“Upon my word, Mr. King,” he said, “you
managed the matter admirably; no cavalry leader could
have done it better.”
“There is no particular credit about the management,”
Chris said; “we acted just as we should have
done had we been stalking a herd of deer instead of
a party of Boers. One always manages, if possible,
to put a party on the line by which they are likely
to take flight, before crawling up within shot.
If we could have taken our horses down with us before
we opened fire we should have done so, and being so
well mounted, I think few of them would have got away;
but we could not manage it without risking being seen,
and in that case the Boers, on making out what our
strength was, would certainly have shown fight; and
even if we had beaten them, which I don’t suppose
we should have done, we should have suffered heavily.”
“You were quite right not to risk it,”
the officer said; “we know by old experience
that the Boers are formidable antagonists when behind
shelter, and, accustomed as they are to shooting on
horseback, I dare say they will do well when not opposed
by regular cavalry, who, I am convinced, would ride
through and through them. I am quite sure that
in the open they will not be able to make any stand
whatever against infantry, which is the more important,
as in so hilly a country as Natal our cavalry would
seldom be able to act with advantage.”
In the course of conversation he told them that there
was no news of any large body of the Boers being near.
Joubert’s force had not moved out of Newcastle,
and nothing had been heard of the Free Staters or of
the Utrecht force under Lucas Meyer. “We
have sentries on all the lower hills round here and
Glencoe, and there is no fear of our being surprised.
The sooner they come the better, for we are all longing
to get at them; and I can tell you we felt quite jealous
when we heard of your spirited affair to-day.
I can assure you that we shall have a greater respect
for the volunteers than we had before, and if all do
as well as you have done to-day they will be a most
valuable addition to our force.”
After their visitor had left, they sat chatting round
a fire till ten o’clock, and then turned in.
THE FIRST BATTLE
All in the little camp, save the two sentries, slept
soundly until, at two in the morning, they awoke with
a sudden start. A deep boom and a strange rushing
sound was in their ears. With exclamations of
surprise they all scrambled out of their tents.
“What is that?” Chris asked the sentry.
“It is a big gun on the top of that high hill
they call Talana. We saw the flash of light,
and directly after heard the report, and a rushing
sound. I suppose it was a shot overhead; if it
had been a shell we should have heard it burst and
seen the flash. It must have been fired at the
camp.”
The horses, startled by the report, were plunging
and kicking, and the lads at once ran to their heads
and patted and soothed them. Not until they were
quiet did they gather again.
