In endeavouring to carry out these instructions French moved his men more and more to the right, until he had really squeezed in between the Boers and Lord Roberts's central column, and so masked the latter.

The essence of the whole operation was that the frontal attack should not be delivered until Tucker had worked round to the rear of the position.

It is for military critics to decide whether it was that the flankers were too slow or the frontal assailants were too fast, but it is certain that Kelly-Kenny's Division attacked before the cavalry and the 7th Division were in their place.

Kelly-Kenny was informed that the position in front of him had been abandoned, and four regiments, the Buffs, the Essex, the Welsh, and the Yorkshires, were advanced against it.

They were passing over the open when the crash of the Mauser fire burst out in front of them, and the bullets hissed and thudded among the ranks.