THE SIEGE OF MARABASTADT. 141 



sunrise we could see the police skirmishing about in the 

 direction of the Boer laager. 



At this moment some of the volunteers saw some 

 cattle, and being seized with a fever of appropriation 



rode off to gather them. I remained with S and 



R - and C , thinking that to leave the hill at such 



a time might frustrate the very object for which we were 

 sent ; and I was right in my conjecture. While the rest 

 were away in search of the cattle, we heard the cracking 

 of rifles, and soon saw that the police were hotly engaged. 

 The grass was all burnt off in that direction, and we 

 could see the puffs of dust rise as the bullets struck the 

 ground. 



Soon we saw the police in full retreat, some empty 

 saddles with stirrups swinging as the horses rushed along 

 showed that the Boer fire had told its tale. They were 

 in full flight, with the Boers in hot pursuit, every now 

 and then jumping off to take a shot. Thompson and 

 Bates were doing their duty bravely, and were riding in 

 rear of the fugitives, calling upon them to halt, but 

 nothing would have stopped them unless it had been a 

 wall ten feet high and lined with broken bottles. 



Our men who had ridden off to collect the cattle now 

 came galloping back in a great hurry, and were arriving 

 one by one, with their horses completely blown by their 

 exertions. 



Seeing that if we waited for the rest to come up it 

 would be too late to aid the fugitives by a flank move- 

 ment, S , R , C and myself set off and galloped 



across at a tangent towards the road ; but I fancy some 

 of the fugitives mistook us for Boers who had out-flanked 

 them and were trying to cut them off, for they sat down 

 on their horses and rode like men. John Gilpin's famous 



