ISANDHLWANA
We had crossed the Tugela by what is known as the Middle Drift. A mile
or so on the further side of it I was challenged by a young fellow in
charge of some mounted natives, and found that I had stumbled into what
was known as No. 2 Column, which consisted of a rocket battery, three
battalions of the Native Contingent and some troops of mounted natives,
all under the command of Colonel Durnford, R.E.
After explanations I was taken to this officer’s head-quarter tent. He
was a tall, nervous-looking man with a fair, handsome face and long
side-whiskers. One of his arms, I remember, was supported by a sling. I
think it had been injured in some Kaffir fighting. When I was
introduced to him he was very busy, having, I understood from some one
on his staff, just received orders to “operate against Matshana.”
Learning that I had come from Zululand and was acquainted with the
Zulus, he at once began to cross-examine me about Matshana, a chief of
whom he seemed to know very little indeed. I told him what I could,
which was not much, and before I could give him any information of real
importance, was shown out and most hospitably entertained at luncheon,
a meal of which I partook with gratitude in some garments that I had
borrowed from one of the officers, while my own were set in the sun to
dry. Well can I recall how much I enjoyed the first whisky and soda
that I had tasted since I left “the Temple,” and the good English food
by which it was accompanied.
Presently I remembered Kaatje, whom I had left outside with some native
women, and went to see what had happened to her. I found her finishing
a hearty meal and engaged in conversation with a young gentleman who
was writing in a notebook. Afterwards I discovered that he was a
newspaper correspondent. What she told him and what he imagined, I do
not know, but I may as well state the results at once. Within a few
days there appeared in one of the Natal papers and, for aught I know,
all over the earth, an announcement that Mr. Allan Quatermain, a
well-known hunter in Zululand, after many adventures, had escaped from
that country, “together with his favourite native wife, the only
survivor of his extensive domestic establishment.” Then followed some
wild details as to the murder of my other wives by a Zulu wizard called
“Road Mender, or Sick Ass” (i.e., Opener of Roads, or Zikali), and so
on.
I was furious and interviewed the editor, a mild and apologetic little
man, who assured me that the despatch was printed exactly as it had
been received, as though that bettered the case. After this I commenced
an action for libel, but as I was absent through circumstances over
which I had no control when it came on for trial, the case was
dismissed. I suppose the truth was that they mixed me up with a certain
well-known white man in Zululand, who had a large “domestic
establishment,” but however this may be, it was a long while before I
heard the last of that “favourite native wife.”
Later in the day I and Kaatje, who stuck to me like a burr, departed
from the camp.
The rest of our journey was uneventful, except for more
misunderstandings about Kaatje, one of which, wherein a clergyman was
concerned, was too painful to relate. At last we reached Maritzburg,
where I deposited Kaatje in a boarding-house kept by another half-cast,
and with a sigh of relief betook myself to the _Plough Hotel_, which
was a long way off her.
Subsequently she obtained a place as a cook at Howick, and for a while
I saw her no more.
At Maritzburg, as in duty bound, I called upon various persons in
authority and delivered Cetewayo’s message, leaving out all Zikali’s
witchcraft which would have sounded absurd. It did not produce much
impression as, hostilities having already occurred, it was superfluous.
Also no one was inclined to pay attention to the words of one who was
neither an official nor a military officer, but a mere hunter supposed
to have brought a native wife out of Zululand.
I did, however, report the murder of Anscombe and Heda, though in such
times this caused no excitement, especially as they were not known to
the officials concerned with such matters. Indeed the occurrence never
so much as got into the papers, any more than did the deaths of Rodd
and Marnham on the borders of Sekukuni’s country. When people are
expecting to be massacred themselves, they do not trouble about the
past killing of others far away. Lastly, I posted Marnham’s will to the
Pretoria bank, advising them that they had better keep it safely until
some claim arose, and deposited Heda’s jewels and valuables in another
branch of the same bank in Maritzburg with a sealed statement as to how
they came into my possession.
