THE ATTACK
“Just where we halted ran a little stream of water. I looked at it, and
an idea struck me: probably there would be no water on the koppie. I
suggested this to our captain, and, acting on the hint, he directed all
the men to drink what they could, and also to fill the seven or eight
cooking pots which we carried with us with water. Then came the crucial
moment. How were we to get possession of the koppie? When the captain
asked me, I said that I thought that we had better march up and take
it, and this accordingly we went on to do. When we came to the narrow
gateway we were, as I expected, stopped by two soldiers who stood on
guard there and asked our business. The captain answered that we had
changed our minds, and would follow on to Wambe’s kraal. The soldiers
said no, we must now wait.
“To this we replied by pushing them to one side and marching in single
file through the gateway, which was not distant more than a hundred
yards from the koppie. While we were getting through, the men we had
pushed away ran towards the town calling for assistance, a call that
was promptly responded to, for in another minute we saw scores of armed
men running hard in our direction. So we ran too, for the koppie. As
soon as they understood what we were after, which they did not at
first, owing to the dimness of the light, they did their best to get
there before us. But we had the start of them, and with the exception
of one unfortunate man who stumbled and fell, we were well on to the
koppie before they arrived. This man they captured, and when fighting
began on the following morning, and he refused to give any information,
they killed him. Luckily they had no time to torture him, or they would
certainly have done so, for these Matuku people are very fond of
torturing their enemies.
“When we reached the koppie, the base of which covers about half an
acre of ground, the soldiers who had been trying to cut us off halted,
for they knew the strength of the position. This gave us a few minutes
before the light had quite vanished to reconnoitre the place. We found
that it was unoccupied, fortified with a regular labyrinth of stone
walls, and contained three large caves and some smaller ones. The next
business was to post the soldiers to such advantage as time would
allow. My own men I was careful to place quite at the top. They were
perfectly useless from terror, and I feared that they might try to
escape and give information of our plans to Wambe. So I watched them
like the apple of my eye, telling them that should they dare to stir
they would be shot.
“Then it grew quite dark, and presently out of the darkness I heard a
voice—it was that of the leader of the soldiers who had escorted
us—calling us to come down. We replied that it was too dark to move, we
should hit our feet against the stones. He insisted upon our
descending, and we flatly refused, saying that if any attempt was made
to dislodge us we would fire. After that, as they had no real intention
of attacking us in the dark, the men withdrew, but we saw from the
fires which were lit around that they were keeping a strict watch upon
our position.
“That night was a wearing one, for we never quite knew how the
situation was going to develop. Fortunately we had some cooked food
with us, so we did not starve. It was lucky, however, that we drunk our
fill before coming up, for, as I had anticipated, there was not a drop
of water on the koppie.
“At length the night wore away, and with the first tinge of light I
began to go my rounds, and stumbling along the stony paths, to make
things as ready as I could for the attack, which I felt sure would be
delivered before we were two hours older. The men were cramped and
cold, and consequently low-spirited, but I exhorted them to the best of
my ability, bidding them remember the race from which they sprang, and
not to show the white feather before a crowd of Matuku dogs. At length
it began to grow light, and presently I saw long columns of men
advancing towards the koppie. They halted under cover at a distance of
about a hundred and fifty yards, and just as the dawn broke a herald
came forward and called to us. Our captain stood up upon a rock and
answered him.
“‘These are the words of Wambe,’ the herald said. ‘Come forth from the
koppie, and give over the evil-doers, and go in peace, or stay in the
koppie and be slain.’
“‘It is too early to come out as yet,’ answered our man in fine
diplomatic style. ‘When the sun sucks up the mist then we will come
out. Our limbs are stiff with cold.’
“‘Come forth even now,’ said the herald.
“‘Not if I know it, my boy,’ said I to myself; but the captain replied
that he would come out when he thought proper, and not before.
“‘Then make ready to die,’ said the herald, for all the world like the
villain of a transpontine piece, and majestically stalked back to the
soldiers.
“I made my final arrangements, and looked anxiously at the mountain
crest a couple of miles or so away, from which the mist was now
beginning to lift, but no column of smoke could I see. I whistled, for
if the attacking force had been delayed or made any mistake, our
position was likely to grow rather warm. We had barely enough water to
wet the mouths of the men, and when once it was finished we could not
hold the place for long in that burning heat.
“At length, just as the sun rose in glory over the heights behind us,
the Matuku soldiers, of whom about fifteen hundred were now assembled,
set up a queer whistling noise, which ended in a chant. Then some shots
were fired, for the Matuku had a few guns, but without effect, though
one bullet passed just by a man’s head.
