1899 - Diary of the siege of Mafeking by Edward Ross
Sunday, 28 January
Very quiet all day. Only point of interest being a football match between the Cape Police and the garrison. The latter winning by 4 goals to nil. The betting at the commencement was a shade of odds on the Cape Police, who easily won the cup last year, and the result came as a big surprise.
Two native runners came in this morning bringing news of the heavy fighting at Ladysmith in which it is stated our trenches there had been three times taken by the enemy each time only to be retaken by ours at the point of the bayonet. It seems hardly creditable [sic] that the Boers are fighting like this and it is thought most probable that all that fighting was done by their foreign contingents. The boys also brought news of our disaster at Colesberg. Are our people for ever going on making these mistakes? It is very exasperating; they keep on losing a lot of men and seemingly are today in almost the same positions as they were months ago. What about Lord Wolseley’s grand reorganisation of the British army?
The Imperial authorities having given us instructions to hold an auction sale on their account today, Tom was just about to commence selling when the look-out on the big gun noticed the Boers elevating her on the town, and, as treachery has long been considered possible, he rang the big alarm bell and the way the people scurried off the Market Square to places of cover was very laughable, but serious. Nothing however came of it and it was eventually supposed the enemy were either trying to frighten us, or that they were shewing the gun to some women, who were afterwards seen going away from their earthworks. Personally I was having my Sunday bath at the moment and the only thought that struck me was, "Well, if I am hit I shall at least die clean.”
Was on duty last night from 9.30 to 11.30 and this morning from 3.30 to 5.30. Rather knocks one up, four hours in one night with an interval that one hardly can get to sleep in, especially when one is continually worrying what is going to happen the next moment.
It is said about FitzClarence, who has now almost recovered from his wounds, that during his temporary enforced confinement at the hospital, {he] begged and prayed, almost with tears in his eyes, of the Colonel not to have any more little scraps until he was out of the hospital. Now that he is better, and if he ever gets near enough, some of the enemy will have occasion to remember him, I’ll bet. His dare-devil rashness is a byword in the camp and the only wonder is how he possibly gets out of these affairs alive. Of course it is presumed that he has been mentioned in every despatch and will get well rewarded for his gallantry.
A white flag went out this afternoon, presumably remonstrating with the Boers on their inhuman and unprecedented acts of yesterday. Such a thing is unknown in the annals of civilized warfare, and yet they have the audacity to say they are a nation fighting with God on their side. How the fallacy of this is proved [is] by the fact that with all their shelling yesterday not a single casualty occurred.
Native spy shot today by the Cape Boys at a distance of 10 paces. Three bullets going through the head and three through chest, force of which drove him backwards instead of falling forwards into grave.
