eral Warren to
march at daybreak on Tuesday, and join the Commander-in-Chief at the
fort of Zwartz Kop; this I did, and though delayed on the hill by
wagons and by the 7th Battery R.F.A. coming up, and later, by streams
of ambulance in the narrow road close to Zwartz Kop, I arrived and
reported my guns to General Buller about 8 a.m., at the foot of the
kopje. He told me to bring my guns into action, and help to silence
the Boer 6" Creusot, and, if possible, the 3" Creusot, which were
firing from Spion Kop (position 2) at our field batteries.

As I came into action, and was aiming my right gun at the Boer 6", a
shell from it struck twenty yards in front, and covering us with dirt,
jumped over our heads without exploding; the shell was plainly visible
in the air to me on coming down, and I saw it strike on its side and
the fuse break off. The shell was picked up intact at my wagons which
were just coming up, by Edward House, A.B., and we have it now. I
concentrated my fire on the 6" gun at 6,400 yards, and in an hour it
was silenced for the rest of the day; this, of course, was effected in
conjunction with the fire from the 5" guns just in front of me, and
from one 4.7 on Signal Hill.

During the day my guns also drove back at least two Boer field guns at
6,500 yards, which had been brought down into Vaal Krantz, and which
tried to find our range but just fell short; they shifted position,
but were finally driven over the sky-line. There was also a 1-1/4 lb.
Pom-pom in a donga in the valley, which we silenced many times, and at
the end of the day had fired some 230 rounds.

On Wednesday, February 7th, we commenced again at daylight; the 6"
opened a heavy fire on one pontoon (No. 3), and on the field batteries
in front of us, which had been pushed forward there before daybreak.
My fire was directed solely at the big gun; my No. 2 standing by and
firing directly he saw it appear. During the day my ammunition supply
was kept up by direct communication by orderly with the column under
Major Findlay. In the forenoon the Boer field guns were brought down
again in the valley, and shelled the pontoon, Krantz Kop, and us; they
were driven off in an hour or so, but recommenced again later.

In the afternoon, more field guns and Pom-poms on the burnt kopjes to
the left of us opened a heavy fire on Krantz Kop, but were driven off
by our guns, the howitzer battery (100 yards in our rear), and by the
Naval guns on Zwartz Kop.

Ab