on Thornhill's farm, due west of the
town. It commands a very wide district--the old camp, the Long Valley
which the Maritzburg road crosses, the Great Plain behind Bluebank, and
most of our western positions. It began firing early in the morning and
continued at intervals all day. For an hour or two people were surprised
at seeing a free balloon sailing away towards Bulwan. It turned out to
be one of Captain Heath's dummies, which had got away. He tells me it
will be entirely useless to the enemy in any case.

_December 12, 1899._

I was so overcome with fever that again my aspect of things was not
quite straight. After dawn the Bulwan gun shelled the Star bakery, close
to my cottage, and the stones and earth splashing on my roof woke me up
too early. Another cottage was wrecked. The heat was intense, but the
sun so splendid that I have hopes my heliograph message got through at
last. None have gone yet, but I took up my sixth version in faith to the
signal station near the Convent. On inquiry about Captain Paley I found
he had been sent down to Intombi Camp with other serious cases, but the
doctors think he has a chance. Lieut. Bond, who has a similar wound,
went with him. Lieut. Fergusson, who died, had four bad wounds, three
from bullets and one from a small shell of the automatic "pom-pom,"
which shattered his thigh. The rest of the day was a delirium of fever
till the evening, when the wind suddenly changed to east, and it became
cool and then bitterly cold. At half-past eight the proposed Flying
Column, which is to co-operate with the relieving force, had a kind of
dress rehearsal, all turning out with field equipment and transport for
three days' rations. The Irish Fusiliers under Major Churcher formed the
head of the column at Range Post, a body of Natal Volunteers coming
next, followed by the Gordons. I waited at Range Post in the eager and
refreshing wind till the column gradually dissolved into its camps, and
all was still. By eleven the rehearsal was over and I rode back to my
end of the town. To-night the civilians of the Town Guard went on picket
by the river, and bore their trials boldly, though one of them got a
crick in the neck.

_December 13, 1899._

The early part of the day was distinguished by a violent fire from the
big gun of Bulwan upon the centre of the town and the riverside camps.
"Lady Anne" answered, for she has not yet been removed to her destined
station on Waggon Hill