distance of 11,000 miles, to risk, or, if needs be, to lay down his
life for her who is his Queen as well as ours. As in the name of
the Motherland I thanked these men for thus rallying around our
common flag in the hour of peril, and tenderly urged them to be as
loyal to the Christ as to their Queen, the meaning look and hearty
hand-grip spoke more eloquently to me than any words. In almost
every case the responsive heart was there. Of these Canadians--the
first contingent--our generals speak in terms of highest praise;
but already some twenty have been killed and nearly seventy
severely wounded. The Dominion mourns to-day her heroic dead as we
mourn ours. They sleep side by side beneath these burning sands;
but thus are forged the more than golden chains which bind the
hearts of a widely-sundered race to the common throne around which
we all are rallying.'[8]

The scene here depicted is one which must be imagined not once but many
times during that terrible march from the Modder to Bloemfontein. It
tells in simple but eloquent language how Christian kindliness tried to
assuage human woe.

[Footnote 8: _Methodist Times_.]

Chapter IX

KIMBERLEY DURING THE SIEGE AND AFTER

The siege of Kimberley began on Sunday, October 15, 1899, and continued
until Thursday, February 15, 1900. It was somewhat unexpected, for
although so near the border it was hardly expected that the Boers would
invade British territory. In fact, so little did the military
authorities at Cape Town anticipate a siege that it was with great
difficulty the Kimberley inhabitants secured any military assistance. On
September 21, however, a detachment of 500 men of the Loyal Lancashires,
Royal Artillery, and Royal Engineers, under the command of
Lieutenant-Colonel Kekewich, put in an appearance. These were the only
regular troops in the town, and but a handful in face of the Boers
gathering on the frontier.

There were, of course, local volunteer regiments--the Kimberley Rifles,
the Diamond Fields Artillery, and the Diamond Fields Horse--and there
were also about 400 men of the Cape Mounted Police. But what were these
to guard the treasures of the Diamond City and its population of 50,000
souls?

=The Defence of Kimberley.=

It was evident that Kimberley must set to work to defend itself, and
that it did right nobly. A town guard was formed consisting of about
2,500 m