CAL'K COLON? AND Sol'TII AFIJN'A. 



101 



1 the territory through which the railroad 

 alni: the bonier of Bechuaiiulaiid would run. 

 Thus the plans and preparations wore matured in 

 the greatest secrecy. The offer was made to the 

 members of the Bechuanaland border ]>olice of 

 higher pay if they would join the forces of the 

 South Africa Company, and first and last 160 of the 

 200 men enlisted. On pretei.- 'dishing a 



new stagecoach line, stores of provisions and fod- 

 der and relays of '250 horses were placed by Dr. 

 Wolff at five stages of the route through the wild 

 northern part of the Transvaal toward Johannes- 

 burg. The Rhodesian horse at Buluwayo was held 

 in readiness to act as a support to the expedition. 

 if necessary. The routes were surveyed, and maps 

 were made marking the road to be taken and the 

 dangerous places. "The strength of the expedition 

 was early fixed at 600 men. as was shown by a letter 

 from Sir John Willoughby dated Nov. 18. 



The men and some of the officers of the expedi- 

 tion were not informed of its purpose and objective 

 till the day set for starting. Those of the Bechu- 

 analand border police who had joined the forces of 

 the Chartered Company, handed in their Martini- 

 Henry rifles, and received Lee-Metford magazine 

 rifles." The new recruits also were armed with Lee- 

 Metford rifles and carbines, and the volunteers in 

 Pitsani had been provided with the same weapon. 

 The Bechuanaland police who had not volunteered 

 for the expected expedition were formed into a 

 separate troop. On the evening of Dec. 29 there 

 was a parade at Mafeking. Major Coventry ad- 

 dressed the men on parade and appealed to the 

 men of this troop to join. He told them that they 

 were not going to march against any native chief, 

 but that they were going to march straight to 

 Johannesburg. A dozen of the reluctant men 

 thereupon volunteered. Col. Grey, who was pres- 

 ent when Major Coventry told the men that he 

 could no longer keep it from them that they were 

 going to Johannesburg, on being asked by some of 

 the soldiers why they had been kept in the dark, 

 replied that some things must be left to the officers. 

 His men then wanted to know whether they were 

 going under the Queen's orders or under the orders 

 of the Chartered Company, and he said: "lean 

 not tell you that you are going by the Queen's 

 orders : but you are going to fight for the suprem- 

 acy of the British flag in South Africa." At Pit- 

 sani there was a parade in the afternoon of Dec. 2!.. 

 at which Dr. Jameson addressed the men. He 

 said he had received a letter, signed by 5 people in 

 Johannesburg, requesting him to come to Johannes- 

 burg to assist the inhabitants to get a better form 

 of government. He told the men that there would 

 be no bloodshed, not a shot would be fired, the 

 preparations having been made with such secrecy 

 that they would probably get through without 

 fighting at all : that it would be a surprise party: 

 but they were prepared to fight, if necessary, for 

 women and children were in danger. The Bechu- 

 analand border police, he promised, would join 

 them, and they would have the assistance of the 

 Cape mounted rifles and police, if necessary. 



Dr. Jameson and his associates relied on an up- 

 rising in Johannesburg and the armed assistance of 

 the miners who were provided with Lee-Metford 

 rifles. He counted on a force of 2.000 men to sup- 

 port him. and had not decided whether to proceed 

 to Johannesburg or to strike at Pretoria, expecting 

 to determine on the destination after consulting 

 with Dr. Wolff, and learning the views and inten- 

 tions of the people in Johannesburg. He had re- 

 ceived warning that there was hesitation in Johan- 

 nesburg, for on Dec. 27 Hammond telegraphed: 

 " Expert's report decidedly adverse : I absolutely 

 condemn further development at present." On the 



day preceding his brother. S. Jameson, ha': 

 this : lutely necessary t" 



{tone flotation through unforeseen t-ircums:. 

 here altogether unexpected and until we have C. .1. 

 Rhodes's absolute pledge that authority of the Im- 

 perial Government will not be insisted on. Charles 

 Leonard left last night to interview C. .1. R! 

 We will endeavor to meet your wishes as n _ 

 December, but you must nut move until you have 

 received instructions to." Dr. Jameson evidently 

 supposed that if he went ahead the people of 

 Johannesburg would not or could not recede. He 

 telegraphed his brother on Dec. 27: "British 

 Bechuaualand police have already moved forward ; 

 guarantee already given : therefore let J. H. Ham- 

 mond wire at once all right." To Dr. Wolff he tele- 

 graphed just as he started : " Meet me as arranged 

 before you left on Tuesday, which will enable us to 

 decide which is best destination: make advocate 

 Leonard speak. Have great faith in J. H. Ham- 

 mond. A. Lawley. and miners with Lee-Metford 

 rifles." Sir John Willoughby. who was commander 

 of the Chartered Company's forces and in military 

 command of the expedition, left directions to have 

 the Rhodesia horse, either one or both regiments, 

 as he might order, called up for a camp of exercise 

 on his sending word by telegraph, stating that it 

 would merely be for a demonstration at first, but 

 might lead to their coming down a little later. 



The expedition set out on Sunday night. Dec. 29, 

 1895. from both Pitsani Pitlogo and Mafeking. 

 The party from Pitsani, 350 men of the Matabele- 

 land police and 60 blacks, with 512 horses, was led 

 by Dr. Jameson ; the other, 170 strong, by Col. Grey. 

 The two forces united at Malmani. in the Trans- 

 vaal, and proceeded together toward Johannesburg. 

 They had 8 Maxims. 1 12i-pounder, 4 7-pounders, 

 and a number of carts carrying spare ammunition. 

 The men carried one day's rations and 100 rounds 

 of ammunition, or 110 rounds with what they had 

 in their accouterments. They inarched in military 

 order, with an advance guard, a rear guard, and 

 scouts. 



Before they left Mafeking and Pitsani they cut 

 the telegraph wire a few miles south of both places, 

 taking down a considerable part of the wire and 

 some of the posts, so that it could not be quickly 

 repaired. One wire, however, which Dr. Wolff had 

 been expected to cut. was left. John W. Fuller, 

 who had been inspector of the Bechuanaland bor- 

 der police and was appointed to the same office 

 in the Cape mounted police, told Major Robert 

 White, as the latter bade him good-by. that he 

 would have to report the affair. Major White an- 

 swered : " You can do as you like : the wires are 

 cut." Reports were sent by messenger to Kim- 

 berley. Rumor reached Cape Town that Dr. Jame- 

 son had entered the Transvaal with an armed force. 

 Sir Hercules Robinson telegraphed on Dec. 30 to 

 have a special messenger sent after him directing 

 him to return at once, and to send a copy of the 

 telegram to the officers with him. telling them that 

 "Her Ma; eminent repudiates this viola- 



tion of the territory of a friendly State, and they 

 are rendering themselves liable to severe penal- 

 ties." F. J. Newton. Resident Commissioner of 

 Bechuanaland. sent Sergeant White, who over- 

 took Dr. Jameson after he had traveled nearly 80 

 miles, about half the distance to Johannesburg. 

 The messenger came up with the expedition before 

 noon on Dec. 31 and delivered letters inclosing 

 copies of the telegram to Dr. Jameson. Major Cov- 

 entry, Capt. Munro. Capt. Gosling, and Sir John 

 Willoughby. Dr. Jameson returned no reply be- 

 yond telling the messenger that the matter would 

 be attended to. On the same day Lieut. Carl 

 Johannes Eloff, of the Transvaal police, a grandson 



