CAMPAIGN IN THE MATOPOS[2]
_19th July to 24th July_
A Night March—Attack on Babyan’s Stronghold—The Cape Boys in Action—No
Stretchers for the Wounded—Amateur Doctoring—The Enemy’s Attempt
to cut us off is spoiled—Result of the Action—I am sent to find
Laing—Laing’s Action at Inugu—His Laager attacked—Fort Usher—Enemy on
the Move—Sleeping in Camp.
_19th July._—At last our time came. The order was given to the men
in the morning, “Bake two days’ bread, and sleep all you can this
afternoon.” At what was usually our bedtime the whole column paraded
without noise or trumpet call, and at 10.30 we moved off in the
moonlight into the Matopos. I was told off to guide the column, because
I knew the way. I preferred to go alone in front of the column, for
fear of having my attention distracted if any one were with me, and of
my thereby losing my bearings. And there was something of a weird and
delightful feeling in mouching along alone, with a dark, silent square
of men and horses looming along behind one. Neither talking nor smoking
was allowed—for the gleam of a match lighting a pipe shines a long way
in the darkness. Except for the occasional cough of a man or snort of a
horse, the column, nearly a thousand strong, moved in complete silence.
Once a dog yelped with excitement after a buck started from its lair;
the orders for the night expressly stated that no dog should go with
the column, and accordingly this one was promptly caught and killed
with an assegai.
Soon after midnight we were within a mile of the place; the square
halted, and each man lay down to sleep just where he stood—and jolly
cold it was!
An hour before dawn we were up and on our way again, moving quietly
onwards until we were close to the pass among the koppies which led
into the enemy’s valley. Here, just as dawn was coming on, we left the
ambulance and a reserve of men, together with our greatcoats and other
impedimenta, and formed our column for attacking the stronghold.
First came an advance force comprising the two corps of Cape Boys,
Robertson’s and Colenbrander’s. Cape Boys are natives and half–castes
from the Cape Colony, mostly English–speaking, and dressed and armed
like Europeans. There were also 200 friendly Matabele under Taylor,
the Native Commissioner, 20 mounted white scouts under Coope, and a
Hotchkiss and two Maxims under Llewellyn. This force was under my
command.
Then came the main body of white troops under Colonel Plumer; this
consisted of three troops of the newly raised police under Nicholson,
the M.R.F. (Plumer’s corps), with two mountain battery guns. Also a
detachment from the Belingwe column under Sir Frederick Frankland,
which had volunteered to join in the fight (and had had to march all
night from a distant camp to overtake us) and see the fun.
Sir Frederick Carrington was there also, though properly speaking he
was on the sick–list with bronchitis,—not a thing to be trifled with
when you have an old bullet–wound in your lung,—and with him were Lord
Grey and Cecil Rhodes.
And so we advanced in the growing daylight into the broken, bushy
valley, which was surrounded on every side by rough, rocky cliffs and
koppies. Fresh paths and spoor showed that hundreds of rebels must
be living here, and at last I jumped with joy when I spotted one thin
streak of smoke after another rising among the crags on the eastern
side of the valley. My telescope soon showed that there was a large
camp with numerous fires, and crowds of natives moving among them.
These presently formed into one dense brown mass, with their assegai
blades glinting sharply in the rays of the morning sun. We soon got the
guns up to the front from the main body, and in a few minutes they were
banging their shells with beautiful accuracy over the startled rebel
camp.
While they were at this game, I stole onwards with a few native scouts
into the bottom of the valley, and soon saw another thin whisp of smoke
not far from me in the bush; we crept cautiously down, and there found
a small outpost of the enemy just leaving the spot where they had been
camped for the night. At this point two valleys ran off from the main
valley in which we were; one, running to the south, was merely a long
narrow gorge, along which flowed the Tuli River; the other, on the
opposite side of the river from us, ran to the eastward and formed a
small open plateau surrounded by a circle of intricate koppies. While
we were yet watching at this point, strings of natives suddenly
appeared streaming across this open valley, retiring from the camp on
the mountain above, which was being shelled by our guns. They were
going very leisurely, and, thinking themselves unobserved, proceeded to
take up their position among the encircling koppies. I sent back word
of their movements, and calling together the Native Levy, proceeded
at once to attack them. To do this more effectually, we worked round
to the end of the main valley and got into some vast rock strongholds
on the edge of the Tuli gorge. These, though recently occupied by
hundreds of men, were now vacated, and one had an opportunity of seeing
what a rebel stronghold was like from the inside; all the paths were
blocked and barricaded with rocks and small trees; the whole place was
honeycombed with caves, to which all entrances, save one or two, were
blocked with stones; among these loopholes were left, such as to enable
the occupants to fire in almost any direction. Looking from these
loopholes to the opposite side of the gorge, we could see the enemy
close to us in large numbers, taking up their position in a similar
stronghold. Now and again two or three of them would come out of a cave
on to a flat rock and dance a war–dance at our troops, which they could
see in the distance, being quite unsuspicious of our near presence.
