Then the news travelled round the town; a great crowd gathered, and round after round of cheers broke out. The troopers were surrounded by enthusiastic citizens, cross-questioned, congratulated, slapped on the back, shaken by the hand, and offered--coffee! Major Davis came out and called for cheers for the garrison; then all fell to hallooing of such anthems as “Rule Britannia” and “God save the Queen.” Then the troopers of the Imperial Light Horse were taken in to supper. About two in the morning the troops entered Mafeking--not quite 2,000 men; but when the townsfolk, hearing the noise, ran out into the starry, moonlit night, they saw such a host of horses, mules, and bullocks, such a line of waggons and camp-followers, and such a beautiful battery of bright Royal Horse and Canadian Artillery and Maxims that life seemed worth living at last. Those who did not laugh quietly went home and cried for joy. They had earned their day of delight. Mafeking had endured 1,498 shells from the 100-pound Creusot; besides this, they had had to dodge 21,000 odd shells of smaller calibre. Men who saw Ladysmith said that the ruin at Mafeking was far greater. Lord Roberts had, with his wonted generosity, sent a mob of prime bullocks and a convoy of other luxuries. So when the Queen’s birthday came, as it soon did, the town made merry and were very thankful. England was thankful too, for although it was only a little town on the veldt, every eye at home had been upon the brave defenders who, out of so little material, had produced so grand a defence. It is not too much to say that Colonel Baden-Powell and his gallant company had not only kept the flag flying; they had done far more: they had kept up the spirits of a nation beginning to be humiliated by defeat after defeat, when most of the nations of Europe were jeering at her, and wishing for her downfall. But God gave us victory in the end. In part from J. A. Hamilton’s “Siege of Mafeking,” by kind permission of Messrs. Methuen and Co. CHAPTER XXIV THE SIEGE OF KIMBERLEY (1899-1900) The diamond-mines--Cecil Rhodes comes in--Streets barricaded--Colonel Kekewich sends out the armoured train--Water got from the De Beers Company’s mines--A job lot of shells--De Beers can make shells too--Milner’s message--Beef or horse?--Long Cecil--Labram killed--Shelter down the mines--A capture of dainties--Major Rodger’s adventures--General French comes to the rescue--Outposts astonished to see Lancers and New Zealanders. Kimberley is the second largest town in Cape Colony, and is the great diamond-mining district, having a population of about 25,000 whites. Mr. Cecil Rhodes was the Chairman of the De Beers Mines Company, which pays over a million a year in wages.