Manchesters surprised--The fight on Waggon Hill--In praise of the
Imperial Light Horse--A glorious band--The big guns speak--Lord Ava
falls--Gordons and Rifles to the rescue--A perilous position--The
death of a hero--A momentary panic--Man to man--A gallant
enemy--Burghers who fell fighting--The storming of Caesar's
Camp--Shadowy forms in the darkness--An officer captured--"Maak
Vecht!"--Abdy's guns in play--"Well done, gunners!"--Taking water
to the wounded--Dick-Cunyngham struck down--Some anxious
moments--The Devons charge home--A day well won.

When Mr. Pearse spoke of the comparative calm which marked the
closing days of 1899 as deceptive, he was right, and events
promptly proved him so. On 6th January the Boers, as has been said,
made a most determined attempt to bring the siege of Ladysmith to
an end by storming the British defences. Why the enemy should have
allowed so long an interval to elapse since their half-hearted
effort of 9th November, is difficult to imagine. Dingaan's Day
(16th December) was originally fixed for the attack, but
Schalk-Burger was diverted from his purpose by the attempt made by
Sir Redvers Buller to force the passage of the Tugela. The
projected onslaught on the besieged town having once been
abandoned, it was generally believed that the Boers would be too
intent on watching the movements of the relief column to trouble
about attacking Ladysmith in force. According to one report an
imperative order from President Kruger precipitated matters, while
another story is to the effect that a bogus despatch purporting to
be from Sir George White to Sir Redvers Buller, brought about the
sudden change in the enemy's tactics. This despatch, so the story
runs, asked that relief might be sent at once as the ammunition was
exhausted, and it was impossible for the garrison to hold out in
the event of the town being attacked. The native runner, to whom
the document was entrusted, was instructed to proceed in the
direction of the Boer lines, and so faithfully complied with his
orders that both runner and despatch fell into the hands of the
enemy. If the Boers were led to attack by any such ruse they were
completely disillusioned as to the capabilities of Sir George
White's forces. Be it said to their credit that, whatever their