South Africans will no doubt be highly amused at the following incident, related by Madame Albani in her book, “Forty Years of Song”:—
“I visited the famous diamond mines at Kimberley, and here I had an interesting experience. The Zulu miners gave me a very cordial reception, and after they had indulged in some native dances for my entertainment, one of them came up and said: ‘Lady, please sing.’ A chair was brought, and there, in the middle of the compound, with the Zulus squatting all round me, I sang “Home, Sweet Home.” At the end the Zulus applauded uproariously, and accompanied me to the gate, dancing and shouting like madmen. It was a most curious scene, and very impressive.”
The following message was received by the Officer Commanding Caesar’s Camp from the Chief of Staff:—“The General Officer Commanding has left to visit you via Wagon Hill. He intends to resume former position as soon as dead and wounded are buried, but will strengthen Caesar’s Camp by Rifle Brigade.”
Until the last Mr. Rhodes held the opinion that there would be no war. It was on account of this that his brother, Colonel Frank Rhodes, sent the following message to him on Christmas Day, 1899, when Mr. Rhodes was amongst the besieged in Kimberley:—“Happy Christmas! How thoroughly you misunderstood the situation!”
During the military operations in connection with the siege of Ladysmith, a letter was found on a captured Boer prisoner—apparently from a daughter in Ladysmith—which contained the following:—
PROGRAMME.