A long interval had passed since the occurrence of the events recorded
in the last chapter. It was now July, the depth of the southern winter.
Although Zululand is on the border of the tropics, there is often at
that season damp and chilly weather, which is extremely trying to
Europeans. When our story re-opens, George, Vander Heyden, and Redgy
were lying on some tiger-skin karosses, under the shelter of a Cape
waggon, enjoying the warm beams of the sun, which in the forenoon had
considerable power.
The scene was very different from that surrounding Rorke's Drift, being
extremely picturesque and beautiful. A rich undulating plain was spread
out before them, terminating in woody heights. The green surface was
varied by patches of mimosa scrub and groves of acacias and date palms.
Under the hills to the right, which were mostly covered with thorns, the
course of the noble Zulu river, the White Umvalosi, was distinctly to be
traced, now lost between graceful masses of feathery foliage, now
flashing out from behind its screen into the full sunlight.
"Do you know what that mound is yonder?" inquired Margetts, pointing to
a vast green tumulus, conspicuous in the distance in the direction of
the north-east. "Has a battle been fought there, or what?"
"That is King Panda's tomb!" said Vander Heyden,--"Cetewayo's father,
you know. He was interred there in a sitting attitude, as is the custom
of the country. The meaning of it, I suppose, is to signify that he is
still ruling the land, as they have a sort of superstitious belief that
he does. They are very particular about their funeral ceremonies. They
have an idea that the spirits of the dead will punish severely any
omission of them!"
"And they have an unpleasant custom of killing some hundreds of people
to do honour to the dead, haven't they?" inquired Redgy.
"Yes, they have," assented Vander Heyden; "but to do your English
Government justice, they would not allow that. One reason why I
resolved to follow this out to the last, is because I know Cetewayo's
barbarity has only been kept within any bounds by the power of the
English. Were he to be able to defy that, the horrors of the past would
be revived."
"Shall we pass Panda's tomb on our way to attack Ulundi to-morrow?"
asked Margetts. "I am not sure that even now I know the exact position
of the royal kraal!"
"It is there," said Vander Heyden, pointing with his hand, "in the
centre of those masses of the mimosa scrub. It is as much as fifteen or
sixteen miles from here. If we are to march to attack it to-morrow, as
you say, Margetts, and as is generally believed in the camp, it will be
a long day's work over a country like this."
"I agree with you," said George; "but, nevertheless, the attempt will be
made. In a very few days, perhaps in a single day, the opportunity will
be lost to Lord Chelmsford of recovering the laurels he lost at
Isandhlwana. Sir Garnet Wolseley has already arrived from England, and
may take the command over any day."
"I don't suppose we shall ever get very near Ulundi without having a
brush with these black fellows," observed Margetts. "They are about in
great numbers, and will never allow the royal kraal to be taken, if they
can prevent it."
Much had happened during the last few months of public interest, as well
as affecting the personal concerns of the characters of our story. In
the first place, hostilities had altogether been broken off after the
action at Rorke's Drift. Lord Chelmsford, over-estimating perhaps the
gravity of the situation, as he had before certainly underrated it,
resolved not to recommence operations until he was in command of a force
sufficient to bear down all resistance. He argued, and perhaps rightly,
that, after his experience at Isandhlwana, the native troops could not
be relied upon in any action with the Zulus; and without them the forces
at his command were insufficient to face the vast multitude still under
Cetewayo's orders. Pearson had had to intrench himself at Ekowe, where
he would be obliged to defend himself, until troops sufficient for his
relief could be got together. Colonel Wood was in like manner under the
necessity of fortifying a camp on Kambula Hill, unable to advance;
though the terror in which his name was held, and his own extreme
vigilance, rendered any attack upon him too dangerous to be attempted.
Lord Chelmsford's demands for powerful reinforcements were promptly
granted. Two regiments of cavalry, five of infantry, two field
batteries of artillery, and a company of engineers, were sent out in
large and powerful steam-vessels, placing, with those already in Natal,
not less than twenty-two thousand men at his disposal.
