eight o'clock
Ere the sun was quite above the horizon the loud sharp report of the former cheered the hearts of those who had been so hemmed in and pestered , and a second or so after there was a second bang as the avenging shell burst right among the bushes a thousand yards off . At the same time the ger-r-er of the machine-gun told that its handle was turning , and its deadly missiles tearing through the light cover . The effect was immediate ; the enemy cleared off like midges from a puff of tobacco smoke , and retired across the valley to their own lines . At eight o'clock the troops issued from the zereba and advanced , as before , in two squares in _ echelon _ , as it is called , which means that one was in advance of the other , but not directly in front of it . If it were , and the force were attacked , you will easily see that the rear side of the leading square and the front side of the following square could not fire at anything between them without injuring one another . Or if they were on a level , side by side , it would be the same thing , the faces opposite could not use their rifles without firing into each other . But with one square a little in rear this danger is avoided , and each can support the other .