“‘Now they are going to begin,’ I thought to myself, and I was not far
wrong, for in another minute the body of men divided into three
companies, each about five hundred strong, and, heralded by a running
fire, charged at us on three sides. Our men were now all well under
cover, and the fire did us no harm. I mounted on a rock so as to
command a view of as much of the koppie and plain as possible, and
yelled to our men to reserve their fire till I gave the word, and then
to shoot low and load as quickly as possible. I knew that, like all
natives, they were sure to be execrable shots, and that they were armed
with weapons made out of old gas-pipes, so the only chance of doing
execution was to let the enemy get right on to us.
“On they came with a rush; they were within eighty yards now, and as
they drew near the point of attack, I observed that they closed their
ranks, which was so much the better for us.
“‘Shall we not fire, my father?’ sung out the captain.
“‘No, confound you!’ I answered.
“‘Sixty yards—fifty—forty—thirty. Fire, you scoundrels!’ I yelled,
setting the example by letting off both barrels of my elephant gun into
the thickest part of the company opposite to me.
“Instantly the place rang out with the discharge of two hundred and odd
guns, while the air was torn by the passage of every sort of missile,
from iron pot legs down to slugs and pebbles coated with lead. The
result was very prompt. The Matukus were so near that we could not miss
them, and at thirty yards a lead-coated stone out of a gas-pipe is as
effective as a Martini rifle, or more so. Over rolled the attacking
soldiers by the dozen, while the survivors, fairly frightened, took to
their heels. We plied them with shot till they were out of range—I made
it very warm for them with the elephant gun, by the way—and then we
loaded up in quite a cheerful frame of mind, for we had not lost a man,
whereas I could count more than fifty dead and wounded Matukus. The
only thing that damped my ardour was that, stare as I would, I could
see no column of smoke upon the mountain crest.
“Half an hour elapsed before any further steps were taken against us.
Then the attacking force adopted different tactics. Seeing that it was
very risky to try to rush us in dense masses, they opened out into
skirmishing order and ran across the open space in lots of five and
six. As it happened, right at the foot of the koppie the ground broke
away a little in such fashion that it was almost impossible for us to
search it effectually with our fire. On the hither side of this dip
Wambe’s soldiers were now congregating in considerable numbers. Of
course we did them as much damage as we could while they were running
across, but this sort of work requires good shots, and that was just
what we had not got. Another thing was, that so many of our men would
insist upon letting off the things they called guns at every little
knot of the enemy that ran across. Thus, the first few lots were indeed
practically swept away, but after that, as it took a long while to load
the gas-pipes and old flint muskets, those who followed got across in
comparative safety. For my own part, I fired away with the elephant gun
and repeating carbine till they grew almost too hot to hold, but my
individual efforts could do nothing to stop such a rush, or perceptibly
to lessen the number of our enemies.
“At length there were at least a thousand men crowded into the dip of
ground within a few yards of us, whence those of them who had guns kept
up a continued fusillade upon the koppie. They killed two of my bearers
in this way, and wounded a third, for being at the top of the koppie
these men were most exposed to the fire from the dip at its base.
Seeing that the situation was growing most serious, at length, by the
dint of threats and entreaties, I persuaded the majority of our people
to cease firing useless shots, to reload, and prepare for the rush.
Scarcely had I done so when the enemy came for us with a roar. I am
bound to say that I should never have believed that Matukus had it in
them to make such a determined charge. A large party rushed round the
base of the koppie, and attacked us in flank, while the others swarmed
wherever they could get a foothold, so that we were taken on every
side.
“‘_Fire!_’ I cried, and we did with terrible effect. Many of their men
fell, but though we checked we could not stop them. They closed up and
rushed the first fortification, killing a good number of its defenders.
It was almost all cold steel work now, for we had no time to reload,
and that suited the Butiana habits of fighting well enough, for the
stabbing assegai is a weapon which they understand. Those of our people
who escaped from the first line of walls took refuge in the second,
where I stood myself, encouraging them, and there the fight raged
fiercely. Occasionally parties of the enemy would force a passage, only
to perish on the hither side beneath the Butiana spears. But still they
kept it up, and I saw that, fight as we would, we were doomed. We were
altogether outnumbered, and to make matters worse, fresh bodies of
soldiers were pouring across the plain to the assistance of our
assailants. So I made up my mind to direct a retreat into the caves,
and there expire in a manner as heroic as circumstances would allow;
and while mentally lamenting my hard fate and reflecting on my sins I
fought away like a fiend. It was then, I remember, that I shot my
friend the captain of our escort of the previous day. He had caught
sight of me, and making a vicious dig at my stomach with a spear (which
I successfully dodged), shouted out, or rather began to shout out, one
of his unpleasant allusions to the ‘Thing that——’ He never got as far
as ‘bites,’ because I shot him after ‘that.’
“Well, the game was about up. Already I saw one man throw down his
spear in token of surrender—which act of cowardice cost him his life,
by the way—when suddenly a shout arose.