But, notwithstanding all the exertions made, a long delay ensued, during
which the prestige of England seemed to be continually on the wane, and
the terror inspired by Cetewayo continually on the increase. The
general belief throughout Natal--it might be said throughout the whole
of Southern Africa--was that if Cetewayo, leaving a sufficient force to
keep Wood and Pearson within their camps, were to lead say thirty
thousand of his braves into the colony, no resistance could be offered.
The inhabitants would have to shut themselves up in the towns, which had
been fortified in anticipation of such a danger, leaving their villages,
their farm and country houses, their cattle and their crops, an
undisputed prey to their invaders.
The anxiety was in a great measure relieved when, early in April, the
battle of Ginghilovo was fought and the relief of Ekowe effected. But
the disaster at Intombi, occurring at nearly the same time, which proved
only too plainly how completely the blacks were masters of the country,
and not long afterwards the melancholy death of the Prince Imperial,
saddened all hearts. The universal feeling throughout the country was
that, if the lustre of the British arms was to be vindicated, it must be
by some brilliant achievement, which would throw all previous disasters
into the shade.
All our friends, George and Redgy and Hardy and Vander Heyden, had been
embarrassed by the untoward course of events. George had obtained leave
of absence from camp duties. The Mounted Volunteers indeed had been
reduced to a mere handful, and though he and Margetts and Vander Heyden
all intended to accompany the British forces to the end of the campaign,
they had to wait until they were drafted into some other corps. Rivers
and Margetts proceeded to Dykeman's Hollow, where they learned that Mr
Rogers was still detained in England by business connected with Cape
politics. He had written, however, to George, of course in ignorance of
Umbelini's raid and the disastrous issue of the invasion of Zululand,
and George proceeded to carry out his instructions, as far as he was
able. All the waggons and farm stock had been brought back, and nearly
all the native servants had returned to their work. George commenced
his duties as a Sunday school teacher, and though he felt somewhat
strange and awkward in the discharge of them, he was not on the whole
dissatisfied. His house was convenient enough, though curiously
different in many respects from an English house. There was room enough
for Redgy to be lodged in it also; and George took upon himself to
engage him as an assistant at the farm, until he could hear from Mr
Rogers, to whom he had written on the subject. The two young men had
agreed that, although the present delay was extremely inconvenient to
them,--Redgy being anxious to find some settled work, and George to set
out in search of his mother,--their honour was pledged to accompany the
British troops in accomplishing the overthrow of Cetewayo, and they must
persevere. George had written to his mother, and a trader going up the
country had promised to deliver his letter. But the weeks and months
went by, and no reply was received, and he could not but be aware how
slight the likelihood was that his letter had reached its destination.
The delay was equally embarrassing to Henryk Yander Heyden. He was not
only weary of the enforced inactivity and anxious to set in order his
new home, but his relations with his sister distressed him. He and
Annchen had removed to Newcastle, to which town such of his goods and
possessions as had escaped destruction at the hands of Umbelini had been
conveyed. There he had found a tolerably comfortable abode, but there
was nothing to employ his time, and inaction was particularly trying to
him. If he had not felt himself bound by the vow he had made not to lay
down his arms until Cetewayo had been deposed or slain, he would have
set out for Zeerust without further concerning himself in the war. But
he was a man who, when he had once taken a determination, persisted in
it till the last. And when day after day passed, and the English
troops, for reasons which it seemed impossible to understand, still
delayed their march into Zululand, he only chafed and fretted, and made
his comments on the English commander-in-chief in terms which were
perhaps just, but not flattering.
As for Annchen, the present period of inactivity was even more trying to
her. She had mourned sincerely for the loss of Frank Moritz, of whose
good qualities she had been fully sensible. But along with this there
was a sense of relief; for which she reproached herself, perhaps too
severely. She had never been in love with him, in the real sense of
that expression; and as time went on, the conviction stole upon her that
she _was_ falling in love, if she had not already done so, with some one
else. The scenes during the wreck had brought Rivers before her in a
very striking light; and she could not but be sensible (though nothing
could be more respectful and reserved than his demeanour) of his
devotion to herself. She saw that it was her brother's opposition alone
which prevented his coming forward, and she rebelled against her
brother's prejudices as unreasonable and even ungrateful. The mutual
embarrassment that had for some time been felt increased during her
residence at Newcastle. It was the nearest town of any size to
Dykeman's Hollow, and George, who had temporarily assumed the management
of Mr Rogers' property, had continual occasions of riding in thither on
matters of business. Sometimes they met in the street and exchanged
greetings, and some conversation passed. Sometimes it was the brother
he encountered, and Vander Heyden was always cordial and courteous,
though he never spoke of his sister or invited Rivers to his house.
