1900 - Kimberley siege day 100 (80%). Ladysmith siege day 82 (68%). Mafeking siege day 102 (47%).
1903 - 22nd - 28th . Mr. Chamberlain visits Krugersdorp, Potchefstroom, Ventersdorp, Lichtenburg and Mafeking.
In Kimberley:
Early this morning enemy was discovered to have made a strong little work on Schmidts farm near Diebels Farm. It is about 5400 yards from No I Kimberley. It is probably put there to fire at De Beers 28 pounder or at the search light at No 1 Kimberley. We opened with the gun from No 1 Kimberley and the men making the work moved back quickly to Diebel’s farm. During the afternoon the enemy’s gun at Wimbledon fired a few shells in the direction of the Reservoir and Beaconsfield.
Very heavy artillery firing from the enemy was seen from about 5 pm to 7.5 pm when an explosion took place in the enemy’s position. I hope it was one of his magazines. This is the heaviest fire I have seen since the Magersfontein battle. Many hundreds of shells must have fallen into the enemy’s positions; the balloon was not seen.
It was delightful to get a little news to-day as to what is going on in other parts of South Africa.
I sent the following message this evening by search light:
“From Int KB to Int MD. Jan 22nd No 123. Boer with letters was taken prisoner near here last evening. He is either very stupid or unwilling to give information, says De la Rey only took ten men with him from Scholtz’s Nek to Colesberg. Confirms intelligence commando under VERMAAS being now west of Kimberley. He cannot give numbers in any case. He belongs to WOLMARANSTADT Commando. Now in Laager on Modder River on Eastern boundary fence farm Magersfontein. This commando changed places with Boshopers last week; latter now at Intermediate Pumping Station; as far as he gathered not Marenstadt Laager. Number one thousand, conclude burghers other dists incorporated in this commando. Faure Smith commando also camped on river near Wolmaranstadters. Prisoner of opinion Free-staters will not fight much longer. All letters taken from prisoners not yet translated, majority are from Wolmaranstadters, several state relief column expecting re-enforcements and that writers prefer being near Modder river, rather than near Kimberley. Letter dated Modder River Jan 21st indicates some movement against Kimberley was contemplated. Portion reads text begins: “Our going to Kimberley is off, we are not going any more; we cannot get the Boshop people here ends. Short leave of absence to prevent Boers to visit families appears to be order of day. Native who escaped from Boers to-day states very large numbers of Boers massing North and West of Kimberley.“
“From Int KB to Int MD. Jan 22nd No 124. Kimberley batches of telegrams this month have been numbered consecutively J1, J2, J3 etc. Not one batch acknowledged by its number to date.”
“From Kekewich to General MD. Jan 22nd No 125. No batches natives sent out of Kimberley since 19th instant.”
I received the following during the night:
“Jan 22nd. Your 122. Situation unchanged here, Bullers force crossed Tugela with no great loss. You may expect big fight any day here. French is doing well and 6th division support him. Ladysmith casualties not known.”
In Ladysmith:
Twelve weeks to-day since Black Monday, when our isolation really began! A heliogram came from Buller to say all was going well, and in this evening's Orders we were officially informed that relief is "within measurable distance." I don't know about time, but in space that measurable distance is hardly more than fifteen miles. From Observation Hill I again watched the British shells breaking over the ridge above the ford. The Boers had moved one of their waggon laagers a little further back, but the main camps were unchanged. With a telescope I could make out where their hospital was—in a cottage by a wood—and I followed an ambulance waggon driving at a trot to three or four points on ridge and plain, gathering up the sick or wounded, and returning to hospital.
The mass of Boers appeared to be lying under the shelter of Taba Nyama (or Intaba Mnyama—Black Mountain). It is a nine-mile range of hills running east and west, nearly parallel to the Tugela, and having Potgieter's Drift on its left. The left extremity, looking over the Drift, rises into double peaks, and is called Mabedhlane, or the Paps, by Zulus. The main Boer position appears to be halfway up these peaks and along the range to their right. To-day it is said that the relieving force intends to approach the mountain by parallels, sapping and mining as it goes, and treating the positions like a mediæval fortress, or one of those ramparted and turreted cities which "Uncle Toby" used to besiege on the bowling green.
One's only fear is about the delay. The population at Intombi is now approaching 4,000, nearly 3,000 being sick. I doubt if we could put 4,000 men in the field to-day. Men and horses crawl feebly about, shaken with every form of internal pain and weakness. Women suffer even more. The terror of the shells has caused thirty-two premature births since the siege began. It is true a heliogram to-day tells us there are seventy-four big waggons waiting at Frere for our relief—milk, vegetables, forage, eleven waggons of rum, fifty cases of whisky, 5,000 cigarettes, and so on. But all depends upon those parallels, so slowly advancing against Taba Nyama, and our insides are being sapped and mined far more quickly.
Towards noon a disaster occurred, which has depressed the whole town. Two of the Powerful's bluejackets have lately been making what they called a good thing by emptying unexploded Boer shells of their charges, so that the owners might display them with safety and pride when the siege is over. For this service they generally received 10s. each. It is only two days since they were in my cottage—chiselling out the melinite from a complete "Long Tom" shell which alighted in my old Scot's garden. I watched them accomplish that task safely, and this morning they set to work upon a similar shell by order of the Wesleyan minister, who wished to keep it in his window as a symbol of Christianity. One of the men was holding it between his knees, while the other was quietly chipping away, when suddenly it exploded. Fragments of one of the men strewed the minister's house—the other lay wondering upon the ground, but without his legs. Whilst I write he is still nominally alive, and keeps asking for his mate. One of his legs has been picked up near the Town Hall—about 150 yards away.
A lesser disaster this morning befel Captain Jennings Bramley, of the 19th Hussars. Whilst on picket he felt something slide over his legs, and looking up he saw it was a snake over 5ft. long. The creature at once raised its head also, and deliberately spat in his face, filling both eyes with poison. That is the invariable defence of the "Spitting Snake" (Rinkholz in Dutch, and Mbamba Twan or child catcher in Zulu). The pain is agonising. The eye turns red and appears to run with blood, but after a day or two the poison passes off and sight returns. The snake is not otherwise poisonous, but apparently can count on success in its shots at men, leopards, or dogs.
In Mafeking:
Rather late shelling to-day, and rumoured attack on Kaffir stadt by Boer friendlies did not take place. A certain amount of firing from Fort Ayr. Rain begun again.
