I must now pass over three years of my residence amongst the Caffres;
for although I had several adventures with wild animals, and my career
was full of interest, yet the events that occurred were very similar to
those which I have already related. The free, independent life I led,
the perpetual outdoor exercise, and the fine climate, had so agreed with
me that I had grown to be quite a young man. I was strong for my age,
tall, and very active. There were only two Caffres in the country who
could run faster than I could; and although I could not throw an assagy
as far as some of the Caffres, yet my aim was good, and several times I
had hit a running buck with one of my assagies, when the animal was
forty yards from me.
It was at this date that news reached us which caused the greatest
alarm. The Zulu country was about three days' journey from us, that is,
about 140 miles. The chief who ruled over the Zulus was named Chaka.
He was a man never satisfied unless he was at war with some other tribe;
and as he had trained a very large army to fight skilfully, he always
gained a victory over those he attacked, and consequently was able to
appropriate the cattle of the tribes he had conquered. Of all the
chiefs in South Africa none were as powerful, and as much feared as
Chaka. For he would not always wait for a cause before he attacked a
tribe. It was provocation enough for him if another nation were rich in
cattle. He considered that no one ought to be rich but he. So he would
assemble his army, often without letting them know what he intended them
to do. Then he would march off, and suddenly attack and destroy a tribe
who had no suspicion that anything was intended against them.
The Caffres who lived near Natal Bay, and the Umlass river, were always
on the alert. For they feared Chaka, and suspected that he would attack
them some day.
Our tribe near the Umzimvubu were on very friendly terms with the
Caffres near the Umlass, and it was agreed that if Chaka attacked them
we should help them, and send as many fighting men as possible to aid
them. We knew that if the Caffres near the Umlass were eaten up, it
would only be a matter of time before our turn would come. If we
allowed Chaka to attack each tribe separately his victory would be easy,
but if we joined we should give him some trouble. The probability of
Chaka coming down to attack us was a subject often discussed in our
kraals, and also the best plan of defence. We knew that we should be
outnumbered, and that therefore it would not do to meet his warriors in
the open country. We must endeavour, by skill and stratagem, to make up
what we wanted in numbers. With this end in view our men were always
practising throwing the assagy, and the knob-kerrie, and also constantly
running long distances, so as to be in good training. It was fortunate
that these precautions had been taken, or our own tribe would have been
destroyed.
One day the news was brought us that Chaka was assembling his army, and
it was believed that he intended attacking the Caffres near Natal. The
news was shouted from hill to hill, and spread rapidly over the country.
A council was called, and on the same day that the news had arrived,
about five thousand men had assembled near our kraal, each armed with
assagies, knob-kerries and shield.
There was a great deal of talking amongst the chiefs, and the plan to be
adopted for defence was long and eloquently discussed. It was decided
that our little army was to travel at once to near the Umlass river, and
join with the people there. The coast near the sea was densely wooded,
and in many places was hilly, whilst several rivers twisted about
amongst wide reedy banks; and amidst such country we should have a
better chance with the Zulus, than we should have in the open country.
Before we started on our journey, I spoke to Inyati, and asked him to
let me have twenty men whom I should select, and also that all the guns
should be given over to me and my men. I had managed to get possession
of a small barrel of gunpowder that had been saved from the wreck, and
also some lead. This lead I melted and dropped into water, so as to
form small pieces of lead like slugs. I made up nearly a hundred rounds
of cartridges, with the aid of small skins cut from buck and other small
animals; and with these precautions, I fancied I could do a great deal
when it came to a fight. Among those I selected for my little company
were Inyoni and Tembile, who I knew would follow me anywhere; in fact
all the men I selected had full confidence in me, for never before had
any boy (as I really was) done as much as I had.
Our march was commenced on the second day after our council, and we
presented a formidable appearance. There were about five thousand men,
all fine-looking, active fellows, full of confidence, and, in spite of
the formidable reputation of Chaka's warriors, ready to meet them in
battle.
It occupied two days to reach the Umlass river, where we were met by
some hundred chiefs, councillors, and head men from the villages near.
The plan that had been adopted for our march was to send on in advance a
number of women and boys, each carrying a large basket full of mealies.
These were deposited at the end of our first day's march. The women and
boys then collected as much corn as they could procure from the villages
near them, and went on another day's march, so we had plenty to eat on
the journey.
