1899 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross
Thursday, 25 January
The armoured train and one of our seven-pounders went out north before daylight this morning on purpose, as we understood, to harass the enemy in their new laager, but it commenced raining heavily and I suppose the positions could not be seen as not a shot was heard. Or perhaps they were sent out that way to reconnoitre, in case of an attack by the enemy from that quarter. Anyhow, nothing happened and the day turned out fine and fairly quiet.
At 5.30 the Boers sent us in 2 small five-pounder shells, one in the town, the other down at our corner. The latter struck the side of my old house and the concussion simply knocked the top off the shell; all the powder ran out and consequently the shell did not explode. As a matter of fact the Dutch parson who is living in the house picked up the two pieces immediately afterwards and now has the shell intact.
Fraser having been sacked by Dixon’s, consequent on Winter’s having found the books in a fearfully mixed up state, the latter requested me to come and put them right. Commenced work this morning and found about a month’s work in front of me.
Have arranged the billet for Tighe. Day work at present and a permanent job when the siege is raised.
The enemy’s second large 94-pounder shell was heard flying very high right over the town and it was subsequently found to have gone over our outpost lines near Fort Ayr, and landed in the Boer lines at Game Tree, there exploding. It is possible they did some damage to their own people, as they did not fire again for some considerable time, having we presume been signalled by their own men.
The M.Mail tonight was somewhat delayed owing to the press censor, Lt. Tracey, declining to allow the editor to publish a small article re "publishing of news’’. The article in question stated that a rumour was going about the town that sundry newspapers had come into camp for the staff per native runner, but on the editor making inquiries at the staff he was told that this was not true. He was therefore publishing this on purpose to stop all talk.
Why the staff blotted this out cannot be understood and leads one to think that papers did come to hand after all. This sort of thing is bound to leak out and get known in a small camp like this, and makes the people talk more than ever. Very little the military authorities care for that, in fact just as much as they care for our shortness of food, as long as their own private mess is kept up to the mark. Most of the officers on the staff have now left Dixon’s Hotel, having built an underground kitchen, supplied themselves with a chef, and have all the good things they want, in the way of tinned delicacies, etc. This was no doubt the idea for leaving the hotel, as now people cannot see all the good things they have, as they could formerly, whilst eating at the public dining-room of the hotel. This does not include Panzera and Vyvyan who are far more considerate in every way.
The staff, having commandeered and stopped the sale of ever)' mortal bit of food-stuffs in the town, have now, through Weil, annexed all the vegetables grown and growing down in the government gardens. Are these also for the staff table, and the balance over given for our rations ?
A notice issued by B.P. today states that the cash coupons issued by the Imperial authorities are redeemable by them at par, and that any one refusing to take them or charging exchange or interest on them are doing an illegal act and are liable to punishment.
Colonel Vyvyan was thrown off his horse this morning whilst doing his early morning rounds; the horse stumbled owing to the slippery nature of the ground caused by the last rains. The Colonel fell heavily on his left shoulder but did not seriously damage himself, and is going about just the same, but with his arm in a sling. He is a tough mark and would take a lot of knocking out. Something after the small wire nail sort of stamp. He is a second B.P. in the matter of sleep, very little seems to satisfy him. His nightly rounds take him about from 9.30 to 12 p.m. and 2 to 4.30 a.m. as a rule, and at times he unexpectedly turns up at all sorts of unearthly hours, and then in the daytime he can generally be found in his office attending to correspondence and the general business appertaining to his position, ever courteous to those who call and "want to know, don’t you know’’, brief, concise, and to the point in all replies to questions, always ready to remedy any real grievances, sarcastic at times, severe, but just, when a man is brought before him. Possessed with a pair of small penetrating steel-grey eyes, which can either twinkle or pierce according to the necessity of the moment, a jaunty little swinging walk, stick in hand, a special little patent low power, short range, no tune, whistle of his own and he only stands about so high (5’6”), that’s all. Such is our Base Commandant Colonel Vyvyan.
