends made the post very warm for its occupants.
-
-31st.  There is one effect of this continual shell fire which is perhaps
-undesirable, and that is the remarkable degree of selfishness it
-engenders.  There is really nothing to do and no excitement.  News is
-rare, and not always of the best, and with lack of the proper amount of
-exercise and the frequent ringing of bells, which are almost as bad as
-the shells themselves, tempers get short, and the solicitude on "No.
-1's" account increases. However, entertainments like the one organized
-this evening, go far to relieve our spleen and vary the interminable
-monotony of the siege. We were warned in the afternoon that our
-artillery was going to bombard the Boer lines, and from various points
-of vantage numerous spectators strolled out to look on.  Personally, I
-made my way to the trench running from Ellis's corner to the river, and
-selected a spot where I was well away from other people, and which
-commanded a good view of the Boer trench, and, above all, of the big
-gun, which showed clearly against the white marquees in rear of it.  At
-the time there was no firing going on, and cattle on both sides were
-being brought home.  Absolute stillness reigned, only broken by the
-lowing of the beasts, the sounds of the poultry yards, and the barking
-of dogs.  These, with the drowsy hum of the insects, made one feel
-extremely sleepy, and one might well have imagined oneself lolling
-between two peaceful villages at home.  However, at 5.30 p.m. a change
-came very distinctly "o'er the spirit of the dream."  Our guns
-commenced, three seven-pounders and the Nordenfeldt, and steadily
-shelled for about an hour, answered by the nine-pounder quick-firer,
-five-pounder Krupps, and old Creaky, who swung her nose backwards and
-forwards from one extremity of the eastern defences to the other,
-making, on the whole, moderate but extremely varied practice.  As I had
-a pair of very strong glasses, a small cluster soon collected around me,
-thereby inviting the undesirable attentions of their riflemen, who,
-however, were pretty well engaged themselves, and consequently did not
-annoy us very much.  It was about as safe a performance for the
-onlookers as could well be imagined.  The guns drew most of the fire,
-and were scattered over a large extent of front.  One could plainly see
-the big gun, and when she fired our way, had ample time to get into the
-trench.  There were no casualties on our side, but after dark the Boers,
-who had been much upset by this disturbance of their reliefs and feeding
-arrangements, commenced to shell the town, killing one man outside the
-newspaper offices, and contriving, in some extraordinary manner, to drop
-a fragment of shell down the chimney of the headquarters' staff offices.
-This they continued till past nine, doing no further damage, except to
-houses.  The Boers in the course of the day put a five-pounder shell
-through a portion of the hospital, and at night fired a volley into the
-operating room, where a patient was being examined.  So we conclude that
-they must have lost some men during the day, which made them vicious.
-During the past fortnight they fired upon a flag of truce, deliberately
-shelled the women's laager, and fired on the hospital.
-
-February 1st.  To-day completes the sixteenth week of the siege, and we
-have had plenty of shell fire to celebrate it; one big shell, I regret
-to say, bursting on a splinter proof at Cannon Kopje, wrecking it, and
-killing one man and wounding two others. These splinter proofs were a
-line of trenches running down towards the town from the kopje, and it
-had seemed that by no chance could they possibly be struck direct by a
-shell.  In the evening the Boer shell fire again continued till a late
-hour, and the last explosion that we heard puzzled us a good deal.  It
-subsequently transpired that Major Panzera and Corporal Carrie, with
-three natives, had crept up to the nearest brick-kiln, from which the
-Boers were unfortunately absent, and had blown it up with fifty pounds
-of dynamite.  This will probably keep the Boers away from that locality
-for a while, as they are not unnaturally very cautious of approaching
-any place where they suspect the presence of dynamite.  A Kimberley
-native informed us that they stop the natives going home from the
-Kimberley mines and ask them if there is dynamite laid down round the
-town, to which the natives generally reply, "Plenty!"  They seem to be
-having a much better time in Kimberley than we are here, as the natives
-say we live here like mere cats, whilst they have apparently no big gun
-to annoy them down there.
-
-2nd.  They began shelling later here to-day, so one's morning's ride was
-uninterrupted, but they are, however, now in full swing again.  Sergeant
-Francis, B.S.A.P., died of wounds received at Cannon Kopje.  Our usual
-shelling.
-
-3rd.  We sent off runners north and south.  In the morning the enemy
-devoted his attention to the town.  But in the afternoon our
-seven-pounder and Nordenfeldt, east of Cannon Kopje, commenced firing on
-the enemy, who were constructing a new trench, considerably in advance
-of the old position of the big gun on the S.E. heights.  Consequently
-Creaky vigorously assailed them in turn, and the Krupp gun and the
-one-pound Maxim galloped from McMullen's farm to her assistance.  The
-big gun made very good shooting, but fortunately only one man was hit,
-and he by a sand-bag hurled up by a shell aimed at the Nordenfeldt.  The
-Nordenfeldt gun detachment consists of two men, Privates Lowe and
-Mulholland, both of the Railway Volunteers, and these two men have
-served this gun for months daily, often under a heavy fire directed
-entirely at them.  At the same time our beloved relic of Lord Nelson was
-engaged on the western front in bombarding the new fort in front of Fort
-Ayr, being answered on that front and assisted by musketry and rifle
-fire.  The week, as usual, culminated in the customary Saturday evening
-flare-up all round.  The big gun was cleaned and oiled for Sunday, and
-we thought it was all over till Monday morning.  This, however, was not
-the case.  The Boers were unusually jumpy.  They treated us to
-incendiary shells till late, and kept up a heavy musketry fire at fitful
-intervals during the night.  They commenced constructing a new trench in
-the Brickfields, and can plainly be heard working at it.
-
-4th, Sunday.  The usual quiet day. At Fort Ayr, while cleaning the
-Maxim, it was accidentally discharged, and the Boers promptly answered,
-so Mr. Greenfield, in charge of the post, strolled out to explain
-matters, and was met half way by the Boer representatives, who talked to
-him for a bit, gave him the latest news (presumably untrue), exchanged
-little harmless chaff, and agreed to swap newspapers for whisky. The
-newspapers, needless to say, contained flaming accounts of universal
-Boer victories, which, here, one finds it somewhat hard to credit, and
-they agreed to furnish similar papers next Sunday.  It is curious to see
-in the advertisement sheets advertisements from manufacturers, stating
-themselves to be manufacturers to Her Majesty the Queen, to read the
-London letter, and a column of society chit-chat in a paper published in
-the capital of our enemy.  However, it is an odd world.
-
-5th.  Two lots of runners came in from the north this morning.
-Personally, I received my first communication from home since the siege
-began, only a wire though.  Quite a number of letters came in, but were
-very unequally distributed.  One receiving a dozen, the vast majority
-none, Hanbury Tracey was exceptionally fortunate, as he received a
-money-lender's circular and a bill, re-addressed in red ink, from his
-orderly room at home, and that was his sole communication.  They shelled
-us as usual, and kept it up late.  A wet night, but that did not seem to
-deter them.  Their incendiary shells were, as usual, a failure.
-
-6th.  Shelling all day, and firing at night. Two natives were killed and
-Colonel Hore, commanding Protectorate Regiment, had a narrow escape
-whilst returning from the Court of Summary Jurisdiction.
-
-7th.  They commenced shelling early this morning, so far with little
-damage. There seem regular streaks of luck in this shell fire, and
-sometimes we strike a very bad one, but it is really marvellous how
-these huge shells have done comparatively little injury to life here.
-From what we can gather from other places, it will be about the worst
-knocked about town in South Africa.  The remains of some buildings have
-been removed and the majority will require re-building.  Yesterday, a
-shell went clean through the smoke box and boiler of a locomotive, and
-did not explode until striking the ground beyond.  One also pitched on
-the top of an unfortunate native in an engine ash-pit and destroyed him.
-The price of food has naturally risen enormously and will probably rise
-more.  The humble Kaffir, if he possesses a hen which lays regularly,
-can maintain himself and another.  An egg fetches sixpence, and a
-Kaffir's ration of mealie meal only comes to threepence sterling,
-consequently the henless Kaffir sponges upon his more wealthy brother.
-
-This afternoon I rode up to Cannon Kopje and arrived simultaneously with
-a ninety-four pound shell from the contrary direction.  We did not,
-however, hurt each other, and I dismounted and tethered my horse under
-the best cover available, and to ground with me like a rabbit.  They
-fired one or two more shells at the kopje, doing no harm, and we then
-strolled up to the look-out post to have a look at our persecutor.  It
-was a lovely evening, and as she was then pointed on the town, one could
-view her proceedings with the utmost equanimity, speculating mildly as
-to whether she would pitch her shell on one's own bomb proof or not.
-The shell, however, burst prematurely, just clear of the muzzle of the
-gun, and we continued watching the town and the rest of the defences,
-all of which lie like a panorama from the Cannon Kopje look-out.  Creaky
-was then re-loaded, and with her nose cocked high in the air, was
-apparently aimed in the direction of the planet Venus.  As a matter of
-fact, however, she was aimed at Fort Ayr, and after the discharge one
-imagined one could trace the projectile in its flight by the hurtling
-sound it made; but when by sound it seemed as far as Fort Miller, one
-could see the strike close by Fort Ayr (which is about four miles from
-the gun), and yet the noise of the projectile through the air continued
-for some seconds longer, producing a very curious effect.  She re-loaded
-and was again pointed on the town when slowly she swung her nose round
-and was pointed on us, a roar of look out from the man on duty, and the
-crowd of languid spectators was transformed into a body of active men,
-heading straight for their accustomed shelters, which having attained,
-they peered carefully at the gun, waiting for the smoke from the muzzle,
-which would be the signal for their final disappearance.  We waited and
-waited, but she came not, so, deciding that it was the good-night gun, I
-walked back, accompanied by one of the garrison of the kopje, and ate my
-dinner at the hotel with the comforting assurance that I had last seen
-her directed a good mile from the dining-room.
-
-This morning Corporal Currie and his men killed and wounded a few Boers,
-coming at dawn to their trenches.  The Boers consequently gave us a
-quiet day, as their obsequies and attendant ceremonies seemed to fill in
-all their time; but at dark they commenced a heavy fire of small arms,
-shell, and vituperation, upon our advanced post, about two hundred and
-fifty yards from their main trench.  They assure the garrison of this
-post that they intend to make it particularly warm for them, and it is
-about as warm a corner as one could well select. I rode out in the
-afternoon to Captain Marsh's post on the western edge of the stadt, we
-have there driven the Boers out of and occupied Fort Cronje, a mile from
-the western edge, and seven hundred yards from the nearest Boer fort.
-This Fort Cronje commands the whole of the valley on the other side of
-the ridge, under cover of which the Boers used to remove their reliefs
-and reinforcements to and from Cronje's laager and the western laager.
-Its capture has largely extended our field for grazing.  We had proposed
-to walk out there, but on consultation we decided not to, as one is
-under a pretty heavy fire in the open the last part of the journey, and
-one would see it better and under more favourable circumstances on the
-Sunday, during the truce. Riding back, I tried a short cut, at a good
-pace; the Boers, however, were not quite asleep, and began sniping with
-marvellous ill-success, as I was about to get under cover again.  To-day
-we were informed that we must be prepared to hold out for another four
-months, which we are quite ready to do. The garrison and inhabitants
-received the intelligence with the utmost equanimity felt no earthly
-doubt as to the result, merely expressing extreme boredom at the
-prospect of four months more of such monotonous existence.
-
-9th.  A runner from the south arrived, informing us of Buller's crossing
-the Tugela. Comparing this news with the Boer accounts of British
-defeats with heavy losses on the 24th, south of Tugela, one can only
-conclude that they must indeed be in a bad plight when they can invent
-such amazingly circumstantial and appalling lies. However, I hope we are
-nearing the end of the last act, and "God Save the Queen."  They have
-been quiet to-day, and as far as we know, no funerals to occupy them so
-hope and trust that they are digesting some bad news; the Kaffir who
-brought the messages states that the Free Staters have had enough of it,
-but that Cronje will not allow them to surrender, as they had everything
-to lose and absolutely nothing to gain; we can well believe it.  The
-Kimberley correspondence is of a chatty description, refers to the
-weather and papers (which have not arrived), but the gist of the whole
-is cheerful and consequently welcome, though we should prefer news.
-Their food supply seems good, which is consoling.  But this much is
-certain, that if we have to hold out another four months, the means of
-our doing so, in the supply line, is due to the presence of Mr. B. Weil.
-I wonder whether it is appreciated, even yet at home, what a stupendous
-and monumental liar the Boer is.  The Kaffir says what he thinks you
-will like.  The Boer, however, says what he knows he likes himself. I
-hope some day to read a British account of the war.  The Boer account
-would pain me if I believed it.
-
-10th.  The enemy remained quiet, at least as regards their big gun,
-yesterday evening, though the now nightly fusillade began about 8
-o'clock.  This morning they commenced shelling late, and apparently
-directed their projectiles at the Mill, which works every night,
-protected by a traverse, at the south-eastern corner of the town.  They
-only fired two projectiles, one of which struck Mr. J. Dall, Town
-Councillor, and commander of one of the Town Guard posts, full, blowing
-him to pieces.  His wife, poor woman, who was in the women's laager,
-where the intelligence was abruptly conveyed by a panic stricken Kaffir
-woman servant, came up semi-distracted, under the escort of the Rev. W.
-H. Weekes.  It was, of course, impossible that she should see him, and
-the scene was a very painful one for her friends in their endeavours to
-be of some comfort to her.  Musketry and the discharge of field pieces
-continued all the afternoon, during which we had an exceedingly heavy
-thunderstorm which flooded some of the uncompleted and advanced
-trenches, compelling the evacuation of the one within two hundred yards
-of the Boer main trench, during which operation one of our men was
-wounded.  The others remained there, and sought the best cover from fire
-they could in its immediate propinquity.  Firing continued all round the
-outposts, at intervals all night and well into the dawn on Sunday
-morning.  Since we have been warned to be ready for four months more
-siege, the question of food supplies for natives has become very
-serious.  Two of these unfortunate fugitives were shot last night in
-their endeavours to elude the vigilance of the cordon all round us.  It
-is not the question of meat so much as the question of grain, which is
-our difficulty.
-
-11th, Sunday.  I was aroused about dawn by musketry fire, and as I heard
-no more, supposed I had been dreaming, but when starting for my early
-ride, was told there had been heavy firing to the east.  I went to Fort
-Ayr, from whence the Boer fort seemed ridiculously close, and so on to
-the Cape Police fort, and from there the Boer sniping station looked
-within six hundred yards.  I was, however, informed that it was a good
-sixteen hundred yards off.  It was a perfectly lovely morning, and had
-one's horse only felt as fresh as the morning, the ride would have been
-indeed enjoyable, but the stress of the siege in the way of shortness of
-provisions has fallen far more severely on the horses than the human
-beings.  From this fort I rode to the B. Squadron horse lines. The
-horses are not at present a pleasing spectacle, but, owing to our
-extended grazing ground, I dare say they could still do some work.
-Sundry of them are killed and turned into billtong for the Kaffirs.
-Thence along the picturesque bank of the Molopo, through the centre of
-the stadt to breakfast at Captain Marsh's.  This officer, whose squadron
-has held the stadt since the commencement of the siege, has, from his
-West Coast experiences, a wonderful knack of dealing with natives, and
-in a great measure the absolute confidence of the Baralongs in the white
-garrison may be ascribed to him, they have accordingly constituted him a
-sort of universal referee in all their local troubles. After breakfast
-we walked out from the edge of the stadt to the two forts occupied by
-Sergeant Abrahams and his detachment of natives, within six hundred
-yards of which are situated the Boer forts, also garrisoned by natives.
-Between the opposing forts both sides rambled at their own sweet will.
-We then went on to Fort Cronje, originally in the occupation of the
-Boers, and having attained our utmost limits we sat and smoked and
-looked at the stadt (distant about a mile), and appreciated how Mafeking
-looked to the Boers from their western outposts.  Personally, the
-northern end of the stadt reminds me of nothing so much as the Curragh
-Camp when viewed from the Newbridge Road, and, indeed, the veldt all
-round looked fresh, green, and undulating enough for the Curragh itself.
-Fort Cronje is enfiladed by the blockhouse north of the Molopo.
-Eastward from Sergeant Abrahams' fort, and in a circular direction
-across the railway line towards Cannon Kopje, extend forts occupied by
-McKenzie's contingent. We thus now have a large and secure grazing
-ground, the area of which I had not previously appreciated.  We strolled
-back to the stadt and rode back to shop and church.  During the morning
-and afternoon occurred some of those interchanges of courtesy between
-ourselves and our opponents, which generally do take place on Sunday.
-Corporal Currie, who during the week spends all his time in endeavouring
-to slay and not be slain by the Boers, was called over by them to
-translate a note they had received.  They offered him tobacco and small
-civilities, and patted him on the back saying he was a "freundlish
-kerel."  They also said they were sick of it, and what a waste of time
-it was not to be ploughing.  A somewhat similar conversation was carried
-on by Mr. Greenfield on the other side. The Dutch, in addition, said
-they thought it would all be over in a month, that they hadn't got any
-papers, but would give them to us at the first opportunity, which we
-understood to mean, when their romancing journalists had sufficiently
-seasoned the dish of Dutch defeats for Mafeking consumption. The bicycle
-sports had to be postponed owing to the condition of the track, but
-there was a cricket match in the morning between Fitzclarence's squadron
-and the town of Mafeking, which the latter won by nineteen runs, and in
-the afternoon a concert, where our commanding officer, as usual,
-distinguished himself by his comic songs and humourous sketches. This
-talent is well known to his friends, but is certainly not so well known
-to the British public, who only have had the advantage of viewing him
-from a serious side; however, we appreciated him quite as much in his
-lighter capacity, and the concert was a great success. The Beleagured
-Batchelors' Ball, given by the batchelors of Mafeking, had in
-consequence of Mr. Call's death been postponed till to-night. It
-commenced merrily enough, and had been going on for about an hour when
-history and the Duchess of Richmond's ball repeated itself.  The staff
-officer arrived warning all officers to fall in.  Heavy firing commenced
-all round, and an attack was anticipated.  The galloping Maxim raced
-across the veldt in the dark from the western outposts to the town, at
-no time a pleasant journey, and now with the innumerable pitfalls all
-round it, it was lucky to get there without a smash.  The Bechuanaland
-Rifles and a squadron of the Protectorate Regiment were pushed forwards
-towards the brickfields, taking the place of the Cape Police who had
-reinforced the extreme eastern advanced posts.  The Boers had put three
-hundred more men into their advance trench and kept up a heavy fire at
-intervals all night, as indeed they did at all points.  Our men did not
-fire much.
-
-[Illustration: BOERS' ATTACK ON A R.S.A.P. FORT.]
-
-12th.  At dawn this morning I went to Ellis's corner, as heavy firing
-was going on in that direction.  The five-pounder was firing at Currie's
-post and the Cape Police, from the Boer main trench at under two hundred
-yards.  Their quick firer and one-pound Maxim were also doing so. The
-big gun seemed anxious to participate, and was elevated several times,
-but owing to the Boer trench being immediately in the line of fire did
-not venture to.  Things slackened somewhat at half-past six, and I went
-for a ride round the western side where a few odd shots were being
-fired, but nothing was going on.  About half-past eight the big gun
-commenced firing at Cannon Kopje, and after half a dozen shots
-transferred her attentions to the town, mainly bursting in fairly close
-proximity to this dug-out, but so far no damage to my knowledge.  This
-afternoon I take up my residence at Cannon Kopje for a bit.
