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THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
THKOIJGH THE ZULU COUNTKY 
 

THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY 
 
 ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE 
 
 BY 
 
 BEETEAM MITFOED 
 
 LATE OF THB CAPE CIVIL SERVICE : AUTHOR OP ' OUR ARMS IN ZULULAND ' 
 
 WITH FIVE ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 LONDON 
 KEGAN PAUL, TRENCH, & CO., 1 PATERNOSTER SQUARE 
 
 1883 
 
{^The rights of translation and of reproduction are reserved) 
 

 INTEODUCTION. 
 
 In the following pages the Author cannot promise 
 a narrative of hairbreadth escape and thrilling 
 adventure, but simply an account of everyday 
 experiences during a trip through Zululand in 
 1882, undertaken with the object of making the 
 round of the battlefields in succession — which, 
 till then, had not been done by anybody — mix- 
 ing with the people, observing their character as 
 well as manners and customs, and gathering their 
 opinion on the subject of the recent campaign 
 and other questions relating to themselves and 
 their national polity. 
 
 That the country, hitherto but little visited, 
 and previous to the late war scarcely known, is 
 an interesting one, and destined to become even 
 
 ivi3lJ1566 
 
vi INTRODUCTION. 
 
 more so, there can be no doubt ; wherefore the 
 Author feels that no apology is needed for further 
 introducing it and its people to British readers. 
 
 He also takes this opportunity of tendering 
 grateful acknowledgments to the many friends 
 whose kind assistance so largely facihtated the 
 carrying out of his plans. 
 
 London : Januai-y 1883. 
 
CONTENTS 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 PAGH 
 
 Southward Ho ! — A floating population — A night down Channel 
 — Plymouth — Undesirable company — Delay — A sou'wester 
 — ' A wet sheet and a flowing sea ' — A Constitutional under 
 difficulties — The Sea Demon — The Bay of Biscay — A smash 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 
 Madeira — A noisy lot — Diving boys — Funchal — Pleasures of 
 landing — A bazaar afloat — Teneriffe — ' A life on the 
 ocean wave ' — Fire practice — Church parade — The weekly 
 press — Crossing the Line — A callow Teuton— Some cheerful 
 reflections — Theatricals — Table Bay 18 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Cape Town — A motley crowd — An inviting coast — Port Eliza- 
 beth — Crossing a 'bar ' — East London — AKaff'rarian railway 
 —St. John's River 39 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 Durban — The Berea and Bay— ' Ramsammy ' — Musquitoes — 
 A mild practical joke — Pietermaritzburg — St. Saviour's 
 Cathedral — Bishop Colenso — Native idea of punctuality . 51 
 
viii CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 PAGi; 
 Off to the Border — Grey Town — ' Blue gums ' — Bush scenery— 
 The Tugela— An aquatic dilemma — Sunrise on the Biggars- 
 berg Heights — A model road — Rorke's Drift, past and 
 present 65 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Isandhlwana — St. Vincent's Mission — A coincidence — ^The Zulu 
 
 ♦ at church ' — A vexed question — Bishop McKenzie . . 79 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Meaning of ' Isandhlwana ' — Zulu narratives of the battle . 88 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 
 ' Fugitives' Drift ' — The saving of the Colours — Zulus ^ at home ' 
 — A novel brew — On headgear — ^ The gilt off the ginger- 
 bread' — A Rorke's Drift hero — Ascent of Isandhlwana — 
 Relics — A grand monument 96 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 Hlubi — A trial-at-law — Native oratory — Sirayo's stronghold — 
 The Ityotyozi valley — A standstill and a snake — Visitors — 
 An important institution — ' Big tagati ' — Where the Prince 
 was killed — Sabuza — A beggar — The Queen's Cross — A 
 kindly tribute — An old story retold 109 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 
 The Upoko valley— A rencontre — Traders and trade —Mehlo- 
 ka-zulu— The biter bit — Zulu honesty — A Briton and his 
 growl 128 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 
 PAQK 
 
 An ' afternoon call ' — Kraal etiquette — Zulu hospitality — Native 
 mode of slaughtering cattle — The story of a clever shot — 
 Zulu opinion of artillery — ' Ubain-bai ' — Sirayo — General 
 feeling with regard to- Cetywayo ...... 139 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 
 A thunderstorm and a novel cistern — * Arrival of the mail ' — 
 A comfortable night — Matyana's kraal — Pastoral scene — 
 The last new thing in shields ...... 152 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 Kwamagwaza — A desperate position and a tragic reminiscence 
 
 — The soldiers' grave — The valley of the Umhlatusi . . 164 
 
 CHAPTER XIY. 
 
 Etshowe — The fort — Pleasures of picket duty — Two ^ sells ' — A 
 retrospective glance — Imbombotyana hill — ' In the Heavens ' 
 A novelty in tattooing — Dabulamanzi — Another ' beggar ' — 
 Derivation of ' Etsliowe ' 173 
 
 CHAPTER XY. 
 
 Battle of Inyezane — Scenery — An aggressive customer — Inyoni 
 — A trading store — Johan Colenbrander — A tussle, and a 
 narrow escape — Mang^te — Gingindhlovu — A ride across 
 country and a ducking 186 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 Ncandiiku — John Dunn — Administration of justice — Liquor 
 traffic — Sitimela — ' A stitch in time ' — An eventful career — 
 Charioteering in excelsis — Gihlaua 196 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 
 Wild country — Sigcwelegcwele — A crack colonel of a crack 
 regiment — Etshowe again — A dissertation on phenomena — 
 Inkwenkwe hill — Vumandaba — A chief 'at Home ' — 'Hard 
 wood' — A 'lively' domicile — Novel weapons — 'Bring us 
 back the King ! ' . . . 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 Cetywayo and the missionaries — Entonjaneni — Valley of the 
 White Umfolosi — A cool spot and a picture — Mahlabatini — 
 'Then and now '—Battle of Ulundi 222 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 
 A Zulu on Gatlings — Ulundi and Nodwengu — An unlucky 
 warrior — Tall haggling — Midnight at Ulundi — A Golgotha 238 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Mfanawendhlela — A native dish — A jovial crew — Inhlazatye 
 and the Residency — Moral suasion — 'No thoroughfare' — 
 Intaba'nkulu — Messengers — 'Thunder in the air,' meta- 
 phorical and literal — On storms — A refugee— A pleasant 
 position and a night march under difficulties . . . 246 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 An exhilarating scene — Hlobane — ' Excelsior ' — Umbelini's 
 fastness — A rout and a race for life — A talk on the mountain 
 side — A tragic spot 260 
 
 CHAPTER XXII. 
 
 'stick,' but in the mud — 'Dutch spoken here' — 'Philip 
 drunk' — More rain — A Republican — Kambiila — Zulu ac- 
 count of the battle — Relics — A cemetery in the wilderness — 
 Back to the border 271 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIII. 
 
 A panorama — Zulu dances — A buslibuck ' drive ' — Native hunt- 
 ers — Return to Maritzburg— Afloat again .... 283 
 
 CHAPTER XXIV. 
 
 Cetywayo at ' Oude Molen ' — The King on John Dunn — Former 
 position of Cetywayo — Ncungcwane and the royal atten- 
 dants — Homeward bound 298 
 
 CHAPTER XXY. 
 
 Zululand under the Ulundi settlement — Restoration of Cety- 
 wayo — Military system and tactics — Zulu opinion of the 
 Boers — Zulu character and physique — Religion and super- 
 stitions — Formation and appearance of the country — Climate 
 —Wild animals 307 
 
 Conclusion 322 
 
ILLUSTEATIONS. 
 
 IsANDHLWANA Frontispiece 
 
 Where the Prince was Killed 
 
 EzuLwiNi — Dabulamanzi's Kraal 
 
 Site of Ulundi . 
 
 Hlobane Mountain ,, 260 
 
 . To face 
 
 p- 
 
 118 
 
 V 
 
 
 180 
 
 » 
 
 
 226 
 
THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTEY. 
 
 CHAPTEK I. 
 
 Southward Ho ! — A floating population — A night down Channel — 
 Plymouth — Undesirable company — Delay — A Sou'wester — ' A 
 wet sheet and a flowing sail ' — A Constitutional under diflicul- 
 ties — The Sea Demon — The Bay of Biscay — A smash. 
 
 Eain, rain — nothing but rain ; skies dank and 
 misty, swathed in one vast curtain of yellowish grey ; 
 not a break anywhere, gloom and dampness all- 
 prevailing. Such is the state of things as I find 
 myself, at about noon on a day late in November, 
 one of a depressed-looking throng waiting to claim 
 their goods and chattels on the wharf at South- 
 ampton. We have all just emerged from the nine 
 o'clock train from Waterloo, the last in time to 
 enable us to catch the Cape mail steamer, and 
 most of us are bound for the sunny shores of 
 Southern Afric ; and meanwhile we stand shiver- 
 ing in the cold raw atmosphere, futilely wishing 
 those wretched jacks-in-office who rule the wharf 
 
 B 
 
2 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 arrangements with a rod of iron would but hurry 
 up a httle. But the wisest and only plan is to 
 keep cool — mentally, I mean — and take things 
 as they come. At last the necessary ceremonial is 
 completed, and we are passed out one by one, with 
 our luggage, on to the dripping quay, thence to 
 the steam tender which is to convey us on board ; 
 and we stand huddled in groups on the soaking 
 deck, awnings and canvas but ill keeping out the 
 continuous and heavy downpour. 
 
 There is the colonist returning with his family 
 after a stay in the old country, which, in his heart 
 of hearts, he is not at all sorry to see the last of; 
 there is the business man, whose interests maybe 
 necessitate a frequent run backwards and for- 
 wards, but who hopes one day to make his last 
 trip and cast anchor for good and all on this side. 
 Young ladies going to join their friends in the 
 colonies, or on missions whose objects are best 
 known to themselves. Invalids, a few are also 
 there — fleeing from the drear chills of an English 
 winter, or seeking en 'permanence a more congenial 
 clime. Young Britain going out to try its luck in 
 fresh woods and pastures new, crowded out of the 
 old country perhaps, or in search of a more adven- 
 turous life. Many, of. course, have friends seeing 
 them off, generally of more woful appearance than 
 the intending migrant. Nor must we forget the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 3 
 
 inevitable sprinkling of mysterious looking gentle- 
 men who have ' something to do with the Company ' 
 — no one knows exactly what, or cares — and we 
 have a summary of our living freight, standing 
 with the luggage piled up in front amid wraps, 
 bundles, bird cages, bandboxes, and all the varied 
 articles of hand-impedimentum of a crowd of tra- 
 vellers. At last the moorings are cast off, and 
 away we go, plunging and tossing, into Southamp- 
 ton Water, the rain driving in upon us as we dash 
 along head to wind, and for a quarter of an hour 
 the sole object in life is to try and find a dry place 
 to stand in. Presently the masts and yards of a 
 big steamship appear through the mist, her black 
 hull looming up indistinctly as she heaves to the 
 swell, and in a few minutes we are alongside of 
 one of the Union Company's best vessels. A 
 general scramble for light luggage, a rush on the 
 part of two or three fidgetty mortals for heavy, 
 and we are on board our floating home. All is 
 bustle — the forepart of the ship swarming with 
 emigrants moving to and fro like a disturbed ants' 
 nest ; a few of the saloon passengers are already 
 in possession, among them a number of Germans, 
 old and young — for the vessel has been to Ham- 
 burg before taking us up at Southampton. The 
 hatches are open, and the donkey engine is hard 
 at work lowering cases into the hold, our baggage 
 
 132 
 
4 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 is hoisted on board in its turn, and finds its way to 
 our respective cabins — more bustle in hitting ofi 
 these, stewards rushing about, shore people get- 
 ting into everybody's way, and generally picking 
 out the busiest men to ask a dozen questions of at 
 once. I take things very coolly, and everything 
 settles down in no time ; I find my berth, get my 
 luggage brought down, and there I am, snug for 
 the next month. But let us take a look round. 
 The cabin is a four berthed one ; there are the 
 bunks one above the other in two blocks, a couple 
 of washstands and looking-glasses, racks across the 
 ceiling for hats, parcels, &c., and a camps tool ; 
 and, being an outside cabin, we are happy in the 
 possession of a port hole — no small advantage in 
 the tropics. I am fortunate in having but one 
 cabin mate, for it occurs to me that although three 
 persons may constitute a crowd in the Eiot Act, 
 four in a nine foot space would constitute a very 
 considerable one : but we are only two, and are 
 thankful. 
 
 And now the bell rings for luncheon, and I 
 begin to take stock of my fellow passengers, 
 though, as nearly all have friends seeing them off, 
 it is difficult to determine exactly who isn't going 
 ashore. The question is cleared by the ringing of 
 the shore bell, and there is a general scramble up 
 the companion stairs ; the tender is just leaving. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 5 
 
 nor will it come off again ; therefore, wtioever does 
 not want to risk an involuntary trip to Plymouth 
 had better look sharp. The gangway is blocked ; 
 copious ' good-byes ' are interchanged ; amid much 
 waving of handkerchiefs, and some rather husky 
 attempts at cheering, the tender casts off and we 
 are left to our own devices. 
 
 But the clank of the capstan and the first beat 
 of the propeller warns us that our voyage has 
 begun. The rain has ceased ; the clouds are 
 hanging in white jagged masses over the water, 
 and through the rifts here and there can be seen 
 the distant hills with their miles and miles of forest ; 
 but the dark hand of winter is upon that loveliest 
 of lovely landscapes, and everything wears a 
 drooping and dilapidated appearance. The big 
 ship moves steadily on, dropping down the calm 
 waters of the Solent, and many of our friends 
 begin to think a voyage is not such a dreadful 
 thing after all ; but wait a bit. The high, pointed 
 cliffs of the Isle of Wight are towering above us, 
 and we glide smoothly along past the Needles ; 
 then a rocking motion becomes more and more 
 perceptible, and we rise and dip to the freshening 
 breeze as we pass out into the Channel. 
 