They were evidently rehearsing what they would do when they caught
the white man among their rocks, and they were shouting all sorts of
insults to the troops, more with a spirit of bravado than with any
idea of their reaching their ears at that distance. Interesting as the
performance was, we did not sit it out for long, but put an abrupt end
to it by suddenly loosing a volley at them at short range and from this
unexpected quarter.
Then, clambering down among the rocks, we crossed the Tuli River and
commenced the ascent of the towering crags in which the enemy were
located. Of course this had to be done on foot, and I left my horse
tied to a tree, with my coat and all spare kit hung in the branches.
Our friendlies went very gaily at the work at first, with any amount of
firing, but very little result; the enemy had now entirely disappeared
into their caves and holes among the rocks, merely looking out to fire
and then popping in again. Our own niggers climbed about, firing among
the rocks, but presently did more firing than climbing, and began to
take cover and to stick to it; finally, two of them were bowled over,
and the rest of them got behind the rocks and there remained, and no
efforts could get them to budge. I then called up the Cape Boys and
the Maxims (in which Lord Grey assisted where it was difficult to
move owing to the very bad ground); these reinforcements came up with
no loss of time and went to work with a will. It was delightful to
watch the cool, business–like way in which Robertson brought his Boys
along. They floundered through the boggy stream and crawled up the
smooth, dome–shaped rocks beyond, and soon were clambering up among
the koppies, banging and cheering. Llewellyn, too, brought his guns
along at equal speed, and soon had them in position on apparently
inaccessible crags, where they came into action with full effect at
every chance the enemy gave them.
The fight gradually moved along the eastern valley, in the centre of
which was a convenient rock from which I was able to see all that
was going on, and it formed a good centre for directing the attacks,
as the enemy were in the rocks on every side of us. The Cape Boys,
after making a long circle round through part of the stronghold,
reassembled at this spot, and from it directed their further attacks on
the different parts requiring them, and it became the most convenient
position for the machine guns, as they were able to play in every
direction in turn from this point. For the systematic attack on the
stronghold a portion of it is assigned to each company, and it is a
pleasing sight to see the calm and ready way in which they set to work.
They crowd into the narrow, bushy paths between the koppies, and then
swarm out over the rocks from whence the firing comes, and very soon
the row begins. A scattered shot here and there, and then a rattling
volley; the boom of the elephant gun roaring dully from inside a cave
is answered by the sharp crack of a Martini–Henry; the firing gradually
wakes up on every side of us, the weird whisk of a bullet overhead is
varied by the hum of a leaden–coated stone or the shriek of a pot–leg
fired from a Matabele big–bore gun; and when these noises threaten
to become monotonous, they are suddenly enlivened up by the hurried
energetic “tap, tap, tap” of the Maxims or the deafening “pong” of
the Hotchkiss. As you approach the koppies, excitement seems to be in
the air; they stand so still and harmless–looking, and yet you know
that from several at least of those holes and crannies the enemy are
watching you, with finger on trigger, waiting for a fair chance. But it
is from the least expected quarter that a roar comes forth and a cloud
of smoke and the dust flies up at your feet.
[Illustration: THE ATTACK ON BABYAN’S STRONGHOLD: 20TH JULY
The stronghold was a circle of rocky koppies round a small open plateau.
Having gained this central position, we directed our attacks against the
surrounding koppies in turn, and drove the enemy from them.]
