Defenders Of Mafeking

DEFENDERS OR MAKEFING

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Cape Mounted Police a Gallant body

of British Colonial Soldiers

     Among the garrison which

under Colonel Baden-Powell has so gallantly

held Mafeking against the redoubtable

Cronje and a greatly superior force of

Boers armed with modern artillery is a

detachment of the Cape Mounted po-

lice.

     The Cape police Is a permanently

embodied force nearly 2,000 strong and

is about as smart and efficient as It is

possible for such a body to be, which

is saying a good deal when we take all

of Great Britain's colonial military po-

Iice into consideration. A glance at

the fine stalwart troopers in the pic-

ture shows not only the excellence of

the material of which the corps is com-

posed, but also the excellence of the

equipment, enabling the corps at any

(line drawing of group of British soldiers

(caption:) 

GROUP OF CAPE MOUNTED POLICE

moment to take its place In a South

African campaign as mounted infantry

of the highest class.

     A feature of the Cape Mounted po-

lice is the fact that every individual

man is accustomed to occasional soli-

tary duty and is therefore admirably

self reliant and resourceful as well as

thoroughly efficient in the matter of

marksmanship and equitation.

     As to what these men can do in uni-

son, even in small bodies, a single in-

structive Instance will suffice. At the

commencement of the present war

there was a bridge at Fourteen

Streams which was threatened for

days by a strong Boer commando, num-

bering, it is said, 600 men. The bridge

was held by 25 Cape Mounted police

and was only abandoned when the

Boers brought up artillery.