HOW MAFEKING MANAGES TO HOLD OUT.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume XXXXII, Issue 78, 29 March 1900, Page 3

HOW MAFEKING MANAGES TO HOLD OUT.

Our cables on Tuesday stated that Mr. Balfour paid a tribute to Lord Edward Cecil for his good work in Mafeking. The London correspondent of the Sydney Morning Herald reminds us that Lord Edjwrd Cecil, shut up in Mafeking, is one cf Lord Kitchener's young men. He served on the Sirdar's staff in the Soudan, and earned that not very demonstrative person's fullest confidence. In a private letter home lord Kitchener tolls a characteristic story about the Premier's son. Shortly after arriving at Cape Town Lord Kitchener came across a well-known Dutchman who had fulfilled large contracts for provisioning the British Army. Just before the war broke out he received instructions to send a certain quantity of stores to Mafeking. Whilst shipment was going forward Lord Edward Cecil called upon the contractor and asked for particulars of the stores. These being supplied him, he said, " Could you send four times as much?" "Yes, if I had authority" said the Dutchman. " Yery well," said Lord Edward, " you send four times as much as you have orders for and I will give you my note of hand for the cost of the surplus quantity. If the Government don't pay you I will." Considering the fact that Lord Edward's financial resources are chiefly represented by his pay as a major, an undertaking to pay out of bis private purse a sum of between six and seven thousand pounds was characteristically daring. The Dutchman considered be was safe in dealing with the Premier's son. Mafeking was accordingly stocked with provisions and general stores to an amount four times more than highly placed authorities thought was sufficient. According to Lord Kitchener's testimony, this is how jfeLafeking manages still to bold out.