What I have said about the contemplated surrender of the Boers has since been confirmed by what I heard on my journey south towards Vryburg. Keely, now Resident Magistrate in these parts, had been taken into camp about this time to swear neutrality; and the Boers made no secret of their intention to surrender the fort; but they were kept up to the mark by one determined man, who, lying behind an ammunition box, swore he would blow out the brains of the first man who offered to surrender. It was at this man that Paton was firing through a loophole with a pistol when he was shot. Nobody else on our side seems to have spotted the individual in question, hence the Boers, on our retiring, continued the fight. 27th, 28th, and 29th. Desultory shelling, sniping, and occasional wild firing from the enemy by night. We hear cheering native rumours from the south. 31st, Sunday. Sports, &c., driving competition, horse-show. I won hack competition. January 1st, 1900, New Year’s Day. We had anticipated a quiet day, as this is a Boer festival. I presume they thought we anticipated this, for they commenced early with a heavy bombardment and experimented with incendiary bombs, which however were of no success. A valuable member of the garrison, one of our few carpenters, Slater by name, was killed. 2nd. Our usual shelling, and a niece of a Baralong chief killed in the stadt, amongst others. In the evening Mr. Hamilton, _Times_ correspondent, gave the staff and the other correspondents a most excellent dinner, which we all thoroughly appreciated, at Riesle’s Hotel. How so good a dinner could be served after about four months’ siege is indeed extraordinary. 3rd. The quick Q.-F. Krupp was moved to the north-west of the town, and fired on the western forts, amongst other places into the women’s laager, killing two children, one Dutch, one English. 4th. Typhoid has broken out in the women’s laager. I suppose we may consider ourselves lucky it is not more prevalent. The usual shelling goes on. 5th. Enemy quiet, with the usual shelling, which is terribly monotonous. 6th. Boers rather vicious to-day, and the usual Saturday’s spar all round at sundown. Runners went north and south. 7th, Sunday. In the early morning heavy musketry fire from the Boers, quite contrary to their usual custom. Sports, Christie Minstrels, and a comical turn-out competition. 8th. Rained hard. Shelling went on as usual, and my usual sniping ground destroyed by four shells, and the occupant fatally injured, Shrapnell fired over the women’s laager. 9th. From now onwards we may assume a very heavy shelling every day. Two whites and two natives injured while tampering with a hundred pound shell, one white since dead.