1900 - Kimberley siege day 108 (87%). Ladysmith siege day 90 (75%). Mafeking siege day 110 (50%).
1901 - De Wet crosses the line of posts west of Thaba 'Nchu.
In Kimberley:
A quiet day. Only a few shells in the morning and evening from Wimbledon into Beaconsfield. 52 shots were fired from Nordenvelt during the day from Alexandersfontein at Davis Heap.
During the afternoon 7 waggons and 6 Cape carts were seen to move from the half way house Barkly Road via the Intermediate Pumping Station to Dronfield.
The relief column guns were heard firing both this morning and afternoon.
During the afternoon I received the following messages by helio.
“From Methuen to Kekewich. Jan 30 G 257. Your 149. I can only ask Kimberley to exercise patience it is not reasonable to expect more military information from me.”
The following was received this evening:
“From Int MD to Int KB. 30th Jan No I 160. Reported from Lorenco Marques Mafeking relieved 23rd inst.”
I do trust this is true. I only to-day sent Baden Powell a message giving him the latest information.”
“From Kekewich to CSO LoC. Jan 30th No 150 with reference Int message 58 of Dec 29. Depositions of men referred to were not taken as on crossexamination found that informant would not give personal evidence to prove agent who approached him was directly sent by Michau.”
“From Modern, to Int MD. Jan 30 No 151. Your I 152 of Jan 29 will send you daily news but little happens here now abnormal percentage sickness and heavy cattle guard duties prevent other active employment Mounted Troops. Town Guard without a single experienced officer; for this and other reasons can only be employed to man defences. Consequently day succeeds day and sniping only event to record. All intelligence sent as soon as can be coded. Could you sometimes give us some of your news, eg native arrived yesterday states about twentieth column took five hundred prisoners and on twenty-second thirty Boers deserted Column Camp. If true news this kind welcome to people.”
“From Kekewich to Genl Methuen. Jan 30 No 152. Conclude you will communicate my 149 of yesterday to Field Marshal and inform him that end of February is utmost to which food and forage will last. Stop, My first orders were to so arrange supplies to last till end January, later orders to fifteenth Feb last orders to end Feb. Stop. These changes of dates have naturally much increased my difficulties. Stop. Conclude question of food for fifty thousand inhabitants on relief of Kimberley has been fully considered. Medical officers are strongly representing to me that deficiency of Medical comforts is seriously affecting many invalids sick and weak persons.”
In Ladysmith:
Mortals depend for their happiness not only on their circulation but on the weather. To-day ws certainly the gloomiest in all the siege. It rained steadily night and morning, the steaming heat was overpowering, and we sludged about, sweating like the victims of a foul Turkish bath. Towards evening it suddenly turned cold. Black and dismal clouds hung over all the hills. The distance was fringed with funereal indigo. The wearied garrison crept through their duties, hungry and gaunt as ghosts. There was no heliograph to cheer us up, and hardly a sound of distant guns. The rumour had got abroad that we were to be left to our fate, whilst Roberts, with the main column, diverted all England's thoughts to Bloemfontein. Like one man we lost our spirits, our hopes, and our tempers.
The depression probably arose from the reduction of rations which I mentioned yesterday. The remaining food has been organised to last another forty-two days, and it is, of course, assumed we shall have to use it all, whereas the new arrangement is only a precaution. Colonel Ward and Colonel Stoneman are not to be caught off their guard. One of their chief difficulties just now is the large body of Indians—bearers, sais, bakers, servants of all kinds—who came over with the troops, and will not eat the sacred cow. Out of about 2,000, only 487 will consent to do that. The remainder can only get very little rice and mealies. Their favourite ghi, or clarified butter, has entirely gone, and their hunger is pitiful. The question now is whether or not their religious scruples will allow them to eat horse.
Most of us have been eating horse to-day with excellent result. But one of the most pitiful things I have seen in all the war was the astonishment and terror of the cavalry horses at being turned loose on the hills and not allowed to come back to their accustomed lines at night. All afternoon one met parties of them strolling aimlessly about the roads or up the rocky footpaths—poor anatomies of death, with skeleton ribs and drooping eyes. At about seven o'clock two or three hundred of them gathered on the road through the hollow between Convent Hill and Cove Redoubt, and tried to rush past the Naval Brigade to the cavalry camp, where they supposed their food and grooming and cheerful society were waiting for them as usual. They had to be driven back by mounted Basutos with long whips, till at last they turned wearily away to spend the night upon the bare hillside.
In Mafeking:
The results of our ancient piece's firing last night has been that the laager has shifted away, in the direction of Signal Hill, and that the Boers generally have been so busy that they have not yet found time (midday) to discharge their Creuzot gun. There was an alarm last night, and the eastern front and reserve squadron were held in readiness all night. Yesterday the Boers re-established themselves on the nearest brickkiln, and a sniping entertainment was organized for them by Corporal Currie, C. P., who has charge of the Cape Boy Post, within three hundred yards. One Boer, who for some extraordinary reason, wore a white shirt (which he will never do again) occasionally showed his back over the edge of a shelter he was constructing for himself, acting apparently on the principle of the ostrich, Trooper Piper of the Cape Police eventually got him, and at the same moment, his friend who was firing from a loop-hole, fired at Piper; fortunately Currie, who was covering the loop-hole, fired almost simultaneously and got him too, to the huge delight of the Cape Boys; stretchers came up under the Red Cross and removed the bodies, the second man was a bearded man and a well known sniper, he was an excellent shot, and the news of his demise was received with universal pleasure by the garrison, while for the rest of the day his friends made the post very warm for its occupants.
