THE STORY OF THE SIEGE OF MAFEKING
_October, 1899--May, 1900_
I.
THE WARM CORNER
In July, 1899, Baden-Powell was suddenly called away from the gaieties
of Henley Regatta to attend at the War Office. There he received orders
to proceed to South Africa, and within three days he was on his way.
Always prepared for such emergencies, he might easily have set out
within three hours, but the necessary delay enabled him to pay some
farewell visits to friends. It was at this time that he paid the visit
to Dr. Haig-Brown, which has become famous because of the words he used
in saying good-bye to his old schoolmaster--"I hope they'll give me a
warm corner." How warm that corner was to be nobody anticipated when
Baden-Powell left England to fill it.
On his arrival at the Cape Baden-Powell was ordered to form a body
of irregular troops in the Bechuanaland Protectorate, and he set up
his headquarters at Mafeking. This place, now famous all the world
over, is situate on the Malopo River, and in the most important centre
of population in British Bechuanaland. It is a comparatively new
settlement, but was of considerable importance as a trading centre ten
years ago. Mr. Lionel Decle, the famous traveller, who visited it in
1891, thus describes it in his "Three Years in Savage Africa":--"The
'town' consisted of a big open place called the 'Market Square,' round
which were grouped a few buildings, mostly of corrugated iron. Two
hotels, five or six stores, a barber, a butcher, and a baker composed
the commercial part of the place. One building, standing by itself,
contained the Law Court, the Post, and the Government offices. Add
to this a church and a few private houses, where the clergyman, the
magistrate, and the doctor lived, and you have Mafeking as it was in
1891. About three-quarters of a mile off is a big native village."
By 1899, however, Mafeking had considerably increased in size and
importance, though its architecture was still of a very primitive
nature, consisting chiefly of soft bricks and corrugated iron. With the
exception of the convent, all the houses were but one storey in height.
On the west, north, and east the surroundings of Mafeking are flat; on
the south and southeast the town is overlooked by high ground.
In Mafeking, between August and October, 1899, Baden-Powell gathered
together a small garrison--so small, indeed, that one feels amazed to
know that such a handful of men afterwards accomplished so much. At the
beginning of October he had under him about seven hundred men, drawn
from the Bechuanaland Protectorate Regiment, the British South African
Police, the Cape Police, the Bechuanaland Rifles, and the Town Guard.
The men of the Protectorate Regiment and the South African Police
were armed with the Lee-Metford rifle, and had six muzzle-loading
seven-pounders, very old-fashioned in make, and several Maxim,
Hotchkiss, and Nordenfeldt guns. The remainder of the garrison were
armed with the Martini-Henry rifle. Long before war actually broke out,
Baden-Powell kept his handful of men busily engaged in strengthening
the defences of the town. There were people in Mafeking who would have
dissuaded him from making such elaborate preparations, believing that
the differences between Great Britain and the South African Republic
would be settled by diplomatic process, but Baden-Powell left nothing
to chance, and he and his men worked with a will. Defence works
were made all round the town, bomb-proof shelters were contrived, a
system of communication by telephone between headquarters and the
various forts was established, an armoured train (soon to figure
very conspicuously in the first outbreak of hostilities) was kept
waiting in the station, and the principal buildings of the town were
protected by sand-bags. While all these preparations for a possible
siege were being made there were many other things to be done. It
was well known that there were several traitors and disaffected folk
in Mafeking--Baden-Powell, with characteristic promptitude, had them
arrested and placed in safe-keeping. Then came the question of getting
the women and children away. A great many of them were sent off to the
south, but many refused to leave the town. The sisters at the convent
remained as a matter of course, and were soon busily engaged in nursing
the sick and wounded. The question of provisioning the place was one
which caused Baden-Powell a good deal of anxiety. It was found that
the quantities of food-stuffs stocked in the various shops and stores
were much below the average, and the commandant's powers of ingenuity
were sorely taxed in order to devise means for the proper victualling
of the town. In this work he was much helped by three men--Lord Edward
Cecil, one of the Prime Minister's sons, Mr. Benjamin Weil, a member
of a mercantile house with a great reputation in South Africa, and by
Mr. Frank Whiteley, a Yorkshireman, who, after an adventurous life as
sportsman and traveller, settled down in Mafeking many years ago, and
was its Mayor during the eventful days of the siege.
By the beginning of October Baden-Powell had made his corner--soon
to be warmer than perhaps ever he had dreamt of!--all ready against
whatever was to be. Everything was in readiness. In a letter written
from Mafeking on October 9th the writer says that there was then
nothing in the appearance of town or people to indicate the nature of
what was coming--men and women were pursuing their ordinary avocations
as though the shadow of war was far away instead of being so near.
The town was ready and waiting, and meanwhile its usual life went on
until the need came for action. Baden-Powell and his garrison had not
long to wait, however. On October 11th hostilities began between Great
Britain and the South African Republic, and the armoured train of
Mafeking figured conspicuously in the first engagement. On that date it
left Mafeking with the last load of women and children, and made its
journey southward in safety; but on its return journey it fell into
the hands of the Boers, and ere long English readers were informed of
its capture. This was the first of the reverses which came in quick
succession during the autumn of 1899.
The armoured train of Mafeking consisted of an ordinary four-coupled
locomotive, protected in every part by 7-16 in. steel plates, and two
bogie trucks, fenced to a height of five feet by stout rails, bolted
longitudinally together. Communication with the driver was had by a
system of bells and speaking tubes from the trucks, each of which was
furnished with a machine gun and had accommodation for fifty men. On
the night of October 11th Captain Nesbitt and fifteen men were in
charge of the train, and were bringing back in it a further supply of
guns and ammunition for the garrison. All went well until a point some
forty miles south of Mafeking was reached. There, about midnight, the
armoured train ran off the lines, which had been purposely displaced by
the Boers. The latter, ambushed close by, immediately poured in volley
after volley upon Nesbitt and his little company. The fight went on
until morning broke, and it was not until he had fought for several
hours that Nesbitt surrendered. The Boers had by that time brought up
heavy cannon, and the situation was hopeless. Only the engine-driver
escaped by crawling along a dry ditch at the side of the track--the
rest fell into the hands of the Boers.
The actual investment of Mafeking began on October 12th, when General
Cronje, in command of an army estimated at eight thousand strong,
appeared in the neighbourhood. He was well supplied with cannon, but is
said to have been surprised to find that there was need for its use,
as he had expected that he would be able to occupy the town with very
little opposition. Baden-Powell, however, was not at all disposed to
yield to the Boer general in any way, and Cronje quickly found that
whatever success might be in store for him would have to be fought
for. On the first day of hostilities rather severe fighting took place
between the Boers and two squadrons of the Protectorate Regiment under
Lord Charles Bentinck and Captain FitzClarence. The Boers are said to
have lost over fifty men in this preliminary fight; the British three.
Baden-Powell on this day played an ingenious trick upon the besiegers,
which resulted in their serious discomfiture. There was a considerable
store of dynamite in Mafeking, which might have proved extremely
dangerous if a shell had burst in it. Baden-Powell therefore caused two
trucks to be filled with it, and sent them down the line attached to an
engine, the driver of which was instructed to leave them when in sight
of the Boer lines. The enemy, thinking the trucks contained troops,
began a smart fire upon them, with the result that the dynamite soon
exploded, and caused great havoc amongst the besiegers in its immediate
neighbourhood.
