Hand over the command of Fort Marquand to Lieutenant
Grenfell—Proceed towards Bulawayo—Fort at Wilson's farm—Umguza
fight the first Matabele defeat—Murder of eight coolies on the
outskirts of Bulawayo—Arrival of Earl Grey at Bulawayo—Matabele
threaten Fort Dawson—Captain Molyneux's farm destroyed—I
am sent to Khami river to build a fort—Meet Cornelius Van
Rooyen—Marzwe orders his people to come to Fort Mabukitwani for
protection—Marzwe's kraal attacked, and all his people reported
murdered—I start with my men to visit Marzwe's kraal—Rebels
defeated by Marzwe's people, and prisoners and cattle
recaptured—We return to the fort—I am ordered to collect a force,
and march to Bulawayo—Changes in the command of the forts—Reach
Bulawayo with my force.
Lieutenant Grenfell having brought me a despatch on Monday evening,
acquainting me that my presence was again required in Bulawayo, I
handed over the command of Fort Marquand to him on the following
morning, and rode in to town alone, meeting Lieutenant Parkin and a
second escort which had been sent down to meet Earl Grey at the Khami
river.
On arriving at Matabele, Wilson's farm, six miles from Bulawayo, I
found Captain Dawson with his troop and a lot of the "Friendlies"
busily engaged in building a fort on a commanding position some four
hundred yards away from the homestead and mule stables. With Captain
Dawson, too, were my old friends, the well-known American Scouts
Burnham and Ingram, and that very plucky English Scout Mr. Swinburne.
Although this detachment had only arrived here on the previous day,
very considerable progress had already been made with the fort, which I
was very pleased to find was being built at this place, as I had long
advocated it, as also that another should be established at the Khami
river, about half-way between Wilson's farm and Fort Marquand.
This last link in the chain of forts between Bulawayo and Mangwe did
not come into existence until some few days later, and only then could
it be said that it was possible to have the road properly patrolled.
Whilst resting my horse for half an hour at Dawson's Fort I heard more
details from him and the Scouts concerning the fight on the Umguza on
the previous Saturday, which they considered to be the greatest reverse
which the Matabele had yet suffered; or perhaps it would be fairer to
say the only reverse, since, although, in every encounter their losses
must have been very heavy compared with those of the whites, yet this
was the first time that they had deemed it expedient to retreat from
their position after the fight was over.
On reaching Bulawayo, however, I found that, although the impis which
for the last ten days had been encamped along the Umguza in the
immediate neighbourhood of the town had now moved some miles farther
down the river, yet parties of them were still hanging about ready to
murder any defenceless persons that they might be able to surprise,
even on the very outskirts of the town, as was sufficiently proved by
the fact that on the very morning of my arrival, that is on Tuesday,
28th April, several coolies had been murdered in their vegetable
gardens just beyond the native location.
The following account of this affair I have taken over from the
_Matabele Times_ of 2nd May, by kind permission of the editor: "On
their arrival in camp on Tuesday morning after night duty in the
laager, the Mounted Police found a number of terrified coolies
awaiting them, who informed them that they had been attacked by a large
body of Matabele at their vegetable gardens, situated about two miles
beyond the Matabele Mounted Police camp, and that eight of their number
had been murdered. Some twelve or fifteen of the police promptly seized
their rifles and bandoleers, and proceeded—on their own accord—in
skirmishing order to the scene of the massacre, which they reached
after a sharp twenty minutes' walk. The enemy had disappeared from
sight, but the tale of those coolies who had been fortunate enough to
escape proved only too true. No less than eight coolies, including one
young woman, were found lying foully murdered in different parts of the
gardens, and every one, though pierced through over and over again with
assegai stabs, was still warm. This proves that the enemy must have
rushed down on the unprotected coolies in broad daylight.
"Shortly after the return of the police to camp, a couple of unarmed
mounted men rode down to the gardens. They had not been there five
minutes when they were fired upon from the adjacent kopjes, and they
had to retire precipitately. This goes to prove that the enemy do
not intend to give up their present position unless they are driven
from it, and the sooner that is effected the better." The following
information was also given to the public committee. Sedan deposed: "I
slept at my garden near the Butts last night with an American negro
called Smith. Smith this morning before sunrise started to go to his
own garden. I heard shots fired just after he left me. His Zambesi boy
ran over and told me Smith had been killed. I saw about forty or fifty
Kafirs. I saw one man with a gun, whilst the rest had assegais and
sticks. I hid myself in a ditch, and saw the Kafirs in the gardens. I
saw them kill Indians with the gun and the assegais. About half an hour
later I saw a picket of four white men come to the gardens. I ran to
the picket and came in to town. I was too frightened to say anything."
Ahchelrising deposed: "I slept in my garden and heard a shout from a
lot of Indians early this morning that the Matabele were on to us. I
ran away, and saw my brother Isree shot in front of me. I came to town
and reported in the laager, and then went back to my garden. I saw
the bodies of Goolab, Yitian, Venctayelee and his wife, Ramsamee and
Chinantoniem. Smith's Zambesi boy was also killed."
