Produced by Jonathan Ingram, Taavi Kalju and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net [Illustration: H.W. NEVINSON] LADYSMITH THE DIARY OF A SIEGE BY H.W. NEVINSON AUTHOR OF "THE THIRTY DAYS' WAR" METHUEN & CO. 36 ESSEX STREET W.C. LONDON 1900 CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I. ON THE EDGE 1 II. AT THE BRITISH FRONT 9 III. THE FIRST WEEK'S WAR 20 IV. BATTLE OF ELANDS LAAGTE 30 V. BATTLE OF TINTA INYONI 41 VI. THE REVERSE AT NICHOLSON'S NEK 51 VII. HEMMED IN 61 VIII. TRAGEDY AND COMEDY 72 IX. INCIDENTS, ACCIDENTS, AND REALITIES 83 X. ENNUI ENLIVENED BY SUDDEN DEATH 100 XI. FLASHES FROM BULLER 129 XII. THE NIGHT SURPRISE ON GUN HILL 138 XIII. THE CAPTURE OF SURPRISE HILL 156 XIV. THE SEASON OF PEACE AND GOODWILL 176 XV. SICKNESS, DEATH, AND A NEW YEAR 194 XVI. THE GREAT ATTACK 211 XVII. A PAUSE AND A RENEWAL 231 XVIII. "WITHIN MEASURABLE DISTANCE" 250 XIX. HOPE DEFERRED 265 XX. SUN AND FEVER 279 XXI. RELIEVED AT LAST 291 APPENDIX 299 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS PAGE PORTRAIT OF THE AUTHOR _Frontispiece_ MAP OF LADYSMITH AND NEIGHBOURHOOD 12 GENERAL SIR GEORGE STEWART WHITE, V.C., G.C.I.E., G.C.B., G.C.S.I. 18 PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF ELANDS LAAGTE 32 LOMBARD'S KOP 56 IMPERIAL LIGHT HORSE SHELTERS 77 THE DRIFT AND WATERING-PLACE 80 BULWAN 105 HOSPITAL IN TOWN HALL AFTER A SHELL 127 BREECH BLOCK FROM GUN HILL 148 A PICTURESQUE RUIN 183 HEADQUARTERS AFTER A 96LB. SHELL 186 EFFECT OF 96LB. SHELL ON A PRIVATE HOUSE 201 SPECIMEN OF BOER SHELLS 252 INDIAN BAKERY 268 GENERAL RT. HON. SIR R.H. BULLER, V.C., G.C.B., K.C.M.G., K.C.B. (_photograph by KNIGHT, Aldershot_) 291 SKETCH PLAN OF COUNTRY SOUTH AND WEST OF LADYSMITH 306 NOTE This book has been reprinted, by kind permission of the Proprietors of the _Daily Chronicle_, from the full text of the Letters sent to the paper. LADYSMITH THE DIARY OF A SIEGE