SHANGANI COLUMN—THROUGH THE FOREST
_14th September to 19th September_
We commence Operations in the Somabula Forest—We seize Lozan’s
Cornfields—Remains of Murdered White Men—We divide the Column into
three Patrols and a Reserve—We come on the M’limo’s Impi—Hunting the
M’limo—Our daily Routine—We capture some Kraals and Prisoners—Another
Murdered Farmer—A Night March through the Forest—Our Horses begin to
give out—We reach the Gwelo River.
_14th September._—To–day we have started operations against the
Somabula Forest. Taking with me 160 men, hussars and mounted infantry,
with two guns, an ambulance, and four waggons lightly loaded, I have
marched away to the northward, leaving near Uwini’s stronghold, under
command of Captain Agnew, the remainder of the force, to complete the
collection of grain and obtain the surrender of rebels. I propose now
to break up the rebel impi said to be collected near here; to drive
the rebels out of the Somabula Forest; and to break up posts which
have been established on the main paths in this district, to prevent
would–be surrenderers from coming in to us.
_15th September._—Before dawn this morning we made a rapid march across
the Uvunkwe River and through the bush to the grainfields and villages
of Lozan. These we found deserted, but fresh spoor of a large number
of people, all making for the forest, showed that they had been there
the previous day, but had got wind of our movements in time to make
their escape. We managed to capture a few women, some of whom had come
from the impi in the Mashene Hills, which I had proposed to attack, and
they saved me much trouble by telling me that that impi was already on
the move north–westwards, because of a strong column of white troops
which was approaching it from the eastward, with the evident intention
of attacking it. This, I concluded, was Colonel Paget’s column, which
had been coming up from Victoria, _via_ Gwelo, into the Maven district;
so my obvious course was now to make for the north with all speed, and
cut off this impi in its flight. But in doing so, I should have to pass
through the most occupied part of the Somabula Forest, and I consider
the most effective way of doing this will be to divide my force into
three patrols, to move rapidly on parallel courses through the forest,
as lightly equipped as possible, leaving the waggons with another
party to follow along a central route in rear, to form, as it were, a
supporting depôt and reserve.
At Lozan’s kraal we found ourselves well in the Somabula Forest, but
it is scarcely a forest in the usual sense of the word. The trees are
quite small and growing close together, more like a pheasant cover in
England than a great forest, but without much undergrowth and with
sandy soil under foot; an easy place to lose your way in, and an
unpleasant one on account of the want of water. But this same want of
water should very much simplify matters when we are seatching for the
rebels, as we have simply to go to the few existing water–places to
find their tracks, which we can then follow up, with the certainty of
discovering their hiding–place.
Our camping–place for the middle of the day is on the drift where
the Hartley Hill road crosses the Uvunkwe River, and the Native
Commissioner (Gielgud), my orderly, and I were making our way back from
Lozan’s to this camp by a roundabout route through the bush, in the
hopes of picking up more prisoners, when we suddenly came on a couple
of koodoo, splendid great brindled buck. I had a hasty shot at one
with my Lee–Metford, and luckily struck him through the upper part
of the forelegs, breaking both of them, and so disabling him. I was
thus able to go up to him and finish him with another bullet, which,
however, passed clean through him, making but a very small hole. The
probability is that, had I hit him through the body in a non–vital
spot, he would have gone on his way rejoicing. We soon had him cut
up and slung over my horse for conveyance to camp. On getting to our
outspan near the drift, we came on the remains of three white people,
who had been murdered here by rebels. One poor chap had evidently made
a hard fight for his life, being at some distance from the others under
a tree. There was not much by which to identify the bodies, but one had
his teeth peculiarly stopped with gold, and a half–sovereign was picked
up with some markings on it.