“‘Look at the mountain,’ they cried; ‘there is an impi on the mountain
side.’
“I glanced up, and there sure enough, about half-way down the mountain,
nearing the first fortification, the long-plumed double line of Nala’s
warriors was rushing down to battle, the bright light of the morning
glancing on their spears. Afterwards we discovered that the reason of
their delay was that they had been stopped by a river in flood, and
could not reach the mountain crest by dawn. When they did reach it,
however, they saw instantly that the fight was already going on, was
‘in flower,’ as they put it, and so advanced at once without waiting to
light signal-fires.
“Meanwhile they had been observed from the town, and parties of
soldiers were charging up the steep side of the hill, to occupy the
schanses, and the second line of fortifications behind them. The first
line they did not now attempt to reach or defend; Nala pressed them too
close. But they got to the schanses or pits protected with stone walls,
and constructed to hold from a dozen to twenty men, and soon began to
open fire from them, and from isolated rocks. I turned my eyes to the
gates of the town, which were placed to the north and south. Already
they were crowded with hundreds of fugitive women and children flying
to the rocks and caves for shelter from the foe.
“As for ourselves, the appearance of Nala’s impi produced a wonderful
change for the better in our position. The soldiers attacking us
turned, realizing that the town was being assailed from the rear, and
clambering down the koppie streamed off to protect their homes against
this new enemy. In five minutes there was not a man left except those
who would move no more, or were too sorely wounded to escape. I felt
inclined to ejaculate ‘_Saved!_’ like the gentleman in the play, but
did not because the occasion was too serious. What I did do was to
muster all the men and reckon up our losses. They amounted to fifty-one
killed and wounded, sixteen men having been killed outright. Then I
sent men with the cooking-pots to the stream of water, and we drank.
This done I set my bearers, being the most useless part of the
community, from a fighting point of view, to the task of attending the
injured, and turned to watch the fray.
“By this time Nala’s impi had climbed the first line of fortifications
without opposition, and was advancing in a long line upon the schanses
or pits which were scattered about between it and the second line,
singing a war chant as it came. Presently puffs of smoke began to start
from the schanses, and with my glasses I could see several of our men
falling over. Then as they came opposite a schanse that portion of the
long line of warriors would thicken up and charge it with a wild rush.
I could see them leap on to the walls and vanish into the depths
beneath, some of their number falling backward on each occasion, shot
or stabbed to death.
“Next would come another act in the tragedy. Out from the hither side
of the schanse would pour such of its defenders as were left alive,
perhaps three or four and perhaps a dozen, running for dear life, with
the war dogs on their tracks. One by one they would be caught, then up
flashed the great spear and down fell the pursued—dead. I saw ten of
our men leap into one large schanse, but though I watched for some time
nobody came out. Afterwards we inspected the place and found these men
all dead, together with twenty-three Matukus. Neither side would give
in, and they had fought it out to the bitter end.
“At last they neared the second line of fortifications, behind which
the whole remaining Matuku force, numbering some two thousand men, was
rapidly assembling. One little pause to get their breath, and Nala’s
men came at it with a rush and a long wild shout of ‘_Bulala Matuku_’
(kill the Matuku) that went right through me, thrilling every nerve.
Then came an answering shout, and the sounds of heavy firing, and
presently I saw our men retreating, somewhat fewer in numbers than they
had advanced. Their welcome had been a warm one for the Matuku fight
splendidly behind walls. This decided me that it was necessary to
create a diversion; if we did not do so it seemed very probable that we
should be worsted after all. I called to the captain of our little
force, and rapidly put the position before him.
“Seeing the urgency of the occasion, he agreed with me that we must
risk it, and in two minutes more, with the exception of my own men,
whom I left to guard the wounded, we were trotting across the open
space and through the deserted town towards the spot where the struggle
was taking place, some seven hundred yards away. In six or eight
minutes we reached a group of huts—it was a head man’s kraal, that was
situated about a hundred and twenty yards behind the fortified wall,
and took possession of it unobserved. The enemy was too much engaged
with the foe in front of him to notice us, and besides, the broken
ground rose in a hog-back shape between. There we waited a minute or
two and recovered our breath, while I gave my directions. So soon as we
heard the Butiana impi begin to charge again, we were to run out in a
line to the brow of the hogback and pour our fire into the mass of
defenders behind the wall. Then the guns were to be thrown down and we
must charge with the assegai. We had no shields, but that could not be
helped; there would be no time to reload the guns, and it was
absolutely necessary that the enemy should be disconcerted at the
moment when the main attack was delivered.
“The men, who were as plucky a set of fellows as ever I saw, and whose
blood was now thoroughly up, consented to this scheme, though I could
see that they thought it rather a large order, as indeed I did myself.
