CHAP. XIT. 
THE .BATTLE OF THE GTTANGA. 
87 
by bush and natural banks, until they were eventually 
routed. 
I myself was a staff-officer, and had been carrying 
orders to the detachments engaged. On one occasion, 
after the enemy had been driven into the bush beyond 
our reach, and were firing long shots at us (in two 
senses of the word), I was watching the result, when all 
at once I heard a wabbling, whizzing sound approaching 
me ; and looking to my front, I saw a blue line in the 
air falling at an angle of about sixty degrees direct for 
my head. I had only just time (and I am not ashamed 
to say so) to bob on one side. A long piece of lead 
grazed my cheek and struck Major Walpole, of the 
Royal Engineers, who was standing immediately behind 
my horse. It sounded like a thud as it struck him on 
the thigh, tore out a piece of cloth about two inches 
long by one broad, and fell to the ground, but did not 
enter the leg. The pain for the moment must have 
been excruciating, for it made the major jump about 
on one leg and grind his teeth. 
The Kafirs firing these long shots were in almost in¬ 
accessible places ; but a fine old soldier of my regiment 
(Colonel Donovan) rushed at one spot with only three 
or four men, and got amongst a lot of them before they 
could re-load ; for they used powder-horns in those days 
and long junks of lead, or the legs of iron pots, and thus 
took a long time to load. On this occasion this brave 