-
-[Illustration: IN THE TRENCHES.]
-
-12th.  When I had finished the last paragraph I left my dug-out and went
-to lunch, and as I walked to the hotel, heard a single shot, of which I
-naturally took no notice.  An hour afterwards I heard that it had
-claimed its victim in Captain R. Girdwood, late 3rd Battalion Royal
-Irish Rifles, assistant commisariat officer here, who was mortally
-wounded.  To the garrison and all who knew him the blow was severe.
-Throughout the whole siege he was always laughing and joking, and
-nothing ever subdued his never-failing cheerfulness: to meet him was a
-regular tonic if liver or temper were at fault.  The duty he did in
-assisting Captain Ryan to regulate the supplies of food and stores was
-invaluable, and Colonel Baden-Powell in his general order literally
-expressed the great regret and sympathy felt for his wife.  In the
-evening I went up to the kopje, and am for a time attached to the
-B.S.A.P.  Prior to my departure they gave us a good doing in the town,
-both musketry and shell fire.
-
-13th.  To sleep in the open and live on the heights in fine weather is
-undoubtedly an improvement on the town, at any rate for a short time;
-though one is away from headquarters and the latest garrison gossip,
-one's view of proceedings is universal and uninterrupted, unless one
-happens to be the recipient of Boer favours.  The bomb proof gives ample
-cover and a dining-room, for the rest one lives in the open which, in
-this perfect weather, unless the sun be unduly hot, is charming, and
-though washing arrangements be scanty, the air is better and the view
-far less circumscribed than in the town some two thousand yards away.
-Last night wild musketry fire went on all night, and incendiary Boer
-shells provided the kopje contingent with fireworks gratis, and only
-succeeded in setting one house on fire, which was quickly extinguished.
-Poor Girdwood died this afternoon and was buried this evening.
-
-14th, Valentine's Day.  I rode into the town and having transacted my
-business, and had a pleasant ride round the western outposts, returned
-just in time to elude their first shells.  They are messing about their
-works as usual, but what they are doing we cannot quite make out.  They
-have, however, withdrawn their marquees from their gun at McMullan's
-farm.  The homely Dutch families generally play about the gun (the Asp
-on the Cocktrice's den--N.B. the Cocktrice's business end directed on
-us), and when family life is most in evidence in the gun's vicinity they
-generally fire on the town, as it does not amuse the dear things to fire
-at a small mark where they may possibly do no damage, whilst they think
-they cannot well miss everybody in the town.  The fair ladies frequently
-fire the gun themselves and dandle their babies on high to look on at
-the prospective slaughter of English women and children. Charming race!
-I think even Sheridan could scarcely find a Dutch woman "an excuse for a
-glass," or, indeed, an excuse for anything else.  However, if their
-menkind had as much pluck as they possess venom, Mafeking would not now
-be flying the Union Jack, but the Vierkleur of bilious hue.  This is
-plentiful in the vicinity, but has not, and will not, desecrate the
-township, and I trust the new issue may serve as a model for the ribbon
-of our Transvaal medal.  Sundown: Creaky dismantled.  Are they sick of
-it at last?
-
-15th.  As dawn broke a crowd of us went up to the lookout post, to look
-for our dear departed, and when we failed to find her we accepted our
-loss with due philosophy.  I rode over to Fort Ayr to see Mr.
-Greenfield, who is isolated for a month in this post.  He must, when not
-engaged in rallies with the Boers, find it very dull, for he accepted
-with avidity the offer of my diary of the siege to read. He had,
-however, found Creaky in front of his position and about five miles due
-west of the town; what she proposes to do here time will show, but our
-end is pretty safe from her. Later I received a telephone message to say
-how pleased he was with the account of the fight of November 31st.  This
-blunder, in my diary, is a legacy from my late typewriter. His last
-batch of copy (which was the last straw that gave the correspondent the
-"hump ") dated the 12th, though irritating, was rather amusing, I have
-now transferred my favours elsewhere.  The gun has commenced bombarding
-the stadt and women's laager.
-
-16th.  I rode up to Major Godley's and had the "31st of November" cast
-in my teeth once more (since corrected).  The big gun fired twenty-eight
-shots at the stadt and women's laager.  From Cannon Kopje there is
-twenty-three-and-a-half seconds between the smoke from her muzzle and
-the report, which makes her a matter of nine thousand yards away, and
-about the same from the centre of the town which she cannot now properly
-reach, and to strike which at all, she is elevated apparently at right
-angles.  She devoted several shells to McKenzie's western shelter
-trenches, doing no harm, however.  Her change of position must have been
-another deliberate atrocity on the part of the Boers, for which I trust
-their Commander will be strictly called to account. There can be no
-immediate effect expected on the defences or ultimate resistance of
-Mafeking by the deliberate bombardment of women and children, black or
-white.  And he who sows the storm may reap the whirlwind, for the blacks
-neither forget nor forgive, and this is one more, and by no means the
-least, tally in a long score.  Now, as regards the position of the
-Baralongs and our other native residents.
-
-At the outbreak of the war, the Boers flooded the town with all the
-refugee Kaffirs from Johannesburg and other parts of the Transvaal, who
-happened to be in our vicinity, hoping either on the capture of the
-town, which they confidently anticipated, to secure a good labour
-market, or, in the event of an unexpectedly protracted resistance, to
-exercise through these additional mouths, a severe pressure on our food
-supplies, and thus indirectly on our length of defence.  They carefully,
-however, first robbed them of all their money.  Now, picking a Kaffir's
-pocket, or wherever he may carry his money, ranks about as high in the
-code of honour, as stealing coppers from a blind man's plate. I am not
-sure whether it is a transgression of the Law of Nations, but as by the
-time this diary is read the Boer will not be, as he certainly never
-ought to have been, a nation, it is of small moment, but the act of
-robbery distinctly took place.  The Baralongs were assured by both sides
-that the war was between two white races, and that they had no cause to
-interfere.  We went even further, and refused to allow them to assist
-us. However, when the Baralong had seen his cattle raided, his kraals
-burnt, and himself bombarded, he, somewhat of a rhetorician, but lacking
-perhaps in the logical capacity for distinguishing between "a military
-operation" and "an act of war," decided that the Boers' application of
-the former to his property was good enough excuse for him to indulge in
-the latter to prevent a further application, he accordingly, in his
-childlike manner, invited the Boers to enter his stadt, and shot several
-of them when they tried to. Recently, too, the Boers made overtures to
-secure the Baralong assistance, and the Chief, Wessels, said he must
-think it over; after long deliberation he declined.  It was probably in
-order to punish them for this lack of readiness to support them, that
-the Boers so slated the stadt.  However this may be, the Baralongs and
-other natives have loyally and consistently supported us, and deserve
-ample compensation for the hardships, privations, and losses which they
-have sustained.  All day the Boers have been making feeble attempts on
-McKenzie's outpost; and at night, seated at the kopje, one could see a
-circle of fire running all round the outposts.  On the eastern side, our
-Maxim in the brickfields, our seven-pounder and their five-pounder and
-many rifles were flashing in the darkness; in the distance Fort Ayr was
-warmly engaged, while to support McKenzie in our immediate proximity,
-the armoured train was creaking and groaning up the grass-grown line.
-And nothing perhaps brings home our isolation so much, as to see the
-rails overgrown with grass, and reflect that this is a main line to
-England.  Owing to the custom of the Boer of elevating the muzzle of his
-rifle over the parapet and firing in the air, bullets were whistling and
-falling all round us on the kopje all night, which, as we were a mile
-from, and two hundred feet higher than, the trench they were firing at,
-argued poor marksmanship on their part.  However, we were all fairly
-safe, and the Boer presumably quite so, and as he made plenty of noise I
-suppose everybody was satisfied.
-
-17th.  Very little firing till the evening, and then usual performance.
-
-18th, Sunday.  Our usual quiet day.  The bank now opens for business on
-Sundays. As the Kaffirs, in common with other natives, persist in
-burying their specie, it is very literally locked up, and to restore the
-circulation of silver we have a paper issue for small sums.  Indeed, we
-are now a very self-contained community, we have our bank, our ordnance
-factory, our police, and flourish under a beneficent and remote
-autocracy. As regards the ordnance, the factory was started for the
-manufacture of shells for our seven-pounders, for shot, brass and iron,
-for our antique cannon, and for the adaptation of five-pounder shells
-(left here by Dr. Jameson) to our seven-pounders by the addition of
-enlarged driving bands; these have all proved a complete success, and
-too much praise cannot be given to Connely and Cloughlan of the
-Locomotive Department, who have organized and run the aforesaid factory.
-As great a triumph has been the manufacture of powder, and invention of
-fuses by Lieutenant Daniel, B.S.A.P., and Glamorgan Artillery Militia,
-and thus we are rendered secure against our ammunition running short; a
-gun is also being manufactured, and will shortly be used.  This factory
-is of long standing, but prior to this the authorities have not allowed
-us to allude to its existence.
-
-19th.  Went out to try and shoot plover, which form an acceptable
-addition to our rations, as we have now come down to horse-flesh and six
-ounces of bread per day.  Fairly quiet day.  Strolling down to town in
-the evening, I assumed that their snipers were too much occupied with
-our people in the brickfields to bother about me.  They were not,
-however, and were unpleasantly attentive.
-
-20th.  Re-transferred my residence to the town, the firing is heavier
-down here through the day, and also, indeed, the night, but here we are
-under cover.
-
-21st.  Gun did not fire more than two or three shots, but at night there
-was very heavy firing along the brickfield front, they shot some of the
-working party, and also headed some of the natives going towards Kanya.
-The Boers made a half-hearted sort of attempt to turn our men out of the
-advanced trench, but utterly failed.  The question of feeding the
-natives has been solved by the establishment of a soup kitchen, the
-component parts of the stock may be varied, but the result is eminently
-nutritious.
-
-Gun changed back near to old position east of town, they elevated and
-depressed her several times, but did not fire.  As the bells rung,
-however, the moral effect was exactly the same, possibly also the
-physical.  Sergeant-Major Looney, A.S.C., was reduced to the ranks and
-five years penal servitude awarded to him for selling Government stores.
-Private Miller, Protectorate Regiment, tampering with a loaded
-ninety-four-pound shell, was blown to pieces.  This form of lunacy is
-apparently ineradicable. We anticipate an attack to-morrow, as it is the
-Orange Free State Independence Day. I wonder if the Free State still
-exists: the following letter _apropos_ of this from the leader of the
-opposition in the Free State before the war is, I think, interesting:--
-
-
-(_Copy._)
-
-BLOMFONTEIN,
-_September_ 4th, 1899.
-
-CHARLES METTAM, ESQ.,
-   Box 23.
-      Krugersdorp.
-
-DEAR MR. METTAM,
-
-Your letter of the 30th inst. is to hand, and affords a by no means
-solitary instance of the one sided and high-handed treatment former Free
-State Burghers have to undergo at the hands of our so-called brethren in
-the South African Republic, yet in spite of all this the political union
-or alliance was put through our Raad, and should hostilities break out,
-we shall have to be belligerants and be involved in all the horrors of
-war and have to lose our independence, and for what? As a just reward
-for the folly of allowing a spurious sentiment to override common sense.
-So it is, however--and under the circumstances, as you have lost your
-Free State burgher rights you could not claim protection here.  The only
-way I see for you--as you hold to your birthright staters--is to bring
-your position to the notice of the British resident, and ask him to
-advise you how you are to act.  With kindest regards to Mrs. Mettam and
-yourself.
-
-Yours faithfully,
-   J. G. FRASER.
-
-P.S.--I think a great many of our people are being educated by this
-crisis to the accuracy of the policy which I placed before them at the
-last election, and have since always advocated.
-
-J.G.F.
-
-
-HER MAJESTY'S AGENCY,
-   PRETORIA,
-_September_ 11th, 1899.
-
-SIR,
-
-I beg to acknowledge receipt of your letter and enclosure (herewith
-returned) of the 7th instant, and regret that it is not in my power to
-discuss the matter to which you refer by letter.  I should, however,
-recommend you, if you should be in Johannesburg, to see the British
-Vice-Consul there, who will no doubt give you such advice as may be
-possible under the circumstances.
-
-I am, Sir,
-   Your obedient servant,
-      CONYNGHAM GREENE.
-
-MR. C. METTAM,
-   P. O. Box 23,
-      Krugersdorp.
-
-Certified true copy.
-   E. H. CECIL MAJ,
-      C. S. O.
-
-
-23rd.  They commenced shelling cattle and northern end of the town.  As
-the inhabitants have not been shelled severely for ten days, they seem
-more concerned in running to see where the shell pitches, than in taking
-cover as they have been strictly warned to do.  Steady rain has
-commenced, depressing the big gun and the Boers.
-
-24th.  Rain continuing, gun and owners still depressed.  No news
-received for ten days and great universal anxiety felt for anticipated
-decisive intelligence.
-
-25th, Sunday.  No heavy shelling yesterday, but firing all night and
-this morning. Cape Boys in advanced trenches, and Boers, engaged in an
-argument as to their respective mothers and other female relatives'
-merits and demerits.  The arguments for and against having rapidly
-degenerated to assertions, shooting began, but as it was merely a
-personal quarrel no one else interfered, and, indeed, white flags from
-both sides met within a quarter of a mile of the firing, which continued
-all day.  Our Sunday concert was a great success, and the day being fine
-was most enjoyable.  It is curious what different people buy at the
-stores, the Europeans buying mainly the necessities of life, while the
-Kaffir, who has plenty of money, but is only allowed to purchase a
-limited amount of meal, browses off Pate de Foie Gras, and other similar
-comestibles.  In the afternoon I went to inspect our new gun.  She
-reflects the greatest credit on her builders, the finish and turn-out
-being quite dandy.  She's a smooth bore 5.5, and carries a round shell;
-we ought to have good fun from her.
-
-26th.  Runners in this morning, news very meagre.  Her Majesty's
-telegram received, which gave intense satisfaction, but we have been
-anxiously anticipating decisive intelligence. The Kaffirs report that
-the Boers are few round here, but will not abandon the prosecution of
-the siege; on our side we cannot afford a serious sortie, as a reverse
-_might_ mean the fall of Mafeking, which is not desirable or in the
-least probable.  The Boers began shell-fire at dawn this morning, and
-continued it at intervals all day.  This was the most rapid fire we have
-had, and the continuous clanging of bells might have induced a stranger
-to suppose that we were indulging in some popular celebration.  They
-particularly favoured our end of the town. In the evening we tried our
-new gun on Game Tree fort at about 2300 yards, she was a great success,
-and her range was apparently only limited by eyesight.
-
-27th.  Being Majuba Day we expected an attack, so I went up to Cannon
-Kopje before dawn.  What attacking there was was in the brickfields and
-was done by us, but after a fitful splutter of musketry for an hour
-things quieted down.  I went up to Fort Ayr but nothing was doing, and
-with the exception of musketry fire and a few small shells, it was a
-quiet day.  The Boers blew up the line about two miles north of the
-town.
-
-28th.  We have got our news at last, and though the shell fire is very
-much heavier than usual the population is wandering about with a bland
-smile on its face and a comfortable contempt for the Boer nation at
-large, only tempered by the fear that the military success over Boer
-armies in the field may be discounted greatly if the British people
-allow themselves to be hoodwinked by the most unscrupulous,
-self-interested politicians who ever led a country to its ruin, but who
-have unfortunately sown seeds which may sprout again and to which there
-is only one successful treatment, that of _force majeure_, followed by
-_pax Brittanica_, to be upheld again whenever necessary by the aforesaid
-_force majeure_, which is the only argument that South Africa, black or
-white, in its present condition can understand.  Generosity would be
-wasted, kindness treated with ill-concealed contempt, and blood and
-treasure cast away, whilst race hatred would again be rampant, were the
-Dutch to be once more in a position to struggle for supreme control.  It
-is a strong man armed who keeps South Africa, let that man be British.
-
-The Boers are determined to keep us amused, and do not approve of the
-Free Press; they have just now blown the newspaper office, by our
-dug-out, to pieces, and are trying to silence our mild manifestations of
-joy by particularly heavy shell fire.  This afternoon we tried our new
-gun again on the veldt, with bursting charges in the shells, and the
-results were eminently satisfactory; they afforded a certain amount of
-interest to the garrison of Game Tree fort, who, as the gun was pointed
-almost at right angles to them, bobbed somewhat unnecessarily to each
-discharge.  The explosion of the shell might well have puzzled them for
-it was exactly like the discharge of another gun.  It is a shame to be
-cooped up here in such weather, "where all around is beautiful and only
-Boers are vile," and if they had any sense of decency or humour they
-would give us one good fight to finish, as it is we hang on in trenches
-into which they cannot possibly come, they hang on in opposing trenches
-into which we cannot afford to go, exchanges of shots go on all day,
-varied by shell fire on their part, which is becoming monotonous, and
-the dullest, deadest level of warfare has been effectually attained.
-To-day we had our little joke; a dummy truck was placed on the line
-about two miles south of the town, some snipers fired a few shots from
-it and then abandoned it, they were, however, successful in drawing the
-fire from the quick-firer Krupp and one-pound Maxim at Jackal Tree with
-occasional shots from the big gun; they made execrable shooting, but
-killed some cattle and a horse or two in a remote portion of the veldt,
-and unfortunately killed the Sergeant-Major of the Black Watch, a fine
-Zulu over six feet four inches: a one-pound Maxim hit him clean in the
-head. Yesterday, too, Trooper Elkington, a particularly smart,
-good-looking fellow in the Cape Police, was struck in the face by a
-five-pound shell, and his nose and eyes destroyed; he still lives, poor
-fellow.  _Apropos_ of Zulus, there is a mad Zulu in the town who, when
-the frenzy seizes him, strips, and indulges in a war dance in front of
-the Boers; how many thousand rounds of ammunition they have fired at him
-it would be hard to say, but one day for certain they fired a five
-nine-pounder Krupp at him, the only result being that he assegaied the
-spot were each shell fell.  My own personal experience of him was
-aggravating.  One day having selected a secluded spot with good cover
-from which to snipe, and thinking myself exceedingly well concealed, I
-was much annoyed by the inordinate amount of bullets which came my way,
-and whilst waiting till they stopped a bit, happened to look round and
-discovered that my friend, stark naked, was dancing about a hundred
-yards in rear of me, when he had finished he put on his clothes and went
-home.  He is still alive, and dancing when inclined.  Mr. Whales, who
-has edited _The Mafeking Mail_ and brought out daily editions throughout
-the siege, had an extraordinary escape yesterday.  A 94 lb. shell came
-into his office and exploded whilst he was talking to two other men,
-wrecking the place, but providentially only slightly scratching one man.
-As he emerged from the _debris_ much shaken, his first remark was, "That
-the slip would not be issued to-night."  This is the second shell
-through the office, and though the setting up operations are carried on
-in a bomb proof, he has consistently carried on his editorial avocations
-regardless of the heaviest fire.  This practice I am glad to say he
-proposes to discontinue in a measure, and work more or less underground,
-for, as he truly says, "The third shell may hit me."  Really this does
-look as if it were the beginning of the end, and as if this somewhat
-isolated outpost of the Empire were going to get its communications with
-civilization restored.  It has been an experience, and though certainly
-not a very pleasant one, I do not think the survivors can but have
-profited by it.  I rather fancy, however, that it will take a singularly
-astute foeman ever to involve any of them in a siege again; it is,
-however, Colonel Vyvyan's second experience in South Africa, as he was
-once before shut up in Etchowe.
