On the morning of the loth August the troops marched to the Blauw Krantz River, and as the transport wagons got into difficulties they did not reach camp until after dark, so no tents were pitched. This was unfortunate, for at midnight rain began to fall heavily, gradually turning to snow ; and during the whole of the two days following the men were made intensely uncomfortable by a bitterly cold wind which swept off the snowclad berg.
Driving sleet cut into the men's faces next morning when a move was made, and to give the troopers some degree of warmth Major Dartnell ordered them to walk and lead their horses. After they had covered about five miles in this way, a halt was called near Loskop, when it was found that the wagons on which the all-important cooks and cooking pots were carried had taken the wrong road, so it was late in the day before the half-frozen men were able to get a hot meal, of which they were badly in need. There was joy in the camp when it was discovered that one wagon that had followed the men contained a keg of rum, and a ration was issued " to keep out the cold."
That night the severity of the weather necessitated turning the horses loose knee-haltered, instead of their being picketed. The men had a terribly miserable time, being wet to the skin, with no hope of getting dry. The incessant rain turned the ground into a swamp, and when the march was resumed they were up to their knees in mud half the time ; and there was sore trouble also on account of the wagons sticking fast in every spruit. On the 1 2th August the force crossed the Little Tugela, where they remained until the 8th October, patrols covering the Oliver's Hoek Pass and the Bushman's Pass. When the weather improved the troopers had a much better time at the camp, although the greatest difficulty was experienced in procuring fodder for the horses. The men had daily drills, mounted and dismounted. A simple system of mounted infantry drill was practised here for the first time, and it was afterwards adopted for the whole of the colonial forces, in lieu of the cavalry drill in squadrons, which was too complex for men only called out for a few days' training each year.
A memorable march was started when the camp broke up. While half the men were left at Estcourt, the Commandant, with Sub-Inspector Jackson, left for Ixopo, the detachment consisting of sixty-five men. After a long spell of fine weather the rain began to pour down the day the movement started. It being impossible to take a wagon, several days' supplies, tents, and other impedimenta were placed on a dozen pack-horses. The annals of the corps show that they have had some rough times, but they have never had such a melancholy trek before nor since. The rain fell almost without a break from start to finish. In those days mackintosh coats and waterproof sheets were unheard-of luxuries. Field boots had not been adopted, and the troopers were afraid to take off their wet regulation boots lest they should not be able to get them on again.
When the march was started a wicked packhorse named Mazeppa was told off to carry the kitchen utensils, and was accordingly loaded up with pots, pans, camp kettles, and similar articles. This was done under the personal supervision of a sergeant, who took infinite trouble to show how a pack-horse should be loaded with such articles. Mazeppa patiently submitted to the operation, which, when finished, made him look very much like a perambulating tinker's shop. Trouble began when the party moved off. Mazeppa resented the indignity of having to carry pots and kettles. He pranced and danced and plunged until he had cleared all the things off his back, and then he was peaceful again. The sight of the wreck nearly made the cook weep.
It was decided not to use the tents, because the water would have increased their weight to such an extent that the pack-ponies could not have carried them, so the first night the men were glad enough to get sleeping accommodation in a couple of gaol cells and a stable at Ulundi.
With their clothing saturated, they resumed the trek next day, and the second night was spent in a stable on the Mooi River bank. It was a very bedraggled and dispirited band when it reached Fort Nottingham. Even the biscuits were sodden and much of the bully beef had become uneatable. Hopelessly, the men looked round for shelter ; and all they could find was an old cowshed, open at every side. There was no chance of finding anything better, so they turned in there ; and all night the heavy, driving rain beat pitilessly down on them. Sleep was out of the question, except in snatches, and even that was disturbed by a number of pigs that wandered into the place. They were cursed and kicked and spurred, but those pigs had made up their minds not to move away, and they remained amongst the troopers all night, though kept continually on the move.