 And a darkening curtain descends upon the 
 sea ; Southampton has faded into mist behind ; a 
 light from the shoi'e gleams out redly ; the wasli 
 
6 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 of the waves on yonder beach mingles with the 
 murmur of the salt sea breeze, while the wailing 
 scream of gulls circhng around the chalk cliffs 
 rings weirdly through the twilight, and each bold 
 headland looming up in the deepening shadows 
 stands forth like a watch-tower over the restless 
 waters. The passengers are standing about in 
 groups or pacing up and down in twos and threes, 
 many with dire misgivings as to the results of the 
 next hour. The dinner bell rings ; this is the test, 
 and thin will be the muster round the festive 
 board this evening. And so it turns out ; of the 
 few bold enough to make even so much as a show 
 at table, nearly half drop off* and retire early from 
 the field. A handsome apartment is the saloon, 
 occupying the whole width of the vessel, and well 
 lighted with swinging lamps ; the three long tables 
 are duly garnished with ' fiddles,' which, for the 
 benefit of the uninitiated, are not orchestral instru- 
 ments, but wooden frames fixed to the tables to 
 keep everything from slipping off* in hvely weather 
 such as we are now experiencing, for there is 
 plenty of motion, and we are rolling in brisk 
 fashion. Stewards stagger about deftly with the 
 dishes ; now and then a crash is heard as a new 
 hanS comes to grief with his load of crockery ; 
 your soup empties itself into your lap, and the 
 nuts destined for dessert incontinently forsake their 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 7 
 
 dishes and steeplechase up and down the table- 
 cloth. 
 
 But dinner is got through somehow, and I 
 betake myself on deck. We are ploughing along 
 under a good head of steam, the masts and yards 
 sway beneath the starlit sky, the binnacle lights 
 throw a red glow around, and in the distance a 
 dark shadowed coast line is just discernible. No 
 less than the lights, the sounds are all of the sea ; 
 the splash of the waves, the shrill whistle of tlie 
 boatswain's pipe, the clank of the engines and the 
 measured throb of the propeller, not to mention a 
 smothered groan of unmistakable portent which 
 now- and then finds its way up through the open 
 skylights. 
 
 Grouped under the bulwarks some of the 
 Germans are chorusino^ in their own ton^^ue — 
 student staves and jolly Bacchanalian lays of the 
 Ehineland — by no means in bad time or tune. A 
 few passengers stand muffled in great- coats under 
 the lee of the companion, already beginning to 
 fraternise, and the fresh salt air speedily becomes 
 tainted with whilTs of the soothing weed : others 
 are sitting in the saloon writing as for dear life, 
 in order to send a last line of farewell ere we put 
 out from Plymouth to-morrow. But sea breezes 
 have a notoriously soporific effect ; the passengers 
 slip off below one by one, and I am left the sole 
 
8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 occupant of the deck. The saloon Hghts are ex- 
 tinguished, then the cabin ones, and all is silent, 
 save for the ceaseless clank of the engines, and a 
 long drawn cry as the watch is relieved. 
 
 The bright red eye of a hghthouse flashes full 
 upon us for a moment, as moving steadily round 
 it sweeps the gloom with its sharply defined ray, 
 and till far into the night I pace the quarter-deck, 
 watching the black coastline as we plunge on 
 through the phosphorus tipped waves. At last I 
 go below, and divesting in a trice, stow myself into 
 my appointed bunk, which, by the way, is a very 
 comfortable one, and the first evening aboard 
 ship is at an end. 
 
 Awaking, the vessel is motionless ; the beat of 
 the screw, and the rocking and swaying are con- 
 spicuous by their absence, and the weaker brethren 
 will have a few hours' respite from their agonies, 
 for we are lying inside the Plymouth breakwater. I 
 bethink me of having another hour or two on terra 
 firma^ but it is early yet : as luck will have it though, 
 a fishing lugger is lying alongside all ready, and 
 stepping on board her the sail is hoisted, and we 
 slip along before a fresh breeze. The morning is 
 singularly mild for the time of year, but there is 
 every appearance of rain. We bowl along ; on the 
 right the Stadden heights command the entrance to 
 the Sound ; on the left the tree-fringed bluffs of 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 9 
 
 Mount Edgecumbe, and the little twin villages of 
 Kingsand and Cawsand with their square church 
 tower, nestling in a snug corner of the bay ; in front 
 the roofs and spires of Plymouth, whither we are 
 fast speeding. I land, and having ascertained the 
 time of the ship's departure, proceed on my way. 
 
 Plymouth is a pleasant looking town enough, 
 but no town, or country either, could present aught 
 but a woful and depressing appearance under the 
 steady downpour which promptly set in ; nor was 
 that all, for the wind got up, and many a rainy 
 gust tore round the street corners, to the imminent 
 jeopardy of the unwary pedestrian's umbrella. 
 In fact it was blowing half a gale by the time I 
 stood upon the deck of the steam tug Sir Francis 
 Drake at twelve o'clock — the latest hour by which 
 passengers must be on board — so warned the 
 Company's agent. But although twelve was the 
 hour named for the departure of that useful craft, 
 yet one o'clock still found her securely moored to 
 the quay, for no ostensible reason, the mails being 
 already shipped. It rained steadily and in torrents ; 
 the sole shelter available, except the stifling hole 
 of a cabin, was that afforded by the projecting 
 parapet of the bridge, and I made the most 
 of it, in common with a closely packed multitude. 
 A large number of emigrants of the very roughest 
 class crowded the deck, giving free vent to their 
 
lo THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 impatience, in terms savouring more of force than 
 of nicety of diction ; and enlivening the passing 
 hour with songs, whose burden was the reverse of 
 artistic or refining, interspersing the intervals with 
 much Whitechapel talk. It is unpleasant, very, to 
 be obliged to stand on end for any length of time 
 in a cramped position, shivering under a scanty 
 shelter, the slightest move in the hope of shifting 
 your wearisome attitude being rewarded by the 
 insinuation of a cold trickling down your neck. 
 It is unpleasant, very, to find yourself wedged in 
 amongst rather a ruffianly crowd which is bawl- 
 ing its jargon into your ears. But the traveller 
 must look for unpleasantness as his daily portion, 
 notwithstanding which I could not repress a growl 
 of relief when, nearly two hours after coming on 
 to the tug, the moorings were cast loose and we 
 paddled off to the ship. 
 
 Although past the time at which we are adver- 
 tised to sail, there seem no indications of a start, 
 luncheon is going on below, and everything looks 
 pretty much as usual : the newly embarked emi- 
 grants ' forrard ' are jostling and cursing over their 
 luggage, and I learn that we are to remain at 
 anchor till the gale goes down, which means that 
 there we shall be for the rest of that day, certainly 
 all the next, and probably the day after that. 
 However, it was of no use grumbhng— there we 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND JTS PEOPLE, ii 
 
 were and we must make the best of it. The short 
 winter afternoon faded into night, and so far from 
 the wind abating it blew with tenfold force ; in 
 fact, lying in my bunk listening to the howling of 
 the gale outside as it tore and whistled through 
 the shrouds, I thought it might be rather a good 
 thing than otherwise that we were riding quietly 
 at anchor in a safe haven. 
 
 In the morning, a two masted sailing vessel was 
 on the rocks under the Stadden cliffs, having been 
 driven ashore during the night, so violent was the 
 wind even in the Sound. There she lay, fast 
 wedged, and we could see the lifeboat and a steam 
 tug hovering about her during the greater part of 
 the day. Our chance of a start was small, for it 
 blew harder than ever, and we must make up our 
 minds for another day of it with what philosophy 
 we could. So we took things contentedly enough, 
 watching the white jets of surf as a huge wave 
 would strike the breakwater, and rebounding, rear 
 itself up to a great height, to fall with a roar and a 
 splash in a milky shower — and speculating as to 
 what success was likely to attend the efforts made 
 to float the ' lame duck.' Large gulls, driven in by 
 the tempestuous weather, soared and wheeled 
 beneath the grey angry sky in the gathering twi- 
 light. Companions in adversity had we, and plenty ; 
 one of the Orient Company's big Australian liners, 
 
12 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 outward bound like ourselves, and two or three 
 other large steamers. Smaller craft was there in 
 abundance, lying at anchor all round, and when 
 evening closed in, numerous mast lanterns cast 
 their twinkling reflection upon the waters, while 
 ever and anon as the driving scud cleared, the 
 lights of the distant town would glow redly in the 
 background ; the bells striking the hour clanged 
 forth, to be taken up by craft after craft, through- 
 out the whole flotilla ; dimly could one discern 
 huge masses of sea, dashing over the breakwater by 
 the ton, and the furious howling of the gale out- 
 side blended with the shrill ghostlike music of the 
 whistling shrouds. 
 
 Morning broke bright and clear ; during the 
 night the gale had undergone a marked abatement, 
 and it was reported that we should very soon up 
 anchor. The big Australian was already on the 
 move ; by nine o'clock we had followed her ex- 
 ample and were steaming out round the break- 
 water, and the former victims began to find out 
 that they were not on their ' sea-legs ' yet ; that 
 lying in smooth water is one thing, facing the 
 remnant of a strong sou'-westerly gale another. 
 It certainly was rather hard on these that break- 
 fast should be deferred till we were well out of 
 harbour ; had they been set to face their dire 
 enemy, fortified with a substantial feed, many a 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 13 
 
 pang might have been spared them. Some went 
 so far as to hint that that august corporation, the 
 Union Steamship Company (Limited), studied 
 economy to an undue extent ; but great allowances 
 must be made for people to whom life will be a 
 sore and grievous burden for the next forty-eight 
 hours, and who are aware of the same. 
 
 Although the wind has gone down, the sea has 
 not, and is running mountains ; a stiff fresh breeze 
 is blowing up Channel, and we bound along, throw- 
 ing the spray in masses from our bows as we plunge 
 and rise to the huge green rollers which tower up 
 high overhead, as though about to thunder on the 
 deck, and then, surging beneath the keel, rush off 
 on the other side, curling their sharp crest into 
 white foam, roaring and hissing in disappointed 
 wrath. Sea birds are to be descried in all direc- 
 tions, from the large herring gull whose wings 
 glisten in the sun as he wheels and darts to and 
 fro, mingling his shrill voice with the whistling of 
 the wind, to the pretty little ' Mother Carey's 
 chickens ' of which several are steadily following 
 astern, dropping to pick up whatever may chance 
 to be thrown out of the cook's galley. Now and 
 then we meet a homeward bound ship standing up 
 Channel under a spread of canvas, and a steamer 
 may be seen ploughing on her course, a line of 
 smoke drifting from her funnel like a dark plume. 
 
14 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 We pass the two Eddystones — the old weather- 
 beaten one, which has done such good service in 
 its time, looking quite dwarfed and squat by the 
 tall and tapering shape of the new — and the waves 
 are dashing over their base. But the high coast 
 headlands are getting more and more indistinct ; 
 presently their faint outline is just visible, then 
 they fade altogether. So good-bye. Old England, 
 for we have looked our last upon you, and now for 
 the sunny South ! 
 
 The passengers stand about in groups, or walk 
 up and down, in which accomplishment, by the way, 
 we have none of us yet attained perfection ; gene- 
 rally it resolves itself into a tentative and gingerly 
 endeavour to persuade ourselves and others that 
 v^e are quite at home pacing the reeling deck at 
 an angle of 45 ; in fact, that, if anything, we rather 
 prefer it — but it won't do. Truly it is an amazing 
 sight to contemplate two persons in their efforts to 
 keep their feet under the circumstances ; presently 
 one staggers more violently than usual, loses his 
 balance, spasmodically clutches his companion, and 
 both go rolling into the scuppers. Whereat a 
 great guffaw ascends from the lookers-on. 
 
 If you are of a sociable turn, it is not a bad 
 plan to try and forget the attacks of the sea-demon 
 in conversation ; in short, not to think of him. 
 Not that this always holds good, though : often 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 15 
 
 have I watclied an unfortunate, forming one of a 
 jovial group, and manfully battling with the dire 
 qualms which surely and slowly are gaining the 
 mastery. But it is of no use ; paler and paler 
 grows the unhappy one, till at last he beats a sud- 
 den and precipitate retreat. ' All up with him,' 
 says some one, and the fun goes on as before. If 
 any of my readers, on voyaging intent, are expect- 
 ing to hear of a cure for sea-sickness in these 
 pages they will be disappointed ; I never knew a 
 real one, though I have heard of many. But a 
 preventive is better, and I have always found the 
 following very simple one to answer. Firmly 
 persuade yourself that nothing is further from 
 your programme than that little excursion to the 
 side of the ship. Once on board, take your meals 
 as regularly as you would on shore ; but, except for 
 the purpose of taking them, do not go below : the 
 fresh sea-breeze is a powerful revivilier, and the 
 atmosphere 'tween decks, with the port holes 
 closed the first two or three days of a passage, is 
 enough to overturn the strongest. Never mind if 
 it's cold ; wrap up well, and walk about as much 
 as possible, and don't go below at night till you 
 are perfectly certain of going to sleep the moment 
 you turn in. The great thing is to keep in the 
 open air as much as possible. But I will get back 
 to my narrative. 
 
i6 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 The following morning saw us well into the 
 Bay of Biscay. It was cold and raw ; the sky 
 seemed to meet the seething plain of great tum- 
 bling leaden waves ; a grey mist swept the surface, 
 and heavy showers drove the few of us who had 
 ventured upon deck under the lee of the com- 
 panion, where we stood, trying to keep our footing, 
 for the ship was rolling heavily, and the decks wet 
 and slippery. A sudden and violent shock — some- 
 thing has given way ; it seems to me only like a 
 heavy sea striking one of the boats hanging in the 
 davits. Then the bell in the engine-room sounds, 
 and the vessel stops ; the captain and quarter- 
 master, with one or two of the officers, make their 
 way aft. Meanwhile, the sensation — not to say 
 alarm — has extended to the saloon passengers ; 
 the sea-sick ones discover that they are not nearly 
 so anxious to go to the bottom as they supposed, 
 but find their way up the companion stairs with 
 wondrous celerity. ' What is it ? ' ' What's gone 
 wrong ? ' &c. &c., is heard in more or less apprehen- 
 sive tones among the startled groups. I certainly 
 had no idea how little it took to create a scare on 
 board ship, for, in the present instance, neither has 
 the shaft broken nor the propeller, nor have any 
 of the port holes been staved in, but one of the 
 steering chains has snapped nearly opposite where 
 we were standing when the shock was first felt. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND LTS PEOPLE. 17 
 
 The after wheel is soon manned, while a jposse of 
 the crew is told off to repair the broken chain ; 
 the engines are in motion again, and the good 
 ship is driving along through the mist and spray, 
 plunging over the restless watery plain, every beat 
 of the screw carrying us further and further from 
 Old England. However, it is not my intention to 
 chronicle each day's events, but rather to give an 
 insight of life on board an ocean-going steamer 
 so towards evening of the fifth day after leaving 
 Plymouth — four is the usual run, but ours being 
 an intermediate boat does not hurry herself — 
 we are standing in to Madeira, and skirt the rocky 
 coast ; its cliffs glowing in the sunset beams. Our 
 yards are braced, all is taut and clear, and, by the 
 time we glide in and drop anchor in the roadstead 
 of Funchal, the shadows of night have fallen u])on 
 land and water. 
 
