THE SORTIES OF DECEMBER
Retribution--Sir Archibald Hunter's bold scheme--A night
attack--Silently through the darkness--At the foot of Gun Hill--A
broken ascent--"Wie kom dar?" "The English are on us!"--Major
Henderson thrice wounded--Destroying "Leviathan"--Hussars suffer
under fire--Rejoicings in town--Sir George White's address to the
troops--Boer compliments--A raid for provender--A second
sortie--The Rifles' bold enterprise--An unwelcome light--Cutting
the wires--Surprise Hill reached--The sentry's challenge--The
Rifles' charge--Boer Howitzer destroyed--The return to
camp--Cutting the way home--Serious losses.
This constant shelling of the town could not go on for ever without
some attempt being made to stop it. Mr. Pearse had himself urged
the practicability of capturing or putting out of action at close
quarters the Boer big gun which could not be dealt with by our
shell-fire. This was now to be done. The Creusot gun just mounted
on Gun Hill, which like its neighbours had been given a name and
endowed with a personality by the nimble-witted among the garrison,
was to pay the penalty of its crimes, and the enterprise of which
this was the result formed one of the most brilliant incidents in
the history of the siege.
Probably (writes Mr. Pearse) no corps within our lines has been more
deliberately shelled than the Imperial Light Horse, who were driven out
of one camp by "Long Tom" of Pepworth's Hill, only to pitch their tents
by the river bank within sight of "Puffing Billy's" gunners, who had got
the range from Bulwaan to a nicety, so that they could pitch shell after
shell into the new encampment. Even their "Long Tom" also still pounded
at them by way of varying the monotony of a daily duel with our naval
guns. But the most annoying fire of all came from the newly-mounted
6-inch Creusot on Little Bulwaan, which, for the sake of distinction, is
known officially as Gun Hill, in front of Lombard's Kop. Having an
effective range that enables it to search with shell every part of our
camp that is visible, this weapon fired first in one direction, then in
another, changing its aim so frequently that nobody could predict where
the next shell might fall until it came hurtling through the air, in
dangerous proximity, with a sound that suggests the half-throttled
scream of a steam siren, and it generally finished, as it began, with a
few shots at the Imperial Light Horse, or their near neighbours the
Gordon Highlanders.
I do not know whether the idea of putting an end to the career of this
worrying monster originated at headquarters, or grew out of the wish,
frequently expressed by Imperial Light Horse and Natal Volunteers, to
"have a go" at the enemy's guns--Sir George White has given the credit
to General Sir Archibald Hunter, and such an enterprise is worthy of
the man who stormed the Dervish stronghold at Abu Hamed, and led his
troops up to the flame of rifle fire that fringed Mahmud's zeriba on the
Atbara. He kept the whole scheme so secret that he did not even let his
aide-de-camp know anything about it until some time after dinner last
night. Then he sent round a brief message to Colonel Royston commanding
the Volunteer Forces of Natal, and to Colonel Edwardes of the Imperial
Light Horse. In accordance with this order the troops detailed got under
arms very quietly, taking all the ammunition they could carry, but
leaving their horses and cumbersome equipment in the lines, for Sir
Archibald had wisely resolved that all taking part in this expedition
must march the five miles out, and get back as best they could on foot,
neither troop horses nor officers' chargers being allowed to join the
column. Lord Ava, who is attached to Brigadier-General Hamilton's staff,
happened to be a guest of the Light Horse. Getting an inkling of some
mysterious movement, for which officers were arming themselves like
their men with rifles, he stole away to get a night free from galloper's
duties, shouldered a Lee-Enfield, crammed a bandolier full of
cartridges, and came back in time to join the ranks before they marched
off.