-
-March 1st.  Yesterday a large party of women and children, who do not
-belong to this district, were sent away; the Boers turned them back, and
-when they were retiring deliberately opened a heavy fire on them,
-killing and wounding many.  This is not the first deliberate outrage on
-the native women and children, and in addition they have flogged and
-turned back women trying to escape.  Colonel Baden-Powell has addressed
-several remonstrances to General Snyman on the subject, and pointed out
-that he cannot expect the native chiefs in the vicinity to restrain
-their tribesmen, if the Boers persist in murdering their friends and
-relations, and that he, Colonel Baden-Powell, cannot be answerable for
-any subsequent occurrences in the way of reprisals on the part of the
-natives, to which General Snyman has answered as a rule more or less
-civilly (generally less) that we and the natives may do our worst.
-To-day is the usual sort of day, heavy sniping at intervals and a fair
-amount of shelling.  Certainly the amount of damage done to Mafeking in
-life and property has been wholly disproportionate to the amount of
-shell fire sustained, the reason of course being the soft mud bricks of
-which the houses are constructed; and to-day we had two very fine object
-lessons of the extensive damage these shells would have done among more
-solidly constructed edifices. Mr. Whitely, the mayor's, house, which is
-built of stronger materials than any other house in Mafeking, was struck
-by a shell, and the damage done was far greater than was usually the
-case.  Round the house of Mr. Bell, the magistrate, there is a loose
-stone wall, the shell struck and exploded at the base of it, the
-fragments of shell did but little harm, but one boulder about twice the
-size of a man's body was hurled about twenty-five yards, and two rocks
-about twice the size of a man's head were projected through the house
-some twenty-five yards away, while stones of various sizes were hurled
-great distances and in every direction.  So, though thanks to its flimsy
-construction, Mafeking has escaped better than many a more important
-town would, it does seem rather like breaking a butterfly to use modern
-siege guns against a place of this sort.  However, it is still a fairly
-lively butterfly in spite of twelve thousand pounds of metal from one
-gun alone.  We have developed a new trench N.E. of the town to enfilade
-the enemies' sniping trenches, which, though it does not silence them,
-seems to annoy them passably.
-
-2nd.  Shell fire.  Our new gun was tried on the sniping trenches, more
-for ranging purposes and to learn her extent and powers than anything
-else.  The Boer trenches showed great curiosity as to what she was and
-why she did it, for her shells burst with a most delightful report and
-seemed to spread very nicely.  A new toy like this is a god-send to us
-in our present dull condition.
-
-The Boers during the experiment, however, kept themselves and their
-curiosity underground.  The Boer big gun was removed at sunset and the
-usual crop of surmises, bets as to destination, cause of removal, &c.,
-sprang rapidly into existence, and at any rate gave us something to talk
-about; it takes very little to interest us here.
-
-3rd.  The Boers tried dynamiting our trenches last night, but failed,
-our advanced parties are within forty yards of each other. At dawn the
-big gun, which had shifted back to the south-east heights from where she
-flanks our brickfield advance, commenced heavy fire, sending thirty-six
-or thirty-eight shells before breakfast, and mortally wounding
-Sergeant-Major Taylor of the Cape Boys; we also had four or five others
-wounded more or less severely.  They, however, stuck to their ground in
-shallow trenches which were hardly any protection, and that we suffered
-no greater loss is a matter of astonishment to everybody.
-
-Our seven-pounders then commenced on their trenches, and the firing was
-heavy all round the whole morning.  The Boers contemplated renewing
-their entertainment in the afternoon, but our snipers had crept up to
-within about eight hundred yards of the big gun and commenced picking
-off the gunners. Trooper Webb, C.P., fortunately shot their Artillery
-Officer whilst laying the gun, at a fairly early stage in the
-performance, and this seemed to damp their enthusiasm. They commenced
-running about like a lot of disturbed ants, messengers were dispatched
-to the laager, their doctor arrived on horseback, and they then
-proceeded to hoist three Red Cross flags on the work.  They carried a
-stretcher under a guard towards the laager and met a carriage, but he
-was apparently too bad to be put in that, and the carriage returned to
-the laager, when some mounted men rode forth, and, meeting the
-stretcher, dismounted and followed behind.  Altogether they seemed very
-depressed whilst we were correspondingly the reverse, and in the
-confusion the big gun forgot to go off, and was removed before dark.
-With the exception of musketry the rest of the day was quiet.  Our saps
-have now crossed each other.
-
-Sunday.  This morning at daybreak the Boers were still working, so we
-gave them a volley at forty yards and are believed to have shot four.
-Sniping continued all day, and later on we killed another.  From this
-quarter the Boers, who were evidently very cross, sniped viciously all
-day.  I walked up with Captain Williams, whose turn it is now for duty
-in the brickfields, and personally I consider it a most undesirable
-place of residence.  The big gun has disappeared.  We are all glad to
-hear that our old friend Cronje is in a tight place; from all accounts
-he will trouble us no more.
-
-5th.  The big gun is back at the old place east of the town; her
-immediate _entourage_ evidently prefer gun practice at a safe range, for
-we have shot a good many gunners. Their efforts to get the gun off under
-musketry fire always cause amusement.  They rush to the gun, and then
-disappear, this goes on sometimes quite a long time before the gun gets
-fired.  Sergeant Major Taylor died last night; he was a splendid fellow
-and a good representative of the Cape Boys, who are a most gallant race
-of men and good shots.  In times of peace he was one of the leading
-members of the Church in the location.  There is heavy firing in the
-direction of the brickfields, so I must see what is going on.
-
-6th.  Yesterday our seven-pounders made very good shooting on the Boer
-brickfield trenches, and after Mr. Feltham, Protectorate Regiment, had
-thrown dynamite at them for some time, the Cape Boys went to poke them
-out of their sap with the bayonet, but the wily Boer was gone; they had
-closed their sap.  In this fight of "sit down" (as the Zulus say), I for
-one had worn out much patience and several pairs of trousers, and we
-seem to be borrowing more and more hints in the way of mortars, hand
-grenades, &c., from our forefathers.  The Boers seemed much annoyed
-yesterday afternoon, and heavy firing went on last night and is going on
-this morning.  The big gun did not fire yesterday though she was
-elevated and pointed several times, nor has she fired this morning.
-There are strong rumours that the Boers intend to trek, and are
-preparing for it; that the gun we see is a dummy; and that the real one
-has been withdrawn to defend a position on the frontier.  We sincerely
-hope it is true.
-
-6th.  The gun proved herself to be the "old original" by letting us have
-two or three shots in the evening.
-
-7th.  Heavy firing all night in the brickfields; only two shells.  The
-Boers have commenced to trek.  Trooper McDonald, Cape Police, died.  His
-was an adventurous career; he joined the Argyle and Sutherland
-Highlanders in '47, served in the Crimea (French and Sardinian Medal,
-two clasps), served in the Indian Mutiny, was kidnapped when embarking
-home by Americans, fought for the North against the South, deserted the
-North and fought for the South, afterwards went to Australia, thence to
-New Zealand, and served in the Maori War where he was taken prisoner.
-Later he came to South Africa, served in the Basuto War, Sir Charles
-Warren's expedition, Carrington's Horse, the B.B.P., and transferred to
-the Cape Police, in which corps he has died of hardships and old age,
-fighting the Boers.  He is not the only Crimean veteran we have here,
-both the Navy and Army are represented.  Mr. Ellis joined the Royal Navy
-in 1854, served in the Baltic and the Black Sea, came to Africa and
-served in the Galika War.  Mr. Brasier served in the Crimea and Mutiny,
-and there are others of whose extent of service I am not so certain.
-The contrast between them and the Cadet Corps, who are utilised for
-orderly work, &c., is remarkable, and if the Boers have their greybeards
-and boys fighting, why so have we.  It seems very curious at first, but
-one soon gets used to it, as indeed one does to the underground
-residences, all business, as far as possible, being carried on in
-dug-outs; dining-rooms, offices, stores, barracks, even the bank where
-Mr. Urry, who with Captain Greener runs our paper coinage, sits in
-charge of a vast amount of paper, but very little hard cash, for the
-Kaffirs have buried all specie obtainable, are below ground.  In our
-dug-out we have some siege mice, born since its construction, of a
-friendly and confiding disposition, who come and feed on the table, and
-play about and have a good time generally; other animals are therefore
-not admitted.
-
-8th.  Good news arrived of Cronje's defeat and surrender, and the wiping
-out of Majuba Day.  Soldiers were proud, the population at large
-delighted, but most of all the South African Englishman.  For the last
-twenty years he has been taunted by the Dutch with Majuba; he can now
-hold up his head again, and nothing could conduce more to a permanent
-pacification of South Africa than the wiping out of the day.  Henning
-Pretorius, one of the leading Transvaal burghers, when he heard of
-Majuba, said, "Now it is finished. They will never stop till they have
-wiped us out."  This he maintained till his death, which occurred
-recently, and he always urged that the Boers should make friends with us
-and become one nation.  Usual heavy firing at night, only one shell.
-
-9th.  Heavy firing all night, commencing early with heavy volleys on the
-north and north-west fronts.  I rode round the western outposts; it is a
-very pleasant ride and the Boers were pretty quiet, at least as
-concerned me, for they took no notice at all.
-
-10th.  Heavy firing this morning in the brickfields, the gun is elevated
-and pointed on the town, in which position she has remained for the past
-two or three days with very occasional shells.  The Boers are daily
-treking by degrees.  I propose to go down to the brickfields this
-morning as that is about the liveliest spot in Mafeking, though I fancy
-very little of it will go a long way.
-
-Trooper Webb of the Cape Police was shot through the head in the
-brickfield trenches last night; a fine specimen of a splendid corps.  He
-was shot through the ankle in a sortie at the commencement of the siege,
-and when able to hobble he came out for duty as look-out man and orderly
-at headquarters; yesterday, as he was not so lame, at his earnest
-request he was allowed to go on duty in the advanced trenches, and
-during his first tour of sentry-go, was mortally wounded by a chance
-bullet in the dark.  He is greatly regretted by the townspeople and all
-ranks, and Her Majesty loses a fine soldier, a first-class policeman,
-and a good all-round man.
-
-I went down to the brickfields this morning and met Captain Fitzclarence
-and Captain Williams; things were pretty quiet down there in the
-morning, though they livened up again shortly afterwards.  I went round
-the trenches with them.  One's mode of progression is distinctly
-uncomfortable, bent double, with a certain amount of water in the
-trenches, which are shallow as yet between the various works, but being
-deepened daily. The various works and trenches all have their names,
-Regent's Circus, Oxford Street, &c., whilst our most advanced work is
-called the New Cut, and the Boers' trench forty yards away Houndsditch.
-The sound of the Mauser at this short range has a very different effect
-to its sound at the longer ranges, and the crack of the bullets when
-they strike is like the explosion of a young shell.  The Boers at these
-ranges are very quick and good shots; they shoot at your hat if visible,
-or at the sound of your voice, and as the loopholes have to be kept
-closed, the only way of looking out is by means of a pair of Zeiss
-glasses which project over the edge of the parapet while one's head is
-in safety some inches below, even so they put a bullet through one of
-the lenses this morning (which, as they were mine, did not please me)
-and through the hat of the look-out man, but with them you can see right
-into the Boer loopholes with comparative safety, though bullets
-frequently, owing to the tremendous penetration of the Mauser, come
-clean through the upper part of the parapet, and the sand bags on the
-top are cut to ribbons.  The advance post is occupied by the Cape Boys,
-who under Lieutenants Feltham and Currie (who has recently been
-promoted) take it day and day about; one was shot this morning.  This
-post which we now occupy was sapped up to and occupied from the other
-side by the Boers, but was retaken by the Cape Boys under Currie, with
-Captain Fitzclarence and some of the white garrison; they had to emerge
-in single file from a narrow opening which was commanded by the Boer
-loop-holes, and run round the edge of the excavation of the brickfield
-up to the loop-holes occupied by the Boers, a distance of some twenty
-yards; the latter fled on their approach.  We have now occupied it from
-our side and strengthened the work.  The trenches approaching the
-advance works are exposed to fire from the front and right flanks, but
-are being strengthened daily.  On our return from the advance work we
-made our way to the river bed where Currie's post is established, and it
-was there that poor Webb was killed.  The garrison of the trenches are
-now fairly housed and comparatively safe, though, of course, casualties
-occur daily; still, if the Boers try a sortie they will meet a very warm
-reception.
-
-Sunday.  Last night heavy firing as usual, but to-day, contrary to our
-late custom, peace has reigned in the brickfields, and both sides sat on
-their parapets and asked after various friends on the other side.  The
-Boers have lately, as the natives express it, become much more tame, and
-have allowed Kaffir women to gather wood, pumpkins, and Kaffir corn
-without molestation.  Our Sunday was absolutely peaceful and quiet, and
-as we are not able now to indulge in mounted sports, &c., owing to the
-condition of the horses, we have fallen back on cricket as our Sunday
-relaxation.
-
-12th.  The natives went out last night, and McKenzie's boys got into
-Jackal Tree which they found empty.  The Baralongs attacked Fort Snyman
-from the rear and had a lively engagement with the hundred odd Boers who
-garrisoned it, and after finishing their ammunition, withdrew with a
-loss of one killed and two wounded.  We know of one Boer dead for
-certain, for Trooper Webb of the C.P. blew his head off at the entrance
-to the work, and we fancy that at the short range our volleys must have
-accounted for several more. General Snyman has returned and notified his
-arrival by an unusually heavy dose of shell fire.  I rode round the
-western outposts this morning with Captain Wilson; the natives seemed
-quite pleased with themselves, more particularly as they had secured
-some thirty head of fat cattle in a raid two days ago.  We then
-inspected the soup kitchens which he is managing, and which are a great
-improvement on those first started; the food provided is very popular
-with the natives, who come in their hundreds for it.
-
-13th.  Our runners brought us in good news of the relief of Ladysmith
-and the heavy Boer losses.  Everybody is consequently jubilant, and our
-only regret is that we can't drive these Boers over the frontier and
-clear British territory; however, Colonel Plumer is at Lobatsi, and as
-there cannot be any considerable body of Boers between this and
-Kimberley, we ought soon to have the line open both ways.  They began
-shelling early and kept on with their home-made shrapnel all day,
-killing two and wounding several. One shell burst in a pigeon-house and
-killed sixteen valuable carrier pigeons; the shot is somewhat large for
-pigeon shooting, but apparently effective.  The base of another shell
-went through the head-quarter office, making a hideous mess, but hurting
-no one; in fact, they were shooting offices all round, and the
-ordinarily neatly-kept official papers were in two or three cases much
-upset and covered with the _debris_ of their various abodes.  This new
-shrapnel is essentially a man-killing shell, for which reason I suppose
-the Boers have paid particular attention to the earthworks, _per contra_
-if they want to snipe cattle or slay men they generally employ common
-shell. Last night a cattle raiding party came in with some horses,
-saddles, rifles and bandoliers belonging to some deceased Boers.  The
-Boers had tracked this party of Baralongs, who, seeing them following on
-their spoor, had doubled back on their own trail and ambushed them at
-short range.  They accounted for six or seven, and relieved their dead
-of their arms, &c., as far as they could, before the Boers recovered
-from their surprise, and drove them off with a loss to the raiders of
-one killed and two wounded, the latter of whom they brought in.  This
-success has naturally much pleased the natives, and encouraged them
-greatly for future raids, which is most useful, as the results feed us
-and harass the Boers.  The advanced trenches also got a couple by
-moonlight as they were creeping up to our trench.
-
-14th.  Shelling has begun again this morning, quite up to its best form.
-The Boers in Snyman's absence take things much more easily, and if we
-could only kill him here and Kruger in the south, as well as old Cronje,
-it would save a vast amount of trouble, for it takes these leaders all
-their time to keep their followers up to the scratch.  They had a sort
-of "indaba" this morning.  I only trust it was bad news for them, they
-get their news about a fortnight before we do.
-
-15th.  Fairly quiet day, pretty heavy shelling.
-
-16th.  Very little shelling.  The Cape Boys in the advance trenches were
-playing a concertina, and so chaffed the Boers, saying they were
-dancing, and asking them to send some ladies, &c., that one of them,
-either attracted by the music or bursting with repartee, popped up his
-head, and was incontinently shot by a wily Cape Boy, to the intense
-delight of the others.  They have a distinct sense of humour, though
-possibly a somewhat grim one.  The advance trenches are now deepened and
-strengthened, and are as safe as it is possible for them to be to walk
-about in; from the advance trenches the Boers and ourselves throw bombs,
-and they are also using explosive bullets; their bombs are made like old
-hand-grenades, the bombs of both sides being charged with dynamite.
-They throw theirs by hand, but ours, though of a cruder form (being
-mainly jam tins) are propelled in a much more scientific manner.
-Sergeant Page, of the Protectorate Regiment, has rigged up a bamboo as a
-fishing-rod, and casts his bomb with great precision the short distance
-to the Boer trenches.
-
-17th.  Pretty quiet day.  Last night McKenzie's boys raided Jackal Tree
-fort, killed one Boer and a Kaffir, and secured three horses and rifles.
-The dug-outs are all so close to various residences that it was amusing
-to see one card party, disturbed by the ringing of the bell, dive from
-the mess to the dug-out, and actually be back picking up their cards
-before the shell which had passed high in the air, had exploded.  Vices
-in time of peace become virtues in war time; the most expert Baralong
-cattle thief, who under other circumstances would assuredly be in
-durance vile, is now indeed a _persona grata_ and leader of men, and
-whilst enjoying himself at the top of his bent is making the most of his
-fleeting opportunity.
-
-18th, Sunday.  I went down to the brickfields to the advanced trenches;
-down there both parties had agreed not to shoot, and exchanged tobacco
-for peach brandy, &c., asking after their various friends and relations.
-I got three snap shots at the Boers in the advance trench, and we
-studied each other with great curiosity, our clean shirts, collars, and
-Sunday clothes apparently astonishing them as much as their remarkable
-grime surprised us.  On the way back there is a pleasant meadow, in
-which we lay and smoked and tried to pretend it was England, though that
-was somewhat a failure.  Whilst down there I met an old warrior who had
-drifted a long way from his last fight. A native of Bagdad, he was in
-Sarif (?) Pasha's command at Plevna, which he said was a very different
-siege to this; he says they fought only occasionally there, and then
-killed thousands of men, but rested in between, whilst here we were
-continually shooting.  If we killed thousands here the siege would soon
-come to an end.  The old man is very fit and seems to enjoy his fighting
-still.  Runners came in from the south this morning who had seen the
-relief of Kimberley, which impressed them very much.  They said that the
-man who wrote the Bible must have been referring to the English army,
-when he spoke of the Tribes of Israel and the thousands which composed
-them, and that the aforesaid army was big enough to eat up all the
-Kaffirs; they reported, also, that the searchlights of the force
-advancing up the line had been seen as far as Taungs, and that the Boers
-were concentrating, but are pretty thick between here and the advancing
-force.  As regards this place the boot will soon be on the other leg, as
-the Boers are now afraid to move about except in large bodies, and we
-hope that our communication will soon be thoroughly restored.  The
-runners from Setlagoli reported that the raiding party I spoke of on the
-13th, had killed and wounded some twenty Boers, including the man who
-had shot one of our Baralongs in cold blood the day before. There was a
-smoking concert to-night to celebrate St. Patrick's Day, largely
-attended by Irishmen and others; the proceedings were harmonious
-throughout.
