garding
the Dutch with a calm but defiant aspect, his head and shoulders
projecting about three feet over the wall. His legs were only a sack
stuffed with straw, but round his straw body a beautiful khaki tunic had
been buttoned, and his straw head was protected by a regulation helmet,
for which a slouch hat was sometimes substituted, to give variety and
versimilitude. In his right hand he grasped a huge branch of a tree,
either as rifle or lance. He was withdrawn occasionally, and stuck up
again in a fresh attitude. To please me the corporal crept behind him
and jogged him up and down in a life-like and scornful manner. The hope
was that the Boers would send a bullet through that heart of straw. In
the afternoon they did in fact pierce his hat, but at the time they were
keeping their ammunition for something more definitely human, like
myself. As I retired, after saluting the dummy for his courage, the
bullets flew again, but the sights were still too high.

[Illustration: BULWAN]

On my return to the old Scot's house, I found an excited little crowd in
the back garden. They were digging out an enormous shell which had
plumped into the grass, taking off the Scot's hat and knocking him down
with the shock as it fell. The thing had burst in the ground, and it
was as good as a Chinese puzzle to fit the great chunks of iron
together. At first we could not find the solid base, but we dug it out
with a pick from the stiff, black clay. It had sunk 3 ft. 8 in. down
from the surface, and had run 7 ft. 6 in. from the point of contact. It
was a 45-pounder, thrown by a 4.7 in. gun--probably one of the four
howitzers which the Boers possess, standing half-way down Lombard's Kop,
about four miles away, and is identical with "Silent Susan." But with
smokeless powder it is almost impossible to say where a shot comes from.
"Long Tom" and "Puffing Billy," with their huge volumes of smoke, are
much more satisfactory.

Rain fell heavily for the rest of the day, and the bombardment ended,
but it was bitter cold.

_November 18, 1899._

The bombardment was continued without much energy. The balloon reported
that the Boers were occupied in putting up more guns on Bulwan. Rumour
says there will be thirteen in all, a goodly number for a position which
completely commands the town from end to end. All day the shells had a
note of extra spite in them as they came plunging among the defenceless
houses. But they did no great harm till