Ladysmith | Page 9

1st Devons, and
within an hour a fourth arrived with five companies of the Gordons.
The 42nd Field Battery then came, and the 21st later; the 5th Lancers
with a few 5th Dragoon Guards, and a large contingent of Natal
mounted volunteers. That was our force. It took up a strong and fairly
concealed position behind a rise in the road to the left of the railway
and waited. Meantime the Boer scouts crept along that rocky ridge on
our right front and down into the plain, firing into us at long range,
quite without effect.
At half-past one General French, who had taken command, sent out a
few Lancers to watch our left, and a large force of mixed cavalry to the
right. By a long circuit these swept up the whole length of the ridge and
cleared out the Boer sharpshooters, who could be seen galloping away
over the top. The infantry then detrained and advanced across the plain
and up the ridge in extended order, half a battery meantime driving out
a small Boer party, which was firing upon our Lancers on our left.
[Illustration: PLAN OF THE BATTLE OF ELANDS LAAGTE]
When we reached the top of that long ridge, we found it broad as well
as long, and we were moving rapidly across it when, with the usual
whirr and crash and scream, one of the enemy's big shells fell in the
midst of our right centre, killing two horses at a gun. It was at once

followed by another, and a dozen or two more. They had our range
exactly, and the art of knowing what was going on behind the hill, but
though the shells burst all right and hot fragments or bullets went
shrieking through the midst of us, I did not see anything but horses
actually struck. I think six or seven horses were killed at that place, and
later on I heard of a bugler having his head cut off, and two or three
others killed by shell, but otherwise I believe the artillery did us no
damage, though to most men it is more terrifying than rifle fire. When
we reached the edge of the ridge we looked across a broad low valley,
with one small wave in it, to the enemy's main position on some rocky
hills nearly 4,000 yards away. The place was very strong and well
chosen.
Opposite our right ran a long high ridge covered with rocks and leading
up to a rocky plateau. In their centre was a pointed hill, at the foot of
which stood their camp, with tents and waggons. Opposite our left was
a small detached kopje, and beyond that a fairly flat plain, with a river
running through it, and the railway beyond Elands Laagte Station.
Their three guns stood on the rocky ridge to our right of their
camp--two together half-way down, one a little higher up.
Flash--flash--they went, and then came the whirr, the crash, and the
screaming fragments.
Suddenly our guns opened in answer from our right centre, and we
could watch the shrapnel bursting right over their gunners' heads. They
say the gunners were German. At all events, they were brave fellows,
and worked the guns with extraordinary skill and courage. The official
account admits that they returned several times to their posts after
being driven out by our shell. The afternoon was passing, and if we
were to take the place before dark we could not spare time to shake it
with our artillery much longer. At about half-past four the infantry were
ordered to advance, the Gordons and Manchesters on the right, the
Devons on the left. They went down the long slope and across the
valley with perfect intervals and line, much better than they go in the
hollows of the old Fox Hills.
In the advance the Gordons and Manchesters gradually changed

direction half right and crept up towards that plateau on the right of the
ridge, so as to take the enemy in flank. The Devons went straight
forward, coming into infantry fire as they crossed that low wave of
ground in the middle of the valley. On the further slope they were
ordered to lie down and wait till the flanking movement was developed.
Happily the slope, as is usual in South Africa, was thickly spotted over
with great ant-hills, beneath which the ant-eater digs his den. Ant-heaps,
hardened almost to brick, make excellent cover, and we lay down
behind them on any bit of rock we could find, the fire being very hot,
and the Mauser bullets making their unpleasant whiffle as they passed.
I think the first man hit was a private, who got a ball through his head
by the ear. He was carried away, but died before he