The first Boer shell came into the town on October 15th, and from
that time until the 24th the bombardment was very heavy. With the
beginning of the bombardment began the curious and amusing interchange
of letters and communications between the Boer general and the English
commandant. Cronje began by proposing that the opposing forces should
observe Sunday as a day of rest. Baden-Powell was quite agreeable, and
reminded his enemy that it was not according to the recognized rules
of civilized warfare that ambulances should be fired upon--a dirty
trick of which the Boers had already been guilty. Cronje explained
this away and immediately transgressed again, and continued to do
so. On October 17th he endeavoured to cut off the water supply, only
to find that Baden-Powell's ever resourceful mind had thought of
all possible difficulties and dangers, and had made provision about
wells and springs. This done, the Boer commandant again resorted to
letter-writing. He asked Baden-Powell quite innocently whether it
would not save much bloodshed if the British surrendered at once.
Baden-Powell asked when the bloodshed would begin--a laconic form of
reply which appears to have irritated and puzzled the Boer leader.
Cronje now began to bombard the town more furiously than ever, throwing
a large number of shells into it within the next few days. On the 21st
Baden-Powell sent home the following characteristic telegram, which has
been talked of and laughed over thousands of times since:--
"_October 21st._--All well. Four hours' bombardment. One dog killed."
Cronje, being unaware of this terrible effect of his artillery
practice, now sent another letter to Baden-Powell, hinting once more
at a British surrender. Baden-Powell replied that he would let General
Cronje know when the garrison had had enough. Evidently disposed to
give them as much as possible, and in as short a time as might be,
Cronje renewed the bombardment, firing hundreds of shells into the town
within the next thirty-six hours. Then Cronje wrote again, telling
Baden-Powell that he had better surrender, for he was bringing a heavy
siege gun to bear upon the town, and would shortly blow it all to
pieces. Baden-Powell replied that he thanked General Cronje for the
news, and would give him some information in return. He then went on
to say that the town was surrounded by mines, which could be exploded
automatically, that he had placed a yellow flag above the building in
which the Boer prisoners were confined in order to give General Cronje
information of his friends' exact whereabouts, and finally that the
persistent shelling of the women's and children's laager would make
a precedent for the British army which would eventually invade the
Transvaal. Cronje replied to this budget of very pertinent information
by a renewed shelling of the town, this time doing a good deal of
damage.
[Illustration: An every-day Scene in the Market.]
On October 27th a brilliant passage of arms took place. Captain
FitzClarence, taking some men of the Protectorate Regiment and of the
Cape Police, made an attack by night upon the enemy's trenches, and
gave the Boers a taste of the bayonet. Over one hundred of the enemy
were killed on this occasion, the British loss being very slight
indeed. The trenches upon which the attack had been made were taken,
but were found to be untenable. Four days later there was another fine
bit of fighting at Cannon Kopje, the key of the British position,
which was resolutely attacked by the Boers early in the morning.
The British South African Police, commanded by Colonel Walford, met
this attack--which was made under cover of very heavy gun fire--with
splendid resolution, and finally beat the Boers off with heavy loss on
both sides. It must have become increasingly evident to Cronje that
Mafeking was not to be taken so easily as he had at first anticipated,
and that its commander was as capable an exponent of the art of war as
he was an amusing and exasperating correspondent.
Whether Baden-Powell thought the corner which had been given him warm
enough for his taste one does not know--that it was an extremely busy
corner, and that he had many demands upon his time, is certain. He
was the brain of the whole town--from him, as from some wonderful
reservoir of strength and judgment, went all the various promptings,
encouragements, and counsels which made men strong. He was tireless
in his labours--those who were with him speak of the marvellous way
in which he seemed to bear a thousand things in mind. It is very easy
to sit at home and talk of the siege of Mafeking, but there are few
people who can at all realize what it must have meant to Baden-Powell
to feel himself the head and front of his little force, and that upon
his courage and determination everything depended. The contest, as it
began, looked so unequal--on one hand stood a little irregular band
of some nine hundred men, on the other an army of eight thousand. But
great general and bold leader as Cronje is said to be, he had more than
met his match in Baden-Powell, who had sat down in the warm corner
which he had desired, and had made up his mind that he would keep the
English flag flying over it until such times as relief came to him. Let
the relief come soon or late, Mafeking must be held against the Boers
at all costs.
II.
WARMER AND WARMER
Ere the siege of Mafeking had been in progress many weeks three
incidents occurred which gave something of zest to the proceedings. The
first was the retirement--carried out in obvious disgust--of General
Cronje; the second the capture of Lady Sarah Wilson by the Boers, and
her exchange for Viljoen, a noted horse-thief; the third the sending of
a very characteristic letter from Baden-Powell to the enemy.
During the whole of November operations on both sides were carried on
with regularity and steadiness. Baden-Powell had elaborated a system
by which the inhabitants of Mafeking were warned by the ringing of
signal bells whenever shells were approaching the town, and as the Boer
missiles were sighted, the folk on every side made for the shell-proof
shelters which had been constructed in all quarters. Baden-Powell
himself was perpetually on the look-out, and he might have had a
thousand eyes in his head, so carefully and zealously did he attend to
the various matters requiring his attention. While he took particular
care of the town and its people, he was not forgetful of the enemy's
presence, and continually harassed and worried Cronje and his men by
sorties and assaults, in which the British usually got the best of it.
The British trenches and outposts were gradually pushed forward, and
between the defenders and the Boers a continual exchange of desultory
firing went on. Cronje became somewhat weary of the slow progress of
affairs. He had expected to occupy Mafeking, and from it to overrun
Rhodesia, with little delay; the determined resistance offered to his
attack chafed and infuriated him. The news of Lord Methuen's advance
upon the Modder River presently drew Cronje away, and with him went a
considerable number of the besiegers, Commandant Snyman being left in
charge of those who remained.
Early in December came the affair of the exchange of Lady Sarah Wilson
for Viljoen. When the siege began, Lady Sarah, who was acting as
special correspondent of the _Daily Mail_, and whose husband, Captain
Gordon Wilson, was a member of Baden-Powell's staff, left Mafeking
and rode across country to Setlagoli, where she met friends. Finding
that her presence there was likely to cause discomfort to the latter,
she went on to Mosuti, where she stayed at the house of a colonial
farmer. From this place she kept up communication by means of native
runners, but at the end of a month set out, in company with a young
Boer who was induced to represent himself as her brother, for Vryburg,
where she obtained news from the loyalists. Suspicion as to her real
character appears to have been roused here, and she and her escort
were severely examined by the Landrost ere they could get out of the
town again. Lady Sarah now determined to return to Mafeking, and set
out thither, only to be made prisoner by some of General Snyman's
burghers. Snyman refused to allow her to proceed to Mafeking or to
return to her friends at Setlagoli, and gave her the alternative of
being sent prisoner to Zeerust or exchanged for Viljoen, whose previous
record as a horse-thief appears to have been a somewhat dark one.
