Isaac Malherbe’s determination to do something to prevent the British from returning unharmed to Ladysmith meant that he led his small force towards the noise of the soldiers descending the hill. Sampie van Zijl was shot in the throat and mortally wounded and the rest of Malherbe’s men positioned themselves along the bank of the
donga. They were directly in the path of Captain George Paley’s retreating ‘G’ company and some of ‘E’ company left on guard there. Reitz described how “Isaac whispered to us to hold our fire and each man peered into the darkness until, about fifteen yards away, we saw a black mass dimly-outlined and then, at his word of command, we poured volley after volley into their closely-packed ranks, shooting as fast as we could work the bolts of our rifles. A Captain named George Paley came up to where my brother and I knelt, firing over the edge of the bank, and as he failed to halt when called upon we both loosed a round and brought him toppling between us.”
donga. They were directly in the path of Captain George Paley’s retreating ‘G’ company and some of ‘E’ company left on guard there. Reitz described how “Isaac whispered to us to hold our fire and each man peered into the darkness until, about fifteen yards away, we saw a black mass dimly-outlined and then, at his word of command, we poured volley after volley into their closely-packed ranks, shooting as fast as we could work the bolts of our rifles. A Captain named George Paley came up to where my brother and I knelt, firing over the edge of the bank, and as he failed to halt when called upon we both loosed a round and brought him toppling between us.”
