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Any plans of the sort which may
have passed through Lord Methuen's mind were driven away for ever
by the sudden unordered retreat of the stricken brigade. They had
been very roughly handled in this, which was to most of them their
baptism of fire, and they had been without food and water under a
burning sun all day. They fell back rapidly for a mile, and the
guns were for a time left partially exposed. Fortunately the lack
of initiative on the part of the Boers which has stood our friend
so often came in to save us from disaster and humiliation. It is
due to the brave unshaken face which the Guards presented to the
enemy that our repulse did not deepen into something still more
serious.
The Gordons and the Scots Guards were still in attendance upon the
guns, but they had been advanced very close to the enemy's
trenches, and there were no other troops in support. Under these
circumstances it was imperative that the Highlanders should rally,
and Major Ewart with other surviving officers rushed among the
scattered ranks and strove hard to gather and to stiffen them.


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