Lady Sarah at first refused to be exchanged under these conditions,
but the transaction was soon afterwards completed, and she returned
to the beleaguered town. Her account of what she had seen in the Boer
camp must have had a reassuring and confidence-inspiring effect upon
the garrison of Mafeking. She told them that, from the information she
had gained, the Boers were already wearied of the war, and that their
losses, from the continual vigilance of Baden-Powell's men, were very
heavy. She had found the besiegers' camp dirty, badly equipped, and
poorly supplied with food, and had observed that General Snyman was
unpopular with the men serving under him.
It may be that this information had something to do with the
characteristic letter which Baden-Powell addressed to the besieging
forces early in December--a letter which aroused vast indignation
amongst the Boer leaders, and created much interest and not a little
admiration in England for its writer's good sense and wise counsel. It
was addressed, "To the Burghers under arms round Mafeking," and ran as
follows:--
"BURGHERS,
"I address you in this manner because I have only recently learned
how you have been intentionally kept in the dark by your officers,
the Government, and the newspapers as to what is happening in other
parts of South Africa. As the officer commanding Her Majesty's troops
on this border, I think it right to point out clearly the inevitable
result of your remaining longer under arms against Great Britain. You
are aware that the present war was caused by the invasion of British
territory by your forces without justifiable reasons. Your leaders do
not tell you that so far your forces have only met the advanced guard
of the British forces. The circumstances have changed within the last
week. The main body of the British are now daily arriving by thousands
from England, Canada, India, and Australia, and are about to advance
through the country. In a short time the Republic will be in the hands
of the English, and no sacrifice of life on your part can stop it.
"The question now that you have to put to yourselves before it is too
late is: Is it worth while losing your lives in a vain attempt to stop
the invasion or take a town beyond your borders, which, if taken, will
be of no use to you?
"I may tell you that Mafeking cannot be taken by sitting down and
looking at it, for we have ample supplies for several months. The
Staats Artillery has done very little damage, and we are now protected
both by troops and mines. Your presence here and elsewhere under
arms cannot stop the British advancing through your country. Your
leaders and newspapers are also trying to make you believe that some
foreign combination or Power is likely to intervene in your behalf
against England. It is not in keeping with their pretence that your
side is going to be victorious, nor in accordance with facts. The
Republic having declared war, and taken the offensive, cannot claim
intervention on their behalf. The German Emperor is at present in
England, and fully sympathizes with us. The American Government has
warned others of its intention to side with England should any Power
intervene. France has large interests in the goldfields, identical
with those of England. Italy is entirely in accord with us. Russia has
no cause to interfere. The war is of one Government against another,
and not of a people against another people.
"The duty assigned to my troops is to sit still here until the proper
time arrives, and then to fight and kill until you give in. You, on
the other hand, have other interests to think of, your families,
farms, and their safety. Your leaders have caused the destruction of
farms, and have fired on women and children. Our men are becoming hard
to restrain in consequence. They have also caused the invasion of
Kaffir territory, looting their cattle, and have thus induced them to
rise and invade your country and kill your burghers. As one white man
to another, I warned General Cronje, on November 14th, that this would
occur. Yesterday I heard that more Kaffirs were rising. I have warned
General Snyman accordingly. Great bloodshed and destruction of farms
threaten you on all sides.
"I wish to offer you a chance of avoiding it. My advice to you is to
return to your homes without delay and remain peaceful till the war is
over. Those who do this before the 13th will, as far as possible, be
protected, as regards yourselves, your families, and property, from
confiscation, looting, and other penalties to which those remaining
under arms will be subjected when the invasion takes place. Secret
agents will communicate to me the names of those who do. Those who do
not avail themselves of the terms now offered may be sure that their
property will be confiscated when the troops arrive. Each man must
be prepared to hand over a rifle and one hundred and fifty rounds of
ammunition. The above terms do not apply to officers and members of
the Staats Artillery, who may surrender as prisoners of war at any
time, nor to rebels on British territory. It is probable that my force
will shortly take the offensive. To those who after this warning defer
their submission till too late I can offer no promise. They will have
only themselves to blame for injury to and loss of property. They and
their families may afterwards suffer.
(Signed) "R.S.S. BADEN-POWELL,
"Colonel.
"Mafeking, Dec. 10th."
* * * * *
It is almost unnecessary to say that the Boers did not take this
advice, and that their leaders endeavoured to falsify Baden-Powell's
statements and predictions. Events went on pretty much as usual
from the date of this letter until Christmas. The previous week had
been fairly quiet, save for a continual artillery duel between the
garrison's Nordenfeldt and the Boers' big gun, and the besieged had
been encouraged a good deal by the news of British successes. A two
days' truce was agreed upon for Christmas, and on Sunday, the 24th,
the children, who had spent most of their time during the previous
two months in the gloom of the shell-proof refuges, were brought into
the town and treated to a Christmas-tree, which had been provided by
a Committee of which Lady Sarah Wilson was the moving spirit. That
night--Christmas Eve--there was a special service in the English
church, garnished and decorated for the occasion. One of the Boer
shells had struck the church during a previous bombardment and had
damaged the fabric, but in spite of this the congregation was cheerful
and happy, and sang hymns and carols, though those of the men who were
there were armed, booted, and spurred, and ready for any emergency.
There was another day's truce on Christmas Day, but at night rumours of
a sortie which Baden-Powell intended to make on Game Tree Fort began
to spread amongst the officers. At dawn next morning, December 26th,
the sortie was made. Two squadrons of the Protectorate Regiment and
one squadron of the Bechuanaland Rifles, accompanied by three guns
and an armoured train, advanced upon Game Tree Fort in the twilight
and began an attack, which Baden-Powell in his despatch to Cape Town
characterizes as being "carried out and pressed home with the greatest
gallantry and steadiness under very hot fire." The action began by
an artillery duel, in which the British Maxim joined as the daylight
increased, and was soon general in the vicinity of the fort, which
was situated about a mile and a half from the town. At sunrise the
attacking force, under Captains Vernon and FitzClarence, was ready to
rush the Boer position. Those watching the fight from a little distance
saw the men of the Protectorate and Bechuanaland squadrons moving
rapidly upon the fort, and heard a continuous rattle of musketry as
they drew to close quarters with the enemy. For a while there was some
anxiety amongst the watching staff; then it was seen that the British
troops were slowly drawing back, "the fort," said Baden-Powell in his
despatch, "being practically impregnable." Then came the news of the
repulse and the opinion of the commanding officer that the position was
too difficult to attempt a second time. But it was not until the list
of casualties was made out that anyone not actually engaged in it knew
how gallant and strenuous the attack had been. Out of the attacking
force of about one hundred men, only one half came back scatheless.
Captains Vernon and Sandford, Lieutenant Paton, and twenty-one rank
and file were killed; Captain FitzClarence and twenty-two rank and
file were wounded; three troopers were taken prisoners. Most of the
casualties occurred in the final attempt to storm the fort, and Captain
Vernon, in particular, showed magnificent courage. Wounded more than
once during the attack, he kept on fighting until he was shot dead.
Little wonder that the Boers were greatly impressed by the courage
of the besiegers, and that General Snyman began to feel still more
doubtful as to the success of his forces!
