four in the afternoon
It may be that the enemy feared to show themselves on the snow on the hilltops ; or that , being short of ammunition , they decided to reserve themselves for an attack upon the other brigade . Scarcely a shot was fired until the valley broadened out into the Akerkhel , where some small opposition was offered by villagers on either bank . This , however , was easily brushed aside . The advance guard of the 3rd Brigade almost caught up the rear guard of the 4th and , by four in the afternoon , its baggage was coming along nicely , so that all would be in before nightfall . The rear guard of the brigade , consisting of the Gordons , Ghoorkhas , and 2nd Punjab Infantry , had been harassed as soon as they started and , as the day wore on , the enemy increased greatly in numbers . As the flanking parties fell back to join the rear guard , they were so pressed that it was as much as they could do to keep them at bay . When about three miles from camp , the baggage took a wrong road .