Sir Charles Warren continued his operations at 1 p.m.,
and from then till midnight the fight raged. Musketry and guns booming
all round, the Maxims and Vickers 1-pounder guns, being specially
noticeable. At daylight we ourselves stood to guns and concentrated
our fire on the Boer trenches and positions to the front and right, in
order to draw the enemy away from Warren's force; while the Infantry
with us (Rifle Brigade, King's Royal Rifles, Durhams and Scottish
Rifles) made a demonstration in force to within 2,000 yards of the
main trenches under cover of our fire. The attack under Warren got
closer and closer each hour, and we could watch our fellows,
apparently the Lancashire Brigade, storming the top of Spion Kop, in
which, I afterwards heard, my father's old regiment (the Lancashire
Fusiliers) bore a splendid part. Meanwhile our own attack on the
Brakfontein trenches was withdrawn, and we brought our guns into
action on the left to assist the operations on Spion Kop but soon had
to desist for fear of hitting our own men. The fight raged all day and
was apparently going well for us. At 4 p.m. came a message from
General Buller ordering the King's Royal Rifles and Scottish Rifles to
storm Spion Kop from our side, which they did, starting from our guns
and making a prodigious climb right gallantly in a blazing heat and
suffering a considerable loss. Poor Major Strong, with whom I had just
breakfasted, was one of the wounded and, to my great sorrow, died of
his wound. Our guns meanwhile were searching all the valleys and
positions along the eastern slopes of Spion Kop; but it was all
unavailing, as we were apparently forced to retire after heavy losses
during the night. We ourselves were all dead beat, but had to be up
all night with search-lights working on the Boer main position; but
what of poor Warren's force after five days' constant marching and
fighting!

[Illustration: Lieut. Burne's Guns firing at Spion Kop.]

[Illustration: 4.7 Emplaced on Hlangwane.]

_Wednesday, 24th January._--No more firing and many rumours; but at
last it was a great surprise and blow to us to hear a confirmation of
the report that Warren's right had been forced to abandon Spion Kop
during the night, and to be also told that we ourselves were to go
back to our old plateau in the rear. I had my guns dragged up to
Criticism Kop with great labour by eighty of the Durhams, who are now
our escort; and with the Rifle Brigade we hold the thr