o weeks. The orders publishing this news stated
that the "Lieutenant-General regrets to have to announce that the
Lieutenant-General Commanding-in-Chief in South Africa failed to make
good his first attack on Colenso; reinforcements will therefore not
arrive as early as expected."

On the evening of December 18th the Regiment gave over the good works
they had completed on Devon Post and Cemetery Hill to the Liverpool
Regiment, and moved into the latter's camp at Tunnel Hill, or, as it was
otherwise known, Railway Cutting Camp.

* * * * *

Helpmakaar Hill, on account of being so exposed, had, at the
commencement of the siege, been considered indefensible and untenable.

Under the vigorous superintendence of Colonel Knox, the commandant of
the section who planned the defences, the works on this hill had by now
been almost completed by the officers and men of the Battalion.

The defences were as complete as possible--flanking works, covered ways,
splinter and shell-proof covers were dug or erected, and the main
trenches had been turned into defensible barracks with head cover to
keep off the rain.

It was possible to proceed from the reserve under Cemetery Hill up to
and round the front and main works, and round the other side of the hill
back to the reserve again, without once coming into view from the Boer
positions on Gun Hill, Bulwana, or elsewhere, a six-feet covering wall
having been built for this purpose. It was thus possible to send
reinforcements to any part of the works without exposure to fire or
view.

During the siege this post was never attacked or seriously threatened.

The Regiment, being now in the general reserve, was ordered to be ready
to jump into mule wagons, and be carted at a gallop to any place where
they might be required, at any moment, and on the 20th the manoeuvre was
put into execution.

It was not altogether a success.

At dusk the Regiment proceeded to the railway station and the men were
duly loaded up in the wagons. A start was then made, but as the second
wagon nearly took the whole station with it in its endeavours to
negotiate the first corner of the galvanized iron goods shed, no great
speed was effected, for this wagon and the demolished corner of the shed
blocked all further egress from the station till the road was cleared.
Shortly afterwards the wagons, at last let loose, came into contact with
the two city filth carts, the "Powerful" and