ck a.m. we saw dense clouds of dust
rising away in the distance to our extreme right, and shortly
afterwards saw horsemen galloping towards us, whom we vainly hoped
might be our own cavalry, sent to our relief by Lord Roberts at
Bloemfontein; but in a few minutes all our hopes were shattered,
when we heard firing and saw our men engaging the enemy and
retiring upon the adjacent kopjes, which we at once took possession
of, and arranged our hospital, planting the Red Cross flag
immediately in front of our ambulance wagons and hospital tents.

'The battle, now known as the battle of Muishond-fontein, commenced
at 10.45 a.m. on Tuesday, April 3, 1900, and continued all day. At
3.40 p.m. the enemy's guns arrived on the scene of action, and
began shelling us from three different positions. We were
completely surrounded by a force of 3,200, under Commandant De Wet,
who, according to his own testimony to us afterwards, had five
guns, four of which were in action, as well as a Vickers-Maxim.
Shortly after the fighting began bullets and shells were dropping,
and exploding in close proximity to our hospital. The Red Cross
flag had four bullet-holes. Two of the mules, standing in harness
and attached to one of our ambulance wagons, were killed. The
operating tent, in which Dr. Smyth was attending to a wounded man,
had two bullet-holes through it. One tent had four bullet-holes.
Part of the seat of one of our ambulance baggage wagons had the red
cross on its right side cut clean away by a shell. Pieces of shell
struck the wheels of our ambulance wagon, and one of our Cape
Medical Staff Corps was slightly wounded in the foot by a segment
of a shell while close to the ambulance wagon. We had one mule
whilst in harness cut in two by a shell and three mules wounded, so
that they had to be shot. One mule was shot while tied to an
ambulance wagon bearing the red cross; shrapnel and common shell
were fired. It was considered absolutely necessary to cast up a
parapet as a protection from the shot and shell fire, and we all
threw off our coats, and with pick and shovel worked away until
about midnight casting up earthworks.

[Illustration: SOLDIERS' HOME ON THE FIELD.]

'The firing ceased at dusk. The men slept in their positions in the
ridges, and without either food