These things done, I found it necessary to turn myself to the eternal
problem of earning my living. I am a very rich man now as I write these
reminiscences here in Yorkshire—King Solomon’s mines made me that—but
up to the time of my journey to Kukuana Land with my friends, Curtis
and Good, although plenty of money passed through my hands on one
occasion and another, little of it ever seemed to stick. In this way or
that it was lost or melted; also I was not born one to make the best of
his opportunities in the way of acquiring wealth. Perhaps this was good
for me, since if I had gained the cash early I should not have met with
the experiences, and during our few transitory years, experience is of
more real value than cash. It may prepare us for other things beyond,
whereas the mere possession of a bank balance can prepare us for
nothing in a land where gold ceases to be an object of worship as it is
here. Yet wealth is our god, not knowledge or wisdom, a fact which
shows that the real essence of Christianity has not yet permeated human
morals. It just runs over their surface, no more, and for every eye
that is turned towards the divine Vision, a thousand are fixed night
and day upon Mammon’s glittering image.
Now I owned certain wagons and oxen, and just then the demand for these
was keen. So I hired them out to the military authorities for service
in the war, and incidentally myself with them. I drove what I
considered a splendid bargain with an officer who wrote as many letters
after his name as a Governor-General, but was really something quite
humble. At least I thought it splendid until outside his tent I met a
certain transport rider of my acquaintance whom I had always looked
upon as a perfect fool, who told me that not half an hour before he had
got twenty per cent. more for unsalted oxen and very rickety wagons.
However, it did not matter much in the end as the whole outfit was lost
at Isandhlwana, and owing to the lack of some formality which I had
overlooked, I never recovered more than a tithe of their value. I think
it was that I neglected to claim within a certain specified time.
At last my wagons were laden with ammunition and other Government goods
and I trekked over awful roads to Helpmakaar, a place on the Highlands
not far from Rorke’s Drift where No. 3 Column was stationed. Here we
were delayed awhile, I and my wagons having moved to a ford of the
Buffalo, together with many others. It was during this time that I
ventured to make very urgent representations to certain highly placed
officers, I will not mention which, as to the necessity of laagering,
that is, forming fortified camps, as soon as Zululand was entered,
since from my intimate knowledge of its people I was sure that they
would attack in force. These warnings of mine were received with the
most perfect politeness and offers of gin to drink, which all transport
riders were supposed to love, but in effect were treated with the
contempt that they were held to deserve. The subject is painful and one
on which I will not dwell. Why should I complain when I know that
cautions from notable persons such as Sir Melmoth Osborn, and J. J.
Uys, a member of one of the old Dutch fighting families, met with a
like fate.
By the way it was while I was waiting on the banks of the river that I
came across an old friend of mine, a Zulu named Magepa, with whom I had
fought at the battle of the Tugela. A few days later this man performed
an extraordinary feat in saving his grandchild from death by his great
swiftness in running, whereof I have preserved a note somewhere or
other.
Ultimately on January 11 we received our marching orders and crossed
the river by the drift, the general scheme of the campaign being that
the various columns were to converge upon Ulundi. The roads, if so they
can be called, were in such a fearful state that it took us ten days to
cover as many miles. At length we trekked over a stony nek about five
hundred yards in width. To the right of us was a stony eminence and to
our left, its sheer brown cliffs of rock rising like the walls of some
cyclopean fortress, the strange, abrupt mount of Isandhlwana, which
reminded me of a huge lion crouching above the hill-encircled plain
beyond. At the foot of this isolated mount, whereof the aspect somehow
filled me with alarm, we camped on the night of January 21, taking no
precautions against attack by way of laagering the wagons. Indeed the
last thing that seemed to occur to those in command was that there
would be serious fighting; men marched forward to their deaths as
though they were going on a shooting-party, or to a picnic. I even saw
cricketing bats and wickets occupying some of the scanty space upon the
wagons.