On Tuesday night, 28th April, Earl Grey, accompanied by his secretary
Mr. Benson, and General Digby Willoughby—who had been down to Mafeking
in order to hurry forward the food supplies and relief forces—arrived
in Bulawayo. The coach which brought the administrator and his party
was escorted into town by Lieutenant Parkin and his men, whom I had
met on their way down to meet it. They seem to have narrowly missed,
or been missed by, a portion of Babian's impi, which was reported on
Wednesday morning to have crossed the road near the Khami river early
on Tuesday night just after the coach had passed.
On the following morning, Wednesday, 29th April, an impi of several
hundred Kafirs, in all likelihood a portion of Babian's force, suddenly
appeared on the rising ground about 1000 yards away from Dawson's
Fort. They were probably on their way to Wilson's homestead with the
intention of destroying and burning it down, but on seeing the fort
manned by a number of white men, were evidently a bit taken aback,
as they halted and held a council of war. They then spread out in
skirmishing order, and getting down amongst the thorn trees in the
river-bed below the house, advanced towards the fort as if about to
attack it. However, after approaching to within 800 yards they thought
better of it and withdrew, probably imagining that the place was
defended with Maxim guns.
After retiring from the neighbourhood of the fort, they went down to
Captain Molyneux's farm, some two miles distant, and destroyed and
burnt everything they could, even assegaiing the pigs, the carcasses of
which animals they left untouched, as the Matabele of Zulu descent do
not eat the flesh of the domestic pig, although they are very partial
to that of both species of the wild swine found in Southern Africa,
viz. the Wart Hog and the Bush Pig.
During my visit to Bulawayo it was at last decided to build a fort at
the Khami river, and I was asked to take the work in hand forthwith.
As only thirty men could be spared from Bulawayo, it was arranged that
twenty more should be withdrawn from Fort Halsted, five miles beyond
Fig Tree, and I requested that Lieutenant Howard, an old member of the
Bechuanaland Border Police, who was at present with Captain Molyneux at
Fig Tree, and who had done very good service in the first war during
Major Forbes' memorable retreat along the Tchangani river, should be
placed in command of the two troops combined.
On Friday, 1st May, I left Bulawayo with Lieutenant Parkin and
thirty men, accompanied by a mule waggon carrying kit, tools for
fort-building, and provisions. We had first to take the waggon to Fort
Marquand, there off-load it, and then send it on to Fort Halsted to
bring back the twenty men from that place, who on their arrival at
Mabukitwani could be at once despatched, together with the thirty under
Lieutenant Parkin, to the Khami river, to commence building the fort
there. This was all arranged by the Sunday evening, and everything got
ready to proceed to the Khami river early the following morning. That
evening, my old friend Cornelius Van Rooyen, commandant of the forces
at Mangwe, accompanied by three of his men, arrived at my fort on his
way to see Earl Grey, by whom he had been called to Bulawayo. He was,
of course, an honoured guest with us, and we did all we could to make
him and his men comfortable.
At this time, Marzwe, Gambo's head Induna, was camped with many of
his people round the base of the hill on which my fort stood. As he
had often expressed a fear lest the remainder of his people, who
were living at their kraals some eight miles to the west, should be
attacked some fine morning by Maiyaisa's impi, I had repeatedly told
him to bring all his women and children to the immediate vicinity of
the fort, since, as I had only ten serviceable horses at my disposal,
it was out of the question to attempt any attack on a large impi in a
thickly-wooded country, although I should be able to protect any of his
tribe who were willing to take quarters round the walls of my fort.
On my last return from Bulawayo, I found that Marzwe had taken my
advice, and had sent messengers on the Saturday morning to call all his
people in to the fort. These men ought to have returned with the women
and children on the following day, but owing to their dilatory ways,
and their unfailing habit of "never doing to-day what can be put off
till to-morrow," they did not do so.
On the following morning, Monday, 4th May, Lieutenants Parkin and Webb
started off early for the Khami river, taking the mule waggon with
them, Lieutenant Howard and myself intending to follow them up and
choose a site for the fort immediately after breakfast. Just before
discussing this meal, Marzwe came out and reported to me that one of
his men had heard shots fired in the direction of his kraal. None of my
sentries or horse-guards having heard these shots, I half thought there
was no truth in the report. However, I sent Mr. Simms and two other
good men to scout round the back of some kopjes, about two miles to
the west of our position, beyond which the shots were said to have been
fired.
Shortly after the scouts had left, two of the men sent on the previous
Saturday to bring in the women and children turned up, saying that
Marzwe's town had been attacked at daylight by a portion of Maiyaisa's
impi, and some of his people killed. A little later a young girl
arrived at the fort with an assegai-wound in her right side just above
the hip-bone. The wound was not a dangerous one, and after it had been
washed and dressed, the child was able to tell her story, which was to
the effect that Marzwe's kraal had been surrounded in the night, and
every man, woman, and child in it murdered just at dawn.
