the other. Right in front of the door the gallant Commandant Calmon
Cächet was wrestling with an opponent that proved too strong for him.
Next to him a certain Grobler had floored his man, and was handling him
so roughly that the poor fellow called for help. The one who was too
strong for Cächet left him to render assistance to his brother in
adversity. Grobler then left his prey, and both he and Cächet seized
their rifles and made for better regions.

Thinking that it might be only a patrol of the enemy that had come upon
us incidentally and not intentionally, I tried hard to get the rather
panic-stricken burghers into action. At a gate through which they had to
pass I stopped them, and ordered them back. We soon noticed, however,
how serious our position was; in fact, that we were surrounded on every
side, and would have to fight our way through and out.

At about 3.30 A.M. the British brought their guns into action. The
mountains resounded with the explosion of the shells, and the night was
illuminated by the flashes of the guns. The fireworks were magnificent
beyond description, but ... we had no inclination to admire them under
such circumstances.

The next morning we counted our losses: ten burghers were captured, two
wounded and one killed. One hundred and thirty horses were missing, most
of the men were without saddles, and only a few had blankets.

This was indeed a surprise, and yet we were astonished that, after all,
any of us did escape. So eager was the enemy to secure my person, that
they did not attend to the burghers, whom they had disarmed, but simply
flung their rifles aside and left them to themselves. The men, thus
disarmed, instantly picked up their rifles and "trapt," _i.e._, ran off.