nd when later in
the day a drove of half a hundred oxen, horses, and mules, with their
forage behind them, entered Kimberley they were greeted with a tumult of
applause never meted out to royal pageant or conquering biped coming! A
little whiskey, it was said, had been unearthed; but there was no
evidence, circumstantial or oscillatory, to confirm this. Minor
windfalls in the way of half-sovereigns, five pound notes, Kruger coins,
and trousers buttons had also been picked up and appropriated as a
matter of course.

When Major Rodger had officially apprised the Colonel of his glorious
victory, gyps and re-inforcements were immediately despatched to assist
in the holding of the acquired position. It was soon strongly
garrisoned, and though theatrical preparations for its recovery were not
wanting, no serious attempt was made to re-take it. From the adjacent
ridges (a mile off) an odd shell came hurtling; and thus was an avenue
opened up for the Column that was always coming, and never came.
Cheering auguries there were in plenty, but we guardedly declined to be
cheered, and pretended to snigger sceptically at the auguries. It might
be that the Boers _had_ been "driven out of Colesburg," but we did not
believe it, on principle. From the same source we learned that Cronje
was a prisoner; but he was _not!_ so that our incredulity was in a
measure justifiable to the end. It was conceded, it was being made
manifest daily that the housing of so many people for any length of time
in the over-crowded mines was opt of the question. But that was a
consideration to which the "Military Situation" could not resonably be
expected to play second fiddle.

Despite, therefore, the concrete evidence of impending developments;
despite the distant dust-clouds which only Cavalry, and a good many of
them, could cause; despite the chaos reigning in Boer circles--we still
declined to be hoodwinked on the never-to-be-forgotten morning of
Thursday, the fifteenth of February. On the night previous the sounds of
a heavy musketry duel had been heard. A force had been sent out to
frustrate Boer encroachments and the fury with which (as per
expectation) the lost Alexandersfontein was to be regained. This force
effected a _coup_, and by a series of tricks alarmed the enemy
contiguous to Alexandersfontein into a belief that a bayonet charge in
strength was contemplated, the consequence being that they (the Boers)
beat the air with bullets for full three