The next day brought the detachment to the Umgeni River, which proved to be a serious obstacle, for it was in flood. The fact of going into the water did not worry the men, excepting those who could not swim, for they were as wet as ever they could be, but there were the rations to consider. The men's luck, however, was completely out, for in the crossing all the sugar, tea, coffee, and biscuits were destroyed.
At Boston Mills Mr. C. R. Glynn acted the part of .the Good Samaritan, providing the troopers and their animals with ample supplies of food ; and again on the following day they fell into kindly hands, the residents at Byrnetown supplying them with rations. On the way to the Umkomaas the rain fell more heavily than ever, and the men were never more pleased in their lives than when they came in sight of Ixopo. The first night they bivouacked under a hedge, and afterwards moved to the ground on which the trees of the Residency now stand.
Considering the state of their things, the troopers were somewhat appalled, within a few hours of their arrival, to hear that a kit inspection was ordered. All their steel bits, steel stirrups, and steel scabbards were, naturally, in a state of rust ; but the men did the best they could in the circumstances, and the inspection was made in a heavy downpour of rain.
Passing through Ixopo, on his way from Harding, on the following morning, the Governor, General Sir George Colley, held an inspection of the police. They marched past in column of troops and did some skirmishing drill, and the Governor paid them a high compliment, saying they were a body of men which would do credit to any colony, and which any General would feel proud to command.
In the middle of November Major Dartnell's detachment was moved in the direction of Dronk Vlei and the rain began as usual when they left camp. This time they had the additional worry of wagons. The troopers were all wet through when they reached Mabedhlane, and there they heard, sadly enough, that the wagons were stuck fast, some distance back. The only thing to do was to go back and pull the vehicles out. By sundown the weather had cleared up, and as there was no prospect of meeting any one, the men stripped their wet things off and marched back along the road naked. They found the wagons badly bogged, and after they had struggled for a while to get them out the task had to be abandoned. The tents, blankets, and food were taken off and put on to pack-ponies, which carried them to the camp.
The state of things at Dronk Vlei was no better. There, on the banks of the Umzimkulu River, the ground was so swampy that picket pins would not hold, so the horses had to be turned loose at night. The water became a sort of nightmare. When the men dug trenches round the tents they started springs. All the biscuits went mouldy, and there was no opportunity of getting fresh supplies.
The next move was to the Upper Umzimkulu, via Ipolela a wild, unpopulated district in those days. For six weeks the camp was pitched at Christison's Drift, and from there the narrow passes over the berg were kept under observation by patrols.
The Basutos made one raid into Natal, and the police executed a hasty night march to intercept them. A man named Kennedy and some native scouts had been surprised by the Basutos and murdered, but the raiders retired quickly on hearing of the movement of the police, and did not cross the border again at that time.
Trouble was brewing, meanwhile, with the Boers. They had never agreed to the annexation of the Transvaal, and now refused to pay taxes. In the November of 1880 Inspector Mansel and Sub-Inspector Phillips, with the troops from Estcourt, were rapidly marched to Newcastle, and were employed for some time patrolling along the northern border of the colony, constantly watching the Buffalo River drifts, the passes of the berg, and the main road over Laing's Nek, with strict orders to avoid any open conflict with the Boers. These instructions resulted in Sub-Inspector Phillips losing two men. At Laing's Nek the Boers took Troopers Taylor and Swain as prisoners, deprived them of their horses and equipment, and sent them to Heidelberg, where they remained until the end of that war.
On one occasion the police were turned out towards midnight and marched to the Ingangane with sealed orders. There it was found that they were to meet General Colley at the Biggarsberg and escort him to Newcastle. In order to avoid capture by the Boers one troop went on to the Biggarsberg Nek to await the arrival of the post-cart from which the General and his Staff descended, their places being filled by men of the police. The General and his officers then mounted the spare horses, and rode in the ranks to Newcastle, being joined at the Ingangane by the troopers who had been left there.
Another important duty performed by the police was that of acting as escort to Major Poole, R.A., who had been ordered to make a night reconnaissance to Laing's Nek. About sixty miles were covered that night, sufficient time being spent on the hill to enable the officer to make a sketch in the moonlight.