It’s laughable to watch a Cape Boy prying into a cave with his long
bayonet held out before him, as if to pick some human form of winkle
from his shell. Suddenly he fires into the smoke which spurts from the
cave before him. Too late: he falls, and then tries to rise—his leg is
shattered. A moment later, three of his comrades are round him; they
dash past him and disappear into the hole, two dull, thud–like shots
within, and presently they come out again, jabbering and gesticulating
to each other; then they pick up the injured man by his arms and drag
him out into the open, and, leaving him there for the doctor’s party
to find, they are quickly back again for further sport. At one moment
they appear like monkeys on unexpected points of rock, at another like
stage assassins creeping round corners and shooting,—or being shot. As
we turn the corner, going up one of the paths, we find ourselves face
to face with a similar string of rebels trotting down the path. For
a moment the thought crosses one’s mind, Shall we stop to fire or go
for them? but before the thought has time to fashion itself, we find
ourselves going for them. Nor do they wait for our bayonets: they turn
helter–skelter, rushing up the path, diving among the rocks and grass,
for though fond of administering cold steel, it is the last thing they
wish to meet with themselves, and so we treat them to the next best
thing, a few well–aimed shots.
Out on our central rock again, we get reports from various detached
attacking parties, showing that at at every point the rebels are being
cleared or killed in their dens; but plenty of individuals of them
still are left, and of this we have practical demonstration in the
frequent visitation of bullets and other missiles, and some of them
do their shooting pretty accurately, the Maxim attracting the aim of
many a marksman among them. One of these marksmen we have nicknamed
“Old Pot–legs,” from the nature of the missile (the iron legs of Kaffir
cooking–pots) with which he treats us at intervals of ten minutes or
so. Another on the other side we have christened “Rinderpest,” because
he is a plague to us with his Lee–Metford rifle.
Meantime, several of our men have got hit, and have been brought in to
our central rock, some of them brought out at considerable risk, too,
by their officers and other men. But there are no stretchers to put
them on, our bearer corps of friendly natives, who had been detailed to
accompany the force, having entirely disappeared during the advance.
(We afterwards found that they had dropped the stretchers in the Tuli
River, and had dispersed themselves into the safest hiding–places they
could find.) Nor was our surgeon here at first, Surgeon–Captain Lunan,
for wherever firing was the hottest, there he went—to try and make it
hotter. So in the meantime we did the best amateur work we could on the
wounded men brought in. Of these there were six, all badly wounded,
in addition to two more killed; and it is a pathetic comedy to watch
the burly Royal Artillery sergeant transforming himself into a nurse
for the occasion with a rough good–heartedness that does not stop to
consider whether his patients are black or white.
[Illustration: AMATEUR DOCTORING
We had two killed and six wounded. Our doctor was away in another part
of the field, and our native stretcher–bearers had thrown away the
stretchers and had bolted. So we established our “hospital” under the
lee of a rock, and did what we could with “First Aid” dressings.]
At last the firing slackens off; our Maxim and our marksmen have
stopped the fire of “Rinderpest,” “Pot–legs,” and Co. for good, and
our parties return from their attacks in different directions, pretty
tired, but cheerful; and now, having cleared the stronghold, we might
well return to the main body, who are still in the main valley behind,
but without stretchers we cannot carry the wounded, so, while we take a
rest, our flag–waggers signal back for stretchers to be sent with white
men to carry them, and not the useless friendlies.
But, from our apparent inaction, the Matabele, who still are watching
us, gather that we are in some sort of distress; presently they are
calling to one another among the rocks between us and the main body,
and very soon we find that they are collecting in force in the Tuli
River gorge, intent on cutting us off should we attempt to rejoin our
friends.
[The above was written while we paused inactive on the field, waiting
for the stretchers.]
A piquet, which we had posted in this direction, soon became pretty
warmly engaged with them, but the only danger of the situation was the
danger to the enemy themselves, for our main body, quickly realising
the state of affairs, came down upon their rear, and in a few moments,
finding themselves between two heavy fires, this wing of the rebels
broke up in hurried flight, leaving some twenty of their dusky bodies
huddled dead among the yellow grass. Very shortly afterwards a string
of white men carrying stretchers, escorted by a squadron of the M.R.F.
on foot, came up to our position, and soon we were comfortably on our
way to rejoin headquarters.
During the return march I sent the Cape Boys skirmishing into the
strongholds on either side of us, but they found them, in every
case, completely clear of living enemies, though numerous bodies and
blood–trails spoke to the success of the morning’s attack.
On reaching the main body, we lunched and slept, while the surgeons
got to work on the wounded; among these, unfortunately, a number of
amputations were found necessary, on account of the terrible wounds
inflicted by the Matabele missiles.
We learned with much regret of the death of Sergeant Warringham, who,
while we were fighting in the stronghold, had been shot when scouting
down the Tuli gorge, and had been brought in under a nasty fire by
Colonel Bridge, Captain Vyvyan, and others, patrolling near him. The
party, Colonel Frank Rhodes among them, had lost several horses shot,
but, with the greatest luck, came out unwounded themselves, except
Lieutenant Taylor, who was slightly hit.
