to the garrison by Joubert, who did not attack until November 9,
allowed opportunity to regularize and further to develop the system of
defence, so that on November 6 a press censor telegram, brought out
successfully by a Kaffir runner, read, "Position here now believed to
be entirely safe; greatly strengthened in the last twenty-four hours."
The opportune arrival of the naval guns also, though by so narrow a
margin of time, decisively influenced the outcome. "Had it not been
for these guns," said Sir George White, after his return to England,
"the guns of the Boers would have been brought up very much nearer to
my defences of Ladysmith, and it would enormously have embarrassed my
powers of resistance and would have added enormously to the mortality
of my garrison. Not once or twice in our rough island story have the
naval officer and his men come in the nick of time, and the siege of
Ladysmith was but one instance added to these happy advents."

As {p.192} before said, Ladysmith is surrounded on three sides by
hills which overtop it; railroad lines and stations, indeed, do not
commonly prefer summits to valleys. On the 30th of October the Boers
had already mounted a 40-pounder gun on Peppworth's Hill, north of the
town, with which on that day they opened fire at a distance of over
6,000 yards, much outranging the army field artillery. It was in
connection with the general sortie of the garrison to seize that
position that the disaster of Nicholson's Nek was incurred.

This first threatening outlook was materially modified by the arrival
the same day of the six naval guns from Durban, two of which were of
power equal to the Boers' heavy pieces, and all of a range superior to
those previously at White's disposal. By the 3rd of November a second
long gun had been placed by the besiegers some 8,000 yards--between
four and five miles--south-east of the town, upon Mount Umbulwani;
from which, and from an eminence known indifferently as Lombard's Kop
and as Little Bulwana, three miles to the northward, and also east of
{p.193} the place, the worst of the heavy gun fire upon the town
itself, as distinguished from the lines of defence, seems to have
proceeded. On the 28th the Boers had established within 5,000
yards--less than three miles--of the western defences a third
40-pounder, to which, we learn from Joubert's despatches, his gunners
with grim military humour gave the name of "Franchise"--in mockery,
doubtless, of the Br