I was very careful to be out of sight of the English, so that they might get quite close to the burghers before the gun disclosed my presence.
I succeeded in hiding my burghers so successfully that the English did not observe them until they were within about twelve hundred paces of my men in Tijgerkloof.
Some of the enemy's scouts rode on ahead, and when I judged that they must almost immediately see the burghers, I ordered Captain Muller, who was standing behind a rise, to come out of cover and open fire; then I jumped on my horse, and down the hill I went, at full gallop, to my burghers.
I had scarcely covered half the distance, when Captain Muller opened fire on the enemy.
As the sound fell on my ears, it seemed to me that nothing now could save them! What was now my bitter disappointment when I saw that only one-third of my burghers were charging.

The others were keeping under cover, and do what I would I could not drive them out.
Everything went wrong.
When the burghers who were charging the English discovered that the greater part of their comrades had remained, they turned round and retreated.

But before this had happened they had attacked the English at four different points.
It had been a short but a very hot engagement.
There was no possibility of inducing my men to charge, and so I thought it wisest to retreat, swallowing my disappointment as best I could.
The burghers re-assembled to the south of the Langberg; and we found that our loss was two killed and nine wounded, of whom two subsequently died.
We could not ascertain the English losses, but we saw their ambulances very busy.

We heard afterwards that they had suffered much more severely than we had done.
[Footnote 101: A court-martial was held at this place, and several persons appeared before it.

A certain De Lange was condemned to death for high treason.].