inally decided to halt
at midday at a point where the Molopo River curved near to the road. We
turned off the road down a slope which sank towards the river on the
right. The ground rose up on all sides round us, but the guns were
placed near the top of the northward rise. The mules were outspanned and
led to water, and we breakfasted. Remember that we had been up since
half-past five and had had nothing to eat, that it was now nearly an
hour after midday, and you will understand how it happened that I was
more interested in the cooking of certain meats than in the galloping
about of orderlies on the hillside.

Breakfast was just over and my horse was being saddled, when a crack of
rifle-fire on our right front warned me that things were about to
happen; and at the same time I saw that the mules were being harnessed
with frantic haste. By the time that I had ridden up the slope the guns
had gone forward into position, but as yet there was no firing except
from rifles, which were banging in a desultory fashion now all along our
right flank. I searched the slope beyond the river with my glasses, but
could not see a man; yet the firing was there sure enough, and
increasing. It was at 1.55 that the first firing broke out, and for half
an hour the same thing continued, during which the convoy was formed up
in what seemed a sheltered part of the hollow. We were in a bad place--a
very shallow saucer; and on the edge of the saucer the Boers had taken
up their position.

During this half-hour little seemed to be done, but there is always this
interval during which a battle develops. We did not as yet know any but
one place in which the Boers were; it was pretty certain that they did
not know what we were going to do; so the right front, where our advance
guard had first come into touch with the enemy, was as yet the only
point of contact. Meanwhile Colonel Plumer, with the whole of his
mounted men, was sent off to the right flank; Colonel Peakman, with the
Kimberley Mounted Corps, was held back to watch the rear; Colonel
Edwards was sent with the Imperial Light Horse to the left flank, with
instructions to work round in advance if possible, and so turn the
enemy's right; and the Royal Horse Artillery and the Canadian guns took
up a position on the front. It was difficult to find a place from which
to look on, especially as we were far from confident that the Boers
were on our right alone. There were folds in the sides of our sa