red hills, which separated them from
General Barton. These hills were occupied by two or three hundred
Boers, who had been detailed to check our advance. On arrival within
rifle-range of the hills, Strathcona's Horse made a dash right at
them, the effect of which was so imposing that the enemy immediately
resigned all idea of resistance, and bolted as hard as they could go.
With this range of kopjes in our possession, the rest was plain
sailing, and we marched on to the hill on which the larger part of
General Barton's force was posted. The column had barely arrived when
a fierce rifle-fire broke out in front. It was impossible to see what
was going on, as the hillside was covered with thick mimosa bush, but
that a fierce fight was raging in our close proximity was very evident
from the prolonged and heavy fire, in which the pompoms soon began to
take part, while the naval gun and smaller field-pieces joined in.
Colonel Hicks, accompanied by an officer of the Dublin Fusiliers, then
climbed some little way up the hill in the direction of the 4.7, and
there a sight met their eyes which was seldom seen in this war. The
plain at their feet, stretching from the railway west to the village
of Frederickstadt, was covered with flying Boers--Boers flying on
their feet, a most unusual occurrence with them. As they fled across
the open veld in full view, they were pursued by every variety of
missile. In one spot, seven Boers were running side by side. The
officer with Colonel Hicks had just drawn his attention to them, when
a shell from the naval gun burst in the air behind them, and a second
later tore up the ground all round. Five fell at once; the other two
staggered on a few paces and then fell also, all seven being
afterwards found stone-dead. It was all over in a very short time, and
then the stretcher-bearers began to come in with their patient,
gruesome burdens, and the prisoners arrived under escort, to be
handed over to the Royal Dublin Fusiliers for safe custody.

[Illustration: Plan of Battle of Frederickstadt.]

Then we heard the story of the fight. General Barton's position, which
he had occupied for some days, extended along a line of low hills, the
two main features of which were divided by a valley running back at
right angles to the railway into the Gatsrand, the general line of the
position being parallel with the railway. The station was held and
used as a hospital, while the hill on which General Barton's cam