On the evening of this day the dead were buried in the cemetery of
Mafeking, the enemy out of respect for their brave opponents ceasing
fire while the ceremony was in process. The Boers, indeed, on this
occasion had showed themselves more humane than usual, and had
assisted the British to succour the wounded men of the attacking party
when the ambulance went out after the fight was over. Still, it was
deemed inadvisable to fire the usual volley over the dead, and so
the men who had fallen were laid to rest in comparative silence. The
non-commissioned officers and men were interred in a long trench,
folded in white calico; the officers were buried in coffins at a little
distance. So the day came to an end with the sound of the Last Post. It
might have been a more successful day had it not been for treachery,
for there was no doubt that the news of the intended British attack on
Game Tree Fort had been communicated to the Boers, who had immediately
hastened to strengthen their defences and to tear up part of the
railway along which the armoured train would proceed, but in spite
of the non-success of the attack, the garrison of Mafeking was still
confident and in good spirits.
The last days of the old year passed somewhat quietly when compared
with the stirring events which had immediately succeeded Christmas
Day. In one respect the garrison and the inhabitants were in somewhat
better case--every day was making it evident that the Boers would not
take the town save by extraordinary means. The spirit of its defenders
grew stronger and more indomitable as each sun rose and sank, and every
man was determined that there should be no surrender. There can be no
doubt that the maintenance of this brave spirit was largely due to the
example and cheering words of Baden-Powell, who from his bomb-proof
headquarters in the centre of the town dominated and inspired
everything. One may well feel a wondering curiosity as to what he felt
as he thought and planned and kept a watchful eye on all that was going
on. He had never been in such a warm corner as this in his life, but
one may be certain that it was not too warm for him. There are men who
rise to the greatest heights at the moment of greatest need, and there
were needs coming upon Mafeking which were likely to try the heart and
resolution of even so brave a man as its watchful commandant.
III.
SITTING TIGHT
[Illustration: Strolling Home in the Morning.]
[Illustration: "Halt! who comes there?"]
On New Year's Day, 1900, the Boers began a new species of assault
upon Mafeking. They fired several nine-pounder shells into the laager
reserved for women and children, killing one child and injuring
two others. They also fired on the convent and on the hospital.
Baden-Powell sent a vigorous protest against this cowardly action to
General Snyman, but the same tactics were pursued at intervals during
the next few weeks. On January 3rd a smart artillery duel took place
between the besieged and the enemy. During the previous night the
British artillery had been concentrated in a fresh position, and when
it came into play it wrought considerable damage amongst the Boer
guns, one of which, at least, was thrown out of action. On the 6th
the enemy threw a number of shells into the market-square, but did
little damage, and on the 15th they were compelled to retire with their
ninety-four-pounder and their Krupp gun to more distant positions, the
besieged having successfully pushed out trenches and sharpshooters
towards their big gun battery. In his despatch of the 17th Baden-Powell
remarked that he had now driven back the Boers on three sides well out
of rifle-range, and had opened grazing for cattle on the east side of
the town. On the 16th the Boers again resorted to questionable tactics.
They fired a ninety-four-pounder shell into the convalescent hospital
and partly wrecked it, and afterwards fired on an officer and orderly
who went out under the white flag. What the garrison must have thought
of these outrages one need not conjecture.
About this time the question of food supply began to agitate the minds
of those responsible for the beleaguered town. For the first two months
of the siege privation had not been felt, but in the despatches coming
to hand about the middle of January there was evidence that provisions
were beginning to run short. Oats were no longer given to horses, but
saved for men; tinned milk and matches were taken charge of by the
military authorities; and food generally began to be sparingly used.
Before this the Kaffirs in the native quarter had eaten mules killed
by the Boer guns. But apart from this shortening of rations a spirit
of courage and determination filled the garrison. In the despatches
from Major F.D. Baillie (war correspondent of the _Morning Post_)
which got through about this time, a phrase occurs again and again
which shows how bravely everybody was keeping up in Mafeking--"All
is well." Certainly there was a desire on the part of somebody--whom
one shrewdly suspects to have been the commandant himself--to make
things as pleasant as possible. An agricultural show was held on
January 21st and was a great success. On Sundays Baden-Powell organized
concerts and musical entertainments, and himself appeared to delight
perhaps the strangest audiences he had ever played to in his life.
On one occasion he impersonated Paderewski in the first part of the
performance, and a cockney in the second, winding up by playing "Home,
Sweet Home" on a mouth-organ! One would like to have been present at
that performance--despite the fact that Snyman and his Boers were still
eager to seize the little town.
In his despatch of February 3rd Baden-Powell reported various artillery
duels between that date and January 23rd, and remarked that General
Snyman had practically admitted shelling the women and children's
laagers, and that he, in consequence, had informed him that he had
placed the Boer prisoners in these places in order to protect them from
deliberate bombardment. But another foe was now at hand. Dysentery
broke out amongst the garrison and fever amongst the children. In a
despatch from Reuter's special correspondent, dated February 19th,
the first terrible picture of the siege comes into view. He speaks of
rations of weevily biscuit and horseflesh; of typhoid and malaria in
the women's laager, into which the Boers still threw shells; of the
children's graveyard daily receiving new victims; and of the natives
wandering about, gaunt and hungry. Up to that date nearly three hundred
persons had been killed or wounded or died of disease. But there was no
talk of surrender, even though the hope long deferred made many hearts
sick. All through February the state of affairs was unchanged with the
exception that the Boer attrocities seemed to increase. Not content
with firing on the women and children's laager, and on hospital and
convent, they treated natives who tried to leave the town with great
cruelty, stripping and flogging the women, shooting down the men, and
generally adopting the most brutal means of warfare.
On February 26th came the Queen's message to Baden-Powell and his
little garrison and gave them new heart and courage. About the same
time news of the relief of Kimberley was received, but there was
small prospect of similar help coming so quickly to Mafeking, where
diphtheria had broken out amongst the children. During the early days
of March a good deal of fighting went on in the brick-fields, and the
enemy's big gun began to be very active. In his despatch of March 13th,
however, Baden-Powell reported that the enemy's cordon had been much
relaxed, and that he had captured twenty-six head of their cattle and
killed twelve Boers. Then the bombardment began again, and continued
with varying success on the part of the enemy. On March 24th the Boers
evacuated their trenches in the brick-fields, and they were taken
possession of by the garrison, who at this time, according to Major
Baillie's despatch to the _Morning Post_ of the last-named date, were
less pressed than at any period since the beginning of the siege. Some
little diversion was caused on Sunday, March 25th, by the holding of a
Siege Exhibition, at which prizes were awarded for such exhibits as
collections of shells (Boer shells!), models of fortifications, and the
like.
Not only food, but money was running short in Mafeking now, and
the ingenious brain of its commander was called upon to supply
the deficiency. He instituted a paper currency for sums as low as
threepence, and also issued bank-notes for £1 and £5. The postage
stamps becoming exhausted, a new supply, stamped with the words
"Mafeking Besieged," was produced. However short the money supply
was, however, it seems to have made little difference to people who
wished to spend it, since one hears of unexploded shells being sold as
curiosities for as much as twelve guineas each.
In his despatch of March 27th, Baden-Powell, after beginning with
the familiar "All Well," which sounds so strange to folk who were
wondering how Mafeking was contriving to hold out as she did, goes
on to say that they are experiencing the hottest shelling of the
siege, but that the town was comparatively free from musketry fire.
