the 23rd-24th February among the rocks on the hill whence
General Hart had directed the attack. About 8 a.m. on February 24th,
'B' company was sent to drive off small parties of the enemy who had
crept down the dongas and reached the railway on the left. This
company came under a severe fire, and Lieutenant Brodhurst Hill was
wounded in the leg, but the Boers were driven back. The 24th was spent
in a ceaseless rifle-duel with the enemy, who had brought a gun to
bear on the hill. During the afternoon, preparations were made for a
fresh attack on Hart's Hill, to be undertaken by Colonel Cooper with
two battalions, while General Hart, with the remainder of the force
at hand, assaulted Railway Hill. The attack was, however, postponed.

The enemy evidently feared another assault, for in the course of the
night of February 24th-25th, they opened a vigorous fire, which
disturbed the slumbers of General Hart's force, and created some
excitement.

During all this time the unlucky wounded, who had been hit on the
23rd, had been left lying in front of the Boer trenches. It was
impossible to help them, since all attempts in that direction had been
frustrated by the enemy. But on the morning of Sunday, February 25th,
a partial armistice was agreed upon in order to bring in the wounded
and to bury the dead. The armistice ended at 6 p.m., and both sides
commenced firing immediately afterwards.

[Illustration: Pieter's Hill. February 27th, 1900.]

Meanwhile, Sir Redvers Buller had evolved a new plan of operations,
and decided to attack with his combined force the three
hills--Pieter's, Railway, and Hart's. For this purpose the greater
part of the artillery was brought from the left bank and concentrated
on the right bank, opposite the points to be assaulted. It was in
position by the 26th, and began a slow bombardment of the Boer
trenches. During the night, the pontoon bridge under Hlangwane was
dismantled, and carried down to a point below the Boer bridge, where
it was relaid, an operation which was not concluded until 10 a.m. on
the 27th.

On the day before, the Dublin Fusiliers had been ordered to join
temporarily General Barton's Brigade. It left its position among the
rocks of Hart's Hollow about 7 a.m. on February 27th, and, moving down
the hill through the deserted Boer laager, halted by the pontoon
bridge. Here it was joined soon after 9 a.m. by the Irish and Scots
Fusiliers, and came under the command of General Barton.