It was then past ten o'clock; the crescent moon was "sloping slowly
towards the west" behind a bank of dark clouds, and in another hour the
faint light would have gone, giving place to a gloom that makes rocks,
trees, rough knolls, and deep dongas one shapeless black. General
Hunter's instructions were brief and simple, silence being the point
most strongly insisted on. For the rest, Imperial Light Horse and
Carbineers, to whom he entrusted the attack, were to follow their guides
and keep line if possible. These two corps contributed about one hundred
men each. The Border Mounted Rifles, Natal Volunteers, and a small field
force of Colonel Dartnell's Border Police, making altogether about four
hundred, were to be in reserve, the Border Mounted furnishing supports
and pushing them up the hill as each step in the ascent was gained. The
fourteen guides, with Major Henderson of the Intelligence branch as
staff officer, went ahead, and then the column moved off silently, the
order being passed from section to section in whispers. The Boers, five
miles off, would not have heard if a full band had played the
adventurous six hundred out; but we know that there are Boer emissaries
still in camp who might, by preconcerted signal, have given the alarm if
the unusual movement had aroused them and their suspicions. It was well,
therefore, to let such sleeping dogs lie. So the column marched in
silence along town roads, where nearly every house is deserted, and deep
dust muffled the tread of many feet until they were clear of the town,
and passing our outposts on Helpmakaar Hill. The forms of massed men
could be made out dimly where the Devon battalion rested under arms,
ready to give assistance in case of any reverse.
From that point the Helpmakaar road leads straight round a scrubby nek
where the Boers have thrown up a formidable series of earthworks. To
avoid these, the column struck off across open veldt into a hollow where
men had to feel their way among stunted bushes of the "Wacht een bichte"
thorn, and across dongas where the sandy banks crumbled under weights
incautiously placed, and slid down with men into depths of six feet or
more. After floundering about there they climbed out again to re-form
with such regularity as was possible in the circumstances. But for the
guides, who seemed to know every inch of ground, right directions would
almost inevitably have been lost. As it was, however, they reached the
foot of Little Bulwaan (or Gun Hill) at twenty minutes to two, and
preparations were made for an immediate assault lest daylight should
come before the work could be accomplished. Everybody knew full well how
impossible it would be to get away from the position without terrible
losses, if the Boers could see to shoot It was pretty well known that
not many of them occupied Gun Hill, but the number encamped within reach
of it was a matter of pure speculation, dependent on the accuracy of
Kaffir stories which might be true of one day, but quite untrustworthy
twenty-four hours later; so rapid are the Boers in their movements, if
they get any suspicion that an attack is impending.
Notwithstanding the difficulties of keeping touch across rough ground,
where silence was imposed, the different detachments, each with a guide
to lead it, marched so quietly that not a word was spoken, and all
arrived at their proper posts in admirable order, worthy of trained
troops. That, however, became somewhat broken as the ascent began, and
little wonder, for the boulders, rounded and worn smooth by the storms
of ages, were slippery to tread on, and occasionally a man's foot would
become wedged between them in a deep cleft. Here and there progress was
painfully slow, and the hill so steep that it had to be climbed on hands
and knees. The higher they climbed the worse it became, until, as one
man describing his own experiences said, they were like a lot of lizards
crawling over rocks. Half-way up the hill they had a narrow escape from
stumbling on a Boer picket. The sentry heard if he did not see the line
of crouching figures that passed him like ghosts in the darkness with
stealthy steps that must have sounded weird across the night stillness.
In a voice huskily vibrant, he challenged, "Wie kom dar?" Getting no
reply, he called again twice in louder tones, and then fired his rifle
at nothing in particular. Then, the whole picket waking, or beginning to
realise that danger was near, let off a volley, and voices were heard
shouting to comrades on the ridge. "The English are on us, Hans, Carl.
Shoot! shoot!" A few shots came from so close to one flank of the
Imperial Light Horse that Boers must have been lying there almost under
the feet of our men, if they did not actually join the ranks for a time
to escape detection. But a sound greeted their ears at that moment, and
knowing what it meant, they scampered downhill without waiting to hear
more. It was a ringing British cheer followed by strident commands to
"Fix bayonets and give the devils cold steel." Begun by Major Karri
Davis, the order ran along from Imperial Light Horse to Carbineers, who
had not a bayonet amongst them, for irregular mounted infantry in this
country do not carry such weapons. But they struck the butts of their
rifles on rocks, and made a great clatter as if preparing for a bayonet
charge, and cheered again and again for a good deal more than their
actual numbers, while crags on each hand tossed the shouts to and fro in
a mighty tumult. This was apparently too much for the small number of
Boers who held the crest. Letting off bullets in rapid succession, until
the magazines were exhausted, they turned and bolted, having hit only
ten of our men, one of whom, the tallest trooper in the Imperial Light
Horse, was badly wounded. In proportion to their numbers the guides
suffered most, having four out of fourteen hit, though none very
severely. The worst wound of all was from an explosive bullet similar to
those used in Express rifles for big-game shooting, and many missiles of
the same kind were seen to burst with a flash like shells as they
struck on stones round about, thus proving that the use of explosive
bullets by Boers is not quite so rare as most of us have believed
hitherto. Major Henderson received three wounds from buck-shot or
"loupalin," one of which penetrated deeply, but caused so little shock
at the time that he was able to keep pace with the best uphill.
