True, he stated that the garrison were in
splendid spirits, and that they no longer troubled themselves about the
daily bombardments, as dug-out shelters had been constructed. The young
men, he said, vied with each other in begging for permission to join
scouting-parties at night, to pepper the Boers, often, as a result,
having a brush with the enemy and several casualties. All the same, they
would return at a gallop, laughing and joking. There had been, however,
several very severe fights, notably one on Canon Kopje, where two very
able officers and many men had been killed. In such a small garrison
this loss was a serious one, and the death-roll was growing apace, for,
besides the frequent attacks, the rifle fire in the streets was becoming
very unpleasant. Intelligence was also to hand of the Boers bringing up
one of the Pretoria siege guns, capable of firing a 94-pound shell. This
was to be dragged across the Transvaal at a snail's pace by a team of
twenty oxen, so secure were they against any interruption from the
South. Against these depressing items, he gave intelligence of an
incident that had greatly alarmed the Boers. It seemed that, to get rid
of two trucks of dynamite standing in the railway-station, which were
considered a danger, the same had been sent off to a siding some eight
miles north.
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