The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1900-06-21
LIKE WA4ERL00's EVE.
Parallel of "A 5NyorId-Fnmous Ball
room Incident.


All the world. OF course. was interested
in the thrilling story OF the siege OF Mafe-
king. in South Africa. BY the Beers. There
were incideRtz- 10 connection with that
time that tried mems souls" the stories
Of which are Just being told. One CT the
most interesting OF these is found in the
following lsttey to LoEdon newspaper
written by a Correspondent who wzs shut
up in the beIeag0e-ed town:
In the history OF the siege CT Mafeking
there should stand forth an eYeat as re-
markabIe 10 posterity, II. perhaps. not
quite so historical, as the famous bah
which was given by the Duchess Of Rich
nond On the eve OF Waterloo. Il may be.
indeed, trite comparison. since its only
relationship is contained IN the fact that
the officers were called away to the field
Of battle, but. with so much uncertainty
in European circles upon the conditions Of
the garrison. this fact and its issues tend
TO show the spirit with which the town is
sustaining its precariOus existence. Al
though We have some 5000 Beers around
US. with twelve different varieties Of ar
tillery and despite the steady increase
in fatalities from shot and shell which
marks each day. We can yet stimulate our
Tagging spirits to a pitch in which ball
is accepted and welcomed as an essential
70 the conditions Of the siege.
"A mere detail. yet one OF sufficiently
striking importance and showing how very
sonbre and how serious is the daily situa
ton. will perhaps be found in the post
ponement OF this ball from Saturday night
until the succeeding evening" proceeding
which was rendered necessary by the
death Of a popular townsman from a 100
pound shell in the course OF the previous
morning Recent Sundays have revealed
a tendercy upon the part OF the enemy TO
ignore that generous and courteous con-
cession to a beIeaguered garrison which
General COME granted by protesting his
willingness to observe the Sabbath. inso-
much that the Beers have maintained rifle
IRE until in the morning. commencing
again at any moment after o'clock at
night This Sunday was no exception, and
we had the usual matutinal voIleys
Toward o'clock in the evening the
streets near the Masonic Hall presented
an 2nima1Sd. even a gay picture. Officers
IN uniform and ladies in charming toilets
were making their way TO the scene of fes-
dvity, each with a careless happiness
which made il impossible TO believe that
within thousand yards OF the town were
the enemy's lines. Immense cheering
greeted the strains of Rule Britannia
played by the band Of the Bechuanaland
Rifles. and then the dance commenced.
The town danced upon the edge Of 4
volcano, as IL were and while il danced the
outposts watched with strained eye for any
sign Of movement in the elemy's lines
As dusk closed in the outposts had reported
to the colonel commanding that the adj
yanced trenches Of the enemy had been
REINFORCED with some 800 Beers and that
their galloping Maxim had been drawn Dy
four men TO point adjacent TO our outiy-
ing posts in the brickhel6s. while what ap-
peared to be the 9-poun6er Krupp had been
put into an empiacement upon the south
eastern front This news Colonel Baden
Powell did not permit to become known,
since he very properly wished 70 allow the
garrison to enjoy its dance Il the occasion
offered and accordingly the dance began.
1T was early when the enemy sent their
preliminary yoiley whistling over the
town; in an instant the animation of the
streets which had preceded the dance was
apparent once more. as around the doors
OF the Masonic Hall a number of people
collected from ont OF the ballroom Off
GERS raced to their posts as orderlies gal
lcped through the streets sounding a gen
eral alarm. We were to be attacked, and
a man can serve his guns. can ply his rife
can stand TO his post in evening pumps
and dress trousers as efficiently and as
thoroughly as he can where he is clothed
IN The coarser habliments of the trenches
For a few minutes no one quite knew
what would happer. and greater mystifica-
ton prevailed as the noise of firing came
from every quarter Of our front. Urgent
orders were issued, to be obeyed as rap
idly: Maxims were brought up at gal
Top; the reserve squadron was held in
readiness. coming up to headquarters at
the double. The guns were loaded and
trained. and within few minutes of the
general alarm the ballroom vas deserted
and every man was at his most /"