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Page 44
[Illustration: Mission Camp Fort, Lydenburg]
Suddenly all was still: everything was ready. It was exactly 4.45 a.m.
All lay down and waited in breathless silence for the coming dawn. The
Devons had orders to withhold their fire as long as possible, to make
sure of the other units being in their places. "That's the position of
the laager, just behind that little knoll," whispered an intelligence
scout; "but it seems as if the bird has flown."
[Illustration: Mission Camp Fort, Lydenburg (Interior)]
For some ten minutes the silence continued, with not so much as the
crack of a twig to interrupt it. What's that? It's a cock crowing! There
it is again! There's another! The laager's there right enough, and we've
got them!
In the far distance, Lydenburg way, the faint noise of musketry fire
could be heard; it was the mounted troops advancing and driving in the
Boer picquets on the road above the Spekboom Bridge, eight miles back.
In about five minutes' time the laager was roused by a Boer, who
commenced swearing roundly at some one in a very loud voice. One man
came out and posted himself on a little rise of ground, and gazed,
listening, Kruger's Post way. He was joined by another, then another,
until there was a group of nine of them, two dressed in long white
robes. It was thought that these were women. Suddenly they all returned
into the laager out of sight, only to appear again in a few minutes on
horseback. Three of them came straight up to the high road just under
the knoll where the Devons were in readiness. They were allowed to go
on, and they continued their career down the road towards Kruger's Post.
Now the utility of posting the groups in the ditch by the side of the
road became manifest. Suddenly from their direction crack! went a single
rifle, then a burst of rifle fire, which was immediately taken up all
round the circle.
No, not quite round; there was silence from the hill which should have
been occupied by the Royal Irish. A party of some twenty Boers were seen
ascending this hill, the top of which was covered with big rocks. The
Devons' rifles as well as their Maxim gun were turned on to them. The
Boers, however, succeeded in reaching the safety of the rocks a few
moments before the ascending Irish.
Meanwhile the firing had become general, and in the dim light also a
trifle mixed. The Rifle Brigade fired into the two Devon companies down
in the valley and across the laager. The latter in their turn fired at
some Boers trying to escape through the gap left open by the Royal
Irish. These were striving with the Boers for the possession of the
rock-capped hill, and both were being fired into by the Devons across
the valley.
After some twenty minutes of sharp musketry fire the "cease fire"
sounded, and everything was again quiet; it was then found that the
whole laager had fallen into British hands. Two Boers were killed, three
wounded, and thirty-six captured, whilst the British casualties were two
killed and four wounded, all of them Royal Irish.
The distance from Lydenburg to Piet Schwartz's laager by road is about
eighteen miles; the distance marched by the column could not have been
under twenty miles, and this over very difficult ground. The column had
left Lydenburg at 7 p.m., and reached its destination at 4.45 a.m.
Unfortunately, Piet Schwartz himself escaped capture, as he was not in
the laager; he had left it the previous day.
The mounted troops and guns were very slow in coming out, with the
result that a large quantity of cattle located in the various kloofs
which should have been captured, escaped. Abel Erasmus was taken the
following day.
The force bivouacked at Kruger's Post for the night, and returned to
Lydenburg next day, bringing with it fifteen Boer families in addition
to the prisoners. On their return a wire was received by Colonel Park
from Lord Kitchener: "Highly appreciate successful operation of Colonel
Park and troops engaged."
The remainder of the month was spent mostly in convoy work between
Witklip and Lydenburg. Whilst returning to Lydenburg with one of these
convoys, General Walter Kitchener, who was riding ahead with a small
escort, suddenly came across some Boers lying concealed in the grass. He
lost two of his own personal escort killed, his own horse also being
shot. He himself narrowly escaped capture.
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