4 P.M.--I have driven from one end of the town to the other, through
busy crowded streets, without seeing one disorderly person, or being
regarded a second time by one of the thousands of men filing solemnly
past my carriage. They would form into squads and march gravely to
their posts of duty. A splendid-looking set of men, ranging in age
from 25 to 35. Men from every walk in life, professional men, robust
miners, and pale clerks, some among the faces being very familiar. My
eyes filled when I thought of what the future might be bringing them.
At the hotel dinner Mrs. Dodd, Betty and I were the only women
present. The room was crowded with men who spoke excitedly of a
possible war and exchanged specimen cartridges across the table. I
hear that one thousand Lee-Metford rifles have been given out. The
town is now policed by Uitlanders under Trimble.

The Americans have held another meeting. Five hundred men were
present, and with only five dissenting votes determined to stand by
the Manifesto. After this meeting, the George Washington Corps of 150
members was formed.

Following are the names of the various Brigades:--

Australian, Scotch, Africander, Cycle, Colonial, Natal, Irish,
Northumbrian, Cornish, and Bettington's Horse and the Ambulance Corps.
Most of the mines are closing down. Women and children are still
flying from the town. Alas! some men, too, who are heartily jeered by
the crowd at the railroad station.[2]

St. John's Ambulance Society is advertising for qualified nurses or
ladies willing to assist.

Natives are in a state of great panic. One of the Kaffir servants in
the hotel gave me a tremendous shock this morning by rushing into my
room to fling himself at my feet, sobbing and imploring me not to
allow the Boers to kill him.

LATER.--The sultry day has cooled down into a calm, moonlit night.

This evening the Reform Committee received a deputation from the
Government consisting of Messrs. Marais and Malan; these gentlemen
showed their authority from the Government, and were duly accredited.
They are both progressive Boers and highly respected by the
Uitlanders. They stated that they had come with the olive branch, that
the Government had sent them to the Reform Committee to invite a
delegation of that Committee to meet in Pretoria a Commission of
Government officials, with the object of arranging an amicable
settlement of the political questions. They emphatically asserted that
the Governmen