Yet our relief may take many days yet, and it will cost hundreds of lives to cross that little space.
The Boers have placed a new gun on the Bluebank ridge.

It is disputed whether it faces us or Buller's line of approach over the Great Plain.
The whole ridge is now covered from end to end with walls, traverses, and sangars.
_January 18, 1900._ In the early morning the welcome sound of Buller's guns was not so frequent as yesterday.

But it continued steadily, and between four and five increased to an almost unbroken thunder.

From the extremity of Waggon Hill, I watched the great cloud of dust and smoke which rose from the distant plain as each shell burst.

The Dutch camps were still in position, and we could only conjecture that the British were trying to clear the river-bank and the hills commanding it, so as to secure the passage of the ford.
While I was there the enemy threw several shrapnel over the Rifle Brigade outpost.