Nothing
could be done for those who lay wounded on the hill above. Morning
broke, and the fight still continued. At nine o'clock another desperate
charge was made; but the Boers were unable to face the steady fire that
was maintained by the defenders of the trench, and they again turned and
ran for their shelters. Just as this attack was repulsed, Lyttleton's
brigade arrived on the scene, exchanging a hearty cheer with the men who
had so long borne the brunt of this terrible conflict. The Durham Light
Infantry at once relieved those in the trenches, and these descended the
hill for the rest that was so much needed. All that day the fighting
continued, and while Lyttleton's men held to the position on Railway
Hill, there was fierce fighting away to the left, where the Welsh
Fusiliers and other regiments were hotly engaged. The roar of artillery
and musketry never ceased all day, but towards evening white flags were
hoisted on both sides, and a truce was agreed upon for twelve hours to
bury the dead.
The scene of the conflict presented a terrible sight. The hillside
between the two trenches was strewn with dead and wounded. The
sufferings of the latter had been terrible. For six-and-thirty hours
they had lain where they fell, their only relief being a little water,
that in the short intervals during the fighting some kindly Boers had
crept down to give them.
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