-
-19th.  A fair amount of shelling.  A party of Boers and three guns have
-returned from the north, where native rumour says they have had a
-repulse, and in which direction musketry fire was faintly heard
-yesterday morning.
-
-20th.  We got runners in from the north; the Boers seem in a bad way all
-round.
-
-21st.  More runners in.  To-day we were unlucky, and we had a few
-casualties.
-
-22nd.  More runners.  Plumer's column twenty-four miles away.
-
-23rd.  We shelled the brickfield trench, but did not succeed in drawing
-fire from the big gun, which has been almost silent for the last few
-days.  In the garrison there are soldiers from all parts of the world,
-one German veteran who served all through the Franco-German War in the
-84th Regiment, Trooper Block by name, was through the Orleans campaign,
-and has since served in all the South African wars; there are men who
-served in the Chilian war, the Carlist, and in fact practically every
-known war for the last fifty years.
-
-24th.  Last night the Boers evacuated their brickfield trenches, which
-we occupied with much cheering; they left several cases of dynamite
-behind connected with a wire, with which they proposed to blow up our
-men; the wire was, however, promptly disconnected. In Dutch newspapers
-discovered in the trenches was found the account of the fall of
-Bloemfontein, which was confirmed by runners from Plumer this morning.
-The Boers have now withdrawn to a respectful distance all round the
-town, which is, however, still invested, but the big gun so far is
-quiet. This must be the beginning of the end, and we have nearly
-completed our six months' siege.  I fully expect the big gun to be
-removed in a day or two; last night was the first time she has failed to
-reply to our artillery fire.
-
-We have started a post-office here, with stamps, &c., and also a very
-tastefully designed L1 note.  I must finish off my entries as a go of
-fever makes it difficult, almost impossible, to write at all.
-
-[Illustration: Mafeking Siege Note]
-
-24th.  Last night Sub-Inspector Murray and Trooper Melahue, Cape Police,
-went out, and having reconnoitred the rear of the enemy's trench, came
-to the conclusion that it was unoccupied.  Inspector Browne, of the Cape
-Police, and the Cape Boys under Lieutenants Feltham and Currie,
-proceeded to occupy it.  The Boers had left a mine of 250 lbs. of
-nitro-glycerine behind.  Sergeant Page, Protectorate Regiment,
-discovered and disconnected the wire.  The men cheered themselves
-hoarse, and rightly too, for this is the most decisive success we have
-scored since the commencement of the campaign, as the town is now for
-the first time free from musketry fire, and our guns are again within
-striking distance of the Boer artillery.
-
-25th, Sunday.  The Siege Exhibition took place to-day.  A most
-creditable exhibition from the ingenuity shown, and also considering its
-peculiar surroundings.  We shall hope to forward some of our exhibits
-home.  I went out and inspected the Boer trench.  If it is "an ill bird
-that fouls its own nest," a Boer is indeed ill.  They are occupying a
-trench about seven hundred yards away, from which they shoot with a
-certain amount of precision, but with no result, upon their late happy
-home.  Personally, I particularly wished to inspect the brick kilns, at
-which I had discharged some hundred rounds of ammunition. It is very
-interesting, but still somewhat annoying to find that it is practically
-bullet proof; however, on the other hand, the particular place of resort
-from which I had fired the said ammunition was also fairly safe, so
-perhaps I had no reason to grumble, and at any rate I had frequently
-silenced them.
-
-26th, Monday.  Exceptionally quiet to-day. Late at night I was in Mr.
-Weil's dug-out when he received the news of the English troops' arrival
-at Vryburg.  Mafeking accordingly jubilant.[#]
-
-
-[#] This eventually turned out to be untrue.
-
-
-27th, Tuesday.  The Boers commenced early and continued a heavy shell
-fire all day, pouring more shells into the town than they had any two
-days of the siege.  It was very curious, but the news received the night
-before caused the population to show more absolute disregard for the
-shell fire than they had done on many days when the bombardment was
-comparatively light.  The Premier's message to the two Presidents was
-published this evening, and now even the most pessimistic admit it is
-possible that there may be a satisfactory solution of the war.  We hope
-we may be able to slightly assist in a less passive manner than
-heretofore.
-
-28th, Wednesday.  After our treat of yesterday, absolute quiet reigns
-to-day.  Really there is no understanding the Boers.  Our locally
-manufactured field-piece burst last night, but the shell managed to
-reach the Boer laager.  What they contemplate and what is their plan of
-campaign leaves everybody wondering.  No ulterior object can be obtained
-by their desultory mode of conducting operations. Occasional casualties,
-which is apparently their only object, is the sole result arrived at,
-and these casualties are, we think, more heavy on their side than ours.
-
-29th, Thursday.  A quiet day.  The Boers gradually evacuating their
-eastern trenches.
-
-30th, Friday.  The guns are fairly quiet. We are gradually occupying the
-evacuated trenches.
-
-31st, Saturday.  In the morning a quiet day.  In the afternoon a body of
-four hundred or five hundred Boers and three guns hastily left their
-eastern laager in a northerly direction.  I took up a position in the
-convent, and from there could see considerable confusion and excitement
-amongst the Boers galloping backwards and forwards in the direction of
-Signal Hill.  The sound of guns too was distinctly audible to the north,
-some six or seven miles away.  The garrison livened up.  The guns under
-Major Panzera and Lieutenant Daniells commenced playing from every face.
-A mounted squadron under Major Grodley demonstrated towards Game Tree
-fort on the north.  For an hour or so things were lively, but quieted
-down.
-
-Our old "Lord Nelson" reached the laager, and the big gun was annoyed by
-the Hotchkiss. It is a curious fact that all the pieces of ordnance with
-which we are "blessed" are obsolete naval guns.  Rumours as usual flying
-around and we really had something to give scope for conjecture.
-
-April 1st, Sunday.  The siege as affecting me pecuniarily is becoming
-expensive.  I lose bets at the end of each month as it interminably
-prolongs.
-
-A quiet day and a flag of truce from the Boers asking us to fetch our
-dead who were killed in the northern fight the day before. Accordingly
-wagons under Lieutenant the Honourable Hanbury Tracy and Lieutenant
-Singleton went north, where they met the Boers, who assisted them to
-find and recover the bodies.  Three men were brought in belonging to
-Colonel Plumer's column, and Captain McLaren, Lieutenant Crewe, and
-Troopers Murray and Robinson were reported wounded.  It would seem to
-have been a sharp skirmish between a strong patrol of Colonel Plumer's
-and a considerably more numerous body of Boers, but as far as we can
-ascertain Colonel Plumer's main column was not engaged.
-
-Our demonstration against Game Tree resulted in our killing two Boers,
-and even by their own accounts, numerically our losses were evenly
-balanced.  Fourteen dead horses were seen on the field.
-
-2nd, Monday.  Flags of truce from the enemy reporting the death of
-Captain McLaren. Regret and sympathy barely express my own feelings, and
-how many of us are there scattered about the world, who when they see
-the next polo tournament, will think again of the best of players, the
-nicest of fellows, whom Hurlingham and the scenes of his many triumphs
-will see no more.
-
-There seems a chance of another fight this afternoon.  The Boers are
-very restless and galloping about in all directions.  I do not suppose
-they mean to attack us, and, as far as I can make out, are nervous and
-seem to expect pressure from the east.
-
-Some men were interviewed yesterday who had returned from Natal.  They
-reported the death of Joubert and were far less confident than they have
-shown themselves heretofore.
-
-3rd, Tuesday.  I am heartily glad to say that Captain McLaren is not
-dead, although severely wounded and a prisoner in the Boers' hands.
-
-A despatch was received from Colonel Plumer this morning stating that he
-had had an engagement north of the town and that his losses were Captain
-Crewe (who was buried here this morning), Lieutenant Milligan, killed;
-Colonel Plumer, Major Weston Jarvis, and Captain Rolt, slightly wounded;
-non-commissioned Officers and men killed, seven; wounded, twenty-six;
-missing, eleven.  Three missing are known to be dead and the others are
-wounded in the Boers' hands.  Captain McLaren has written from the Boer
-camp, where he is, we are all glad to hear, going on well and being very
-well treated by the Boers.
-
-Yesterday afternoon we had a successful brush with the enemy to
-north-west, no casualties on our side.  Their ambulances were seen very
-busy.  To-day everything is so far quiet.
-
-4th.  Early this morning Lieutenant F. Smitheman, Rhodesian Regiment,
-Colonel Plumer's intelligence officer, arrived through the Boer lines.
-I met him as he was going to change.  He said, "How do you do? I am ----
-to be in."  I said, "How are you?  I am very glad to see you, but I
-should be ---- glad to be out."  However, there is no satisfying
-everybody.  The country was infested by Boers and he had walked
-twenty-two miles that night accompanied by two natives.  He is as a
-scout _facile princeps_, and thus eluded the hostile cordon
-successfully, though he had one anxious moment when he fell into the
-trench connecting Fort Ayr and the refugee laager, heard native voices,
-and was for some time under the impression it was the Boer trench.  He
-was second in command of Colonel Plumer's scouts in 1896, and afterwards
-disappeared into Central Africa for two years, going from Chinde to
-Blantyre, to Lake Nyassa, then by Lake Bangueolo to the source of the
-Congo, thence due south through the Mashakalumbwe country to Victoria
-Falls, and through which country he was the first white man to pass, and
-from the falls to Bulawayo, where he arrived in December, 1898.  Though
-his journeys then may have been long, arduous, and dangerous, they can
-scarcely have been more exciting than the short twenty-two miles he
-walked last night.
-
-A quiet day.  Flags of truce pass daily informing us of the condition of
-the wounded.
-
-5th, Thursday.  This morning Smitheman went to the brickfields with the
-Colonel and was shot at a bit.  We all told him that we were afraid we
-shouldn't be able to find him any entertainment as the Boers are very
-quiet just now, and he said we needn't trouble. However, as the morning
-wore on the enemy's sixteen-pounder commenced bombarding us from Game
-Tree and Jackal Tree and kept on the whole morning, apparently directed
-by a deserter, Private Hay, Protectorate Regiment, who selected his late
-fort and the headquarters of the Protectorate Regiment, as his main
-target.  I shouldn't care to be Private Hay after the war as there is
-L50 on his head, dead or alive, and the Boers are hard up.  The
-afternoon was pretty quiet, and the Boers have now retired all round to
-extreme musketry range of all the town.  They livened up in the evening
-though, and fired a good deal, landing many bullets in the square.
-
-6th, Friday.  The morning began very quietly, and we were afraid that
-Smitheman would not get his introduction to "Creaky."  However, in the
-afternoon she began, and he had a full opportunity of learning the
-meaning of the various sounds of the bell, the joys of the rush to the
-"dug-out," and the philosophy with which you can see your friends in the
-distance shelled, when she diverted a certain portion of her fire on
-Cannon Kopje.
-
-Major Goold-Adams had just shifted into a new office after his former
-one had been destroyed, and somewhat prematurely, for "Creaky" promptly
-blew it up with the first shell; fortunately it was empty at the time.
-They gave us a good doing and stopped for the night.
-
-7th, Saturday.  We were awakened by the big gun, which kept on all day.
-Smitheman was again lucky.  He went up to lunch at the kopje, and then
-they began shelling that, so he had had most of the pleasures of
-Mafeking compressed into three days.  They pall, however, after six
-months.  He seemed to think we were having a harder time than he
-anticipated, and it is very interesting to have an outside opinion,
-because we are so thoroughly used to it that we do not know whether it
-is a bad time or not, being only convinced of two things--that the place
-can't fall, and that we will not get hit by a big shell if we can help
-it.  Smitheman returned to Plumer to-night.
-
-8th, Sunday.  A quiet day.  A body of women, who, at Smitheman's
-instigation, was endeavouring to escape towards Kanya, where food is
-ready for them, was turned back by the Boers.  To the south a similar
-body was also stopped, and by direction of the Boer in charge each one
-was stripped, shambokked, and driven back naked to Mafeking.  Yesterday
-there was a desperate fight between a party of our Fingoes engaged in
-cattle raiding and the Boers; the former were cut off and surrounded in
-a "pan," where they took what cover they could and defended their lives
-to the last.  Out of a party of some thirty odd, ten or eleven got away
-when they repulsed the first attack of the Boers.  The Boers returned,
-however, with one hundred more men, and killed all but one man.  They
-had two Maxims and a one-pound Maxim-Nordenfelt. The fight lasted
-twenty-five hours, and by the account of the wounded survivor,
-corroborated by the women who returned to-day, the Boers must have
-suffered severe loss.  The survivor escaped by hiding in the reeds, and
-is now in hospital with a wound in his stomach.  The natives were vastly
-outnumbered, and made a stubborn resistance with their obsolete arms
-against all the Boers could bring against them.  Unfortunate it is that
-so few of many brave men escaped.
-
-Snyman is becoming remarkably civil in his intercourse, and had sent in
-a letter saying he was astonished that natives had been employed cattle
-raiding, as they were such barbarians. They were right gallant
-barbarians, anyhow. Smitheman has a wonderful insight into native
-character, and a marvellous grasp of the Baralong.  It is curious to
-note how the Englishman associated with the natives identifies himself
-with his tribe and becomes a Zulu, Baralong, Fingoe or Basuto with a
-firm belief that all other natives except his own particular tribe are
-no good at all and that their methods of fighting are useless. Having
-heard the point discussed by many of my friends and having witnessed
-their implicit confidence in their own particular tribe and distrust of
-the others, one can understand that the foreigner may see something to
-laugh at in an Englishman's absolute and justified confidence in the
-English.  They call it insularity in Europe.  I wonder what they would
-call its offspring here.
-
-9th, Monday.  Runners from the north arrived with the intelligence that
-Smitheman had passed them well clear of the Boer line, so we hope he is
-safe.  The big gun has been shelling all the morning, and some of her
-smaller brethren have taken it up this afternoon. Many conflicting
-rumours, but a force of many men and guns went south on Friday night.
-We hope this portends the approach of our expected relief.  It would be
-hard lines indeed, after all this dull work, not to finish the campaign
-in the Transvaal.  The natives say the Boers are going to give us
-another severe doing to-morrow.  The flags of truce exchange much chaff.
-The Boers say, "Why don't you come out and fight in the open?" and the
-answer is, "Come and drive us out."  The other day the Boers said to our
-orderly that it was very brutal sending men who had never been to sea to
-St. Helena, besides what would they do there?  Whether he expected us to
-find picnic parties for them or not I do not know.  I wish I were at St.
-Helena, one would have a chance of getting somewhere else from there.
-The orderly said there was plenty to do, but the Boer objected there
-were no horses for them to ride, and when the orderly said, "Let them
-ride the turtles," he was very wroth.  Again, yesterday, the Boer
-volunteered that they, the Dutch, were knocking us about in the Free
-State.  The orderly said, "The Free State, where is the Free State?" and
-the Boer said, "North of the Orange River."  On the orderly's answering,
-"Ah!  You mean New England," the Boer seemed hurt, but they are pretty
-civil all the same and both sides continually ask after their various
-friends and get answers.
-
-[Illustration: PEACEFUL TALK BETWEEN BOERS AND BRITISH.]
-
-10th, Tuesday.  A fairly quiet day.  The high velocity guns shelled our
-outlying posts on the western border, with occasional shots at the camp,
-while the big gun and the smaller ones shelled the town.  Natives from
-the south report that the country is at present unsafe for despatch
-riders as, though there is no commando, there are a considerable number
-of Boers roaming about the country between here and Vryburg seeking whom
-and what they may devour and under no immediate control.[#]
-
-
-[#] Later they themselves were devoured.
-
-
-11th, Wednesday.  We were awakened this morning by the big gun and had a
-very heavy day's shelling.  I went out for a ride and up to Fort Ayr.
-They were shelling from every side in all directions and kept it up till
-nearly noon, Mr. Greenfield is at present doing his month's detachment
-duty at Fort Ayr.  It is not an enlivening spot, being built
-underground, and as you are continually sniped it is impossible to
-emerge therefrom except at night or by means of a long rear trench
-leading to the refugees' laager.  It is garrisoned by thirty men, a
-Maxim and a seven-pounder. On the western front the Boers made an attack
-on two of our outlying posts.  They advanced to within four hundred and
-fifty yards, but after losing some ten or a dozen men they retired.
-During the day they planted some thirty shells into the women's laager.
-To all their heavy bombardment we answered not a shot, but in the
-evening when they were dismantling the big gun the Hotchkiss opened on
-her with good effect, apparently wounding or killing several of the
-crowd round her.  She immediately opened fire on the town and struck the
-Dutch Church with great violence.  After she had ceased firing the
-Hotchkiss opened again and failed to get a further reply.
-Score:--Hotchkiss four, big gun three.
-
-12th, Thursday.  This morning the big gun has disappeared and is
-supposed to be in McMullin's laager.  She has not fired, and with the
-exception of the five-pounder we have had a quiet day.
-
-Several wagons with escorts have trekked from the laager and they are
-apparently busily engaged in packing up others.
-
-A pigeon left Colonel Plumer yesterday at noon arriving here in forty
-minutes, and runners in this morning brought Her Majesty's message to
-Colonel Baden-Powell and news of Lieutenant Smitheman's safe arrival at
-Colonel Plumer's camp.
-
-Captain McLaren is, I am glad to say, better, and in the hands of a
-skilful German surgeon who thinks he will do all right.
-
-The rains have begun again which is fortunate for us.  Had it not been
-for the exceptionally rainy season I do not know what the cattle would
-have done or how we could have held out.
-
-13th, Friday.  A quiet day.  We were only shelled to-day with the
-five-pounder and the one-pound Maxim and so we are quite quiet.  Colonel
-Baden-Powell has had an erection built on the top of the headquarter
-house from whence he looks out and can control the Mafeking defences
-like the captain of a ship, shouting his instructions down a speaking
-tube to the headquarter bomb proof, which are thence telephoned on to
-the parties whom it may concern, so that he can personally turn on the
-tap of any portion of the defences he may think fit.
-
-14th, Saturday.  This morning there was quite a lively amount of
-shelling.  One shell burst in Fort Ayr and killed two of its garrison.
-Personally I started for a ride, but finding it rather livelier than I
-cared for made it a pretty short one.  One must get exercise, but there
-is no particular object in getting shot unnecessarily.  Last night
-Colonel Plumer's column endeavoured to send us in some hundred head of
-cattle which we want. It was a moonlight night and the Boers must have
-been informed of their advent for they waylaid them very effectually,
-killing and wounding many, as well as their native drivers, and
-capturing the rest.  This is a bore, but, however, we can get on without
-them and we shall get them back shortly.  In consequence of this
-diversion they were firing pretty well all night.  Easter Day to-morrow.
-We can do very well without the Easter eggs the Boers send us, and as
-our hens have ceased to lay we shall get none of our own.  Our hot cross
-buns were represented by a cross being stamped on our scanty bread
-ration.  I rather hope that this is the last feast of any sort that the
-garrison of Mafeking will celebrate under siege conditions.
-
-[Illustration: A SHELL BURSTING IN THE NATIVE QUARTER.]
-
-Colonel Vyvyan was very lucky in securing a beautiful specimen of a
-sixteen-pounder, Vicker's Maxim, which passed over his head and did not
-explode.  In the scurry for the shell he secured it, as he was mounted.
-They are using a new sort of one-pound Maxim and not being quite able to
-reach the women's laager with it they planted six shells in the
-hospital.  Yesterday one of Colonel Plumer's wounded died while
-undergoing an operation in the Boer camp and they sent his body in last
-night.
