On the 24th of January General Colley's little column, consisting of the
58th, a battalion of the 60th, a small naval brigade, 170 mounted
infantry, and six guns, moved out from Newcastle; they took with them an
amount of baggage-train altogether out of proportion to their force, as
in addition to their own baggage and ammunition they were taking up a
considerable amount of the latter for the use of the troops besieged in
the various towns in the Transvaal.
Mr Humphreys and Jackson rode over to Newcastle to see them start, and
the lads sat chatting to them on their horses, as the column filed by.
"I don't like the look of things, father," Dick said, "and if you had
seen the way the Boers polished off the 94th, I am sure you wouldn't
like it either. If we are attacked by them, the troops would, for the
most part, be wanted to guard this huge baggage-train, and I am sure,
from what I have seen of the Boers, the only way to thrash them is to
attack them quickly and suddenly. If you let them attack you, you are
done for. Their shooting is ten times as good as that of the troops;
they are accustomed, both in hunting and in their native wars, to depend
each man on himself, and they would hang round a column like this, pick
the men off at long distances, and fall upon them in hollows and bushes;
while, whenever our fellows tried to take the offensive, they would
mount their horses and ride away, only to return and renew the attack as
soon as the troops fell back to the waggons. Besides, with such a train
of waggons we can only crawl along, and the Boers will have time to
fortify every position. I wonder, at any rate, that General Colley does
not push forward in light marching-order and drive the Boers at once out
of Natal, and cross the river into the Transvaal; then he would have a
flat, open country before him, and could bring the waggons up
afterwards."
"What you say seems right enough, Dick," his father answered; "but
General Colley has the reputation of being an excellent officer."
"I have no doubt that he is an excellent officer, father; but he has had
no experience whatever in the Boers' style of fighting; he knows that
they have often been defeated by natives, and I fancy he does not value
them highly enough. They cannot stand a quick, sudden attack, and
that's how the natives sometimes defeat them, but at their own game of
shooting from behind rocks I believe that they are more than a match for
regular troops. However, we shall see. As I am not going as a
combatant I shall be able to look on quietly, and fortunately the Boers
are not like Zulus, and there is no fear of non-combatants and prisoners
being massacred. If there were, I tell you fairly, father, that I would
cry off, and let the waggons go without me, for I do believe that things
will not turn out well."
"Well, I hope you are wrong, Dick. But you have seen so much fighting
in this country, during the last two years, that your opinion is
certainly worth something. However, there is one satisfaction, there
are a number of troops now landing at Durban and on the march up; so
that if this little force does get a check, it will soon be retrieved.
Now, good-bye, lad; mind, if there is an attack on the waggons, take as
little part in it as you can, and stick to the position of
non-combatants. If they would have had us as volunteers, we would have
done our best; but as they have declined to accept the offer of the
colonists, let them fight it out their own way. If they get beaten and
the Boers swarm into Natal, as in that case they certainly will do, the
colonists will take the matter in hand by themselves, and if we don't
send the Dutchmen packing back faster than they come, I am a Dutchman
myself."
Had Sir George Colley pushed on rapidly with his column, he would have
passed all the points at which the Boers could have taken up strong
defensive positions, before they could gather in force to oppose him, as
he had the choice of three or four different lines of advance, and until
the one by which he would travel was known, the Boer army was forced to
remain inactive, awaiting his disposition. As soon, however, as he had
left Newcastle, and it was known by them that he had started along the
line of road to the west of Newcastle, they moved their whole force to
oppose him, and took post on a position known as Laing's Neck, at a spot
where the road had to cross over a steep and difficult ridge. Here they
set to work to throw up intrenchments, and the leisurely, and indeed
dilatory, advance of the British gave them ample time for this.
Although the distance from Newcastle to Laing's Neck was but twenty-five
miles, and the column, unimpeded by baggage, could by a forced march
have seized the position on the very day of their leaving Newcastle, and
long before the Boers could have moved their army to reinforce the
little body who occupied the position as corps of observation, no less
than six days elapsed before Sir George Colley's force arrived before
Laing's Neck.
This time was spent in frequent halts, in improving the roads, bridging
the streams, and other similar operations, all useful enough in their
way, but fatal to the success of a flying column, whose object was to
strike a sudden blow at the enemy, and to secure the road and passes as
far as the frontier, in order to facilitate the march of the main column
of invasion, which was on its way up from the coast. Dick and Tom
chafed under the long delays, and twice rode home and spent a day with
their parents.
At last, however, the column was in front of the enemy's position. The
Boers, who were some 3000 strong, held a strong position on the line of
the crest of the ridge, with breastworks thrown up in front. The total
force of Sir George Colley consisted of but 870 infantry, together with
the mounted men and guns; and to attack such a position, with a chance
of success, every man should have been sent against the intrenchments.