 
 
1 8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 CHAPTEE n. 
 
 Madeira — A noisy lot — Diving toys — Funchal — Pleasures of landing — 
 A bazaar afloat — TeneriiFe — ' A life on the ocean wave ' — Fire 
 practice — Church parade — The weekly press — Crossing the Line — 
 A callow Teuton — Some cheerful reflections — Theatricals — ^Table 
 
 Very refreshing to the eye, after ^^o, days of 
 tumbhng sea, is Madeira ; its heights crowned with 
 waving groves ; its green slopes and luxuriant vege- 
 tation ; the quaint old foreign looking town spread- 
 ing along the edge of the bay, while dotted about on 
 the slope above, many a. roof and white sun-baked 
 wall of a country villa peers through its thick 
 masses of trees. Strange tropical plants mingle 
 their bright plumage with trailing creepers which 
 festoon the garden walls overhanging the blue 
 waters, .and a delightful balminess suggestive of 
 citron groves and spice and dolce far niente pervades 
 the air. In the present instance, however, we are 
 not to see the island at its best, and our arrival 
 after dark instead of by day is the subject of not 
 a little growling among the passengers. But a 
 brilliant moon goes far towards making up for 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 19 
 
 their fancied grievance, flooding sea and land with 
 silver light. 
 
 Everyone who has visited Madeira will re- 
 member what excitement is caused in the ab- 
 original breast by the arrival of the mail steamer. 
 Before the anchor was fairly down we were beset 
 by a legion of boats bobbing like corks alongside 
 of the big ship. Some were laden with wicker 
 chairs and tables, others with all sorts of articles 
 manufactured in the island — paper-knives, inlaid 
 boxes, lace, filagree work — gimcrackery innumer- 
 able and indescribable. Then there were fruit 
 boats piled up with baskets of oranges, bananas, 
 loquots, &c. &c., and boats plying for hire ; their 
 occupants all screaming and jabbering, jostling 
 and fighting to get nearest the ship. An aquatic 
 pandemonium. Then there are boats full of half- 
 naked boys anxious to dive for silver : coppers 
 sink too rapidly, nor can they see them under 
 water — I once threw in a handful of half-pence, 
 but only two were found. Wonderfully quick are 
 these amphibious urchins after a sixpence or a 
 threepenny bit, catching it before it has sunk 
 many feet. The competition, too, is keen; one 
 will seize the coin almost from another's grasp, 
 whereupon the disappointed youth will haply he 
 in wait for and duck his more fortunate rival on 
 rising to the surface. Nor can this one elude his 
 
 c 2 
 
20 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 relentless pursuer, who hardly allows him to get his 
 head above water ; in fact, I have seen this carried 
 to an extent that would suffice to drown the ordi- 
 nary swimmer twice over. But it takes a great deal 
 to drown a Madeira diving-boy. 
 
 Awful thieves are these aquatic pedlars. An 
 arm through a port hole — should the stewards be 
 unwary enough to leave one open, which they 
 generally take good care not to do — as their boats 
 toss alongside, and a blanket, bolster, coat, hat, 
 anything seizable, speedily changes ownership. 
 Owing to this proclivity a show is made of keep- 
 ing them off the vessel, but there are too many 
 of them ; the stiirdy quartermaster's back turned, 
 they climb up like monkeys, where there is 
 scarcely fingerhold much less foothold, and the 
 passengers, anxious to ' deal,' aid and abet them 
 m so doing. I saw the quartermaster drive one 
 fellow down the side as if repulsing a boarding 
 party, and looked over expecting to see him in 
 the water. Not a bit of it ; there he was, 
 scrambling quietly but rapidly into his boat, 
 whence he hurled a string of Portuguese invec- 
 tive at the contemptuous tar. Everyone buys a 
 wicker chair at Madeira ; I do likewise, not for the 
 above reason, but that the possession of the said 
 article of furniture adds materially to one's com- 
 fort during tlie voyage, for you can't drag the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 21 
 
 ship benches and plant them at will about the 
 deck. Therefore, watching my opportunity — for 
 our captain has a prejudice against deck chairs, 
 and hitherto no vendors thereof have been al- 
 lowed on board — I proceed to drive a bargain 
 over the stern of the vessel. After some haggling 
 — no one ever yet effected a deal with a native 
 of Madeira without haggling — my contraband 
 seat is handed up, and I take steps for securing 
 the same. 
 
 But we must begin to think about landing, 
 and as the ship will not leave till nearly midnight 
 there is time to go ashore and look about a little. 
 Our party is made up and we have no difficulty 
 in getting a boat, each and all being extremely 
 anxious to have the pleasure of carrying us. So, 
 depositing ourselves in the stern sheets we tell 
 the fellows to shove off, which they seem not 
 to see the force of doing just yet, hoping to get 
 some more ' fares.' This we object to strongly, 
 there being as many of us as the boat will hold — 
 twice are we nearly capsized, and amid much 
 frantic gesticulation, and yelling and jabbering 
 enough to deafen one, we fight clear of the crowd 
 and are pulling for the beach. I have often 
 wondered that casualties are not of frequent 
 occurrence on these occasions ; everyone does his 
 level best to get into the boat at once, specially 
 
22 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the rougher sort from ' forrard,' jostling and 
 crowding to any extent — and all this on the nar- 
 row gangway stair. The rascally boatmen, more- 
 over, are only too eager to carry as many as 
 possible, quite irrespective of any considerations 
 of safety. We land, and pushing through the 
 importunate host of loafers on the beach, take 
 our way up the town. 
 
 A queer old place is Funchal, with its narrow 
 stone-paved streets, and ugly but picturesque 
 buildings. . Among these is the Cathedral ; I mean 
 it comes under the former adjective, for it certainly 
 is not picturesque. A visit to it is a game hardly 
 worth the candle, and on the steps you have 
 to run the gauntlet of a crowd of hapless fellow 
 mortals, clamorously soHciting alms by virtue of 
 sundry loathsome afflictions which they eagerly 
 thrust on your notice. No wheels rumble through 
 the steep, narrow streets ; rough, heavy sleds 
 drawn by oxen being the ordinary mode of 
 conveyance. The fruit market is well worth 
 a visit, and, if time allows, you may make an 
 expedition to the Convent, whose white walls, far 
 up the hill, you saw from the ship. There it is 
 that the lace is made which they were pestering 
 you on board to buy, and a fine view of the 
 town and bay is obtainable. 
 
 On this occasion we do none of these things, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 23 
 
 but make our way to the English hotel ; where, 
 as we sit enjoying our cigars in the garden, ^yq 
 nights after leaving the chill November winds 
 and fogs, the air still and balmy, and a glorious 
 moon silvering the leaves overhead, it occurs 
 to me that our evening arrival is anything but 
 subject matter for a grievance. Time passes, 
 and we must get on board again, so picking up 
 some of our party on the way, we make for 
 the beach : once more we have to run the 
 gauntlet of a vociferous and ill-smelling crowd, 
 but there are plenty of us, and we are afloat 
 again without any trouble. Gruesome tales are 
 told of stray travellers at night being heavily 
 black-mailed before suffered to embark, or 
 belated ones having to pay through the nose 
 ere their scoundrels of boatmen would take 
 them on board. I can't say that this kind of 
 thing has ever come within my actual experience — 
 and I have landed and come off again at night 
 and alone ; yet it is not altogether a safe experi- 
 ment. But in the present instance we are more 
 than strong enough to hold our own. 
 
 On our return we found that the prohibition 
 had been removed, and the amphibious hawkers 
 had accordingly opened out and displayed their 
 wares. Articles of fancy work fearfully and 
 wonderfully made, Madeira lace, walking sticks, 
 
24 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 photographs, queer little devices in shells, filagree 
 work, knicknacks of every description, lie spread 
 out on the deck, or arranged about on seats and 
 skylights. The whole afterpart of the ship is 
 crowded ; limits of classification are in abeyance, 
 and the emigrant jostles the saloon passenger, 
 vying with him in his bargaining : the Portu- 
 guese are bawhng out their stock in trade, 
 jabbering and haggling with their customers, 
 and the row is simply deafening. The red gleam 
 of the lanterns falls upon a bustling throng, 
 lighting up many an eager face ; from that of 
 a rough specimen from ' forrard ' bargaining 
 for a curiously wrought gold (?) ring, to that 
 of the lady passenger who has at last secured 
 the coveted piece of lace upon her own terms. 
 Yopder a group is examining with the air of 
 connoisseurs sundry grey parrots, whose con- 
 versational merits their oh ve- skinned proprietors 
 are extolling with a volubihty not unworthy of 
 the objectionable birds themselves. 
 
 But the contents of the impromptu booths 
 become smaller and beautifully less, the howhng 
 of their owners decreasing in proportion ; trade 
 hangs fire, and moreover it is midnight, and time 
 to weigh anchor. The shore bell rings, and the 
 vivacious Portuguese hurriedly pack up their 
 traps aQd bundle into the boats, to retire upon 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS FEOi IE. 25 
 
 their gains and await the arrival of the next mail. 
 The steam pipe roars ; the water is churned into 
 white foam astern as the big ship swings round 
 to her cable, which is fast being wound in. The 
 anchor is up, and we ghde away from the roadstead ; 
 the revolution of the screw settles into a rapid 
 steady beat ; we stand on our southward course 
 over the moonlit sea, and by morning, Madeira, 
 with its rich verdure and picturesque heights, 
 its quaint town and clamorous aborigines, has 
 sunk from sight beneath the horizon, 
 
 TenerifFe is less than twenty-four hours' run 
 from Madeira, and of course the next thing is 
 to look out for the famous Peak : at length 
 a clear cut outhne looms through a mass of dark 
 cloud, and there it is, rearing up 13,000 feet 
 sheer out of the sea. It seems doubtful whether 
 we shall get a good view, but towards evening 
 the clouds melt away, and we pass beneath ; the 
 lofty snow-capped summit, gleaming red in the 
 rays of the setting sun, towers to the sky. I 
 suppose there is no mountain in the world which 
 affords such a view of uninterrupted height ; 
 even the stupendous peaks of the Himalayas are 
 surrounded by others in gradation. But TenerifFe, 
 starting abruptly from the sea, labours under 
 no such scenic disadvantage ; reigning in solitary 
 stateliness over the vast ocean plain. I have 
 
26 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 seen it white with snow nearly to the base, set 
 in the surrounding expanse of blue water ; to-day 
 as we pass there is only enough of snow on the 
 summit to convey an idea of its height. 
 
 Two hours later I stood on deck ; the sea 
 was perfectly calm, and the great ship standing 
 on her way steadily as a rock ; a golden moon 
 hung overhead, and the liquid surface seemed 
 all on fire. A cloud had enshrouded the mighty 
 Peak, and as we ghded between it and the 
 surrounding islands, whose dark shapes wrapped 
 in shadowy gloom stood weirdly out into the 
 moonlit waters, it seemed as if we were vogueing 
 on an enchanted sea. 
 
 And now Teneriffe is left behind, each day 
 becomes more deliciously warm, the sea is as 
 calm as a lake, and everyone has settled down 
 into the usual routine of life on board ship, which, 
 though monotonous, is not without a certain 
 charm of its own. For under no other circum- 
 stances whatever do you feel so thoroughly 
 justified in taking life easily. You get up when 
 you like, and go to bed when you like ; you 
 sit and read under the awning in the heat of 
 the day, you take quarter-deck walks and smoke 
 your cheroot in the cool of eve, and you enter 
 with zest into the hundred-and-one trifies which, 
 so insignificant in themselves, assume quite an 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 27 
 
 importance for the time being. The ' speaking ' 
 of a passing vessel, and sweepstaking on the daily- 
 speed of your own, are events ; the lively interest 
 you take in so commonplace an occurrence as 
 the gambols of a shoal of porpoises surprises 
 you when you come to look back upon it. K 
 fortunate in your fellow voyagers, you interchange 
 ideas on most subjects under heaven. In fact 
 you feel that you are not only allowed, but even 
 expected, to take life very easily, and the con- 
 sumption of the lightest of light literature and 
 manifold cigars become actions not merely per> 
 missible but positively meritorious. 
 
 So it is with us. Even the frailest of sea-sick 
 mortals has now forgotten the onslaughts of the 
 terrible demon as we glide smoothly along through 
 the still waters which wear the blue-green trans- 
 parency of tropical latitudes. Windsails carry 
 draughts of refreshing air down through the 
 skylights, and light clothing has become the 
 correct thing. 
 