-
-I cannot understand the Boer, and have given it up as a bad job.  He
-appears to have no laws and few instincts, and to be totally
-irresponsible.  Sometimes he behaves exceedingly well, and at other
-times remarkably ill, and you can never calculate what his conduct will
-be under any given circumstances.  General Snyman is sanctimonious and a
-hypocrite, and seems to look upon truth as an unnecessary portion of his
-field outfit.  Commandant Botha is a good sportsman, and well liked on
-their side of the border, and is a kindly dispositioned man. Snyman is a
-strict disciplinarian as Boers go, whilst Botha seems an easier going
-man. If Snyman has been away, on his return the more or less quiet
-existence we have led, thanks to Botha, is immediately disturbed, and
-heavy shell fire commences.  Snyman is not popular in Mafeking, the
-inhabitants of which look upon him as a combination of liar, fanatic and
-woman killer, and, generally speaking, an infernal nuisance.  The Dutch
-say he is very venturesome; he will, I believe, venture a lot to obtain
-cattle, but apparently less to obtain Mafeking.  The Boers at the outset
-could have captured Mafeking for about half the lives they have expended
-in their various futile attacks. They can never capture it now, and the
-one ardent desire of the garrison is that they may only endeavour to do
-so.
-
-15th, Sunday, Easter-day.  A quiet day and the big gun still
-undiscoverable.  The various churches were well attended at all the
-services.  In the afternoon we had sports, organized by Captain Cowan
-and the officers of the Bechuanaland Rifles.  They were a great success,
-and the costume race, won by Mr. Daniel, B.S.A.P., dressed as a hospital
-nurse, Mr. Dunlop Smith, A.V.D., as the "Geisha" second, Captain
-Scholefield, B.S.A.P., as a bride third, was a great success, and one of
-the most amusing contests we have had here.
-
-Yesterday it was indeed bad luck for the poor fellows of Fort Ayr
-garrison who had remained under cover during shell fire and thought it
-was all over, for when Troopers Molloy and Hassell came out to get their
-coffee the last high velocity sixteen-pound shell struck the sand bags
-overhead, killing Molloy dead and mortally wounding Hassell, breaking
-both his legs.  Mr. Greenfield tells me the way he bore his sufferings
-was literally heroical, complaining not at all, and only asking for a
-cigarette.
-
-I have not previously alluded to the "sowen" porridge, which is now a
-part of the rations, and has for a long time done much to solve the
-question of the food supply of Mafeking.  It was first made by Private
-Sims out of the husks of oats for the consumption of himself and sundry
-of his comrades, but on this fact being ascertained by the indefatigable
-Captain Ryan, Sims was put on to make it on a larger scale for the
-natives. The European portion of the garrison and inhabitants gladly
-bought it, and it is now, as I said before, an acceptable portion of the
-daily rations.  The natives, too, have had great windfalls lately in the
-matter of locusts, which are really not bad eating, and at any rate much
-appreciated by them.  The feeding of the natives, indeed, at all times a
-difficult question, is, I may say, practically solved, except in the
-case of the Shangans.  These unfortunate devils, who are equally
-repulsive, morally and physically, as far as I have seen, are detested
-by the other natives, and consequently it is very hard to look after
-them properly.  The Basutos, Zulus, &c., come to be fed naturally,
-whereas the Shangan is like a wild beast, and only seems to crawl away
-and die.  So much is this so that on Mr. Vere Stent's ordering his
-Basuto servant to make some soup for a starving Shangan he had picked
-up, the Basuto indignantly protested that "the Shangans were bad men and
-killed missionaries," however, the man in question was rescued in time
-and is still living.  They form luckily an insignificant proportion of
-the native community.
-
-After the siege is over and the Queen has got her own again it is to be
-hoped that the unswerving loyalty of the Baralongs will not be
-over-looked.  You hear on all sides that the Baralongs are not a
-fighting race, and the Zulus and any other race you may mention would
-wipe them out.  Incidentally the Zulus tried to in their big trek north,
-and the wily Baralong, fighting his usual fight, had considerably the
-best of it.
-
-In more modern times he successfully withstood the Boers, not, however,
-an attack on the present scale.  After the first day's shelling the
-mouthpiece of the Baralong tribe, Silas Molemo, came up to Mr. Bell,
-Resident Magistrate, and said to him, "Never mind this we will stick to
-you and see it through," which they certainly have done.  They are not a
-tribe who would make a dashing attack or to use the expression "be
-bossed up" to do things they don't particularly want to, but given a
-defensive position they will hang on to it for all they are worth as
-they have proved many times during the war in their defence of their
-stadt.  They have had their cattle raided, their out-lying homesteads
-destroyed, their crops for this year are _nil_, and all through a time
-when the outlook to a native mind must have seemed most black they have
-unswervingly and uncomplainingly stuck to us and never hesitated to do
-anything they were called upon to do.
-
-I cannot do better than give an account of the unsuccessful attempt to
-bring in cattle from Colonel Plumer.  Mathakong, the leader of the
-party, had forty men under his command. He and the Baralongs have so far
-been very successful in getting in cattle; by profession a cattle thief,
-but only on a large scale, there is nothing mean about Mathakong.
-Colonel Plumer selected some hundred head of cattle in good condition
-and it was these that the party endeavoured to bring in. When they were
-some distance out it was reported to Mathakong that the Boers knew that
-they were coming and were going to try to intercept them.  However, as
-he had been given to understand that it was desirable to get the cattle
-in he determined to make the attempt, as at any rate they might get some
-in, and if he stayed where he was the Boers would probably surround him.
-The Boers got on both flanks of the cattle, assisted by the Rapulanas
-(the Rietfontein rebel natives), and heavy firing began.  The Baralongs
-pushed forward with cattle falling all round them and behind the bodies
-of the cattle kept up a running fight until all their ammunition was
-gone.  They stuck to them till only fifteen head were left, and then
-when they left, the Boers came up cheering loudly. There were two
-wounded men amongst the cattle and the Boers according to their custom
-came up and interrogated them and then shot one and cut the other's
-throat.  The Baralongs then came into Mafeking dragging old Mathakong
-with them as they could not otherwise persuade him to leave the live
-cattle.  He was much upset by the loss of the cattle, but the fight did
-not worry him at all, and he said that had the cattle not been in such
-good condition he would have rushed them along faster and got most of
-them in.  This, however, is only one of the many cases in which the
-Baralongs have done, or have endeavoured to do good service.  They lost
-four killed and seven wounded and account for their small loss by the
-protection afforded them by the herd amongst which they fought their
-running fight.
-
-16th, Monday.  Fairly quiet day.  The Boers shelled the western outpost
-and brickfields.  I went down to the brickfields to see Captain Brown,
-Cape Police, who is in charge and was in charge when he occupied the
-Boer advanced trench.  Since then he has been wounded, but is now back
-at duty again.  He told me that the idea of the Boers was apparently
-that we should not enter the trench until the morning after they had
-vacated it, but our doing so the night before and cutting the wire had
-frustrated their amiable intention of blowing up our men and presumably
-rushing the brickfields in the confusion.  The other day, a Cape
-policeman met a Transvaal policeman with a white flag (between these
-forces in times of peace a very good feeling prevails) and chaffed him,
-saying, "Why don't you blow your mine up."  "Ah!" said the latter, "you
-were too slim for us there."  Houndsditch, the old Boer trench, has now
-been converted into a strong fortification for ourselves, and the
-brickfields generally are a far more desirable place for residence, the
-several Boer trenches now being nine hundred to one thousand two hundred
-yards away.  They have some very good marksmen in their trenches
-however, and make things very warm for our advanced trenches.  A Cape
-Boy exposed himself for a moment two or three days ago and was picked
-off through the head by a Martini at once, and in the very few open
-spaces which of course they have got accurately ranged they shoot
-remarkably close.  The brickfields are now garrisoned by the Cape Police
-and Cape Boys under Captain Brown and Lieutenants Murray and Currie.
-
-The big gun is still conspicuous by its absence, and it is reported to
-have gone to Pretoria.  If that be so it is the greatest sign so far
-that the Boers feel hopeless about taking the town and the point may be
-fairly scored off against any point they may have scored against us yet.
-
-There was a wedding this morning between a private of the Bechuanaland
-Rifles and a Dutch girl, he cannot talk Dutch nor she English.  Let us
-hope that it is a good omen of the future settlement of South Africa
-with the British as "Boss."
-
-This morning, too, three ambulances were seen coming in from the North,
-and an ambulance and five waggons went in that direction, so Plumer may
-have had a successful "scrap," at any rate, we all hope so.
-
-These high velocity guns seem beautiful weapons, I must confess that in
-common with the rest of the garrison I should dearly like to see them
-tried on the Boer.  It is all very well to be an expert in artillery,
-but ours is not the most agreeable way of gaining the experience.
-
-17th, Tuesday.  The question of firewood and indeed all fuel has of late
-been a somewhat serious one to Mafeking, and as the cold season is
-coming on or rather is beginning, increases in importance daily,
-consequently Mafeking has had to sacrifice its scanty supply of trees.
-Probably the residents in their vicinity wish, if they had to be cut
-down, it had been done at the commencement of the siege, for it seems as
-if the Boer artillery when having no mark in particular but the town in
-general had mainly aimed at the trees, at any rate, when they were
-merely idly shelling the majority of shells fell in their neighbourhood.
-It will, I fear, put the general appearance of the town back for some
-years.
-
-With the exception of perfunctory shelling in the brickfields, we have
-had a quiet day and the big gun is still absent.  Indeed, now so far
-have our outlying trenches been pushed that except from the big gun and
-quick-firers, we experience but little annoyance in the town itself.
-During the last week our runners have been most successfully stopped,
-but before this we have been fortunate enough to get London papers three
-months old, and the Court House has been turned into a reading-room,
-where the papers are daily eagerly devoured by all conditions of men and
-women too.  Everybody at home seems very pleased with Mafeking, and we
-here feel really proud of the way our fellows are fighting in the South
-and the way everybody is turning up to fight.  It should be a fine
-object-lesson to the Continentals. In many ways they must have had a
-more amusing time than we have had and fighting on a much larger scale,
-for this sort of fighting after the first two months is about the
-dullest sort of entertainment you can well imagine: they so hopelessly
-overwhelm us in artillery that we cannot get out to have a go at them.
-Indeed, any sortie must resolve itself into storming one of their forts
-which we are not strong enough to do, and so the forts on either side
-face each other, fire at each other, but otherwise leave each other
-severely alone; and outside their zone of fire their artillery takes up
-whatever position it thinks fit and shells whatever portion of defences
-or town it feels inclined to.  One advantage in a long dragging
-performance like this is that neither side seems in any particular hurry
-and a very wet day generally means a certain immunity from fire.
-Yesterday we had a heavy thunderstorm, and the first flash of lightening
-exploded one of our mines in front of the brickfields simultaneously
-with the thunderclap.  I felt the ground shake and thought it was a
-particularly heavy clap of thunder.  The mine which was charged with ten
-pounds of captured nitro-glycerine blew a tremendous hole in the ground,
-and was, generally speaking, a great success, so what would have
-happened had their carefully prepared two hundred and fifty pound mine
-gone off, or what would have been left of Mafeking, I do not like to
-think.  The mine is now recharged and repaired, but I am afraid the
-Boers have a nasty suspicious disposition which will prevent them from
-sampling it.
-
-The Cadet Corps have been lately doing their messages mounted on donkeys
-captured from the Boers.  Like the other mounted corps, however, their
-ranks are gradually being depleted for the soup kitchen.  This corps is
-formed of all the boys of Mafeking, ranging from nine years upwards.  It
-does all the foot orderly work, thereby sparing several more men for the
-trenches, and is dressed in khaki with "smasher" hats and a yellow
-puggarree.  It is commanded by a youth, Sergeant-Major Goodyear, the son
-of Captain Goodyear, who was wounded in the brickfields, and is directly
-supervised by Lord Edward Cecil.  It drills regularly, and the boys are
-wonderfully smart.
-
-Our acetylene search lights on the principle of the duplex heliograph
-repeat the signals from a central station to the stations all round the
-outposts, and answer very well. These and all the signalling
-arrangements are under the charge of Sergeant-Major Moffatt, late
-Carbineers, who has been very successful on several occasions in tapping
-the Boers' helio messages.  He has also invented a new acetylene
-signalling lamp, which he has patented, and which he claims can be
-worked (instead of the helio) on a cloudy day as well as at night.  From
-what I have seen of the lamp I think his claims are well founded.
-
-18th, Wednesday.  Desultory shelling. Last night eleven native women
-tried to get out, nine were killed and two were wounded. This, in spite
-of repeated protests of Colonel Baden-Powell, who has pointed out that
-Snyman continually shells the native village, and that when the women
-try to escape they are flogged by day and shot by night.  Botha, on
-hearing of the occurrence, expressed his great regret and promised to
-look after the wounded.  Last night, too, the Boers were blowing up the
-line to the south, about five miles out.
-
-19th, Thursday.  The Boers are continually blowing up the line
-southward, and great activity prevails around all the laagers, more
-particularly at McMullins's.  Straws show which way the wind blows, and
-we hope this renewed liveliness portends the approach of relief.  A
-quiet day.  The recent heavy rains have caused a lot of fever here, but
-in spite of that the health of the garrison is on the whole good.
-
-20th, Friday.  Runners arrived with papers and a letter giving an
-account of the murder of young Dennison at Vryburg.  He, it appears, was
-wounded, and the Boers shot him in cold blood.  In the same papers we
-read accounts of the excellent treatment received by Cronje and the
-other Boer prisoners, and the infamous treatment accorded to Colonial
-prisoners of war by the Boers.  Having contravened every known law of
-war, except perhaps poisoning wells, it would seem only reasonable that
-they should be treated judicially, as they claim to be a civilized race,
-and given a chance of explaining their breaches of the Geneva
-Convention.  Failing to do this they should be accorded the justice for
-which they are always clamouring.  It appears to me less important to
-conciliate the rebel Dutch than to avoid stirring up the indignation
-which is expressing itself very freely amongst the loyal Colonials at
-the ridiculously lenient way in which the rebels are treated, and as the
-Bond Attorney-General cannot see his way to proceed against them, it
-would surely be possible to replace him by an official who was not an
-avowed sympathiser of theirs.  The rebels, so far, apparently have had
-really a very good time of it.  They have looted their loyal neighbours'
-property, and harried their cattle and farms, murdering them, when so
-inclined, to their hearts' content, and now are apparently neither going
-to be asked to pay for their amusement or even disgorge their plunder.
-You do not as a rule expect the conquered to be satisfied with the
-victor's settlement of a war, but apparently in our case we are going to
-pacify our enemies at the expense of our friends.  However, I suppose
-the matter will square itself, and the Colonial troops will not trouble
-to take prisoners to undergo a farce of a trial.
-
-21st, Saturday.  Lord Roberts's message was received yesterday, stating
-that owing to unforeseen delays the relief column would not be able to
-reach us by May 18th as originally promised, and asking us to husband
-our provisions beyond that date.  The news had no depressing effect on
-the town or garrison, and everybody is resolved to undergo anything
-sooner than surrender.  As regards the healthy portion of the garrison
-the task is a fairly easy one, but for the sick (which are daily
-increasing in number), the women and children, and the native population
-to subsist on gradually decreasing rations is indeed hard.  Luxuries
-are, of course, a thing of the past, and it is only with the utmost
-economy of the necessities of life that our supplies will be equal to
-the task.  However, by the time you get this, the matter will be settled
-one way or another, but as long as the Union Jack is still flying, any
-privations will be cheerfully welcomed.  The rations now are a
-quarter-pound of bread, half-pound of meat, supplemented with horseflesh
-and "sowen" porridge.  It is due to the care of the authorities, and
-mostly so to Captain Ryan, A.S.C., whose skilful, painstaking, and
-unwearied manipulation of supplies in the way of calculation, storage,
-development, and their issue, that we are able even now to live in
-comparative comfort.  He has organised his butcheries and bakeries most
-admirably. I went round the stores the other day, and paid a visit to
-his sieving-room, where he has constructed large sieves to sift the fine
-oatmeal for bread purposes from the husks which are used for making
-"sowen" porridge, (one hundred pounds of oats producing twenty pounds of
-fine meal).  There I found a dozen or so coal-black individuals under
-the superintendence of an Englishman, sifting whilst grinning through
-their covering of flour, and constituting an interesting and very
-comical spectacle.  There is nothing wasted.  We eat the fine meal and
-the "sowen" porridge, the horses eat the refuse from the "sowen"
-porridge, while we again eat the horses.  As a local poet remarks--
-
-    "Till the Queen shall have her own again, for the flag
-      we have always flown,
-    If we cannot live on the fat of the land, we'll fight on
-      the horse and 'sowen.'"
-
-
-To-day Mrs. Winter and her little boy, aged six, walked to the edge of
-the town, where recently it has been quiet, but the sight of a petticoat
-in fancied security was too much for the Boers, for they immediately
-sniped at her, fortunately, however, without effect.
-
-They were shelling the brickfields to-day, but were otherwise quiet.
-They, however, nearly hit Colonel Baden-Powell with a shell when he was
-in that quarter.
-
-22nd, Sunday.  A quiet day.  The concert in the afternoon was a great
-success, and Colonel Baden-Powell as usual "brought down the house" in
-his musical sketches.  On reading some old papers I see the Boers have
-the consummate impudence to protest against our conduct of the war.  Now
-I wish clearly to point out that I do not try to saddle the whole Boer
-nation with the conduct of some of their worst characters, but the lower
-class Boer is, in many cases, no better than a savage and sometimes, in
-the case of educated Kaffirs, considerably worse. I am not trying to
-pile up atrocities against them, but _a propos_ of the subject
-generally, the following facts are somewhat interesting. George Umfazwi,
-the head Fingoe, a Christian, is a leading member of the Rev. W. H.
-Weekes's congregation in the native location.  One night he went out
-cattle-raiding, in charge of a mixed party of Fingoes and Baralongs.
-These parties, as I have said before, go out on their own initiative,
-and sell their plunder to the Government.  Soon after starting they came
-upon the body of a Baralong woman, who, when endeavouring to escape, had
-had her throat cut.  Naturally the Baralongs were more than annoyed, and
-vowed to kill all the Dutch women they might come across. Umfazwi,
-however, told them that if they persisted in their intentions he and the
-Fingoes would have nothing more to do with them.  In the course of their
-raid they occupied a Dutch homestead, from which they were fired upon by
-Dutchmen.  In the house were three Dutch women, whom the natives did not
-touch, only taking the cattle and returning to Mafeking.  In the next
-raid, Umfazwi and his Fingoes were surrounded, as I told you in a former
-account, and, after a hard fight, were all killed--no quarter being
-given.  I was talking yesterday to Major Anderson, E.A.M.C., and he
-said, in the course of the conversation, that he preferred a savage
-warfare, for then you knew what to expect, and that if he had to go out
-again, he would sooner not take a Red Cross flag, as on each occasion on
-which he had done so, it had drawn the fire; whereas, when he went out
-without, he only took his chance with the rest.
-
-23rd, Monday.  To-day they shelled the town, doing no damage.  They
-employed a new sort of nine-pounder shell, which will make a nice lamp
-stand.  Two deaths from fever last night, and I fear there will be
-another death to-day.  These late rains have brought out a sort of
-typhoid malaria.
-
-A most interesting account, from a private soldier's point of view, has
-been contributed by Private G. Hyslop, Bechuanaland Rifles, to _The
-Glasgow Weekly Herald_, and though his sources of accurate information
-are naturally somewhat limited, it is a most fair and intelligent
-account of the siege.
