Captain Fowke and his sappers at once got to work.  The breech-block was unscrewed and taken out, falling a prize to the Light Horse, who vied with each other in carrying it home (it weighs 137lbs.) Then gun-cotton was thrust up the breech into the body of the gun.  A vast explosion told the Boers that “Tom” had gone aloft, and his hulk lay in the pit, rent with two great wounds, and shortened by a head.  The sappers say it seemed a crying shame to wreck a thing so beautiful.  The howitzer met the same fate.  A Maxim was discovered and dragged away, and then the return began.  It was now three o’clock, and by four daylight comes.  The difficulty was to get the men to move.  The Carbineers especially kept crowding round the old gun like children in their excitement.  At last the party came scrambling down the hill, joined the supports, and all straggled back into camp together, with exultation and joy.  They just, and only just, got in before the morning gave the enemy light enough to fire on their line of march.

[Illustration:  BREECH BLOCK FROM GUN HILL]

The whole movement was planned and executed to perfection.  One man was killed, three or four were slightly wounded.  Our worse loss was Major Henderson, wounded in the shoulder and leg during the final advance.  He went through the rest of the action, and returned with the party, but must now retire for a week or so to Intombi Camp, for the Roentgen rays to discover the ball in his leg.  It is thought to be a buckshot, or, rather, the steel ball of a bicycle bearing, fired from a sporting gun.

General Hunter found a letter in the gun-pit.  It is in Dutch, and half-finished, scribbled by a Boer gunner to his sister in Pretoria.  I give a literal translation:—­

“MY DEAR SISTER,—­It is a month and seven days since we besieged Ladysmith, and I don’t know what will happen further.  We see the English every day walking about the town, and we are bombarding the place with our cannon.  They have built breastworks outside the town.  To attack would be very dangerous.  Near the town they have set up two naval guns, from which we receive a very heavy fire we cannot stand.  I think there will be much blood spilt before they surrender, as Mr. Englishman fights hard, and our burghers are a bit frightened.  I should like to write more, but the sun is very hot, and, what’s more, the flies are so troublesome that I don’t get a chance of sitting still.—­Your affectionate Brother.”

In the afternoon the General publicly congratulated the Volunteers on their achievement.  The Boers added their generous praise—­communicated to some doctors left behind to look after our wounded, who returned to us in the course of the day, after being given a good breakfast.  Unhappily the above account is necessarily second-hand.  No correspondent had a chance of going with the party.  The only one who even started was sent back by General Hunter to await the column’s return in a guard-room.  I have been obliged to build up the story from my knowledge of the ground and from what has been told me by Major Henderson and other officers or privates who were present.