itish Government's demands on behalf of the
Uitlanders. It may be mentioned here that throughout the war the Boers
have shown a remarkable facility in transporting these heavy cannon,
placing them with surprising rapidity in positions unexpected by their
opponents. On the 29th the besieged could count twenty-six guns in
place upon the lines of attack; but of these, at that time, only the
three specified were guns "of position," to be reckoned as units of a
siege train. The British defensive works, when finally established,
measured in circuit some sixteen miles. The range of the heavier
hostile guns, as revealed by their early practice, compelled an
extension to this degree, in order to hold them back beyond easy
{p.194} command of the town. Fortunately this perimeter, which would
indicate the enclosed area to have a diameter of from five to six
miles, could be manned without overtaxing the numbers of the garrison.
At the moment of investment the British force fit for duty was 572
officers and 12,924 men; total, 13,496. Of these, during the siege, 88
officers and 732 men were killed or wounded; but sickness and want of
food had so far further reduced the numbers that on the day of relief
there were of effectives only 403 officers and 9,761 men, and of these
it was significantly added that "they are the only troops fit to do
even a two-miles march."[17]

[Footnote 17: London _Weekly Times_, April 27,
1900. Some other interesting siege statistics will
be found in the same number.]

Long before this condition of destitution and debility was reached the
besiegers found their hands so occupied by the British relieving
forces that the besieged had little more to do than to hold on. When
the danger to Ladysmith had decided the British authorities to depart
from the original plan, of a single forward movement in mass through
the Free State, and to organise instead a double advance, with
{p.195} divided forces, for the simultaneous relief of Ladysmith and
of Kimberley--as well as certain other subsidiary operations by French
and Gatacre--heavy reinforcements were at once directed upon Natal.
Hildyard's brigade, which had left England before the news of Talana
Hill was received, went on at once from Cape Town without
disembarking, reaching Durban before November 17. Lieutenant-General
Sir Francis Clery continued on to the same port from his original
destination, Port Eliz