Nevertheless, "scatter guns" are not weapons proper to be used in
warfare between civilised combatants.
Halting for a brief breathing space, now and again, at General Hunter's
command, then following with all the speed they could muster where he
and his aide-de-camp, Major King, led the Imperial Light Horse on the
left, the Carbineers on their right made a final dash for the steepest
climb of all, and, breathless, gained the ridge, to find that the Boers
had quitted it, leaving not a man in defence of the guns. A great stroke
of luck befell the Imperial Light Horse, who crossed the heights with
their left flank opposite a Boer 12-pounder and Maxim gun. The latter
they made a clean capture of, but the field-piece, being too heavy for
them to carry off, was left to the tender mercies of the engineers, who
soon had bracelets of gun-cotton round it, and the breech-pieces damaged
beyond repair.
Meanwhile the right flank was sweeping round towards the main battery in
expectation of meeting with some resistance from the gun's crew of "Big
Ben of Little Bulwaan." That weapon had, in virtue of similar qualities,
succeeded to "Long Tom's" second title, but did not live long to enjoy
it. The end of his active career was at hand when the Light Horse made
their dash for him and found that he had been deserted by all his
friends. It was poetical justice that Colonel Edwardes and Major Karri
Davis of the corps which Big Ben had shelled most persistently should be
first to lay hands on him and claim every part that could be taken away
as a rightful trophy for the Imperial Light Horse. But Major Henderson,
in spite of his wounds, General Sir Archibald Hunter, and Major King
were in the redoubt at that moment, and therefore the honours are
divided. Doctor Platt, of the Border Mounted, claims to have been among
the first four in. Some of the Carbineers are also under the impression
that they captured a gun, and though there is nothing to show for it,
they deserve full credit for an important share in the night's success.
A line was formed in rear of the battery, while engineers put rings of
gun-cotton round Big Ben's muzzle and breech. Then fuses were set
alight, and our men retired hastily beyond reach of the imminent
explosion. After that engineers and artillerymen went back to make sure
that their work had not been bungled, and saw with satisfaction that the
gun-cotton had rent great holes through Big Ben's breech in two places,
rendering him totally unfit for foreign service. This was the crowning
act of a great achievement, and the force that had aided in its
accomplishment marched back to camp triumphantly just as day broke.
As a precautionary measure, in case there should be a reverse, and with
the object also of cutting off any fugitive Boers who might fly
panic-stricken from Gun Hill, the 19th Hussars had gone earlier to make
a demonstration by way of Limit Hill, towards Modder's Spruit, and
destroy some Boer stores. With characteristic faith in the luck that has
favoured bold cavalry enterprises so often, they pushed far forward and
gained some valuable information at the risk of being cut off, but
fortunately that did not happen. Meanwhile the 18th, jealous for the
great reputation they have won as scouts, attempted a movement even more
hazardous. In advance of General Brocklehurst's reconnoitring force one
squadron of this regiment made straight for a position which the enemy
was believed to hold in strength between Pepworth's and Surprise Hill.
To do this they crossed near a deep cutting through which the Harrismith
railway passes, and there came under a terribly heavy fire, against
which even their hardihood was not proof. Retiring, they made a detour
to avoid unnecessary exposure, and swept round two small kopjes, where
not a Boer had been seen previously. But, as it happened, the stony
ridges were full of riflemen, who, without emerging from their
concealment, brought a furious fusillade to bear on the Hussars, who had
to run the gauntlet at full speed, all but one, and he, with gallant
self-sacrifice, rode straight towards the nearer kopje, drawing the
whole fire on himself, and thus giving his comrades time to get clear.
Fortunately not a bullet touched him as he wheeled about, lay flat on
his saddle-bow, and galloped after the squadron. Its retreat was covered
by a very pretty movement of the main body and by salvos of shrapnel
from our field batteries, with the naval guns chiming in. Then the
reconnoitring force slowly withdrew across the plain towards Junction
Hill, still under a rifle fire heavier even than we had to face on the
slopes of Elandslaagte, though not so well directed. Several saddles,
however, were emptied, bringing our losses in this affair up to five
killed and seventeen wounded. Of these considerably more than half were
18th Hussars, whose ranks have been seriously thinned since they marched
to Dundee less than eight weeks ago.