Considering that George must necessarily need refreshment after his long
ride, and the hospitable habits of the Dutch, Annchen could not but feel
that this was ungracious and marked. Once or twice she tried to express
this to him, but stammered and hesitated so much over it that she was
obliged to desist. If Vander Heyden had known much of feminine nature,
he would have been aware that, if he wished to check the growth of an
attachment on his sister's part for Rivers, he was taking the most
likely means possible of defeating his object.
At last, one day about the middle of June, Henryk encountered his friend
in the street at Newcastle, with an expression on his face which had
long been absent from it.
"We are summoned to headquarters," he said, "at last. The march to
Ulundi is to begin immediately. We are to set off to-morrow. We are to
advance to Luneberg, where a junction will be effected with Sir Evelyn
Wood; and then the whole army will proceed to Ulundi for what will be, I
trust, the final struggle."
On the following morning, accordingly, the three adventurers set forth,
and on reaching Lord Chelmsford's quarters, found Hardy already there.
The three Baylens and Matamo, remained at Horner's Kraal, though the
farmer adhered to the promise he had given of lending them Matamo for
their expedition across the Transvaal.
In a few days more the march began. George was interested and almost
amused at noticing the extreme caution which was now observed in
securing the troops against the attacks of the enemy. Whenever any spot
was approached where a ledge of rocks or a wooded hillside might afford
protection to an assailing force, scouts were always sent forward to
make the most careful examination of it. Immediately after a halt, the
camps were always strongly fortified, and even surrounded by lines of
galvanised wire, which the soldiers humorously called "Cetewayo
catchers." The heliograph, too, was invariably set up, by which
messages in cases of emergency could be despatched. The change from
reckless indifference to danger, and unbounded contempt for the enemy,
to the most extreme and jealous caution, was curious to notice.
On the 3rd of July, as the reader has heard, the English force had
approached so near to Ulundi that an action was evidently imminent. The
broad, open plain which extends between Nodwengu and Ulundi seemed to
have been chosen by mutual consent to determine what might be called the
decisive encounter between civilisation and barbarism. On the day
following the conversation between George and his friends, the English
army formed in square and marched on the royal kraal. It was an unusual
order for a march, but one which rendered a surprise impossible. The
infantry formed all four sides of a square; the cavalry, mounted
infantry, and volunteers protected the front and flanks; the Basutos
covered the rear. The cannon were placed at the angles; the ammunition
and waggons in the centre.
The march proceeded past the green tomb of King Panda already mentioned,
steadily moving onwards towards Ulundi. Presently there was visible in
the distance a vast array of oval-shaped shields, above which rose
multitudes of feathered head-dresses and the blades of glittering
assegays, where the interminable host of Cetewayo's warriors were
advancing to commence the battle.
The order was now given to halt, the ranks were formed in close order,
four deep,--the two in front kneeling as though to repel a charge of
cavalry, and the two behind firing steadily over their heads.
"They mean it," exclaimed George to Redgy, as they sat side by side on
their horses, watching the movements of the enemy; "Ginghilovo hasn't
frightened them after all."
"No," said Hardy, who was next to George on his other side. "I don't
expect that any of these fellows were there, and it isn't an easy matter
to cow them at any time."
"And look what multitudes of them there are!" said Redgy; "the whole
plain seems full of them. They outnumber us, four or five to one, I
should say."
"Quite," assented Hardy. "But if there were forty to one, it would not
affect the result, if our fellows stand firm. It is impossible for them
to approach the line of fire."
"They don't think so, though," observed Redgy. "Here they come."
