em, although a tunnel would have been necessary in
order to enable us to use them in shelling the enemy. We were
therefore obliged to set to work again, and the old trenches were
abandoned. The holes may surprise our posterity, by the way, as a
display of the splendid architectural abilities of their ancestors.

CHAPTER XIX.

BATTLE OF BERGENDAL (MACHADODORP).

Let us pass on to the 21st of August, 1900. Buller's army had by this
time effected a junction with that of Lord Roberts' between
Wonderfontein and Komati River. The commandos under Generals Piet
Viljoen and Joachim Fourie had now joined us, and taken up a position
on our left, from Rooikraal to Komati Bridge. The enemy's numbers were
estimated at 60,000, with about 130 guns, including twelve 4.7 naval
guns, in addition to the necessary Maxims.

We had about 4,000 men at the most with six Maxims and about thirteen
guns of various sizes. Our extreme left was first attacked by the
enemy while they took possession of Belfast and Monument Hill, a
little eastward, thereby threatening the whole of our fighting lines.
My commandos were stationed to the right and left of the railway and
partly round Monument Hill. Fighting had been going on at intervals
all day long, between my burghers and the enemy's outposts. The
fighting on our left wing lasted till late in the afternoon, when the
enemy was repulsed with heavy losses; while a company of infantry
which had pushed on too far during the fighting, through some
misunderstanding or something of that sort, were cut off and captured
by the Bethel burghers.

The attack was renewed the next morning, several positions being
assailed in turn, while an uninterrupted gunfire was kept up. General
Duller was commanding the enemy's right flank and General French was
in charge of the left. We were able to resist all attacks and the
battle went on for six days without a decisive result. The enemy had
tried to break through nearly every weak point in our fighting line
and found out that the key to all our positions existed in a prominent
"randje" to the right of the railway. This point was being defended by
our brave Johannesburg police, while on the right were the
Krugersdorpers and Johannesburgers and to the left the burghers from
Germiston. Thus we had another "Spion Kop" fight for six long days.
The Boers held their ground with determination, and many charges were
repulsed by the burghers with great bravery. But the En