South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 3 (of 8): From the Battle of Colenso, 15th Dec. 1899, to Lord Roberts's Advance into the Free State, 12th Feb. 1900Creswicke, Louis
History
South Africa and the Transvaal War, Vol. 3 (of 8): From the Battle of Colenso, 15th Dec. 1899, to Lord Roberts's Advance into the Free State, 12th Feb. 1900
Creswicke, Louis
South African War, 1899-1902; Transvaal (South Africa) -- History
Kaffir territory, looting their cattle, and have thus induced
them to rise and invade your country and kill your Burghers. As
one white man to another, I warned General Cronje on November
14 that this would occur. Yesterday I heard that more Kaffirs
were rising. I have warned General Snyman accordingly. Great
bloodshed and destruction of farms threaten you on all sides.
"I wish to offer you a chance of avoiding it. My advice to you
is to return to your homes without delay and remain peaceful
till the war is over. Those who do this before the 13th will,
as far as possible, be protected, as regards yourselves, your
families, and property, from confiscation, looting, and other
penalties, to which those remaining under arms will be
subjected when the invasion takes place. Secret agents will
communicate to me the names of those who do. Those who do not
avail themselves of the terms now offered may be sure that
their property will be confiscated when the troops arrive. Each
man must be prepared to hand over a rifle and 150 rounds of
ammunition. The above terms do not apply to officers and
members of the Staats artillery, who may surrender as prisoners
of war at any time, nor to rebels on British territory.
"It is probable that my force will shortly take the offensive.
To those who after this warning defer their submission till too
late, I can offer no promise. They will have only themselves to
blame for injury to and loss of property they and their
families may afterwards suffer."--(Signed) R. S. S.
BADEN-POWELL, Colonel, Mafeking, December 10."
If this warning did nothing else, it certainly had the effect of
touching General Snyman in a soft spot, for he at once wrote to his
Burghers in fiery language, expressing his disapproval that such a
communication should have been addressed direct to them. The idea that
"sitting and looking at a place is not the way to take it" seems to have
gone home to him, for he promptly challenged the besieged to come out
and drive him away!
On the same day as his address to the Burghers the Colonel wrote home to
a relative in England, and sent the missive folded in a quill, which was
in its turn rammed into the pipe of a Kaffir:--
"MAFEKING, _Dec._ 12, 1899.
"All going well with me. To-day I have been trying to find any old
Carthusians in the place to have a Carthusian dinner together, as it is
Founder's Day; but so far, for a wonder, I believe I am the only one
among the odd thousand people here.
"This is our sixtieth day of the siege, and I do believe we're beginning
to get a little tired of it; but I suppose, like other things, it will
come to an end some day. I have got such an interesting collection of
mementoes of it to bring home. I wonder if Baden[1] is in the country?
What fun if he should come up to relieve me!
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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