h," "Hope," and "Charity"--from Telegraph Hill, the guns on
Surprise Hill, and Thornhill Kopje, and the two guns now on Bluebank
Ridge. Two horses were killed, and the party, not being numerous enough
for their task, came galloping back singly. Meantime the Boers, with
their usual resource, had invented a new method of calling the cattle
home by planting shells just behind them. The whole enterprise was
admirably planned and carried out. We only succeeded in saving thirty or
forty out of the drove. The lowest estimate of loss is L3,000, chiefly
in transport cattle.

But who knows whether by Christmas we shall not be glad even of a bit of
old trek-ox? Probably the Dutch hope to starve us out. At intervals all
morning they shelled the cattle near the racecourse, just for the sake
of slaughter. To-day also they tried their old game of sending gangs of
refugee coolies into the town to devour the rations. Happily, Sir George
White turned at that, and sent out a polite note reminding the
commandants that we live in a polite age. So in the afternoon the Boers
adopted more modern methods. I had been sitting with Colonel Mellor and
the other officers of the Liverpools, who live among the rocks close to
my cottage, and they had been congratulating themselves on only losing
two men by shell and one by enteric since Black Monday, when they helped
to cover the retirement with such gallantry and composure. I had
scarcely mounted to ride back, when "Puffing Billy" and other guns threw
shells right into the midst of the men and rocks and horses. One private
fell dead on the spot. Three were mortally wounded. One rolled over and
over down the rocks. Several others were badly hurt, and the bombardment
became general all over our end of the town.

_November 25, 1899._

Almost a blank as far as fighting goes. It is said that General Hunter
went out under a flag of truce to protest against the firing upon the
hospital. There were no shells to speak of till late afternoon. Among
the usual rumours came one that Joubert had been wounded in the mouth at
Colenso. The Gordons held their sports near the Iron Bridge, sentries
being posted to give the alarm if the Bulwan guns fired. "Any more
entries for the United Service mule race? Are you ready? Sentry, are you
keeping your eye on that gun?" "Yes, sir." "Very well then, go!" And off
the mules went, in any direction but the right, a soldier and a sailor
trying vainly to stick on the bare