out Captain Hogg, with a troop of the 7th Dragoon
Guards and a gun, who came upon the rear of Umhala's party just as
Colonel Somerset met them. The Caffres, placed between two fires, their
retreat cut off, numerous although they were, lost confidence and broke.
They were charged fiercely, and cut to pieces. Estimates were given of
their loss, varying from three hundred to twice that number. The British
loss was slight; about seven troopers fell, and several officers were
very severely wounded, in close combat, by the assigai, a formidable
weapon in the hands of a South African. Among the officers hurt were
Sir Harry Darell, who was wounded in the thigh and arm severely; Cornet
Bunbury also received several wounds. Captain Walpole, of the Engineers,
was shot in the thigh, and a blow from an assigai upon the neck laid
bare the windpipe. Those officers, Lieutenant O'Reilly, and others,
displayed much personal prowess, cutting down the Caffres with their
swords in close, desperate, and successful conflict.

The following letter gives a good description of the scene presented to
the reinforcement sent out by Lieutenant-colonel Lindsay:--

"Colonel Somerset has been out to-day in the direction of Stock's Kraal.
About an hour after he left we heard heavy firing, which lasted for two
or three hours. It appears that they were challenged by a lot of Caffres
in the bush; they went in after them and gave them a regular mauling,
shot a great number of them, and coming out on the flat when they had
polished these gentlemen off, they fell in with a body of about five
hundred to six hun-, dred, whom they also charged, and shot like so many
dogs. I believe, at the lowest computation, three hundred and fifty
were left dead on the field. This last body that they fell in with
were Pato's Caffres, who heard the firing at Stock's Kraal, and were
hastening to his assistance, when, luckily for us, they were caught upon
the open flat, and the 7th Dragoons and Cape Corps charged them, and
literally rode over them. I trust that this affair, coupled with the
attack on Peddie, will cool their courage considerably. One corporal
of the Cape Mounted Rifles was shot dead, and Sir Harry Darell, Captain
Walpole, Royal Engineers, and Bunbury, together with some men of the
7th, are slightly wounded: I think four of them slightly, and one very
dangerously. Colonel Somerset seems the only man that can bring them
to their senses. They were all going down to a