Now I am not going to set out all the military details that preceded
the massacre of Isandhlwana, for these are written in history. It is
enough to say that on the night of January 21, Major Dartnell, who was
in command of the Natal Mounted Police and had been sent out to
reconnoitre the country beyond Isandhlwana, reported a strong force of
Zulus in front of us. Thereon Lord Chelmsford, the General-in-Chief,
moved out from the camp at dawn to his support, taking with him six
companies of the 24th regiment, together with four guns and the mounted
infantry. There were left in the camp two guns and about eight hundred
white and nine hundred native troops, also some transport riders such
as myself and a number of miscellaneous camp-followers. I saw him go
from between the curtains of one of my wagons where I had made my bed
on the top of a pile of baggage. Indeed I had already dressed myself at
the time, for that night I slept very ill because I knew our danger,
and my heart was heavy with fear.
About ten o’clock in the morning Colonel Durnford, whom I have
mentioned already, rode up with five hundred Natal Zulus, about half of
whom were mounted, and two rocket tubes which, of course, were worked
by white men. This was after a patrol had reported that they had come
into touch with some Zulus on the left front, who retired before them.
As a matter of fact these Zulus were foraging in the mealie fields,
since owing to the drought food was very scarce in Zululand that year
and the regiments were hungry. I happened to see the meeting between
Colonel Pulleine, a short, stout man who was then in command of the
camp, and Colonel Durnford who, as his senior officer, took it over
from him, and heard Colonel Pulleine say that his orders were “to
defend the camp,” but what else passed between them I do not know.
Presently Colonel Durnford saw and recognized me.
“Do you think the Zulus will attack us, Mr. Quatermain?” he said.
“I don’t think so, Sir,” I answered, “as it is the day of the new moon
which they hold unlucky. But to-morrow it may be different.”
Then he gave certain orders, dispatching Captain George Shepstone with
a body of mounted natives along the ridge to the left, where presently
they came in contact with the Zulus about three miles away, and making
other dispositions. A little later he moved out to the front with a
strong escort, followed by the rocket battery, which ultimately
advanced to a small conical hill on the left front, round which it
passed, never to return again.
Just before he started Colonel Durnford, seeing me still standing
there, asked me if I would like to accompany him, adding that as I knew
the Zulus so well I might be useful. I answered, Certainly, and called
to my head driver, a man named Jan, to bring me my mare, the same that
I had ridden out of Zululand, while I slipped into the wagon and, in
addition to the beltful that I wore, filled all my available pockets
with cartridges for my double-barrelled Express rifle.
As I mounted I gave Jan certain directions about the wagon and oxen, to
which he listened, and then to my astonishment held out his hand to me,
saying—
“Good-bye, Baas. You have been a kind master to me and I thank you.”
“Why do you say that?” I asked.
“Because, Baas, all the Kaffirs declare that the great Zulu _impi_ will
be on to us in an hour or two and eat up every man. I can’t tell how
they know it, but so they swear.”
“Nonsense,” I answered, “it is the day of new moon when the Zulus don’t
fight. Still if anything of the sort should happen, you and the other
boys had better slip away to Natal, since the Government must pay for
the wagons and oxen.”
This I said half joking, but it was a lucky jest for Jan and the rest
of my servants, since they interpreted it in earnest and with the
exception of one of them who went back to get a gun, got off before the
Zulu horn closed round the camp, and crossed the river in safety.
Next moment I was cantering away after Colonel Durnford, whom I caught
up about a quarter of a mile from the camp.
Now of course I did not see all of the terrible battle that followed
and can only tell of that part of it in which I had a share. Colonel
Durnford rode out about three and a half miles to the left front, I
really don’t quite know why, for already we were hearing firing on the
top of the Nqutu Hills almost behind us, where Captain Shepstone was
engaging the Zulus, or so I believe. Suddenly we met a trooper of the
Natal Carabineers whose name was Whitelaw, who had been out scouting.
He reported that an enormous _impi_ was just ahead of us seated in an
_umkumbi_, or semi-circle, as is the fashion of the Zulus before they
charge. At least some of them, he said, were so seated, but others were
already advancing.