-
-24th, Tuesday.  We received glorious news last night, but it seems
-almost too good to be true, namely, that Lord Roberts had surrounded the
-Boers at Kronstadt, and had given them twenty-four hours to surrender,
-and that Lord Methuen had reached Klerksdorp. It is quite possible, but
-still one does not like to believe it before it is verified, and it is
-after all a rumour.  On the face of it, it seems probable, and that it
-is a continuation of his turning movement.  If so, the Boers in these
-parts are nicely out-manoeuvred, and we look for our Relief Column
-following Methuen's tract as far as Border Siding, and then coming up
-the line.  Automatic relief, so glibly talked about in some papers, will
-not be of much use to us, for what we most require is provisions.  I saw
-it stated in an article in _The Times_ that Kimberley and ourselves were
-of no strategical importance in the campaign, but I totally disagree
-with this idea.  Had Mafeking and Kimberley fallen at first, or had
-Cronje been able to disregard these two isolated places and swept down
-south, the Colony, to a great extent, would have fallen into his hands.
-The troops in the South would have had a far greater extent of country
-to reconquer, and Mafeking at any rate must have eventually fallen. The
-natives would have lost confidence, the Boers would have retained
-possession of the line and the rolling stock from the Vaal River to the
-north, Rhodesia would have been open to attack, and the whole conditions
-of the war entirely changed, and not changed in our favour.  I suppose
-this also holds good of Ladysmith, but there, of course, the Boers would
-have left a considerable force in their rear.  I think it was the
-half-heartedness of the Boers in only partially invading the Colony and
-Natal and remaining to nibble at the tempting baits of apparently two
-unprotected towns, which gave the troops coming out an advantage which
-they never would have had had the Boers made one dash for Capetown.  And
-even now, though in a very much less degree, I consider this town of
-strategical importance.  We keep a large number of Boers in our
-proximity, and the Boers in the neighbouring districts are more
-concerned about preventing our relief than in opposing the force from
-which the really imminent danger threatens. And if it be true that Lord
-Methuen is at Klerksdorp, the Boers in these parts will have no earthly
-weight in the decisive portion of the campaign.  Why they should wish to
-take Mafeking except to score one trick, as all other advantages they
-have gained they have since lost, it is hard to say.  Their chance of
-invading Rhodesia is gone, the crossings of the Vaal River are in our
-hands. There are no stores now in Mafeking and beyond the bare temporary
-possession, they would gain nothing at all, added to which I should have
-thought that by this time they might have learnt that they were not
-going to have even a temporary possession.
-
-The verdict of the court martial which tried Lieutenant Murchison for
-the murder of Mr. Parslow and sentenced him to death, has come back
-confirmed by Lord Roberts, who, however, has commuted the sentence to
-one of penal servitude for life.  Murchison was at one time a major in
-the Royal Artillery, and so far as I know him personally, I do not
-consider him responsible for his actions.
-
-The Rhodesian postal authorities notified us to-day that press telegrams
-(owing to the congestion of the lines) would be taken off the wires at
-Umtali, sent by train to Beira, and then be re-telegraphed to London
-_via_ Lorenzo Marques.  The press has naturally protested strongly, as
-their course of action will probably entail a delay of a week.  The
-postal arrangements throughout the campaign have been most infamous;
-whether the fault lies at Cape Town or Bulawayo I know not, but in any
-case some abominably careless official should be hauled over the coals.
-We have consistently got letters out from here which have been received
-at home, and it simply means total imbecility or inexcusable idleness on
-the part of responsible authorities if we are unable to receive letters
-in the same way. Most people here naturally say it is the fault of the
-Bond Government, and though they have deserved hanging many times over,
-I do not think this particular crime can be laid at their door, though
-the absence of our guns certainly may.  Mr. Schreiner has, I see,
-protested against the Boers being sent to St. Helena. I am unaware if he
-has protested against our being detained here.  He also states that
-people misjudge him and he seems annoyed. He has only been judged by his
-actions, which here, as well as elsewhere, are deplored. However, this
-savours of politics, and is therefore somewhat out of my province.
-
-[Illustration: TOPOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF MAFEKING.]
-
-25th, Wednesday.  Last night we received warning from native sources
-that the Boers intended to make an attack on the town to-day, and that
-it was to be a personally conducted tour by young Eloff, who had been
-sent from Pretoria to take Mafeking or die in the attempt.  He is, or
-ought to be, very much alive, for his operations were conducted from a
-safe distance and the town is much as usual.  Of late we have been so
-dull here, that a considerable amount of fictitious enthusiasm was
-boiled up over this impending attack.  Mr. Hamilton of _The Times_
-thought it was good enough to sleep in the advanced trench, but the more
-wary and possibly less enthusiastic, amongst which I include myself,
-considered a good bed was preferable to an indifferent one.  However, I
-looked out cartridges and laid out weapons when I went to bed, but
-didn't wake any earlier next morning, and was roused by Ronny Moncreiffe
-shouting out, "Get up, there is a battle going on."  I vainly tried to
-persuade him to allow me to remain in bed until the enemy were near
-enough to be dangerous, but he insisted that I should get up and look
-on. I decided there was no immediate necessity for weapons, and rode off
-to the nearest telescope to find the enemy.  At the B.S.A.P. fort I
-found the officers of the Protectorate Regiment just coming off the
-roof, yawning and looking very bored.  They told me what had happened up
-till my arrival, and I went and looked through the telescope for a bit
-at our friends the enemy whom we could clearly see.  They were firing
-their guns and maintaining a heavy musketry fire, though in somewhat
-purposeless manner about one thousand five hundred yards from our
-advanced trench.  A gentleman on horseback, presumably the dashing
-Eloff, galloped out from the western laager, and with many
-gesticulations and fruitless haranguing endeavoured to get them to
-advance, but they were obdurate.  They pitched one or two shells up by
-the fort, which were promptly annexed by piccaninnies, as the majority
-did not burst, and they killed a nigger, and a ricochet hit old
-Whitfield in the stomach, but, owing to the width of his figure, the
-bullet did not penetrate.  I think what put them off most was our
-absolute silence. We did not fire at all except some twenty rounds at
-some Boers that had been ambushed in the culvert, which had the effect
-of driving them into some bushes, where they hid for a couple of hours.
-I really think the people surrounding us here have honestly had enough
-of it, and it will take a better man than young Eloff to bring them up
-to the scratch, though there are certainly more Boers about here than
-there have been for some time.  The object of this particular attack was
-to draw our fire and make us disclose our positions on the western
-front, and the result was a most conspicuous failure. We refused to be
-drawn by the feint, and so the real attack, which was supposed to be
-concealed elsewhere, was never able to develop.  Apparently the plan was
-good, like General Trochu's, but it has at any rate so tired them that
-they have been unable to do anything since.
-
-26th, Thursday.  Received my first letters since this abominable
-isolation commenced. One from Weston-Jarvis and another from Smitheman.
-Weston is very cheerful. Smitheman, extravagant as regards paper, and
-rather sparing of words and ink; I also received some _Morning Posts_,
-and see that I have successfully established communication, which is
-satisfactory.
-
-27th, Friday.  More runners, but thanks to the usual breakdown of the
-Beira-Salisbury line, dates and news are so mixed, and the contending
-forces seem so extraordinarily and intricately involved with each other,
-that we have given up trying to understand how things really are going.
-It doesn't very much matter, as the result is a foregone conclusion, and
-at the worst can only be shortly delayed.  One thing is amusing, and
-that is to see the various reasons different countries give for not
-offering to mediate.
-
-28th, Saturday.  Nothing doing.  Preparing for the tournament to-morrow.
-My Kaffir wishes to go and join Plumer.  He doesn't approve of the food
-supply of Mafeking.  I thought I should never get rid of him.  Thank
-goodness the brute has gone now.  He has been a sort of "old man of the
-sea" to me.  I only kept him because he appeared generally in small
-health, but when he flung his rations into the middle of the square
-yesterday, I thought it was high time for him to be off.  The last few
-days the enemy has been more busy on the north-eastern front, and
-established themselves in a sniping trench seven hundred yards from our
-advanced trench, and made themselves rather a nuisance.  We, however,
-made it so warm for them that they are concluded to have withdrawn, but
-everywhere else, since the 25th, they have been fairly quiet.
-
-29th, Sunday.  A most successful tournament, and almost up to
-Agricultural Hall form.  Most regiments in the service represented, and
-the sword mounted and bayonet dismounted both particularly good.  It was
-trying work judging on half rations, but well worth it to see such good
-sport.
-
-What a funny little Frenchman that Prince Henri d'Orleans must be?  His
-compliments to a French comic paper on caricatures of the English would
-almost entitle him to a prominent position on its staff, where, at any
-rate, he would score a greater success than posing as an unemployed
-patriot.  By the bye, was he not once attached to the British Army, and
-if so, whence this venom?  But of tea-table tacticians and sofa
-strategists you must, indeed, have more than enough.  Reading the papers
-from home one sees excellent persons with presumably nothing to do,
-recommending people generally to turn the other cheek to the smiter;
-personally, I and, indeed, most of my neighbours, think that the smiter
-has had quite sufficient chances at our entire carcasses during the last
-few months, and if they feel themselves so imbued with an overflowing
-Christian spirit, I should suggest their taking a turn themselves.  I do
-not love the Boer, and I don't think I shall until the Boer loves me.
-There is only one way to obtain his respect and even toleration, and
-that is by proving yourself the better man.  There will then be peace in
-the country which, at the present moment, there is not.  I do think,
-too, that people at home should not be so free in their comments upon
-intelligence from this part of the world.  For many years I have read
-Mr. Baillie Grohmann's letters on big game shooting with much interest.
-I have also tried to shoot big game and Boers with about equally
-moderate success.  I do assert most emphatically that the Boers use
-explosive bullets.  I have seen the bullets, heard the bullets, and
-picked up the base of bullets with fulminate caps in them.  They were
-not Mauser bullets, they were not expanding bullets, they were explosive
-bullets pure and simple, and the Boers have confessed to their use.
-Therefore, I think it would only have been fair had Mr. Baillie Grohmann
-waited to know on what grounds people out here have made these
-assertions, before writing a somewhat conclusive letter in which the
-main point appeared to be that there was no such thing as an explosive
-Mauser bullet.  It is rather hard on some hundreds of thousands of
-Englishmen who happen to be serving their country out here, that because
-they are on that service they should be immediately considered to be
-destitute of that sense of fair play with which the race generally is
-credited, and I am sure that Mr. Baillie Grohmann himself, would be the
-first to admit it.  We don't expect much more from a Boer than a bullet,
-and as far as we know have not particularly grumbled at their using
-explosive ones, but it is hard lines to be told they didn't when we
-mention the fact. I personally felt a sense of great disappointment that
-I was not reading Mr. Baillie Grohmann's usual letters to _The Field_,
-instead of this one in _The Morning Post_.
-
-We are threatened with another attack to-morrow.  I hope it will be more
-productive of bloodshed than the last, because we can then clear them
-off a bit, and I hate feeling hungry, as do most of us.
-
-Colonel Baden-Powell has just received a missive from young Eloff, in
-which he states that he sees in a _Bulawayo Chronicle_ that we have
-concerts, balls, tournaments, and cricket matches on Sundays, and it
-will be very agreeable to his men to come in and participate as they
-find it dull outside.  Colonel Baden-Powell has answered that he thinks
-perhaps the return match should be postponed until we have finished the
-present one and that as we are now two hundred not out, and Snyman,
-Cronje, &c., have not been successful he would suggest a further change
-of bowling.  With such mild japes we pass the time away, but we shot a
-Dutchman this morning all the same. A bad joke in these times is worth
-more than a good pint of porridge, as the former will go round whereas
-the latter will certainly not.  It is very edifying work trying to get
-fat on laughter and sleep, but hunger is not a very amusing form of
-entertainment.  They have recently manufactured brawn of horse hide.  It
-doesn't sound very appetising but the stock disappeared with marvellous
-rapidity.  One cannot help thinking that after all even though we be
-hungry out here, yet we have the glamour of war over us, whereas at home
-in the Metropolis one knows hundreds of men are worse off than
-ourselves.  It is to be hoped that our impotent sympathisers will feed
-the people they can reach, who, after all, want it just as much as we
-do.
-
-30th, Monday.  Very tired and stiff after the tournament.  I feel as if
-all the competitors had been beating me with big sticks. Talking of
-sticks and Doctor Leyds, which always seem associated in my mind, I
-bought half a dozen very nice ones yesterday, I hope Dr. Leyds is having
-a good time now. I fancy he will have a moderate one when the war is
-over, as most people directly blame him for any discomforts they may
-have undergone.  It is only natural for a Dutchman to fight, but for the
-man who pulls the strings and risks other people's skins with the utmost
-heroism seven thousand miles off, you do not feel a great amount of
-affection or respect, more particularly when he is living on the fat of
-the land and you are rather hungry.  Besides, the fellow is an infernal
-thief; he has battened on these unfortunate peasants for many years, and
-at the first pinch of fighting flies and leaves them.  I have no use for
-a creature like that.  I was rather amused to hear Sergeant Cooke, of
-the Bechuanaland Rifles, report having slain a Dutchman this morning.
-He wasn't in the least elated, and in a shamefaced sort of way said he
-was afraid it wasn't a sporting shot. He couldn't have been more upset
-if he had shot a hen pheasant sitting, but to anyone else the episode
-was distinctly amusing.
-
-1st May, Tuesday.  We expect a mail to-day, and this dashing fellow
-Eloff promised us another attack.  He has made it.  It was the usual
-sort of performance, and they blazed away for two or three hours and
-didn't hit anybody.  I got up and looked on, because I felt I ought to,
-but I was rather cross and very bored.  If the fools want to fight, why
-don't they do it?  They are doing themselves no good, and not attaining
-any object whatsoever.  Colonel Baden-Powell told them some months ago
-they would not take Mafeking "by sitting and looking at the place," but
-even now, if they would sacrifice two or three thousand men, they might
-get in, but I am afraid they will never try.  They make me quite angry,
-they are so stupid.  Here they are, daily losing one or two men, and the
-greatest success they can show is a few stolen cows, whereas if they
-would come on and fight properly they wouldn't lose very many more men
-than they have already, and we should have a chance of a show.
-Seriously speaking though, it is their duty to take this place, and it
-is very disheartening waiting for them to try to.  We got our pigeon
-mails to-day; unfortunately, no news whatsoever. We have not received
-any decisive news or had any optimistic rumour confirmed for weeks, and
-in fact our last good news is Cronje's mop up.  Isn't there an old
-figure in some square dance or other called the _chassez croissee_?  It
-seems to be fashionable out here.  I don't like square dances or slow
-generals.  As I telegraphed to you this morning my general sensation is
-that of an aching void.  The only satisfaction I can derive therefrom is
-the certainty that most of my friends and acquaintances will be much
-amused at my being kept quiet anywhere on short commons.  Tom Greenfield
-is looking terribly hungry, but then with his length he naturally takes
-more filling up than ordinary mortals. Godley, too, looks as if he could
-do with a bit more, but he always is thin.  We have got a very tall lot
-of men here, Cecil, Tom Greenfield, Godley, Fitzclarence, Bentinck, all
-make an ordinary six-foot individual feel small, and McKenna isn't
-exactly short.  If we have length represented we also have breadth,
-which even our present rations are unable to reduce.  I am certainly not
-going to quote a nominal roll of these individuals, as they are fine
-strong men and I can't get away.
-
-2nd, Wednesday.  This morning firing is going on.  I suppose another
-attack.  I will go out and see.  One rather funny incident in connection
-with the Boer attack took place yesterday.  As a rule they knock off for
-breakfast, but yesterday they kept it up till some time past 8 o'clock,
-so at 8 o'clock punctually the natives left their trenches with their
-tins to draw their porridge, absolutely disregarding the Boer fire which
-was renewed at intervals all day.  It is perfectly incredible how we
-have pushed them back, for within the area where our advanced trenches
-now are I recollect seeing a horse-battery of theirs in action during
-the first few days of the siege. They take particular care not to play
-those games now.  I only wish they would.  This sort of drivel relieves
-one's feelings, even if one can't see relief.
-
-3rd, Thursday.  Firing yesterday and to-day was not of any value; they
-kept it up off and on all day.  I sat on the roof with the officers of
-the Bechuanaland Rifles, and looked on till we got bored.  The operation
-of getting on to and off the roof again was far more dangerous than the
-ordinary Boer battle. This evening I rode round the guards with Major
-Panzera.  It would take a more enterprising Boer than we have run up
-against to get in.  Major Panzera has a theory that he can't be hit; I
-haven't, however.  Both our theories are good enough viewed from the
-light of experience.
-
-The Germans participating in the defence of the town are going to be
-photographed. I feel sorry for the German Emperor not being here.  He
-would enjoy this war thoroughly.
-
-I heard from Weston-Jarvis this morning. He wrote a very cheery letter.
-At last they appear to be making some effort to relieve us. Why on earth
-they didn't try before, Heaven only knows!  It seems a perfectly simple
-operation for any man of any ordinary sense, but really it doesn't much
-matter in the long run whether it is a month or two sooner or later.  I
-also see the "Baron" is coming down to relieve us.  I hope he won't fall
-on his head and get stretched out as he usually persists in doing.  We
-are always meeting each other in some old ship or other, or in some out
-of the way continent, but certainly I never expected to be relieved by
-the "Baron" in the middle of Africa; however, the more pals that roll up
-the better.
-
-4th, Friday.  Absolute quiet.  My last letters have fallen into the
-Dutchmen's hands. They will be nice light reading for them, as they were
-barely complimentary.  I do not expect to be popular after this war.
-When one is tired and bored out here, it is very refreshing to be able
-to abuse all and sundry, and think that one need not settle up for
-another two or three months.
-
-5th, Saturday.  Life is short, but temper is shorter.  Runners in but no
-news.  This morning a funeral party of the Bechuanaland Rifles marched
-from the hospital to the cemetery to bury the remains, I say advisedly
-remains, of Lance-Corporal Ironside, who, after having been wounded some
-two months ago, had recently had his leg amputated, and had at last died
-from sheer weakness.  He bore his extreme sufferings with remarkable
-fortitude, pluck, and cheeriness.  He was a Scotchman, from Aberdeen,
-and one of the best shots in the garrison.  It is satisfactory to think
-that he had already avenged his death before he was wounded.
-
-6th, Sunday.  To-day the Boers most deliberately violated the tacit
-Sunday truce which, at their own instigation and request, we have always
-observed.  The whole proceedings were very peculiar.  It was a fine
-morning, and the Sabbath calm pervading the town and the surrounding
-forts was manifest in the way we were all strolling about the market
-square.  As regards myself, I had just purchased some bases of shells at
-Platnauer's auction mart, where the weekly auction was proceeding.  The
-firing began, and nobody paid much attention except the officers and men
-belonging to the quarter at which it was apparently directed.  They, on
-foot, horseback, and bicycle, dispersed headlong to their various posts.
-One, Mr. McKenzie, on a bicycle, striking the railway line, reached his
-post in four minutes and fifteen seconds, fifteen seconds too quick for
-the Boer he was enabled to bag.  The Boers, who on previous Sundays had
-displayed an inclination to loot our cattle, had crept up to the dead
-ground east of Cannon Kopje, and hastily shot one of our cattle guard
-and stolen the horses and mules under his charge. It was the more
-annoying that they should have been successful as we were well prepared
-for them, and had rather anticipated this attack, having a Maxim in
-ambush within one hundred and fifty yards, which unfortunately jammed,
-and failed to polish off the lot, as it certainly ought to have done.
