o question of occupying Elandslaagte
with the small force at his disposal, moved his guns back towards his
armoured train, telephoned to Sir George White, and withdrew in the
direction of Modder's Spruit. There he awaited reinforcements from
Ladysmith. These at 11 o'clock began to appear: One squadron of the 5th
Dragoon Guards, one squadron of the 5th Lancers under Colonel King, and
two batteries of artillery, the latter having come out at a gallop with
double teams. Then the infantry arrived under Colonel Ian Hamilton, the
second half-battalion of the Manchester Regiment, a battalion of the
Devonshire Regiment under Major Park, and five companies of the Gordon
Highlanders under Lieutenant-Colonel Dick-Cunyngham, V.C.

At 3.30 P.M. General White arrived on the scene, but the executive
command of the troops engaged remained in the hands of General French.
The Boers were discovered to be magnificently posted on a
horseshoe-shaped ridge about 800 feet above the level of the railway to
north of the Ladysmith-Dundee road, standing almost at a right angle
from the permanent way, though some 2000 yards removed from it. On the
side nearing the railroad the ridge was crowned with a peaked kopje,
which hill was connected by a nek with another eminence of the same
kind. These hills were held by the enemy, while their laager was
situated on the connecting ridge. The position was strewn on both flanks
by very rough boulders which afforded excellent cover. On the main hill
were three big guns strongly posted at three different points so as to
command a wide expanse of country and leave a retreat open over the
hills in the direction of Wessel's Nek. Facing the ridge was a wide
expanse of veldt rising upwards in the direction of Ladysmith.

At four--an unusually late hour for the commencement of hostilities--the
first gun boomed out; the range was 4400 yards. A few moments of furious
cannonading, then the enemy's guns ceased to reply. The silence enabled
the artillerymen to turn their attention on a party of the foe who were
annoying them with a persistent rifle-fire on the right flank at a range
of 2000 yards. It was an admirable corrective, and the Boer
sharpshooters retired discomfited. Meanwhile the infantry had been
brought up in preparatory battle formation of small columns covered by
scouts. The position of the infantry was then as follows:--

The first battalion Devonshire Regiment, with a frontage of 500 yards
and a depth of