But I knew that if the impi was driven back a second time the game
would be played, and for me at any rate it would be a case of the
‘Thing that bites,’ and this sure and certain knowledge filled my
breast with valour.
“We had not long to wait. Presently we heard the Butiana war-song
swelling loud and long; they had commenced their attack. I made a sign,
and the hundred and fifty men, headed by myself, poured out of the
kraal, and getting into a rough line ran up the fifty or sixty yards of
slope that intervened between ourselves and the crest of the hog-backed
ridge. In thirty seconds we were there, and immediately beyond us was
the main body of the Matuku host waiting the onslaught of the enemy
with guns and spears. Even now they did not see us, so intent were they
upon the coming attack. I signed to my men to take careful aim, and
suddenly called out to them to fire, which they did with a will,
dropping thirty or forty Matukus.
“‘_Charge!_’ I shouted, again throwing down my smoking rifle and
drawing my revolver, an example which they followed, snatching up their
spears from the ground where they had placed them while they fired. The
men set up a savage whoop, and we started. I saw the Matuku soldiers
wheel around in hundreds, utterly taken aback at this new development
of the situation. And looking over them, before we had gone twenty
yards I saw something else. For of a sudden, as though they had risen
from the earth, there appeared above the wall hundreds of great spears,
followed by hundreds of savage faces shadowed with drooping plumes.
With a yell they sprang upon the wall shaking their broad shields, and
with a yell they bounded from it straight into our astonished foes.
“_Crash!_ we were in them now, and fighting like demons. _Crash!_ from
the other side. Nala’s impi was at its work, and still the spears and
plumes appeared for a moment against the brown background of the
mountain, and then sprang down and rushed like a storm upon the foe.
The great mob of men turned this way and turned that way, astonished,
bewildered, overborne by doubt and terror.
“Meanwhile the slayers stayed not their hands, and on every side spears
flashed, and the fierce shout of triumph went up to heaven. There too
on the wall stood Maiwa, a white garment streaming from her shoulders,
an assegai in her hand, her breast heaving, her eyes flashing. Above
all the din of battle I could catch the tones of her clear voice as she
urged the soldiers on to victory. But victory was not yet. Wambe’s
soldiers gathered themselves together, and bore our men back by the
sheer weight of numbers. They began to give, then once more they
rallied, and the fight hung doubtfully.
“‘Slay, you war-whelps,’ cried Maiwa from the wall. ‘Are you afraid,
you women, you chicken-hearted women! Strike home, or die like dogs!
What—you give way! Follow me, children of Nala.’ And with one long cry
she leapt from the wall as leaps a stricken antelope, and holding the
spear poised rushed right into the thickest of the fray. The warriors
saw her, and raised such a shout that it echoed like thunder against
the mountains. They massed together, and following the flutter of her
white robe crashed into the dense heart of the foe. Down went the
Matuku before them like trees before a whirlwind. Nothing could stand
in the face of such a rush as that. It was as the rush of a torrent
bursting its banks. All along their line swept the wild desperate
charge; and there, straight in the forefront of the battle, still waved
the white robe of Maiwa.
“Then they broke, and, stricken with utter panic, Wambe’s soldiers
streamed away a scattered crowd of fugitives, while after them
thundered the footfall of the victors.
“The fight was over, we had won the day; and for my part I sat down
upon a stone and wiped my forehead, thanking Providence that I had
lived to see the end of it. Twenty minutes later Nala’s warriors began
to return panting. ‘Wambe’s soldiers had taken to the bush and the
caves,’ they said, ‘where they had not thought it safe to follow them,’
adding significantly, that many had stopped on the way.
“I was utterly dazed, and now that the fight was over my energy seemed
to have left me, and I did not pay much attention, till presently I was
aroused by somebody calling me by my name. I looked up, and saw that it
was the chief Nala himself, who was bleeding from a flesh wound in his
arm. By his side stood Maiwa panting, but unhurt, and wearing on her
face a proud and terrifying air.
“‘They are gone, Macumazahn,’ said the chief; ‘there is little to fear
from them, their heart is broken. But where is Wambe the chief?—and
where is the white man thou camest to save?’
“‘I know not,’ I answered.
“Close to where we stood lay a Matuku, a young man who had been shot
through the fleshy part of the calf. It was a trifling wound, but it
prevented him from running away.
“‘Say, thou dog,’ said Nala, stalking up to him and shaking his red
spear in his face, ‘say, where is Wambe? Speak, or I slay thee. Was he
with the soldiers?’
“‘Nay, lord, I know not,’ groaned the terrified man, ‘he fought not
with us; Wambe has no stomach for fighting. Perchance he is in his
kraal yonder, or in the cave behind the kraal,’ and he pointed to a
small enclosure on the hillside, about four hundred yards to the right
of where we were.
“‘Let us go and see,’ said Nala, summoning his soldiers.”