ed from the north ("possibly"
was thought distinctly good). It may have been so; but we did not
believe it. There had all along been a great deal of chopping and
changing anent the position of the Mafeking garrison. We were at one
time told that Mafeking "fell" before our Siege began. We could, and
always did, take a more dispassionate view of Baden-Powell's plight than
we could or would take of our own.

Tuesday morning brought the 'signal sound of strife'; no day brought any
more. The belching of the guns sounded nearer than on the Monday, but
that was small consolation, for it had sounded near and afar off
alternately for many days. There is a modernised game of blind man's
buff in which the blind one is set to find a hidden ping-pong ball, and
is aided in the search by a _fugue_ played on the piano. The nearer she
(or he) approaches the object of her (or his) search the louder grows
the music (the _fugue_) and _vice versa_. It seemed to us that Methuen
not only knew the game but was passionately fond of it. It was our
privilege in the afternoon to behold the twinkling of a balloon. It
being broad daylight the stars were not visible. Still, sceptical
wiseacres refused to come outside to see the sight; they guessed it was
"the sun." A variety of colours were to be seen about the balloon; the
sceptics said it was a rainbow. But there was no mistaking it in the
light of day; the thing was really a balloon. The rumour-monger seized
his opportunity and circulated all over the city that portion of the
Column were visible, or had halted, rather, at Kraalkop, where they
ought to be visible. Kraalkop accordingly was watched intently for eight
and forty hours, but no sign of a human presence rewarded the vigil. The
Boers, meanwhile, evinced no signs of scenting danger from any quarter,
and with their usual nonchalance kept leisurely shying shells at
Kimberley. These missiles were intended probably for the redoubts, as
they fell mainly on the outskirts of the town. They exploded on the hard
roads, and suggested plenty of melancholy speculation as to the precise
number of them that would be needed to double up for ever the entire
population. Fever continued to play havoc with both natives and
Europeans. The Siege was growing warm, insufferably warm, and the
weather that nature gave us was in all conscience hot enough. In our
fourteenth week of hunger and thirst matters were as bad as they could
be--until the meat Directorate pro