-If we had had any luck it would have been a very different story.
-Directly the Maxim began the Boers nipped off their horses and running
-alongside of them for protection reached the cover in the fold of the
-ground.  Unfortunately they killed poor Francis of the B.S.A.P. (the
-second brother who has fallen here since the fighting began) and took
-all the horses. It was very annoying, but a smart bit of work and I
-congratulate the Dutchmen, whoever they may be, who conducted it.  Still
-it was a breach of our Sunday truce, and if all is fair in love and war
-the many irate spectators will have their pound of flesh to ask for
-later on.  It really was a curious sight: lines of men impotently
-watching the raid and behind them the shouts of the unmoved auctioneer
-of "Going at fifteen bob."  "Last time."  "Going."  "Going." "Gone," and
-gone they were undoubtedly, but they were our horses and he was
-referring to some scrap iron.  To cover this nefarious procedure they
-opened a heavy fire on various outlying forts.  We were lucky enough in
-the interchange of courtesies to secure a Dutchman on the railway line,
-and as they had practically violated the white flag our advanced posts
-had great shooting all the afternoon at his friends who came to try to
-pick him up.  We buried Francis this evening.  The concert was put off.
-A certain amount of endurance has been shown by the inhabitants and a
-certain amount of pluck by the defenders of the town, but prior to the
-Boers starting fooling (successful fooling and neatly carried out), I
-and several more were standing in the market square gossiping about
-things we did know, and things we didn't, when we happened to notice a
-very weak-looking child, apparently as near death as any living creature
-could be.  It transpired on inquiry that this infant was a Dutch one,
-Graaf by name.  His father, a refugee, died of fever; his brother was in
-hospital, and he had been offered admission, which he refused, because
-he said that he must look after his mother.  Even then, though scarcely
-able to cross the road, the kid was going to draw his rations.  He was
-taken to hospital, but I think that this is about the pluckiest
-individual that has come under my notice, and nobody can take exception
-to the child, though his mother is probably one of those amiable ladies
-who eat our rations, betray our plans, and are always expressing a
-whole-hearted wish for our extermination.
-
-15th, Tuesday.  News has arrived that our troops are within striking
-distance; "Sister Ann" performance has begun again.  We are now
-beginning to recover from our exciting Saturday.  As I wired home, it
-was the best day that I ever saw, and I must now try and describe it.
-
-Just before four o'clock in the morning we were roused by heavy firing.
-The garrison turned out and manned the various works. We all turned up,
-and I went to the headquarters.  Everybody got their horses ready, armed
-themselves as best they could, and awaited the real attack.  Colonel
-Baden-Powell said at once the real attack would be on the stadt.  We
-have had a good many attacks and don't attach much importance to them,
-but we did not any one of us anticipate the day's work that was in store
-for us. When I say anticipate, every possible preparation had been made.
-Well, we hung about in the cold.  After about an hour and a half the
-firing on the eastern front began to slacken.  Trooper Waterson of the
-Blues, as usual, had coffee and cocoa ready at once, and we felt we
-could last a bit.  Jokes were freely bandied, and we kept saying, "When
-are they going to begin?"  Suddenly on the west a conflagration was
-seen, and betting began as to how far out it was.  I got on to the roof
-of a house, and with Mr. Arnold, of Dixon's Hotel, saw a very
-magnificent sight. Apparently the whole stadt was on fire, and with the
-sunrise behind us and the stadt in flames in front, the combination of
-effects was truly magnificent, if not exactly reassuring. However,
-nobody seemed to mind much.  Our guns, followed by the Bechuanaland
-Rifles, hurried across the square, men laughing and joking and saying,
-"we were going to have a good fight."  Then came the news that the
-B.S.A.P. fort, garrisoned by the Protectorate Regiment, had fallen into
-the enemy's hands. Personally I did not believe it to be true, and
-started with a carbine to assure myself of the fact.  I got close up to
-the fort, met a squadron running obliquely across its front, and though
-the bullets were coming from that direction could not believe but that
-they were our own men who were strolling about outside it.  That is the
-worst of being educated under black powder.  I saw poor Hazelrigg, who
-was a personal friend of mine, and whom I knew at home, shot, but did
-not realise who he was.  Both sides were inextricably mixed, but having
-ridden about, and got the hang of things, I am certain that within
-twenty minutes, order and confidence were absolutely restored on our
-side. You saw bodies of men, individuals, everybody armed with what they
-could get, guns of any sort, running towards the firing.  A smile on
-every man's face, and the usual remark was, "Now we've got the beggars."
-The "beggars" in question were under the impression that they had got us
-and no doubt had a certain amount of ground for their belief.  The fight
-then began.  At least we began to fight, for up till then no return had
-been made to the very heavy fusillade to which we had been subjected. I
-have soldiered for some years and I have never seen anything smarter or
-better than the way the Bechuanaland Rifles, our Artillery and the
-Protectorate Regiment ran down and got between the Boers and their final
-objective. The Boers then sent a message through the telephone to say
-they had got Colonel Hore and his force prisoners and that we could not
-touch them.  Campbell, our operator, returned a few remarks of his own
-not perhaps wholly complimentary and the telephone was disconnected and
-re-connected with Major Godley. Our main telephone wire runs through the
-B.S.A.P. fort.  McLeod, the man in charge of the wires, commenced
-careering about armed with a stick and a rifle, and followed by his
-staff of black men with the idea of directly connecting Major Godley's
-fort and the headquarters. I may mention McLeod is a sailor and conducts
-his horse on the principle of a ship.  He is perhaps the worst horseman
-I have ever seen and it says much for the honour of the horse flesh of
-Mafeking that he is still alive. However, be that as it may, his pawky
-humour and absolute disregard of danger has made him one of the most
-amusing features of the siege.  You always hear him in broad Scotch and
-remarkable places, but he is always where he is wanted.  By this time we
-were settling down a bit, so were they.  They looted everything they
-possibly could.  A Frenchman got on to the roof of the fort with a
-bottle of Burgundy belonging to the officers' mess to drink to
-"Fashoda."  He got hit in the stomach and his pals drank the bottle.
-Our men were very funny. When the Frenchmen yelled "Fashoda," they said
-"silly beggars, their geography is wrong."  I was very pleased with the
-whole day.  I have never heard more or worse jokes made, and, no doubt,
-had I been umpiring, I should have put some of us out of action or at
-any rate given them a slight advantage.  Every townsman otherwise
-unoccupied, who had possibly never contemplated the prospect of a fight
-to the finish, now turned out.  Mr. Weil (and too much cannot be said
-for his resource through every feature of the siege) broke open his
-boxes, served out every species of firearms he could to every person who
-wanted them.
-
-[Illustration: BOERS FIRING THE NATIVE STADT.]
-
-A very deaf old soldier, late of the 24th Regiment, Masters by name,
-asked where they were, and then proceeded to investigate in a most
-practical fashion.  I went down to the jail which more or less commands
-the B.S.A.P. fort and buildings, and had a look, and as we saw that no
-attack was imminent or at any rate likely to prove successful, we
-knocked off by parties and had our breakfast.  We were beginning to kill
-them very nicely. Jail prisoners had all been released. Murchison, who
-shot Parslow, Lonie, the greatest criminal of the town, were both armed
-and doing their duty.  We were all shooting with the greatest
-deliberation and effect whenever they showed themselves, and perhaps I
-was better pleased with being an Englishman from a sightseer's point of
-view than on any day since the Jubilee.  The quaint part of the whole
-thing was that we were shooting at our own people unwittingly.  I had a
-cousin there, and we laughed consumedly in the evening when we exchanged
-notes and found that we had been shooting close to him amongst others.
-I don't think that any man who was in that fight will ever think ill of
-his neighbour from the highest to the lowest; from our General--or, at
-least, he ought to be a General--to the ordinary civilian, everybody was
-cheerful and confident of victory.  We had had a long seven months'
-wait, and at last we were having our decisive fight.  After breakfast
-(like giants refreshed) we began shooting again.  I cannot tell you who
-did well, but I can assure you that no man did badly.  Besides the men
-there were ladies.  Mrs. Buchan and Miss Crawford worked most calmly and
-bravely under fire.  All the other ladies did their duty too. Whilst the
-fight was developing, Mrs. Winter was running about getting us coffee.
-Her small son, aged six, was extremely wroth with me because I ordered
-him under shelter. Then commenced what you may call the next phase of
-the fight.  Captain Fitzclarence and his squadron, with Mr. Swinburne
-and Mr. Bridges, came down through the town to join hands with Captain
-Marsh's squadron, and then with Lord Charles Bentinck's squadron and the
-Baralongs, the whole under Major Godley, were now going to commence to
-capture the Boers.  I must endeavour to describe the situation.  Eloff's
-attack was clever and determined.  He had seven hundred men and had
-advanced up the bed of the Molopo.  Into Mafeking he had got, but like
-many previous attacks had proved--it was easy to get in, but quite
-another matter to get out.  The Baralongs and our outlying forts had
-allowed some three hundred men to enter, and had then commenced a heavy
-fire upon their supports.  This discomfited the supports, and they
-incontinently fled.  Silas Moleno and Lekoko, the Baralong leaders, had
-decided that it was better to kraal them up like cattle.  One Dutchman
-was overheard to shout, "Mafeking is ours," when suddenly his friends
-yelled, "My God, we are surrounded."  This species of fighting
-particularly appeals to the Baralong.  He is better than the Boer at the
-Boer's own game, and never will I hear a word against the Baralong.
-However, Silas was then engaged in conjunction with our own men in
-collecting them.  He collected them where they had no water, and then
-the question resolved itself into the Boer showing himself and getting
-shot or gradually starving.  If the Baralongs had been fighting the
-fight and time had been no particular object, they would probably still
-be shooting odd Boers, but it is obvious that those dilatory measures
-could not be pursued by ourselves, and that we had to finish the fight
-by nightfall.  Our men were accordingly sent down to round them up;
-there were thus in all three parties of Boers in the town, one, nearly
-three hundred strong, in the B.S.A.P. fort, sundry in a kraal by Mr.
-Minchin's house, others again in the kopje.  The kraal was captured in
-an exceedingly clever manner.  Captain Fitzclarence and Captain Marsh
-worked up to the walls, but knowing the pleasant nature of the Boer,
-instead of storming the place or showing themselves, they bored
-loopholes with their bayonets.  The artillery under Lieutenant Daniels
-also had come up to within forty yards.  There was a slight hesitation
-on the part of the Boers to surrender.  The order was given to the gun
-to commence fire.  The lanyard broke, but before a fresh start could be
-made the Boers hastily surrendered.  Captain Marsh, known and respected
-by the Baralongs, had great difficulty in restraining them from
-finishing the fight their own way, and small blame to them for their
-desire.  They had had their stadt burned.  Odd Boers had been bolting at
-intervals, and had mostly been accounted for.  The question next to be
-settled was as to the possession of the B.S.A.P. fort.  Our men who were
-captive therein, and indeed the Boers and foreigners to whom I have
-since talked describe our fire as extraordinarily accurate. Eloff had
-great difficulty in keeping his men together, and as one man at least
-was a deserter of ours, it can't altogether be wondered that they did
-not wish to remain. Our firing, as we had more men to spare, became more
-and more deadly, and at last now they decided to surrender.  Some
-hundred broke away and escaped from the fort, in spite of Eloff firing
-on them, but their bodies have been coming in ever since and many will
-never be accounted for, because the bodies of men with rifles may be
-possibly put away by the Baralongs, who are always begging rifles we
-have been unable to give them.  Eloff accordingly surrendered to Colonel
-Hore.  The other party in the kopje had made several unsuccessful
-attempts to break out, Bentinck and his squadron always successfully
-heading them, but as it got dark, and our men had been fighting from
-before four, it was decided to let them break out and just shoot what we
-could.  The Baralongs had some more shooting too.  As each successive
-batch of prisoners was marched into the town absolute silence was
-maintained by the Britishers, except saluting brave men who had tried
-and failed.  They were brave men and I like them better now than I ever
-did; the Kaffirs, however, hooted.  As each batch marched up, their
-arms, of which they had naturally been deprived, were handed over to the
-Cadets, who had been under fire all day.  These warriors range from nine
-to fifteen years of age.  They are the only smartly clad portion of the
-garrison, for our victorious troops were the dirtiest and most vilely
-robed lot of scarecrows I have ever seen, still it did one good to see
-the escort to the prisoners, they were simply swelling like turkey cocks
-and all round our long lines of defences we would hear cheers and "Rule
-Britannia" and the "Anthem" being sung with the wildest enthusiasm.  It
-is impossible as I said before, to say who behaved best, but none
-behaved badly. There was only one thing said afterwards, when all sorts
-and conditions of men were shaking each other by the hand, and that was,
-"This is a great day for England."  Mafeking is still rather mad with
-the Relief Column within shouting distance and it is likely to remain
-so.
-
-[Illustration: CAPTURED BOER PRISONERS]
-
-We lost few men in our great success but I take it that no man
-particularly wants to be lost.  I really have seen brave men here, but
-the man who says he wants to get shot is simply a liar.  We know the
-story of the Roman sentinel and the Highlander who fought in Athlone (or
-was it Mullingar) against Hoche and many men that have died for their
-country obstinately.  Captain Singleton's servant, Trooper Muttershek,
-may be added to their roll.  He absolutely declined to surrender and
-fought on till killed.  It wasn't a case of dashing in and dashing out
-and having your fun and a fight, it was a case of resolution to die
-sooner than throw down your arms, the wisdom may be questionable, the
-heroism undoubted.  He wasn't taking any surrender.  As far as I am
-concerned, I have seen the British assert their superiority over
-foreigners before now, but this man in my opinion, though I didn't see
-him die, was the bravest man who fought on either side that day.  It is
-a good thing to be an Englishman.  These foreigners start too quick and
-finish quicker.  They are good men, but we are better, and have proved
-so for several hundred years.  I had always wanted to see the Englishman
-fight in a tight hole, and I know what he is worth now.  He can outstay
-the other chap.  Well, you must be getting rather bored by the fighting,
-and I will write more anon when I have collected some further
-particulars. The Rev. W. H. Weekes, our parson, organized a thanksgiving
-service on Sunday night.  We were still rather mad, and it gave us a
-pleasant feeling to sing nice fighting psalms and hymns, because which
-ever way you look at it we are perfectly convinced out here that it is a
-righteous war.  He had rather a mixed congregation, which probably in
-times of peace would be half the size, but he understands his
-congregation and the congregation understand him.
-
-Poor Hazelrigg died that night.
-
-[Illustration: INTERVIEWING BOER PRISONERS ON MR. WEIL'S STOEP]
-
-I went over and saw the prisoners this afternoon.  They were very civil,
-and so were we.  I like a Frenchman, and was chaffing them more or less
-at having left "La Patrie."  They didn't seem to mind being prisoners;
-they apparently enjoyed their fight, but they objected to their food.  I
-did what I could for them, and I couldn't help feeling that they were
-absolutely uninvited guests.  It wasn't their quarrel, and why they
-wanted to shove their nose into it we all fail to understand. There is
-really a very charming man amongst them, who asked me to procure him a
-grammar as he wished to improve his mind by learning Dutch and English.
-Of course, I got him a grammar, while I couldn't help suggesting that it
-might have been as well to remain in comfort in France without
-travelling all this way to learn the language, also remarking Dutch
-seemed rather out of date.  He rather agreed with me, and asked me for a
-collection of siege stamps as he said he thought his girl would like
-them.  The funny part of these fellows is that they seem to think that
-we haven't got homes or girls or anything else, but are a sort of
-automatic "Aunt Sally," put up here for irresponsible foreigners to have
-a shy at. Nobody bears any malice about the fight, but the Frenchman
-calls the Boer "canaille," the Boer doesn't seem to like the Frenchman
-or, indeed, any other foreigner, regarding him as an impetuous fool who
-would probably lead him (the Boer) into some nasty dangerous place, and
-the Englishman laughs at the lot; however, as I said before, the poor
-devils can't help being foreigners.  I always like a Frenchman, a good
-many have been kind to me and they are invariably amusing.  Their
-stomachs, however, are at present proud, and they cannot swallow
-"sowen," or horse flesh, or any local luxuries. However, as we pointed
-out, it was rather their fault that we had not any rations in here. Some
-of these men had only been in the country a week.  It seems a long way
-to come to get put in "quod," and live on horse flesh and "sowens."  One
-told me he passed a battery of our relieving column in harbour at Beira.
-I suppose he thought he had put in a smart day's work when he got ahead
-of it.  He has, but he isn't working now.  I never liked Eloff much, not
-that I knew him personally, but now I like him better for his
-performances.  He very nearly did a big thing, but both sides have
-apparently an ineradicable mutual contempt for each other, which has led
-to some very pretty fighting through the whole war.  There is no mistake
-about it, he did insult the Queen, and I am glad we have had the wiping
-out of that score, but he is a gallant fellow all the same.  When we
-look back on our discomfiture of Cronje, and the mopping up of Eloff, it
-gives a pleasant finish to the siege. It wanted just a finishing touch
-to make it satisfactory.  There should be another fight within a few
-hours, but I reckon that it will be the relief Column's turn, and though
-everything is ready for us to assist them I honestly don't think we
-could go far and do much.  The men were dog tired on Saturday,
-absolutely dog tired.  I always thought the Boer was a bad bird to get
-up to the gun, but he came up that day.  I don't think he will again.
-
-On Monday we saw the tail end of some Boer force arriving.  We had hoped
-it might be our own people, but they appear to be a few miles further
-off.  However, we know they are there or thereabouts now.  Nobody minds
-now, we know we are winning.
-
-To return again to my story of the fighting, the foreigners did try
-their best to stop the Boers looting, but loot they did most thoroughly.
-They stole everything they could lay their hands on.  Not one officer,
-whose kit happened to be in the fort has recovered anything. One
-"clumpy" of Boers galloped forth laden with food and drink.  The food
-belonged to themselves, the drink belonged to us.  They happened to fall
-in with the galloping Maxim, a piece of bad luck because they all died
-and our people took the food and drink. One fellow had taken a pair of
-brown boots and a horse, he had a few bullets through the boots, the
-horse was killed and so was he.
-
-Life had been very dull here, but that morning put everything all right.
-We had never before seen a dead or wounded Boer or a prisoner, and it is
-weary work to see your friends and neighbours shot and not see your own
-bag too, but personally, except in the way of business, I hope I haven't
-killed a Boer. In the fight in the morning, though everything had been
-prepared for as far as we could tell, we had had to take up positions
-which were absolutely enfiladed by the fresh development of affairs.
-The trench occupied by the Bechuanaland Rifles, Protectorate Regiment,
-and others on the spur of the moment, was directly enfiladed by the
-enemy's quick-firer.  Why we were not wiped out on that line I never
-shall quite make out.  They shot the jailor, Heale, who has done very
-good work all through the siege, who I am afraid leaves a wife and
-family. Then the prisoners took charge of themselves. Our gunner
-prisoners ran down to the guns, one was shot, the others served the gun
-all day. The others, armed with Martinis, commenced a heavy fire on the
-enemy, or cautioned the Dutch prisoners, the suspects, as to their
-behaviour, and put them down a hole.  It was an exhilarating sight and
-struck me as exceedingly quaint to see men who had committed every
-crime, and were undergoing penal servitude, dismissing their past,
-oblivious of anything except the fact that we were all of the same
-crowd, and had got to keep the Dutchmen out. I hope Her Majesty will
-exercise her clemency; they certainly deserve to regain their rights as
-citizens.
