The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1899-12-21

| nine sorrow to find her best bonnet
| smashed as flat as pancake, and only
! one cup, two saucers and a couple OF
| plates left Of all her cherished crock
| cry.
Meanwhile, the men kept up their
spirits, with music and dancing. Hold
| the Fort" with a strictly local applica.
ton, was a favorite chorus, and the
men invented a version of the famous
| lingo song:
If we do
| We've got the pluck, we've got the men,
| and ammunition, too.
| We've fought the Zulu king and Seke-
kuni, too,
| And the Beers shall never get into Fort
| Mary.
And they never did though they tried
! their utmost to drive out the gallant
defenders with cannon and rifles, and,
what was worse, "Greek fire" shot in
metallic tubes into the thatch of the
roofs Perhaps if the Beers could only
have summoned up courage to make a
determined assault while the huts were
blazing and half the garrison occupied
in putting out the flames they might
have captured the fort. But they did
not care to meet the stubborn defenders
of Fort Mary hand to hand So they
contented themselves with potting at
the gallant fellows who fearlessly ex-
posed themselves in their efforts to ex-
tinguish the fire. Those efforts We're
Successful, though they cost the lives of
two brave men who could Ill be spared.
But the garrison We're not content
with standing only ON the defensive.
They made plucky little night sorties,
which scared the Beers considerably
and caused them some loss. Twice Con
ductor Parsons, of the Army Service
corps, sailed out alone in the dark,
and pitched hand-grenades in among
the enemy, which produced a perfect
panic among them. There was vigorous
sapping and mining, too, on the part of
the Royal engineers who made things
very lively for the besiegers.
Then the water ran short. A pint
day for each man was all that could be
spared; and this, though supplemented
with a pint bottle of ale from the stores,
was terribly short rations of drink in
the hottest month of an African sum-
mer. Plucklyl Mrs. Long found the
privation of water for washing more
trying than even the thirst; and her
joy was intense when, after many days
Of this privation, she discovered a big
bath-sponge in its old-cloth case still
damp. One daily wipe she and her hus-
band allowed themselves as luxury,
and then locked the sponge up. AT last
the rain, which for many weary hours
they had watched deluglng the hills
around, condescended to visit them, and
then they had rather more water than
they wanted; for, the huts being all
roofless since the fire, there was no
shelter from the pitiless downpour. The
soldiers, always eager and anxious TO
protect Mrs Long, rugged up tarpau-
lin screen to shield her from the rain
when sleeping; butt despite their care,
she often woke UP drenched.
The news Of the disasters at Laing's
Mex and Majuba Hill was, of course,
communicated to them by the
enemy, accompanied by peremptory
to surrender. But Lieuten-
ant Long, though badly wounded him
self, lying helpless, with his faithful
wife nursing him night and day, sent
back the curt answer: Il shall hold out
to the last" And the r,en, looking at
that brave woman 50 patient and cheer
full under her terrible load of anxiety,
set their teeth hard and swore the Beers
should never have Fort Mary while
there was a man leftYto handle rifle.
And ever on the topmost roof the old
banner of England blew At first, in
deed. twas but merchant ships en-
sign. How they hoisted a real union
jack will let Mrs. Long tell in her own
Words
"Our ships ensign had become, what
with the wind and what with the bull |
let's, perfect shred. moreover, we were |
anxious to hoist real union Jack. A. |
Geneva flag was discovered, but though |
sufficient red and white were forthcom-
ng to complete the crosses, no blue was
to be found Nothing daunted, the men
came to me to inquire If / possessed /
such thing as a bit of dark blue for /
the new flag, and, to their delight, |
gave them serge dress of the desired
color A beautiful union-jack was very
soon made and hoisted, instead of the
lISl.a tJuT snip 5 cHSlSni though eS-
was not discarded, for under
Is tattered shred our brave fellows
were carried to their graves"
On the Goth of March the Beers kept |
Up furious cannonade and fusillade all
aight. But the next morning, to the
surprise of the garrison, white flag
vas hoisted over the enemys lines, and
lnder its protection Lieutenant Ba-
xer, of the Sixtieth Rifles, brought them
he humiliating news that peace had
)een concluded with the Beers. So the
gallant defenders marched out from the
iddled and battered little fort which
or eighty-four days they had held
against ten times their number.
Mrs Long was SO thin and pulled
lown that her friends in Lydenberg
hardly knew her The Beers cheered
Ter heartily as she passed them on her
yay into the town. and their command
L, Pet Steyne, treated her with the ut
lost courtesy. Indeed, such chival-
Gus gentleman was this gallant Boer
|