Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-02-12
A DESCRIPTION
OF THE SMELLING
OF MAFEKING.

| OF MAFEKING.
London, Jan. -(Correspondence OF
the Associated Press. )-From Mafeking
the Times correspondent, under date OF
! December 20, writes; "The straits Of q
, beleaguered city are only just beginning
to come to Mafeking. It is now nearly
six weeks since Mafeking was pro-
claimed as being in state Of siege, and
although there has been no single oppor-
+. tunity Of any commercial reciprocity
| between ourselves and the outside world,
| the ruling prices are at present but very
little above normal, distress is wholly
absent, danger is purely incidental, and
indeed IT would seem, as Colonel Baden
Powell said in recent order that
everything in the garden was lovely
From time to time Colonel Baden
Powell has issued orders congratulating
| the toWnspeople upon their spirit, and
cOmmiserating with them upon their un-
fortunate predicament.
The Beers have been repulsed for
seven weeks, and without the walls OF
Mafeking an almost impregnable de-
| Tense has been constructei. Our defend
ers are armed with Snyder Enfields. a
Lee MetfOrds. These are the more ma
terlal elements of our defenses, and TO
them may be added the strength of the
protectorate regiment, the Bechuana-
rand rifles, and the native contingent
numbering, with the town guard, some
eoo men. Against this we must place an
enemy whose tactics are surprising
everybody, whose artillery fire is ad-
mlrable, whose guns are humorous and
nrst t-class. They stand off five miles
ana smell the town with perfect safety,
while under cover of their fire they pro-
1ect their advanced trenches daily a few
rect nearer the Town. We have endeav-
orded without artillery and by night
softles to check their progress, but the
sapplng of Mafeking continues and is at
once very serious, If not our sole dam
ger Should their trenches advance
much further it will be impossible to
move about during daytime at all. and
although we have thrown up bales of
compressed hay and sacks of oats to act
as shields against the enemy's bullets
and the flying splinters of passing shells.
rnere Is no hour in the day in which the
streets OF the town are not sprayed by
Mauser bullets.
very far from our own lines, since the
Boers would attempt to rush the town.
Yet there is no doubt that such a rnove-
ment would be very welcome, affording
as much Keen pleasure to the volunteers
OF the town as to Baden-Powcli and the
newly raised units of the garrison. The
siege las 1t progresses, seems to give
.eWer opportunities for coming into pos
tive contact with the enemy. Such or.
caslons as these have been few and far
between, although Colonel Baden Powell
nolos out the promise of such an
ventuIe' e' II mas been so consistently de-
ferred that we are for the most mart he.
coming incredulOus''
Inc Mareklng correspondent Of the
Fall Mall Gazette, under date of Mo-
vember 20, also states some interesting
features. 0sAe
When the guns first engaged u.s." he
writes, I'VE passed the time by keeninr
tallies of the number of shells fired h,,t
everybody has given that up now, We
know that up to date 1900 proiectiles
nave flown over us or burst in the town.
yet the number Of persons killed or in
Jured by the shells only amounts to
about half dozen.
I'VE heard much in London. a,hout tn a
precise craftsmanship of the Boer.
Acres of literature were written on the
subject and everybody who knew noth-
ing about the burghers said that he |
never pulled the trigger without killing |
or manning. The result of the bead
craving around Mafeking has shown |
now unwlse 1t is to be too cock sure. |
In the fight on the Ranathlabama ROAD
the enemy was terribly punished and orr
loss was slight, and every scrap we had |
with them since the same lesson has
been repeated"
The loss suffered by General French
az Co1esburs, when the Suffolks were
cut UP. Is matter OF general comment
TOT Al correspondents. The Daily TeIe-
says:
General French. who was. not pres