ners began to fire plugged shells into the camp. A flash--a
puff of smoke--a whizz and a crash! Hostilities had begun! By 5 A.M. all
General Symons's troops were under arms. It was evident that the enemy
were in force, and that their guns were some half-a-dozen in number.
Their range was 5000 yards, but, fortunately, their shots, though well
directed, flew screaming overhead and buried themselves in the soft
earth, doing no damage whatever. A few tents fell, a few marquees were
torn up. That was all. Our artillery soon came into action, at first at
too long a range, but afterwards--from a position south of Dundee--with
greater success. They then replied to the enemy's challenge with
considerable warmth and excellent effect; and, since our batteries
numbered some three to one, by 11.30 o'clock the enemy's Krupps were
silenced. In the meantime the infantry, the 1st King's Royal Rifles and
the 2nd Dublin Fusiliers, formed for attack opposite the enemy's
position, which was situated some two miles off at the top of an almost
impregnable hill. Huge boulders margined the sides of it, and half-way
up an encircling wall added to the impassability of the position. But
the word impossible is not to be found in the dictionary of a soldier,
and General Symons gave an order. The hill was to be taken. The bugles
rang out; the infantry fixed bayonets. Then was enacted another, only a
grander, Majuba, but now with the position of the contending forces
inverted. Doubtless the memory of that historic defeat inspired our men,
for they evidently decided that what the Boer had done, the Briton also
could do, and, spurred by their officers, who showed an absolute
disregard of the possibilities of danger, went ahead and carried the
crest in magnificent style. No such brilliant achievement of British
infantry has been recorded since Albuera. But this, as we shall see, was
not accomplished in a moment. It involved tremendous exposure in
crossing an open plain intersected with nullahs under a terrific fire,
followed by a long spell of dogged climbing, finally on hand and knees,
over more than a mile of broken, sometimes almost perpendicular, ground,
and in the midst of an incessant and furious fusilade.

[Illustration: POSITION OF FORCES BEFORE THE BATTLE OF GLENCOE.]

At 7.30 A.M. the head of the Hattingspruit column appeared; appeared but
to vanish--for it was at once saluted by the 67th Field Battery, and
being unprepared for this somewhat bo