Creusot at 6,000 yards to the east of
Zwartz Kop. I had suddenly got orders during the night from Sir
Charles Warren to move my guns off the plateau and join Buller's force
at daybreak at the east foot of Zwartz Kop, so I moved off at the time
named, feeling very thankful that I had my extra oxen to do it. We had
some miles to go, over a vile road, and on the way we passed the 7th
Battery R.A. and some Cavalry and ambulances. All this, meeting us on
a narrow and badly ordered road, delayed us so much that it was 8 a.m.
before I was able to report my guns to the Commander-in-Chief, which I
did personally; he turned round and said, rather pleased, "Oh, the
Naval guns are come up," and, pointing me out the Boer 6" Creusot and
a 3" gun enfilading our Artillery, he asked me if I could silence
them; the 6" was at 6,500 yards and the 3" at 10,000 yards, so I
replied, "Yes, the 6"," and by the General's order I brought my guns
into action about 200 yards away from him and his Staff. As I was
preparing to fire my right gun, bang came a 100 lb. shell right at it,
striking the ground some twenty yards in front and digging a hole in
the ground of about six feet long, covering us with dust, although
happily the shell did not burst but jumped right over our heads. This
was followed by a shrapnel which burst, but the pieces also went right
over our heads. After hard pit digging, I tried for the 3" at 9,000
yards, with full lengthening pieces, with my left gun, but I could not
range it; so we kept up a hot fire with both guns on the Boer Creusot,
which was also being done by the two 5" guns in front of us and by our
Naval battery on the top of Zwartz Kop. We silenced this gun from 8.30
a.m. to 5 p.m. when it again opened on us (with its huge puff of black
powder showing up finely), but without doing us much harm. At 11 a.m.
the Boers brought some field guns up at a gallop to Vaal Krantz,
running them into dongas or pits about 6,000 yards away from us, and
then sending shrapnel into our troops on the Kop and trying to have a
duel with us; we quickly silenced them, however, as well as a Pom-pom
in a donga about 4,000 yards off, and they beat a retreat over the
sky-line. I here found my telescopic sight very useful for observing
every movement while personally laying guns. The General sent me many
messages by his Staff, and was pleased at our driving off the guns. As
the day passed, the cannonade became fast and furious and our attack
adva