Presently these appeared over the crest of the hill, ten thousand of
them I should say, and amongst them I recognized the shields of the
Nodwengu, the Dududu, the Nokenke and the Ingoba-makosi regiments. Now
there was nothing to be done except retreat, for the _impi_ was
attacking in earnest. The General Untshingwayo, together with Undabuko,
Cetewayo’s brother, and the chief Usibebu who commanded the scouts, had
agreed not to fight this day for the reason I have given, because it
was that of the new moon, but circumstances had forced their hand and
the regiments could no longer be restrained. So to the number of twenty
thousand or more, say one-third of the total Zulu army, they hurled
themselves upon the little English force that, owing to lack of
generalship, was scattered here and there over a wide front and had no
fortified base upon which to withdraw.
We fell back to a donga which we held for a little while, and then as
we saw that there we should presently be overwhelmed, withdrew
gradually for another two miles or so, keeping off the Zulus by our
fire. In so doing we came upon the remains of the rocket battery near
the foot of the conical hill I have mentioned, which had been destroyed
by some regiment that passed behind us in its rush on the camp. There
lay all the soldiers dead, assegaied through and through, and I noticed
that one young fellow who had been shot through the head, still held a
rocket in his hands.
Now somewhat behind and perhaps half a mile to the right of this hill a
long, shallow donga runs across the Isandhlwana plain. This we gained,
and being there reinforced by about fifty of the Natal Carabineers
under Captain Bradstreet, held it for a long while, keeping off the
Zulus by our terrible fire which cut down scores of them every time
they attempted to advance. At this spot I alone killed from twelve to
fifteen of them, for if the big bullet from my Express rifle struck a
man, he did not live. Messengers were sent back to the camp for more
ammunition, but none arrived, Heaven knows why. My own belief is that
the reserve cartridges were packed away in boxes and could not be got
at. At last our supply began to run short, so there was nothing to be
done except retreat upon the camp which was perhaps half a mile behind
us.
Taking advantage of a pause in the Zulu advance which had lain down
while waiting for reserves, Colonel Durnford ordered a retirement that
was carried out very well. Up to that time we had lost only quite a few
men, for the Zulu fire was wild and high and they had not been able to
get at us with the assegai. As we rode towards the mount I observed
that firing was going on in all directions, especially on the nek that
connected it with the Nqutu range where Captain Shepstone and his
mounted Basutos were wiped out while trying to hold back the Zulu right
horn. The guns, too, were firing heavily and doing great execution.
After this all grew confused. Colonel Durnford gave orders to certain
officers who came up to him, Captain Essex was one and Lieutenant
Cochrane another. Then his force made for their wagons to get more
ammunition. I kept near to the Colonel and a while later found myself
with him and a large, mixed body of men a little to the right of the
nek which we had crossed in our advance from the river. Not long
afterwards there was a cry of “The Zulus are getting round us!” and
looking to the left I saw them pouring in hundreds across the ridge
that joins Isandhlwana Mountain to the Nqutu Range. Also they were
advancing straight on to the camp.
Then the rout began. Already the native auxiliaries were slipping away
and now the others followed. Of course this battle was but a small
affair, yet I think that few have been more terrible, at any rate in
modern times. The aspect of those plumed and shielded Zulus as they
charged, shouting their war-cries and waving their spears, was awesome.
They were mown down in hundreds by the Martini fire, but still they
came on, and I knew that the game was up. A maddened horde of
fugitives, mostly natives, began to flow past us over the nek, making
for what was afterwards called Fugitives’ Drift, nine miles away, and
with them went white soldiers, some mounted, some on foot. Mingled with
all these people, following them, on either side of them, rushed Zulus,
stabbing as they ran. Other groups of soldiers formed themselves into
rough squares, on which the savage warriors broke like water on a rock.
By degrees ammunition ran out; only the bayonet remained. Still the
Zulus could not break those squares. So they took another counsel.