The Administrator of the Transvaal wrote to General Colley : " The Boers are incapable of any united action, and they are mortal cowards, so anyt^ng they may do will be but a flash in the pan." Right on the top of this followed the disaster to the 94th Regiment at Bronkhurst Spruit, near Pretoria, when 120 men were killed and wounded and the remainder taken prisoners. The garrisons in the Transvaal at Pretoria, Standerton, Marabastadt, Leydenburg, and Potchefstroom were at once besieged.
To relieve the garrisons in the Transvaal became the first duty of General Colley, who had a very small force at his disposal, especially of mounted men. Including the police these only numbered 1 20, a few of them being volunteers from infantry regiments who could scarcely ride. There were also six 7-pounder field-guns, a naval brigade, with Gatling guns and rocket tubes, a portion of the 3rd Battalion of the 6oth Rifles, a portion of the 58th Regiment, and two companies of the 2ist Fusiliers. The infantry numbered 870 all told. Thus, in the early stages, prior to the arrival of reinforcements, the police formed almost the whole of the mounted troops that the General had to make use of, and he issued the following instructions :
"The special uses of mounted troops are first and principally for scouting purposes, to feel the enemy, and guard the column against surprise. Considering the small number we have, and the large number opposed to us, our mounted troops will have to be most carefully used and nursed. Ordinarily, one-half will be with the advance-guard on the march and do the actual scouting, the other half being with the rear.
" The mounted troops must act as cavalry in action, supporting and covering the flank of an infantry attack, charging and pursuing when opportunity offers, and especially threatening the horses of the Boers when the latter are dismounted to hold a position. A Boer is nervously afraid of being left dismounted ; and a demonstration against the horses, when these have been left under cover in order to hold a position, may often result in the position being abandoned.
" In all encounters between our mounted troops and Boers it should be remembered that a prolonged skirmish with firearms is almost sure to end in favour of the Boers, who are better shots, and train to mount and dismount rapidly, and shoot from horseback. Unless, therefore, the superiority in numbers on the side of the Boers be so great as to forbid such a course, the best chance of bringing matters to a favourable issue will generally be to charge. The Boers are not good at hand-to-hand fighting, nor armed for it. It is for this reason I have armed the mounted men with swords, which against another enemy I should not have given them."
With such a small force, it was impossible to detach men for lines of communication, and all supplies had to be conveyed by ox-wagon from Pietermaritzburg without escort. The besieged garrisons in the Transvaal were ill-supplied with food, so the General was compelled to advance without waiting for reinforcements.
The column left Newcastle on the 24th January 1 88 1, about 1200 strong, the General intending to relieve Standerton and wait there for reinforcements. The force was exceedingly small to attempt the invasion of the Transvaal, but the General appealed to the courage, spirit, and discipline of his men to enable him promptly to retrieve the misfortune at Bronkhurst.
The police paraded at 3 a.m. on the morning the advance was started, forming the rear-guard and supplying skirmishers on either flank. The rearguard had a very tedious time, as the large convoy of wagons delayed the march to such an extent that only four miles were covered in a dozen hours.
The road to the north at that time passed over the ridge near Signal Hill, to the east of the present main road. It was in a very bad state, and the wagons stuck fast every few yards. On the morning of the following day the police had to form the advance guard. There was something wrong with the commissariat arrangements, and this unfortunately led to the troopers drawing no rations before starting. They were sent out to scour the country, and found no signs of the enemy for a distance of six miles in all directions. At night the camp was pitched at Ingogo Drift, where information was received that Inspector Phillips and a patrol had been captured in the direction of Coetzee's Drift. A force went off at once, but the rumour was found to be false. When they reached Inspector Phillips, he was watching a small party of Boers on the opposite side of the river.
Before the police were able to obtain their first meal that day, " Lights out " was sounded. Immediately afterwards fresh beef was served out to the men, but a Staff officer insisted on the fires being put out. The irregular troops frequently had to submit to treatment like this, but in the end, on this occasion, tinned meat and biscuits were served out to the famished troopers. Although they had been up since 3 a.m., Major Dartnell, with one troop, was turned out just before midnight, to go to the double drift at the Ingogo. It had been feared that the Boers might attempt to cross at this point under cover of darkness, and the police spent the rest of the night there without seeing anything of the enemy.