As he spoke the dark columns were seen moving forward, the men advancing
with a kind of springing step, holding their shields before them on
their left arms. After firing their carbines, they did not stop to
reload, but pressed forward, brandishing their assegays in their right
hands. A stern silence was observed in the British line until they were
within rifle fire. Then the word was given, and the fusillade began.
The effect was terrific. The Gatling guns opened whole lanes in the
advancing masses, and the leaden storm from the rifles struck down
hundreds at every discharge. The ground was almost instantly heaped
with bodies, so that the rearward file had to struggle over the piles of
slain. They continued, however, to press forward with fierce shouts and
undaunted valour to inevitable death, though the fire only grew heavier
as they struggled nearer to it.
"What splendid fellows!" said George admiringly; "it really seems a
shame to massacre them after this fashion, though no doubt there is no
help for it."
"They are stopping now, though," said Hardy. "They have advanced nearer
than any other troops in the world would, I think, have done, but they
are wavering and recoiling now. Ha! there is the signal to charge," he
added, as the bugle sounded. "Now for it, then, George?"
As he spoke, the cavalry darted forth from either flank, and swept down
with the force of a hurricane on the disorganised and disheartened
masses. In an instant the whole body of Zulus broke and fled in all
directions, the horsemen with their sabres plunging among them and
mercilessly hewing them down. Even in this extremity the gallant blacks
turned again and again on their pursuers, pouring in desultory volleys
or hurling assegays, which cost the conquerors many a life. Nor did
resistance entirely cease till tracts of broken country were reached,
where it was impossible for the cavalry to follow farther. Then they
halted, recalled the stragglers, and slowly returned over the scene of
the long encounter, the whole route being heaped with the dead and dying
with a sad and terrible sameness.
"Well, Vander Heyden," said Rivers, as they lay on their karosses that
evening, too much exhausted with their day's work to raise their heads
from their pillows, "our vows are fulfilled at last. Cetewayo is
completely crushed. His army is destroyed, or too widely scattered to
be gathered together again. He will never fight another battle nor
summon another council. Now at last we may think of our long-delayed
journey to Zeerust."
"I do not know what the terms of _your_ vow were, Rivers," answered the
Dutchman, "but mine remains to be fulfilled Cetewayo is neither slain
nor captive yet I grant his power is to all appearance broken. But he
is a brave and resolute savage, and his people are still devotedly
attached to him. So long as he is alive and at liberty, _my_ vow is not
accomplished. You of course can do as you will. But I am not free to
depart at present."
George looked disappointed. "My own resolve," he said, "no doubt, was
to see an end of Cetewayo before I left, and I should not like to set
out without you,"--possibly George may have added inwardly, "or without
Annchen." But if this was his thought, he kept it to himself. "I
suppose," he added a moment afterwards, "Hardy also will wait to
accompany you."
"No doubt," assented the Dutchman; "and besides, Rivers, I ought to tell
you that, anxious as I am to set out, I should not like to do so at this
season of the year. Even here the weather is extremely trying,--trying
even to those who have lived as long in the country as I have. But in
the camp here we have sufficiency of food and firing and shelter, as
well as medical attendance close at hand, if we should want it. None of
these things are to be had with any certainty in the Transvaal. It
would be unwise, for you and Mr Margetts at all events, to make the
attempt for five or six weeks to come. One of the things that vexed me
most last April, when that extraordinary delay occurred, was that I knew
that we could not then set out until the beginning of September. But by
that time, I have no doubt, Cetewayo will have been killed or be a
prisoner in our hands."
"I suppose you are right," said George reluctantly. "Well, if I must
remain, I shall try to make part of the force that is sent to catch him.
I only hope there will not be as long a delay about this part of the
affair as there was about the march to Ulundi."
The feeling expressed by George was one generally entertained throughout
the camp. But nevertheless the search after the Zulu king seemed to
partake of the same inactivity which had prevailed from the first.
