Condon globe. (Condon, Gilliam Co., Or.) 189?-1919, 1900-03-01
LETTERS FROM sApgN.PowELl.
Commender at Mafeking Describes the
Town's Long Siege.

Commender at Mafeking Describes the
Towa's Long Siege.
London, Feb. 26.--Extracts from
Colonel Baden-Powell's letters to his
relatives are published in an illustrated
weekly. He writes:
Here | sit in my bomb-proof bu-
reau, writing these letters. Around
me is telephonic communication
with each one Of my outposts. At
each of these outposts q telescope keeps
constant watch on the Boer outposts
and guns. As soon as it is seen which
way their fire is about to be directed,
the wine communications are set to
work and bell, with which each de-
fensiye quarter is provided, clangs in
that part OF town where the shell is
about to fall; and all in the open 20 to
the ground like rabbits. Generally
speaking, most Of us, unless duty takes
us out, keep pretty close during the
day; but we come out and take the air
az night. The Beers usually finish
pounding MS toward evening, or Just
send MS q few shells before the sun
goes down"
One thing Colonel Baden Powell has
not neglected. He has effectually
swept Mafeking clear of all suspected
traitors. Those who are not outside
are shut up in particularly strong
quarters. He says:
II have AZ prisoners, including the
late station master at Mafeking, all Of
whom were rather more than suspected
Of reasonable correspondence with the
enemy"
The paper goes on TO say: Zone
dark night, few weeks ago, Kaffir
stole away from the outpsts OF the lit
tie beleagured township. With the
subtitle instinct Of those children of the
veldt, which has been lost to civilized
mar. he made his way through the net
work of encircling trenches and laagers
and set his face to the north and Bulu-
wayo. He carried couple of assegais,
few mealies and pipe. The latter
may have seemed of little importance,
but il the stem of that pipe lay the
message from the cheerful. confident
chief, which, after journey to Della.
goa Bay, gives to us at home those in
teresting details of the resistance offer
ed by the town to the Boer siege"
He tells how, even at Mafeking, be-
fore war came to them, people were
ready TO underestimate the character
of the hostilities likely to ensue, and
-poohed the necessity of making
any special provision against Boer artil-
lery. But Colonel Baden Powell was
not the man to be swayed by such
conduct.
Il have come here to hold this
town." he said. Straightway, before
any enemy appeared ON the horizon, he
set about marking out the line of his
exterior defense works, and, with that
sense which is the best test of
the true soldier. at once directed the
OF ample shell proof cover
against the guns which at that time
seemed so chimerical to the people OF
Each one OF the outworks," he |
writes, "all around the town was at |
once provided with underground she'll
proof accommodation for the whole of its
garrison. The town itself was divided |
into three or four sections, each OF |
which had its own arrangements for
defense. In each, big mounds of earth |
nave been thrown up, with good inter-
or apartments, all constructed of the |
material, such as wall sup
ports and roof cross beams of railway
with panelings and roofings OF
corrugated iron"
He then tells us how he converted
he cellars OF several houses into safe
'etreats of similar kind, and, by
means of banking huge mounds of earth
overhead, they rendered
.ood service to the garrison and the
inhabitants on the day when the Boer
rtillery began to rain shot and she'll
IN the devoted little town.
But the perfect, machine like system
which holds sway at Mafeking Is per-
Iaps the most interesting fact about
he siege. Go into any we'll known
ptician's store and you will find the
nen hard at work turning out as many
lasses as they can make in the short
st possible time, chiefly telescopes of
reat range, now urgently needed by
ur troops in South Africa. The in
dequacy OF our supply at the front has
ut us to serious disadvantage through
ut the theater of war. Not so at
Her willy chief, from the
arliest moment. saw to that, and he
ellis us how he has them in constant
Sc. In the center of the beleagured
own is big traverse or mound Of
arth. Inside this mound is the brain
/ Mafeking, Baden Powell. Ii