A similar
success attended the eleventh brigade, who just at sunset carried the
centre position, and a mighty cheer broke out all along the line at the
capture of what all felt to be the last serious obstacle to their
advance to Ladysmith. On the right, the Colonial troops had driven the
Boers in front of them for nearly three miles, capturing entrenchment
after entrenchment, until they arrived at Nelthorpe station. The three
camps of the Boers contained an even larger amount of spoil than had
been discovered in those of Monte Cristo and Hlangwane. It seemed that
they had been perfectly confident that the positions were impregnable,
and had accumulated stores sufficient for a prolonged residence. It was
evident, too, that the wealthier men with them had preferred this
situation to the more exposed camps on the summit of the hills. The
amount of provisions and stores of all kinds was large, Great quantities
of rifle ammunition were found in every trench. Clothes of a superior
kind proved that their owners had been residents of Johannesburg or
Pretoria, and of a different class altogether from the farm-labourers
and herdsmen who formed the majority of the Boer army. The haste with
which they had fled, when to their astonishment they discovered that the
British attack could not be repulsed, was shown by the fact that a good
many watches were found on bed-places and rough tables where they had
been left when the Boers rushed to arms, and in the hurry of flight had
been forgotten.
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