Afrikaners -- Biography; South African War, 1899-1902 -- Personal narratives; Van Warmelo, Dietlof, 1872-1966
That was the crust through which we had to bite to get at the dainties
of the booty. It cannot be denied that victory and booty, in our
impoverished circumstances, were very close together in our thoughts.
The enemy's camp lay at the foot of the long, high cliff that forms a
precipice on that side of the mountain, while the slope of the mountain
on our side was not steep, and there were a great many footholds and
boulders. The artillery had been left in the neck of the pass to protect
the lagers. Beyers, with some Zoutpansbergers, turned away from us to
the right to reach Elandskrans along the mountain ridge. It appeared,
therefore, that Beyers and Kemp were going to make the attack from the
north, with 1,000 men, and that Kemp had the centre and the left wing.
We were again too late. The sun had risen when we began the attack.
Corporal Botman was ordered by Kemp to surround the extreme right of
the enemy's right wing, with thirty men.
We had to storm the left to enclose the enemy in the half-circle. We
were exposed to a rain of bullets, and had to storm through ravines and
reefs, sometimes racing our horses, then leading them, and making use of
every cover. General Beyers, with his splendid sharp-shooters, was
already in hot action with the right wing, and Commandant Kemp in the
centre had forced his way close to the enemy. We tied our horses
together behind a reef, left them in charge of a few men, and advanced,
spreading ourselves in groups of three, four and five. A moment of
extreme anxiety followed.
Not to expose ourselves unnecessarily, we had to peep from behind the
rocks, shoot the course clear, and run to the next cover. Malherbe and I
stayed as close as possible to our cool, collected, brave corporal, and
we had to gasp for breath sometimes if trying to keep up to him. The
others forced their way upwards more to the left, and so formed the
furthest left point of the half-moon.
While the three of us were pushing our way from position to position
into the neighbourhood of the few khakies who already dared not raise
their heads from behind the rocks, I noticed, some 500 paces to our
front, a number of khakies moving in our direction. I warned Malherbe to
keep up his courage, as the enemy were getting reinforcements. A moment
later, while our corporal had again moved onwards, I noticed several
khakies on a stone ridge some 150 paces in front of us. It appeared that
they were driven on by part of the centre and right wing, for just then
two men made their appearance, whom I at once recognised as Boers from
the colour of their clothes and the quick way in which they aimed at me.
I stooped quick as a hare, and immediately rose again. The enemy now
surrendered, I believe to the number of two or three hundred of the
Northumberland Fusiliers, called the 'Fighting Fifth' on account of
their courage and bravery. We also took on the mountain a heliograph
that the enemy had broken.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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