Before His Fall He Had
Despatched His Staff Officer, Major Hickie, To Hurry Up Men From
The Rear.
On the fall of Ross and Le Gallais the command fell upon Major
Taylor of U battery.
The position at that time was sufficiently
alarming. The Boers were working round each flank in considerable
numbers, and they maintained a heavy fire from a stone enclosure in
the centre. The British forces actually engaged were insignificant,
consisting of forty men of the 5th Mounted Infantry, and two guns
in the centre, forty-six men of the 17th and 18th Imperial Yeomanry
upon the right, and 105 of the 8th Mounted Infantry on the left or
191 rifles in all. The flanks of this tiny force had to extend to
half a mile to hold off the Boer flank attack, but they were
heartened in their resistance by the knowledge that their comrades
were hastening to their assistance. Taylor, realising that a great
effort must be made to tide over the crisis, sent a messenger back
with orders that the convoy should be parked, and every available
man sent up to strengthen the right flank, which was the weakest.
The enemy got close on to one of the guns, and swept down the whole
detachment, but a handful of the Suffolk Mounted Infantry under
Lieutenant Peebles most gallantly held them off from it. For an
hour the pressure was extreme. Then two companies of the 7th
Mounted Infantry came up, and were thrown on to each flank.
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