(We were under this gentleman’s surveillance for some time, and he afterwards proved very friendly, so my husband says, but I never spoke to him again.  I did not like him.  His voice was unpleasant and he had a high, hard nose, and I do not fancy people with hard, high noses.)

A poor little two-year-old baby was found wandering among the ruins at Fordsburg, with only a slight scratch on her wrist.  It is supposed that she has been lying unconscious under the debris.

A Malay woman was discovered cowering over the ruins of what was once her home, crooning to a dead child at her breast.

The Netherlands Railroad Company, under whose auspices the accident took place, have donated 50,000 dollars to the Relief Fund; and the Transvaal Government has set aside 125,000 dollars for the same purpose; the Uitlanders, 325,000 dollars, which was collected within a few hours after the explosion.

FEBRUARY 25.—­Business continues stagnant.

A deputation of mining men go to Pretoria in regard to the depression in the mining industry resulting from the imprisonment of the leaders.  I hear many of the mines will have to shut down.

England’s Queen and President Kruger have exchanged messages over the explosion.

A Kaffir has been found in the wrecked station at Fordsburg; although he had been imprisoned five days in the debris, he was still alive, and revived promptly after being given food. (He succumbed however, some days later to pneumonia brought on by the exposure).

1,500 of the survivors from the dynamite disaster are now encamped at the Agricultural Show Yard.  The Relief Committee are doing all possible to assuage their sufferings.  Poor people! many of them are utterly crushed, and sit about dazed and listless; while the little children, unconscious of the despair surrounding them, frolic about with the chickens, and make mud-pies as if nothing had happened.  But for the thoughtless elasticity of childhood, how few of us could live to grow up!

VIII

The preliminary trial dragged its undignified course through the
Courts with a fortnight’s interruption, because a youth named
Shumacher refused to give his opinions on a certain subject to the
Attorney-General, and was committed to prison for contempt.

The High Commissioner was going through genuflexions before the Boer President.  Peace, peace, at any price! at the cost of broken promises, humiliating compromises, and the lives of sixty-four Reformers, if need be.[8]

Mr. Chamberlain had caught the infection, and was salaaming across the world to Mr. Kruger, like a marionette out of a box.  Thoughtful people began to wonder if he were swung by a heavy weight, which was unknown to us.  Sir William Harcourt was giving the House of Commons, in England, ill-founded and flippant assurances that ’the Uitlanders desired no interference from the outside, whether British or other, but preferred rather to work out their own salvation.’  He added many unpleasant remarks about the Reformers.  I said to one of his countrymen, ’Why does he, in his safety, flourish about, pinning us deeper down in the wreckage?’