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CHAP. and the river, and which, if occupied by the enemy, might occasion great inconvenience. Some Kafir prisoners, who had volunteered for the hazardous work, were furnished by the Landdrost. Crossing the Vaal, these men quickly pulled down and burnt the hut. Then, finding no notice taken of their doings from the new trench above, one of the party—a Swazie, undergoing a sentence of penal servitude for homicidegun in hand, stole up to the work, followed by another native. Finding it empty, they seized some tools found inside, and succeeded in levelling it before the Boers became aware of what was being done. Too late some appeared on the scene and sent some shots after the men, the Swazie returning the fire, as they fell back triumphantly, amid the cheers of our men, with the Boer spades they had been working with. A subscription was got up for these two brave fellows by the townspeople, and it may be hoped that they afterwards had the rest of their terms of imprisonment remitted, and were able to rejoin their tribes. Had their deed been performed by soldiers, the Victoria Cross would have rewarded their action.

It being thought that the enemy might attempt to throw up the work again under cover of darkness, a couple of rifles, placed on rests for the exact range, were fired at intervals through the night, with the effect that no fresh operations were undertaken. It afterwards transpired that the work was intended for two guns expected from the Free State, but which

never came.

With the view of deceiving the Boers into the be

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lief that the garrison possessed artillery, a dummy CHAP. gun mounted on waggon-wheels was constructed, and being occasionally run out and sundry evolutions performed with it, the desired effect is said to have been produced.

work

The fire from Stander's Kop continuing trouble- Another some, and a man having been shot from thence, a erected. rifle-pit, to act against that position, was commenced on the night of the 8th January. This, bit by bit, grew into a formidable outwork, provisioned for and garrisoned by fifteen men. It could only be relieved in the dark, on account of being so exposed to fire. Often the rains caused it to be knee-deep in water, no drainage being possible; yet, notwithstanding, the men never grumbled at such continued discomfort. When, owing to wet, a piece of the parapet-no larger than a tea-tray-fell, towards the close of the investment, no less than 300 bullets were picked out of it, showing what the fire had been.

Some days later a heliograph was constructed, by means of looking-glasses purchased in the town, and flashes were directed on Paarde Kop, a hill thirty miles on the road to Newcastle, in the delusive hope that Sir George Colley might be approaching, and would be able to reply. But two months were yet to elapse before anything was heard from that direction.

As it was confidently anticipated that Sir George Supplies. Colley would arrive with a relief column in a few weeks, the supplies to hand were deemed sufficient,

Y

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CHAP. and no anxiety seems to have been entertained at first on that account. Cattle were plentiful, biscuits ample for present wants, and a good supply of lime-juice made the garrison independent of vegetables. The town, too, appeared fairly stocked, although Major Montague is found incidentally remarking:

"The Dutch had lately made a practice of taking away flour to a large extent. Gunpowder had entirely gone the same way, one storekeeper having sold six barrels within a few months, while another gave 1000 rounds of Westley-Richards cartridges to a Boer, the leader of one of the attacks upon Standerton, and avowedly disaffected, that being the quantity he was allowed to purchase each year, the Landdrost giving him the 'permit' within a few days of the proclamation of the Republic. So well were matters managed by the Government at Pretoria."

The end of January came, and with it-as the expected relief column had not been heard of-greater anxiety as to the sufficiency of the supplies. The garrison had their food regularly meted out to them, but with the civilians it was otherwise, and it was feared that waste and extravagance were prevalent. Thereupon Major Montague determined to seize all provisions stored in the town, and place them under the care of the Landdrost for regularity of issue. The stores were gone through, and supplies carted away. Families were required to give up their private stocks, and enter their names on the ration list, or else certify that they could last for a time without help. The scale for rations-soldiers and civilians—

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was reduced; small quantities of bread and biscuit CHAP. were issued to the former, but bread only twice Reduction a-week. Women received eight ounces of meal or of rations. sago,-afterwards further reduced one-half,-while the children seemed to have fared still worse.

ant-Gener

arrival.

A group of horsemen, the leading man evidently Commandone in authority, were seen making observations on alJoubert's the top of Stander's Kop for some hours on the 17th January, as if devising some plan for attacking. It was afterwards known that the leader was Joubert, the Commandant-General, and that the idea was to place a gun on the hill, strengthen the investing force, and then endeavour to take the place. Boer reinforcements were, however, soon urgently required for Laing's Nek, so the projected attack came to nothing.

The kopje above the town and graveyard, to the A "scare." east, the key to the position, was originally held by a mixed force of soldiers and volunteers; but one afternoon a panic-with whom originating was not clear-seized the party, who, evacuating the position, nearly caused the loss of the town. The arrangement was then put a stop to, and the troops and volunteers occupied, and were held responsible for, their own respective positions.

The picket in charge of the kopje would seem to have been under fire from about 150 Boers, who had taken cover on a rocky kopje about 1000 yards to the front. All at once our men were seen running back by twos and threes, making for the town. Fortunately

VIII.

CHAP. the Boers must have suspected some trap, as they delayed coming on to secure the advantage open to them. The officer commanding in the town, seeing what was taking place, thus had time to get out reinforcements, and run them up the hill to continue the defence before the Boers had advanced.

Arrival of a Zulu

Allusion has already been made in a former chapter messenger. to the one Zulu, of several native messengers sent from Pretoria, who succeeded in evading the Boer patrols and penetrating the English lines. The arrival of this fine fellow at Standerton, and his subsequent departure for Natal, is one of the prettiest bits of Major Montague's well-told tale, and will not admit of condensation :

"He, the volunteer, had been out on vedette at daybreak, and had seen a native in the distance coming towards him, 'when,' he added with a heroic air, 'I made for him at once, sir, and captured him, and brought him in. He says he wants to see you and no one else.'

"A black youth, with a pleasant face, shivering with cold and wet, here peeped in with the usual koss, accompanied by the arm raised, and began to laugh as all natives, Zulus more than others, do when they wish to be serious.

"Well, Johnnie; what do you want?'

"Me want general, sare; you general, sare?'

"He says he wants to see the Commandant, sir,' slid in the grizzly one.

'Yes, that's me; now what is it?'

"He won't tell you, sir; he says he wants to see you alone.'

"No, sare, oder gentlemans here,' said the Zulu, pointing