Churchill met Haldane at the station and they climbed into the wagon in front of the engine. 120 troops of the Dublin Fusiliers and the Durban Light Infantry occupied the three armoured wagons. Four sailors and a petty officer manned the 7-pounder gun on the front truck and a gang of civilian platelayers brought up the rear. Haldane did not like the idea of transporting military personnel in the clumsy behemoth which could be seen billowing smoke from kilometres away. But orders must be obeyed. At half past five on a rainy morning the signal to depart was given and the train arrived at Frere station an hour later. There they met a patrol of Natal Mounted Police who confirmed that there was no enemy within the next few miles. Haldane sent a report to Colonel Long but Churchill was keen to press on so that they did not wait for Long’s reply. In any case, Haldane was an experienced soldier with a Distinguished Service Order already to his name. On they went to Chieveley where Churchill, standing on a box to get a better view, saw “about a hundred horsemen cantering southwards about a mile from the railway”. Their telegraphist reported this to Long who ordered the train to return to Frere.