▁Lanc ers , ▁the ▁Gu ards ▁Brigade , ▁and ▁art illery , ▁engineer , ▁and ▁medical ▁support ▁elements . ▁ ▁Adv ance ▁to ▁attack ▁ ▁A ▁dri zz le ▁started ▁by ▁mid - af ternoon ▁on ▁ 1 0 ▁December ▁and ▁continued ▁throughout ▁the ▁art illery ▁bomb ard ment , ▁which ▁was ▁delivered ▁by ▁ 2 4 ▁field ▁guns , ▁four ▁how itz ers , ▁and ▁a ▁ 4 . 7 - inch ▁naval ▁gun . ▁In ▁prepar ation ▁for ▁the ▁attack , ▁the ▁British ▁soldiers ▁b iv ou ack ed ▁in ▁the ▁rain ▁ ▁from ▁the ▁Bo er ▁lines . ▁Instead ▁of ▁" soft ening " ▁the ▁Bo er ▁positions , ▁the ▁explos ions ▁of ▁ly dd ite ▁shell s ▁against ▁the ▁facing ▁s lop es ▁above ▁their ▁tren ches ▁merely ▁alert ed ▁the ▁Bo ers ▁to ▁the ▁imp ending ▁attack . ▁As ▁mid night ▁approached , ▁the ▁rain ▁increased ▁to ▁a ▁down p our ▁and ▁the ▁leading ▁elements ▁of ▁the ▁High land ▁Brigade ▁comm enced ▁their ▁advance ▁towards ▁their ▁objective ▁at ▁the ▁southern ▁end ▁of ▁Mag ers f onte in ▁r idge . ▁W au cho pe ▁had ▁made ▁a ▁similar ▁night ▁march ▁in ▁his ▁advance ▁on ▁O md ur man ▁in ▁ 1 8 9 8 , ▁but ▁this ▁time ▁he ▁was ▁faced ▁not ▁by ▁flat ▁desert ▁terrain ▁and ▁clear ▁sk ies , ▁but ▁rather ▁by ▁tor r ential ▁rain , ▁rock y ▁out cro ps , ▁and ▁th orn ▁scr ub , ▁which ▁caused ▁del ays ▁and ▁anno y