 The middle of the morning. It is already warm 
 enough to be uncomfortable, save within the shade, 
 but an awning covers the length of the quarter-deck. 
 The passengers sit and lie about in various attitudes 
 of listless ease ; in many a hand may be descried a 
 most reprehensible-looking ' yellow-back.' Others 
 are chatting or indulging in a mild game of which 
 
28 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 pencils and paper form the chief ingredients. 
 Here and there a few ladies with some sort of work 
 in hand strive hard to appear industrious. Now 
 and then a rush is made for the side to look at a 
 shoal of ' springers,' or a cloud of silvery flying- 
 fish skimming bird-like along the blue surface, which 
 albeit so still and placid, is teeming with life in its 
 quiet depths. Or perhaps the dark triangular fin 
 of a shark glides along, warning of the double 
 danger of falhng into those treacherous seas. 
 Yonder, abaft the line of demarcation — for a space 
 of a few feet in the stern has been turned into an 
 open-air smoking-room — sits a group of Germans, 
 each at the end of a long pipe, stolidly playing 
 cards ; while on the other side of the quarter-deck 
 a game of 'bull,' that mildest of ship sports, is 
 going on. 
 
 Prominent among all is the burly form of our 
 jovial skipper passing from group to group, his 
 bearded face beaming with merriment as, having 
 fired off a parting joke, he moves on to give the 
 benefit of it to a fresh batch. Eight bells strike ; 
 the officers come aft and make their reports, and 
 the captain joins them as, sextant in hand, they take 
 the latitude. The more energetic of the passengers 
 move towards the companion stairs to ascertain 
 the run during the last twenty-four hours, which is 
 posted up daily at twelve o'clock. Presently the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 29 
 
 luncheon bell rings and all make for the saloon, 
 which wears a very different appearance to when 
 we last saw it. The seats are all occupied, the 
 ' fiddles ' are conspicuous by their absence, and we 
 do not have to cling to the banisters, then to the 
 pillars of the saloon, as we spasmodically rush to 
 our places. No periodical smash of glass or 
 crockery, as an unpractised steward cannons against 
 his colleague in the passage, now makes itself 
 heard. No longer are the fronts of our waistcoats 
 anointed by our soup in our acrobatic efforts to 
 consume the same, nor do the contents of the 
 mustard pot and bitter beer mingle on the table- 
 cloth to pour their united forces into our lap. 
 None of these things happen now, they are among 
 events of the past (let us hope) ; to-day, at any rate, 
 we may absorb our soup in legitimate fashion, and 
 contemplate the proximity of Colman to Bass with 
 calm placidity, feeling certain that each will keep 
 within due bounds. Everyone is festive enough, 
 and apparently well contented with his or her lot 
 in life ; corks are popping, conversation and laughter 
 flow freely, as also do iced claret and soda water, 
 not to mention other beverages agreeable to 
 tropical climes. At the end of luncheon the fire- 
 bell rings. We who have been at sea before are 
 accustomed to it, in fact can generally tell within 
 a day when to expect it ; the others have been 
 
so THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 warned, yet I think I can detect just a shade 
 of momentary scare on one or two faces, but only 
 momentary. Stewards skurry out of the saloon 
 with blankets in their hands, and we follow them 
 to see the fire parade. The crew tumbles up, the 
 donkey engine is in full swing, and hoses are 
 vigorously making play upon the impassive face 
 of old ocean. Every man is in his place, from the 
 commander to the cook's boy ; the boats' crews, 
 each under its appointed officer, are at their boats, 
 in which at the word of command some of them take 
 their places. Here the fire practice usually ends ; 
 the shrill whistle of the boatswain's pipe rings out 
 above the clank of the donkey engine and the 
 hissing of the jets of water, the hoses are un- 
 screwed, the ship's company is piped down, and all 
 is quiet, as before. These practices are held once 
 a week, generally on Saturday. 
 
 Another great institution on board is the 
 Sunday parade, when all assemble on the quarter- 
 deck except those actually on duty. There are 
 the captain and officers in gala uniform, together 
 with the surgeon and engineers ; the crew, men 
 and boys, in their smart blue jackets and snowy- 
 trousers ; stewards and firemen, the pallid faces of 
 these last showing in marked contrast to the 
 healthy brown complexions of the rest of the ship's 
 company. The muster is called, and all answer to 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 31 
 
 tlieir names ; then preparations are made for Divine 
 service. It is a lovely morning; the extra seats 
 with which the quarter-deck is furnished are soon 
 filled, many of the second class passengers and 
 emigrants turning out in their smartest attire, 
 and there is quite a large congregation. A 
 passenger acts as organist at the piano, which has 
 been hoisted on deck for the occasion, and at an 
 improvised rostrum draped in the Union Jack, the 
 captain officiates, reading the office of Morning 
 Prayer and Litany, together with some prayers for 
 use at sea, in a clear ringing voice. A volunteer 
 choir groups round the piano, and the Canticles 
 and several hymns are sung ; in fact, the service is 
 very hearty and by no means a bad specimen of an 
 EngHsh service on board an English ship. Our 
 congregation joins lustily in the hymns, and the 
 familiar strains sound forth over the calm waters. 
 
 It is the rule on board the Union Company's 
 vessels to hold service every Sunday morning. Of 
 course any number of persons are at liberty to 
 hold it at other times, provided the arrangements 
 do not interfere with those of the ship, but only 
 the morning service is obligatory. If there is a 
 clergyman of the Church of England on board 
 he is almost invariably asked to officiate ; should 
 there not be one, however, the captain does so 
 himself. No difficulty is placed in the way of 
 
32 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 ministers of other denominations holding services 
 for their co-rehgionists, provided they do not clash 
 with the due performance of the recognised one ; 
 and, whatever may be thought of this arrange- 
 ment, it appears to work well 
 
 Everyone is reconciled to life on board, and 
 those who at first were inclined to growl because 
 we would make the passage in twenty-three instead 
 of nineteen days, have subsided, and now say they 
 didn't care on their own account, but only because 
 it seemed a pity that one of the Company's best 
 boats should not make one of the best passages. 
 Such disinterestedness who could find it in their 
 hearts to doubt ? Time is got through, all doing 
 their best to make it pass pleasantly ; there are 
 games and races on deck in the cool part of the 
 day, singing in the saloon in the evening, and 
 sometimes the piano is hoisted up and the decks 
 cleared for a dance. One enterprising wight starts 
 a weekly newspaper with a fantastic title, which 
 speedily becomes popular, judging from the faces 
 of each group which may be seen discussing its 
 contents, no less than from the abundant inquiry 
 as to the next issue. News of the week and lead- 
 ing articles, correspondence and answers to queries, 
 and advertisements — even a 'poet's corner.' It 
 becomes quite an institution. Another worthy of 
 artistic turn deems it his mission to portray all and 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 33 
 
 eacli of us as we sit, stand, or lie about the deck. 
 This feat is generally performed unknown to the 
 subject thereof, who is taken off in every attitude, 
 whether in the act of throwing a quoit, singing 
 a song, or even while indulging in an afternoon 
 siesta. But I am bound to say that with one or 
 two exceptions the representations bear to the 
 originals not the slightest resemblance whatever. 
 Theatricals are talked of — very much so ; unlike 
 most things much talked of, however, they are 
 destined to become a fiict, and bold spirits may be 
 seen book in hand striving to get up their parts, 
 with a determination the more laudable by reason 
 of the state of the thermometer. Whicli thermo- 
 meter daily warns that we are fast approaching 
 the Equator. 
 
 The traditional festivity observed on crossing 
 ' the line,' with whicli Captain Marryat's delight- 
 ful works have done so much to familiarise 
 non-seagoers, is becoming a thing of the past ; in 
 fact, as far as passenger steamers are concerned, 
 it may be said to have so become already. In 
 former years I once saw Neptune hold his court 
 with all due and accredited state on board a 
 mail steamer, and a very tidy sort of a row was 
 the result ; but the practice has now been done 
 away with, and rightly, so in tliis instance ihe 
 merrier sjjirits had to rest content with whatever 
 
 D 
 
34 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 fun could be got out of the occasion. Of course 
 the venerable jest of sticking a hair across the 
 lens of a telescope and inviting the most gullible 
 of our co-voyagers to inspect ' the line ' was 
 resorted to ; and some of the Germans having 
 persuaded one of their number — a long-legged 
 ^sculapius — that Neptune would be visible that 
 night, proceeded to devise and carry out a mild 
 practical joke at the expense of their credulous 
 compatriot. Seasonable time having been allowed 
 the victim to undress, a bucket of water was 
 held in readiness above his cabin window ; some- 
 thing fastened to a piece of string and lowered 
 over the side was made to tap against the same, 
 which opened, and a head protruded, its owner 
 expecting to behold Neptune in all his glory. 
 The contents of the bucket, and the delighted 
 guffaws of his countrymen, however, promptly 
 brought home to the mind of the unsuspecting 
 Teuton that the whole affair was a mistake, and 
 the court of the scaly monarch a snare and a 
 delusion ; for ere long he emerged from the 
 companion and proceeded to ' chewy * his per- 
 secutors all over the ship. By which it will be 
 seen that even gentlemen from ' Das Vaterland ' 
 can wax playful on the high seas. 
 
 Bi>t we are spared the hottest of equatorial 
 weather, and the nights are not only tolerable 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 35 
 
 but even enjoyable ; so we partly turn them into 
 day, and sit on deck into the small hours, chatting 
 and distilling the fragrant weed. And the great 
 ship stands steadily on over the lonely moonlit 
 sea, a broad path of livid phosphorescence mark- 
 ing her track, straight as an arrow, far astern — 
 isolated, cut off from the world, with her crowded 
 human freight ; alone, the vast silent plain 
 stretching around dim and boundless. A sudden 
 leak, an explosion, a fire — that word which at sea 
 carries tenfold terror in its four simple letters — 
 and where are we.^ What of the hundreds so 
 calmly sleeping below ? We are added to the 
 list of ' missing,' the vast mysterious deep keeps 
 its own counsel, and our fate remains for ever 
 unsolved, unless perhaps a charred fragment of 
 wreckage or a few starving waifs are picked up 
 to tell the tale of awe. I suppose some such 
 thoughts as these must from time to time enter 
 into the calculations of every reflective traveller 
 as he paces the deserted deck at midnight, or, 
 leaning over the rudder, gazes into the brilliancy 
 of phosphorescent light beneath, now flashing in 
 fitful gleams, now showering out clusters of bright 
 floating stars as the ever-revolving screw cleaves 
 the luminous waters. 
 
 But to turn to livelier themes. I said that 
 theatricals were in process of elaboration, and 
 
36 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 by the time everybody knows his or her part 
 fairly, an evening is fixed upon. Posters of por- 
 tentous dimensions and whimsical compilation 
 are struck off, and at the appointed time a tolerably 
 full ' house ' has assembled. A stage has been 
 erected against the companion ; fronting this are 
 seats placed all down the quarter-deck, which, 
 being shut in with canvas on the open sides 
 of the awning, has quite the appearance of a large 
 marquee. Flags of all sorts are hung around, 
 their bright colours glowing in the light of the 
 large ship lanterns. The front seats are reserved 
 for first class passengers, and by the time the 
 curtain draws up and the jovial skipper appears 
 on the stage to read the prologue, the quarter- 
 deck is crowded, for on these occasions the 
 passengers from ' forrard ' receive a general 
 invitation to witness the performance. Plays on 
 board ship are always of the light comedy order, 
 and ours was no exception ; the acting was 
 spirited, and evoked roars of merriment. What 
 if one or two of the performers might be seen 
 rolling their eyes rather frequently and despair- 
 ingly in the direction of the prompter's box ? 
 What though that functionary — none other than 
 our blithe commander — could be discerned by 
 a select few through a chink in the curtains, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 37 
 
 shaking with suppressed laughter to such an 
 extent as to be totally incapable of responding 
 to the mute appeal ? What mattered it that 
 little hitches of this kind did occur — they only 
 added to the fun. 
 
 Sometimes the monotony of the voyage would 
 be broken by the speaking of a passing steamer, 
 either one of our OAvn or of the rival Company ; 
 for we are far out of the beat of sailing vessels, 
 and have old Ocean quite to ourselves. The days 
 pass in their ordinary groove as we are nearing the 
 end of the voyage ; we have read all our own books 
 and all our neighbours' too ; the last number of 
 the newspaper has been issued, and those who are 
 going to leave the vessel at Cape Town are think- 
 ing of packing up. So the twenty-third morning 
 after starting from Plymouth, we wake to find that 
 the accustomed throb of the propeller has ceased, 
 and to miss the vibration of the engines. We are 
 lying in Table Bay : yonder the masts of the ship- 
 ping in the docks make an effective foreground to 
 the town, behind which. Table Mountain rears its 
 wall of sheer rock to a height of 5,000 feet; on tlie 
 right is the pyramid-like Lion's Head, on the left 
 the distant Paarl mountains, whose purple cones 
 loom through the haze. It is a splendid morning, 
 not a cloud in the sky ; and as we look out over 
 
38 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the blue bay dotted with Malay fishing boats, we 
 gaze upon a scene of fair beauty very refreshing to 
 the eye after three weeks of boundless sea. 
 
 At length the tide is hiofh enough to admit of 
 entrance, so we up anchor and steam quietly into 
 dock. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 39 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 Cape Town — A motley crowd — An inviting coast — Port Elizabeth — 
 Crossing a ' Bar ' — East London— A Kafirarian railway — St. John 8 
 liiver. 
 
 Everyone arriving at Cape Tov^n, even tliough not 
 for the first time, will scarcely fail to be struck — 
 as the steamer slowly makes her way through the 
 narrow entrance of the harbour — with the eager 
 crowd upon the jetty, impelled thither by as many 
 motives as there are elements in the throng. 
 There is the brisk merchant in his pith helmet 
 and sweeping puggaree. The senator in orthodox 
 white chimney-pot donned by virtue of his ofHce, 
 but whose sunburnt countenance and loosely made 
 clothes proclaim him far more at home on some 
 up-country sheep or ostrich farm, rising with the 
 sun and turning in not long after the going down 
 of the same, than speechifying and. being speechi- 
 fied to in Council or Assembly by night, and wan- 
 dering rather forlornly about the city by day. 
 There are idlers brought together by no other 
 motive than a ready pretext for whiling away an 
 
40 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 hour in witnessing the arrival of the EngUsli mail. 
 Then there is a sprinkKng of persons who have 
 come to meet friends or relatives. Yellow 
 skinned Malays are also there in plenty, tlieir 
 picturesque Oriental dresses lending colour to the 
 diversely arrayed throng. Darker groups also — 
 Slaves,^ Mozambique negroes, and Kafirs from the 
 Eastern frontier, stand and squat about in the back- 
 ground. The decks are piled up with luggage ; 
 those about to land are all eager to do so, though 
 not without a sneaking regret at leaving the old 
 ship which has brought them safely over, and there 
 is no end of hand-shaking and good-byes as people 
 are met by their friends, or are bid farewell to by 
 their fellow-passengers. The Malay cab-drivers 
 drawn up in line are yelling for fares, and a crowd 
 of loafers of every shade and colour is clamouring 
 for the privilege of carrying luggage which no one 
 wants carried. I wait till the excitement abates, 
 and hailing a hansom, drive quietly up into the 
 town, the central part of which is distant nearly 
 two miles from the docks. 
 
