half past six
Hart 's Irish brigade , far away to the left , were in close order . The cavalry could be seen proceeding at a trot towards Hlangwane , General Barton 's brigade still bearing to the east ; and Colonel Long and Colonel Hunt with their batteries , without waiting for their protection , galloped straight forward , and , taking up a position almost facing Fort Wylie , a few hundred yards beyond the river , opened a heavy fire ; the six naval guns , which were drawn by bullocks , being still a considerable distance behind them . Still the Boer guns remained silent . But at half past six their musketry opened suddenly upon the Queen 's Own , the Devons , and the guns , in one continuous roar . It came not only from the entrenchments on the face of the hill , but from trenches close down by the river , and from the houses of Colenso , from some railway huts , and from the bushes that fringed the south bank of the river , which had been believed to be wholly unoccupied . Five minutes later their cannon joined in the roar , with machine-guns , one-pounder Maxims , and the great Creusots and Krupps . And yet through this storm of lead and iron our soldiers went on quietly and steadily .