After this the laws of war permitted no further defence, and the men,
half mad with fury at the situation in which they were placed, threw
down their rifles and were made prisoners. This was at two o'clock in
the afternoon, after the rest of the force had returned to Ladysmith;
and thus some nine hundred men fell into the hands of the Boers. Apart
from this the loss was comparatively small considering the heat of the
engagement. The day's work had been altogether unsatisfactory; no
advantage whatever had been gained beyond the discovery of the Boers'
position, and their unexpected strength and fighting powers, and it was
evident that the force at Ladysmith was unable to drive off the enemy
unaided, and must undergo a siege until the arrival of a relieving army.
There were provisions calculated to last for two months, and no one
doubted that long before that time General Buller would arrive to their
rescue. So confident had the military authorities been, that not only
had no defensive works been thrown up, but they had omitted to send the
women and children, and the men unfitted to give active assistance, to
the rear.
On the following morning the scouts held a council of war.
"Now," Chris said, "we have to decide the all-important question.
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