 Cape Town is by no means an agreeable city, 
 the beauty of its surroundings notwithstanding. 
 No one lives in it who can possibly live out of it ; 
 
 ' The people emancipated from serfdom to the Dutch in the 
 earlier days of the Colony are still so-called. They are of St. Helena 
 extraction. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 41 
 
 Green Point, Mowbray, Wynberg, Constantia, and 
 other pleasant suburban retreats containing the 
 residences of the principal merchants and Govern- 
 ment officials, who come in by rail to their daily 
 avocations. Its streets are unpaved and very 
 dusty ; in fact, given a fair breeze, and the whole 
 place is enveloped in clouds of pungent red dust, 
 which, tearing round corners, sweep over the un- 
 wary pedestrian, speedily reducing him to a state 
 of helpless and frantic blindness. And there are 
 no side pavements. Should the freshly caught 
 Briton flatter himself that he has got upon one, 
 before he has progressed many yards he will find 
 it necessary either to retrace his confiding steps, 
 or to take a jump of perhaps five feet, for he is on 
 the ' stoep ' of a house, which ' stoeps ' line the 
 sides of the street where would be pavements in 
 any but a Dutch town. Then, too. Cape Town is 
 literally the abode of ' ancient and fishlike smells ' — 
 I will hardly go so far as to say as many as there 
 are streets in the town, but that there is an ex- 
 ceeding great variety to be encountered at every 
 turn I can unhesitatingly vouch. Among the ad- 
 vantages of the place there are good shops, and a 
 railway station with frequent trains, by which you 
 may make an expedition to the wine growing 
 neighbourhood or wherever your wandering fancy 
 may tend. Tram cars run along the principal 
 
42 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 thoroughfares, and hansom cabs are plentiful, their 
 drivers, mostly Malays, though not so disinclined 
 to overreach the new importation as one might 
 wish, would yet compare very favourably with the 
 too often surly, insolent ruffians of the London cab- 
 stand. There is a good library and a fair museum ; 
 a theatre and skating rink, which last has, I 
 believe, shared the fate of its kind ; the Botanical 
 Gardens are pretty and well kept, and form a 
 pleasant lounge of an afternoon. And there is an 
 ugly Cathedral which, notwithstanding its dis- 
 couraging exterior, has services equal in musical 
 proficiency to most cathedrals in Britain. Hotel 
 accommodation, by the way, is very bad — a bed- 
 room to yourself being, as a rule, out of the 
 question ; in fact, you are in luck's way if not 
 herded in with three or four other persons. On 
 the frontier one may look for that sort of thing, 
 and accept the situation with traveller's equa- 
 nimity ; but in the metropolis of South Africa one 
 hardly expects to be ' stabled.' 
 
 In short, Cape Town requires all its pleasant 
 surroundings to redeem it from being one of the 
 most unattractive places on the face of the earth. 
 Hardly a handsome building is to be met with 
 — all is ugly, Dutch, and squat; and when our 
 allotted two days have fled, and we are steaming out 
 of the harbour, I, for one, am not loud in my regrets 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 43 
 
 On we go, pitching head to the tumbhng seas — 
 now that we have passed the 'Cape of Storms,' 
 good-bye to the motionless cahn of the tropics — 
 giving a wide berth to tlie hne of rugged chffs 
 on our lee, for many a treacherous sunken reef 
 lies there. Yonder, in the gloaming, clouds of 
 white winged gulls are circling about the frown- 
 ing peak of Cape Hangklip and the surf breaks 
 with dull roar among the scarce hidden reefs at 
 its base. A desolate ironbound coast On — past 
 Danger Point and Quoin Point, the scene of the 
 striking of the ill-fated Teuton} and evening has 
 sunk into the darkness of night before the low- 
 lying light of Agulhas gleams out over the sea. 
 
 Another day's run, and we are at anchor in 
 Algoa Bay, entering late at night. But in the 
 morning there is no prospect of our getting 
 away soon, for it is Christmas Eve : the lighter- 
 men and beach-hands strike work early in the 
 day, and not half the cargo is landed yet. There 
 is no help for it ; work they will not, so all that 
 remains is to take things quietly, and to make up 
 our minds to spend Christmas on board, or go 
 ashore and do the same. 
 
 Port Elizabeth, the chief mercantile town of 
 the Eastern Province, though occupying an unin- 
 
 ' Tlie Teuton struck on a rock near Quoin Point, and foundered oil' 
 Cape llangklip, in August 1881, over 2G0 persons perishing. 
 
44 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 viting situation on a flat, dreary shore, at once 
 strikes the traveller as an improvement on the 
 metropolis in most respects. Large and sub- 
 stantial buildings grace the town ; you may walk 
 down the principal thoroughfares without un- 
 pleasant thoughts of typhoid intruding themselves, 
 and the place gives you the idea of being alto- 
 gether smarter and more go-ahead than its 
 western neighbour. Here the Dutch element is 
 in the minority, for Port Elizabeth is a town of 
 English creation ; but the German population is 
 large and fast increasing. I believe I am right 
 in saying that besides many of the principal 
 merchants, the majority of clerks and employes in 
 mercantile houses and stores are Germ.ans ; the 
 management of the hotels is mostly in German hands, 
 and the German club is every whit as pretentious 
 as its British neighbour. I can vouch for it that 
 you hear nearly as much German spoken in Port 
 Elizabeth as Engheh, and the arrival of every mail 
 steamer floods the place with fresh Teutons. 
 
 A thoroughly busy town is the Liverpool of the 
 Eastern Province, as its burgesses love to style 
 it. Besides four or five mail steamers generally 
 anchored in the bay, there are plenty of saihng 
 vessels discharging cargo, and the beach is alive 
 with hundreds of black fellows wading out through 
 the surf to carry ashore the contents of the lighters 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 45 
 
 as tliey come in. During the wool season strings 
 of waggons piled high with their huge loads may 
 be seen wending along the streets, the whips of tlie 
 drivers cracking like rifle shots over the toiling 
 spans. In front of the stores bales of wool lie in 
 hundreds, all being marked and got under cover, 
 while the transport waggons are thick about the 
 streets, the oxen standing or lying down in their 
 yokes. Here and there is a burly frontiersman, Dutch 
 or English, who, scorning the (in his eyes) effeminate 
 fashions of towns, strides along in all the glory of 
 wideawake and corduroy, a ' sjambok ' ^ dangling 
 from his hirsute wrist. But everywhere dust and 
 scuffle, everyone busy — Kafir and Malay, Jew and 
 Gentile. 
 
 Thefe is a terminus at Port Elizabeth with a 
 couple of different lines of rail, by which you may 
 either make an expedition to Grahamstown, the 
 ' City of the Settlers ' — far and away the prettiest 
 town in the Eastern Province - or you may run 
 out to Cradock or GraafT Eeinet and inspect the 
 Boers and the boundless karoo ; but that will take 
 time. 
 
 Not so very long ago landing was accomplished 
 in Algoa Bay decidedly under difficulties — as also 
 was embarkation ; you were bundled with your 
 luggage into a whale boat, and had to pay pretty 
 
 ' A rhinoceros hide whip, siiapended to the wrist by a thono^. 
 
46 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 nearly anything the boatmen chose to ask for the 
 privilege. Now, all is changed ; steam launches 
 ply backwards and forwards, and the competition 
 is keen. 
 
 Oar prognostications were realised : not until 
 the evening of the second day after Christmas did 
 we make a start, anchoring the following morning 
 in the roadstead of East London. And here I am 
 to leave the ship, for I intend remaining a few 
 days at that rising port before proceeding on to 
 Natal. Eather more than a month has gone by 
 since I first climbed on board at Southampton, and 
 now that I ' shin ' down the side for the last time, 
 it is with an absurd and sneaking sensation of 
 regret. As the steam launch pushes olT, I cannot 
 help thinking of my last landing at this progressive 
 port. Then, it was a case of crouching down 
 among a score of navvies in the stern of a surf-boat, 
 hardly able to move for fear of one's head coming 
 in contact with tlie hawser. A huge green wall of 
 water towered overhead, and — swish! — were we in 
 the boat or in the sea .^ Before we had time to 
 take breath, a second roller curled and broke over 
 us with like result ; another, and another, as we 
 bumped two or three times on the bar, and then 
 rode smoothly into the mouth of the river. My 
 friends the navvies spouted forth salt water mingled 
 with blasphemy, and we landed. In f\xct, I was 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 47 
 
 literally thrown up on the shores of South Africa 
 without a dry stitch on me. Now, however, it is 
 a very different story ; the little steam launch rides 
 the rollers like a duck, her screw whirling like 
 the cowl of a chimney ; not a drop of water 
 reaches us as we sit crowded on her well-raised 
 deck, and by the time we are bowhng up the broad 
 river towards the Customs wharf, some of my 
 fellow-travellers think that crossing the redoubted ^ 
 ' bar ' is but a poor affair after all. But tempora 
 mutantur. 
 
 East London is a go-ahead place. Not many 
 years ago a very bad ' hotel ' and a few German 
 shanties were the sole habitations on the east bank 
 of the Buffalo where is now Panmure, which 
 comprises the railway station and all the principal 
 places of business. The newness of the tenements 
 and the unfinished state of the streets bear witness 
 to the recent growth of the place ; but building is 
 going on briskly, and the town increasing in size and 
 standing. It is the port of British Kaffraria, but 
 Hke most South African ports, the ' bar ' formed 
 by the shallowness of the river and the constant 
 silting up of the sand, is an effectual impediment 
 to it ever possessing a good harbour. The road- 
 stead, too, is an unsafe one, and, during the south- 
 westerly gales. Heaven help the vessel that cannot 
 make a wide offing, for she will inevitably be 
 
48 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 driven on the rocks and broken up among the 
 tremendous surf, which beats with terrific force 
 upon this dangerous coast. 
 
 I mentioned a railway at East London. Now a 
 KafTrarian train is not a rapid means of locomo- 
 tion; nevertheless it is infinitely preferable to 
 that detestable structure, the old passenger-cart, 
 which erewhile hammered you about the country 
 from place to place, if haply it did not pitch you 
 out and break your neck on the way. Eailway 
 speed hardly averages fifteen miles per hour, but 
 then you do not have long to wait at the side 
 stations. Many of these consist of a mere roof 
 and platform in the middle of the ' veldt ;' ^ you 
 tell the guard beforehand where you want to get 
 down, and he stops the train at that particular 
 place. If you want to catch a train at one of these 
 sidings you simply stand on the platform and hail 
 it as you would a tram car. As the line is unfenced 
 and cattle frequently stray thereon, the engines 
 are provided with ' cow-catchers,' with the result 
 that, in many instances, it is ' bad for the coo.' Nor 
 is the speed regular, for the train will crawl up a 
 long acclivity, hand over hand as it were, and tear 
 down the other side at breakneck pace — for all 
 the world like bicycle riding. 
 
 ^ ' Veldt ' in South African parlance is ground uncultivated and 
 unenclosed. Bushy or open, stony or smooth, matters not ; if unre- 
 claimed it is all * veldt.' 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 49 
 
 Curious are some of the -idiosyncrasies which 
 characterise the Union Company's deahngs in the 
 embarkation of passengers at East London. I 
 found that in addition to the regular fare to 
 Durban, which was high enough, I was expected to 
 pay IO5. for being put on board ship ; pretty much 
 as if on haihng a cab the driver were to demand an 
 extra 6<i. for the use of the step : and whereas 
 the intending passenger pays IO5. for his transport 
 over the bar, anyone going out to the ship and 
 back for his own amusement is only charged t)s. 
 A rule of thumb which the uninitiated can hardly 
 aspire to fathom. Anyhow I find myself on board 
 a coasting steamer one morning, en route for 
 Durban. 
 
 It is a beautiful day, and the sea is calm as a 
 millpond as we skirt the KafFrarian shore ; on, 
 past the Kei mouth and the fantastic ' Hole in the 
 Wall,' a sudden break in a line of perpendicular 
 rock ; fair to the eye are the green wooded heights 
 of Pondoland sleeping in the afternoon haze, but 
 the sun has set by the time we pass the mouth of 
 the St. John's Eiver, whose frowning portals of lofty 
 cliff are all the more imposing for being seen in the 
 gathering gloom of evening. In the morning I find 
 we are running close in to the Natal coast. It is 
 like going up a river ; the greensward slopes down 
 to the water's edge — here and there a sugar planta- 
 
 E 
 
50 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 tion with its low thatched dwellings surrounded 
 by mango trees and tall bamboo ; but not until 
 midday do we round the BluiF and Durban lies 
 spread out in front Hke a panorama. The town on 
 the edge of the broad land-locked bay ; on the one 
 hand the high wooded ' Berea,' dotted with roofs 
 nestling among the luxuriant growth, on the other 
 the bold Bluff with its tapering lighthouse. A 
 forest of masts belonging to the shipping small 
 enough to cross the bar, bristled just inside the 
 entrance, while the larger vessels lay at anchor in 
 the wide roadstead. 
 
 We watched the tug come off, fondly hoping 
 we should be enabled to land. Not a bit of it. She 
 took the mails on board, but, for some occult 
 reason, no passengers or luggage, and went her way ; 
 and although we dropped anchor shortly after 
 twelve, it was not until late in the afternoon that 
 the Company condescended to land us. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 51 
 
 CHAPTEE lY. 
 
