eight in the morning
Two hours or more the battle went on thus . In spite of the desperate resistance which we offered , the multitude of the Black Kendah , who I must say fought magnificently , stormed wall after wall , leaving hundreds of dead and wounded to mark their difficult progress . Meanwhile I and my riflemen rained bullets on them from certain positions which we had selected beforehand , until at length our ammunition began to run low . At half-past eight in the morning we were driven back over the open ground to our last entrenchment , a very strong one just outside of the eastern gate of the temple which , it will be remembered , was set in a tunnel pierced through the natural lava rock . Thrice did the Black Kendah come on and thrice we beat them off , till the ditch in front of the wall was almost full of fallen . As fast as they climbed to the top of it the White Kendah thrust them through with their long spears , or we shot them with our rifles , the nature of the ground being such that only a direct frontal attack was possible . In the end they drew back sullenly , having , as we hoped , given up the assault .