With Buller in Natal A Born Leader

orning, they awoke with a sudden start. A deep boom and a strange rushing sound was

?" Chris aske

rectly after heard the report, and a rushing sound. I suppose it was a shot overhead; if it had b

g, and the lads at once ran to their heads and patted and so

is it?" C

oomed from Talana, or as it was generally called in the town, Smith's Hill, from a farm owned by a settler of tha

ure to attack us in this way. We may as well saddle up, though it is hardly likely the cavalry will be engaged. I shall not send to camp for orders; the general will have enough to think about, and it will make no matter where twenty men place themselves. However, I shall ride over to camp and s

treets were full of half-dressed men; however, they seemed to be getting over their first terror, now that they found it w

eed, that most of the women and children were sent off two days ago, and that the scare on the evening that we arrived, when the news came of the railway being cut at Elandslaagte, sent the greater part of the men who had remained behind, and

s not, however, supposed that the Boers were in force until their guns opened fire. All lights were out in the camp, and the enemy's shot had gone wide. It was by no means clear why

and on his replying, "An officer of the Maritzburg Scouts," the sentry cal

sit to their camp, and he therefore answered at once, "Ladysmith," and w

h their rifles piled in front of them, and there was a hum of conversation in the

" he asked as

of the party of M

it not?" the

dden in to ask if th

w matters stand and what is the force of the Boers. It is not likely that you w

certainly speak Dutch better than any of the others. It is half-past two now, and we have at least two and a half hours of darkness, therefore I propose we try to find out what force the Boers have got up there. It is no use for more than four of us to

we ride

irly there among them, we will dismount; Field and Peters will stand by the four horses, Horrocks and I will go on. If you hear a row, you will mount and wait a minute or two, and then if we do not come, you will ride off with our horses as well as your own. We shall try and make our way to the edge of the hill, and ought to be able to slip away in the darkness if we can get there before we are shot down or overtaken. However, I don't think there is much chance of our being recognized. Indeed, I

ng told what was required, at

cing Dundee it was extremely steep and strewn with boulders. They were now going at a walk, and they soon came upon an immense gathering of waggons, carts, oxen and ponies, crowded without any order, just as they had arrived two hours before. "There is no fear of our being detected," Chris said in a whisper, "and we can't do better than stop here. There is no getting the horses through this crowd, and if we did manage to do so there would be no getting them back, certainly not in a hurry. You had

, but as they went farther they heard talking. Here the fighting men were assembled. For the most part they were lying down; some were asleep; others, however, were moving about, and joining or leaving groups gathered together discussing the events of the next day. Horroc

many, and, as everyone knows, one Boer is a match for any three rooineks. It will not be a fight, it will be slaughter. We shall stop a day to gather the plunder and send it off in the waggons, then we shall go south and destroy the force at Ladysmith. Three days later we shall be in Maritzburg, and

HRIS AND HIS COM

h wall. These left off their work as soon as the party arrived. Having now seen all that was necessary, the two lads joined them and returned with them down the hill. The others threw themselves down near their horses, but Chris and his companion went on. Through the huge gathering of waggons they ma

xpected," Field said. "You hav

itement than if we had been walking through Dundee. We have got all we wanted to know. Their strength is about four thousand. They have six guns. They ar

ing to be another Laing's Nek business they will find themselves mightily mistaken, though it will be a ve

with ease, although, they broke into a canter as soon as they r

had dismounted, "we have not hea

ig guns. They say Boers very angry because the other commandos not here, and Free State Boers not arrived. They sure going to be

all were intensely anxious as to the fate of their four comrades, and although delighted that they had returned safely, were a little disappointed on finding that

to be moving." All was quiet until half-past five, and the lads had just finished their mea

