As evening drew on and the sun sank, the long duel ceased, after eight hours of continual firing, with only two short intervals of abatement. At this point, unknown to the British, the remainder of the enemy precipitately retreated, leaving behind them their guns and many of their wounded. Late in the night they mustered up courage to return and remove all that they had left. The British, for their part, bivouacked on the field, the men sleeping where they had fought. The night was bitterly cold after the sweltering heat of the day, and this, in the absence of their great-coats, caused the men great suffering. When morning came, eight shots from the naval 12-pounders gave the signal for a forward move. The scouts and patrols, however, on cautiously advancing towards the Boer lines, found them abandoned. The British army then pushed rapidly across and seized the position vacated by the enemy--victors in one of the strangest battles of modern times. [Illustration: [_Photo by Lock & Whitfield._ COLONEL NORTHCOTT. Mortally wounded at the Battle of Modder River while bringing up reinforcements for General Pole-Carew.] [Illustration: [_Photo by S. Cribb, Southsea._ "THE BRAVEST OF THE BRAVE." Detachment of Royal Marines from H.M.S. _Powerful_ who took part in the battles of Belmont, Enslin or Graspan, Modder River, and Magersfontein (except two, who were shut up in Ladysmith). All these men were wounded.] [Illustration: _Allan Stewart._] THE HIGHLANDERS' DASH ACROSS THE MODDER.] [Sidenote: [NOV. 28, 1899.] [Sidenote: Comparison of British and Boer losses.] In view of the terrific nature of the Boer fire the British losses were by no means heavy. Four officers and sixty-six men were killed, twenty officers and 393 men were wounded, of whom thirty-one died of their wounds, and two were missing--it is to be feared drowned in valiant efforts to cross the river. This made a total of 485 casualties in a total force which at the close of the battle mustered over 9,000. Therefore the British losses were a little over five per cent. It is impossible to do more than guess at the Boer casualties; probably they were much less than ours, inasmuch as the enemy was the defending force and quite invisible; sixty killed and 300 wounded will be about the truth. It was said, indeed, by prisoners and non-combatants that the Boers lost 160 in killed alone, but this figure is wholly conjectural and very untrustworthy. Their official accounts only acknowledged the loss of seventeen killed and wounded among the Transvaalers, which was certainly an absurd underestimate. The son of the Boer General Delarey was among those placed _hors de combat._ [Illustration: BRITISH SOLDIERS OCCUPYING THE ENEMY'S POSITIONS AT MODDER RIVER.] [Illustration: AN AMMUNITION TRAIN LEAVING PRETORIA FOR THE FRONT.] [Sidenote: NOV. 28, 1899.] _No Flanking Movement Possible._]