Although, with the few mounted men at my disposal, I knew it would
be madness to engage any large number of Matabele, unless I could
get them in perfectly open country where there was no chance of
being surrounded, I was not inclined to let this affair pass without
endeavouring to ascertain exactly what had happened. Van Rooyen at once
agreed to put off his visit to Bulawayo and accompany me with his three
troopers to the scene of the reported massacre, and I sent a messenger
to tell Lieutenant Parkin to return immediately to Mabukitwani with ten
good men mounted on his best horses. When he arrived, my three scouts
had also returned, having seen nothing, and I found myself in command
of about twenty-five mounted men; some of the horses, however, were in
wretched condition, and altogether unfit for hard work.
When the report of the massacre of his whole family, as well as a large
number of his people, was brought to Marzwe, he received it with the
utmost stoicism, only saying, "They wanted me; they were looking for
me; they wanted my skin." Whether he believed it or not I cannot say,
but he never betrayed the slightest sign of emotion.
It was already past mid-day when I was at last able to get away
with my little force, travelling across country under the guidance
of an elderly savage armed with a shield, and two long-bladed
insinuating-looking assegais, and at the same time adorned with a
chimney-pot hat, of all things in the world, thus combining in his
own person the attributes of primitive savagery and the most advanced
civilisation of Western Europe.
Before we were a couple of miles from camp we met a lot of women and
children making for the fort, who said that they had fled from some of
Marzwe's outlying villages early that morning as they had heard firing
going on in the direction of the chief's kraal. Soon after passing
these people we got into country where a small force such as mine might
have been very easily surrounded and cut up by a hostile impi, as the
ground was very broken and on every side of us were small hills and
rocky ridges, the whole being covered with dense, scrubby bush, in
many parts of which a Kafir would have been invisible at a distance
of thirty yards. Had this sort of country continued for any great
distance, I would not have risked taking my men on indefinitely over
ground so very favourable to any force of hostile Matabele which might
chance to be there. However, after a time we emerged into country of a
more open character, where the bush was much less dense, and where one
was not constantly shut in amongst kopjes and scrub-covered ridges.
Just here one of my flanking parties came on a woman carrying a large
bundle of blankets and other household goods on her head. On being
questioned, she told us that at daylight that morning Marzwe's kraal
had been attacked and three of his men killed, as well as one girl who
had endeavoured to escape with the rest of the men. The girl referred
to proved afterwards to be the damsel who had been wounded in the side
by an assegai, but who had managed to evade her enemies and make her
way to our fort at Mabukitwani. All the rest of the women and children,
together with the cattle, sheep, and goats, the woman said, had been
captured by Maiyaisa's people, who, however, she thought were in no
great force, being only a small raiding party detached from the main
body at the Khami river.
But now comes the sequel, about which the wounded girl had known
nothing. Amongst Marzwe's men who had escaped from the first onslaught
on the kraal was one Obas.[10] This man had recognised that the
attacking force was not a large one, and he at once went round to all
the outlying villages and collected a very considerable number of
his chief's retainers, and taking command of them, followed up the
raiders, and not only rescued all the women and children who had been
taken captive but also killed eleven of the enemy, and retook all
the cattle, sheep, and goats they were driving off. This good news
was soon confirmed by Obas himself, whom we met coming on with all
the recaptured women and children and cattle. He was a well-built,
active-looking Kafir of middle height, light in colour, and with good
features, altogether a good specimen of the best type of Matabele.
He was armed with a Martini-Henry rifle, as were some few of his
followers, whilst all carried assegais. He told us much the same story
as we had heard from the woman who had just passed, except that he
informed us that the number of Marzwe's men who had been killed was
four, instead of three.
There was now no necessity to proceed any further, so we turned back to
the fort, where all Marzwe's people arrived safely the same evening.
Early the following morning I rode over to the Khami with Lieutenant
Howard, and after selecting a site for the fort which was to be
built there, and leaving Lieutenant Howard in charge, returned to
Mabukitwani. Here I found a telegram from Colonel Napier, which had
been sent on to me by Captain Molyneux from Fig Tree. It was to the
effect that I was to at once collect a force of forty mounted and
eighty dismounted men from all the forts along the road, including
Mangwe, and march them in to Bulawayo by Friday evening, as they were
required to form part of a column which was to leave for the Tchangani
on the following day, Saturday, 9th May.
As the time was so short, I rode the same evening (Tuesday) to Fig Tree
in order to despatch a telegram as soon as possible to Major Armstrong,
asking him to send me up twenty mounted men from the garrisons of
Matoli and Mangwe, and on Wednesday I made all arrangements at the
other forts. As Colonel Napier particularly wished Captain Molyneux and
Lieutenant Howard to accompany the column, I put Lieutenant Stewart in
command at Fig Tree, whilst Lieutenant Parkin took charge of the fort
at the Khami river, Lieutenant Grenfell taking over the command of my
own fort.
On Thursday evening I had all the men from the lower forts mustered
at Mabukitwani, and after a cold rainy night we marched to Bulawayo,
picking up the other detachments on our way, and reaching town before
sundown on Friday evening, 8th May.