B.-P.: Mafeking. 4/ 5
Jim Speirs
to be printed on an odd assortment of paper; but it managed to carry on in
spite of bombardment.
In January, 1900, Lord Roberts, with Lord Kitchener, arrived in Cape Town
to take over supreme command. At once a new spirit entered the conduct of
the war. Roberts sent encouraging messages to Mafeking, but wisely did not
raise false hopes. The little town was a long way from Cape Town and the
main enemy forces were between the two. Relief would not be possible until
these had been defeated.
On Boxing Day an attack was planned on one of the Boer forts; spies,
however, did their work well, and the enemy received full information of
the scheme. The result was a bad setback for the defenders, but it did not
shake their determination to hang on to the end.
Food supplies were carefully rationed. B.-P. and his staff lived on a
smaller ration than the rest of the population 'to judge', as he explained,
'how little was necessary for keeping us going'.
One by one the horses, and later the donkeys, had to be killed for food.
Nothing was wasted. The mane and tail were used for stuffing pillows and
mattresses in the hospital. The shoes were melted down for shells. The
flesh became sausages. The skin and hoofs and head were boiled for hours
and ultimately became a kind of brawn. The bones were used in soup.
Horses' oats were made into biscuits, and the husks after soaking became 'a
paste closely akin to that used by bill-stickers. This was called sowens,
a sour kind of mess, but very healthy and filling.'
Money, too, was needed, so they printed their own bank-notes from a design
drawn by B.-P. Then stamps were required for the town post. The first
issue had B.-P.'s head on them, but this had been done without his
knowledge and as a pleasant surprise for him. It was indeed a surprise;
and although he had it altered to a boy riding on a bicycle, the legend
still lasts that his head was used for his own glorification!
The boy on the bicycle is important, because he is one of the links between
scouting for soldiers and scouting for boys. The man-power of the town was
very fully employed in the defence, but the boys were organized by Lord
Edward Cecil, the chief staff officer, into a cadet corps. They ran
messages and did all kinds of odd jobs. Their leader was a boy named
Goodyear - he might also be called the first Boy Scout. They were dressed
in khaki, and wore either a forage cap, or a 'smasher' hat - that is, a
cow-boy hat with one side turned up. For a time they used donkeys and
bicycles, but gradually the donkeys had to disappear into the kitchens.
They had competitions of their own, and the following one will be
recognized by many a Boy Scout of to-day.
"Each cadet will receive a letter on the Recreation Ground. He
will carry it to the Staff Officer; route via Carrington
Street. He will there receive a verbal answer and return to
the Recreation Ground to the sender, and repeat the verbal
message to him in a loud, clear tone of voice."
The tide of war turned at the end of February, 1900, when Cronje
surrendered to Roberts at Paardeberg. Kimberley had been relieved a
fortnight earlier, and Ladysmith a few days later. Now all eyes were
turned on the little town which was still besieged. Plumer was making
every effort to reach it from the north, but his force was too small.
On the 1st April Queen Victoria sent the following telegram to B.-P.: "I
continue watching with confidence and admiration the patient and resolute
defence which is so gallantly maintained under your ever resourceful
command."
In the middle of April more Boer troops arrived to join the besiegers; with
them was a young Field Cornet, Sarel Eloff, a grandson of President Kruger.
This young officer was eager to make an attack on Mafeking, but General
Snyman was cautious. Eloff sent in a message to B.-P. suggesting that the
Boers should bring a cricket team into the town to play the defenders.
B.-P. replied, "Mafeking, in the game it is playing at present is 180 [the
days the siege had then lasted] not out against the bowling of Cronje,
Snyman and Eloff. Don't you think you had better change the bowling ?"
At last, however, Eloff persuaded Snyman to launch a great attack. It
started on 12th May. The scheme was for Eloff to attack from the west
along the river and through the native town, while Snyman would at the same
time attack from the east. Eloff carried out his part of the plan; he
fired the native town and even captured some of the British. B.-P. was
watching the battle from his tower, and calmly gave his orders as he saw
how events were developing. His counter-attack ended with the capture of
Eloff and his men, who were escorted into the town by the cadets who had
been on duty all day. Meantime Snyman had carried out his share of the
scheme in a half-hearted fashion and was repulsed.
That very day news at last came through from Lord Roberts that a determined
effort to relieve Mafeking was to be made. A force of some 1,000 men was
assembled at Barkly West, some 200 miles south-west of Mafeking; this was
to co-operate with Plumer's regiment, which was to the north-west. These
two forces had to fight their way before they could meet; and then between
Continued in next message.
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* RoseReader 2.00b P003758: "I dropped my toothpaste." he said, crestfallen.