t the station
waiting to go on, and I was thankful to get a breakfast with them.
Eventually our train moved on to the camp of the Naval batteries,
about 2-1/2 miles due north of Frere, and I at once marched up with
the Natal Naval Volunteers, reported myself to Captain Jones, and
joined my guns, finding all the rest of the Naval officers here, viz.:
Captain Jones, Commander Limpus, and Lieutenants Ogilvy, Melville,
Richards, Deas, Hunt, and Wilde, with half a dozen "Mids" of the
_Terrible_. In camp were two 4.7 guns on the new field mounting, one
battery of eight 12-pounders, and another of four 12-pounder
quick-firers.

On Sunday afternoon (10th December) an impressive Church service was
held in the open, with ourselves forming the right face of the square
along with Hart's Irish Brigade. In the course of next day (11th) I
rode up to see James' battery on the kopje to our front defending the
camp, and got my first glimpse of Colenso and the country around, some
ten miles off. I found that James's guns had very mobile limbers which
he had built at Maritzburg, very different to our cumbersome wagons
with guns tied up astern. In the afternoon Melville and I had tea with
General Hart who was very agreeable and kind, and said he knew my
father, and my aunt, Lady Brind, very well.

In the evening orders suddenly came for Limpus' battery of 4.7's, my
two 12-pounders, and Richards' four 12-pounders to advance the next
morning (12th) at 4 a.m. to Chieveley, some seven miles from the Boer
lines; and here again I was in luck's way as being one of the
fortunates ordered to the front. All was now bustle and hurry to get
away, and eventually the line of Naval guns, some two miles long with
ammunition and baggage wagons, moved out in the gray of morning over
the hills, with an escort of Irish Fusiliers, who looked very smart,
"wearin' of the green" in their helmets.

[Illustration: _Photo by Middlebrook, Durban._

Naval Brigade pitching camp at Frere, Dec. 1899.]

We reached Chieveley at 8 p.m. (12th), after a long, dusty march, and
got into position next morning on a small kopje about two miles to its
front, called afterwards "Gun Hill." Guns were unlimbered and shell
pits dug, while the wagons were all placed under cover; we received
orders on arrival for immediate action, and at 9.30 a.m. we commenced
shelling the enemy at a range of 9,500 yards. The 4.7 guns on the
right fired the first shot, my two 12-pounders followed qui