From the top I could see the whole position of the right flank fairly well, but it puzzled me at first.  The guns shelling Pepworth Hill—­there were two batteries of them now—­were still at their work, just in front of our left now and about half a mile away.  Away to our right and further advanced, but quite exposed in the open, were two other batteries, shelling some distant kopjes on our right at the foot of the great mountain lump of Lombard’s Kop.  I heard afterwards they were shelling an empty and deserted kopje for hours, but I know that only from hearsay.  Between the batteries and far away to the right the infantry was lying down or advancing in line, chiefly across the open, against the enemy’s position.  But what was that position?  Take Ladysmith as centre and a radius of five miles, the Boers’ position extended round a semicircle or more, from Lombard’s Kop on the east to Walker’s Hoek on the west, with Pepworth Hill as the centre of the arc on the north.  I believe myself that the position was not a mile less than fifteen miles long, and for the most part it was just what Boers like—­rocky kopjes and ridges, high and low, always giving cover and opportunity for surprise and ambuscade.

[Illustration:  LOMBARD’S KOP]

It was against the left flank of that position that our right was now hurling itself.  The idea, I suppose, was to roll their left back upon their centre and take Pepworth Hill and “Long Tom” in the confusion of retreat.  That may or may not have been the General’s plan, but from my post with the Gordons I soon saw something was happening to prevent it.  On a flat piece of green in front of the rocky kopjes, where the enemy evidently was, I could see men, not running, but walking about in different directions.  They were not crowded, but they seemed to be moving about like black ants, only in a purposeless kind of way.  “They are Boers, and we’ve got them between our men and our battery,” said a Gordon officer.  But I knew his hope was a vain one.  Very slowly they were coming towards us—­turning and firing and advancing a little, one by one—­but still coming towards us, till at last they began to dribble through the intervals in our batteries.  Then we knew it was British infantry retiring—­a terrible sight, no matter how small the loss or how wise the order given.  Chiefly they were the 60th (K.R.R.) and the Leicesters.  I believe the Dublins were there too.  Behind them the enemy kept up the incessant crackle of their rifles.

They came back slowly, tired and disheartened and sick with useless losses, but entirely refusing to hurry or crowd.  With bullet and shell the enemy followed them hard.  Our batteries did what they could to protect them, and Colonel Coxhead, in command of the guns, received the General’s praise afterwards.  The Natal Volunteers and Gordons, and at least part of the Manchesters were there to cover the retreat, but nothing could restore the position again.  Battalions and ranks had got hopelessly mingled, and