 Durban — The Berea and Bay — ' Ramsammy ' — Musquitoes — A mild 
 practical joke — Pieter Maritzburg — St. Saviour's Cathedral — 
 Bishop Colenso — Native idea of punctuality. 
 
 A LARGE and busy place is Durban. On arrival some- 
 thing seems at once to strike me as different to any 
 of the ports I have already touched at : it is warmer, 
 and there is a tropical character about everything, 
 from the atmosphere to the abundant vegetation 
 flourishing in the gardens and even in the streets. 
 The business part of the town is about two miles 
 from the ' Point,' where you land, but its straggling 
 outskirts reach right down to the sea. No strings 
 of heavy ox-waggons rumble through the broad 
 streets, the wheel transport being done by the 
 neater trolly, and the railway station is in the 
 centre of the town. There are tram cars running 
 between the upper end and the Point, and an omnibus 
 service to the Berea, where many of the wealthier 
 Durbanites reside, having their places of business in 
 the town. Plenty of life and stir is there in the 
 streets ; the picturesque dresses of the coolies lend 
 
 E 2 
 
52 
 
 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY. 
 
 colour to the variously clad throng of humanity 
 moving to and fro, of which the Indian element 
 forms no small part, for ' Eamsammy ' is quite an 
 institution in Natal. Here and there may be seen 
 a tall head-ringed native from some up-country 
 kraal, stalking disdainfully along, his kerries over 
 his shoulder, and a scanty ragged shirt donned for 
 the occasion flapping about his thighs as he strides 
 on, hardly noticing the red and yellow groups of 
 gaudily clad Orientals — turbaned men and ear-and- 
 nose-bangled women. Equestrians are plentiful, 
 and white-coated and pith-helmeted sons of the soil, 
 mounted and on foot, are moving about on their 
 respective avocations. 
 
 From the Berea you get a good bird's-eye view 
 of the town, with the broad bay and the Bluff and 
 its lighthouse beyond ; seawards the vessels are 
 tossing at their anchorage, and you can make out 
 the white line of breakers on the bar. A pleasant 
 walk is the road along the top of the Berea, shaded 
 as it is by the remains of a virgin forest. Tall 
 trees issue from a mass of thick undergrowth, and, 
 in tangled network, monkey creepers twine from 
 the branches of the wild fig and acacia. Now a 
 break affords a view of the sea, and here and there, 
 half hidden among the tropical fohage of their 
 gardens, stand the bungalow-like houses of the 
 townspeople, who certainly show some taste in the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 53 
 
 choice of so pleasant and airy a retreat. Not long 
 ago elephants crashed through the jungle on the 
 Berea, troops of monkeys disported themselves 
 among the tree-tops, and the roar of the lion and 
 the howl of the hyaena mingled in nightly concert. 
 Now it has been partially cleared and built upon, 
 forming a favourite suburb of the town. 
 
 Very pleasant it is in the cool of the evening to 
 cross over to the Bluff or to row about the bay and 
 among the islands. Wooded hills close in the 
 view to landward, casting their shadows into the 
 glassy waters. A few boats are gliding to and fro, 
 their occupants, like yourself, enjoying the coolness. 
 Yonder the smooth lawns slope to the water's edge, 
 which is fringed with the drooping boughs of many 
 trees. 
 
 A decidedly pleasant place is Durban, yet there 
 are two things that would probably cause discom- 
 fort to a new arrival — heat and musquitoes. The 
 former I did not mind, the latter I emphatically 
 did. The Durban musquito is eminently a respecter 
 of persons, for he always attaches himself to the latest < 
 importation. He is objectionable enough in the day- 
 time, but at night he is to be seen — and felt — at 
 his worst. Of course your bed is provided with a 
 musquito curtain, and you flatter yourself that you 
 will enjoy a respite accordingly. Perhaps you will 
 — and I sincerely hope you will. But it may be 
 
54 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 that your gauzy protection has sprung a leak, so 
 small that you fail to notice it ; your voracious foe, 
 however, does not so fail, and you wake in the night 
 with a confused sensation of being devoured alive. 
 You are ready to swear that there wasn't a ghost 
 of a musquito anywhere near your curtain when 
 you tucked it round so carefully, nor was there — 
 yet now the unprincipled insect is sounding his war 
 trumpet within two inches of your ear. You make 
 frantic * dabs ' at him in the darkness. Not a bit 
 of use ; just as you begin to congratulate yourself 
 upon his capture the hideous trumpet brays out 
 louder and more defiant than ever. Peradventure 
 you use strong language {anything is excusable 
 under musquito provocation) and lighting the 
 candle proceed to hunt the persecutor of your mid- 
 night peace, who, however, knows ' a trick worth 
 two o' that,' and mockingly sails away to a dim and 
 exalted corner of the room. You give it up as a 
 bad job, and drawing down your curtain put out the 
 light and turn over, but not to sleep — oh no, — to 
 get through the small hours rending your tortured 
 carcase and wishing to Heaven it was morning and 
 — tub time. 
 
 Yes, Durban is a pleasant place, but its mus- 
 quitoes are open to objection. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 
 
 55 
 
 The aspect of the coast country in Natal is 
 more Indian than South African. The damp 
 enervating heat, the exuberant vegetation, the trees 
 and plants of tropical growth, from the mango and 
 banana to the tall waving bamboo, and the all- 
 pervading presence of ' Kamsammy.' All the 
 agricultural and outdoor work is done by coolies. 
 On the sugar plantations and in the mills Indians 
 are employed. Instead of the beehive hut of the 
 aboriginal you come upon the low, thatched shanty 
 embowered in banana trees, standing in a patch of 
 garden ground where its gaudily clad and turbaned 
 proprietor may be seen assiduously digging, for he is 
 great at cultivation. In fact the fruit and vegetable 
 market of Durban is almost entirely in Indian 
 hands, and you could imagine yourself in an 
 Eastern bazaar as you stroll through its shadowy 
 precincts, a delusion which at all events would not 
 be dispelled by the names depicted over the different 
 stalls where sit the various owners of such 
 euphonious appellations as ' Moonee Sammy ' or 
 ' Ehamsetjee Baruckjee,' with their bangled and 
 nose-ringed better halves, presiding over an array 
 of loquots and bananas, mangoes and pines, not to 
 mention bottles of mysterious-looking compounds. 
 Go where you will, you meet ' Eamsammy ' ; as 
 hotel or club servant he is in great request, and 
 in private houses. Indian signalmen hold up their 
 
56 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 green flags along the railway lines, and the open 
 trucks which do duty for third-class carriages are 
 crowded with chattering coolies. Colonists are to 
 be met with who look upon the importation of 
 these people in such numbers — the Indian popula- 
 tion is estimated at nearly 20,000 — as not an 
 unmixed good. But whereas the aboriginal of 
 Natal works when and where he thinks fit, just as 
 much or just as little as he pleases and no more, 
 coolie labour is always obtainable. 
 
 Eailways in Natal, like those in the Cape 
 Colony, are in Government hands instead of being 
 worked by companies ; that from Durban to 
 Maritzburg had then been not long completed ; it 
 is very winding, with a gradual ascent inland. A 
 few days before my transit along it, some individual 
 of a philanthropic turn of mind had picked out a 
 place where the Hne made a sharp curve round a 
 hollow formed by the steep sides of two hills, a sheer 
 drop of some hundreds of feet beneath, and amused 
 himself by driving several iron wedges into the 
 joints of the rails ; the said wedges, projecting 
 several inches, were to have the effect of pitching 
 the whole train bodily into the ravine. Which 
 benevolent design, however, was doomed to frus- 
 tration, thanks to the vigilance of the engine driver, 
 who detected the danger and was able to stop the 
 train just in time. The amiable deviser of this 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 57 
 
 practical joke on a large scale had not up till then 
 been apprehended, nor ever would be in all proba- 
 bility. It struck me, in passing over it, that no 
 better spot could have been hit upon for the pur- 
 pose, and a very nasty, awkward-looking place it 
 was. 
 
 Pieter Maritzburg, or Maritzburg as it is com- 
 monly called, is named after Pieter Maritz, one of 
 the leaders of the emigrant Boers, its original 
 founders, and is situated in a wide basin closed 
 round on three sides by lofty hills. It is the 
 capital of Natal and the seat of Government. A 
 pleasant looking place, with long, wide streets, the 
 city seems to nestle in a perfect forest of blue gums, 
 whose dark foliage constitutes an agreeable relief to 
 the ' hardness ' of roofs and chimneys, and many 
 of the houses stand back from the street in their 
 gardens. 
 
 The native name for Maritzburg is Mkunkundh- 
 lovu,^ which sonorous appellation, however, was not 
 bestowed upon it by reason of any attributes of its 
 own. At the time it was built Dingane reigned 
 king in Zululand, and his chief kraal rejoiced in 
 the name of Mkunkundhlovu ; wherefore it occurred 
 to the Natal natives, many of them Zulu refugees, 
 
 ^ The name is given in Holden's History of Natal to mean * the 
 rumbling noise of the elephant,' which exactly conveys the idea. 
 ' Mkun-kun,' and ' indhlovu,' elephant. One is apt to confuse it with 
 * Gingindhlovu,' but the latter is quite a different word. 
 
58 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 that by a parity of reasoning no better name could 
 be given to the capital, ' the chief kraal ' of the 
 whites, and it was dubbed accordingly. 
 
 Maritzburg is a cheerful, lively place, with a 
 European population of about 5,000. It boasts 
 two Cathedrals, and is not badly off for institutions, 
 possessing a fairly good library and reading-room, 
 a club, and a couple of theatres, which last were 
 well filled nearly every night ; I had the privilege 
 of witnessing ' Les Cloches de Corneville ' in one, 
 which, all drawbacks considered, was very fairly 
 put on. Then there is the polo-ground, where 
 spirited play may be seen, and the Botanical 
 Gardens, which on band afternoons become the 
 resort of the elite and fashion of the city. 
 
 1 saw shops in Maritzburg as good as in English 
 provincial towns, and a great deal better than in 
 some ; the business streets are alive all day long 
 with traffic and vehicles of every description, from 
 the huge buck -waggon with its long span of oxen 
 to the light American ' spider,' which seems to be 
 as universally used in Natal as the Cape cart and 
 buggy in the old colony. Here, unlike Durban, 
 you see few coolies, but plenty of aboriginals,^ who 
 
 ' There is a popular idea tliat the Natal natives are all necessarily 
 Zulus. As a matter of fact, the majority of them are nothing of the 
 kind, but are made up of all nations and kindreds — Bacas and Tongas, 
 Fingoes and Basutos, &c. &c., with an admixture of Zulu here and 
 there. Not only are their manners and customs in many respects dif- 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 59 
 
 squat around in groups or march about the streets 
 in twos and threes on their various avocations. 
 Prominent among these are the white uniforms of 
 the native constables, for in Natal the guardians 
 of the peace are nearly all natives. There is one 
 of them — a fine, well-built fellow, in his loose white 
 jacket and knickerbockers edged with red braid, 
 and a rather formidable looking knob-kerrie in his 
 hand. Those in charge of hard labour gangs are 
 armed with assegais, which they can use pretty 
 effectively when occasion arises. Occasion — in 
 the shape of several runaway convicts — did arise 
 while I was there, and some of the would-be fugi- 
 tives fared badly at the hands of their sable guar- 
 dians, who let fly their spears with considerable 
 effect. 
 
 The military element is strong in the capital, 
 and meets you at every turn, from the undress 
 uniform of yon mounted officer, pacing his horse 
 towards Government House or Fort Napier, to the 
 smart scarlet of Private Tommy Atkins, striding 
 
 ferent, but they do not even look like the real Zulus, who, on their part, 
 certainly refuse to own them, contemptuously terming them * Ama- 
 kafula ' — ' Kafirs.' 
 
 The word ' Zulu ' means ^ celestial ' or * supernal,' from ^ Iziilu,' ' the 
 Heavens.' 
 
 In the Umsinga and border districts most of the natives are real 
 Zulus, either refugees or the descendants of refugees, with little or 
 no fusion of other nationality : even these are looked down upon by 
 iheir warrior-brethren as ' Ama-kafiila.' 
 
6o THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 briskly among the stream of variously coloured 
 humanity on the footway. Nor must we forget 
 the more sober uniform of the Natal mounted 
 pohceman, who is practically, if not theoreti- 
 cally, entitled to classification among persons and 
 things military; for, in addition to his arduous 
 patrol duties, when war breaks out, the Natal 
 Mounted Police is one of the first of the defensive 
 forces to be ' all there ' and to the fore. As a matter 
 of fact, this useful corps did good service in the 
 Zulu campaign ; nor should it be forgotten that 
 among the handful which made the last stubborn 
 stand upon the ' neck ' at Isandhlwana, falling in 
 a ring around their officers, were several of the 
 Natal Mounted Police. 
 
 I said there were two Cathedrals in Maritzburg. 
 One owns the sway of Dr. Colenso ; the other, St. 
 Saviour's, is under the rule of Bishop Macrorie, 
 the diocesan of the Church of South Africa. This 
 last is a creditable looking edifice of red brick, with 
 a rose window in the west wall, which is on the 
 street ; the interior is well arranged and church- 
 like, and will seat about 600 people. I entered it 
 at service time ; it was in the early morning, and 
 there were comparatively few present. A well 
 raised and handsomely draped altar, upon which 
 two large candles were burning, stood against the 
 east wall, and the service, which had just begun, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 6i 
 
 was being performed by a priest in alb and vest- 
 ment, his attendant kneeling behind him on the 
 altar steps ; it was very quiet, and there was no 
 singing or music of any kind. At the later ser- 
 vices there was both ; they being in most respects 
 similar to those of our better ordered Cathedrals in 
 England, albeit room existed for ample improve- 
 ment in the singing. 
 
