The country was extremely difficult, and the Boer guns and pompoms well served, and considerable opposition was met with in the advance.

General Buller’s force reached the Mauchberg that evening and proceeded on the following day to Devil’s Knuckles, down the steep Mauchberg road (known as Hell’s Gate), where the two Boer big guns again narrowly escaped capture, and so on to Spitzkop, just north of Nelspruit on the Pretoria-Lorenzo Marques railway.

On the 10th four companies and two guns under Captain Jacson were ordered to the Mauchberg.  The companies got off by midday, and after a stiff climb occupied the mountain just before dark.  The top of the Mauchberg, 8720 feet high, was found to be very extended, and the garrison was much split up.  Company forts were erected on the main features, and the place was held till the 20th, mostly in thick fog and rain.

The Mauchberg post was the terminus of the telegraph line, communication thence with General Buller’s head-quarters being continued by visual signalling.  The mountain was intersected by deep kloofs and ravines, into most of which the Boers had collected their families and supplies, in the hope that neither would be found.  These were all disclosed from the summit of the mountain, which commanded a view of a great extent of country.  General Buller succeeded in collecting a large amount of stores from these “caches.”

The families of Boers who surrendered with their stock were sent into Lydenburg, together with any prisoners that had been taken.

On the 11th two of the Mauchberg companies with the two guns were ordered to proceed to Devil’s Knuckles, to supply picquets for Dundonald’s Mounted Brigade which was stationed there, and on September 20th the companies of the Regiment stationed at Paardeplaats marched to the Mauchberg, being relieved at the former place by the Leicesters, the remaining two Mauchberg companies proceeding to Devil’s Knuckles.

On the 21st the Regiment was again united and marched with Dundonald’s Brigade down the Sabi Valley, reaching Sabi Drift that evening, where the force bivouacked.  The column under General Dundonald remained at Sabi Drift till the 26th awaiting the arrival of General Buller, who was returning from Spitzkop.

[Illustration:  Devons Crossing the Sabi River]

A story is told anent the positions out of which General Buller’s infantry had turned the Boers, which goes to show the estimation in which the British infantry were held by their opponents.  The words are those of General Botha, and were told to an officer of the Head-quarter Staff.  “I shall give it up,” he said.  “I have taken up position after position which I considered impregnable; I have always been turned off by your infantry, who come along in great lines in their dirty clothes with bags on their backs.  Nothing can stop them.  I shall give it up.”

On September 25th the remainder of General Buller’s force marched into Sabi Drift, and on the 26th the army, united again, advanced north for Pilgrim’s Rest.  Burgher’s Nek and Mac-Mac diggings were reached about noon on that day.