General Colley, however, seems at the last moment to have been alarmed
for the safety of his baggage, which was menaced by parties of Boers on
his left flank. He therefore prepared to attack with only five
companies of the 58th--that is, but little more than 250 men, keeping
the whole of the rest of the infantry in reserve, but ordering the
mounted infantry to assist in the attack--a service which, upon such
ground, they were altogether unfitted to perform. The result of such an
arrangement as this was inevitable. Tom and Dick could scarcely believe
their eyes when they saw this handful of men advancing up the steep
hill, at whose summit was a force more than ten times as numerous, and
composed of some of the finest marksmen in the world. The six English
guns opened fire to cover the advance, and the 58th went gallantly up
the hill As soon as they approached the crest, a tremendous fire of
musketry was opened upon them by the Boers lying behind the
intrenchments. The men were literally swept away by the fire.
Gallantly led by their officers, they pressed forward until within a few
yards of the breastworks; then the Boers leapt to their feet, sprang
over the works and fell upon them. Colonel Deane, Major Poole,
Lieutenant Elwes, and Lieutenant Bailey were killed, and no less than
180 of the little force were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. Few
even of the survivors would have escaped, had not the mounted infantry,
who had ascended the spur at a point farther to the right, made a
gallant charge along the crest of the hill and checked the pursuit. The
main body of the British advanced a short distance to make a
demonstration, and prevent the Boers from following up their success.
The whole column then fell back four miles, to the ground which they had
occupied the night before. The gallantry displayed by the 58th and
mounted infantry was the sole redeeming feature in the discreditable
affair of Laing's Neck, where defeat had been rendered almost certain by
the previous hesitation and delays, and was ensured by the folly of
sending a mere handful of men to attack such a position. As the British
fell back, the Boers advanced, and at nightfall placed themselves on the
road between the camp and Newcastle, entirely cutting the force off from
its base, and threatening both them and the town of Newcastle.
Several days passed, the attitude of the Boers became more and more
threatening, and General Colley determined at all hazards to open the
way back to Newcastle. On the morning of the 8th of February he moved
out with five companies of the 60th rifles, two field and two
mountain-guns, and a detachment of mounted infantry; Dick and Tom
obtained leave to ride back with the mounted detachment. At a
commanding post near the River Ingogo Sir George Colley left two
mountain-guns and a company of rifles as a garrison, and moved forward
with the rest of the column. The River Ingogo runs at the bottom of a
deep ravine. Crossing this the English force mounted to the top of the
opposite crest, but they had gone but a short distance farther when they
were attacked on all sides by the Boers. The troops were ordered at
once to take shelter among the boulders and bushes, while the two guns
from the top of the eminence opened fire with shell upon the enemy.
Dick and Tom sought shelter with the rest, making their horses lie down
beside them, and were soon as hotly engaged as the Rifles around them in
answering the heavy fire of the Boers. The fight began at twelve
o'clock, and raged without intermission for six hours; sometimes the
Boers attacked on one side of the position, sometimes upon another. The
ground was broken and thickly strewn with boulders and bushes, and
favoured by these the Boers crept up sometimes close to the position
held by the English. So accurate was their shooting that none of the
defenders could show his head above shelter for a moment, and it was as
much as they could do to prevent the enemy from carrying the position at
a rush. The 60th fought with the greatest coolness and steadiness, and,
numerous as were the enemy, they could not muster up courage for the
rush which would have assuredly overwhelmed the little party that they
were attacking. The two English guns could render but small service,
the men being shot down as fast as they stood up to load, and every
officer, driver, gunner, and horse was killed or wounded within half an
hour after the action commenced. So incessant indeed was the rain of
balls that the guns after the action were spotted with bullet-marks so
thickly that it would have been difficult to place the tip of the finger
upon a place unstruck by a ball.
When darkness put a stop to the fight 160 men--more than two-thirds of
the force--were killed or wounded. Among the former were Captain
MacGregor of the staff, Captain Green of the Royal Artillery, and
Lieutenants Green and O'Connell of the 60th; while Lieutenants Pixney,
Parsons, Twistlewaite and Haworth, all of the 60th, were wounded. Had
the Boers taken advantage of the cover of darkness to steal forward,
they must have annihilated the little force; but they believed that they
had them in their power, for the rain had fallen heavily, the Ingogo had
risen, and was, they thought, unfordable. General Colley ascertained,
however, that it was stilt possible to cross, and with the greatest
silence the survivors moved off from their position, the storm helping
to conceal the movement from the Boers. Very quietly they moved down to
the stream, and with the greatest difficulty succeeded in crossing; then
picking up on their way the company and guns which had been left on the
eminence beyond, the column reached camp in safety.
