Here they halted for three days in very inclement weather; the heavy rain on the 19th obliging the men to turn out at night to dig trenches round the tents, and to bale out the water which had flooded them.
On arrival at Fort Beaufort the Battalion was placed in the 1st brigade of the division under Major-General Somerset. The brigade, which was commanded by Colonel Buller, was composed of detachments of the 74th, Cape Corps, and Artillery, with two six-pounders and rocket apparatus, and some Fingoe levies.
The Battalion, having been inspected by General Somerset on April 21, marched about half-past six on the morning of the 22nd for the Waterkloof, accompanied by eight of the Cape Corps, and a detachment of Artillery with a six-pounder, drawn by twelve oxen.
They halted for breakfast at Gilbert’s farm ‘Klu-klu,’ which had been burnt by the Kaffirs. Resuming their march to Yellow-wood they encamped for the night on the Kroome river, where plenty of long grass afforded them excellent beds. The day’s march had been very fatiguing; for though part of it was through a fine grassy country, and on a hard road, yet this had in places been broken up by mountain storms into gullies, sometimes resembling steep steps of stairs, and sometimes the loose débris of a stone quarry.
On the 23rd they started soon after 5, and after passing some ruined houses halted for breakfast at McMaster’s canteen, which, like the buildings they had passed, bore evident marks of Kaffir depredation and destruction. After a rest of about two hours, they resumed their march towards the banks of the Koonap, and pitched their tents at a place called Haddon’s post; but which the men called Stony camp, from the difficulty they experienced in driving in the tent pegs; near a thickly wooded ravine called Bushneck.
Hardly had the camp been pitched when a storm of wind, rain and hail, accompanied with thunder and lightning, came on, which threw tents to the ground, and obliged men and officers to turn out with shovels and mallets to dig trenches, and drive tent-pegs. And even after the violence of the storm abated, rain continued at intervals during the night. Kaffirs were seen at a distance on the hills near the camp.
On the 24th when they were preparing to advance, the conductor declared that the oxen could not go forward; consequently the Battalion halted for the day; Captain Glyn’s company going out on patrol, and bringing in a horse, which was claimed by the Fingoes.
On the 25th they started in a fog so thick that they lost their way in the first half-hour; and had to halt. Then resuming their march, they literally felt their way to the banks of the Koonap, which they crossed five times in the course of this day’s march. They halted for breakfast at Nell’s Farm, where one end of the house only was standing. On resuming their march, after twice crossing the Koonap, they ascended a hill of exceeding steepness, by a road formed by the dry and rocky course of a mountain torrent. The advanced guard shot one Kaffir and made two women, mother and daughter, prisoners. They burnt some Kaffir huts also, but they were empty. On getting to the top the Riflemen were halted to get their breath. This hill forms one of the Winterberg Mountains, the Chumie range forming the opposite side of the Waterkloof. After a short halt they resumed their advance; and, after marching some distance, were halted in a pretty but irregular valley, where it was intended to camp. But it was found that the oxen with the tents and baggage had been unable to ascend the hill as fast as was expected; and consequently the Battalion was ordered to countermarch (an unwelcome order, after so fatiguing a march) and after descending again about a mile and a-half, encamped on some stony and uneven ground. A strong guard was formed round the camp, and the picquet were sent down the hill with the dinners of the men at the bottom, and to form a guard while they ate it. For one company was sent down the hill to bring up the waggons, and all were not up till 2 o’clock in the morning. On the next day the Battalion marched forward to a place called Bear’s farm, about 5 miles from the Waterkloof valley. To reach this it was necessary to go down a road almost as steep as that ascending the opposite side of the ridge from the Bushneck valley, and equal difficulties were experienced in getting the baggage forward.
On April 29 Captains Somerset’s,[207] Lord Alexander Russell’s[208] and Woodford’s companies (with some Fingoes, and Cape Corps) fell in at 4 in the morning, and were ordered to move forward in perfect silence. Somerset with a 6-pounder went round by a road; while the remaining two companies advanced over most rough and broken ground to the edge of the Waterkloof, which, in consequence of its being perfectly dark, rendered the march extremely difficult. Daylight was just appearing when they caught sight of some Kaffir fires. Colonel Buller passed the word to extend, and the two companies advanced. The Kaffir ‘Whoop’ was soon heard, and firing commenced when they were about 200 yards from the first kraal. From this the Kaffirs fled to the bush and the rocks, taking cover behind the rocks as the Riflemen came on. They set fire to the huts, and still advancing and searching every bush and hiding place, emerged on the plain beyond. Somerset’s company with the gun now joined them on the left. They soon came in sight of another kraal, and the gun was unlimbered and a shell thrown into it. The Riflemen still advanced; and the Kaffirs kept up a brisk fire from the bush, and from a hill just beyond. Here the three companies made a halt; and eventually returned to camp, as the force was not strong enough to attempt the hill, where the Kaffirs greatly outnumbered them.
In this patrol, Lieutenant Godfrey and 3 men were wounded. The place was called Mundell’s Krantz, and was in fact the place where Colonel Fordyce had been killed.