<human>:  Why did the British lose at the Battle of Mafeking?
<bot>: The British lost because the Boers had better leadership and tactics. The British army was poorly equipped and lacked good leadership. The Boers had a very effective system of defense, which was to use the terrain to their advantage. The Boers were also very good at guerrilla warfare. They were also able to capture a large number of British soldiers, which forced the British to retreat.