RELIEVED AT LAST
_Tuesday, February 27, 1900._
This is Majuba Day, and in the afternoon the garrison was cheered by the
news that Roberts had surrounded Cronje and compelled him to surrender.
For ourselves, relief seems as far off as ever, though it is said shells
were seen bursting not far beyond Intombi Camp. The bread rations are
cut down again to half, after a few days' rise; though, indeed, they can
hardly be called bread rations, for the maize bread was so uneatable
that none is made now. The ration is biscuits and three ounces of mealie
meal for porridge.
Towards evening I went for my first drive through old familiar scenes
that have come to look quite different now. The long drought has turned
the country brown, and it is all the barer for the immense amount of
firewood that has been cut. It was decided about a week ago not to issue
any more horse as rations till the very last of the oxen had been
killed.
_February 28, 1900._
From early morning it was evident that the Boers were much disturbed in
mind. Line after line of waggons with loose strings of mounted men kept
moving from the direction of the Tugela heights above Colenso, steadily
westward, across the top of Long Valley, past the foot of Hussar Hill,
out into the main road along the Great Plain, over the Sandspruit Drift
at the foot of Telegraph Hill, and so to the branching of the roads
which might lead either to the Free State passes or to Pepworth Hill and
the railway to the north. All day the procession went on. However
incredible it seemed, it was evident that the "Great Trek" had begun at
last.
Soon after midday a heliogram came through from Buller, saying he had
severely defeated the enemy yesterday, and believed them to be in full
retreat. Better still, about three the Naval guns on Cove Redoubt and
Cæsar's Camp (whither "Lady Anne" was removed three days ago) opened
fire in rapid succession on the great Bulwan gun. The Boers were
evidently removing him. They had struck a "shearlegs" or derrick upon
the parapet. One of our first shots brought the whole machinery down,
and all through the firing of the Naval guns was excellent.
About six I had driven out (being still enfeebled with fever) to King's
Post, to see the tail-end of the Boer waggons disappear. On returning I
found all the world running for all they were worth to the lower end of
the High-street and shouting wildly. The cause was soon evident. Riding
up just past the Anglican Church came a squadron of mounted infantry.
They were not our own. Their horses were much too good, and they looked
strange. Behind them came another and another. They had crossed the
drift that leads to the road along the foot of Cæsar's Camp past Intombi
to Pieter's, and Colenso. There was no mistake about it. They were the
advance of the relief column, and more were coming behind. It was Lord
Dundonald's Irregulars--Imperial Light Horse, Natal Carbineers, Natal
Police, and Border Mounted Rifles.
The road was crammed on both sides with cheering and yelling
crowds--soldiers off duty, officers, townspeople, Kaffirs, and coolies,
all one turmoil of excitement and joy. By the post office General White
met them, and by common consent there was a pause. Most of his Staff
were with him too. In a very few words he welcomed the first visible
evidence of relief. He thanked his own garrison for their splendid
service in the defence, and added that now he would never have to cut
down their rations again, a thing that always went to his heart.
Then followed roar after roar of cheering--cheers for White, for Buller,
for Ward, for many others. Then, all of a sudden, we found ourselves
shouting the National Anthem in every possible key and pitch. Then more
cheering and more again.
But it was getting dark. The General and Staff turned towards
Headquarters. The new arrivals had to be settled in their quarters for
the night. Most were taken in by the Imperial Light Horse--alas! there
is plenty of room in their camp now! To right and left the squadrons
wheeled, amid greetings and laughter and endless delight. By eight
o'clock the street was almost clear, and there was nothing to show how
great a change had befallen us.
About ten a tremendous explosion far away told that the Boers were
blowing up the bridges behind them as they fled.
And so with to-night the long siege really ends. It is hardly credible
yet. For 118 days we have been cut off from the world. All that time we
have been more or less under fire, sometimes under terrible fire. What
it will be to mix with the great world again and live each day in
comparative security we can hardly imagine at present. But the peculiar
episode called the Siege of Ladysmith is over.
APPENDIX
APPENDIX
HOW LADYSMITH WAS FED
LADYSMITH, _March 23, 1900_.
_Where all worked so well it would be a shame to say Ladysmith was saved
by any particular branch of the service--the naval guns, the Army
Service Corps, or the infantry soldier. But it is quite certain that
without the strictest control on the food supply we could not have held
out so long, and by the kindness of one whose authority is above
question I am able to give the following account of how the town was fed
for the seventeen weeks of the siege._
THE PROBLEM.