This evening I started off my patrols to operate through the forest;[3]
the right–hand patrol, consisting of about thirty mounted infantry
under Captain Kekewich, is to go through the forest and follow the
course of the Gwelo River, which forms the right–hand boundary of the
forest. He is to gain touch, if possible, with Colonel Paget, and
also to work out that side of the forest as much as possible, getting
his water in the Gwelo River. The second patrol, forty men under Major
Ridley, is to keep along the Uvunkwe River, which forms the left–hand
boundary of the forest. His duty will be to patrol into the forest from
this side, follow up and drive out all rebels, getting his water–supply
in the Uvunkwe. The third patrol, of forty of the 7th Hussars under
Captain Poore, with which I am going, will press on at a rapid pace
down the Uvunkwe and through the forest on to the lower part of the
Gwelo River, where we shall be in a position to cut off all parties of
rebels who may be retreating before Colonel Paget’s attack and those
of our other two patrols, and we shall there be able also to get on
to the path which leads to the one great refuge in the north, the
grain–bearing district of Inyoka. Meanwhile, the waggons, guns, and
ambulance, with a sufficient guard, will follow leisurely along the
Uvunkwe River, so as to be at hand with further supplies or assistance
if required by any of the patrols. Each patrol takes with it as much
food as the men can carry on their saddles, which, however, does not
amount to more than four days’ supply.
I started after dark with my patrol, and we did eleven miles in the
moonlight before we off–saddled for our first bivouac.
_16th September._—This morning by dawn we were pushing our way along
the Uvunkwe, but could find no sign of the recent presence of the
natives. The river holds plenty of water, and is a very pretty one,
full of long reaches and pools fringed with green reeds and overhanging
trees; the scenery round is generally undulating yellow grass veldt,
thickly dotted with grey thorn–bush; it is all parched and dry as a
bone. As we got farther on our way, the thorn–bush became thicker,
and at last we got into a forest of thorns which defeated us. We had
to lead our horses and to struggle at a very slow pace through this
dense, prickly bush, and finally had to give it up as a bad job. We
then made our way with difficulty down into the river bed, where
the going was more open. Just as we were crossing the sandy bank, I
saw that which made my heart stand still. A path of perfectly fresh
tracks leading from the water up into another part of the same bush
from which we had just emerged; so fresh were they that the water in
some of the shallower puddles was still muddy, and a dog was quietly
trotting along the path towards the bush. We did not wait one instant;
Poore and I tore up the path, followed by the hussars, as fast as we
could go. Dashing along the spoor like a pack of hounds, we very soon
found ourselves in the bush, and among a lot of huts and scherms; but
too late! We could hear the crackling of twigs as the niggers bolted
in front of us into the deep, thick bush. All their fires were left
burning, and cooking–pots full of pumpkins and mealies were boiling
merrily on the fires; their clothes and clubs, assegais and loot, were
lying about in heaps; there were army greatcoats, white men’s and
women’s clothes, axes, saws, tinned provisions, and other articles,
evidently spoils of murdered whites; and among other things I picked up
a trinket which had its meaning for us, and that was a small necklace
of peculiar black beads; this necklace was of the kind which only a
certain regiment of Matabele were allowed to wear, namely, M’tini’s
regiment, which acted as the bodyguard of M’qwati (M’qwati is the
high priest of the M’limo in these parts). We were in luck indeed if
we could but catch these men; it is this impi which provides posts in
different parts of the country with orders to kill any of the natives
who desire to make peace with the whites, or to come in to surrender. I
brought away with me a rhinoceros–hide sjambok (whip) and an induna’s
staff. From these evidences, and from the appearance of the huts, we
guessed that this camp was the headquarters of M’tini, the leader
of the regiment; but we knew from reports of prisoners that M’qwati
usually lived at some little distance from M’tini, in a safer spot, so
we hoped that with a little searching we might find him. Therefore,
leaving Poore with his men to destroy the huts, I took two or three
hussars with me, and followed the spoor for nearly another three
miles alongside the thick bush. But by this time the sun had set,
it was getting dark, and I could see no further sign of the rebels.
I therefore reluctantly abandoned the chase for the time being, and
returned to Poore, who had now gone into bivouac on the river bank.
Knowing that the rebels would probably remain in the thickness of the
bush, but would have to come to the river to get their water, we lit up
a line of fires after dark all along the river bank for nearly a mile
opposite the spot where the bush came down to the river. This was to
frighten the enemy from trying to get water, as they would think we had
a number of men near each fire. As a matter of fact, so soon as we had
finished supper we continued our march in the darkness down the river,
and bivouacked again when we had got below the junction of the Uvunkwe
with the Shangani River.