Very weary, they were put on duty as rear-guard at 7 a.m. the following day. The wagons were dragged painfully up the Ingogo Hill, it being several hours before the top was gained. The force reached Mount Prospect camp at noon, just as a violent thunderstorm broke. The rear-guard had a narrow escape from lightning, a telegraph pole being shattered as they passed it. A laager was formed with the wagons, the horses being picketed inside. Orders were given that no man must remove his accoutrements at night, and that the signal of alarm would be two shots fired in quick succession.
Just before midnight there was a scare. The outlying pickets came into the laager at the double, and all the troops stood to arms for half the night. Nothing alarming happened, however, and it was afterwards rumoured that a sentry, finding his duty monotonous, had fired two shots to liven things up.
No movement could be made the next day, the 2ist January, owing to a drizzling rain and thick mist which covered Laing's Nek. A score of the police were warned for special duty. They saddled up and waited in the rain for five hours. The intention, apparently, was to make a reconnaissance across the Buffalo to see if there was a possible route to Laing's Nek from the Transvaal side ; but eventually the expedition was abandoned.
The battle of Laing's Nek was fought early the following day. Breakfast was eaten at 6 a.m., and an hour later the troops moved off, the police being sent as advance-guard. The coming fight was looked forward to with the keenest interest ; and the artillery officers, relying on their /-pounder guns, were betting that they would clear the nek in a quarter of an hour. This everybody believed, with the greatest of confidence, would be the case. A detachment of the 2ist Regiment was left behind to hold the laager. With the supports to the advance guard were four guns of the Royal Artillery. Then came the Naval Brigade, with rocket tubes, followed by the 5 8th, and 3rd 6oth Regiments, the mounted infantry forming the rear-guard. Altogether the attacking force comprised 870 infantry, 180 mounted men, six guns, and three rocket tubes.
Very few Boers were seen as the force came near the nek, and the general belief was that the imposing British array had had its effect. The police were kept in reserve, together with the 3rd 6oth Rifles to guard the left flank, and place vedettes along the ridge running up to the Majuba.
The attack was made by the mounted infantry and 58th Regiment, which dashed up the hill unchecked for some distance. When the artillery opened fire three or four Boers were observed galloping over the skyline, and everybody cheered madly, thinking the enemy were on the run.
The police had even mounted their horses in readiness for pursuit, and the mounted infantry were half-way up the hill, when the enemy opened a heavy fire. Both men and horses began to drop, but the British force pushed its way to the summit. Then they turned back, coming down the hill much faster than they had gone up, leaving four dead and thirteen wounded behind.
The 58th Regiment was now moving up the hill on the left of the ridge, their red tunics and white helmets offering a splendid target to the Boers, who were hiding behind rocks on the summit. Colonel Deane took them up as fast as they could cover the ground, and soon the face of the hill was covered with red dots showing where the Boer bullets had found their mark. The attackers and attacked were very close together when the artillery's shooting suddenly ceased, and the front line wavered. The withering fire had thinned the British ranks terribly. All the mounted officers had been killed, and there was only a subaltern left to give the order to retire. As the men came down the hill the Boers left their cover and picked out the running figures with deadly accuracy.
The police vedettes were under fire at this time, shots coming from the bush, and the skirmishers had to be withdrawn. Inspector Mansel gave his men the order to draw swords, preparatory to a charge, but this did not prove to be necessary, although the police sat on their horses for some time, presenting a very good target to the enemy.
As soon as the retirement had taken place, Troopers Purser and Ravenscroft, of the police, were sent with Captain M'Gregor, a Staff officer, up the nek under a flag of truce, with a message asking that hostilities should cease until the wounded had been brought down from the hill. The Boers agreed to this, and on returning, Purser and Ravenscroft passed along the battlefield telling the wounded to lie still.
