Reinforcements were still dribbling into the British force, Hoad’s Australian Regiment, which had been changed from infantry to cavalry, and J battery R.H.A. from India, being the last arrivals.  But very much stronger reinforcements had arrived for the Boers—­so strong that they were able to take the offensive.  De la Rey had left the Modder with three thousand men, and their presence infused new life into the defenders of Colesberg.  At the moment, too, that the Modder Boers were coming to Colesberg, the British had begun to send cavalry reinforcements to the Modder in preparation for the march to Kimberley, so that Clements’s Force (as it had now become) was depleted at the very instant when that of the enemy was largely increased.  The result was that it was all they could do not merely to hold their own, but to avoid a very serious disaster.

The movements of De la Rey were directed towards turning the right of the position.  On February 9th and 10th the mounted patrols, principally the Tasmanians, the Australians, and the Inniskillings, came in contact with the Boers, and some skirmishing ensued, with no heavy loss upon either side.  A British patrol was surrounded and lost eleven prisoners, Tasmanians and Guides.  On the 12th the Boer turning movement developed itself, and our position on the right at Slingersfontein was strongly attacked.

The key of the British position at this point was a kopje held by three companies of the 2nd Worcester Regiment.  Upon this the Boers made a fierce onslaught, but were as fiercely repelled.  They came up in the dark between the set of moon and rise of sun, as they had done at the great assault of Ladysmith, and the first dim light saw them in the advanced sangars.  The Boer generals do not favour night attacks, but they are exceedingly fond of using darkness for taking up a good position and pushing onwards as soon as it is possible to see.  This is what they did upon this occasion, and the first intimation which the outposts had of their presence was the rush of feet and loom of figures in the cold misty light of dawn.  The occupants of the sangars were killed to a man, and the assailants rushed onwards.  As the sun topped the line of the veld half the kopje was in their possession.  Shouting and firing, they pressed onwards.

But the Worcester men were steady old soldiers, and the battalion contained no less than four hundred and fifty marksmen in its ranks.  Of these the companies upon the hill had their due proportion, and their fire was so accurate that the Boers found themselves unable to advance any further.  Through the long day a desperate duel was maintained between the two lines of riflemen.  Colonel Cuningham and Major Stubbs were killed while endeavouring to recover the ground which had been lost.  Hovel and Bartholomew continued to encourage their men, and the British fire became so deadly that that of the Boers was dominated.  Under the direction of Hacket Pain, who commanded the nearest post, guns of