Rumours were brought in that Cetewayo, who had refused all the offers
made him, in deep distrust, no doubt, of the good faith of the English
in making them, had fled into the recesses of a wild primeval forest on
the borders of the Black Umvalosi, known as the Ngome Country. Here it
was almost impossible to pursue him. The scenery was wild, broken,
covered with rock and wood, presenting innumerable fastnesses, which
could only be approached with the utmost caution, and great numbers of
Zulus were still lurking in the neighbourhood, quite capable of
exterminating any party which they might surprise unawares. A cordon
was drawn round this district, and the circle gradually contracted; but
for a long time, notwithstanding the rewards offered, and the fact that
numbers of Cetewayo's bitterest enemies were on his trail, no certain
intelligence of his lurking-place could be obtained. At last, on the
26th of August, information came in, which indicated exactly where the
fugitive was to be found. Major Marter of the Dragoon Guards was
ordered to take a squadron of his men, together with some of the native
horse and a few mounted infantry, to effect the capture. With some
difficulty, Rivers and Vander Heyden were included among the latter.
On the morning of the 27th they set out, the mounted infantry acting as
scouts, and the others following. They made their way through wild and
picturesque scenes, where the foot of civilisation seemed never to have
trodden. Here and there the rude pathway was interrupted by mountain
streams, leaping over rocky heights. The horsemen passed under groups
of date palms, mimosas, and euphorbias, the giant trailers dropping from
branch and crag in tropical luxuriance round them; overhead jays and
parrots, exhibiting the brightest hues, screamed and croaked; and troops
of monkeys chattered. Every now and then a watchful eye could see
venomous snakes creeping off through the brushwood or making their way
along the boughs of trees, scared by the sight of the scarlet tunics or
the tramping of the horses' hoofs. It was a strange, bewildering
journey.
At length they reached a mountain height, from which, at the distance of
a mile or two at the most, a small kraal was to be seen, in which, as
the spies confidently assured Major Marter, the royal fugitive had taken
refuge.
It was a difficult point to approach. The wooded valley in which it was
situated lay at a great depth, more than a thousand feet, it might be
twice that distance, below; and if the party should be seen before they
were close to the kraal, escape would be possible into a tangled
wilderness, where pursuit would be extremely difficult.
The major made his arrangements accordingly. He caused the dragoons to
lay aside their scabbards and all the rest of their accoutrements, which
would make a rattling noise as they advanced. Then he sent some of the
native contingent and volunteers, among whom George and Vander Heyden
were included, to creep down the mountain-side, keeping carefully out of
sight, and making no noise, until they reached the edge of the stream on
the banks of which the kraal stood. Arrived there, they were to conceal
themselves among the dense bushes which fringed the stream, until the
major himself with his dragoons were seen coming up on the opposite
side. Then they were to cross the stream, which a good leap would be
sufficient to surmount, and surround the kraal. Marter himself led his
Dragoon Guards to a point three miles distant, where the slope of the
hills was sufficiently easy to allow of their riding down.
George and his companions accomplished the difficult descent
successfully, clinging to the baboon ropes,--as a species of long
trailer is called, and swarming down the date palms, all in profound
silence. The chief danger arose from the incessant screaming of the
monkeys, which rose in such a chorus that the adventurers were afraid
that the attention of the occupants of the kraal might be attracted by
it. But Cetewayo and his followers either felt confident in the
security of the place of their retreat or were over-wearied by their
recent exertions. George and his companions succeeded in reaching the
bank of the stream unobserved. They could see a Zulu soldier or two
moving about, and now and then a woman coming out and going back into
the kraal. But all was listless and dispirited. The alert and watchful
activity of the Zulus seemed completely to have deserted them.
Presently the sound of hoofs was heard, and the Dragoons, sabre in hand,
came galloping up. At the same moment George and his comrades rushed
from their concealment and cleared the little stream at a bound.
The Zulus offered no resistance. It might be that they felt that the
struggle would be hopeless, but it seemed as though all heart and hope
had deserted them. They raised a feeble cry. "The white soldiers are
here, my father! You are their prisoner."
There was a moment's pause, then the door opened, and the huge and
sinewy figure of Cetewayo came forth. He looked worn and over-wearied,
but he still retained something of his native dignity. George and
Vander Heyden stepped up on either side, as if to arrest him, but he
waved them off.
"Lay no hands on me," he said, "white men. I am a king; I surrender not
to you, but only to your chief."