t of their experiences during the siege is given by
Lieutenant Renny in Chapter IX.

With these exceptions the whole battalion marched down to the station
soon after 11 p.m., and was dispatched in two trains. As Boers had
been reported on Bulwana Hill during the afternoon, a certain amount
of risk seemed to attend the journey. There was nothing to prevent the
enemy from cutting the line at any point in the hilly country between
Ladysmith and Pieter's Station, while even a small hostile force could
have played havoc with the crowded trucks.

However, the enemy had luckily not penetrated to the railway line, and
after an uneventful, though unpleasant, journey, Colenso was reached
at 4.30 a.m. on the 31st.

The two railway bridges over the Tugela and Onderbrook Spruit were
already protected by a small force, consisting of the Durban Light
Infantry, a squadron of the Imperial Light Horse, and a detachment of
the Natal Naval Volunteers, with a gun. These units had made good
defensive works, notably Forts Wylie and Molyneux, guarding the
railway bridges over the Tugela and Onderbrook Spruit respectively.

We encamped some 300 yards south-west of Colenso, and the day (October
31st) was spent in making further defences, and dividing the garrison
into sections. Colenso was not, however, an easy place to defend. It
was commanded by the lofty hills on the left bank of the Tugela, and
by Hlangwane Hill on the right bank to the east of the village. The
garrison, moreover, was lacking in artillery, having only some
muzzle-loading guns with a very limited range. Colonel Cooper
telegraphed to Maritzburg asking for a naval twelve-pounder, which,
however, could not be obtained.

[Illustration: Major-General C. D. Cooper, C.B. Commanding 2nd Royal
Dublin Fusiliers in Natal.]

The necessity for such an addition soon arose. At 8.15 a.m. on
November 1st, the staff at Ladysmith sent a wire to say that a Boer
force had moved at daybreak towards Colenso. On receipt of this news
the garrison was warned to be ready, and patrols of the Imperial Light
Horse and the Mounted Infantry section of the battalion were
dispatched towards Ladysmith, Springfield, and the country beyond
Hlangwane. These patrols returned soon after 1 p.m., and the party
which had reconnoitred towards Ladysmith reported that it had come
into touch and exchanged shots with the enemy. Later on in the
afternoon, Lieutenant Cory, commanding the Mounted Infantry section,
wen