But the
cannonade to which the advancing troops were exposed was terrible.
Maxims and Nordenfeldts, the heavy cannon, and the field-pieces captured
from us a month before, hurled shot and shell incessantly among them,
while the rattle of the Boer rifles was continuous. Still, fair progress
was made, and with less loss than might have been expected in such
strife. Two officers only were killed, Captain Hensley of the Dublin
Fusiliers, and Major Childe, who was a most popular officer. He had a
presentiment that he would fall, and actually asked a friend the evening
before to have a tablet placed over his grave with the inscription, "Is
it well with the child? It is well."
At three o'clock the fighting slackened, and a heavy thunderstorm seemed
to be the signal for firing to cease. Later Sir Charles Warren summoned
all the officers commanding corps, and pointed out that there was not
sufficient food remaining to allow of the wide circuit by Acton Homes to
be carried out, and gave his opinion that now they had won so much
ground, it was better to continue to advance by the shorter line on
which they were pushing, but that in order to do this it was necessary
that Spion Kop, whose fire would take them in the rear, should be
captured.
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