The Boers, in fact, were being steadily pushed back, the besiegers
never losing an opportunity of advancing their trenches nearer to the
enemy's position, and the latter were also worried by the advance of
Colonel Plumer's relief column. On March 31st, heavy firing was heard
to the northward of the town, and the enemy were seen to be going in a
northerly direction in great haste, taking three field guns with them.
The garrison at once opened fire on their forts, and continued it until
the firing northward ceased. Next morning General Snyman sent a message
to Baden-Powell requesting him to send out an ambulance to bring in the
dead of Colonel Plumer's force, who, according to his version, had been
slain by hundreds. When the ambulance reached the scene of operation,
three bodies were discovered.
About the beginning of April, General Snyman was relieved of his
command, in which he had had no more success than the redoubtable
Cronje, by Commandant Botha. This made no difference to the garrison,
who were determined to hold out two months longer if necessary. Some
considerable help was given to the commissariat department at this
period by a Scotsman, Mr. Sims, who invented a food called sowan
porridge, made from the husks of oats. This proved very nourishing,
and if not exactly appetizing, was wholesome, and much to be preferred
to nothing when the question of going supperless to bed came on.
A statement prepared by Captain Ryan, head of the commissariat
department, shows how things were going in April:--
"The total number of white men is approximately 1150, of white women
400, and of white children 300. The coloured population consists of
some 2000 men, 2000 women, and 3000 children.
"Both the white and coloured men originally received eight ounces of
bread. The allowance has now been reduced to six, but a quart of soup
is given to make up the deficiency. Half a gallon of sowan porridge a
day will sustain life. The recipients are of three classes: those who
receive it in lieu of two ounces of bread; those who wish to purchase
food over and above the quantity to which they are entitled; those
who are absolutely destitute, both black and white, and who receive
the porridge free. It has been suggested that the natives should not
be charged for sowan porridge, but it is thought unwise to pauperize
either blacks or whites. If any profit has been made from the sale
by the end of the siege, it will be employed in buying grain for the
many native women and children in Mafeking who have been involved in a
quarrel which is not theirs.
"The horse soup is made from the carcases of animals which had ceased
to be serviceable and those killed by the enemy's fire, as well as
horses and donkeys purchased from individuals who can no longer afford
to keep them. This soup is unpopular among the natives, but this is due
rather to prejudice than to its quality.
"The distribution of supplies is entirely under Imperial control. The
Army Service Corps possesses a slaughter-house, a bakery, and a grocery
at which the authorities receive and distribute all vegetables, and it
receives and distributes milk to the hospital, to women and children,
and to men who have been medically certified to need it.
"At present the hospital is supplied with white bread, and it is hoped
that the supply will be continued. Hospital comforts are issued to
such as are in need of them, both in and out patients, on receipt
of an order from a medical officer. For the nurses and doctors, who
work day and night, the authorities endeavoured to provide slightly
better rations than those available for the general community. Our
sources of supply have been chiefly through Mr. Weil, who had a
large stock on hand for the provisioning of the garrison, until the
contract terminated at the beginning of February. Since then supplies
have been collected from various merchants, storekeepers, and private
persons, and stored in the army Service Corps depôt, and from the
original Army Service Corps stock, of which forage and oats formed a
great proportion. Fresh beef is obtained by purchase from a private
individual named White, and in a lesser degree from the natives.
"Breadstuffs are obtained, like groceries, by commandeering the stocks
of various merchants and private persons."
Shortly after this report was published, the special correspondent of
Reuter's Agency announced that a further reduction in the supply of
breadstuffs had taken place. "We are now able to receive only four
ounces daily," he continued. "This, however, has been to some extent
compensated by the issue of sowan porridge to whites as well as blacks.
We have still a fair supply of fresh vegetables, which the Chinese are
retailing at famine prices. As vegetables, however, are perishable
commodities they are still cheap in comparison with whisky, which is
25_s._ a bottle. Eggs are 18_s._ a dozen, fowls 20_s._ each, jam 2_s._
6_d_. a small tin."
The same correspondent, alas! remarks in a despatch of somewhat later
date that "excellent brawn is now being made, and is eaten by both
whites and blacks. It is made from ox and horse hides." He adds with
a brevity which has a good deal of pathos and humour in it, that "the
garrison is very cheerful, very dry, and very hungry." Most of the
necessarily brief despatches from Mafeking in the most trying days of
the siege have a spice of humour and a good deal of pathos in them.
On May 3rd, Lady Sarah Wilson cabled the following laconic message
to Lady Georgiana Curzon:--"Mafeking, May 3rd.--Breakfast consisted
of horse sausages; lunch, minced mule and curried locusts. Well."
"There is great demand for horse side and brawn," says Reuter's
special correspondent on May 5th. But perhaps the most significant,
and certainly the most impressive, message of all was that of Major
Baillie, dated May 1st, which will surely be remembered when many
incidents of the Boer War are forgotten:--
"This morning the Boers attacked us.
"The result was as usual.
"There is an aching void here.
"Pass the loaf."
Those of us who sit at home at our entire or comparative ease can
scarcely comprehend the full meaning of these messages, nor of the
heroism of the men who, sorely tried by hunger and disease, were
keeping up the flag with such stern, immovable determination. In the
town, hunger and sickness; outside the town, an enemy so bitterly
unscrupulous as to observe no civilized conditions of warfare,
and whose leaders did not scruple to fire on women, children, and
sick men--here was a situation in which surely nobody but the most
courageous could have preserved a cheerful confidence. How that
confidence struck Baden-Powell may be judged from the despatch which
he sent to Lord Roberts on the 200th day of the siege. "After 200
days' siege," he said, "I desire to bring to your lordship's notice
the exceptionally good spirit of loyalty that pervades all classes of
this garrison. The patience of everybody in Mafeking in making the best
of things under the long strain of anxiety, hardship, and privation
is beyond all praise, and a revelation to me. The men, half of whom
are unaccustomed to the use of arms, have adapted themselves to their
duties with the greatest zeal, readiness, and pluck, and the devotion
of the women is remarkable. With such a spirit our organization runs
like clockwork, and I have every hope it will pull us successfully
through."
IV.
THE LAST DAYS
About the end of April a new Boer commandant appeared on the scene at
Mafeking in the person of Sarel Eloff, a near kinsman of President
Kruger. He was the fifth Transvaal officer to be placed in charge of
the Boer attack, and it was rumoured that he was specially ordered to
succeed where the elder and younger Cronjes, Snyman, and Botha had
failed. But the siege had now been in progress for seven months, and
the Boers were in no better position than at first. So far as the
actual taking of the town was concerned they were in a much worse
position, for Baden-Powell's watchfulness and daring had driven back
their lines, wrecked a good many of their works, and done more damage
to their forces than they had succeeded in effecting amongst the
garrison. From a military point of view there was now little, if any,
advantage likely to accrue to the Boers by this capture of Mafeking. If
Cronje had reached the town by assault during the first few days of the
siege he would have been able to command a large stretch of country,
and in a position to dominate Rhodesia, but the lapse of several months
had changed everything, and from the tactician's point of view there
was nothing to be gained by the fall of Mafeking. Nevertheless the
Boers continued to surround the place, and were able on more than one
occasion to drive back the relieving force under Colonel Plumer, who
advanced at various times to within a very near distance of the town.
