The afternoon was now declining, and it was evident to all, except to a few who took the Boer movement towards the British right for a retreat, that the battle was lost beyond hope. But the Guards would none the less have been sent in at dusk had not a fresh misfortune come as a blessing in disguise. Suddenly, after a prolonged silence since the early morning, the Boer artillery began to fire shell and shrapnel at the British guns. Just behind these guns were placed the sad remnants of the Highlanders--a dispirited mass of men in close order. One or two projectiles came shrieking amongst them, whereupon, suddenly and as if at the word of command, the men of the brigade once more precipitately retired, turning their backs upon the enemy and pouring in complete disorder past Lord Methuen's flag. This was the crowning touch--the culminating disaster. There now remained no troops whatever to support the Guards; for the Ninth Brigade would be needed to guard the flanks and the camp.
[Illustration: CORPORAL McKAY, OF THE ARGYLL AND SUTHERLAND HIGHLANDERS, PLAYING TO RALLY HIS FUGITIVE COMRADES.]
MAJOR-GENERAL HECTOR MACDONALD, C.B., D.S.O.
Served in the Afghan War of 1879-80; accompanied Sir F. (now Lord) Roberts on his march to Cabul, and was present at the battle of Kandahar; served in the Boer War of 1881; at Majuba his bravery won his life at the hands of the enemy; he was Garrison-Adjutant at Assiout (Upper Egypt) in 1885, and was in the Sudan during the operations of 1888-91. In 1896 he took command of the 2nd Infantry Brigade under Sir H. (now Lord) Kitchener, and in 1897-8 commanded Egyptian brigades, being present at the battles of the Atbara and of Khartoum. He was appointed an aide-de-camp to the Queen in 1898. While acting as Brigadier-General commanding at Umballa (India), he was summoned to take command of the Highland Brigade, under Lord Methuen, in succession to General Wauchope. The appointment of "Fighting Mac," as he is called, was hailed with satisfaction by the Brigade.]
Lord Methuen now determined to cling stubbornly to his position, in the hope that here, as at Modder River, the enemy might retire during the night. Accordingly, though the infantry and artillery fell back from the most advanced positions, there was no general retreat. The whole force bivouacked on the field. The night, like its predecessor, was bitterly cold. It was again impossible to remove the wounded from the ground before the Boer trenches. Only a very few had been brought in by the devoted efforts of the medical staff and the stretcher bearers. The others had to spend a cruel night, tortured by cold, after the sufferings caused by the fierce heat of the day. Many officers and men were twenty, thirty, even thirty-six hours upon the ground, without food or water and with wounds undressed. Further to the rear the wounded were carefully attended to and sent back to camp during the night.