78 Pages - The Black Vault

the right half of our trench and crowded into the lefthalf, which by great good luck could not be enfiladedfrom any point on the south side of the river, nor in,-deed by rifle-fire from anywhere, as, owing to theground, its prolongation on the right was up aboveground for some 3000 meters away on the veld onthe north bank.Though we were huddled together quite helplesslike rats in a trap, still it was’in a small degree comfortingto think that, short of charging, the enemycould do nothing. For that we fixed bayonets andgrimly waited. If they did make an assault, we hadbayonets, and they had not, and we could sell ourlives very dearly in a rough-and-tumble.Alas! I was again deceived. There was to be nochance of close quarters and cold steel, for suddenlywe heard, far away out on the veld to the north, asound as of someone beating a tin tray, and a coveyof little shells whistled into the ground close by thetrench; two of these burst on touching the ground.Right out of rifle-range, away on the open veld on thenorth, I saw a party of Beers, with a white horse anda vehicle. Then I knew. But how had they managedto hit off so well the right spot to go to enfilade ourtrench before they even knew where we were?Porn-porn porn-porn-porn again, and the littlesteel devils ploughed their way into the middle ofus in our shell-trap, mangling seven men. I at oncediagnosed the position with great professionalacumen; we were now enfiladed from both flanks,but the knowledge was acquired too late to help us,for---43