Buller's force, consisting of the Gordon Highlanders and the
60th Rifles, with Dundonald's Mounted Brigade, two Field Batteries, and
the 5-inch guns, advanced on the 9th, the day following the capture of
Paardeplaats, in the direction of the Mauchberg.

The country was extremely difficult, and the Boer guns and pompoms well
served, and considerable opposition was met with in the advance.

General Buller's force reached the Mauchberg that evening and proceeded
on the following day to Devil's Knuckles, down the steep Mauchberg road
(known as Hell's Gate), where the two Boer big guns again narrowly
escaped capture, and so on to Spitzkop, just north of Nelspruit on the
Pretoria-Lorenzo Marques railway.

On the 10th four companies and two guns under Captain Jacson were
ordered to the Mauchberg. The companies got off by midday, and after a
stiff climb occupied the mountain just before dark. The top of the
Mauchberg, 8720 feet high, was found to be very extended, and the
garrison was much split up. Company forts were erected on the main
features, and the place was held till the 20th, mostly in thick fog and
rain.

The Mauchberg post was the terminus of the telegraph line, communication
thence with General Buller's head-quarters being continued by visual
signalling. The mountain was intersected by deep kloofs and ravines,
into most of which the Boers had collected their families and supplies,
in the hope that neither would be found. These were all disclosed from
the summit of the mountain, which commanded a view of a great extent of
country. General Buller succeeded in collecting a large amount of stores
from these "caches."

The families of Boers who surrendered with their stock were sent into
Lydenburg, together with any prisoners that had been taken.

On the 11th two of the Mauchberg companies with the two guns were
ordered to proceed to Devil's Knuckles, to supply picquets for
Dundonald's Mounted Brigade which was stationed there, and on September
20th the companies of the Regiment stationed at Paardeplaats marched to
the Mauchberg, being relieved at the former place by the Leicesters, the
remaining two Mauchberg companies proceeding to Devil's Knuckles.

On the 21st the Regiment was again united and marched with Dundonald's
Brigade down the Sabi Valley, reaching Sabi Drift that evening, where
the force bivouacked. The column under General Dundonald remained at
Sabi Drift till the 26th awaiting the arrival of Genera