sible. He seemed, indeed, in
danger of being annihilated by sheer force of superior numbers, when
troops from the centre were pushed forward to his support. A smart
engagement ensued, the Boers making energetic efforts to penetrate the
line between the Infantry and Artillery, while the 53rd Battery changed
front to meet the attack and the 5th Lancers struggled to form up on the
left of the rifle regiments. But the enemy's automatic quick-firing gun
vomited forth its death-dealing steel with such persistence that the
cavalry was forced to retire at a gallop. The gunners again came to the
rescue, and six field-batteries, spread over in a semicircular front of
three-quarters of a mile, sent their shrapnel over the heads of the
infantry to crash on the ridges occupied by the Boers.

At this critical moment, when the turmoil of warfare was at its
hottest, and when our gallant troops were struggling unsuccessfully to
hold their own against an overwhelming number of the enemy, a message
came from Sir George White to retire. Some sort of a panic had taken
place in the town, owing partly to the fact that the Boers were
threatening it from another quarter, partly to the persistent shelling
of "Long Tom," which, as some one described, was like a voluble virago,
determined to have the last word! All efforts to silence the horrible
weapon had failed, and for some three or four hours it had sent its
eighty-four-pound shells shrieking into the town. There was no resource
but to fall back, which was done to the appalling detonations of the
Boer guns all going at once, while "Long Tom," like some prominent
solo-singer, dominated the whole clamouring orchestra. To silence him
and to cover the retreat, a Lieutenant of the _Powerful_, in charge of a
gun drawn by a team of oxen, went out on the road between Limit Hill and
Ladysmith. Before the gun could be got in position, however, "Long Tom"
had spotted it--barked at it--overturned it, and killed several of the
oxen. But his triumph was short-lived. Another rival performer had come
on the scene, namely, the twelve-and-a-half-pounder of the Naval
Brigade. It came, saw, and conquered, knocking out "Long Tom" at the
fourth shot!

[Illustration: TYPES OF ARMS--THE CREUSOT QUICK-FIRING FIELD GUN, OR
"LONG TOM"]

The whole action of the Naval Brigade reads like a fairy story.
Ladysmith on the point of exhaustion, with all its troops engaged and no
big guns wherewith to meet the terrific assau