From daylight up till two o’clock we had been at it, and though
practically only the advanced force had been engaged, the action was a
complete success, and Babyan had been broken up in his own stronghold.
And since he is the great leader among them, having been one of
Lobengula’s most trusted indunas, and also having visited the English
in their own country, his defeat should have a great moral effect among
the remaining rebel chiefs.
During the afternoon we returned to camp, arriving there after dark.
A curious incident occurred on this march back, which might have had
unpleasant effects on the man concerned. Lieutenant Lowther of Coope’s
Scouts was sent on ahead of the column to call up another ambulance
from the camp, but in doing so he lost his way, and was missing for
the next two days, eventually turning up at Fig Tree Fort, some
five–and–twenty miles distant, having met with various adventures with
small parties of the rebels on the way.
_21st July._—It had been part of the General’s plan that while we
were attacking Babyan, Captain Laing with his column should also
simultaneously attack the enemy’s impi on the Inugu Mountain, some
eight miles to the westward. During our attack yesterday morning we
had heard Laing’s guns banging away in a very lively manner in the
distance, so that we had expected, on returning to camp, to get some
news from him, but none came. We accordingly sent off some native
runners to go and find him, and to bring back information, in case he
should yet be among the mountains, and we also sent a mounted patrol
down to where his camp should be had he been successful, and returned
into the main valley of the Malema River.
But we could learn nothing of him; the natives returned and reported
that he was cut off by the enemy from all power of communication.
Naturally this began to make us feel somewhat anxious, as I had already
reported on the danger of the gorges in the neighbourhood of the Inugu,
and of the knowledge the enemy had of their tactical strength. So this
evening the General desired me to take a strong patrol of a hundred
men, and go and find Laing.
We left camp soon after dark, and followed the Malema valley in the
moonlight, until we were in the pass in the mountains which led down
to the Inugu. My idea was to move through the outlying hills to strike
the spoor which Laing had made in going into the hills, and simply
to follow that track until I found him. Even to strike the spoor,
one had to pass through some very nasty country, parts of which were
in occupation of the enemy; but as their main strength would now
be collected against Laing, and those that were left behind would
probably be asleep, I did not expect much opposition on their part.
At length we successfully struck the spoor, but, to my great surprise
and delight, we found it was quite fresh spoor, leading _outward_ away
from the mountains, and it very soon brought us to within sight of his
camp–fires; so, sounding a few trumpet–calls as we went, in order to
show that we were no enemy, we made our way into his camp about eleven
o’clock.
We found he had had a good fight, having been attacked in laager after
he had got well inside the gorge; he had eventually driven off the
enemy with the loss of nearly a hundred, his own losses being three
whites killed and ten wounded, twenty–five friendlies killed or missing
and eighteen wounded, and eighteen horses and mules killed. We did not
wait longer than to hear the good news, but started back at once for
our own camp, which we reached at three in the morning, and, needless
to say, the General was delighted to be roused up to receive the news.
Captain Laing’s column had left their camp in the Malema valley on the
19th, and had gone into the pass alongside the Inugu Mountain, but
without seeing a sign of an enemy. They had gone on to the end of this
pass, hoping to find a route by which they might come into Babyan’s
stronghold from the southward, and thus co–operate with us in our
attack on the 20th. They laagered for the night with their waggons on
the evening of the 19th in the widest part of the Inugu pass.
Just before dawn on the 20th, they had stood to arms, as usual, when
suddenly a number of shots were fired close outside the laager, and
the outlying piquet came running in, accompanied, rather than pursued,
by a crowd of Matabele. No alarm could have been more sudden, but the
men, being all at their places, were able to open fire on the moment,
and their volley checked a rush that had evidently been carefully
organised, when it was within twenty yards of the waggons. Although
checked in their attempt, the enemy did not at once recoil, but kept
up an irregular and hasty fire from what cover they could then gain
among stones and grass; but, disheartened by the readiness with which
they were received, and the telling fire of the defence, they began to
get away by twos and threes into the better cover of the rocks which
commanded the camp on all sides. It was now that the column suffered
most, for the enemy, firing at short range, with good rests and from
safe cover, picked off men and mules with great frequency. At one place
in particular a number of their best marksmen were collected together,
and did great execution until the 7–pounder was turned on them, and,
firing case at 50 yards, effectually stopped their fire. The Maxim gun
had here, too, attracted the special attention of the enemy, and four
successive men were struck down while firing it, until Captain Hopper
himself finally took the saddle.