A celebrated French writer on military matters has said: "There are two
words for war--_le pain et la poudre_."
In a siege _le pain_ is of even greater importance than _la poudre_, for
"hunger is more cruel than the sword, and famine has ruined more armies
than battle." Feeding must go on at least three times a day, and every
day, or the men become ineffective, and the hospitals filled.
At the beginning of November, 1899, Ladysmith, containing over 20,000
souls, with 9,800 horses and mules, and 2,500 oxen and a few hundred
sheep, was cut off from the outer world, and nothing in the way of
supplies was brought in for 119 days, except a few cattle which our
guides looted at night from the besieging enemy. The problem was how to
utilise the food supplies which were in the place, and those who had the
misfortune (or, as some say, the good fortune) to go through that trying
period will say that the problem was very satisfactorily solved in spite
of the enormous difficulties the Army Service Corps had to contend with.
The two senior officers of that corps--Colonel E.W. D. Ward, C.B., and
Lieut.-Colonel Stoneman--recognising the possibility of a siege, and
also that a big margin is everything in army administration, had caused
enormous quantities of supplies to be sent up from the base to
Ladysmith. The articles were not even tallied or counted as received, in
spite of the remonstrances of the consignors; but by means of Kaffir
labourers, working night and day, the trucks were off-loaded as fast as
possible, and again sent down the line to bring up more food.
STORES AT THE BEGINNING.
The quantities of the various articles in hand at the beginning of
November were as follows:--
lbs.
Flour 979,996
Preserved Meat 173,792
Biscuits 142,510
Tea 23,167
Coffee 9,483
Sugar 267,699
Salt 38,741
Maize 3,965,400
Bran 923,948
Oats 1,270,570
Hay, &c. 1,864,223
and a large amount of medical comforts, such as spirits, wines,
arrowroot, sago, beef tea, &c.
In addition to the above we had rice, _ghi_, _goor_, _atta_, &c., for
the natives of the Indian contingent. (_Ghi_ is clarified butter;
_goor_, unrefined sugar; _atta_ is whole meal.)
At the beginning of the siege the scale of rations was as follows:--
Bread, 1-1/4 lb, or biscuit, 1 lb.
Meat (fresh), 1-1/4 lb., or preserved meat, 1 lb.
{ Coffee, 1 oz.,
{ or
{ Tea, 1/2 oz.
Sugar, 3 oz.
Salt, 1/2 oz.
Pepper, 1/36 oz.
{ Vegetables (compressed), 1 oz.,
{ or
{ Potatoes, 1/2 lb.
Cheese, bacon, and jams were frequently issued as an extra, in addition
to the above.
REQUISITIONING.
The above quantities of articles, large as they appear, would not have
sufficed to supply our wants for the long siege. The military
authorities therefore very wisely determined at a very early date to
make use of the Requisition. This power of seizing at a certain price
from their owners all articles required by the troops has to be used
very carefully and tactfully, as otherwise the people hide or bury their
goods. A civilian, commanding the confidence of the people, was
appointed by the local authorities to fix the prices in co-operation
with a military officer, who represented the interests of her Majesty's
Government. In this way a large quantity of food, &c., was obtained at a
fair price. These quantities were:--
Cattle, 1,511.
Goats and sheep, 1,092.
Mealies or maize, 1,517,996 lbs.
Kaffir corn, or a kind of millet, 68,370 lbs.
Boer meal, or coarse wheat-meal, 108,739 lbs.
All spirits and wines were taken and a fair price paid.
In December, when the cases of enteric fever and dysentery began to be
very numerous, it was determined to take possession of the milch cows,
and to see that the milk was used for the sick alone. So under the
supervision and control of Colonel Stoneman and Captain Thompson, a
dairy farm was started, and the milk was issued to civilians and
soldiers alike on medical certificate. Owing to the scarcity of milk,
and to the great necessity for it in cases of enteric and dysentery,
the dairy farm is still going (March 23, 1900), the owners of the cows
being paid 1s. per quart; a careful account being kept of the milk
produced.
In connection with the requisitioning of cows by Colonel Stoneman, a
quaint incident is recorded. A gentleman of Ladysmith of a stubborn
temperament on receiving the requisition wrote to Colonel Stoneman in
the following terms: "SIR,--Neither you nor any one else shall take my
cow. If you want milk for your sick apply to Joubert for it. Get out
with you, and get your milk from the Dutch." The cow was promptly taken.
POULTRY AND EGGS.
