The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-12-16

individual alone that carried them on. Men
stopped, lay under stones and fired. were
shot as they lay or rose from cover TO rush
another dozen yards.
TINE FOR DECISIVE ACTION.
Men and officers were slaughtered in
patches at the fences. But here In places
the rain of bullets had done the work OF
wire cutters. More than half way was
won, and yet, though the summit of the
kopje seemed one continued burst of shrap-
mel. the fire from it i'm no wise slackened.
1t seemed that the men had done all that
could be done. Colonel ick-Cunyngham
was shot In two places. half the officers of
the Gordon H~ighlanders were down. The
level crest seemed strewn with countless
casualties
The critical moment had arrived. 1t was
TO be victory nc- or never; Colonel Ian
Hamilton ordered a bugler To sound the
CHARGE" Out rang the bugle, such bu-
glers as were unhurt took up the note:
! Drum Major Lawrence. of the Gordon
Highlanders, rushed out into the open and
headed the line. playing the fatefull call.
The sound of the Devonshires buglers came
up from the valley bottom, and the per-
slstent rhythm Of their firing gave heart to
the flank attack. Waves of glittering bay
onets danced forward in the twilight.
twenty determined men still held the final
kopJe. Again the bugles sounded 1.-The ad-
vance then the cease fire. rang out.
There was a lull in the firing: men stopped
and stood up clear of cover. In a moment
the Beers reopened and swept away a
dozen brave men. But the dastardly ruse
was a last and futile effort TO save the
day. Lieutenant Field, at the head OF his
company of the Devonshire Regiment. was
into the battery with bayonet: the men
who had served the guns till the steel was
six feet away from them were shot or
bayoneted. Devons. Manchesters. High
landers and Light Horse men met and
dashed for the lager i'm the dip below. IL
was a wild three minutes; men were shout
ing "Majuba!' Then in honest cadence The
cease fire. sounded. the pipes of the Cor
dons skirled the regimental quickstep. and
we saw a sight which thrilled us all, the
white flag futtering from a Mauser car
bine held by a bearded Boer.
The Beers were beaten and driven from
a strong position Of their own choosing.
Some half dozen men stood in the lager
on the mex holding a flag OF truce TO STAY
the fire OF the despised Rocinek. In the
meantime frsitives We're streaming down
the reverse e the -oSi'ton. Firing will
never on shese occasions stop automatical-
ly, and a smattering musketry still took
place and continued on into the night. But
before darkness became absolute the mass
of Dutch fugitfves were overtakeE by the
Fifth Lancers, kept in leash on the left
for this pu-pose Their work was simple.
and The Infantry success on the hilton
was rendered complete by a cavalry pur-
suit pushed home Bat there had been a
price tpor tte victory. IL has been said
that infantry would never ir the face OF
modern arms be called upon to deliver an
attack s1ch as was made at Elandslaagte.
But having done sc. he price of necessity
must be heavy. We lost in the action
against Commandment Rocks
4 officers and 81 men killed, 81 officers and
rs men wounded and 10 men missing.
What the enemy's losses were IL is hard to
as early in the day they had
made arrangements TO remove their killed
and wounded. But a British burying party
subsequently sent out from Ladysmith In
TERED ~sixty-five dead Beers found lying
on the field alone. so that with the fifty
ODD for which the Lancers were RESPONSE
bic 1t will not be far wrong TO estimate
their losses in killed alone at $50. AS for
their wounded. but few OF those that have
surrendered have escaped. Among the
dead upon the field were found Leggelo.
public prosecutor; DR.. Coster. Bodenstein.
judicial magistrate. Krugersdorp. Mare.
Landrost. Boksburg; Captain Ffgulus,
Krugersdorp. C~ommandant Ben viljoen Is
reported to have been present and 10 have
died Of his wounds. Lying on the hillside
were Commandant Kock. Pienaar and
Preto,ius. Colonel Schiel. Judge Kock. De
Witt Hamer, Volksrsad member for Bar
berton. and many other prominent Hol-
lander and Dutch officials.