1900 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross
Monday, 5 March
The lost Big Ben was soon found this morning, back again in her old position, but although she is supposed to have been elevated and directed on the town two or three times, no shot was fired today, which has caused many conjectures. Some say they have expended all their ammunition, and are waiting for more, others that on looking through their glasses, they believe what we see is only a dummy, and that the real gun has gone, and so on. Time settles all these yarns.
The Boers congregated pretty thickly at their big laager this morning, seemingly having a big indaba. It may have been the funeral of the officer shot on Saturday, or simply a meeting to hear news.
Our men have been having some fun at the brickfields this morning in the shape of little scraps with the enemy. First some Boers got into one of our advanced trenches, cutting off a few of our Cape Boys, but finding themselves between a crossfire of our Maxim and the Cape Boys they very soon got back again, a few hand-grenades were then used, and the Boers were driven back about 30 yards to their own second trench.
FitzCIarence has now been sent down there with his bayonet squad to strengthen the position. The miniature campaign being carried on down there is excitingly interesting, and I only wish I could write a detailed technical account of all the happenings. You hear of the Colonel suddenly ordering the closing up of one trench, opening up others, running saps here and running saps there, building up emplacements, cross trenches for enfilading the enemy’s work, etc., etc., different directions of this and that work until really, "I don’t know where e are”.
Off and on all day our seven-pounder and Nordenfeldt have been playing on the enemy’s trenches at the brickfield from the rise on the right of the river, but have never once been replied to by the enemy’s big gun.
This afternoon a native was caught by our outposts; he made a statement, saying the Boers had taken their big gun right away and were themselves packing up ready to leave immediately. This native was warned that if he told lies he would be treated as the previous boy had been, viz., shot, but with all the threats of our intelligence officer hanging over him he still maintained his story. Of course it may be one of Snyman’s ruses, at the same time there may be some truth in it. In the meantime the boy is kept a prisoner, but if his statement is verified he will be rewarded.
Nothing to eat today except a tin of road rations and some awful stew, which I believe was made out of some of that old horsemeat. I say, "little bit of pink”, where’s that cake you’ve been talking about for such a long time? What, me find the ingredients? Now look here, you just go and smile on Ryan and if it doesn’t kill him, he will give you an order to get them, and then you see all you’ve got to do is square that poor unfortunate invalided private hospital war correspondent of brickfield fame, who advertises for young housekeepers, to go and get the right side of the great Ben W. and so possibly we shall eventually get that ’ere cake. But can you really make it without flour and eggs? My — how clever, but I’ll take 10 to x it is afterwards used as case shot, or for moulding into M.H. bullets. We’re short of these.
