ere empty. Instead, at 5.15 a.m., a heavy piece fired
from Pepworth Hill, and a 96-pound shell fell near the town, its
explosion greeting the 2nd Rifle Brigade, which, having detrained at
2.30 a.m., was marching out to join Hamilton's force at Limit Hill.
The next, following quickly, burst in Pickwoad's line of guns, and
Coxhead's artillery, which attempted to reply, found itself far
outranged, whilst Pickwoad's three batteries maintained for a time
their bombardment of Long Hill. In a few moments four long-range
Creusots of smaller calibre (75 m/m) joined in from either side of the
96-pounder, two others from lower ground about the railway below the
height. Both Coxhead's and Pickwoad's batteries were covered with
missiles. Colonel C. M. H. Downing, commanding all the artillery,
quickly assumed the offensive. Dissatisfied with his position, the
left of which, lying to the east of Limit Hill, was so encumbered with
rocks that of the 53rd battery only two guns could fire at all, and
those of the other batteries of the 2nd brigade division only by
indirect laying, he drew that part of his line clear, and moved
Coxhead's three batteries, the 21st, 42nd, and 53rd, out into the
open, facing north-west, to within 4,000 yards of Pepworth.[127]
Troubled, while the change was in course of taking place, by the
accurate shooting from that hill, Downing then ordered Pickwoad to
change front to the left and come into action against Pepworth on the
right of, but some distance from, the 2nd brigade division. The guns
on the low ground under the shadow of Pepworth were soon mastered. The
battery upon its summit, at distant range for shrapnel, withstood yet
awhile; but ere long the gunners there, too, temporarily abandoned
their weapons, and only returned when a slackening of Pickwoad's fire
gave opportunity for a hasty round. At 6.30 a.m., therefore, and for
some half hour more, the trend of battle seemed to the artillery to be
in favour of the British. After that, however, fresh hostile guns
opened, and the rattle of rifles arose in ever-increasing volume, not
only from the broken ground to the right, where Grimwood's infantry
lay lost to view amongst the low, rolling kopjes by the Modder Spruit,
but also far to the rear, towards Lombards Kop. Yet no British were
seen advancing. It was evident that the infantry and cavalry were not
delivering but withstanding an onslaught.

[Footnote 127: This is shown on map 8 as the first a