The news from Mafeking is on the whole hopeful, though
the distress from want of food is evidently very great. According to Cape Town rumours, relief will come to Mafe- ki ng within a week, but that is evidently only a guess. In calculating the chances of Mafeking, it must be re- membered that the Boers will not stop in front of it till the very last minute. As soon as Hunter threatens them seriously, or, again, if and when Lord Roberts's main advance makes their presence urgently needed elsewhere, the besiegers will be sure to trek. On the whole, we retain our belief that Mafeking will not fall. It is difficult to sum up the general results of the week's fighting in detail, but the enemy, though they have not suffered heavily in any one place, have, taking all the actions together, lost several hundreds in prisoners and killed. In regard to the rumours of quarrelling between the Free Staters and Tranavaalers, we must confess to a good deal of scepticism.
