It Is Doubtful Whether Any Position Has
Ever Been Subjected To So Terrific A Bombardment, For The Weight Of
Metal Thrown By Single Guns Was Greater Than That Of A Whole German
Battery In The Days Of Their Last Great War.
The 4-pounders and
6-pounders of which Prince Kraft discourses would have seemed toys
beside these mighty howitzers
And 4.7's. Yet though the hillside
was sharded off in great flakes, it is doubtful if this terrific
fire inflicted much injury upon the cunning and invisible riflemen
with whom we had to contend.
About midday the infantry began to stream across the bridge, which
had been most gallantly and efficiently constructed under a warm
fire, by a party of sappers, under the command of Major Irvine. The
attack was led by the Durham Light Infantry of Lyttelton's Brigade,
followed by the 1st Rifle Brigade, with the Scottish and 3rd Rifles
in support. Never did the old Light Division of Peninsular fame go
up a Spanish hillside with greater spirit and dash than these,
their descendants, facing the slope of Vaalkranz. In open order
they moved across the plain, with a superb disregard of the crash
and patter of the shrapnel, and then up they went, the flitting
figures, springing from cover to cover, stooping, darting,
crouching, running, until with their glasses the spectators on
Swartz Kop could see the gleam of the bayonets and the strain of
furious rushing men upon the summit, as the last Boers were driven
from their trenches.
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