The chiefs at the Umlass were very glad to see us, and were quite
astonished when they beheld me. They asked all sorts of questions about
me, and treated me with the greatest respect. I knew quite well how to
behave with the dignity of a chief, and I soon impressed the visitors
with my importance. They had heard of the power of my guns, and seemed
terribly afraid of them, and looked at them with great awe. I told them
that I could easily kill a man at the distance of three throws of an
assagy, a statement that Inyati corroborated.
We heard from these chiefs that Chaka might come down upon us any day,
and that he would try to surprise us; but that men were on the look-out
beyond the Umganie, and runners were placed at various points to convey
the news and signal when the enemy came in sight. The army of these
Umlass Caffres was concealed in the bush along the coast, and amounted
to nearly 8,000 men; whilst the cattle had been driven westward, and
concealed in places from which it would be most difficult to drive them.
Our army was placed on a hill west of the Umlass river, which river
opens into a wide bay near the mouth; and to attack us on this hill
would entail great loss on the enemy.
We lay down to rest after our march, and slept; for it was a practice
among these Caffres to sleep as much as possible before any great work,
as they seemed to think that men could lay in a stock of sleep which
would be of use to them two or three days afterwards. I am inclined to
believe that this idea was correct, and that by sleeping a great deal
during three or four days, we can go the next three or four days with
scarcely any sleep.
The third day after our arrival at the Umlass, runners came from the
east bringing the intelligence that the Zulu army, as numerous as a
flight of locusts, had crossed the Tugela, and were spreading down the
country. Quick as were the movements of this army, the Caffres in the
country were equally rapid in their movements, and more than 3,000 men
joined us, and several thousand cattle were driven across the Umlass
river, and secreted in the bushy country to the west of it.
Umnini, a chief who lived near the head of Natal Bay, had the chief
command of the whole army, whilst Inyati had command of the men who came
from the Umzimvubu district. There had been several consultations
between Umnini, Inyati, and other chiefs, as to the best method of
defending the country, and a plan was arranged which was well thought
out and carefully planned.
The course which it was thought the Zulus would follow, was on the open
country about five miles from the coast; they must, however, pass
through a portion of the bush near the Umbilo river at the head of Natal
Bay, and it was here that our attack was to be made. Our plan was, to
allow a certain portion of the army to pass through the bush; then to
dash in, and separate this portion from the main body; keep the main
body at bay whilst our men attacked those who had passed into the open
beyond the bush.
During the various walks I had taken about the country, I had discovered
a place that I at once selected as one suitable for my small party of
twenty, in case we had to make a stand. It was a solid piece of ground
like a rocky island in the middle of a large vlei or marsh. The marsh
consisted of water and soft mud, so deep that a man would sink nearly to
his shoulders in the mud. The island was surrounded by this mud for
nearly 100 yards, and so was beyond the cast of an assagy. To secure a
pathway to this island, I employed my men in cutting branches of trees
and placing these in a line from the firm ground across the marsh to the
island. It required a great many branches; but we worked hard, and at
length made a foundation on which we could get to the island without
sinking above our ankles. We had intelligence of the movements of the
Zulu army, and knew just where they were each hour of the day; but our
own army kept so carefully concealed, that not a man could be seen.
The Zulus evidently thought they were not likely to meet much
opposition, and did not take the precaution of sending forward small
parties to examine the ground in front, and feel for their enemies; so
we hoped to surprise them.
All our arrangements were made to attack the Zulus when they had crossed
the Umbilo river, which they did shortly after daybreak. They marched
on, singing war-songs, and beating their shields, and entered the bush
country; and when about 2,000 were out in the open beyond, about a
thousand of our warriors rushed on the line, cut it in two; and half the
party facing about, prevented those who had passed from retreating,
whilst those who had been stopped found themselves unable to advance.
With a shout that could be heard for miles, 5,000 of our warriors rushed
out from their concealment and closed with the Zulus in the open. In
spite of their discipline and training, the Zulus, thus overmatched,
were soon broken and their slain covered the ground. The loss on our
side in this encounter was small, though several men were wounded. In
the meantime the fight in the bush-path was severe: not more than four
or five men could stand abreast, so the numbers on the side of the Zulus
were no great advantage. Our object was to prevent those behind from
helping the party we had cut off in front. In a battle it is impossible
for one person to describe what takes place in all parts of the field,
so I will now confine my description to what occurred to my own party.
