I hope, sir, we have not been returned as missing, for it will have
frightened our mothers terribly if we have been."
"No; I thought that there was no occasion to give your names until you
had been away for a month. If you were not heard of by that time, I
should consider it certain that you were dead or at Pretoria. I knew
that, as you say, it would be a terrible shock to your mothers if they
were to see your names among the missing; while it could do no harm to
anyone if I kept it back for a month, and put you down as missing the
first time after the corps were engaged. Well, you are just back in time
for a big fight, though we are not likely to take any part in it. It is
supposed to be a secret as to the precise position, but orders have been
privately circulated this morning. Dundonald with the regular cavalry,
the Natal Horse, and the South African Light Horse went on four days
ago, with one or two other colonial corps, and occupied Springfield, and
the baggage train followed them; and after occupying the place, instead
of waiting for infantry to come up, he moved on to a river. Some of his
men, with extraordinary pluck, swam across and managed to bring the
ferry-boat over under a very heavy fire. Then a number of them crossed,
scattered the Boers like chaff, and took possession of a rough hill
called Swartz Kop, and held it till support came up.
Pages:
322
323
324
325
326
327
328
329
330
331
332
333
334
335
336
337
338
339
340
341
342
343
344
345
346