What the feelings of the besieged, weary with constant watching and
weak with hunger and privation, must have been when it was known that
their would-be succourers had been within six miles of them, and had
then been obliged to fall back, may be better imagined than described.
However sick with hope deferred some of the folk in the little town
may have been, there was no feeling of despair in the heart of the
man by whose genius and energy the defence was finally conducted to
such a glorious issue. It is almost--perhaps entirely--beyond the
powers of the stay-at-home, fireside-loving Englishman to comprehend
the extraordinary strength of purpose and firmness of will shown by
Baden-Powell during this historic siege. If one could realize what
it must have meant to be shut up in Mafeking during all those weary
months, with heavy responsibilities of various natures crowding upon
one, and conducting all things to final victory, one might understand
Baden-Powell. When the siege was over, he, with the modesty which is
not the least charm of his character, strove to give praise to others,
instead of allowing it to be showered solely upon himself. "Many nice
things have been said about me at home," he remarked, "but it is an
easy thing to be the figure-head of a ship." What sort of figure-head
Baden-Powell was may be gathered from the following interesting sketch
of him, extracted from a despatch of the special correspondent of the
_Pall Mall Gazette_ during the last weeks of the siege:--
"He is a wonderfully tireless man, ever on the alert, ever with one eye
on the enemy and the other divided between the town and that nightmare,
the native stadt. Some say that he never sleeps, and I half believe
the statement. I have frequently seen him myself at the peep-of-day
crossing the veldt on his return to town after visiting all the works,
with the customary tune on his lips; and half an hour afterwards he was
on the roof with his glasses glued to his eyes, having an early look at
the enemy. Later on he takes a constitutional walk up and down before
his quarters like one doing sentry-go. An hour or so later he is on the
stoep writing his diary, generally with his left hand, for with his
wonderful foresight he has recognized that in pursuing his trade he may
lose his right, and he does not wish to be left in the lurch. Again
he is on the roof once more, having another look at the enemy, and if
everything is particularly quiet, he trusts the look-out men and goes
to his nook to dip into a novel or have a stretch under his mosquito
curtain. I always know that he is there as I pass when I see a pair of
tan boots sticking out.
[Illustration: A Cape Boy Sentry.]
"He spends the rest of the day doing a thousand and one things,
receiving reports, adjusting differences, learning from his staff all
they know, powwowing with Lord Edward Cecil, his chief staff officer,
discovering how much food we have from the D.A.A.G., and suggesting how
it may be conserved, and how much per head shall be served out to each
soul under his care--all the time with an eye fixed upon Snyman and
his horde, reading their thoughts, knowing what they are about to do,
and planning a checkmate. In the evening he goes up to the hospital to
inquire after his wounded--he never misses this visit--and if a victim
of the siege is to be buried it is ten to one that we see him at the
graveside. The Colonel trusts his command, but like the good general
that he is, leaves nothing to chance, and always has the concentrated
knowledge of every officer in his head. Many stories are told by our
sentries of one who silently steals out of the blackness of the night
and is on them before they have time to challenge. He asks a question
or gives a suggestion and a cheery word, and then departs as silently
as he came. They even tell of a bearded stranger dressed in grey tweed
who has the stature of B.-P., and strolls around the works and makes
such remarks as 'Keep a keen eye in that direction; you never know what
may be stirring or where they are.' He goes away and they know that he
is the commander. Napoleon himself never kept keener vigil than B.-P.,
or had a greater grasp of what was going on around him. Added to this
night-and-day round, our Colonel even directs the other force away up
north that he never sees, yet every movement of which he is acquainted
with. Nevertheless, the strain, the anxiety that must be there, despite
the external show of light-heartedness, the constant watchfulness, and
the worries connected with the interior economy of the town, would have
soured and broken down and turned grey-headed many another man. But
B.-P.'s temperament preserves him, and to-day (April) he is as fresh,
as keen, and as full of vigour as when he started in October."
Perhaps an even more remarkable testimony than this was that which came
from General Pretorius, who, while in hospital, recovering from the
wound he received at Elands Laagte, discussed the sieges of Ladysmith,
Kimberley, and Mafeking with an English friend.
"The Ladysmith men," he said, "were good, but there were 10,000 of
them, and all fighting men. Kimberley was remarkable because of the
large number of its civilian population and natives; but the siege
of Mafeking, however it may end, will always live in South African
history, because a flat and absolutely unprotected country village (for
that is what Mafeking is) has by the genius of one man been defended,
and defended against the most strenuous efforts not only of our leading
general, Cronje, but of his successors. I should like to take you
outside Mafeking where I have been, and look at the place. You would
have thought that the 8000 with which we once surrounded it could have
got in on any night they chose. We had the best of Cronje's burghers
there, but it is no confession of cowardice on our part to say that
we knew that Baden-Powell was not only prepared for every surprise of
ours, but that he was quite ready to spring surprises upon us at any
moment. And though I think that we shall eventually take Mafeking,
it will be by starvation and not by attack. Our burghers have not
exhibited fear on any occasion, but I do not think they will tackle
Colonel Baden-Powell."
It was scarcely probable that the man, then feared by one of the most
capable of the Boer generals, should be outwitted by a comparatively
young officer like Eloff, who must necessarily have been somewhat
discouraged by the failure of Cronje, Snyman, and Botha. Eloff,
however, was not wanting in courage or ability, and he seems to have
been more daring than any of the Boer leaders who had preceded him.
He arrived before Mafeking during the last week in April, and on the
24th the garrison received information from natives that a determined
assault was to be made upon the town. Something in the nature of a
feeble fusillade was begun by the Boers next day, but it was extremely
futile, and the garrison thought it scarcely worth their while to reply
to it. Indeed, there was so little doing on the part of the Boers
at this stage of the long-drawn-out proceedings that the besieged
were able to devote some of their energies--the energies of starving
men!--to getting up a military tournament, which was successfully held
on Sunday, April 29th.
Now occurred another of the little episodes which, when reported to the
folk who were looking on at the game from such a tremendous distance,
made everybody wonder what sort of man this wonderful Baden-Powell
could be that he could crack jokes while he and his men were half
starved to death. It came to the knowledge of Commandant Eloff that
the garrison of Mafeking amused itself on Sundays in various pleasant
ways, whereupon he wrote a letter to Colonel Baden-Powell saying that
he heard there was cricket and singing, and dancing and tournaments in
Mafeking on Sundays, and might he and his men come in and join in the
festivities, for it was dull outside. One would like to know if that
message was intended to be serious, or if it was "writ sarcastic."
Anyway, Baden-Powell replied to it in fitting terms. Referring to
Eloff's remarks about the Sunday cricket match, he said that it would
be better to postpone the return match until the one then in progress
was finished, and then suggested that as the garrison were already 200
not out, and as Cronje, Snyman, and others had not been successful, a
further change of bowling might be advisable.
[Illustration: Rough map of BRICKFIELDS]
Eloff's answer to this characteristic Baden-Powellism was another
attack on May 1st. "It was the usual sort of performance," said Major
Baillie in his despatch to the _Morning Post_, "the Boers blazed
away for two or three hours, but did not hit anybody. They are doing
themselves no good, and not attaining any object whatever." Then on
Sunday, May 6th, the enemy committed another of the discreditable
breaches of good faith which have been such an unfortunate feature of
their conduct throughout the whole war. Sunday, by their own request,
had invariably been observed as a day of truce, but on this particular
Sunday a party of Boers made their way to the east of Cannon Kopje,
shot one of the British South African Police, who was guarding cattle,
and stole the horses and mules under his care.
