for long. Halting when they reached the crest, and furious at the
treachery that had been practised with such success upon them, they
turned again, and rushed down the hill, scattering the Boers, who still
clung to their shelters, with their fire. It was just six o'clock when
the Devons carried the last defence of the Boers and then with the
Manchesters swept down into the camp. It was now the turn of the
cavalry. These had in the darkness moved forward unnoticed, and the
Lancers and Dragoons, with a few of the Colonials, among whom were the
Maritzburg Scouts, fell upon the flying Boers and cut them up with great
slaughter, and, although it was now quite dark, followed them for
upwards of two miles, and then returned to camp.

The losses were heavy. The Gordons had lost four officers killed and
seven wounded, and a total of a hundred and fifteen casualties among the
four hundred and twenty-five men led into action. The Imperial Light
Horse lost their colonel and had seven officers wounded, and eight men
killed and forty wounded. Two hundred of the Boers lay dead upon the
field. Their wounded were vastly more numerous, and most of the
principal officers were killed or captured. General Koch, two of his
brothers, a son, and a nephew were all wounded; Shiel, Viljoen, and many
others killed or captured. Everything had been left behind. Three guns,
all their baggage, their waggons, a great quantity of arms and
ammunition, and many horses fell into the hands of the victors. Several
battle flags were also captured, and two hundred prisoners were brought
in by the cavalry. The night was a dreadful one, the rain still
continued to come down, the cold was bitter, and it was next to
impossible to find, still less to bring down, the wounded. Nevertheless
the soldiers carried on the work during the greater part of the night.
Boer waggons were turned for a time into hospital tents, and here by the
light of their lanterns the surgeons laboured unweariedly in giving what