CHAPTER VIII.
FORMIDABLE ATTACK ON WATER-KLOOF—THE “BLACKSMITH’S SHOP”—SLIGHTLY WOUNDED OVER THE EYEBROW—DICTATE REPORT TO COLONEL CLOËTE IN PRESENCE OF GENERAL—I AM OMITTED IN GENERAL ORDERS—PROCEED TO GRAHAM’S TOWN TO REQUEST REVISION OF THE ORDER—INTERVIEW WITH GENERAL CATHCART—RECEIVE GENERAL ORDER TO MYSELF—OFFERS OF GRANTS OF LAND FOR THE MEN WHO WISHED TO SETTLE—REMOVE TO BLAKEWAY’S FARM.
News now arrived in camp that the Commander-in-chief, with all the forces at his disposal, consisting of several thousand British soldiers, with native levies and batteries of artillery, was expected in the neighbourhood of the Water-kloof, and to clear out that Kaffir stronghold which had caused the shedding of so much blood, and to some extent had tarnished, if not the fame, at least the prestige, of British arms. On the 11th July I received orders to make the necessary preparations, and on the following night to proceed to the Water-kloof, where I should be joined by Colonel Eyre with the 73d. The 73d were called the Cape Greyhounds. By their training they had become the most effective fighting regiment at the Cape, and had never left a wounded or dead man behind in the hands of the foe. As might be expected, Colonel Eyre himself was a most daring, energetic officer; and Colonel H——d and he showed great promise of becoming remarkable commanders. According to the instructions I received, I started that evening to the Water-kloof; and knowing all the winding ins and outs of the place, found myself before daybreak in the centre of the kloof, having been opposed on my way by a few Hottentot deserters. These were readily known by the use they made of the bugle. They took refuge on the top of a solitary mound, which stood somewhat lower down in the valley, towards Mundell’s Peak, and which was called the “Blacksmith’s Shop,” from the fact of its being the place where these same deserters (some of whom had been armourers in the Cape corps) used to repair the enemy’s firelocks. I waited where I was until ten o’clock, and seeing no appearance of Colonel Eyre, I determined to clear out the above-named shop, and there await further orders. Firstly, I was induced to do this by the Hottentots, who, seeing my inaction, had crept somewhat disagreeably close, and opened a galling fire; and secondly, by the supposition that if, by some mischance, Colonel Eyre should not appear, I was by my inaction increasing the boldness of the foe, and thereby adding to the difficulties of my retreat should I be compelled to make one. This affair took more time than I had anticipated: the day was hot, the men had eaten no food, the hill a steep one, and the Totties tenacious of their last grasp on what had been for so many months a safe home for them in the midst of a British army.
In charging up the hill, a shot came so close to my head that I confess I ducked most humbly, but was so much ashamed of this act of mine that I pretended very awkwardly to have stumbled. Scrambling hastily up, I received another shot just over the eyebrow, which whirled my helmet off, and left me bare-pated before the cheering Totties. But I, considering that more danger lay in the deadly rays of the sun than in their uncertain aim, took off my coat, and placed it round my head; and in this Red Riding-hood fashion, amidst the laughter of the men, we charged up the remainder of the hill, and drove the Totties out of the place.
Here we found some provisions, and were sitting down to the meal, when artillery opening down in the valley told us that her Majesty’s army was fighting its way up to where we were quietly breakfasting.
Colonel Eyre now appeared on the heights to our left; Brigadier B——r surveyed us at the same time on our right; Brigadier N——t looked on in our rear; while General Cathcart and his brilliant staff were espying us with their Dollonds in front, perhaps. I should have laughed outright had I not seen such things before during my Algerian campaigns, and at Astley’s.
Hastily finishing our repast, gathering the prisoners together, with a few heads of cattle—not forgetting the anvil, hammer, bellows, tongs, &c., we had found in the above-mentioned shop—I proceeded to the headquarters of the Commander-in-chief and reported progress. I found him toasting a chop on a ramrod. Poor General Cathcart! He was a valiant soldier, but had no more intuitive knowledge of Kaffir warfare than he displayed intuition against the Russians at Inkerman. His was a bold soul in a skeleton’s frame; there was no material vitality in what he did; his efforts were spasmodic and unnatural. I laid down the trophies of my victory, taken from the shop, at the General’s feet, and Colonel Cloëte gravely wrote down from my dictation the details of our proceedings. Prisoners and cattle were handed over to the proper authorities, and my men and I went to our quarters amidst the congratulations of all around—they, no doubt, as puzzled as myself to discover what there was worthy of thanks in our conduct that day.
As proudly, however, as so many Redan heroes, we marched off with our laurels, whatever their real value might be. But if we were so modest, General Cathcart was more outspoken; he was determined to unveil to the gaze of the world our blushing honours: a grand general order came out—Falstaff’s men in buckram went down like stupid wooden-headed skittles compared to the ebony-headed niggers I had bowled over that day.
I was perfectly astounded. The General, however, had made one slight mistake in the hurry of the moment; my name had been left out, and in its place general officers had been mentioned, getting warm thanks for the able measures they had taken for carrying out the Commander-in-chief’s plan to clear the Water-kloof. Those who had not that day seen a shot fired, or a prisoner taken, nor even had a distant view of the Blacksmith’s Shop, were dragged before the British public as worthy recipients of well-earned thanks. This, I thought, was rather too serious a mistake, so I determined to lay the matter once more before the Commander-in-chief and ask for a revision of his general order.
In furtherance of this, I proceeded to headquarters, at Graham’s Town. On arrival I explained the object of my journey to Colonel S——, who told me it was perfectly right that something should be done, but he hardly knew how to set about it, and referred me to Colonel Cloëte as the proper person to apply to. I was, however, of Happy Jack’s opinion, not to appeal to a subordinate when I could get a hearing from the Commander; so, without more ado, I presented myself in propriâ personâ to the General, who was sitting in the adjoining room at the time.