us (for
the English had taken cover barely one hundred paces behind the waggons
and were preparing to fight us from there), but that they were ordered
to remain behind the soldiers. They were thus exposed to the danger of
being hit by us, if we shot a little too high. It was, they said, the
most terrible day they had ever spent.

When we came within range of the English, they opened a hot fire upon
us. We had to gallop over ground as smooth as a table with no cover
until we were close up to them, and protected by a small hill. We left
our horses here, and ran as fast as we could up the incline. At the top
we were within forty paces of the place where the English were lying in
wait for us. As soon as our heads appeared over the brow of the hill
they fired on us; but there was only one round fired, for our reply was
so sharp and severe that many of them were at once mowed down. The rest
jumped up and retreated behind the last row of waggons, several of them,
however, being killed during their flight.

Our men dashed through between the waggons, but the English were the
first to reach the kraal. They had made loopholes in its walls, through
which they now fired on us. The only shelter we had was a Kaffir hut,
which as is well known, always has a round wall. There was no chance for
us to make loopholes--the wall was too solid--so that if a burgher
wanted to shoot he had to expose his whole body, while the English lay
ready behind their loopholes to fire on us. So it happened that eleven
burghers were killed and seven wounded. Among the dead was Captain
Thijnsma, and among the wounded, Lieutenant H. Howell.

In the meantime we had got the waggons away, except the row which was
nearest to the kraal, and which were too close to the enemy for us to be
able to approach them safely.

No sooner had the English taken refuge in the kraal than the women fled
with the waggons; and it is astonishing to relate that only one little
boy of thirteen years was killed, and a woman and a girl slightly
wounded. One of the burghers whom the English had taken prisoner was
also killed.

I have no exact figure as to the losses of the English, but judging from
the number of dead and wounded lying on the battlefield, I should say
that their casualties must have been about eighty.

The fight lasted from eleven till three o'clock, and then a
reinforcement of cavalry, from eight hundred to one thousand men strong,
appeared with some guns. The fo