six
o'clock
Two gallant fellows went across , and when they found the line of shallow water they returned and guided their comrades over . The rush of the water was so great that many would have been swept away ; but , joining hands , they crossed in a line , and although this was broken several times , it was always reformed , and not many lives were lost . As soon as some of the troops had passed , they lined the bank until the two battalions were over , and then advanced over some low hills , clearing out a few Boers who occupied some advanced trenches . By six o'clock the ferry-boat began to carry the main body across , taking over half a company at a time ; but it was not until half-past three in the morning that the horses , waggons , the guns of the brigade , and a howitzer battery were on the northern bank , and the whole brigade established on a ridge a mile beyond the river . The Maritzburg Scouts were delighted at receiving orders on the morning after their arrival at Springfield that they were to move forward at once and encamp close to Spearman 's Farm , and to furnish orderlies for carrying messages for the general . They started at once , and after an hour 's fast riding arrived at the point assigned to them . Twenty men and an officer were at once sent to the farmhouse .