. "One knows that there is not the slightest risk of being hit, but, to say the least of it, it is

ost part without bursting. It was soon evident to the lads that the range of the British guns was shorter than that of the heavier pieces from

rs' strength." He had on his way down the hill exchanged his hat for his forage-cap, and taking Horrocks with him he

except that when the fighting is over

with Mr. Horrocks and two others, and one of our Kaffir servants, I e

hree or four of his staff standing but a short distance behind him. "Mr. King and three of his party

fused mass behind the hill. Arriving in the dark, each seems to have gone on until it could get no farther. The fighting men are all on the top of the hill, and between them and the waggons are their ponies. They certainly could not ride away till the waggons have been passed through, but possibly a passage may have been left on each side of these for them to get through, in order, as is their intention, to charge your army when their guns have si

se to them, for shells that go over the hill may burst among them; and I believe that one of the Boers' most vulnerable points is their horses, for without them they would feel absolutely lost. I am sure, Mr. King, that you would wish to be in the thick of the fighting, but I would rather that you curbed your impetuosity, fo

ashire regiment remained to protect the camp should it be attacked by the Free Staters, while the Dublin Fusiliers and the Royal Irish Fusiliers were to march through the town to

es took but a few minutes, and two of the lads went with the two natives and saw the horses safely placed in a sharp depression half a mile

hat he has said, we cannot absolutely join the cavalry, we will manage somehow to see some of the fighting without getting into the thick of it. Besides, I should say that in any case the whole brunt of the affair must fall

ng, marching with light step and eager faces which showed that they were delighted at the prospect of action. The batteries to the right had already come

re. The mist that had partly shrouded the summit of Talana, eight hundred feet above the plain, and the smoke that still hung thickly there, rendered it impossible to say whether they had all been put out of action or simply withdrawn, but when it cleared off they could no longer be seen. It was now the turn of the infantry. Beyond the donga in which they were lying the rise of the ground was gradual, up to a plantation which surrounded Smith's farm. Beyond this the ground was rocky. The men advanced at the double in open order, and the moment they were seen by the Boers a continuous fire of musketry was opened. The distance

retained his seat a minute or two, and was then carried by the Indian bearer company into the town. The troops, ignorant of the misfortune that had befallen them, were now working their way up the hill, taking advantage of every stone and boulder, and although exposed to a terrific fire, gradually pushing on until they reached a stone wall which ran round the face of the hill. Beyo

he difficulties in their way. In some places the rock was so steep that the men had to climb on their hands and knees, sometimes those below pushed their comrades up and were in turn assisted by them to climb. The roar of musketry was unceasing. It seemed to be an impossibility for any man to reach the top unscathed, and yet there was no hesitation or wavering. Numbers fell, but pa

artillery, after ceasing fire, had galloped off at full speed and taken up their position on the ridge known as Smith's Nek, overlooking the plain behind the hill. For a distance of three miles this was covered with waggons and galloping men. The guns were abo

mounted, the others had been removed; for as they could not be sufficiently depressed to bear upon the stormers, they had been taken off as soon as the advance began in earnest. Beyond

climb had taxed their powers to the utmost. For a time they cheered vociferously, the first joy of victory overcoming the thought of their dead and wounded comrades, who had to be collected and carried down. The loss had be

ection in which the three squadrons of cavalry had started in the morning with instructions to work round, and

he was confident that the speed of his horses would prevent any chance of capture. From some natives he learned the direction that the cavalry had taken, and presently on rising ground, saw two parties

hand, sir? Can you tell me how

ad been silenced, and our men were advancing from Smith's farm under a very heavy fire of

other squadron as

a hollow tw

s where we

tish guns was continuing unabated. "They can be getting on but slowly," the officer said.

our tho

o you

se, but in wide-brimmed hats. We were able to get about without exciting any suspicion whatever. We found they had s

of the squadron had

n just before the troops marched off. Well, I wish that we had got our breakfast and the horses a feed before we

d we filled our haversacks with biscuits, thinking that perhaps they would be w

the colonel said. "But we could n

about ten pounds of biscuits in our haversacks, and shall not be sorry to get rid of

ficer said. "I am indeed

rations with his horse. The sight of the rough-looking troop had at first excited some amusement and a little derision among the soldiers, but this feeling was now exchanged for gratitude, and it was unanimously agreed that these young farmers

d," the colonel said, "and the

to steal away from the fight. They opened fire as the cavalry approached, but were soon overthrown or driven away in headlong flight. Many of the waggons were seized, but each moment their defenders became stronger. The Boers were now flocking down in great numbers, and seeing their teams and property in danger they dismounted, formed some of the waggons up in a square, and from them opened a heavy fire upon the troopers. Chris dismounted his part

Boers were thickest. They had charged and taken several prisoners, and inflicted severe loss on the enemy. These, however, had swarmed round them, keeping up an incessant fire and barring their retreat. They took up a defensive position in a farm, and for three hours repelled all the attacks of the Boers, u