 One of ' the things to do ' on arriving in 
 Maritzburg is to go and hear Bishop Colenso. I 
 denied myself this privilege, however, but had the 
 pleasure of making the Bishop's acquaintance. 
 The lively interest and active part taken by him in 
 all native matters is well known ; every question 
 arising in connection with such, whether within 
 colonial limits or far away beyond the Zulu 
 border, has a keen observer in the Bishop of 
 Natal. His opinions, however, find small favour 
 in the eyes of the colonists, who, rightly or 
 wrongly, are inclined to think that politics in 
 no wise form part of the episcopal sphere. But 
 whether agreeing with him or not, I believe most 
 of them are willing to credit Dr. Colenso with 
 sincerity, and a genuine desire to benefit the 
 native races. In aspect the Natal philanthropist 
 is tall and venerable, in manner quiet and affable: 
 looking at him one can more readily understand 
 the origin of his sobriquet among the natives, 
 
62 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 in whose interests he is so zealous. ' Sobantu/ from 
 ' Uyisobantu/ ' the Father of the People/ 
 
 Having interviewed agents and inspected 
 vehicles of every description, I at length find a 
 good strong tent- waggon in all respects suitable 
 for rough wark, and promptly become possessor 
 of the same. The next requisite is a span of oxen 
 and a trustworthy driver and leader, and, for the 
 supply of these, I strike a bargain at so much a 
 day with a native headman. But I was destined 
 to learn by experience how deficient is the native 
 mind in respect of punctuality, for, upon the 
 day named, the promised team, with its attendant 
 satellites, was conspicuous by its absence, as also 
 on the morrow and the day after that. In short, 
 not until the sixth day was the requisite motive 
 power forthcoming. One side of the question was 
 not without its advantages, for by the delay I 
 escaped a series of violent thunderstorms, which, 
 it may be readily supposed, would have lent a far 
 from promising aspect to my start. Storms in 
 Natal during the summer months are of frequent 
 occurrence, violent and exceedingly dangerous. 
 Every house in Maritzburg is furnished with a 
 lightning conductor, in many instances with 
 several. 
 
 At last the defaulting oxen put in an appear- 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 63 
 
 ance, a hardy little black span of twelve, all black 
 or black and white. Fani, the driver, is a slightly- 
 built good-humoured looking youth of about nine- 
 teen or twenty — not by any means sharp, but a 
 willing, honest fellow, in which respect the Natal 
 native is far beyond his brother of the Cape 
 frontier ; the leader, who rejoices in the name of 
 Mlamvu, is a smart boy of about sixteen, with an 
 ugly quizzical countenance. Capital fellows they 
 both proved. 
 
 We haste to load up the waggon, provisioning 
 it for several months. A couple of sacks of mealie- 
 meal for the ' boys,' ^ a bag of flour, a few tinned 
 articles, and a couple of sides of smoked bacon, a sack 
 of crushed mealies wherewith to supplement my 
 steed's diurnal graze — for I had picked up a first- 
 rate Basuto pony, rather rough to look at, but 
 easy in his paces, and game for any amount of 
 work — a spade and pick, a waggon-jack and a 
 hatchet, a pot and kettle ; in short, the vehicle is 
 stocked with everything that is necessary, and a 
 little that is not. 
 
 But one thing yet is lacking to the completion 
 of the turn-out — a third ' hand ' who can do a little 
 interpreting. Much disquietude has been caused 
 me by the scarcity of material in this line which 
 
 * All native servants in Natal are technically ' boys/ irrespective 
 of age. 
 
64 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 Maritzburg could furnish. I try and induce 
 several likely-looking ' boys ' to accompany me in 
 that capacity. One, though satisfactory enough as 
 to Knguistic requirements, is, for some reason of 
 his own, unable to leave just then ; another, true 
 to the strain of traditional refugeeism in his com- 
 position, has misgivings as to the advisability of 
 venturing across the Zulu border ; a third is willing 
 enough to go, and handy in every other respect, 
 but — with little more knowledge of the British 
 tongue than of Sanscrit. And so on throughout 
 the wearisome chapter, till, tired of the whole con- 
 cern, and rather than go through any further 
 delay, I resolve to start in the hope of picking up 
 my interpreter at Grey Town, about forty miles on 
 the road. 
 
 Apart from the above little difficulty, all seems 
 promising enough. Through the kindness of the 
 Administrator and other friends, I am furnished 
 with letters to the magistrates and officials along 
 my route. So all being ready, we inspan, one fine 
 sunny afternoon — crack ! crack ! goes the whip — 
 we move off; and the capital lying beneath, em- 
 bowered in its gardens and blue gum trees, dis- 
 appears as we mount the crest of the hill en route 
 for the border. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 65 
 
 CHAPTEE V. 
 
 Off to the Border — Grey Town — * Blue gums ' — Bush scenery — The 
 Tugela — An aquatic dilemma — Sunrise on the Biggarsberg 
 Heights — A model road — Rorke's Drift, past and present. 
 
 At first it seems rather slow work rolling tediously 
 along on a hot afternoon at the rate of three or 
 four miles an hour, but I soon fall into it and sit 
 on the waggon box, pipe in mouth, with all the 
 stoicism of an old ' trekker.' A short outspan 
 towards sundown, on again, and suddenly — for 
 there is little or no twilight in Southern Africa — 
 drops the curtain of night ; the stars shine out one 
 by one, the hills loom black against the liquid sky, 
 yonder a twinkling light points to the whereabouts 
 of some homestead standing in its group of blue 
 gums, while here and there a distant grass fire glows 
 red upon the far horizon. All is still, save for 
 the whistle of a fiight of plover, which startled from 
 the ground by the tramp of my horse's feet, circle 
 overhead sounding their shrill pipes ; while now 
 and then the rumble of the waggon as it crawls 
 slowly over the hills behind, or the harsh shout of 
 
66 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY; 
 
 the driver to his span, comes faintly on the silence 
 of the night. Presently the sky brightens, the 
 outlines of the hills assume more definite shape, 
 the heavens are sufiused with a gathering flush, 
 and a golden moon rises, gently flooding the open 
 sweeping landscape far and near. And now I hear 
 the murmur and plashing of a river ; the walls of 
 a few houses shimmer white in the moonhght ; I 
 have reached the Umgeni bridge, twelve miles 
 from Maritzburg, so dismounting I await the 
 arrival of the waggon and outspan for the night. 
 But it is a short rest. Long before sunrise we are 
 on the road again ; and avoiding the midday heat 
 and travelling by night and in the early morning, 
 we reach Grey Town the following day. 
 
 If asked what struck me as the most prominent 
 feature of Grey Town I should inevitably reply 
 * Blue gums,' for the blue gum is everywhere — in 
 the gardens, along the streets, sheltering the home- 
 steads, dropped about the hillsides — hues upon 
 lines of this useful and ornamental tree, giving 
 quite a snug appearance to the village, which other- 
 wise would stand bare and commonplace upon an 
 open plain. The native name for Grey Town is 
 Mkunkundhlovwane, ' Little Maritzburg,' being the 
 diminutive of their name for the capital, of which 
 the place looks like a minimised version. Put more 
 idiomatically it might be rendered * Maritzburg on 
 a small scale.' 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 67 
 
 But I must find my third ' hand.' Here again, 
 however, all the old difficulties crop up. Plenty 
 of ' boys ' are ready to engage, but are deficient in 
 the very first qualification ; others, again, who 
 would be just what I wanted, are out of the way 
 for the time being, nor does anyone know how or 
 where to get at them. At last, thanks to the kind 
 and valuable assistance of Mr. Mansel, the officer 
 in command of the Natal Mounted Police at Grey 
 Town, I succeed in securing the services of a likely- 
 looking * boy ' with a sufficient knowledge of 
 English, and in other respects a quiet, good- 
 tempered, willing fellow. At early dawn we are 
 on the move, toiling slowly up the long hill away 
 from Grey Town, and by the time it begins to wax 
 unpleasantly warm we halt on a beautiful spot at 
 the entrance to ' the thorns.' Andries, the Grey 
 Town ' boy,' has fraternised with the driver and 
 leader — natives ' chum ' very readily — and has had 
 an opportunity of making himself useful, so that 
 when we inspan late in the afternoon, as the sun's 
 rays begin to abate their fierceness, everything is 
 square and promising for the trip. 
 
 And now the country, which hitherto has been 
 open and wholly destitute of bush, suddenly as- 
 sumes a very different aspect. Thick vegetation 
 covers the valley into which we are descending, 
 and far as the eye can reach the wooded slopes 
 
 r 2 
 
68 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 stretch away, purple and dim in the afternoon 
 haze. TJie road winds round the spurs in its 
 gradual descent, becoming w^ilder and more rugged. 
 On the one hand a mighty precipice rears its red 
 wall, pierced with holes and caves like so many 
 black spots upon its surface ; there a mass of 
 gigantic crags^ piled against the sky-line like the 
 turrets of a stately castle ; further on, a huge rock 
 stands out in solitary ruggedness amid the sur- 
 roundings of the dark green bush . Birds of brilliant 
 plumage are winging in and out among the aloes 
 and mimosa trees ; the clear whistle of the spreuw ^ 
 peals with many an echo from yon frowning cliff; 
 while far away down the valley is heard the soft 
 ' cooing ' of hundreds of turtledoves. Nor is 
 insect life wanting ; the cicala's constant chirp and 
 the whirr of a large winged locust, the gnat's 
 shrill horn and the loud booming hum of a big 
 beetle — all blend harmoniously in the swell of 
 Nature's evening chorus. Now we dip down 
 almost out of sight to cross the deep bed of a trick- 
 ling watercourse — up again, but everywhere moun- 
 tain and valley, towering cliff, bush -clad slope and 
 black ravine ; a panorama of Nature in her wildest 
 and most fantastic aspect. But hark ! the distant 
 barking of a dog and the low of cattle. Not even 
 these famiUar sounds tell of approaching civilisa- 
 
 * A bird of the starling tribe. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 69 
 
 tion, for picturesquely situated on yonder spur is a 
 native kraal, its beehive-shaped huts standing in 
 a circle round the cattle enclosure — meet abode of 
 savage man, in keeping with his wild surroundings. 
 Nearer and nearer dips the sun to the over- 
 hanging mountain tops, the outlines of the hills 
 start forth sharp and defined from the haze which 
 has hitherto toned them down, and the effects of 
 light and shade are perfect. Yonder a distant cliff 
 gleams like a wall of burnished bronze rising from 
 an emerald-covered slope, as the slanting beams 
 strike full upon its smooth surface ; another, which 
 hitherto has been all in the light, now falls back 
 into gloom, throwing its long black shadow beneath, 
 as though sullenly resenting the fickle desertion of 
 the glorious sun. And the night falls. Star after 
 star, with many a flashing constellation, quivers in 
 the vault above, and the Southern Cross shines 
 upon the lonely traveller like a candelabrum of 
 golden lamps. A nightjar rises and skims over- 
 head uttering its whirring note ; the bark of a 
 prowling jackal far away in the thorns is borne 
 upon the stillness ; every now and then a big 
 beetle, whizzing with loud hum through the warm 
 air, blunders into my face as I ride along ; fireflies 
 glint among the bushes in many a floating spark, 
 but not a sound or sight which tells of the presence 
 of man — the night side of Nature in her own soli- 
 
70 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 tudes. Dismounting, I sit by the roadside in 
 the gloom and await the waggon. A large 
 hare sidles out of the bush and ambles con- 
 tentedly along the road ; true to the British 
 instinct of destructiveness I pick up a stone and 
 launch it at the unsuspecting quadruped, but my 
 improvised missile does not take effect, — and there 
 is the waggon coming round the bend, so resigning 
 my pony to Andries I cHmb on to the box. We 
 plod slowly but merrily along, for my retainers are 
 cheerful fellows, and sing, chat, and laugh with five- 
 hundred-lung power. A couple of hours more 
 and we are at the Mooi Eiver Drift, forming one of 
 a group of waggons there outspanned, whose fires 
 throw a red flickering glare on the surrounding 
 bush. It is late; so after tying the oxen to the 
 yokes, getting the kettle into play and disposing of 
 the contents of the same, my sable retinue rolls it- 
 self in its blanket and turns in, an example which 
 after our long ' trek ' I am not ill-disposed to follow, 
 and know no more till awoke to consciousness at 
 dawn by sundry forcible and time-honoured ejacu- 
 lations attendant upon inspanning, as my neighbours 
 of the previous night are making a start. We do 
 likewise, but before we reach the high ridge 
 between Mooi Eiver and the Tugela the sun has 
 been up some time and the result is not stimulating. 
 Once over the ridge the rest of the way is down 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 71 
 
 hill. A long straight bit of road, where we seem 
 poised, as on a ledge, over the valley beneath, 
 affords a magnificent view ; then the descent begins, 
 and bump, bump — a long slide — a lurch first to 
 this side then to that — more bumping, and after 
 two hours or so of toilsome descent into a hot 
 valley we halt at the Tugela Drift to recruit, if 
 haply one may find rest and shade in such a 
 sweltering hole. 
 
 Now there is on the Tugela at that point an 
 efficient pontoon, which, the drift being a re- 
 markably bad one, is usually in requisition. I, 
 having had a good deal of experience in crossing 
 South African rivers, ought to have known better ; 
 but thinking that the drift, though broad, was 
 probably smooth and shallow, went at it most 
 confidingly, voting the pontoon unnecessary in 
 the present instance. The result was melancholy. 
 In rolled the waggon pleasantly enough till nearly 
 in mid -stream — at that point more than 150 
 yards wide — and there suddenly stuck. The 
 water became deeper and deeper ; the current 
 running so strong that the leader could barely 
 keep his feet, and the whole turn - out was in 
 imminent jeopardy of going down stream. In 
 vain we shouted and yelled ; in vain we plied 
 whip and thong upon the obdurate hides of the 
 recalcitrant team ; in vain we exhausted all the 
 
72 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 forcible and suggestive phraseology in the voca- 
 bulary of the road, and began again ; there we 
 stuck. What was to be done? Turning back 
 was a physical impossibility, and the oxen began 
 to plunge and get more and more unmanageable, 
 for, bending back their heads in order to keep 
 their noses above the surface, the poor brutes were 
 half strangled by the yoke-straps. The water 
 was already flowing over the footboard ; an inch 
 deeper and the waggon would be flooded, which 
 meant that my supplies for the trip would be 
 seriously damaged, if not absolutely spoilt. In 
 despair I tried another plan. Could we but 
 keep the oxen quiet for a few moments, the short 
 rest might get us through provided the water 
 became no deeper. Again the whips crack like 
 pistol shots — a sudden pull, the oxen feel their 
 feet — another sudden and more violent tug, and 
 we roll out ; a couple of minutes more and we 
 are on the other side breathless and exhausted, 
 the steam ascending in clouds from the dripping 
 flanks of the panting span. But I there and then 
 register a vow that nothing on earth will induce 
 me again to tempt that execrable drift, unless the 
 water is very low indeed. 
 
