On November 3rd A Strong Cavalry Reconnaissance Was Pushed Down The
Colenso Road To Ascertain The Force Which The Enemy Had In That
Direction.
Colonel Brocklehurst took with him the 18th and 19th
Hussars, the 5th Lancers and the 5th Dragoon Guards, with the Light
Horse and the Natal Volunteers.
Some desultory fighting ensued
which achieved no end, and was chiefly remarkable for the excellent
behaviour of the Colonials, who showed that they were the equals of
the Regulars in gallantry and their superiors in the tactics which
such a country requires. The death of Major Taunton, Captain Knapp,
and young Brabant, the son of the General who did such good service
at a later stage of the war, was a heavy price to pay for the
knowledge that the Boers were in considerable strength to the
south.
By the end of this week the town had already settled down to the
routine of the siege. General Joubert, with the chivalry which had
always distinguished him, had permitted the garrison to send out
the non-combatants to a place called Intombi Camp (promptly named
Funkersdorp by the facetious) where they were safe from the shells,
though the burden of their support still fell of course upon the
much-tried commissariat. The hale and male of the townsfolk refused
for the most part to avoid the common danger, and clung tenaciously
to their shot-torn village. Fortunately the river has worn down its
banks until it runs through a deep channel, in the sides of which
it was found to be possible to hollow out caves which were
practically bomb-proof.
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