mself was as follows: Hildyard's Brigade
to hold its position on the low kopjes; Barton's Brigade to cross the
new pontoon bridge opposite to the left of the enemy's position, and
assault the hill marked '3' on my diagram, and hereinafter called
Barton's Hill. Next Kitchener's Brigade was to cross, covered by
Barton's fire, to assault the centre hill marked '2,' and called Railway
Hill. Lastly, Norcott's two untouched battalions were to join the rest
of their brigade, and, supported by General Hart's Brigade, to attack
Inniskilling Hill.

In brief, we were to stretch out our right arm, reach round the enemy's
flank, and pivoting on Hildyard's Brigade crumple him from (his) left to
right. It was the same plan as before, only that we now had our right
hand on the Monte Cristo ridge, from which commanding position our
long-range guns could enfilade and even take in reverse some of the
enemy's trenches.

The leading brigade was across the river by nine o'clock, and by ten
had reached its position ready for attacking at the foot of Barton's
Hill. The advance began forthwith and the figures of the Infantry could
be seen swarming up the steep slopes of the river gorge. The Boers did
very little to stop the attack. They knew their weakness. One side of
Barton's Hill was swept and commanded by the guns on Monte Cristo. The
other side, at the back of which was the donga we were 'fanning,' was
raked by the heavy artillery on the Hlangwani spur and by the field
batteries arranged along the south side of the river. Observe the
influence of the Monte Cristo ridge! It made Barton's Hill untenable by
the Boers; and Barton's Hill prepared the way for an attack on Railway
Hill, and Railway Hill--but I must not anticipate. Indeed, next to Monte
Cristo, Barton's Hill was the key of the Boer position, and so
unfortunate was the enemy's situation that he could not hold this
all-important feature once he had lost the Monte Cristo ridge.

What was tactically possible and safe--for the Boer is a cautious
warrior--was done. Knowing that his left would be turned he extended a
sort of false left in the air beyond the end of the Monte Cristo ridge,
and here he brought a gun into action, which worried us among other
people but did not, of course, prevent any military movement.

By noon the whole of Barton's Hill was in the possession of his brigade,
without, as it seemed to us, any serious opposition. The artillery then
turned its attention to t