March 8th.—About midnight, as we sat on the "stoep" of the officers' quarters, smoking in silence, and enjoying the cool, soft night air, watching the while the bright stars of the "Southern Cross," that sparkled above the jagged peak of the Didama, a distant bugle sounded the "cease firing." Our bugler being summoned by the sentry on the wall, the "advance" rang out clear on the night air, softly echoing from rock to rock. In a few minutes the clattering of horses was heard rapidly approaching; and the challenge of the sentinel, from whose platform we looked on a mass of horsemen, was answered by the familiar voice of the gallant Tylden. He had come with a large force of mounted men to be in readiness to move with us in the combined attack on the Waterkloof to which we were anxiously looking forward.
The second Division, recruited and re-equipped after the Kei expedition, marched from King William's Town to Fort Beaufort, to join General Somerset's division at the Blinkwater, and take their share in the assault. The order of attack (made known only to the officers in command) was to be as follows:—The right column, under Lieut.-Col. Eyre, consisting of four guns; a Rocket troop; the 43rd Light Infantry; the 73rd Regiment and two companies of the 74th Highlanders; with detachments of Native Levies; was to move from the Blinkwater Post, dislodge the enemy from Fullers Hoek, and attack Macomo's "Den" on the ridge.
The centre column, under Lieut.-Col. Michell, consisting of two guns; the 6th Regiment; four companies of the 45th; the 60th Rifles; and Native Levies; was to ascend the Kromme Heights from Blakeway's farm, by the Wolfsback Ridge, and attack the bushy kloof connecting Fullers Hoek with the Waterkloof.
The left column, under Lieut.-Col. Napier, two guns, four companies of the 74th Highlanders, the 91st Regiment, 150 Cape Mounted Rifles, 200 Fingo Levies, and all Burghers that might show themselves, was to move up the valley of the Waterkloof from Bushneck to its head, and thence ascend to meet the attack of the centre column, leaving a mounted body to cut off any dislodged parties endeavouring to escape from one Kloof to another.
The 12th Lancers and a detachment of Cape Corps under Lieut.-Col. Pole, were to be stationed at the ruined settlement of Hertzog, to cut off the retreat of the enemy to the Amatolas; and our party from Post Retief, about 160 mounted men, was to patrol on the Waterkloof heights to intercept the retreat of the enemy or their cattle in that direction. All these bodies were to be at their appointed positions on the 9th, ready to move at daylight next morning.
The day following the arrival of Tylden's party was necessarily a day of rest; for they had ridden thirty miles across the mountains, and many of the horses were in a very indifferent condition, not having recovered from the hardships of the late expedition into Kreli's country.
Early on the morning of the 10th, the whole party, having mustered in the barrack square, marched out, winding along the little glen, a body of rough looking but gallant and business-like fellows. Just as they reached the heights, the first boom of artillery was heard in the direction of Fullers Hoek, announcing the commencement of operations, and soon a brisk cannonade and rattle of musketry, was followed by more distant reports from the south and west, as the two other columns advanced on their respective routes. For some time our horsemen had little or nothing to do, as the enemy were naturally drawn towards the points, so unexpectedly attacked, but as they were forced back by the advance of Colonel Napier's column in the Kloof below, they drove their cattle up its steep forest clothed sides to the summit, where their intended escape into the opposite valley of the Kat River was frustrated by the unlooked for presence of the Post Retief detachment, which, exchanging rapid shots with the astonished Kaffirs, and following them into the bush to which they again quickly retreated, brought out many of their cattle, and gave them such a rough handling, that those who escaped it preferred remaining under cover and taking their chance from the advancing skirmishers below. After this, distant shots only could be obtained; yet having in the party several of the best marksmen in the country, not a Kaffir within half a mile showed himself a second time. No one who has not seen it could believe, either the accuracy with which many of the officers and Burghers to whom I refer, and could name, would hit an object at that distance with a rifle ball, or the extraordinary practice they make at much greater ranges.
Rifle shooting and rifles, our main arm in this guerilla warfare, were of course the subjects of constant discussion; target shooting was incessantly going on while in camp, and a rifle never out of our hands on the march, so that every tyro became in a wonderfully short time a fair marksman, and, many, first-rate shots. The distribution of Minié rifles to the troops excited great emulation amongst the men also, which was increased by our giving shilling and half-crown prizes for inner circle and bull's-eye hits. At first, six of the new weapons were distributed in each company to the best shots, but the number was afterwards increased, as fresh supplies were sent out to us.
Scarcely a mail-steamer arrived from England without bringing some new improvement in fire-arms; smooth bore, two groove, four groove, and polygroove, half and quarter twist, rifle barrels; conical balls, plain and winged, sharp pointed and rounded, with wooden plugs or iron cups, concave and convex bases, &c., were each in turn tested, discussed, advocated, or rejected, affording a never-failing topic of interest and conversation; but after all our experimental trials, there were nearly as many advocates of each improvement as there were varieties; the only points in which all agreed was, the decided superiority of the conical ball generally, and the admirable efficiency of the weapons so opportunely sent out for the troops.
The ordinary range for target practice was from 500 to 800 yards, at which distance the men generally put in two out of five rounds, the target being a white board six feet high by three broad. At 900 yards, or more than half a mile, one shot out of seven hit on an average, the rest ploughing up the dust so near, that it must have been anxious work for the target; even at three quarters of a mile, we were able to disperse small "clumpjies" of Kaffirs and cattle.