er marching
all night and covering some twelve miles, the enemy opened fire in
front and on both flanks. Our guns came into action, and a sort of
running fight was maintained. Eventually the enemy took up a more
definite position, when General Hart ordered Colonel Hicks, with two
companies of the regiment, two guns and a pompom, to advance to a
small ridge on one flank, while he with the remainder of the force
marched round the enemy's rear. This resulted in the evacuation of
their position, when Colonel Hicks's small party got an opportunity to
deliver an effective fire on them.

[Footnote 15: Half-battalion Royal Dublin Fusiliers, one
company Somerset Light Infantry, two guns 28th Battery Royal
Field Artillery, and twenty Marshall's Horse.]

Next day sniping at the bivouac began at dawn, but the troops were
allowed a meal before resuming their march. Colonel Hicks was again
detailed to take a kopje from which a considerable but ineffectual
fire was coming. Moving steadily on, with his 200 men in
widely-extended order, he brought a maxim into action, which had the
effect of clearing the hill, but the long-range fighting went on
without a break till the evening.

Having more or less broken up the Boers in this direction, orders were
issued for the return march to Frederickstadt. An early start was
made, and at 10 a.m. a halt and outspan ordered. At mid-day the
officers commanding units were sent for, when the General informed
them that a large force of Boers, under Steyn and De Wet, with women
and children, 3000 strong, was reported in the neighbourhood of
Klerksdorp. Rumour further said that they were so bewildered by our
apparently aimless midnight movements that they neither knew where to
go nor what to do. The General added that it was his intention to
march again in the afternoon in their direction, to have another
outspan at dusk, and then to march all night and surprise them next
morning. The commanding officers looked at one another in blank
amazement, for they knew better than the General could the effect
these constant nights without sleep and days of fighting without food
were having on their men, but there was nothing for it, and the
General called upon his troops for one more supreme effort. At the
same time he heliographed to Major Bird to march from Frederickstadt
and join him _en route_, which was done.

Major Bird's force had not been left altogether unmolested during thi