In camps and town everybody is elated to-day. Casting aside the sombre
garb that was suitable to retirement, ladies have come forth clad in
raiment that is festively bright to go a-shopping, as if there were no
such things as shells to disturb them, and no cares greater than
feminine frivolities. If the siege were at an end, and peace within
sight, we could hardly be more joyously animated, and all because two
hundred gallant fellows, led by a dashing General, have shown how Boer
positions may be captured at night, and Boer siege guns silenced for
ever with small loss.
Sir George White ordered special parades for the afternoon of all
volunteers, guides, Irregular Horse, and Frontier Police Force who had
taken part in the attack on Gun Hill. Each corps had its own appointed
place for the ceremony, and Sir George visited them in turn to
congratulate them on their brilliant achievement. For the guides, who
are attached as scouts, interpreters, and field orderlies to the
Intelligence Staff, the General had special words of praise. Without
their valuable aid the enterprise might have been doomed to failure, and
he expressed high appreciation of their gallantry, not less than of the
skill they had shown in guiding a column over difficult ground when
there was not light enough to make a single landmark visible except the
sky-line of Gun Hill. To the Imperial Light Horse he paid an equally
flattering tribute. As the men of three companies were drawn up in line
to receive him, "Puffing Billy" tried to put a spoke in their wheel by
sending a shell very near one flank, and the line was accordingly broken
into close column with a short front, so that it be hidden by house and
trees from sight of the gunners on Bulwaan. At that moment Sir George
White, with General Sir Archibald Hunter, General Brocklehurst, and a
number of staff officers, rode to the ground, and were received by a
general salute, to which the presence of two or three wounded men with
arms in blood-stained slings gave emphasis, as they had no rifles
wherewith to shoulder and present.
The officers on parade were Colonel Edwardes, commanding, Major Karri
Davis, Major Doveton, Lieutenant Fitzgerald, adjutant, Captain Fowler,
commanding F Company, Captain Mullins, B Company, and Captain
Codrington, E Company, with their subalterns, Lieutenants Brooking,
Normand, Matthias, Pakeman, Kirk, and Huntley, all of whom had been in
the fight except Major Doveton, who volunteered for it, but was
compelled to stay in camp for field-officer's duties. His seniors had
the privilege of first choice, and insisted on it, so there was nothing
left for him but submission to the inevitable. As a tribute to the men
whose heroic achievement is the brightest episode in this long siege,
Sir George White's soldierly speech will interest readers at home.
Addressing Colonel Edwardes, he said:
"General Hunter, who planned and carried out the very successful
movement of this morning, has reported to me the very efficient help
that he received from the men of the Imperial Light Horse as well as the
other corps who were employed. When he told me last night that he was
anxious to have a shy at the gun on Gun Hill, there was one thing that I
determined on, and that was, that I would give him the best support that
I could. I knew I could trust you to help on account of your knowledge
of the business which you have taken in hand in this campaign, and on
account of your bravery and your steadiness. I was also confident of
your intelligent individual action in case there might be any
difficulty to overcome. I have come here to express to you my
appreciation of the value of the work you did last night, and also to
thank you for it. It will be a great pleasure to me to report to General
Sir Redvers Buller, whose name brings confidence wherever it is
mentioned, on the work you have done, not only on this occasion, but on
every occasion when it has been my good luck to have your assistance. I
have no doubt there is a great deal more hard fighting before us, and my
only hope is that you will do as well in the future as in the past, so
that I may be able to say at the end of this campaign as I now say in
the middle of it, that your behaviour is an honour not only to your own
country and colony, but to the whole empire. Colonel Edwardes, I don't
wish to keep you any longer, owing to the circumstance that 'Long Tom'
of Bulwaan may interfere in this conference, but once more I thank you
one and all."