Then the friendly natives in the laager were sent out to make a
diversion, either to draw the enemy on or to frighten him out of
his position, in either of which cases he would give our Maxims and
rifle fire a chance. The enemy, suspecting they were going to be cut
off, took the latter course; they began to retire in large numbers,
in consequence of which the defenders were enabled to inflict heavy
loss upon them, and sent them flying scattered and disheartened. But
in their short outing a large number of our Native Levy were killed,
wounded, or became missing, probably, in the latter case, taking to
caves on their own account.
The column now continued its original work, namely, that of
endeavouring to get round to Babyan’s stronghold, but, finding their
course altogether barred by mountains, they turned back, and made their
way out to the camp where I found them. Their action had, however, much
simplified ours in Babyan’s stronghold that day, for Babyan, having
heard of the approach of Laing’s column towards Inugu, while as yet
he knew nothing of our moves, had sent part of his impi to assist the
Inugu rebels; this force had come upon the scene of Laing’s fight only
to meet their friends in full flight, and had, therefore, taken no
part in that battle; and in the meantime, during their absence, we had
smashed up their own main body in their stronghold.
_22nd July._—Forgot that I had been up all night, and went for a bit
of solitary exercise into the hills, to investigate some signs I
had noted two days before of an impi camped in a new place. After a
tedious bit of work, I found that they had decamped. I then went to
the neighbourhood of Babyan’s stronghold, but could see no natives
about there. Also, in accordance with the General’s instructions, I
selected a position in which to build a fort to command this portion of
the Matopos. I chose a point where there was open, fairly flat ground
for half a mile in every direction, close to a permanent stream, at
a spot where there was a mighty thorn tree which would serve for a
“crow’s–nest” or raised platform from which a look–out man could see
well in every direction, and where a Maxim gun would command the whole
of the ground round the fort. On return to camp, I drew out the design
and plan of the proposed fort, and in the evening again went out there,
taking with me a portion of Robertson’s Cape Boys to start work upon
it the following morning. This fort was named Fort Usher, being near
the site of one of Usher’s farms.
_24th July._—It is reported that the rebels have again returned to the
Inugu gorge, so Nicholson was sent off to–day with a strong party to
investigate. A second impi is reported to be about the Chabez valley
about twelve miles westward of us in the Matopos; from Buluwayo they
report that a third is near the town (Laing has been ordered to move
in that direction); while a fourth is said to be thirty–five miles
west of Buluwayo, and five hundred of Gambo’s friendly natives are to
go against it, accompanied by Chief Native Commissioner Taylor. This
makes things seem pretty lively, but so very often these reports end in
nothing, especially when they emanate from Buluwayo.
One thing that adds to the excitement this evening, is that on seven
hills around the camp we can see the signal–fires of the enemy burning,
which may mean that they are contemplating a big attack on us. We have
withdrawn the party who were out building the fort, and concentrated
them in camp, and I shall sleep with my pistol–belt on. (I generally
only sleep with my pistol under my pillow and the lanyard round my
neck—this latter precaution I never omit.)
We sleep soundly, yet very lightly, in camp. If any one comes within
ten yards of me,—however softly he may tread,—I wake up without fail.
Bedtime is looked forward to with some zest here, for early rising and
hard work all day make one pretty ready for rest by the evening, and
very soon after supper one makes for one’s blankets.
The bedroom is usually the lee–side of a bush or scherm of cut
branches. The bed—if you are luxurious, and are marching with
waggons—is a valise–roll, comprising waterproof sheet, cork mattress,
blanket, and small feather pillow—but what is more usual, is just your
blanket, and your saddle for pillow. One’s toilet for the night is
simple: doff hat, don nightcap, and loosen your boot–laces, or, if you
have them, change your boots for shoes. Then you are ready to sleep,
and to turn out on the moment if there is a night alarm.
If you have a fire at your feet, you place the butt of the longest log
close to your hand, so that during the night you can keep it stoked
without having to get up for the purpose.
And then you take a last look at the glorious star–spangled ceiling
overhead, and, until all is blurred in sleep, you see in the dark
mantle above you the veil of ignorance that shrouds the earth from
heaven’s light beyond—the starry points of brightness that tend to
light us are holes made in that covering by the work of good men, whose
example and whose teaching encourage us to try and take our little part
in letting in the light in imitation of the greater radiant orb—to
lighten up the darkness till the daylight dawns.