1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross
Wednesday, 21 March
Big Ben only fired two rounds today, one at 10 a.m. and one at 2.20 p.m. The first one dropped just at the back of one of our outhouses, the other far out.
At 2.30 a coach with twelve white mules or horses arrived at the enemy’s main laager (McMullen’s) and great excitement could be observed amongst the Boers. Later on 5 waggons crossed the river coming from the Boer hospital (McLaughlin’s) up to the same place.
A trooper of the P.R. named Hayes deserted and joined the enemy this morning. He was at the time a field prisoner, and calmly walked out beyond the outposts in broad daylight. The sentry fired 3 or 4 rounds at him, of course missing, until he was out of range. The man is supposed to be an Irish American, lately of Bulawayo. What an absolute fool the man must be to desert at this stage of the war. There is no doubt he will eventually be shot.
It is reported that the Boer western laager has been moved during the night.
The authorities are now taking all the railway sleepers from the station for use as firewood, even to the water tank supports.
The D.A.A.G. tells me this morning he proposes to do away with the local bakery and make an all round issue of meal instead of bread. This will not suit all, especially those who do not know how to and have no appliances for making bread, and what about firewood for baking it?
The authorities are keeping back all the flour for the hospital use, and as a final issue.
The negatives of the Colonel’s sketch-book turned out excellently, so he will now finish the sketch of [the] proposed £i note and send it over to me to be copied. He also proposes to make an issue of postage stamps, if I can manage to get a good photo of his head, make say dozen prints, and then recopy same, reduced to proper size on one piece, and print them on the blue paper, and afterwards get them perforated and gummed.
For this purpose the Colonel came over this afternoon and gave me two sittings. Shewed him our smash-up by shell, etc., two pieces of crockery, parts of a bedroom set were lying in the yard, one of which was broken to pieces; on seeing these, the Colonel stood over them and in a mournful voice said, "And one shall be taken away and the other left.” He has always something dry ready to say about anybody and anything.
Colonel B.P. issued a sort of manifesto or notice today to the Town Guard, in which he goes for the busybodies who are continually grousing and making false statements, and warns them he knows their names, [and] that when the matter of compensation comes up it will do them no good.
