artillery duel continued, then the Boer guns gradually ceased their
fire. The mist that had partly shrouded the summit of Talana, eight
hundred feet above the plain, and the smoke that still hung thickly
there, rendered it impossible to say whether they had all been put out
of action or simply withdrawn, but when it cleared off they could no
longer be seen. It was now the turn of the infantry. Beyond the donga in
which they were lying the rise of the ground was gradual, up to a
plantation which surrounded Smith's farm. Beyond this the ground was
rocky. The men advanced at the double in open order, and the moment they
were seen by the Boers a continuous fire of musketry was opened. The
distance was about a mile, but the Mauser rifles had a much greater
range than this and the bullets pattered thickly on the ground. Only
four men, however, fell. The two regiments halted in the plantation and
farm buildings, and the advanced line at the edge of the trees opened
fire in answer to that to which they were exposed. The general at first
had taken up his position with the guns, but as soon as the men advanced
from the donga he joined them and accompanied them as far as the
plantation. Then he returned to the battery, which continued its fire
with greater activity to prepare the way for the further advance of the
infantry.

The Rifles had joined the two Irish regiments, and at half-past nine
General Symons galloped up to the farm and gave the order for the
advance. This was received with a cheer by the men, who had been
impatiently awaiting it. Scarcely had the cheer died away when the
general was mortally wounded by a bullet that struck him in the stomach.
Unconscious that the wound was so severe he retained his seat a minute
or two, and was then carried by the Indian bearer company into the town.
The troops, ignorant of the misfortune that had befallen them, were now
working their way up the hill, taking advantage of every stone and