ten o'clock
Major Morris , as senior officer , was to command the sortie . The direct road down to the Cape was barred by a great force of the rebels , and he therefore chose the road that would lead to the Denkera country . If that could be reached , they would be in a friendly country . The line to be taken was kept a profound secret , and was not revealed until ten o'clock on the evening before starting . The force consisted of six hundred soldiers , with a hundred and fifty rounds of ammunition a man , seven hundred carriers , and about a thousand refugees . There was a mist in the morning , and the garrison who were to remain made a feint , to direct the enemy 's attention to the main road . The column was not engaged until it reached a strong breastwork , at Potasi .