Seeing that it
was very risky to try to rush us in dense masses, they opened out into
skirmishing order and ran across the open space in lots of five and six.
As it happened, right at the foot of the koppie the ground broke away a
little in such fashion that it was almost impossible for us to search
it effectually with our fire. On the hither side of this dip Wambe's
soldiers were now congregating in considerable numbers. Of course we did
them as much damage as we could while they were running across, but this
sort of work requires good shots, and that was just what we had not got.
Another thing was, that so many of our men would insist upon letting off
the things they called guns at every little knot of the enemy that ran
across. Thus, the first few lots were indeed practically swept away, but
after that, as it took a long while to load the gas-pipes and old flint
muskets, those who followed got across in comparative safety. For my own
part, I fired away with the elephant gun and repeating carbine till they
grew almost too hot to hold, but my individual efforts could do nothing
to stop such a rush, or perceptibly to lessen the number of our enemies.
"At length there were at least a thousand men crowded into the dip of
ground within a few yards of us, whence those of them who had guns kept
up a continued fusillade upon the koppie. They killed two of my bearers
in this way, and wounded a third, for being at the top of the koppie
these men were most exposed to the fire from the dip at its base.
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