1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross
Tuesday, 6 February
Morning opened very quietly until about 8 a.m. when Big Ben commenced sending in its huge projectiles, and everybody promptly went to earth. It is wonderful the amount of deference and respect shewn to His Majesty the 94-pounder [that] nobody considers it worthwhile to stay and argue the point out. One of his fragments this morning killed a horse standing in Bell’s stable, and as they say it is an ill wind that blows nobody any good, so was it in this, for the moment the horse was dead, the carcase was set upon by a horde of natives, who, like a lot of aasvogel, pulled and cut off the meat, and carted it away until there was not a scrap to be seen. Some of them have had a good meal today at any rate.
One of the dummies (the prize one) was put on view at Fort Ayr today and must have cost the enemy a few thousand rounds of ammunition, as they were firing at it the best part of the day, whilst he, every now and again bobbing up and down, would smile serenely at them, nod his head, wave his flag, and apparently look all round through his field-glasses. The enemy must think their guns out of order, or something gone wrong with their shooting, as they cannot bowl him over.
This evening after dark the enemy again sent us in a lot of shells, including the 94-pounder, and also a lot of Mauser volleys, and about 8.30 Currie’s boys in the river could be seen (by the flash) replying with their rifles, as hard as they could pelt. For a few minutes it seemed almost as if an engagement was taking place, or another Boer attack taking place, bullets and shells whistling all over the town, into iron roofs, through windows, etc., but nobody hurt.
Sent B.P. a photo of Sunday church parade, also one to De Kock as a reminiscence of his old office after the shells, and now pulled down.
Took Ryan and Greener’s dugout offices.
Last night, Currie and his Cape Boys occupied a trench about 200 yards in advance of their extreme outpost, and retaking the lower end of the brickfields, they then blew up another of the brick kilns with dynamite, and so got the better of the enemy’s snipers who harass us so considerably. They also got two or three volleys into some advancing Boers, and are supposed to have killed two and wounded two or three others. They did all this work under a hot rifle-fire from the enemy, but were covered somewhat by our very useful little Nordenfeldt. Currie and his boys have done excellent work right through; the former is to be mentioned in despatches and given promotion in recognizance of his services.