As soon as the firing ceased a large party of Boers appeared on one of the spurs of Majuba, and the General gave orders for a retirement, the police forming the rear-guard, but the Majuba party did not fire on them, and the dead and wounded were placed on ambulances. The 5 8th Regiment had lost about 160 out of 480 men.
The laager was reached at 4 p.m. and, after the men had had a hurried meal, General Colley ordered a parade of troops, to which he delivered a short address. He said he had been bound to make the attempt to relieve the beleagured garrisons in the Transvaal. The attack on the nek had failed, but the blame must rest entirely with him .
He complimented all ranks on their steadiness, and regretted that owing to scarcity of supplies, the defenceless state of Newcastle, and the importance of keeping his communications open, it would be necessary to send the Natal Police back to Newcastle with all speed, though he hoped to have them back with him when he made his next advance.
At dusk Inspector Mansel left Mount Prospect with one mule wagon which rolled into a donga while they were descending the Ingogo Hill. They were compelled to remain there until daylight, and, finding a store near, had a glorious banquet of tinned salmon, tinned pears, and bottled beer. It was a difficult task to set the wrecked wagon right in the darkness, but they were able to resume their journey at dawn, and reached Newcastle safely. Here preparations were made for defending the town, and small forts were built to guard the approaches, being manned at night by the police, who also furnished pickets during the daytime. Heavy rains fell, and the water, pouring through the patrol tents, drenched everything belonging to the men.
The police were sent out on the 2nd February to meet a convoy of wagons and wounded men returning from Mount Prospect, and on the same day a party of the police escorted Commodore Richards of the Royal Navy, to Newcastle, from General Colley's camp.
A number of recruits arrived from Estcourt on the 3rd February, and they, with six other men, were left in Newcastle, while Major Dartnell, with under fifty men, went out to hold the Biggarsberg Nek, where it was feared the Boers might attempt to hold back reinforcements who were to arrive under General Wood.
False alarms were continually occurring in Newcastle in these days, and many of the residents took refuge in the laager at night. Mr. Rider Haggard, who was in Newcastle, afterwards wrote on the subject :
" One night I was sitting in the drawing-room reading, at about eleven o'clock, with the door leading on to the verandah slightly ajar, for the night was warm, when suddenly I heard myself called by name in a muffled voice, and was asked if the place was in possession of the Boers.
“ Looking towards the door I saw a full-cocked revolver coming round the corner, and on opening it in some alarm, I could distinctly discern a line of armed figures in a crouching attitude stretched along the verandah into the garden beyond.
" It turned out to be a patrol of the Mounted Police, who had received information that a large number of Boers had seized the place, and had come to ascertain the truth of the report."
The commissariat supply in Newcastle, as indeed during the whole campaign, was most unsatisfactory so far as the police were concerned. Rations were supplied by the Government, the men being charged 35. per day each, but these supplies were very inadequate. The police were put to much expense for extras, everything, of course, being sold at war prices. The difficulty of obtaining firewood was a particularly sore point with the men.
On the 8th February three members of the force were sent from Newcastle by Major Terry of the 6oth Rifles, with important dispatches for General Colley, receiving strict orders to avoid capture by the Boers, who had for some days stopped all communication with Mount Prospect. Mr. Cameron, a London war correspondent, who wished to get through to the General, accompanied the party. They made a long detour with the object of crossing the Ingogo high up, but very soon found the enemy occupying all the high ground that commanded a view of the country, so they turned east with the intention of passing along the Schuyn's Hoogte valley, in order to outflank the Boer parties. On reaching the top of a hill they were startled by a sudden outburst of firing. Not knowing whether the enemy had discovered them or not, they hurried on to the highest point, and from there obtained a view of the battle that was being fought near the Ingogo River.