I believed that the Zulus were not acquainted with the fact that we had
any firearms with us; and, consequently, that they would be much
surprised when they heard the report of our guns, and saw the effect of
our shot. I believed that, instead of beginning to fire at the early
part of the battle, it would produce more effect if I waited until some
critical period, and when, perhaps, our own side might require some
special assistance. I had not very long to wait for such an event, as a
large party of the Zulus had worked their way through the bush, and had
formed up so as to attack our forces in rear, and at the time when they
were broken and scattered after their victory over the two thousand
Zulus. Seeing this party assembled, I called on my men to follow me,
and ran down to within about two assagies'-cast from them. They awaited
my coming, looking surprised to see so small a party attempt so daring a
proceeding as to approach so close to them. Suddenly giving the word to
my men, we turned and ran towards our island in the marsh, as though we
were afraid. The result was just what I expected--the Zulus came full
speed after us. All my men were splendid runners, so we reached our
causeway and were on the island before a single Zulu had arrived at the
edge of the marsh. The Zulus were not aware how soft and deep the mud
was, nor did they know that the narrow causeway we had made was the only
means of reaching the island; consequently several hundreds rushed into
the vlei and were completely pounded, unable to advance or retreat. One
of their leading chiefs, however, had seen where we had run across the
vlei; so, assembling his men, he came over the causeway at a run,
followed by some two hundred men. I allowed him to come almost within
an assagy-throw's distance, and then, aiming carefully with my gun, I
shot him dead. Four or five other shots were fired by the men with me,
and as many men fell dead. The result was that a panic seized these
men, and they retreated; but our own people had now formed up, and were
charging on the Zulus, and a terrible slaughter ensued. The men in the
vlei were knocked on the head with stones or knob-kerries, and a second
disaster befell the Zulu army. In the meantime, the Umlass Caffres, led
by Umnini, had driven back a large force of Zulus, which had attempted
to work round outside the bush and to outflank us. These men
retreating, as also the few who had escaped from the first attack, led
to a general rush among the Zulu army, who were not certain but what
they might be attacked by a much larger force than their own. They knew
they had been surprised, and they saw that our plans had been well
arranged. This, together with the fact that our people possessed
firearms, spread such alarm that they could not be made to attempt
another attack. Our people followed up the retreat as far as the
Umganie river, killing a large number more of the Zulus--and our victory
was complete.
That night we had a great dance and a great feast, amidst which songs
were sung descriptive of our various deeds during the day. We had
placed our spies at different commanding positions, so as to give early
intelligence in case the Zulu army recovered itself and again attacked
us; but they did not attempt to do so, for they had captured several
cattle up the country, which they drove into Zululand and claimed a
victory over us. We heard that our tribe was the only one that had ever
been able to stand against the Zulu army.
We had not gained our victory without loss, for the part of the Zulu
army that we had cut off, although outnumbered, yet fought well, and
killed more than two hundred of our men, whilst five or six hundred were
wounded. The rapidity with which the wounded recovered was marvellous--
a result due, I suppose, to their having lived almost entirely on
vegetables and milk, and always being out in the open air.
Although there was much rejoicing on our return, there were also
laments, because some of our bravest young men had been killed, and
their relatives showed just as much regret at their loss as do the
English when they lose a friend.
The scenes through which I had passed during my residence among these
Caffres, had produced upon me the same effects as though I had lived
three or four times as long. Although I was at an age when English boys
are engrossed with tops, hoops, and marbles, and look upon a performance
at football or cricket as something to make a boy famous, yet I had
trapped a leopard, had killed an elephant and had now been engaged in a
desperate fight and had aided to win the victory. These stern realities
had aged me, and I felt confidence now both in myself and in the weapons
I could use: I sat in the circle with the warriors, and had, after the
battle, spoken before the assembled people. With the Intombis (young
girls) I was a great favourite, and as some of these were very pretty, I
liked to sit talking with them.
