aid was possible to those brought in, whether Boers or Britons. Chris
and his band worked as hard as the rest, and carried down a great number
of wounded; but in spite of all the exertions of the troops many
remained on the hillside all night, the sufferings from the wounds being
as nothing to that caused by the wet and cold. The lads' flasks were of
great use now, and enabled many a man, too badly wounded to be carried
down the rough hillside, to hold on till morning. General White had
arrived from Ladysmith while the battle was going on, but he left the
command in the hands of General French. On the following morning orders
came for General French to retire, as strong parties of the enemy had
been seen further south, and it was hourly becoming more and more
evident that it would be impossible to hold the country beyond
Ladysmith, and many were of opinion that even this position was too far
advanced.

The splendid valour shown by our soldiers at Dundee and Elandslaagte,
and the heavy losses they suffered, had been practically thrown away.
The coal-fields of Northern Natal had been lost, the loyal settlers had
been plundered and ruined. Colonel Yule's force was in imminent peril,
and all that had been obtained was the temporary possession of the two
heights, both of which had to be relinquished on the following morning.
Beyond showing the Boers how enormously they had underrated the fighting
powers of the British troops, no advantage whatever had been gained by
the advance beyond Ladysmith.

Three of the Johannesburg Scouts had been wounded in the charge among
the Boers. None of the injuries were severe, being merely flesh wounds,
of which they were hardly conscious during the fighting, and which would
not be likely to keep them long from the saddle. None of them applied
for medical assistance, as the surgeons were so fully occupied with