In the meantime reinforcements had been pushing forward from the sea as
fast as possible, and on the 17th the column under Sir Evelyn Wood
arrived at Newcastle, to the great joy of its inhabitants. For days an
attack by the Boers had been expected, intrenchments had been thrown up
round the great convoy which had been collected to advance with the
force, and all the inhabitants who could bear arms, and many settlers
from the surrounding country, had come in to aid in the defence, should
the Boers attack it.
The arrival of the relieving column ensured the safety of the town, and
the Boers between Newcastle and General Coney's little camp at once fell
back to their old position on Laing's Neck, leaving the road open.
General Colley and his staff rode in from Prospect Hill, the name of the
camp, and had a consultation with General Wood. The 92nd Regiment
marched out and reinforced General Colley's column.
The Boers' position at Laing's Neck was commanded by a lofty and rugged
mountain, called Majuba Hill, on its right, and the occupation of this
hill by the British would render the position untenable. It would have
been an admirable military movement to seize this hill when the whole
force was collected at the camp in readiness to advance, as, with their
flank turned and a force advancing for a direct attack, the Boers must
at once have retreated, but General Colley most unfortunately desired to
retrieve the two defeats he had suffered, by compelling the Boers to
fall back, before the arrival on the scene of Sir Evelyn Wood with the
main body. He believed, no doubt, and with reason, that Majuba Hill
once captured would be impregnable against any attack which might be
made against it.
Accordingly, on the night of the 26th, with twenty officers and 627 men
drawn from the 58th, 60th, 92nd, and naval brigade, he started from the
camp with the intention of seizing the hill. The night was a dark one,
and the march across the unknown country difficult in the extreme. The
intervening ground was cut up by steep valleys and rapid ascents, and
for hours the troops struggled up and down these places, many of which
would have been difficult to climb by daylight. At last, after immense
labour, the force reached the foot of Majuba Hill, having taken six
hours in accomplishing a distance which, as the crow flies, is little
more than four miles. At a commanding point near the foot of the hill
200 men were left, to keep open the communication; the main body kept on
until they reached the summit, just before daylight, the Boers being
entirely in ignorance of the movement which had taken place. The
position was of immense natural strength, as it was only at a few points
that an ascent could be made. On the summit was a plateau, so that all
the troops not actually engaged in repelling assaults could lie down
perfectly secure from the fire from below. At sunrise the Boers could
be seen moving about in their lines. An hour later a party of mounted
vedettes were seen trotting out towards the hill, which during the day
they used as a post of observation; as they approached the outlying
pickets fired upon them. As the sound of the guns was heard by the
Boers below, a scene of the greatest confusion and excitement was
observed from the height to prevail. Swarms of men were seen rushing
hither and thither; some to their arms, some to their horses, others to
their waggons, to which the oxen were at once harnessed, ready for a
retreat in case of necessity. Then a great portion of the Boers moved
forward towards the hill, with the evident intention of attacking it.
At seven o'clock the enemy opened fire, and the bullets whistled up
thickly round the edge of the plateau. The main body of the troops
remained in the centre of the plateau, out of fire, small bodies being
posted near the edge to answer the fire of the Boers and prevent their
approaching the accessible points. For five hours the musketry duel
continued. So far its effect had been trifling, a few men only being
wounded. The position appeared perfectly safe. The Boers were indeed
between the garrison of the hill and the camp, but the former had three
days' provisions with them, and could therefore hold out until Sir
Evelyn Wood arrived with the main body for a direct attack upon the
Boers' position.
Between twelve and one o'clock the Boers' fire slackened, and the
besieged force thought that their assailants were drawing off; this,
however, was not the case. Under cover of the shrubs and rocks the
Boers were creeping quietly up, and at one o'clock a terrific fire
suddenly broke out, and the enemy in great numbers rushed up the short
intervening distance between themselves and the scanty line of defenders
on the edge of the plateau; these, seized by panic, at once fled, and
the exulting Boers poured up on to the plateau and opened a destructive
fire upon the troops.
The scene which ensued was one of the most discreditable in the annals
of the British army. Although armed with breech-loaders, and fully as
numerous as the assailants who had gained the crest of the hill, the
resistance offered was feeble in the extreme; had the troops charged the
Boers, the advantages of discipline and of their vastly superior weapons
would have been irresistible, and they could have cleared the plateau as
speedily as it had been occupied. The great majority, however, were
seized with a wild panic, and, in spite of the efforts of the officers,
thought of nothing but seeking safety in flight. A few stood and fired,
but how few these were can be judged from the fact that only one Boer
was killed, one severely wounded, and four slightly so; while half the
British force were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners, the remainder
managing to escape down the sides of the hill, and to join the force
left at its foot, or to hide in the bushes until night. Among the
killed were General Colley, Captain the Hon. C. Maude, Surgeon-Major
H. Cornish, Surgeon A. Landon, and Lieutenant Trower of the naval
brigade; eight officers were killed, and seven taken prisoners;
eighty-six men were killed, 125 wounded, fifty-one taken prisoners, and
two missing. The fight, such as it was, lasted five minutes. The force
which had been left at the bottom of the hill, under Captain Robertson,
was also attacked; but, being admirably led by that officer, fought its
way back to the camp with but small loss, the guns there assisting to
cover its retreat.
