micircle, behind a diameter, composed of one company
Gloucester and one Royal Irish Fusiliers, facing the rise to the
northward. Some 700 yards back from these the arc followed the contour
of the mountain in rear. Thus back from the fighting line the ground
sloped upwards, hiding from it the reserves, and exposing
reinforcements from them, or men retreating back to them, to the full
view and fire of anyone upon the shoulder which arose in front. Over
the brow of this rise "D." company Gloucester entrenched itself in a
position to support both "C." company Gloucester and "E." company
Royal Irish Fusiliers. Though less than 150 yards in rear, "D."
company was, owing to the bulging ground, invisible to "C." company,
and the officers of the latter knew nothing of the proximity of its
support. The movements necessary to these dispositions had scarcely
begun when a slow rifle-fire, commencing from Surprise Hill to the
south-west, showed that the presence of the British on the mountain
was discovered, and from the very first the toiling soldiers thus
found themselves taken in flank and reverse. Stones of manageable size
were scarce, tools were lacking with which to move the large ones,
and, with the smaller, defences of but the most paltry dimensions
could be erected. At this time the danger of the dead ground ahead,
and below the left front, became apparent to Carleton, and "E."
company of the Gloucester, moving out beyond the front line, took post
upon the densely-grown summit of the rise, 400 yards in front of "C."
turning its left section to face west. Here it was shortly joined by
the half of "H." company, some twenty men in all, sent forward by the
O.C. Gloucester in response to Carleton's order (which did not name
any precise strength) to reinforce.

[Sidenote: 7 a.m. Boers appear.]

At 7 a.m. bands of mounted men came down from Intintanyoni to the
heights east of Bell Spruit, whence they opened fire upon the right
rear of the British position. An hour later a hostile battery of
apparently four guns suddenly appeared upon the northern end of these
heights, and, unlimbering for action, threatened Kainguba in silence
for some time, only to disappear northwards without firing a shot. A
number of horsemen were seen to ride away with it, and these, bearing
to the left, vanished behind Nicholson's Nek.

[Sidenote: 9 a.m. they threaten rear.]

At 9 a.m. a movement still more threatening was descried from the
lines of the