iously, if harmlessly, into the town, while the
balloon corps worked steadily in their task of locating the hostile
guns. The enemy objected to that original form of spy, and aimed at him
many a shot, but, fortunately, without effect. The Naval Brigade, always
animated, active, and efficient, completed the mounting of the
long-range guns which were to add to the safety of the place and the
discomfiture of its besiegers. On the whole, the position was becoming
somewhat serious, particularly for those whose nerves were unaccustomed
to the uproar of diurnal thunderstorms. Lord Wolseley has somewhere said
that "the effect of artillery fire is more moral than actual; it kills
but very few, but its appalling noise, the way it tears down trees,
knocks houses into small pieces, and mutilates the human frame when it
does hit, strikes terror into all but the stoutest hearts." It may be
imagined that the early days of this experience must have been somewhat
embarrassing, though later on, so attuned became the nerves, even of
women, that they engaged in shopping in the midst of bombardment, quite
unmoved.

On 2nd November at 2.30 P.M. the telegraphic communication with
Ladysmith was interrupted, but it was undecided whether the Boers had
got sufficiently far south to promote the interruption or whether the
wires had been cut by Dutch sympathisers or small scouting parties of
the enemy. The Boers applied for an armistice with a view to burying
their dead, their real object most probably being, as in many previous
cases of a similar nature, to obtain time for refitting their heavy
guns. This request was refused, but they were permitted to bury their
slain under a flag of truce. Meanwhile, General Joubert's force received
large reinforcements of Free State burghers under the command of Lucas
Meyer, and additional commandoes from the Middleburgh and Leydenburg
districts under Schalkburger were expected.

After this the siege of Ladysmith began in real earnest. "Long Tom,"
though temporarily incapacitated, soon resumed his volubility, and was
assisted by another of his calibre nicknamed "Slim Piet." Curiously
enough, the first house hit during the siege was a commodious
bungalow-shaped residence with large verandah belonging to Mr. Carter,
the author of the now well-known "Narrative of the Boer War." The owner
fortunately had left before the bombardment, and the premises were then
occupied by nurses.

[Illustration: TYPES OF ARMS--12