HOW “B.P.” BLUFFED THE BOERS

Evening Star, Issue 11890, 19 May 1903, Page 7

HOW “8.P.” BLUFFED THE BOERS

Speaking at a luncheon given in his honor' by the Liverpool Junior Reform Club,: General Baden-Poweu told how he bluffed'the Boers at Mafeking. He said Mafekwg was a very small, sffair. Ladysmith was a much larger job, aud so was Kimberley, because of the numbers of people who had to be fed, It did not matter much whether they Were scuttled or not, but still they had their responsibilities, The garrison adapted themselves splendidly to the conditions, and apart from that the Boers were lacking in confidence at the beginning. They didn’t like - coming on.— (Laughter.) They suspected dangers which did not exist. Before the war began he took care to lay down dynamite mines about the place, but they had no dynamite.—(Loud laughter;} Native gangs placed in the ground very carefully hags of sand sealed up; people were warned in Dutch and English that straying cattle took their own risks, and-little red flags were dotted about like a golf .course. A Boer trench being pushed up rather close, ’a night attack was- arranged, and two lights hoisted on a couple of masts gave the troops the line to take in the dark. The Boers were driven out of the trench with great slaughter, and after that it was sufficient to hoist a couple of lights to have the Boers firing wildly in all directions. He occasionally went out to the advanced posts with a megaphone, through which he gave orders to an imaginary attacking force. “N ow > men, come along; come along,” and the Boers hearing this were given many sleepless .nights, and wasted many millions of rounds of ammunition. It is hard to remember ail the things they did, but the whole thing was “bluffing” the Boers. An armored waggon for use is - the bush was dressed up like a Christmas tree, but one day they rig|hd up a dummy, the gun consisting of an old piece of stove-pipe carefully adjusted with a boot late. After shelling it with artillery the Boers attacked it on throe sides, but finding it was a dummy they could not be induced to make another attack, so of course a real gun was mounted and the waggon was used as a regular fort. For wire entanglcmnts they had no wire, ' but the men were instructed on leaving the forts to jump over and creep beneath imaginary wires, and this did just as well. Another trick was to order a few men to run away from a fort, and when the Boers came up, thinking the place was empty, they were received with volleys. The credit was due to the force who backed him and enabled the “ bluff ” to he earned out successfully, and also the women, who displayed the greatest pluck and endurance. Children could not really live on the food, and the men gave up their sugar and milk, when sugar and milk was really food, to help to keep the children alive. On behalf of those men and those women who stuck it out to the end. ho accepted their hospitality.—(Loud applause.) . ,