officers who, it was supposed, directed operations "from behind, when
there was any fighting," like the Duke of Plaza Tora in the play.

The De Beers Corporation continued with untiring energy to do what in
them lay for the further protection of the town, and on Monday offered
to provide the military with a thousand horses. The offer was gladly
accepted. It was decided to form a mounted corps of men who could ride
well and shoot straight. We had a good few denizens of the Rand in our
midst, and there was no difficulty in finding men proficient in both
accomplishments to place on the backs of the horses. There came into
being, accordingly, the famous Kimberley Light Horse--a corps destined
to play an heroic, a tragic part in defence of the Diamond City. To the
refugee the pay was convenient, the work bracing and congenial, and the
prospect of "potting a Boer" not at all bad. With the Light Horse were
soon to be associated some hundreds of the Cape Police (who came in from
Fourteen Streams); and the combined forces inflicted considerable
damage, and were a perennial source of irritation to the enemy all
through. De Beers came out strong in another direction by heading the
list of subscriptions to a Refugee fund which had been opened. The
amount subscribed ran up to four figures. Much distress prevailed, and
the Refugee committee set about distributing the fund to the best
advantage. The ladies came out strong here, and gave yeomen
service--scooping out flour, meal, tea, and sugar to the needy, and in
sifting and rejecting, with rare acumen, the bogus claims of the "Heaps"
who affected humble poverty.

The Summary Commission sat for the first time, and with a courageous
disregard for the despotism of red tape, proceeded to business. The
first case called was that of one, Pretorious, whose open and vehement
condemnation of the war, and the policy that led to it, had rendered him