evening we were fired at by two guns at Zwartkoppies,
making it very difficult for us to get the provisions away.

A great quantity of rum and other spirits was found among the enemy's
commissariat, and as soon as the British soldiers made prisoners were
disarmed, they ran up to it, filled their flasks, and drank so freely
that about thirty of them were soon unable to walk. Their bad example
was followed by several burghers, and many a man who had not been
given to drinking used this opportunity to imbibe a good quantity,
making it very difficult for us to keep things in order.

About 60 men of the garrison had been killed or wounded, and their
commanding officer had received some injuries, but fortunately there
was a doctor there who at once attended to these cases. On our side we
had five men killed and seven wounded--the brave Lieutenant Nortje and
Corporal J. Coetzee being amongst them.

A small fort, situated between the others, had been overlooked,
through a misunderstanding, and a score of soldiers who were
garrisoning it had been forgotten and omitted to be disarmed.

An undisciplined commando is not easily managed at times. It takes all
the officers' tact and shrewdness to get all the captured goods--like
arms, ammunition, provisions, &c.--transported, especially when drink
is found in a captured camp.

When we discussed the victory afterwards, it became quite clear that
our tactics in storming the enemy's positions on the east and south
sides had been pregnant of excellent results, for the English were not
at all prepared at these points, though they had been on their guard
to the north. In fact it had been very trying work to force them to
surrender there. The officer in command, who was subsequently
discharged from the British Army, had done his best, but he was
wounded in the head at the beginning of the fight, and so far as I
could ascertain there had been nobody to take his place. Three
lieutenants were surprised in their beds and made prisoners-of-war.
In the big fort where we found the naval gun, a captain of the
garrison's artillery was in command. This fortress had been stormed,
as already stated, from the side on which the attack had not been
expected and the captain had not had an opportunity of firing many
shots from his revolver, when he was wounded in the arm and compelled
to surrender to the burghers who rushed up. Two hundred and fifty
prisoners, including four officers, were made, the ma