3rd, and continued the search for Fourie. Lieutenant
Lord Zouche, with a few men, made a slight detour to
visit a farm, where he captured two or three prisoners,
and brought them back with him. During the morning,
while 78th Company were temporarily separated from
the rest of the force, they suddenly became aware of the
advance of an armed force. A gun was hastily brought
up, and preparations made to meet the enemy. The
newcomers, however, turned out to be some Irish
Yeomanry from Colonel Barker's column, who brought
news of the whereabouts of the Boer commando. With-
out any delay, therefore, the two parties joined forces^
and hastened off to round them up.
78th Company was sent out on the left flank, and
were widely extended over a very rough and undulating
coimtry. Presently, the enemy was located on the right,
and the main body wheeled round and bore down on
them, so that 78th Company found itself detached by
this sudden and imexpected movement Guided by the
sound of the firing, they galloped off to the scene of
action, where they found the remainder of the force on
a plateau engaged with the Boers, who were retiring
from some farms in a hollow, under cover of a pompom
and some sharp-shooters on a ridge above. One troop
of 78th Company came up just in time to assist in
checking a pretty little movement Some venturesome
Boers, under cover of a spruit which ran round the
plateau, had managed to slip round unobserved to the



78th company. 55

rear, and now began to attack the force from that side.
