d that we ought to try and charge them on all points as well as we
could.

"All right," he answered; "shall we start at once?" I flashed back
"Yes," and ordered a general charge.

The burghers now appeared all along the extended fighting line.

The enemy's guns, which were just ready to be moved, were again placed
in position and opened fire, but our men charged everywhere, a sort of
action which General Kitchener did not seem to like, for his soldiers
began to flee with their guns, and a general confusion ensued. Some of
these guns were still being fired at the Boers but the latter stormed
away determinedly. The British lost many killed and wounded.

The cavalry fled in such a hurry as to leave the infantry as the only
protection of the guns, and although these men also beat a retreat
they, at least, did it while fighting.

I do not think I overstate the case by declaring that General Walter
Kitchener owed it to the stubborn defence of his infantry that his
carts were not captured by us that day.

Their ambulance, in charge of Dr. Mathews and four assistants, and
some wounded fell into our hands, and were afterwards sent back.

We pursued the enemy as well as we could, but about nine miles from
Belfast, towards which the retreating enemy was marching, the forts
opened fire on us from a 4.7 naval gun and they got the range so well
that lyddite shells were soon bursting about our ears.

We were now in the open, quite exposed and in sight of the Belfast
forts. Two of our burghers were wounded here.

Field-Cornet Jaapie Kriege, who was afterwards killed, with about 35
burghers, was trying to cut off the enemy from a "spruit"-drift; the
attack was a very brave one, but our men ventured too far, and would
all have been captured had not the other side been so much in a hurry
to get away from us. Luckily, too, another field-cornet realised the
situation, and kept the enemy well under fire, thus attracting
Kriege's attention, who now got out of this scrape.

When night fell we left the enemy alone, and went back to our laager.
The next morning the outposts reported that the would-be assailants
were all gone.

How much this farce had cost General Kitchener we could not tell with
certainty. An English officer told me afterwards he had been in the
fight, and that their loss there had been 52 dead and wounded,
including some officers. He also informed me that their object that
day had been to dislodge us. If that is so