Men of all nationalities, many of them familiar with the town, having worked in the mines here, they came in the hope of finding some diamond overlooked in the sudden cessation of mining operations.... Then, too, they knew that Cecil Rhodes was in the town, having had no time to fly or to carry off his treasure. Then, again, there are bankers and jewellers in Kimberley, and if the Boers had taken the town.... It appears that Cecil Rhodes was quite aware of this danger, and I have heard that he attempted to manufacture a balloon which was to have carried ’Cecil and his fortunes’ to a safer city. In any case, his gratitude to his defenders was very lively. And, in addition to other liberalities, he presented a commemorative medal to them all. IV Failing an assault, we resume the bombardment. The firing is slow and inaccurate. The English reply in much the same fashion, when suddenly their new cannon appears on the scene, not altogether to our surprise, for some intercepted letters had warned us of its manufacture. It was the famous _Long Cecil_. The _Long Cecil_ was a gun of about 12 centimetres, made in Kimberley itself during the siege with a piece of steel taken from the machinery of the De Beers mine. The piece was drilled and rifled with the means at the disposal of the besieged. The closing of the breech, a somewhat fantastic arrangement, was based on the Canet system. In default of a trial field, the range was arrived at from observations of actual firing against us. _Long Cecil_ accordingly began to speak, and to speak very much to the point. Several times we were covered with earth, and I am certain that out of twenty shells, the extreme error was not more than 200 metres. One fortunately fell diagonally on _Long Tom’s_ very platform, rebounded, and burst a little way off. Seven men were killed. The next day, Thursday, passed in almost precisely the same fashion. Towards five o’clock the interchange of amenities between _Long Tom_ and _Long Cecil_ began, and lasted till 8.30; at 8.30, breakfast. After breakfast, the guns went to work again till 11. At 11, lunch, rest. From 4 to 6, another cannonade. At 6, dinner. This respect for meal-times is charming, and greatly facilitates life in the field. It is a pity the attention of the Powers is not called to this subject by an international convention! Many affections of the stomach would be hereby avoided. Encouraged by the example of their big brothers, the little 12 and 15-pounder Krupps and Armstrongs join in the concert. The English have five, and we have four. It is delightful, and one can’t complain of a single second of boredom. On Friday, the Colonel’s request is still unanswered. ’Wait a little while!’