one o'clock
With glasses , puffs of smoke could be made out all along the crest , and among the rocks below . The firing began in earnest at seven , and between twelve and one the Boer fire had ceased and ours died away . We thought it was all over , and went back to our waggons again . Soon after one o'clock there was a sudden outburst , and the men with the glasses observed that the Boers were close up to the top of the hill . A few minutes later it was on the plateau itself that the firing was going on . `` Colley had not known the Boers . No doubt his men were completely done up with their six hours ' toil among the hills and six hours ' fighting , and I do n't think a tenth of them were ever engaged , for Colley thought it was impossible that the position could be stormed ; so he only kept a handful of men at the edge of the plateau and allowed the rest to lie down and sleep .