This central position was held by some men of the Oxford Light Infantry, while on their right were some Buffs and Royal Irish Mounted Infantry under gallant Engelbach, who was slain, and beyond them came Captain Holland and some Worcester Mounted Infantry, skirted by the Royal Irish under Captain Brush. To left of the farmhouse, near a Kaffir kraal, were the 8th Mounted Infantry and some men of the Oxford Light Infantry under Captain Maurice. Later on, as the Boers were seen to be making an effort to wheel round both flanks, Major Welsh was ordered to place his baggage in safety and to push forwards to the rescue with every available man. Meanwhile the situation was growing more and more serious, as the Boers had got the range of the farmhouse to a nicety, and fired through doors and windows, so that within it now dropped Le Gallais, and Ross, and young Lieutenant Percy-Smith, and several men. Lieutenant Williams fell dead at once, and Captain Colvile had been hit while leading the Oxford Light Infantry earlier in the day. Nevertheless the splendid party holding the front clung tenaciously to their position, though one after another dropped, and groaning and dying littered the ground, already too thinly defended against the 200 active Mausers of the foe. For four long hours of the morning the battle pursued its course, Major Taylor, with U Battery, paying with interest the debts incurred at Koorn Spruit. Gradually--both flanks becoming stronger with the arrival of Major Welsh and his party--an adequate defence against the encroachments of the Boers was attempted, and their attempts at flanking operations repulsed. Then with considerable skill the troops to right and left were manoeuvred by De Lisle, so that, while relieving the pressure on the front, the Boer laager was practically enclosed on three sides and finally rendered untenable. The white flag then fluttered within the Dutchman's stronghold; but it was not to be trusted now, and the Boers were shouted to to leave cover and surrender, which, sulkily, they did. During the persistent fighting Le Gallais, mortally wounded though he was, continued his inquiries as to the progress of the battle. The noble fellow's last words serve better than all else to show the heroic mould of his dauntless mind: "If I die, tell my mother that I died happy, as we got the guns!"[16] Happily he lived to know that, dearly bought as they were, we were in possession of seven guns lost by the 14th Battery at Colenso, a 12-pounder taken from Q Battery at Sanna's Post, three Krupp 75 mm., one "pom-pom," and one 37 mm. quick-firer--not to speak of stores of gun and small-arm ammunition, black powder, dynamite, and other camp supplies, and a "bag" of 100 prisoners. In addition to those already mentioned, Major Welsh, Captains Harris and Mair, and Lieutenant Peebles were wounded.