les and the 58th Regiment
marched directly against them, whilst we with the guns and the `tars'
with their rockets were posted in the rear. It was a one-sided
conflict. We had only stones to fire at, while our poor lads, many of
them, like myself, mere youngsters, were out in the open, without cover
of any kind, and wearing white helmets, which were simply a series of
bull's-eyes for the enemy.

"I shall never forget that morning. The sun came up over the mountain
peaks, making them look like golden pinnacles. Then, passing down the
green elopes of the hills, it lit up the valley, with its dusty road,
and its little farmhouse nestling on the left at the foot of the steep
incline. And there, moving across the grass in regular order, and with
the rays flashing from their helmets and rifle-barrels, were our brave
fellows, many of them marching to their death.

"Well, well, such things must be, I suppose! England has not done all
the glorious acts for which she is famous without a deal of suffering
and much loss of life.

"When our troops started up the slopes a perfect hail of lead was poured
into their ranks, and every bullet, mind you, was directed by an unseen
hand, and by a hand which, backed up by a steady eye, never failed, even
from the back of a galloping horse, to bring down the swiftest deer that
ever ran.

"But though many of our gallant lads fell, the remainder reached a
ridge, fixed bayonets, and prepared to charge. They were met by a
murderous fire, which almost decimated them, and the same fate befell a
squadron of the 1st Dragoon Guards, who charged the enemy's flank.

"The Boers pressed forward immediately, and we were forced to retire.

"That was the end of that engagement. We sent in a flag of truce in
order that we might gather our wounded, who were unmolested by the
Boers, save in one instance, when a cowardly ruffian was caught in the
act of shooting a helpless soldier, and was promptly bayoneted by one of
the injured man's comrades.

"We were now in a pretty tight hole. Surrounded on all sides by the
Boers, our supplies were cut off completely. But on February 8th we
moved out of camp back towards Newcastle, from which town a convoy was
to set out to join us. It never started, but we were ignorant of that,
and, pushing forward, crossed the Ingogo River, which runs transversely
across that portion of Natal. The guns remained on the other side, and
were at once at it hammer and tong