Blair, of the Seaforths, had his carotid cut by a
shrapnel bullet, and lay for hours while the men of his company
took turns to squeeze the artery.
But our artillery silenced the
Boer gun, and our infantry easily held their riflemen. Babington
with the cavalry brigade arrived from the camp about 1.30, moving
along the north bank of the river. In spite of the fact that men
and horses were weary from a tiring march, it was hoped by
Macdonald's force that they would work round the Boers and make an
attempt to capture either them or their gun. But the horsemen seem
not to have realised the position of the parties, or that
possibility of bringing off a considerable coup, so the action came
to a tame conclusion, the Boers retiring unpursued from their
attack. On Thursday, February 8th, they were found to have
withdrawn, and on the same evening our own force was recalled, to
the surprise and disappointment of the public at home, who had not
realised that in directing their attention to their right flank the
column had already produced the effect upon the enemy for which
they had been sent. They could not be left there, as they were
needed for those great operations which were pending. It was on the
9th that the brigade returned; on the 10th they were congratulated
by Lord Roberts in person; and on the 11th those new dispositions
were made which were destined not only to relieve Kimberley, but to
inflict a blow upon the Boer cause from which it was never able to
recover.
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