-
-We have had rather a dull day for some reason or other.  A general idea
-pervaded the town that relief was at hand, and when towards evening a
-cloud of dust and troops were seen to the south-west, we most of us got
-on the roofs and looked at them with some interest. It transpired
-subsequently, however, that they were the enemy retiring before Mahon.
-They passed round the south of the town, and opposed him later.
-
-16th, Wednesday.  A dull day, but towards evening our relief was really
-seen.  Everybody got on the roofs, and looked on at the Boers being
-shelled; most refreshing, but as they were not apparently coming in,
-people went to feed, and enthusiasm rather died away again, so much so
-that when Major Karri Davis, and some eight men of the I.L.I. marched
-in, he told one passer-by he was the advance guard relief force, the
-other only murmured "Oh, yes, I heard you were knocking about," and went
-to draw his rations, or whatever he was busily engaged in.  However,
-when it became generally known the crowd assembled and began to cheer,
-and go mad again--so to bed.
-
-17th, Thursday.  Roused out this morning at some ungodly hour to be told
-they had arrived, and strolled down to the I.L.I. to see Captain Barnes
-of my old regiment.  It appeared that Mahon and Plumer had effected a
-masterly junction the day before, and that the former, following the
-only true policy of South African warfare had, as usual, said he was
-going to do one thing, and done something else, viz., camped out, and
-then suddenly inspanned and marched into the town. I can't quite convey
-the feelings of the townspeople, they were wild with delight, and
-pleased as they were their _bonne bouche_ was to come later.  Edwardes
-and Barnes breakfasted with me and then went back (personally I borrowed
-a horse from the I.L.I.).  About 9 o'clock the guns moved out to the
-waterworks, and then the fun really began.  The Boers had been going to
-intercept Mahon's entry, but he was a bit too previous.  All the morning
-their silly old five-pounder (locally known as "Gentle Annie") had been
-popping away, when suddenly the R.H.A. Canadian Artillery and pom-poms
-began, ably led by our old popguns, who had the honour of beginning the
-ball.  I rode well out, as I wanted to see the other people have a
-treat, but literally in half an hour all there was left of the laager,
-which has vexed our eyes and souls so much for long months, was a cloud
-of dust on the horizon, except food-stuffs, &c., which we looted.  I got
-a Dutch Bible, and from its tidiness I was pleased to see its late owner
-was a proficient in the Sunday school. So, quietly back to the town, and
-after the march past of the relief column the relieved troops began.
-And now, I suppose, after being bottled up for some eight lunar months,
-I may effervesce.  As I have said before, I have seen many tributes to
-her Majesty and joined in them all, but dirty men in shirt sleeves, and
-dirtier men in rags on scarecrows of horses touched me up most of all.
-We were dirty, we were ragged, but we were most unmistakably loyal, and
-we came from all parts of the world--Canadians, South Africans,
-Australians, Englishmen, Indians, and our Cape Boys and various other
-Africans, and there was not one of us who did not respect the other, and
-know we were for one job, the Queen and Empire, not one.
-
-[Illustration: MARCH PAST OF THE RELIEVING FORCE.]
-
-I wonder how the prisoners felt, poor devils; they must have wished they
-were not against us.  The Boers had certainly executed the smartest
-movement I had seen for some time; I had not believed it possible that a
-laager could break up and disperse so rapidly.  We all went back to
-lunch, having recovered Captain McLaren, who, I am glad to say, is doing
-very well.  Then after lunch an alarm was raised that we had rounded up
-old Snyman, and everybody started off to help in the operation; but,
-alas, Snyman knows too much.  They said that he and four hundred Boers
-were surrounded and refused to surrender, and we all wanted as much
-surrender as we could get--or the other thing. I am glad to say he was
-hit on the head in the morning with a bit of shrapnel, but not
-dangerously wounded, unfortunately, at least so they report.  He seems
-equally execrated by Dutch and English--Psalm-singing, sanctimonious
-murderer of women and children and his son takes after him.  I may
-contradict my previous statements, but his actions have also varied
-frequently.  Well, we had a great dinner; old friends from all parts of
-the world foregathered, and at our head was Smitheman.  Many dinners
-then combined, and more old friends were met--so to bed, still pleased
-with England.  Men of all sorts and conditions, trades, professions and
-ranks, relievers and relieved, slept that night in and about Mafeking,
-with a restless sleep, thinking of what England would think, and we knew
-and were sorry we couldn't hear what they said.
-
-The garrison in Mafeking hope to get some recognition or decoration, but
-what they attach particular importance to is receiving the Queen's
-chocolate.
-
-Immediately after the relief column marched in our Baralongs under
-Montsoia Wessels, Silas and Sekoko and Josiah, marched off on their own
-to settle up Abraham Ralinti at Rietfontein, and bring in our trusty
-ally, Saani.  He had been utterly looted, and taken away from his own
-stadt, and kept a prisoner at Rietfontein, his great notion being that
-we should have a conference with the Boers, and then lay down what he
-called "plenty polomite," and blow them up when they came to confer.
-You cannot get very far ahead of a Baralong.  I suppose this is the
-first occasion on which one black man surrendered under a white flag to
-another.  These Rietfontein rebels have always been against the
-remainder of the Baralongs, and have invariably fought for the Boers
-since the disturbed relations between Briton and Boer have existed.  I
-hope they will shoot Abraham, as his people's invariable cunning in
-stopping our runners has caused us great inconvenience, not to mention
-the numbers they have killed.
-
-18th, Friday.  Did very little.  Went round and helped our pals to shop,
-get stamps, money, &c., &c.
-
-19th, Saturday.  The garrison held its solemn Thanksgiving Service at
-the cemetery, at the termination of which three volleys were fired over
-our dead.  We had been unable to do this before owing to the certainty
-of drawing fire, not that that really much mattered, as they usually
-fired on all our funeral parties, though there could be no mistaking
-them.  Still they had this excuse that the cemetery is fortified.  After
-the last post had sounded we reformed and sang the National Anthem.
-Then, after Colonel Baden-Powell had spoken personally to each
-detachment, we cheered him, and then with heartfelt cheers for Her
-Majesty, the siege of Mafeking closed.
-
-                          GOD SAVE THE QUEEN.
-
-And now for sheer personalities.  Mr. Stuart had arrived, and as I
-considered he was much better qualified to represent the paper with the
-force than myself, I determined to come south.  Mr. B. Weil, whom as I
-have previously said, I consider to be one of the principal factors in
-the successful defence, certainly as regards the food supply, said he
-was going south.  I accordingly resolved to accompany him, and while
-returning from the ceremony suggested it. Anyhow, to make a long story
-short, I arrived as he was starting, and with a small bag, having
-relinquished all my Mafeking impedimenta, climbed into his cart.  He had
-to turn out one of his boys, but I didn't mind that, and being the most
-good-natured of men, he tried to look as if he didn't.  So our caravan
-started--Major Anderson, Major Davis (Surg. I.L.I.), Mr. Weil, and
-myself, together with his servant Mitchell, a prototype of "Binjamin,"
-but absolutely reliable and hard-working, also Bradley, of Bradley's
-Hotel, Inspector Marsh, the Rev. ---- Peart, and Ronny Moncrieffe (who
-had secured a horse belonging to a Protectorate regiment, and proposed
-to accompany us).  He had done a lot of good work in the siege, and was
-about as tired and unfit as a man could be. However, he was determined
-to get through, and so he did.  It was a quaint pilgrimage, as the
-column, though it had swept the country, had not particularly cleared
-it, and the Boer is here to-day, gone to-morrow, and back the next day.
-Well, our commissariat was excellent.  I contributed some eight biscuits
-and three tins of bully, and that is all I have done except live on the
-fat of the land--Lord, how fat it seemed after Mafeking--a land flowing
-with fresh milk, butter and eggs, mutton and white bread, and above all,
-the sense of freedom, I never knew what it felt like to be properly free
-before, and I have been more or less of a wanderer most of my life.  No
-more sieges for me, except perhaps from the outside.  Yet I was sorry to
-leave Mafeking, and I may truly say as far as I know I didn't leave a
-bad friend behind me, only all my kit.  Towards dark, after an outspan
-that was like a picnic, we reached Mr. Wright's farm, where the wounded
-were--one had died the night before--and we found Mr. Hands, _Daily
-Mail_, badly wounded in the thigh, but doing well; Captain Maxwell,
-I.S.C., and others.  Mr. Wright acts up to his name.  Two of his sons
-were in "tronk" at Zeerust for refusing to join the Boers, and what he
-had was at our disposal. I wonder if people at home realize in what a
-position our loyalists in Bechuanaland have been placed.  If they didn't
-come in their own countrymen regarded them as rebels,--if they did they
-lost all they had.  But by doing as they have done, that is by carrying
-on their business while exposed to all the contumely and insult the
-Boers could heap on them, with the possible loss of life as well as
-property, they have served their country as well as those who have taken
-up arms; because their houses have always been a safe place for runners
-to go to, and news about the doings of the Boers could be obtained from
-them. Besides, they know which of the Boers fought, and which didn't,
-and this fact now terrifies the rebels and keeps many quiet, who might
-not otherwise be so.  Mr. Weil on arrival bought two hundred bags of
-mealies and despatched them to his friends the Baralongs. Such a pretty
-place his farm is, with plenty of water and lots of game.  We slept
-under the cart, and miserably cold it was.  Mr. Weil (who is rather like
-myself in that respect), could not sleep, and was determined nobody else
-should do so.  So we got up, and sat round the fire till sunrise.  Our
-cocoa that morning was indeed acceptable.  The caravan, which was as I
-say, quaint, marched as follows, preceded by mounted Kaffir
-Scouts:--First came Keeley and his boy in a Cape cart drawn by mules,
-followed by Weil, his servant, driver and myself in another Cape cart
-with six mules, Bradley driving a pair of horses in another, then Ronny,
-the Rev. ---- Peart and Inspector Marsh riding, the latter riding B.P.'s
-brother's pony.  We inspanned at sunrise on Monday and started for
-Setloguli.  Halted half way and had the pleasing intelligence that a
-commando was raiding within six miles of us.  I personally felt very
-unhappy.  I had always looked upon it as a two-to-one chance, and as we
-had no weapons we could make no fight of it.  Apart from the bore of
-being a prisoner I knew I should be so awfully laughed at.  However,
-there we were--it was no use grumbling, but I did, as hard as ever I
-could. Then we inspanned and drove to Setloguli, where our spirits were
-considerably raised by an excellent lunch provided by Mrs. Fraser, who
-is the best hostess I have ever met.  The Frasers had a terrible rough
-time of it, and now "the Queen had got her own again" were naturally
-correspondingly cheerful.  Later we were also further relieved to hear
-that "the commando" was merely a small patrol of Boers, and that it had
-withdrawn across the border. During the afternoon I went up and saw the
-old fort--quite interesting, and anybody who wants to spend a quiet time
-might do worse than to go to Setloguli.  The worst of it is it takes
-some time to get there.  Lady Sarah Wilson's maid was there.  She had
-been there since Lady Sarah was brought in by the Boers to Mafeking.
-Mr. Weil was showing various curios of the siege to Mrs. Fraser,
-including a copy of Her Majesty's _Leaves from the Journal of our Life
-in the Highlands_, which he had looted from the Boer laager.  This
-excited the good lady's unqualified wrath, "What sacrilege for them to
-have it in their hands.  Why it smells Boery," she said.  On Tuesday
-Keeley was returning to Mafeking with Lady Sarah's maid and his scouts,
-so Weil engaged two scouts to accompany us to Jan Modebi, where we were
-next going to stop.  They didn't seem particularly pushing sort of
-scouts, as they persistently rode in rear of the Cape cart.  The road
-too, was infamous, but it was impossible to lose the way as the column
-had left an unmistakable track behind them, and this was fortunate,
-because when we had been going about an hour and a half our intelligent
-guide stated he didn't know the way.  I wonder how Keeley felt all that
-Tuesday.  If he could have heard half we said he would have torn his two
-days' beard out and wept.  The other scout lost us altogether.  Keeley
-and Weil were arranging a series of despatch riders, so as long as we
-got one of them to Jan Modebi's, it didn't much matter.  We outspanned
-first at a rebel's farm, and had an excellent lunch.  I was still rather
-fretful. The prospect of captivity made me so, and I only believe in
-dead Dutchmen, till peace is proclaimed.
-
-One Sonnenberg, a brother of some Bond member or other, was there
-trading, I suppose, like most Bondsmen, running with the hare and
-hunting with the hounds. He looked well on it, and was very civil. We
-inspanned and then came a long trek to Jan Modebi's.  About half-way
-there, we saw two horsemen with guns cruising about. One obviously was
-not a soldier.  I reckoned Pretoria was the ticket, however, they came
-up and Weil went to interview them.  They turned out to be one of the
-Kimberley Light Horse and a civilian who was showing him the way, and he
-said he had got a convoy of cattle. It felt like being near home again
-then.  We afterwards met the convoy--total, four white men and five
-black.  I still marvel at their colossal impudence, marching through a
-rebel country within five miles of the enemy's border, escorting cattle
-for which any Boer will peril his skin.  He calmly assured me they were
-going to pick up all they saw on the way; to use his own words, "All is
-fish that comes to our net."  I hope they got through all right. So to
-Mr. Menson's, where we put up for the night, and he, like everyone else,
-did all he could.  He, too, had had a bad time.  He didn't grumble, but
-when the relief column had come through they had cut all his barbed wire
-fences.  Having a constitutional antipathy to barbed wire I sympathized
-with the relief column, but naturally did not say so.  I was amused to
-see three prints of Sir Alfred Milner, Lord Roberts, and Oom Paul, the
-inscription under the latter being, "The end is better than the
-beginning, 14.10.99," also to hear his account of how when driving his
-cattle to Vryburg at the outbreak of the war he had met a Dutchman who
-told him that they had driven the English into the sea.  His reply was,
-"Oh, that's too far to go," and so he turned and drove his cattle back
-again to his farm. Weil, as usual, bought up cattle, &c., also butter
-and other luxuries, and despatched them to the hospital at Mafeking on
-his own account.
-
-Wednesday.  We started rather later than usual owing to the heavy rain,
-and half way to Vryburg we crossed the fresh spoor of men, wagons,
-cattle, &c., going towards the Transvaal.  It afterwards transpired it
-was the rebel Van Zyl and his following, bolting from Kuruman to the
-Transvaal.  Let off number two.  We couldn't have been more than an hour
-or two behind them, and they would certainly have scooped us had we met
-them, so the rain was lucky.  Well, we got into Vryburg from one side as
-the troops got in from the other.  An old acquaintance rushed me off to
-the Club, and I then strolled up to see the Scotch Yeomanry and found
-Charley Burn.  I found also Kidd and several others I knew--then on to
-see Reade, who had been Intelligence Officer at Mafeking before the war,
-and was D.A.A.G. to General Barton, and arranged about getting on in the
-first train. This was my first chance of seeing the infantry Tommy on
-the war path to any great extent. He is no more beautiful or clean, in
-fact, if anything less so than his cavalry brother, but by heaven he
-looks a useful one! However, what matter the man as long as the flag is
-clean.  Met North of the Royal Fusiliers and dined with him, they all
-asked after Fitzclarence, Godley, and the others. They and the Scots
-Fusiliers had done quite an extraordinary march of forty-four miles in
-thirty-four hours, and now our infantry were within striking distance of
-Mafeking.  The line should soon be repaired as they had begun from
-Mafeking and the line as far as Maribogo was practically untouched, in
-fact next morning, Thursday, they ran twelve miles north.  Thursday we
-began our preparations for departure.  The garrison were preparing to
-celebrate the Queen's Birthday, and the populace to display great
-enthusiasm, and the women began to come into town.  It was not a highly
-polished parade, so far as I could see.  Still, it was rather good to
-have it there just then, where the Dutchmen had been in occupation
-within ten days.  Rifles were now coming in by the hundred, and the
-rebel of a fortnight before became a British patriot.  We drove to the
-station, and there met the Scots Fusiliers.  I was accosted by a warrior
-in large blue goggles, who said I didn't remember him.  I naturally
-didn't in the goggles, but it turned out to be Scudamore. They did the
-best they could for us, and then Dick of the Royal Irish Fusiliers
-turned up, who had once been my sergeant-major.  I was glad to see
-him--the old regiment and squadron seems fairly dotted all over Africa.
-Barnes was at Mafeking, three of us had been through the siege, and I
-met one Lambart at Taungs, who had been a corporal with us, and was a
-captain in the Kimberley Mounted Corps, curiously enough all belonging
-to two squadrons, B and D.  Well, we left Vryburg with a light engine
-and a truck full of niggers.  We were all sitting on the tank, in charge
-of young Gregg, R.E., who is a good train master.  He ran us down, after
-dropping the niggers to repair a bridge, to Dry Hartz, where we had to
-pull out for an up-coming train, and as we had half an hour to wait, and
-it was just mid-day at twelve, we formed up and gave three cheers for
-the Queen and drank her health.  It was the smallest and dirtiest
-Queen's Birthday parade I have ever attended; nine all told, but "mony a
-little makes a muckle."  We ran down to Taungs, where one way and
-another we were detained some twelve hours.  I didn't mind.  The Royal
-Welsh Fusiliers were there, and I found several old friends and
-acquaintances--Gough Radcliffe, R.H., Cooper (Royal Fusiliers), Broke
-Wright, R.E., the former railway staff officer. So into a cattle truck
-we jumped with one of the Welsh Fusiliers and some men and arrived at
-Kimberley 7 o'clock next morning, where I called on Sir C. Parsons, and
-had fish for breakfast at the hotel.  Thus my journey was practically
-ended.  It transpired that Vryburg was held by some half dozen of our
-forces, and that the remainder of the garrison was only sixty loyalists
-from the town population.  It did not seem a large garrison, but
-apparently it was good enough. There was rather a curious coincidence at
-dinner at Orange River.  I saw a man whose face I thought I knew, but I
-was mistaken; it was his likeness to his brother which misled me.  He
-turned out to be Tom Greenfield's brother, who was down here sick, and
-to whom I had wired to meet me at Fourteen Streams, so that I could give
-him news of Tom.  However, I struck him on the next river or so, so it
-didn't much matter.
-
-It was sad to pass the Modder River and see our cemeteries--all English;
-so we passed on to Cape Town.  And how jolly it was to see old friends;
-besides, we were able to tell our Mafeking people, womenfolk, good news
-of their husbands.
-
-Three pleasant days there, and then everybody came to see us off by the
-_Norman_, which we nearly missed.  The voyage passed without much
-incident.  Everybody on board was more or less personally interested in
-the war, and there were a good many Boers and pro-Boers on board.  On
-Saturday, short of Madeira, the _Briton_ signalled the news of the fall
-of Pretoria.  Tremendous rejoicings on board on the part of the British,
-while the Dutch were correspondingly depressed and seemed rather sad;
-some of them wept into the sea.
-
-The further I got from the seat of war the less animus I felt.  So to
-Madeira, where we arrived about midnight, and the news was confirmed
-with particulars.  We got many newspapers.  On to Southampton--more
-victories; many valuable officers killed.  It is really sad to take up a
-newspaper; one sees friends killed in every fight.  Thus we arrived in
-London at 9.15 on the 15th June, having left Mafeking 11 a.m. the 20th
-May.
-
-
-[Illustration: "LORD NELSON." By a curious coincidence the letters B.P.
-were found cast on the breech of this piece when dug up.]
-
-
-
-[Illustration: Cavalryman]
-
-
-
-
-
-
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