Lusty cheers were then given for Sir George White, General Hunter,
General Brocklehurst, and Colonel Edwardes. Sir George White's
appreciation of the heroic achievement is shared by Boer leaders, and in
their case it is all the more flattering because expressed while they
are smarting under the humiliation of a great loss. Dr. Davis, with
another medical officer and some ambulance men, went up Gun Hill at
daybreak under a flag of truce, to look after the wounded men who could
not be found when their comrades came down in the dark. Giving no heed
to the Geneva Cross, some Boers made Dr. Davis and his companions
prisoners, and they were taken before Commandant Schalk-Burger, who
received them with scant courtesy at first. In the end, however, he paid
a great compliment to the Light Horse on their plucky deed. One Boer
officer who stood by said he thought they all deserved the Victoria
Cross, and another showed familiarity with English habits of thought by
describing the night attack as "a devilish sporting thing." They wanted
to know who led it, and the answer has given Sir Archibald Hunter a
place in Boer estimation among the British soldiers whom they would
rather meet as friends than as enemies.
The Imperial Light Horse are celebrating their achievement by a
brilliant gathering to-night, and have feasted their guests on so many
good things that one begins to doubt whether there can be much scarcity
in camp, though ordinary articles of food, and especially drink, are
running up rapidly to famine prices.
Plenty in the Imperial Light Horse larder may however be accounted for
by success in another night attack about which one did not hear so much,
though it was carried out with characteristic dash as a preliminary to
the greater enterprise that followed twenty-four hours later. One
company of the Imperial Light Horse, being on outpost duty south of
Waggon Hill, had conceived the idea of a midnight raid on Bester's Farm,
whence the Boers, after an effective occupation of several weeks, had
retired, leaving a Red Cross flag still attached to a thorn bush in the
garden, by way of suggesting that poultry and pigs should be regarded as
under the protection of the Geneva Convention. They did not go far,
however, and parties of them came down to the farm nearly every night
for supplies. The Light Horse, having impartial minds, thought they
might as well "chip in" for some of the good things. So they made their
raid, and came back laden with provender. Much of this they distributed
with a liberality that has won for them and for all Natal Volunteers
concurrently the title of "friendlies," which will certainly stick as
long as British troops and Colonial Irregulars campaign together. Some
fat turkeys were part of the loot, and they helped to make a right royal
feast to-night, when the gallant "friendlies" had their cup of happiness
filled by warm congratulations from the Gordons, the Devons, and every
cavalry regiment with which they are brigaded.
Such brilliant achievements as the above might, it was soon felt,
be more difficult in future, the enemy having been put upon his
guard; but all the good-comradeship in the world could not prevent
some jealousy being felt, and nobody can pretend to regret that a
spirit of noble emulation has thus been roused. There had never
been any lack of men ready for work of that kind from the first day
of investment. Devons and Gordons had volunteered weeks before to
take the Boer guns from which the defenders suffered most
annoyance, any night the General might give them permission; but
those fine battalions were wanted for important duties in the
purely defensive scheme, and so they had to lie behind earthworks
or in bomb-proof structures, half tent, half cave, shelled when
they ventured to move out by day, kept on the alert through many
hours of weary night, and called to arms again an hour before dawn.
They had shown--and the same is true of every corps and detachment
in the garrison--the most splendid endurance. Indeed, the only
signs of impatience seen among the troops were the outcome of an
eager desire to be led out against the enemy, that they might get
some satisfaction for the losses and annoyance to which they had
been subjected from the long-range fire of Boer artillery.
Now, however, the regulars, who had long been ready for any
service, in view of the brilliant performance of the irregulars,
regarded inaction as a slur upon their particular regiments. The
feeling resulted in a second attempt being made, this time to
destroy the enemy's big gun on Surprise Hill. Though it failed to
win an equal success, it was a hardly less brilliant performance,
and forms another engrossing page in Mr. Pearse's story. Writing on
11th December, he thus describes the enterprise from its inception:--
Lieut.-Colonel Metcalfe of the 2nd Rifle Brigade gave expression
yesterday to a general desire that the regulars should be allowed a
chance to prove their mettle, by sending to Sir George White a request
that his battalion might be allowed to attack the Boer position on
Surprise Hill and silence the howitzer there. This request had to be
sanctioned by Brigadier-General Howard, who, as an old Rifle Brigade
officer, was nothing loth to add strong reasons why the step should be
taken. Other corps might be panting for opportunities of distinction,
but the Rifle Brigade, having held the post on Cove Hill which now bears
its name under fire from this howitzer for weeks past, had a right to
claim that their chance should come first.