The dispatch riders were spotted by the Boers, who sent a number of men to intercept them, so they had to retire with all speed. The trio found no difficulty in getting away, but it was utterly impossible for them to get through to the General, so they returned and reported to Major Terry. He complimented them on their discretion, saying it would have been most unwise to attempt to get the dispatches through. At four o'clock on the following morning the police were ordered out, unarmed, to take wagons to the scene of the previous day's fighting, and bring in the wounded, who had been left all night on the battlefield. The injured men were put on the wagons, and were taken back to Newcastle, where the police were hastily ordered out again to Signal Hill, it being expected that the enemy were about to make an attack on Newcastle. They were called in again at 8 p.m., having gone twentysix hours without food, to find the residents were suffering from a bad attack of " nerves." They clamoured to take refuge in the laager, and were very wrathful when informed that they could not do so until the occasion warranted it.
Several very miserable days were spent after this by the police, who had the task of escorting the heliograph party of the 6oth Rifles to Signal Hill. Rain poured down incessantly, and they often sat from 4 a.m. until 7 p.m. wet to the skin, only finding on returning to the laager that they had to spend the night occupying one of the forts.
As it was believed that the British were in conflict only with the Transvaal Boers, and that the Orange Free State was remaining neutral, it came as a shock to the men at Newcastle when a party of Boers descended Muller's Pass, and looted and burnt a convoy of wagons near the Horn River, between the laager and the Ingangane. The enemy had made a wagon laager, and sent a strong patrol each day to the Ingangane. These patrols were observed by the scouts, but General Wood ridiculed the idea, and narrowly escaped capture on the afternoon of the 1 5th February, when he made a reconnaissance to the Ingangane, accompanied by Major Dartnell and an escort. The party arrived at the river only fifteen minutes after the Boers had retired. The Natal Police were sent to occupy the heights commanding the Ingangane Drift before dawn, and anticipate the arrival of the Boer patrol. When the enemy did return they found the troops holding the ground, and were compelled to retire.
Sub-Inspector Phillips was sent through with dispatches to Newcastle fifteen miles away, that evening, being ordered to take as escort twenty police. He told Major Dartnell he would prefer to go alone, as he had to cut across country and would probably be noticed if he had a lot of men with him. It was then arranged that he should take half a dozen troopers with him, and he started off at about 6 p.m. The Hussar vedettes had seen a large number of Boers, and a subaltern warned the dispatch rider that he was going straight towards them, so he left the road just before darkness set in. Mr. Phillips was riding at the head of the party, and a couple of hours after the start he stopped suddenly, having nearly walked into a detachment of the enemy who were lying down and holding their horses. It was an exciting moment, and at first it was feared the Boers had seen them, but the police turned aside hastily and were not fired on. Sub-Inspector Phillips handed his dispatches over in Newcastle at 9.30 p.m.
On the 19th February the police joined the party which accompanied General Wood on a reconnaissance towards Wakkerstroom. There was a lot of hard riding on the expedition, nearly sixty miles being covered just under thirty hours, and the Buffalo River, which was in flood, was crossed twice. The police and the 15th Hussars took turns in forming the advance-guard. Although a very large area was scoured that day, no trace of the enemy could be found.
General Wood left a few days later for Pietermaritzburg, to hurry up the remainder of the reinforcements, which were already on the move from Durban. These consisted of the 15th Hussars, 2nd 60th Rifles, and 92nd Highlanders, who had been sent over from India, where they had been recently engaged in the Afghanistan campaign, the two infantry regiments having taken part in Lord Roberts' historic march from Cabul to Kandahar.
Just after midnight on the 23rd February a non-commissioned officer of the Natal Police with a party of eighteen men was sent to search a farmer's house at Schuyn's Hoogte, where Boers' arms and ammunition were supposed to be stored. A thorough search of the building was made, and the police, having found only one rifle, left the place. The reinforcements from India had left Newcastle, and as daylight broke the Hussars entered the house, looting everything worth taking. The column shortly afterwards piled arms near the house, and then about 1500 men, the Naval Brigade, Highlanders, rifles, native wagondrivers, and others, swooped down to share in the plunder. The small party of police were unable to prevent the looting, and the naval men finished up by applying a burning bundle of forage to the thatch, the place being very soon reduced to ashes.
