The Saint Paul globe., 1900-02-18

Vicinity-Foresight of the Popular
Defender of Mafek1ng in Prepar-
ing for the Onslaught That Came.
Correspondence of the Associated Press.
LONDON Feb. l0.-Extracts from Col.
Baden-Powell's letters to his relatives
are published in an illustrated weekly.
He writes:
Here l sit in my bomb-proof bureau,
writing this aepistle. Around me is tele-
phonic communication with each one of
my cutposts At each one of these out
posts a telescope keeps constant watch
on the Boer outposts and guns. AS soon
as 1t is seen which way their fire IS
about to be directed, the wire connec-
tions are set to work, and bell with
which each defensive quarter is PROVIDED
clangs in that part of the town where
the shell is about to fall, and all in the
open at once go to ground like rabbits.
Generally speaking, most of US, until outy
takes us out keep pretty close during the
day. but we come out and take the air
at night The Beers usually finish pound-
ing US toward evening, or just send US
a few shells before the sun goes down.
lected. He has effectually swept MAIZE
king clear of all suspected traitors. Those
who are not outside are closely shut up
in particularly strong quarters, which
are he saws 'in honor of forty-seyen
prisoners, including the late stat1onmas-
ter at Mafeking, all of whom, ne goes
on to say were rather more than sus-
pected of treasonaLle correspondence with
the enemy.
KAFFIR MESSENGER.
The paper goes on TO say:
Zone dark night, few weeks ago,
Kaffir stole away from the outposts OF
the little beleagured township. With the
subtle instinct of these children OF the
yeldt which has been lost to civilized
man. 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 a couple of assega1s'
a few mealies and pipe. The latter
may have seemed of little importance. Sut
in the stem of that pipe was message
of cheerful contentedness, which gives to
us at home assurances from those In tho
town the Beers besiege."
He tells how before the War the people
were ready to underestimate the charac-
ter of the hostilities likely to ensue, and
pooh-poohed the necessity Of making any
special provision against Boer artillery.
But Baden-Powell was not the man to
= be swayed by such ostrich-like counsel.
II have come here to hold this town,
he said.
Straightway before any enemy appear
ed on the horizon, he set about work ng
out the setting of his excellent defensive
works, and at once directed the construc-
ton of ample shell-proof cover against
the guns which at that time seemed SO
chimerical to the people Of Mafek1ng.
IMPROBABLE DEFENSES.
"Our outworks all around the town.
he says, were Immediately provided
with underground shell-proof quarters for
the whole of It's garrison. The town was
divided into three or four sections, each
of which had it's own arrangements for
defenses. In each big mounds OF earth
have been thrown up, with good interior
apartments, constructed of handiest ma
terial, such as wall supports and reof
cross-beams of any metals, and panels OF
corrugated IRON"
He then tells how he constructed the
cellars of several houses into safe re-
treats, and by banking huge mounds of
earth over each, gave service to the gar
rison and inhabitants on tho day when
the Boer artillery began to rain shot and
shell on the devoted little town.
But the perfect machine-like system
which holds sway at Mafeking is perhaps
the most interesting feature of the sit
uation. Go into the shops Of the opticians
and you will find them hard at work
turning out as many glasses as they can
make in the shortest possible time, chief
ly telescopes of great range, now urgent
ly needed by our forces in South Africa.
The inadequacy of our supply at the
front has put us to serious disadvantage
throughout the theater- of war. Not 81
at Mafeking. Her willy chief, from the
earliest moment, saw to that. and, as he
tells US, had them in constant use In the
center of the beleagured city is a big
traverse, or mound of earth Inside this
mound is the brain of Mafeking, Baden
Powell.