ought shelter with the
rest, making their horses lie down beside them, and were soon as hotly
engaged as the Rifles around them in answering the heavy fire of the
Boers. The fight began at twelve o'clock, and raged without
intermission for six hours; sometimes the Boers attacked on one side of
the position, sometimes upon another. The ground was broken and thickly
strewn with boulders and bushes, and favoured by these the Boers crept
up sometimes close to the position held by the English. So accurate was
their shooting that none of the defenders could show his head above
shelter for a moment, and it was as much as they could do to prevent the
enemy from carrying the position at a rush. The 60th fought with the
greatest coolness and steadiness, and, numerous as were the enemy, they
could not muster up courage for the rush which would have assuredly
overwhelmed the little party that they were attacking. The two English
guns could render but small service, the men being shot down as fast as
they stood up to load, and every officer, driver, gunner, and horse was
killed or wounded within half an hour after the action commenced. So
incessant indeed was the rain of balls that the guns after the action
were spotted with bullet-marks so thickly that it would have been
difficult to place the tip of the finger upon a place unstruck by a
ball.

When darkness put a stop to the fight 160 men--more than two-thirds of
the force--were killed or wounded. Among the former were Captain
MacGregor of the staff, Captain Green of the Royal Artillery, and
Lieutenants Green and O'Connell of the 60th; while Lieutenants Pixney,
Parsons, Twistlewaite and Haworth, all of the 60th, were wounded. Had
the Boers taken advantage of the cover of darkness to steal forward,
they must have annihilated the little force; but they believed that they
had them in their power, for the rain had fallen heavily, the Ingogo had
risen, and was, they thought, unfordable. General Colley ascertained,
however, that it was stilt possible to cross, and with the greatest
silence the survivors moved off from their position, the storm helping
to conceal the movement from the Boers. Very quietly they moved down to
the stream, and with the greatest difficulty succeeded in crossing; then
picking up on their way the company and guns which had been left on the
eminence beyond, the column reached camp in safety.

In the meantime reinforcements had been pushing forward from