On May 12th, Eloff made his long-threatened and would-be final attack
upon the town. At four o'clock in the morning the garrison was roused
by heavy firing, and it soon became evident that something important
was afoot. It was soon seen that the native stadt was in flames, and
presently came the news that the fort occupied by the British South
African Police had been taken by the enemy. As events proved later,
Eloff and seven hundred men had advanced along the river-bed and got
into Mafeking. They began to loot and to destroy immediately. The
garrison, realizing that at last they were in for such a fight as
they had long desired, worked like heroes, aided by the Baralongs,
and fighting became general. Even the prisoners under sentence in
gaol were released and armed, and fought manfully with the rest. All
through the day the fight went on, the Boers being gradually surrounded
by squadrons under Captain FitzClarence, Captain Marsh, and Captain
Bentinck, and by the Baralongs under Major Godley. Finally the Boers
were cornered--one party in the British South African Police Fort;
another in one of the native kraals; a third in the kopje. Hundreds
of them broke away, many to be shot as they fled. At last the British
artillery got within forty yards of their principal position, and
then Eloff surrendered. He had kept his word and got into Mafeking,
and there for awhile he was to stay--as prisoner. He and his men were
marched in batches into the town, and were received in silence by the
British, but with hooting by the natives whose stadt they had burned.
Baden-Powell's reception of the Boer commandant was interesting, and
characteristic of the former. "This is Commandant Eloff, sir," said
the officer in charge of the Boer leader. "Good evening, commandant,"
answered Baden-Powell. "Won't you come in and have some dinner?"
That was a great night in Mafeking. Men went about the town singing
"Rule Britannia" and "God save the Queen," and cheering themselves
hoarse. In the regimental messes and the hotels liquor which had been
carefully hoarded away was brought out and healths were drunk. If
they had only had definite news of it, the rejoicings would have been
greater, for while the Mafeking garrison was engaged with Eloff and his
men, the relief columns under Mahon and Plumer were drawing nearer to
the town, and the long-desired succour was close at hand.
V.
THE RELIEF AND THE EMPIRE
When Baden-Powell sent the famous despatch to Lord Roberts in which
he drew the latter's attention to the fact that the garrison had now
undergone a two hundred days' siege, the reply came back, "Relief on
May 18th." This reply was pretty much in the nature of a prophecy,
for the actual relief of Mafeking took place on May 17th. During the
first two weeks of the month the two columns under Mahon and Plumer had
been steadily forcing their way towards the beleaguered town, and on
the 15th they joined hands, at a point thirty miles west of the town.
As the relief columns drew nearer, the Boers, realizing that their
efforts were hopeless, retreated in all directions, and on the 16th the
besieged chiefly occupied themselves in watching Mahon's and Plumer's
forces shelling the Boers out of their camps and laagers. In the
evening Major Kerr-Davis and a few men of the Imperial Light Infantry
rode into the town. Their reception was characteristically British.
Stopping to tell a passer-by that they formed the advance guard of the
relieving force, they were answered in laconic fashion, "Oh, yes; I
heard you were knocking about outside somewhere!" But a good deal--more
than a good deal!--of feeling doubtless lay behind that apparently
careless answer. It may have been hard for the besieged to realize
that Mafeking was really relieved at last. But on the morning of the
17th the relief force was in the town in strength, and the Boers were
vanishing on the horizon.
It is difficult to realize the feelings of the besieged and of their
succourers when the final meeting between them took place. The columns
under Mahon and Plumer had worked hard and with true British zeal, and
it must have aroused thoughts which could scarcely be put into words
when the object of the expedition was achieved. Mr. Filson Young,
special correspondent of the _Manchester Guardian_, accompanying the
relief columns, gives the following account of the first glimpse of the
little town:--
"As the sky brightened before us Mafeking was eagerly looked for, but
for a long time each successive rise only showed us another beyond
which hid the desired view. But at last, while some of us were buying
eggs at a Kaffir kraal, a more adventurous person climbed upon a
rubbish heap and shouted, 'There's Mafeking.' There was a rush for the
coign of vantage, and a great levelling of glasses. There it lay, sure
enough, the little town that we had come so far to see--a tiny cluster
of white near the eastward horizon, glistening amid the yellowish-brown
of the flats. We looked at it for a few moments in silence, and then
Colonel Mahon said, 'Well, let's be getting on'; and no one said
anything more about Mafeking, but every one thought a great deal."
With the siege over there were still many things to do. One of the
first things done was thus graphically and pathetically described by
the special correspondent of the Press Association:--
"This morning the garrison was paraded around the cemetery, where a
combined memorial and thanksgiving service was held, and we said our
last good-bye to those of our comrades who lie in the little graveyard,
and who were killed in defending Mafeking. When the service was over,
we tried to sing 'God save the Queen,' but the hymn sounded feeble and
quavering, for most of us had lumps in our throats.
"Then Colonel Baden-Powell addressed the garrison. It was one of his
characteristic addresses--short, soldierly, and to the point. 'We
have been a happy family during the siege. The time has now come for
breaking up. When we were first invested I said to you, "Sit tight
and shoot straight." The garrison has sat tight and shot straight,
with the present glorious result. Many nice things have been said
about me at home, but it is an easy thing to be the figure-head
of a ship. The garrison has been the rigging and the sails of the
good ship _Mafeking_, and has brought her safely through her stormy
cruise.' The Colonel then addressed each unit separately, commencing
with the nurses, whom he complimented upon their pluck and devotion,
shaking hands with Miss Hill, the matron of the Hospital. Coming to
the Protectorate Regiment, he said: 'To you I need say nothing. Your
roll of dead and wounded tells its own tale.' Then, shaking hands with
Colonel Hore, he thanked him for the work he had done.
"To the artillery, under Major Panzera and Lieutenant Daniel, Colonel
Baden-Powell said: 'You were armed with obsolete weapons, but you made
up for these by your cool shooting and the way you stuck to your guns.'
"It was the turn of the British South African Police next. To them the
Colonel said: 'I need not repeat to you men the story of the little red
fort on the hill which Cronje could not take.'
"The Cape Police, under Captain Marsh, were addressed as follows: 'You
have not been given an opportunity of doing anything dramatic, but
throughout the siege you have held one of the nastiest places in the
town, where the enemy were expected at any moment, and where you were
always under fire.'
"Speaking to the town guard, the Colonel remarked that he ought to
say a lot to them. They had turned out in such large numbers and in
such good spirits, submitting to all the restrictions and routine
of military law. They were, he added, like a walnut in a shell.
People thought that once they got through the shell there would be no
difficulty about the kernel. On Saturday last the enemy had got through
the outer husk, but found they could make nothing of the kernel. The
moment communication was restored he would make it his business to
represent to the High Commissioner the claims of the Town Guard for
compensation, and he hoped he would succeed. In conclusion, the Colonel
announced that any civilians who wished to return to their ordinary
occupations immediately, might do so. Those who had none to return to,
whose billets had been lost or business ruined, would be permitted
in the meantime to draw trench allowances and to remain on duty in
the inner defences. Colonel Baden-Powell shook hands with Major Goold
Adams, the town commandant, who has done such excellent work, and
thanked him for the help he had received from him.
