Battles of the nineteenth century . nd al-though it was goingat a low speed, itc(aild not be stoppedtill it had run onto the pilot and thedrivers examinedthe track, and foundthat some of therails had been re-moved, and thusthe train had beenbrought to a stand-still. The rails werelying on the bank,and they were de-bating about thepossibility of repair-ing damages, whenclose by from a watercourse that crossed the linea score of rifles flashed through the darkness andthe bullets whistled round them and flattenedon the wrecked engines. The officer and therailway men took refvige in
Battles of the nineteenth century . nd al-though it was goingat a low speed, itc(aild not be stoppedtill it had run onto the pilot and thedrivers examinedthe track, and foundthat some of therails had been re-moved, and thusthe train had beenbrought to a stand-still. The rails werelying on the bank,and they were de-bating about thepossibility of repair-ing damages, whenclose by from a watercourse that crossed the linea score of rifles flashed through the darkness andthe bullets whistled round them and flattenedon the wrecked engines. The officer and therailway men took refvige in the armoured car, andwith rifle fire and an occasional spurt from theMaxim gun answered the Boer attack, aimingat the flashes of the rifles that now were flicker-ing here and there in a wide circle on the four hours the fight went on, Nesbitthoping that relief of some kind might of the railway men and three of the sixteen colonial volunteers who guarded the trainwere wounded, all slightly, by bullets that came. (Fhoto: Bourne d- Shepherd, Calcutta.) FIRST MOVEMENTS OF THE BOERS. n in through the loopholes. But though theMauser bullets were rattling like hail on thewaggon, none of them penetrated its steelarmour. At last the sun rose, and then amile away on a swell of the veldt a battervof artillery was seen to be in position. TheBoers opened with shell, and aimed first at theengines, which were soon completelv then turned their guns on the armouredcar. It was evident that thev had informationas to the contentsof the train, for theytook care not to hitthe trucks that con-tained the guns andammunition, whichthcv hoped to cap-ture intact. Thetrain was not builtto resist artilleryfire, and seeing thattliere was no helpto be expected,Ncsbitt ordered thewhite Hag to be dis-played. It was notobserved foracoupleof minutes, duringwhich the gunscontinued firing,h a p p i 13 withouthurting any of thebrave men whoguarded the this intervalDriv
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1901
