from "Long Tom" as it was being drawn across level ground slowly by a
team of oxen. Evidently, however, the mishap had done no harm, for the
bluejackets were manning two 12-pounders that showed no sign of damage,
and both of them were making excellent practice. At the third round it
planted a shell in the enemy's battery, and the fifth put "Long Tom" out
of action for a time by disabling some of its gunners. Sir George
White's gradual withdrawal of his forces to positions prepared for
defence was therefore not harassed by shell fire from beyond the range
of our own field batteries.

Quite apart from these operations, but intended to fit in with them, was
the despatch of a flying column late on Sunday night to turn the enemy's
right flank or cut off his line of retreat in the direction of Van
Reenan's Pass. For either purpose, two battalions of infantry, though
they might be the bravest and the best, with a mountain-battery of
7-pounders carried on mules, did not seem quite adequate, but Major
Adye, of the Royal Irish Rifles, who acted as staff-officer guiding the
column, was confident of success, and glad of the chance to be with two
such battalions as the Royal Irish Fusiliers and the Gloucesters in such
an enterprise.

Possibly all might have gone well with it but for a deplorable accident.
In the dead of night some boulders rolling down from a hill startled the
transport and mountain-battery mules, which stampeded, taking with them
nearly all the reserve rifle ammunition. As to what happened after that,
accounts vary greatly. Few of the Gloucester men or Royal Irish
Fusiliers got back to tell the story, except as wounded men on parole,
and they had not seen the whole thing through. It seems certain,
however, from concordance of evidence, that the Gloucesters and
Fusiliers, instead of outflanking the Boers, were actually between two