French, Peering And Pondering, Soon Came To The
Conclusion That There Were Too Many Boers For Him, And That If
Those Fifteen-Pounders Desired Target Practice They Should Find
Some Other Mark Than The Natal Field Artillery.
A few curt orders,
and his whole force was making its way to the rear.
There, out of
range of those perilous guns, they halted, the telegraph wire was
cut, a telephone attachment was made, and French whispered his
troubles into the sympathetic ear of Ladysmith. He did not whisper
in vain. What he had to say was that where he had expected a few
hundred riflemen he found something like two thousand, and that
where he expected no guns he found two very excellent ones. The
reply was that by road and by rail as many men as could be spared
were on their way to join him.
Soon they began to drop in, those useful reinforcements - first the
Devons, quiet, business-like, reliable; then the Gordons, dashing,
fiery, brilliant. Two squadrons of the 5th Lancers, the 42nd R.F.A.,
the 21st R.F.A., another squadron of Lancers, a squadron of the
5th Dragoon Guards - French began to feel that he was strong enough
for the task in front of him. He had a decided superiority of
numbers and of guns. But the others were on their favourite
defensive on a hill. It would be a fair fight and a deadly one.
It was late after noon before the advance began.
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