at the lowest estimate 3,500 cases of
explosive iron have been hurled at high velocity, not counting an
incalculable number of the best rifle bullets. One can conceive the
effect on a Londoner's mind if a shell burst in the city. If another
burst next day, the 'buses would begin to empty. If a hundred a day
burst for five weeks, people would begin to talk of the paralysis of
commerce. Yet who knows? The loss of life would probably be small. The
citizen might grow as indifferent to shells as he is to shooting stars.
Here, for instance, the killed do not yet amount to thirty, the wounded
may roughly be put down at 170, of whom, perhaps, twenty have died, and
all except the confirmed cave-dwellers are beginning to go about as
usual, or run for cover only when it shells particularly hard.

To-day has not been hard in any sense. It opened with a heavy Scotch
mist, which continued off and on, though for the most part the outlines
of the mountains were visible. "Long Tom" of Gun Hill did not speak. The
bombardment was almost entirely left to "Puffing Billy" and "Silent
Susan." They worked away fairly steadily at intervals morning and
afternoon, but did no harm to speak of.

Again large numbers of Boers were seen moving along the south-west
borders, and a Kaffir brought in the story of a great conference at
Bester's on the Harrismith line. Whether the conference is to decide on
some future course of action, or to compare the difference between the
allied states, we do not know. Probably the Dutch will not abandon the
siege without a big fight.

On our side we contented ourselves with sending a shot or two from
"Bloody Mary" to Bulwan, but the light was bad and the shells fell
short. Sir George White now proposes to withdraw the curfew law, in
hopes that any traitors may be caught red-handed. The Town Guard,
consisting of young shop assistants with rifles and rosettes, are
displaying an amiable activity. Returning from dinner last night, I was
arrested four times in the half mile. I may mention that it is now
impossible to procure anything stronger than lime-juice or lemonade.

_December 6, 1899._

"Long Tom" of Gun Hill surprised us all by beginning a fairly rapid fire
about 10 a.m. "Lady Anne" and "Bloody Mary" replied within a few moments
of each other, and the second of the two shots exploded right on the top
of "Tom's" earthworks, but he fired again within a few minutes, aiming
at the new balloon, the old one ha