Edwardes of the Light Horse was
struck down. In a gun-emplacement a strange encounter took place at
point-blank range between a group of Boers and of Britons. De
Villiers of the Free State shot Miller-Wallnut dead, Ian Hamilton
fired at de Villiers with his revolver and missed him. Young
Albrecht of the Light Horse shot de Villiers. A Boer named de
Jaeger shot Albrecht. Digby-Jones of the Sappers shot de Jaeger.
Only a few minutes later the gallant lad, who had already won fame
enough for a veteran, was himself mortally wounded, and Dennis, his
comrade in arms and in glory, fell by his side.
There has been no better fighting in our time than that upon Waggon
Hill on that January morning, and no better fighters than the
Imperial Light Horsemen who formed the centre of the defence. Here,
as at Elandslaagte, they proved themselves worthy to stand in line
with the crack regiments of the British army.
Through the long day the fight maintained its equilibrium along the
summit of the ridge, swaying a little that way or this, but never
amounting to a repulse of the stormers or to a rout of the
defenders. So intermixed were the combatants that a wounded man
more than once found himself a rest for the rifles of his enemies.
One unfortunate soldier in this position received six more bullets
from his own comrades in their efforts to reach the deadly rifleman
behind him.