Sir George White, fully appreciating Colonel Metcalfe's plea of
privilege and the spirit that animated it, gave consent at once, and
left Colonel Metcalfe free to carry out his plan unhampered by any
conditions save those of ordinary military prudence. He did not even
give the direction of it to a staff officer, and though the Intelligence
Department furnished guides it took no active part in the affair, for
the success or failure of which Colonel Metcalfe alone held himself
responsible. Major Altham saw the column off and accompanied it for some
distance, but only as a spectator, and that no farther than the initial
stage, beyond which everything was shrouded in darkness. The new moon,
sinking behind heavy clouds, gave little light when the men fell into
rank by companies for their march. There were about 450 rifles all told.
To these must be added two small detachments of artillery and engineers,
taking with them charges of gun-cotton. The whole command numbered no
more than 469, and they were going for one of the strongest Boer
positions by which our force is ringed about.
Captain Gough's company was detached to lead the right assault, and
Major Thesiger's the left, each having with it a section of C Company.
Captains Paley and Stephens were to bring their companies close up in
support, while Lieutenant Byrne was in command of E Company, forming the
reserve. Only a small detachment of ambulance men with four stretchers
followed the column as it moved off a few minutes after ten o'clock,
across open ground by Observation Hill, and turned westward towards its
objective, which could just be seen, a dim rounded mass like a darker
cloud in the dark sky. The guides Ashby and Thornhill had no difficulty
in finding their way without other landmarks, for every inch of the
ground is familiar to them both. An unlooked-for obstacle, however,
presented itself as they neared the nek that joins Thornhill's Kop with
Rietfontein on Pepworth's Ridge. A break in clouds that hung behind
Surprise Hill let light through from the crescent moon that was still
well above the rugged Drakensberg Crags.
In that light, subdued though it was, a man crossing the nek would have
shown up sharply, and Boer sentries always keep well down where they can
watch the sky-line. Our troops, naturally anxious not to discover
themselves prematurely, lay down in a convenient donga and waited for
darkness. There they had to lie an hour or longer, until the nearest
ridges were again merged in the gloom of their surroundings, and the
more distant hills became vague shadows, perceptible only to the second
sight of men who are familiar with Nature in all aspects. Then the
column, moving silently, advanced towards the railway line, which few
could see until they were stopped by the barbed wire that fences it on
each side. The necessity for cutting this was another awkward hindrance.
All officers, however, had come provided for such an emergency with
wire-nippers. The anxiety was painfully tense as men listened to the
sharp click of these instruments, and heard the severed wires drop with
a clatter that struck harp-like across the deep silence, and went
vibrating along the fence towards a Boer camp where perhaps some sentry,
more alert than his comrades, might catch the meaning of such sounds. No
alarm followed, however, as the work of wire-cutting went on across the
railway and from enclosure to enclosure, care being taken to bend the
wires only in one place so that they could be bent back, leaving a space
just wide enough for successive companies in fours to defile through.
Thus by slow degrees they gained the foot of Surprise Hill, and began
the difficult ascent. Colonel Metcalfe, and probably most of his men,
expected that they would have been met by Boer rifle fire long before
this and compelled to win their way with the bayonet. It seemed almost
impossible to believe that the Boers, after one sharp lesson, would keep
no better watch than to let us creep up to their stronghold unopposed.
Suddenly a challenge "Wie kom dar?" rang out from half-way up the hill.
Silence would serve no longer, and indeed it had been broken again and
again by the clang of iron-heeled boots on loose stones. So the order to
fix swords was given, and passed in stentorian tones along the front.
Sword-bayonets rattled sharply against rifle barrels to show that there
was no deception this time, and then with lusty cheers the assaulting
companies sprang forward, floundering at times in deep clefts between
boulders, then re-forming to continue their advance, while the supports
and reserves fell as quickly as they could into the formation that is
roughly indicated in the accompanying diagram. That plan had been
adopted to guard against flank attacks by the oblique fire from two
companies, between which an opening was left for the assaulting
companies to retire through in case of reverses. But neither flank
attack nor reverses came at this critical point. Major Thesiger and
Captain Gough, following their respective guides, gained the crest
before their enemies had time to fire many shots from magazine rifles,
and the battery was won. But it contained neither gun nor gunners. Was
the whole expedition therefore fruitless? No! there came sounds as of
men at work stealthily a few yards off.
For that point a sergeant led his section, and found the howitzer with a
few men round it as escort, bearing rifles. The men threw down their
arms in token of submission, but that trick has been played too often.