[Illustration: FOLLOWING UP THE SPOOR
Spooring or tracking the enemy was our usual way of getting to him. With
a little practice spooring can be carried out with great certainty, and
at a good pace.]
_17th September._—I started before dawn this morning with a patrol of a
dozen men to resume my hunt for M’qwati, going back to the spot where I
had broken off yesterday evening. Poore meanwhile took another patrol
up the Shangani, in order to intercept these rebels should they think
of retiring in that direction. On my way back I saw Ridley’s patrol in
the distance, and accordingly went across to him and arranged that he
should further investigate this patch of bush, and cut off its water
supply again that night, both from the Uvunkwe and from the Shangani.
Then I went on and struck yesterday’s spoor, and followed it into the
bush; as this got too thick for the horses, we dismounted and pressed
along on foot. Fresh spoor struck in on to the old, and every minute
the scent, as it were, seemed to get hotter and hotter. We shoved along
faster and faster, tearing along and being torn. Suddenly I see smoke
through the bushes, then the yellow thatch of huts. I jump forward,
leaving my hat in a Wacht–een–Beetche thorn–bush. I don’t care—can’t
stop. There they are! I can see two men at anyrate dodging about—there
may be more. One fine big fellow in European clothes clashes out of a
hut and makes off with a gun in his hand. I yell to him, “Imana, andi
bulali!” (Stop, I am not going to kill you!). But he does not stop,
and I try not to keep my promise, but unfortunately I have one of the
new–fangled guns that I do not understand—slipperty–flip, click–clack
and tick!—but there’s no report; three times I cover him with my
sights, aiming nice and low, just about the small of his back, but each
time my gun refuses to go off. I have forgotten to turn on or off some
little gadjet or other, and the man escapes. Curious that the momentary
failure of a spring to act should spare a man to live to enjoy many
years of domestic bliss or—to murder a few more fellow–creatures!
And that was the last we saw of these rebels. Of course we burnt their
huts and followed on the spoor, and twice again we came upon others of
their camps, but in each case they had suspicion of our coming, and
managed to get out of the way as we arrived upon the scene, and it was
impossible to pursue them with any hope of success in that impenetrable
bush. However, I sent back a further message to Ridley by my orderly,
informing him that the enemy still were in this tract of bush, and
telling him how best to deal with them. [The orderly who took this note
came across a lion on the way, and had a shot, but missed him.]
I then went on with my patrol, back along the Uvunkwe, to meet a party
who had been sent after us from the waggons with additional supplies of
flour and coffee on pack–horses, and we met them at the place agreed
upon. During our midday halt for lunch and siesta, I found a snake had
had the impertinence to come and lie alongside of me for his afternoon
nap, and so I killed him. Later on I strolled down to the river, to
bathe in a large and tempting pool, in which several of the men had
already been having a swim. The first object that met my view on
arriving there was a leery–looking crocodile, who seemed to be winking
at me with one eye; I had a shot at him (which missed), and then I
sought another pool to bathe in; this one happened to be close to
the enemy’s watering–place, so, while undressed, I took care to leave
my boots and rifle very ready for use in case of a surprise. Bathing
became interesting when one had to keep a look–out with one eye for
Matabele creeping through the reeds, and with the other for crocodiles
rising from the water.
In the afternoon we started again with our newly–received supplies,
to overtake Poore and the rest of our party, the men who had brought
the supplies meanwhile returning to the waggons. Before leaving the
neighbourhood, however, we got up a grand sham fight, and we fired
volleys and independent firing. This was done with the idea of alarming
the rebels in the bush, and of letting them know that we were here in
some force, and probably firing on their friends; they would therefore
probably not venture out at this end of the bush, and the other end was
meantime being taken care of by Ridley and his party. Late that night
we rejoined Poore, tired out, and heartily glad to turn in to sleep.
[Illustration: THE HORSE GUARD
Vedettes are invariably posted in different directions while the horses
are grazing, to ensure their not straying, and to guard against their
surprise and capture by the enemy.]