"To the Railway Division, under Captain Moore, the Colonel said: 'I
cannot thank you enough for what you have done. You have transformed
yourselves from railwaymen into soldiers. Your work is not yet done,
because it will be your business to reopen communication and get in
supplies.' He then shook hands with Captain Moore and Lieutenant
Layton, who has been raised to a commission from the ranks owing to his
gallant work on Saturday.
"Turning next to the Bechuanaland Rifles, Colonel Baden-Powell said:
'Men, you have turned out trumps. With volunteers one knows that they
have been ably drilled, but there is no telling how they will fight. I
have been able to use you exactly as regular troops, and I have been
specially pleased with your straight shooting. The other day, when the
enemy occupied the Protectorate Fort, they admitted that they were
forced to surrender by your straight shooting, under which they did not
dare to show a hand above the parapet.'
"To the Cadet Corps the Colonel said: 'Boys, you have begun well as
soldiers. I hope you will continue in the profession, and will do as
well in after life.'
"Addressing the various units of Colonel Plumer's northern relief
force, Colonel Baden-Powell pointed out how much they would all have
liked to see the northern force relieve Mafeking off their own bat.
They had not been strong enough to do that, and there would not be
much about them in the picture papers, but they had put in seven months
of splendid work in a bad country and a bad climate. Now, they had
their reward, for they not only had been able to assist in the relief
of Mafeking, but the honour of bearing the brunt on the right flank of
a well-fought fight, and had inflicted a severe blow upon the enemy,
routing him, and kicking him out of Bechuanaland. He was proud to
command them.
"Addressing the units of the southern relief force, the Colonel
congratulated them upon a march which would live in history. He had
heard of their coming from prisoners, and had been pleased by the news,
but he had been better pleased to hear their guns and see the enemy
fleeing. He complimented Colonel Mahon on commanding such a splendid
body of men. On the subject of the Imperial Light Horse, the Colonel
added that he was especially pleased to see them, for they had indeed
travelled far for the relief of Mafeking, both corps having been
present and themselves besieged in Ladysmith. They would, therefore, be
able all the more to sympathize with the people in Mafeking.
"With these few simple, soldierly ceremonies, a stirring epoch in the
history of the war was closed."
There was yet another ceremony, this time of an altogether jubilant
nature, at Mafeking. On May 24th Baden-Powell (now Major-General)
gave a dinner at Dixon's Hotel to the commanding officers of the
relief columns and the garrison, and to officers who had distinguished
themselves in the defence of the town. Here he made some more speeches.
The first was in proposing the health of the Queen. He said:--
"Gentlemen,--It is customary on occasions like these for the president
to rise at this juncture and to say, 'Gentlemen, the Queen.' In these
three blunt words we Englishmen convey a very great depth of feeling.
The other day, when the relieving column met the garrison, we merely
shook hands with them and said, 'How do you do?' but I do not hesitate
to say that there was more real feeling expressed in that hearty
handshake than in the weeping and embracing by which foreigners are
accustomed to give expression to their relief. At a time like this I
feel as if I could drink the health of Paul Kruger himself, coupled
with that of Mr. Rhodes, because Paul Kruger has been the cause of
this great outburst of Imperial feeling, and Mr. Rhodes was the red
rag to the bull which drew him on. Well, we showed the rag, and the
bull charged, but he did not expect to be surrounded by such a crowd
of matadors and picadors as are harassing him now, and to-day the old
bull is beaten down upon his knees. In the arena round us sit some of
the men and all the women and children of England and her Colonies. At
their head looking on is that great and gracious lady Her Majesty the
Queen."
Then later on he spoke of the splendid march made by the relieving
columns, comparing it with Lord Roberts's famous march to Kandahar, and
pointing out that while Lord Roberts's troops made from 15 to 16 miles
a day, Colonel Mahon had averaged nearly 20 miles. Finally, in replying
to the toast of his own health, proposed by Mr. Whiteley, the Mayor
of Mafeking, to whose great services and splendid loyalty he paid a
well-deserved tribute, he once more thanked the Town Guard, the members
of which, though nominally non-fighters, had done such valuable work
during the siege.
When the news of the relief of Mafeking reached England the whole
nation rejoiced with a fervour and abandon that was surprising even
to those who rejoiced. There had been jubilation at the succour of
Kimberley and gladness at the raising of the siege of Ladysmith, but
the rejoicings on these occasions were as nothing to those which took
place all over the country when it was known that Mahon and Plumer
had at last shaken hands with Baden-Powell. The news of the fall of
Pretoria, which arrived some weeks later, was received with gladness
and satisfaction, but those who saw the London streets on Mafeking
night and afterwards compared their appearance with that which they
presented when Pretoria fell will remember that the fall of the
Transvaal capital did not occasion one-tenth of the mad delight which
broke out all over London when it was known that Baden-Powell and
his garrison had indeed "sat tight and shot straight" and won in the
end. And it was not only in London and in England, but all over the
British Empire that men rejoiced. Men, whatever may be their faults and
failings, love courage, and endurance, and determination, and the siege
of Mafeking had given the world such an exhibition of these qualities
as it had rarely seen before. And Englishmen in particular felt that
this exhibition had come at the right time. We began the war none too
well; some of us began to whine and whimper, and some to scold and
threaten, because things were going wrong with us, and here came the
Man for the Moment, who feared nothing, fought against fearful odds,
helped and encouraged those who fought under him, and made himself a
very rock and tower of strength in the hour of need.
"These chaps have got an exaggerated idea of the importance of my
personality," remarked Baden-Powell to an interviewer when the siege
of Mafeking was over. Well! that's as may be, and it is good that a
great man should be backward in estimating his own greatness. But we
English are what we are because we love, admire, and in our own small
way strive to emulate the example of our heroes, and in the man who
held Mafeking for seven weary months, who heard thirty thousand shells
crash into the little town, and who came out of the struggle as cheery
and good-humoured as ever, we see a hero the importance of whose
personality we do not think it possible to exaggerate. It will be a bad
day for us when we give up putting our great men on pedestals. A great
man set up upon a pedestal is a light and an incentive to thousands
who, but for knowing of him, would be more than inclined to believe
life a ghastly failure and to go down in its struggle without a single
effort. It seems to me that in Baden-Powell's career as we have seen
it so far--and may God make it go much further and to still greater
things, for England's sake!--there is realized the grand central idea
which runs through Browning's _Epilogue to Asolando_:--
"One who never turned his back, but marched breast forward,
Never doubted clouds would break,
Never dreamed, though right were worsted, wrong would triumph,
Held we fall to rise, are baffled to fight better,
Sleep to wake.
"No, at noonday in the bustle of man's work-time
Greet the unseen with a cheer!
Bid him forward, breast and back as either should be,
'Strive and thrive!' cry 'Speed--fight on, fare ever
There as here!'"
THE END
GILBERT AND RIVINGTON, LTD., ST. JOHN'S HOUSE, LITTLE SUTTON STREET,
CLERKENWELL, E.C.
End of Project Gutenberg's Baden-Powell of Mafeking, by J. S. Fletcher