General Colley sent for the search-party of police, and demanded to know why the destruction had been permitted, but they had only to point to the hundreds of men in the vicinity to explain the situation. A number of geese were hanging incriminatingly from the saddles of the police, and these created a little suspicion until it was shown that the birds were those on which the Hussars had been practising sword exercise.
The farmer claimed 1500 compensation, and a court of inquiry was held. The farmer was paid an adequate sum in consideration of his loss, and the court exonerated the police.
While the troops remained in the valley, Major Dartnell was sent with all available police to protect the left flank of the column, and to watch the Botha's Pass road until the reinforcements had safely crossed the Ingogo River. Afterwards the majority of the police were sent back to Newcastle, where they remained employed in patrolling, escorts, and vedette duties until the close of the war.
In the meanwhile, Sergeant Faddy and twenty men of the police were stationed at Schuyn's Hoogte to garrison a small fort, together with a few men of the Highlanders, under Major Napier. A small earthwork had been put up, and the police were kept busily employed in patrolling, and engaged in the thrilling occupation of rounding up poultry at the neighbouring farms, all of which were unoccupied. The police patrol had just left Schuyn's Hoogte early on the morning of the 27th February, and was passing along the road in the direction of the Ingogo Drift, when it was overtaken by Major Napier, who directed the men to go as quickly as possible towards Mount Prospect and ascertain why firing could be heard near there. On arrival at the camp they reported to Major Essex, who kept them all there, excepting one man. He was sent back with a message to Schuyn's Hoogte stating that General Colley had successfully occupied the Majuba Hill, the key to Laing's Nek.
The police watched the figures in the distance on the summit of Majuba Hill. Firing was almost continuous, but it was on the farther side of the mountain. Just after midday they were ordered out to O'Neill's Farm, and as they rode along, the British troops began to retire from the top, the Boers coming over and firing downwards. The fugitives were scattered considerably, many of them having lost their rifles. The police were directed to pick up fugitives, and they did so, carrying them into camp on their horses.
There was much heartburning that night amongst the troops, for each regiment accused the other of having been the first to run.
The only other duty that fell to the police during this campaign was that of escorting President Brand, of the Orange Free State, from Muller's Pass to Laing's Nek, where he acted as arbitrator between the British and the Boers. After a convention with the enemy had been signed, the Natal Government asked that the police might be returned, and on the 30th March they received orders to get ready to go back to their different stations. They were inspected by General Sir Evelyn Wood before they left the camp, and, for a body of Natal Police, their garments were certainly extraordinary on that occasion. Their clothes were so dilapidated that scarcely two men were dressed alike. One-half of them wore helmets, and the other half were adorned with either forage caps or smasher hats. But General Wood did not judge them by their clothing. He said :
" I feel it is only just that your services for the present should be dispensed with, as you have already spent eight months under canvas and done excellent work. I am aware that the late General Colley spoke in the very highest terms of the valuable services rendered by the Natal Police, and in the event of hostilities being resumed, I shall be only too glad to give you an opportunity to add to your very high reputation. "
Next morning the police started their homeward journey, the residents of Newcastle distributing cigars to them as they passed through the town. The first evening they were joined by Sub Inspector Phillips, with his detachment, and they all spent a memorable evening in a cloud of mosquitoes. In order to give the horses some protection, fires were kept burning on the weather-side of the picket ropes, and the men themselves spent the whole night standing or sitting in the smoke. The different detachments turned off to Estcourt, Fort Pine, and Greytown, so that only eight men remained to continue the journey to Pietermaritzburg.
Very little credit fell to the lot of the Natal Police after all they had done during this arduous campaign. The brunt of the work had fallen on the mounted men, of which there were very few other than the police.
At the opening of the Legislative Council in the following October, the Administrator of the Government, Sir Evelyn Wood, said :
" While the forces were in the field, nearly two-thirds of our mounted police were employed watching the frontier. I take this opportunity of recording the fact that the late General Colley appreciated very highly the services of Major Dartnell, and the efficient force under his command."
