emselves in distressing circumstances. It was not
possible to recover easily from the surprise, and it was evident that
the General and his men were totally unprepared to meet, and unequal to
crushing, a powerful enemy in an intrenched position. Naturally the
casualties were many. However, the artillery were soon climbing a small
kopje on the left, while the Rifles and Northumberland Fusiliers, in
skirmishing order, mounted the hill held by the Republicans. Footsore
and weary with their long midnight march, they toiled up the steeps
amidst a cruel hailstorm from the enemy's fire, which came pouring at
the same time from three separate quarters in flank and rear. One of
the almost impregnable hill-tops was gained at the point of the bayonet,
but so furious became the storm of bullets that the British, now
outnumbered at the rate of seven to one, were forced to retire.
Meanwhile the artillery were drawing the fire of the enemy's guns and
launching their shrieking shells into the fort that the Boers had
constructed at the corner of the kopje. But the position was
unassailable. The Boers had expected the attack, and by an elaborate
system they had measured and marked off distances from their
batteries--a system which could not be upset in a moment. The Dutchmen
swarmed in hundreds behind excellent cover and were not to be routed.
Our men, who, many of them, had been occupied the whole previous day in
fatigue-work, were numb from exhaustion, dropping here and there,
fainting or asleep, in the very face of death.

[Illustration: MAP ILLUSTRATING THE OPERATIONS ON THE SOUTH OF THE
ORANGE RIVER]

The infantry, with the Maxim detachment, were then ordered to retire
towards Molteno, while the artillery remained to cover the retreat. But
the retirement was not so easy. The triumphant Boers now brought their
guns to the tops of the kopjes, and sent shell after shell to catch the
troops as they slowly wound along the valley. Many of the shells burst
with terrific force, ploughing up the roadway around our men, and
shooting clouds of blinding dust into eyes and ears and throats, but
fortunately doing little damage. The Boers also brought their rifles to
bear on the little force, and our worn-out troops suffered the horrible
experience of being hunted like hares along roads through which they had
so laboriously, so hopefully, toiled the night before, tramping the
weary ten miles to Molteno with the enemy taking long shots at them fro