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Updated: May 28, 2025
On the 16th the four regiments of Lyttelton's Brigade went across, and then, and only then, it began to be apparent that Buller's plan was a more deeply laid one than had been thought, and that all this business of Potgieter's Drift was really a demonstration in order to cover the actual crossing which was to be effected at a ford named Trichard's Drift, five miles to the westward.
If the Boers on retreating from Pieter's Hill had fortified this mountain with the purpose of holding off Buller for a still longer time, they would have been under a fire from General White's artillery in the town behind them and from Buller's naval guns in front.
"Don't let's worry about that," said Collins; "sufficient be it that he is hitting these Buller's swine all over the place. Oh, good shot!" A half-volley had landed first bounce among the masters sitting under the wall. The umpire signalled six. One hundred and fifty went up. And then Gordon mistimed a slow yorker, and was clean bowled for eighty-five.
Charles Buller's pamphlet on Responsible Government for the Colonies formulates the charge against the permanent men in a famous satiric passage. Buller had been speaking of the incessant change of ministers in the Colonial Office ten secretaries of state in little more than so many years.
Jack Whitaker, now captain of Buller's, had gone on to bowl first from the end nearest the National Schools. In his first over he clean bowled Gordon, and in the next he got Foster leg before, and Bradford caught in the slips. "I foresee," said Collins, "that we shall spend most of this game fielding. A poor way of occupying our last few days."
In due course this story found its way to the Buller's day-room, where was great rejoicing. So Caruthers was going to be laid out, was he? How damned funny! Hazlitt's heart leapt within him. His evil little mind pictured Gordon being carried off the field, absolutely smashed up. He gloated. Gordon laughed when he heard of it.
If we lose, we lose; and, my God, we'll make 'em play for it." The side certainly tried hard, and Simonds did his best, but all the same, on the day of the match, Buller's were backing their chances of running up a score of over thirty points at three to one. "The swine!" said Gordon. "Swanking it about how they are going to lick us to bits.
"Yes; but, damn it all, it is a bit thick," said Lovelace. "And a tick like Burgoyne to boot." As they were changing, a fag from Buller's made a nervous entry; he looked very lost, but finally summoned up enough courage to ask Davenport if he knew where Caruthers was. "Yonder, sirrah, lurking behind the piano." The fag came up. "Oh I say er Caruthers.
But now there has been failure in Natal also. Of the battle of Colenso Sir Redvers Buller's telegraphic despatch, though it probably does the commander less justice than he would have received at the hands of any other narrator, gives an authoritative if meagre account.
About sixteen miles to the westward of Colenso there is a ford over the Tugela River which is called Potgieter's Drift. General Buller's apparent plan was to seize this, together with the ferry which runs at this point, and so to throw himself upon the right flank of the Colenso Boers.
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