glish were not
to be discouraged by the loss of many valiant soldiers and any failure
to dislodge the Boers from the "klip-kopjes." They were admirably
resolute; but then they were backed up by a superior force of soldiers
and artillery.

On the morning of the 27th of August the enemy were obviously bent on
concentrating their main force on this "randje." There were naval guns
shelling it from different directions, while batteries of field-pieces
pounded away incessantly. The "randje" was enveloped by a cloud of
smoke and dust. The British Infantry charged under cover of the guns,
but the Police and burghers made a brave resistance. The booming of
cannon went on without intermission, and the storming was repeated by
regiment upon regiment. Our gallant Lieutenant Pohlman was killed in
this action, and Commandant Philip Oosthuizen was wounded while
fighting manfully against overwhelming odds at the head of his
burghers. An hour before sunset the position fell into the hands of
the enemy. Our loss was heavy--two officers, 18 men killed or wounded,
and 20 missing.

Thus ended one of the fiercest fights of the war. With the exception
of the battle of Vaalkrantz (on the Tugela) our commandos had been
exposed to the heaviest and most persistent bombardment they had yet
experienced. It was by directing an uninterrupted rifle fire from all
sides on the lost "randje" that we kept the enemy employed and
prevented them from pushing on any farther that evening.

At last came the final order for all to retire via Machadodorp.

CHAPTER XX.

TWO THOUSAND BRITISH PRISONERS RELEASED.

After the battle of Bergendal there was another retreat. Our
Government, which had fled from Machadodorp to Waterval Station, had
now reached Nelspruit, three stations further down the line, still
"attended," shall I say, by a group of Boer officials and members of
the Volksraad, who preferred the shelter of Mr. Kruger's fugitive
skirts to any active fighting. There were also hovering about this
party half a dozen Hebraic persons of extremely questionable
character, one of whom had secured a contract for smuggling in clothes
from Delagoa Bay; and another one to supply coffee and sugar to the
commandos. As a rule, some official or other made a nice little
commission out of these transactions, and many burghers and officers
expressed their displeasure and disgust at these matters; but so it
was, and so it remained. That same night we marched f