_18th September._—Our usual daily march goes thus: Reveillé and stand
to arms at 4.30, when Orion’s belt is overhead. (The natives call this
“Ingolobu,” the pig, the three big stars being three pigs, and the
three little ones being the clogs running after them; this shows that
Kaffirs, like other nations, see pictures in the constellations.) We
then feed horses—if we have anything to feed them with, which is not
often; light fires and boil coffee; saddle up, and march off at 5.15.
We go on marching till about 9.30 or 10, when we off–saddle, and lie
up for the heat of the day, during which the horses are grazed, with a
guard to look after them, and we go on breakfasting, bathing, and in
theory writing and sketching, but in practice sleeping, at least so
far as the flies will allow. At 3.30 saddle up and march till 5.30,
off–saddle and supper; then we march on again, as far as necessary,
in the cool hours of the early night. On arriving at the end of our
march, we form our little laager; to do this we put our saddles down in
a square, each man sleeping with his head in the saddle, and the horses
inside the square, fastened in two lines on their “built–up” ropes.
To go to bed, we dig a small hole for our hip–joints to rest in, roll
ourselves up in our horse–blanket, with our head comfortably ensconced
in the inside of the saddle, and we would not then exchange our couch
for anything that Maple could try and tempt us with.
This morning we started as usual at 5.15, and continued our way
northward down the Shangani. We were now getting into a more tropical
climate, and slender palm trees began to vary the woodland scenery, and
dwarf palms and ferns abounded among the smaller bush. Everywhere we
found spoor of big buck, and also of lions.
At last we came to the spot where we considered it desirable to leave
the Shangani and strike across through the forest to get to the Gwelo
River, where we should be in a position to cut off the retreating
enemy. The map showed this to be a distance of about twenty–five miles;
but the maps of this district are naturally not to be relied upon,
since it has only been very sketchily surveyed, if surveyed at all.
We had not left the Shangani a mile behind us before we came across a
small affluent stream, and here we came on the spoor of natives not
twenty–four hours old. As we were rising the bank of this stream, we
saw a woman on the path. She was too frightened to move, or even to
speak, when we had captured her; but she had a baby on her back, and,
seeing that I began to play with the child instead of eating it, as she
had probably expected, she found her tongue, and was able to answer our
inquiries. She told us that she belonged to a party of M’tini’s impi,
which was camped a short distance farther on in the bush; and she told
us that the party that we had already surprised in the thick bush on
the Uvunkwe was also the other portion and headquarters of that impi.
While we were talking, one of the men said he saw a native running
across the veldt. Galloping in that direction, I came across the spoor
of a boy, which I followed till I ran him to earth in a thick bunch of
grass, where he was lying completely hidden. On questioning him, he
corroborated what the woman had said. He was a plucky youngster, and
faithless to his friends, for he at once volunteered to guide us to
the spot where they were camped, and showed but little alarm on being
hoicked up on to the front of one of the hussars’ saddles. Dividing
ourselves into two parties, we went forward in the direction indicated,
and, passing a ruined farmstead on our way, we presently got into a
tract of thick bush, and came suddenly upon a kraal in the heart of
it. The people in the kraal were taken completely by surprise; they
had not time to take up their arms, but dashed into the jungle, eager
to make their escape. The hussars were, however, too quick for them,
and, diving through the bush at a splendid pace with drawn swords, they
succeeded in surrounding them before they could get away, and brought
them all back into the kraal. Our detached party, in making a wider
movement round this kraal, came upon a second, and similarly captured
it and its occupants, together with a goodly flock of goats.
We then took our prisoners back to the water–place, and, as our horses
were rather tired with their morning gallop, we halted there to take
our midday rest. Our prisoners showed no signs of being sorry at their
capture; in fact, they appeared rather glad than otherwise. The women
built us shelters from the sun with branches and palm leaves, the men
killed and cut up goats for us to eat, the children lit the fires and
boiled the kettles; and so we made a peaceful, friendly–looking party.
In talking things over with the leading man among them, we found that
they were tired of war, and were only anxious to surrender, but were
kept from doing so by the orders of their chiefs, backed up by piquets
placed on all their paths. They told us, too, that the path on which
their encampment was, was a new one lately made by their co–rebels for
getting to the northward to Inyoka; and that if we followed this path
that night, it would bring us by the morning to the Gwelo River, and
that there large parties of them were massed. Naturally, we determined
to push on that evening, taking two men with us to act as guides; and
we ordered the remainder to go down to our waggons, and there report
themselves as prisoners, which they were quite willing to do. The two
men we took with us were Umtenti and Umbalena.