"This damned nonsense is too late," said the sergeant, and with
levelled bayonets his sections swept away the chance of treachery. So
the story runs, and at any rate our men pushed forward without further
opposition until they formed a half-moon overlooking the darkness in a
deep valley that might have been full of foes. Into that darkness,
therefore, they poured steady volleys for half an hour, while the
engineers were trying to destroy the captured howitzer. Their first
attempt failed owing to a defective fuse, but with the next gun-cotton
charge a fracture was made so deep that the howitzer will never be able
to fire a shot again. Then the riflemen retired, and as they reached a
safe distance downhill they heard a mightier explosion. This also was
the work of our engineers, who had found a magazine and blown it up with
all the ammunition there.
But now from flanks and rear came heavy rifle fire. Colonel Metcalfe,
thinking he was being fired on by his own supports, rode towards them,
calling upon Captains Paley and Stephen by name to cease firing. But he
was met by a withering volley, and knew it must have come from enemies.
At the same time a sergeant going off in another direction, and calling,
"Second Rifle Brigade, are you there?" was received by answers in
English, and before he had discovered his mistake three rifle-bullets
stung him, but for all that he managed to get back in safety to his
company. Then the Adjutant-Captain Dawnay, assisted by Major Wing of the
Artillery, who had come out from camp as a volunteer unattached, did
successful work in getting together sections that had gone astray in the
intense darkness.
It was almost impossible to see anything a yard off. One man felt
something brush against him, and said by way of precaution, "Third Rifle
Brigade?" "Yes," was the response, but at that moment the rattle of a
rifle warned him. He saw something white, which was certainly not part
of a British soldier's campaigning uniform, and, driving at that, got
his bayonet into a Dutchman's shirt just in time to save himself from
being shot. An officer had an exciting bout with a Kaffir who was
fighting on the Boer side, the weapon on one side being a broomstick
that had been used as an alpenstock for hill-climbing, and on the other
a Mauser rifle which the Kaffir had no chance to reload, so quickly were
the blows showered upon him, and a bayonet-thrust delivered at hazard as
he ran put an end to his fighting for the time at least. Our men were
dropping fast from rifle shots, and they had somehow missed touch with
Captain Paley's company. That officer's name was called several times,
but no answer came until the Boers on one side began shouting in good
English, "Captain Paley, here is your company, sir," and a few men
decoyed that way were shot down. The difficulty of finding wounded
comrades in the darkness was great, but still several gallant fellows
made the attempt, and brought no less than thirty-five out of the fight
over ground so broken that they frequently stumbled and fell with their
groaning burdens. One of them begged to be left there, but his
entreaties were met with the response, "Oh, cheer up, old chum; a
stretcher in camp is better than a cell in Pretoria."
While these gallant acts of mercy were being done by men whose blood had
been at fighting heat but a few minutes before, their comrades were
forming for a charge on dongas thick with Boers, whose rifles rang out
incessantly. Bayonets soon did their work. Before that charge the Boers
would not stand, but fled off to fire from a safer distance. One lying
wounded held some papers up, and said, "I am an American correspondent";
but unfortunately for him he had a rifle in his hand and it was hot.
Captain Paley, at first returned as missing, was, as it happens, leading
that charge at one point. Hearing calls for him he led his company
towards them, but likewise found himself discovered, and had just
ordered the charge when three bullets bowled him over, and he lay there
until the enemy came at dawn and found him with other wounded; but his
fall was quickly avenged, for his company charged gallantly, and made a
way for themselves clean through the Boers. Colonel Metcalfe succeeded
in bringing the main body of his troops away in unbroken formation, the
detached sections following, and quickly falling into order ready for
another fight; but the Boers did not molest them again, though we know
now that reinforcements numbering over 2000 had been specially sent
that night to guard against a possible attack on Surprise Hill.
When our ambulance detachments went forward at daybreak they were fired
upon, though Commandant Erasmus had sent under a flag of truce asking
that surgeons and burying parties should go out from our camp. The
medical staff were also made prisoners, and sent before Erasmus and
Schalk-Burger, who, after many questions, released them with the most
seriously wounded, among whom was Captain Paley. Lieutenant Ferguson
died before he could be brought in. Our losses in this night attack, or
rather in the fight that followed it, were 11 killed and 43 wounded,
including Colonel Metcalfe slightly, Captain Paley, Captain Gough,
Lieutenant Brand, and Lieutenant Davenport.