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.