Before starting on our evening march, we went and examined the
homestead that we had passed in the morning, and found it was that of
a white man, whose remains were lying in the garden. He had evidently
been murdered there, and the place ransacked by rebels. We buried him,
and put up a roughly–made cross above his head, and then started on
our way into the Somabula Forest. But now the horses were beginning
to feel the effect of hard work and want of proper food. We had no
grain for them, nor could we carry it if we had—their only forage
was the withered, parched–up grass, which had no sustenance in it;
watering–places were few and far between; the atmosphere was hot, the
sand was soft and heavy under foot; so that, after we had been marching
for some hours, I was not surprised to hear that one of the horses had
given out, and could go no more; and several of the men, finding that
their horses were but staggering on under them, got off to walk. Our
pace was very slow, and the way was dark amongst the trees; the spoor
was very hard to follow, and thus it took us a long time to get over
any distance. At last we called a halt in a slightly open spot where
there was grass, the horses got a bite of food, and we lay down and
slept in our tracks for about an hour. Then on again till long past
midnight. I was hoping all the time that we might arrive at dawn upon
the Gwelo River, and thus surprise the enemy encamped there; but I now
saw that the horses were too done for any active work unless they had a
rest; and so we halted, off–saddled, and bivouacked, having done about
forty miles to–day.
_19th September._—Starting before dawn, we pressed on again through the
forest, and emerged after about three miles on the bank of the Gwelo,
passing through numerous deserted scherms of the enemy, but without
seeing any signs of his recent presence there. Our guide now told us
that if the enemy were not here, they would be at a little stream about
a day’s march the other side of the Gwelo; but while we were examining
the drift, where the track of the Matabele crossed the river, we found
a fresh spoor of two men going north, and our guides immediately said
it would be no use to follow up the enemy along that path, because
these tracks meant that two men had made their escape from the kraals
we had captured yesterday, and had gone on ahead to put the remainder
on the _qui vive_; and with our horses in their present state, I saw
it would be useless to go farther away from our base on so doubtful a
venture.
The Gwelo River itself is not a pleasing one; it is chiefly a bed of
hard, black mud, lying between black, shiny rocks, with a few pools
here and there, with an unpleasant smell about it. The sun, too, is now
very powerful, and we are all feeling tired.
It has been an immense disappointment to all of us not to find the
enemy here, but the hussars are first–rate fellows, and are cheery in
spite of all their hard work and absence of reward. Most of them walked
the greater part of the march on foot, in order to save their horses.
They all work so well and quietly, no order even in daytime or in camp
is given above the ordinary tone of voice, but it is always heard and
obeyed at once; naturally it is a great comfort to have such men with
one, for things are looking a bit more difficult now. We have placed
twenty miles of waterless forest behind us, we have only three days’
groceries with us and no meat, and our horses are very weak.
[Illustration: “A MERCIFUL MAN,” ETC.
Our horses gave out from want of food and overwork, though the men cared
for them in every way, walking in their holey boots, and sharing with
them their small ration of bread.]
But though we have not encountered the enemy, they know of our presence
in this out–of–the–way part of the world, and our spoor on their
main path to the north will deter any more fugitives from coming up
this way. Our next course will be to move down the Gwelo River until
we come to the one other path which leads to Inyoka. This path is
somewhere near the junction of the Gwelo and Shangani, and not far from
the place where Wilson’s patrol was massacred in the first Matabele
war. By getting on to this, we shall be enabled to stop any other
northward movement of the rebels, and it should bring us back on to the
Shangani in the direction of our waggons. The only drawback is that
our horses are giving out, and we have no meat, therefore we are now
going on half rations, though I hope we shall manage to get some game
to eat, as this is a celebrated game country. Nevertheless, I realise
that there is some responsibility in having sole charge and guidance of
so large a party of men, deep in an enemy’s country, and one which is
practically a desert, with no water except in the one river, and our
maps cannot be depended upon as reliable to guide one. Our two natives,
never having been in this country themselves, can only guess at our
whereabouts.