The boys had not accompanied the expedition, and from the camp had
watched the line of smoke round the hill, and had joined in the laughter
of the officers at the idea of the Boers attacking so tremendously
strong a position. Intense was the astonishment in camp when a wreath
of smoke suddenly rose from the summit, and when this cleared away, and
all was quiet, and it became evident that the Boers had carried the
position, it was difficult to say whether the feeling of dismay or
humiliation most prevailed.
With the defeat of Majuba Hill the war in the Transvaal virtually
terminated. When the news reached England, the government declared that
the honour of the British flag should be vindicated, and great numbers
of troops were sent out to Natal; these marched up the country, and were
in readiness to assault the Boers' position, when the English government
suddenly gave way, and granted to the Boers all that they demanded, the
sole provision insisted upon being a purely nominal sovereignty on the
part of the queen, and an equally nominal protection for the natives--a
clause in the treaty which, from that time to this, no attempt whatever
has been made to enforce. Not only were the natives practically
abandoned to the mercy of the Boers, to be shot down or enslaved at
their will, as in former times, but the English settlers, who had for
months made such a noble defence in every town in the Transvaal, were
abandoned, and the greater portion of them, ruined and plundered, have
long since left the country where, relying upon the empty promises and
vain guarantee of England, they had embarked their fortunes. A more
disgraceful and humiliating chapter in English history than the war in
the Transvaal, and the treaty which concluded it, is not to be found.
After the battle of Majuba Hill Dick and Tom returned to their farms,
resolved to have nothing farther to do with the business; there they
have remained steadily since that time. Mr Humphreys' plantation of
trees now covers a great extent of ground, and promises fully to answer
his expectations of eventual profit. Those first-planted are attaining
large size, and the thinning brings in a considerable annual
income. His waggons are fully employed in taking down fruit to
Pieter-Maritzburg. In another ten years Mr Humphreys expects that he
will be a very wealthy man; he is thinking next year of paying a visit,
with his wife and two sons, to England, where John will be left to
finish his education and pass through college, with a view of eventually
entering the Church. Dick is quite contented with his life; he has
taken no farther part in trading expeditions into the interior, although
the profit realised in the venture under Mr Harvey was considerable,
but there is plenty of work on the farm to occupy his time. A large
number of natives are employed in planting operations, and since the
first year Mr Humphreys has raised all his own trees from seeds. The
breeding of cattle and horses has been abandoned, only a small herd and
a flock of sheep being kept for home requirements, as it is found that
the ever-increasing plantation and the great orchards of fruit-trees are
quite sufficient to occupy their attention.
Mr Jackson too is prospering greatly; influenced by the example of his
neighbour, he too has gone in for planting, although on a much smaller
scale than Mr Humphreys, his means being insufficient to carry out such
extensive operations. Tom and Dick are as great friends as ever, and,
when they can be spared, often go out together on a deer-hunting
expedition. Tom is engaged to the daughter of a trader in Newcastle;
Dick, laughing, says that he shall look out for a wife when he gets to
England. The prospects would be altogether bright for the emigrants
from Derbyshire, were it not for the trouble which the weakness of the
British government, in sending back Cetewayo to Zululand, brought about,
and from the increasingly bad feeling growing up between the Boers and
the natives, owing to the constant aggressions of the latter, and their
ill-treatment of the natives, in defiance of the agreements in the
treaty with the British government. If the day should come when the
natives at last rise and avenge upon the Boers the accumulated injuries
of many years, neither Dick Humphreys nor Tom Jackson will be inclined
to lift a hand to save the Boers from their well-merited fate. The
example of the successful resistance offered by the Basutos to the whole
power of the Cape government has had an immense effect among the native
tribes of South Africa, and sooner or later the colonists there will
have a very serious crisis to pass through. Dick hopes that this crisis
will not occur in his time, for Mr Humphreys intends in another fifteen
years, if he live so long, when his first-planted trees will have gained
maturity, to divide his great forest into lots, to sell off, and to
return to his native land. Dick quite agrees in the plan, and hopes
some day to be settled with an abundant competency in Old England.
The End.