They had always retired a short distance, but their
movements were so rapid that it was useless to follow; and the troops
had each time fallen back to Estcourt. On the 28th the Boers had blown
up the bridge across the Tugela, and our army was moving forward, and a
great battle was expected shortly. On landing Chris rode at once to the
address given by his mother, and found that she had sailed for Cape Town
a week before. Riding then to the railway, he found that the line was
closed altogether to passenger traffic, but that a train with some
troops and a strong detachment of sailors was going up that evening.
Learning that a naval officer was in command, as the military consisted
only of small parties of men who had been left behind, when their
regiments left, to look after and forward their stores, he went to him.
He had, before landing, donned his civilian suit.
"What can I do for you, sir?" the officer, who was watching a party
loading trucks with sheep, asked.
"My name is King, sir. I have just returned from an expedition to
Komati, I and three friends with me, and we have succeeded in blowing up
a large number of waggons containing a battery of field artillery, two
very heavy long guns, which, by the marks on the case, came from
Creusot, some eight or ten thousand rifles, and six truck-loads of
ammunition.
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