Our batteries, which had almost silenced those of
the enemy, scattered their shrapnel among those higher up the hill, and
as the Boers rose to fly before the bayonets of our cheering troops,
they were swept away by volleys of the Lee-Metfords. So, with short
pauses when shelter was obtainable, our troops bore upwards, cheering
and even joking, until they reached the last shoulder of the hill. The
Boers made a short but plucky struggle, numbers pushing up from behind
to help their comrades, but nothing could check the impetuosity of our
troops. The magazines of the rifles were now for the first time set in
action, and the Boer force withered away under the terrible storm of
shot.
The men of the Imperial Light Horse, who had dismounted and joined in
the advance, were fighting side by side with the Highlanders and
Manchesters. The pace was now increased to a run, and shouting and
cheering the men went forward with levelled bayonets. Many of the Boers,
lying behind rocks, maintained their fire until the troops were within
two yards of them, and then rising, called for quarter. The men, furious
at seeing their comrades shot down when all hope of resistance was over,
would have spared none, had not the officers with the greatest
difficulty restrained them from bayoneting the Boers, and many of these
were in fact killed.
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