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Four Months Besieged - The Story of Ladysmith by H. H. S. Pearse
page 62 of 197 (31%)
been shaken in the slightest degree by shell fire yet. What losses our
foes suffered we have no means of knowing, but they were probably much
heavier than our own, which numbered five killed and twenty-four
wounded, mostly by shells, in the twelve hours of intermittent
fighting.




CHAPTER VI

A MONTH UNDER SHELL FIRE

The first siege-baby--An Irish-American deserter--A soldierly
grumble--Boer cunning and Staff-College strategy--An ammunition
difficulty--The tireless cavalry--A white flag incident--What the
Boer Commandant understood--The Natal summer--Mere sound and
fury--Boer Sabbatarianism--Naval guns at work--"Puffing Billy" of
Bulwaan--Intrepid Boer gunners--The barking of "Pom-Poms"--Another
reconnaissance--"Like scattered bands of Red Indians"--A futile
endeavour--A night alarm--Recommended for the V.C.--A man of straw
in khaki--The Boer search-light--Shelling of the hospital--General
White protests--The first woman hit--General Hunter's
bravado--"Long Tom" knocked out--A gymkhana under fire--Faith,
Hope, and Charity--Flash signals from the south--A new Creusot gun.


The garrison and inhabitants of Ladysmith now began to realise that
they were doomed to a long period of inactivity if to nothing more
serious. The days immediately following the Boer attempt of 9th
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