walking about amongst his men, directing the defence, and giving orders as coolly as if he had been on parade.  While telling his men to avail themselves of every bit of cover he seemed utterly regardless of his own personal safety.  The other officers were directing their men in more distant parts of the field, and could not be so easily seen by us.  Our ammunition was getting low, and we had no artillery, not even a machine gun, and had a long series of ridges to occupy, extending over an area of three miles, so that it was no wonder our position was untenable.  On Thursday, at two p.m., we left the battlefield with our wounded for Reddersburg, where the people received us most kindly and placed the Government school-room at our disposal.’[10]

After burying the dead, and assisting the wounded to Bethany railway station, Mr. Burgess returned to headquarters at Springfontein and gave General Gatacre an account of the disaster.  He was then attached to the Royal Berks, as his own regiment was in captivity, and advanced with them through the Orange River Colony.

[Footnote 10:  Methodist Times, May 17, 1900.]

=’I Must Go to the Muster Roll.’=

’He notes as he passes along a pathetic little incident.  Bugler Longhurst, who was mortally wounded in the fight on April 4, died soon after, and shortly before he passed away he sat up in bed and said to his orderly, “Hush! hush!! give me my uniform.  I hear them mustering.  There are the drums!  I must go to the muster roll.  Hush!”—­and sinking back he died.

’The advance for a long time was a continuous battle.  Even the transport had a warm time of it.  On one occasion a forty-pounder shell struck a transport wagon and exploded, cutting off the native driver’s leg as he sat upon the box.  The poor fellow showed conspicuous courage.  “Don’t mind me, lads,” he shouted, “drive on.”  They carried him to the operating tent, and he was singing all the way.  Shortly after his operation he died.’

=’I’m not Afraid, only my Hand Shakes.’=

The Sterkstroom column were fighting at last, and bravely they bore themselves.  It was not their fault if disaster dogged their steps.  No braver men could be found than those under Gatacre’s command.  And yet they, like the rest, had a great objection to the pom-poms.  ’I’m not afraid,’ said one lad, when that strange sound began and the shells came rattling around.  ‘I’m not afraid, only my hand shakes.’

It reminds us of a story told of a certain officer who was going into action for the first time.  His legs were shaking so that he could hardly sit his horse.  He looked down at them, and with melancholy but decided voice said, ’Ah! you are shaking, are you?  You would shake a great deal more if you knew where I was going to take you to-day; so pull yourselves together.  Advance!’