Shortly
Afterwards Major Welch, With Two More Companies Of The Same Corps,
Arrived, And The Tide Began Slowly To Turn.
The Boers were
themselves outflanked by the extension of the British line and were
forced to fall back.
At half-past eight De Lisle, whose force had
trotted and galloped for twelve miles, arrived with several
companies of Australians, and the success of the day was assured.
The smoke of the Prussian guns at Waterloo was not a more welcome
sight than the dust of De Lisle's horsemen. But the question now
was whether the Boers, who were in the walled inclosure and farm
which formed their centre, would manage to escape. The place was
shelled, but here, as often before, it was found how useless a
weapon is shrapnel against buildings. There was nothing for it but
to storm it, and a grim little storming party of fifty men, half
British, half Australian, was actually waiting with fixed bayonets
for the whistle which was to be their signal, when the white flag
flew out from the farm, and all was over. Warned by many a tragic
experience the British still lay low in spite of the flag. 'Come
out! come out!' they shouted. Eighty-two unwounded Boers filed out
of the enclosure, and the total number of prisoners came to 114,
while between twenty and thirty Boers were killed. Six guns, a
pom-pom, and 1000 head of cattle were the prizes of the victors.
This excellent little action showed that the British mounted
infantry had reached a point of efficiency at which they were quite
able to match the Boers at their own game.
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