These soon became very scarce, and the price demanded for eggs was
enormous. The highest price reached was £2 10s. for twelve eggs, but
they were often sold at sums from 30s. to 44s. per dozen. As eggs were
so important a food in the dietary of the sick, it was determined, under
the authority of the Lieutenant-General commanding, to requisition the
poultry and eggs of those persons who would not sell them at a
reasonable rate. A good price was paid to the owners for their eggs and
chickens, which were issued only on medical certificate.
A well-known official of the Natal Government Railway had thirty-six
tins of condensed milk. At the auction which took place three times a
week in the town, 6s. 6d. a tin was offered for this, but the unselfish
and unsympathetic owner did not consider this price sufficient; he
declined to sell under 7s. 6d. a tin. This fact being brought to the
notice of Colonel Stoneman, he requisitioned the whole lot at 10d. a
tin.
I have stated that 1,511 cattle were requisitioned from their owners for
slaughter purposes. This was a great trial both to the officer who
carried out this duty and to the owners. The Kaffir lady Ugumba did not
want to part with her pet cow, which was the prop of her house, had been
bred up amongst her children, and had lived in the back yard. The white
owners discovered suddenly that their cattle were of the very highest
breed, and had been specially imported from England or Holland at
enormous cost. However, most of these cattle, except milch cows, had to
be taken. The proprietors of high-bred stock were directed to claim
compensation, over the meat value, from the "Invasion Losses Commission"
now sitting.
FAIR SALE.
Colonels Ward and Stoneman having requisitioned considerable quantities
of food-stuffs at the beginning of the siege, they determined to sell
some of them, such as sugar, sardines, &c., &c., at the same price as
was paid. One or two fathers with sick children were supplied with 4 oz.
of brandy on medical certificate. There was no liquor to be had in the
town, and the fathers with sick children grew in numbers with suspicious
rapidity.
In the month of February the pinch began to be felt. Most men were
without smiles, and most women were scarcely able to suppress their
tears--tears of weakness and exhaustion. The scale of rations was then
reduced to a fine point. Many a man begged for suitable food for his
sick wife and little baby, many mothers asked for a little milk and
sugar for their young children, and many sick men, both at Intombi and
in Ladysmith, wrote, or caused to be written, pathetic letters for
"anything in the way of food" that could be granted.
The "Chevril" factory was started to supply soup, jellies, extracts, and
even marrow bones made from horses; a sausage factory was instituted;
and a biltong factory was run in order to utilise the flesh of horses
which would have otherwise died from starvation. A grass-cutting labour
gang was organised to go out and (under fire) cut grass and bring it in
for our cattle and horses; a wood-cutting labour gang went out daily and
cut wood for fuel--being "sniped at" by the Boers constantly; mills were
worked by the A.S.C. for the purpose of grinding maize, &c., as food;
arrangements were made by the A.S.C. for a pure water supply by means of
condensation and filtration; coffee was made by roasting and grinding
mealies; the gluten necessary to maize to make bread was supplied by
Colman's starch; and in short nothing was left undone that ingenuity
could devise.
LOWEST RATIONS.
And yet, in spite, of all that human power could do, as the days dragged
out the supplies grew shorter. The scale of rations, much to the sorrow
of the lieut.-general commanding, had been several times reduced, and
once more, on February 27, it was again found necessary to cut them
down, with a view to holding out until April if necessary. On that day
the ration scale was as follows per man, per day, this being the extreme
limit:--
For Whites--Biscuit, 1/4 lb.; Maize meal, 3 oz.
For Indians and Kaffirs--Maize meal, 8 oz.
Europeans--Fresh meat, 1 lb.
Kaffirs--Fresh meat, 1-1/4 lbs. (Chiefly horseflesh.)
For White men--Coffee or tea, 1/12 oz.; pepper, 1/64 oz.; salt, 1/3 oz.;
sugar, 1 oz.; mustard, 1/20 oz.; Vinegar, 1/12 gill.
For Indians--a little rice.
The Indian, it will be observed, would have fared the worst, much
against the will of the authorities, for he does not eat beef, much less
horseflesh.
We had not, however, to spend the month of March on this scale of diet,
for to our great joy, about midday on the 28th, we received the
following message from General Buller:--"I beat the enemy thoroughly
yesterday, and my cavalry is now pursuing as fast as bad roads will
permit. I believe the enemy to be in full retreat." The ration scale was
at once doubled, and that evening Lord Dundonald's cavalry arrived.
UNWIN BROTHERS, THE GRESHAM PRESS, WOKING AND LONDON.
[Illustration: SKETCH PLAN OF COUNTRY SOUTH & WEST OF LADYSMITH]