Withdrawing a few paces beyond the reach of the bayonets, they
overwhelmed the soldiers by throwing assegais, then rushed in and
finished them.
This was what happened to us, among whom were men of the 24th, Natal
Carabineers and Mounted Police. Some had dismounted, but I sat on my
horse, which stood quite still, I think from fright, and fired away so
long as I had any ammunition. With my very last cartridge I killed the
Captain Indudu who had been in charge of the escort that conducted me
to the Tugela. He had caught sight of me and called out—
“Now, Macumazahn, I will cut you up nicely as I promised.”
He got no further in his speech, for at that moment I sent an Express
bullet through him and his tall, melancholy figure doubled up and
collapsed.
All this while Colonel Durnford had been behaving as a British officer
should do. Scorning to attempt flight, whenever I looked round I caught
sight of his tall form, easy to recognize by the long fair moustaches
and his arm in a sling, moving to and fro encouraging us to stand firm
and die like men. Then suddenly I saw a Kaffir, who carried a big old
smooth-bore gun, aim at him from a distance of about twenty yards, and
fire. He went down, as I believe dead, and that was the end of a very
gallant officer and gentleman whose military memory has in my opinion
been most unjustly attacked. The real blame for that disaster does not
rest upon the shoulders of either Colonel Durnford or Colonel Pulleine.
After this things grew very awful. Some fled, but the most stood and
died where they were. Oddly enough during all this time I was never
touched. Men fell to my right and left and in front of me; bullets and
assegais whizzed past me, yet I remained quite unhurt. It was as though
some Power protected me, which no doubt it did.
At length when nearly all had fallen and I had nothing left to defend
myself with except my revolver, I made up my mind that it was time to
go. My first impulse was to ride for the river nine miles away. Looking
behind me I saw that the rough road was full of Zulus hunting down
those who tried to escape. Still I thought I would try it, when
suddenly there flashed across my brain the saying of whoever it was
that personated Mameena in the Valley of Bones, to the effect that in
the great rout of the battle I was not to join the flying but to set my
face towards Ulundi and that if I did so I should be protected and no
harm would come to me. I knew that all this prophecy was but a vain
thing fondly imagined, although it was true that the battle and the
rout had come. And yet I acted on it—why Heaven knows alone.
Setting the spurs to my horse I galloped off past Isandhlwana Mount, on
the southern slopes of which a body of the 24th were still fighting
their last fight, and heading for the Nqutu Range. The plain was full
of Zulus, reserves running up; also to the right of me the Ulundi and
Gikazi divisions were streaming forward. These, or some of them, formed
the left horn of the impi, but owing to the unprepared nature of the
Zulu battle, for it must always be remembered that they did not mean to
fight that day, their advance had been delayed until it was too late
for them entirely to enclose the camp. Thus the road, if it can so be
called, to Fugitives’ Drift was left open for a while, and by it some
effected their escape. It was this horn, or part of it, that afterwards
moved on and attacked Rorke’s Drift, with results disastrous to itself.
For some hundreds of yards I rode on thus recklessly, because
recklessness seemed my only chance. Thrice I met bodies of Zulus, but
on each occasion they scattered before me, calling out words that I
could not catch. It was as though they were frightened of something
they saw about me. Perhaps they thought that I was mad to ride thus
among them. Indeed I must have looked mad, or perhaps there was
something else. At any rate I believed that I was going to win right
through them when an accident happened.
A bullet struck my mare somewhere in the back. I don’t know where it
came from, but as I saw no Zulu shoot, I think it must have been one
fired by a soldier who was still fighting on the slopes of the mount.
The effect of it was to make the poor beast quite ungovernable. Round
she wheeled and galloped at headlong speed back towards the peak,
leaping over dead and dying and breaking through the living as she
went. In two minutes we were rushing up its northern flank, which
seemed to be quite untenanted, towards the sheer brown cliff which rose
above it, for the fighting was in progress on the other side. Suddenly
at the foot of this cliff the mare stopped, shivered and sank down
dead, probably from internal bleeding.
