Source: Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross
Friday, 20 October 1899
Early this morning twenty men of the C.P. under Inspector Murray did a very smart bit of work. Leaving late last night, when it was very dark, they stole up [to] within 500 yards of the Boer trenches, on the south side of the water works, in an exactly opposite side to that on which the natives made their successful sortie. Getting into a good position they poured in two or three volleys before the enemy had time to reply and by the time the Boers had got their Maxim into position our men were half-way home again; the only casualty being a flesh wound in one of the men’s legs, it being so dark the Boers could not see where they were firing at and the bullets being fired high went over their heads. This is a sort of thing to annoy and worry the Boers and make them think that after all they have struck a hornet’s nest, instead of the easy capture they thought Mafeking would be.
At 9 a.m. the bugle sounded the alarm and the red flag went up on the headquarter flagstaff. The Town Guard, naturally thinking that the Boers were advancing to attack, immediately rushed off to their appointed posts in the town defences and stood to arms fairly steady and thoroughly determined, but after some considerable time the report came along that the Boers had only advanced for the purpose of looting some of our cattle, which by some unfortunate accident had strayed too far out. We sent two or three seven-pounders after them, which made them move probably a little quicker than they had been accustomed to.
Keeley left today with his native boy and two spare horses to try to get to his farm at Setlagoli. He will more probably be taken prisoner than get through the strong Boer cordon now entirely surrounding us. He is, however, known to be very cute and will outbeat [sic] the Boers for cunningness and will invent some plan to get away if captured.
The Colonel tells us in tonight’s orders that Cronje has sent for a big gun to shell us from a safe distance, [and that] Cronje had intended to take Mafeking last Wednesday, but that he did not want his men killed by the dynamite traps which are laid round the town, and one of which exploded on the railway.
We have been warned about these mines about the town and to avoid accidents to cattle herds and others - "their positions will be denoted by small red flags”. It is not likely that these flags are right over the mines to show the enemy exactly w'here they are placed, but are put much within that line of defence and so protecting anybody from going near them.
In tonight’s general orders the Colonel has a good word for the scouting of the C.P. which he considers has been very "effective”. He also gives us instructions [on] how to receive any messenger carrying a flag of truce, and care must be taken that such [a] messenger should be blindfolded before being brought into the town.
