Hildyard's Brigade, led by the Royal West Surreys and the Devons, in superb array descended the gentle slopes which led down from the British camp to the village of Colenso. There was no cover of any kind, and the whole terrain over which they moved was swept at first by the Boer cannon and automatic guns, and then, as our men drew nearer, by the far deadlier rifles of the enemy. "With magnificent hardihood both battalions walked erect," says Mr. Bennet Burleigh, the _Daily Telegraph_ correspondent. "With death filling the air and tearing the ground, onward they went, the most superb spectacle of invincible manhood. Common soldiers in stained, creased khaki uniforms, homeliest of drab--they were heroes bound to command the admiration of the world." From the extreme weakness of the British artillery it was impossible to beat down the fire from the enemy's trenches near Colenso. No guns were available, for the 14th and 66th Field Batteries were out of action, and from the lie of the ground the naval weapons, which alone remained in this portion of the field, were unable to direct their projectiles upon the enemy. Yet in spite of the fact that their onset was virtually unsupported the West Surreys forced their way into the brushwood around Colenso, and even reached the outskirts of the village. A tremendous roar of firing came up from the hollow; then the Boers were seen from the naval 4·7 battery to stream out of Colenso and swarm up the slopes of Fort Wylie. The naval guns, however, lost their opportunity, since at that distance the swarm of fugitives was taken for British soldiers assaulting. [Illustration: _Photos by G. W. Wilson & Co., Aberdeen._] THE FALLS OF THE TUGELA. These two falls are about a couple of miles apart, and lie a little below Fort Wylie, and quite close to the scene of the great battle.] [Sidenote: [DEC. 15, 1899.] At this point, when the troops were in a good position for crossing the river and assaulting Fort Wylie, General Buller at last heard of the catastrophe to the two field batteries. It was represented to him as even worse than it really was, since the six naval 12-pounders were said to have been silenced with Colonel Long's guns. The terrible news that the artillery, which he so urgently needed and upon which he had relied to cover the final rush of the stormers, had been thrown away may well have staggered the general. Without the support of guns he considered that Fort Wylie could not be taken. There seemed to be nothing left but a withdrawal, and a withdrawal was ordered, though the Colonel of the Surreys begged to be allowed to attempt the rescue of the lost guns and to be permitted to hold Colenso till nightfall.