I looked about me desperately. To attempt the plain on foot meant
death. What then was I to do? Glancing at the cliff I saw that there
was a gully in it worn by thousands of years of rainfall, in which grew
scanty bushes. Into this I ran, and finding it practicable though
difficult, began to climb upwards, quite unnoticed by the Zulus who
were all employed upon the further side. The end of it was that I
reached the very crest of the mount, a patch of bare, brown rock,
except at one spot on its southern front where there was a little
hollow in which at this rainy season of the year herbage and ferns grew
in the accumulated soil, also a few stunted, aloe-like plants.
Into this patch I crept, having first slaked my thirst from a little
pool of rain water that lay in a cup-like depression of the rock, which
tasted more delicious than any nectar, and seemed to give me new life.
Then covering myself as well as I could with grasses and dried leaves
from the aloe plants, I lay still.
Now I was right on the brink of the cliff and had the best view of the
Isandhlwana plain and the surrounding country that can be imagined.
From my lofty eyrie some hundreds of feet in the air, I could see
everything that happened beneath. Thus I witnessed the destruction of
the last of the soldiers on the slopes below. They made a gallant end,
so gallant that I was proud to be of the same blood with them. One fine
young fellow escaped up the peak and reached a plateau about fifty feet
beneath me. He was followed by a number of Zulus, but took refuge in a
little cave whence he shot three or four of them; then his cartridges
were exhausted and I heard the savages speaking in praise of him—dead.
I think he was the last to die on the field of Isandhlwana.
The looting of the camp began; it was a terrible scene. The oxen and
those of the horses that could be caught were driven away, except
certain of the former which were harnessed to the guns and some of the
wagons and, as I afterwards learned, taken to Ulundi in proof of
victory. Then the slain were stripped and Kaffirs appeared wearing the
red coats of the soldiers and carrying their rifles. The stores were
broken into and all the spirits drunk. Even the medical drugs were
swallowed by these ignorant men, with the result that I saw some of
them reeling about in agony and others fall down and go to sleep.
An hour or two later an officer who came from the direction in which
the General had marched, cantered right into the camp where the tents
were still standing and even the flag was flying. I longed to be able
to warn him, but could not. He rode up to the headquarters marquee,
whence suddenly issued a Zulu waving a great spear. I saw the officer
pull up his horse, remain for a moment as though indecisive, then turn
and gallop madly away, quite unharmed, though one or two assegais were
thrown and many shots fired at him. After this considerable movements
of the Zulus went on, of which the net result was, that they evacuated
the place.
Now I hoped that I might escape, but it was not to be, since on every
side numbers of them crept up Isandhlwana Mountain and hid behind rocks
or among the tall grasses, evidently for purposes of observation.
Moreover some captains arrived on the little plateau where was the cave
in which the soldier had been killed, and camped there. At least at
sundown they unrolled their mats and ate, though they lighted no fire.
The darkness fell and in it escape for me from that guarded place was
impossible, since I could not see where to set my feet and one false
step on the steep rock would have meant my death. From the direction of
Rorke’s Drift I could hear continuous firing; evidently some great
fight was going on there, I wondered vaguely—with what result. A little
later also I heard the distant tramp of horses and the roll of gun
wheels. The captains below heard it too and said one to another that it
was the English soldiers returning, who had marched out of the camp at
dawn. They debated one with another whether it would be possible to
collect a force to fall upon them, but abandoned the idea because the
regiments who had fought that day were now at a distance and too tired,
and the others had rushed forward with orders to attack the white men
on and beyond the river.
So they lay still and listened, and I too lay still and listened, for
on that cloudy, moonless night I could see nothing. I heard smothered
words of command. I heard the force halt because it could not travel
further in the gloom. Then they lay down, the living among the dead,
wondering doubtless if they themselves would not soon be dead, as of
course must have happened had the Zulu generalship been better, for if
even five thousand men had been available to attack at dawn not one of
them could have escaped. But Providence ordained it otherwise. Some
were taken and the others left.