The life I now led was such as any boy might envy. I cannot imagine any
of the pastimes, amusements, or excitements of civilisation that can
compare with that which can be obtained in a life of nature. In the
first place the climate was very good, never very cold and never very
hot. Rains occurred in the autumn, but they were soon over and my kraal
kept me dry. I had now several cows which supplied me with milk,
_ubisi_, sweet fresh milk, and _amasi_, sour milk (like junket), which I
preferred. What are now called mealies (Indian corn) were also
plentiful, so that there was no want of food. These mealies we used to
bury in large holes near our kraals. The holes were dug about ten feet
deep, and about six feet in diameter. A fire was then lighted at the
bottom, and from time to time we plastered the sides with mud, and then
dried this with more fire, and so made a hard and dry hole; we buried
the mealies in this and then arched the top of the hole by means of
hurdles and turf, so that the water when it rained ran off the sort of
roof: our mealies then kept dry and could be dug out when required. By
means of various traps and snares that I set, I had caught several buck
in the bush, and also some guinea-fowl. I clipped the wings of the
guinea-fowl and kept them in an enclosure I had made of reeds, and now
they had become quite tame, and I always had plenty of guinea-fowls'
eggs. Quail, too, used to come to this country in thousands during the
autumn, and these we used to knock over with our knob-kerries. I had
got quite accustomed to the absence of clothing; in fact, even now, I
often feel uncomfortable and in a kind of prison when I have clothes on.
I had killed several monkeys, out of the skins of which I had made
myself tails to wear round my waist, and also round my neck. When the
sun was very hot I carried some large banana leaves, which protected my
head from the sun, and served as a parasol. Now, considering that I had
no want of food, had nothing to do which I did not like, could go out
hunting whenever I chose, was not bothered as boys are in civilised
lands, I ought to have been very happy. I was happy; but I could not
get over the feeling that I was away from my people, that my father must
think I was dead, and my uncle, who intended being so kind to me, must
also have given me up as lost. The ship in which I had embarked at
Calcutta would be put down as one among the many "not since heard of."
I saw no chance, however, of ever again rejoining my relations; and,
though I thought frequently of every possible chance of doing so, I
could see no likely means of success. These Caffres had spared my life
and taken me among them as one of themselves. They had behaved well and
kindly to me, had rewarded me fairly for what I had done, and gave me
the rank of a chief. If I eventually rose to be the paramount chief in
this country I should be a king in a way: I should have the power of
life and death over my subjects, and I thought I might be able to teach
them many things which they now were ignorant of. When, however, I
thought of their laws and customs I found it difficult to imagine what I
should teach them to make them better than they were. I knew very
little about religion, and did not feel equal to trying to teach it,
because the chiefs were always reasoning about things that were told
them, and did not understand believing things on faith.
There was one subject that I was anxious to speak to these chiefs about,
but had always felt some hesitation. Now, however, I determined to
inquire from them why they had killed all the sailors and men who had
been shipwrecked. For, although these Caffres were warlike people, yet
I knew they were just, according to their reasoning, and would not kill
men in cold blood, unless with some end in view.
One evening I was sitting in my kraal, grinding down some nails to make
points for some arrows, when an old chief named Inguana came to my hut
and sat down beside me. After some conversation I asked him why his
people killed the white men who were wrecked. He then told me that some
years ago a ship came to nearly the same place, and about forty men
landed and made friends with the Caffres, and stopped some days. At
length they prevailed on several men and women to go on board the ship
and kept them there; they then came again on shore and gave many men
something to drink which made them insensible. These men they carried
in boats to their ships: some men woke and resisted, and they were shot.
Then the ship went away, and the Caffres never saw their friends again.
So when they saw the men on shore from my ship, they feared them and
thought similar acts would be committed; so, keeping a watch, they
caught them asleep and assagied them. The proceedings of the former
visitors showed they were slave-catchers, and thus their acts caused the
death of the poor sailors who had escaped from shipwreck. Similar
proceedings often happen in various parts of the world; some white men
behave badly to the so-called savages, and then harmless visitors suffer
for the acts of these rascals. From what I had seen of these Umzimvubu
Caffres, I did not believe they would kill white men without a cause, so
I was glad I had been able to hear why they had slaughtered the sailors.
The Caffres themselves thought that the sailors were probably the same
as those who had carried off their relatives, and so determined to
surprise them before they had an opportunity of taking any more
prisoners. When I told them that the men they had killed were harmless
and in distress, they really seemed sorry for their acts.