About an hour before daylight I heard them stirring again, and when its
first gleams came all of them had vanished over the nek of slaughter,
with what thoughts in their hearts, I wondered, and to what fate. The
captains on the plateau beneath had gone also, and so had the circle of
guards upon the slopes of the mount, for I saw these depart through the
grey mist. As the light gathered, however, I observed bodies of men
collecting on the nek, or rather on both neks, which made it impossible
for me to do what I had hoped, and run to overtake the English troops.
From these I was utterly cut off. Nor could I remain longer without
food on my point of rock, especially as I was sure that soon some Zulus
would climb there to use it as an outlook post. So while I was still
more or less hidden by the mist and morning shadows, I climbed down it
by the same road that I had climbed up, and thus reached the plain. Not
a living man, white or black, was to be seen, only the dead, only the
dead. I was the last Englishman to stand upon the plain of Isandhlwana
for weeks or rather months to come.
Of all my experiences this was, I think, the strangest, after that
night of hell, to find myself alone upon this field of death, staring
everywhere at the distorted faces which on the previous morn I had seen
so full of life. Yet my physical needs asserted themselves. I was very
hungry, who for twenty-four hours had eaten nothing, faint with hunger
indeed. I passed a provision wagon that had been looted by the Zulus.
Tins of bully beef lay about, also, among a wreck of broken glass, some
bottles of Bass’s beer which had escaped their notice. I found an
assegai, cleaned it in the ground which it needed, and opening one of
the tins, lay down in a tuft of grass by a dead man, or rather between
him and some Zulus whom he had killed, and devoured its contents. Also
I knocked the tops off a couple of the beer bottles and drank my fill.
While I was doing this a large rough dog with a silver-mounted collar
on its neck, I think of the sort that is called an Airedale terrier,
came up to me whining. At first I thought it was an hyena, but
discovering my mistake, threw it some bits of meat which it ate
greedily. Doubtless it had belonged to some dead officer, though there
was no name on the collar. The poor beast, which I named Lost, at once
attached itself to me, and here I may say that I kept it till its
death, which occurred of jaundice at Durban not long before I started
on my journey to King Solomon’s Mines. No man ever had a more faithful
friend and companion.
When I had eaten and drunk I looked about me, wondering what I should
do. Fifty yards away I saw a stout Basuto pony still saddled and
bridled, although the saddle was twisted out of its proper position,
which was cropping the grass as well as it could with the bit in its
mouth. Advancing gently I caught it without trouble, and led it back to
the plundered wagon. Evidently from the marks upon the saddlery it had
belonged to Captain Shepstone’s force of mounted natives.
Here I filled the large saddlebags made of buckskin with tins of beef,
a couple more bottles of beer and a packet of _tandstickor_ matches
which I was fortunate enough to find. Also I took the Martini rifle
from a dead soldier, together with a score or so of cartridges that
remained in his belt, for apparently he must have been killed rather
early in the fight.
Thus equipped I mounted the pony and once more bethought me of escaping
to Natal. A look towards the nek cured me of that idea, for coming over
it I saw the plumed heads of a whole horde of warriors. Doubtless these
were returning from the unsuccessful attack on Rorke’s Drift, though of
that I knew nothing at the time. So whistling to the dog I bore to the
left for the Nqutu Hills, riding as fast as the rough ground would
allow, and in half an hour was out of sight of that accursed plain.
One more thing too I did. On its confines I came across a group of dead
Zulus who appeared to have been killed by a shell. Dismounting I took
the headdress of one of them and put it on, for I forgot to say that I
had lost my hat. It was made of a band of otterskin from which rose
large tufts of the black feathers of the finch which the natives call
_sakabula_. Also I tied his kilt of white oxtails about my middle,
precautions to which I have little doubt I owe my life, since from a
distance they made me look like a Kaffir mounted on a captured pony.
Then I started on again, whither I knew not.