 About eighteen miles beyond the Tugela 
 is the seat of magistracy for the border division 
 of Umsinga. Calling on the resident magistrate. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 73 
 
 Mr. Fynn, I was most kindly received, and not 
 having yet been long enough on my travels to get 
 used to my own company, but quite long enough 
 to be rather tired of the same, I was able 
 thoroughly to enjoy spending an evejiing in 
 civilised fashion with that hospitable official. 
 Pushing on again the following afternoon, we 
 halted at nightfall near the top of the Biggarsberg 
 ridge, expecting to make Eorke's Drift the next 
 day. 
 
 The moon is still shining brightly as we inspan 
 for an early start, and not until we are well on 
 the road do the stars begin to pale, but the 
 morning is cold and raw. As we ' trek ' along the 
 ridge a sight peculiar to mountainous country 
 bursts upon the view. The road is clear, but a 
 hundred yards or so to the right the ground falls 
 abruptly into a vast and unbroken mass of fleecy 
 cloud, white as driven snow. Presently a heavy 
 film of mist steals up from below, growing thicker 
 and thicker, till we are moving along through 
 the raw fog, and seem to enter again into darkness, 
 but not for long ; as the sun rises the mist rolls 
 back, hanging in silver curtains over the sparkling 
 ground, and many a tiny rainbow flashes its 
 prismatic hues as the sunbeams cleave the dewy 
 vapour. And now the sun is well up ; the dense 
 masses of billowy cloud stretch away from one's 
 
74 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 very feet ; the road winds over a narrow neck as 
 through a gate, opening upon a fresh expanse of 
 country, which at present, however, is completely 
 veiled. The firmament is a beautifully clear 
 greenish-blue above the dazzling whiteness ; birds 
 are singing on all sides, and every blade of grass 
 gleams and jsparkles with myriads of Hquid 
 diamonds. 
 
 The whole valley of the Buffalo and the 
 country beyond the Zulu border is veiled in thick 
 impenetrable cloud, and Helpmakaar, for all 
 practical purposes, seems still under the influence 
 of the drowsy god. But I am in want of informa- 
 tion as to the road, so proceed summarily to knock 
 up one of the inhabitants, and learn that there 
 are two roads to Eorke's Drift, both infamously 
 bad; in fact little to choose between them, save 
 in point of distance, the shortest being twelve 
 miles, the other about twice as long. No huge 
 amount of inductive ratiocination being required 
 to perceive that twenty-four miles of iniquitously 
 bad road is worse than twelve of ditto, I elect 
 to take the shortest and chance it. 
 
 Helpmakaar,^ which it will be remembered 
 was an important depot during the Zulu war, is 
 on the main road to Newcastle, and is situated 
 on one of the highest ridges of the Biggarsberg, 
 
 * A Dutch word meaning * help each other.' 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND IIS PEOPLE 75 
 
 commanding a wide sweep of open country on 
 either side. It consists of three or four houses 
 and a few shanties, including an ' hotel,' and 
 boasts a post office agency. The entrenchment 
 still remains — a solid-looking earthwork surrounded 
 by a fosse ; close by is a little cemetery containing 
 the graves of those officers and men who suc- 
 cumbed to exposure and fatigue while at that 
 bleak station. Here, too, fled the fugitives from 
 Isandhlwana, and at last I felt that I was actually 
 on historic ground. 
 
 I said that the road thence to Eorke's Drift 
 was infamously bad, and in saying so I have fallen 
 far short of adequately describing it. All was 
 well enough till the steep part of the descent 
 began, and then — huge stones, boulders, pebbles, 
 rocks large and rocks small, heaped one upon 
 another or lying strewn about ; the actual road- 
 way as uneven as a dry watercourse — bump, 
 bump, bump, the order of the day. Again and 
 again I thought the waggon must inevitably break 
 to pieces as the wheels on one side were poised 
 high in air, grinding over a huge stone, those on 
 the other crashing violently into a deep rut, and 
 the whole fabric literally twisting and writhing as 
 though it had life. But marvellous is the elasticity 
 of these vehicles ; I was nearly saying that india- 
 rubber was a joke thereto, for twenty times as 
 
76 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 I rode along did I expect to see the whole 
 structure fairly wrenched asunder ; however, we 
 reached the plain below with little more damage 
 than the starting of a bolt or two, and again I 
 breathed freely. 
 
 From the brow of the hill just before descend- 
 ing, Isandhlwana comes into view, standing out 
 in rugged boldness from the surrounding heights, 
 towering grim and dark in the summer haze like 
 a huge lion,^ but the glimpse is little more than 
 a momentary one, and is lost to sight as the road 
 makes a sudden dip. In front the Buffalo threads 
 along, past Eorke's Drift and the Bashi valley, 
 and the open plain stretches away beyond the 
 Blood River, far into the Transvaal territory. A 
 silent and desert expanse ; on the right a semi- 
 gloom, where the frowning cliffs overhanging the 
 Bashi valley cast their shadows ; not a sign of life 
 anywhere — a lonely and unprotected border. 
 
 It was late in the afternoon as we descended 
 to the plain. A couple of tall blue gums rising 
 above a slight eminence mark the site of the 
 famous post ; in front again appears the stern 
 shape of Isandhlwana, its precipitous wall clear 
 and distinct in the settincr sun. Rldin^? on I soon 
 reached the post. The post, did I say ? Few or 
 no traces of the old fortifications were to be seen, 
 
 * From whatever point you look at it, Isandhlwana wears the shape 
 of a lion couchant. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 77 
 
 but a large house was in course of construction, 
 the residence of Mr. Otto Witt, the Swedish mis- 
 sionary, whose name, it may be remembered, was 
 before the pubhc at the beginning of the war. 
 Much carpentering and joining was going on in 
 the verandah ; outhouses stood around, hard by 
 was the chapel belonging to the Mission, but of 
 the defences not a trace. Save for the little ceme- 
 tery, where are lying the few who fell of that 
 handful of gallant defenders, it would be difficult 
 to realise that one stood on the site of the most 
 brilliant feat of arms of our day. To the cemetery 
 I passed ; a modest burial ground enclosed by a 
 sod wall, the names of its silent denizens graven 
 on an obelisk in the midst. 
 
 The sun had sunk behind the western ridges, 
 the shadows of evening were creeping over a 
 cloudless sky, and as I stood among the grass- 
 grown graves the events of that memorable night 
 seemed to rise up one by one. There was the 
 conical hill overhanging the post, round whose 
 base the enemy first appeared ; the ledge of rocks 
 a couple of hundred yards off, from which his 
 sharp-shooters harassed our position till dislodged 
 by the heavy fire of our men. I said that all 
 traces of the fortifications had disappeared, yet 
 would imagination supply deficiencies ; the outer 
 and inner lines of defence, the site of the hospital — 
 and I seemed to see the terrific rush of the savage 
 
78 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 hosts as they swarmed up to the breastwork, the 
 desperately determined faces of its defenders, the 
 smoke and crash of volleys, the lurid flames of 
 the burning hospital and the ghastly countenances 
 of its inmates as they are brought out one by one, 
 the gleam of a forest of blades in the red light. 
 Still could I hear the clash of assegai and shield 
 splintered by bayonet thrusts dealt with all the 
 fury of men fighting for their lives, the ' thud ' 
 of falling bodies, the ringing shots, the reckless 
 British hurrah mingled with the fierce ' Usiitu ' ^ 
 pealing from 4,000 savage throats as again and 
 again the columns of maddened Zulu warriors 
 poured on to the attack — to use their own 
 metaphor — ' seeing nothing but blood ! * 
 
 But my reverie is broken in upon by the sound 
 of wheels, and looking up I discover that the 
 waggon is close at hand, so betake myself forth- 
 with to the drift, which is nearly a quarter of a 
 mile distant from the post. I would fain cross 
 to-night, but am unacquainted with the idiosyn- 
 crasies of the said drift ; the oxen have had a long 
 day of it, and I have no fancy for a repetition 
 of the Tugela entertainment : moreover it is nearly 
 dark, so I conclude to outspan and defer crossing 
 till the morrow. 
 
 * The Zulu war cry. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE 79 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 Isandhlwana — St. Vincent's Mission — A coincidence — The Zulu * at 
 church ' — A vexed question — Bishop McKenzie. 
 
 Morni:N"G. The summer sun has dispersed the 
 chill folds of a heavy mist, and his cheering rays 
 fall upon as pleasant a scene as one could wish 
 to cast eye over. Across a charming bit of coun- 
 try does my first stage in Zululand lead, steep and 
 stony in parts, in others smooth and undulating, 
 but everywhere green and smiling, for these are 
 well-watered regions, and you cannot go far 
 without coming upon a spring or a stream of some 
 sort. On the right the Buffalo makes a bend 
 round the base of Shiyane, the conical bushy 
 mountain overlooking Eorke's Drift, and a high 
 rugged range rises on the Natal side of the river — 
 in front Isandhlwana — on the left a long array of 
 precipitous rocks overhanging the beautiful valley 
 of the Bashi, and presently we cross the river of 
 that name ; a shallow Hmpid stream bubbhng 
 along over its sandy bottom. But signs of habita- 
 
8o THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 tion now begin to show ; a mealie patch here and 
 there, cattle grazing among the thorns, then 
 larger mealie gardens in which women are at work, 
 and on the hillside stands a well-to-do-looking 
 kraaL A fine athletic native trots past, hurling 
 his cheery greeting ' Inkos ! ' (Chief) over his 
 shoulder as he runs. A picturesque object is he, 
 tall and lithe as a bronze Apollo ; a few fantastic 
 ornaments of beadwork and hide constitute his 
 attire, a long reed snuff-box is stuck through the 
 lobe of his ear, and in his hand the inevitable knob- 
 kerrie. 
 
 At last we dip down into the valley through 
 which swept the right horn of the Zulu army to 
 cut off retreat by the Eorke's Drift road. A clear 
 stream is brawling along over rocks and stones, 
 birds are whistling among the aloes and mimosa 
 bushes, and in front the western cliff of Isandhl- 
 wana heaves high in air. I ride up the slope and 
 gain the ' neck ' ; on the right is the small stony 
 hillock known as ' Black's Kopje,' and Fugitives* 
 Track, a scarcely discernible path, leading away 
 from it into the thorns ; the huge crag, now 
 towering immediately overhead, casts a long dark 
 shadow on the plain, whose stillness is only broken 
 by the hum of a passing insect or the chirp of a 
 small bird in the grass, and amid the )iush of the 
 summer afternoon all the associations of the spot 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 8i 
 
 seem to crowd up thick and fast. There on the 
 right is a high cairn of stones, marking the spot 
 where Colonel Durnford, Lieutenant Scott, and the 
 Natal Carbineers made their last stand ; near this 
 a few graves, the remains of whose occupants are 
 partly uncovered through the wasting away of the 
 soil by rains ; lower down, an obelisk, a tombstone 
 or two, and mounds of earth mark the resting 
 places of more victims of that disastrous day, and a 
 little below the ' neck ' stands the iron cross erected 
 by the Bishop of Maritzburg on the occasion of 
 his holding a funeral service there. 
 
 I ride over the camp ground, and although 
 three years have elapsed, there is no lack of traces 
 of the melancholy struggle. In spite of a luxuriant 
 growth of herbage the circles where stood the rows 
 of tents are plainly discernible, while strewn about 
 are tent pegs, cartridge cases, broken glass, bits of 
 rope, meat tins and sardine boxes pierced with 
 assegai stabs, shrivelled up pieces of shoe-leather, 
 and rubbish of every description ; bones of horses 
 and oxen gleam white and ghastly, and here and 
 there in the grass one stumbles upon a half-buried 
 skeleton. From the back of the camp ground 
 rises a steep slope, covered with stones and 
 boulders, and culminating in the rocky wall which 
 rears itself to a height of four hundred feet above 
 the plain. A striking and remarkable mount is 
 
 G 
 
82 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 Isandhlwana, not another hill around is there in 
 the least like it ; in fact the only one resembling it 
 in any degree is the Zihlalu, between Ulundi and 
 Inhlazatye, which, however, is on a much larger 
 scale. I have already alluded to the lion-hke 
 shape of Isandhlwana, and it is not a httle curious 
 that it should. also resemble the sphinx badge of 
 the 24:th Regiment. I showed one of these badges, 
 picked up on the field, to a Zulu warrior who had 
 taken part in the battle, and drew his attention to 
 the coincidence. He gave a start and ejaculation 
 of astonishment, and shook his head in deprecation 
 of the ' uncanniness ' of the whole proceeding. 
 
 St. Vincent's Mission, the residence and head- 
 quarters of the Bishop of Zululand, stands on the 
 north side of the camp ground, at the foot of the 
 steep range over which the main body of the 
 enemy came — a substantial stone house, a few 
 huts, some strips of cultivated land, and a stone 
 enclosure or two for cattle and horses. There is 
 no regular ' location,' the only natives living on 
 the station being those employed in house or farm 
 work in connection therewith — a move in the right 
 direction, for anyone who has travelled in South 
 Africa will bear me out in saying that among the 
 tumble-down ill-built huts of mission and town 
 locations, dirt and squalor reign to an extent 
 unknown in the ordinary native kraals, which are, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 83 
 
 as a rule, singularly neat and tidy. The com- 
 munity at St. Vincent's consisted of the Bishop and 
 his household, two clergymen and a lay school- 
 master, a farm overseer, and a few colonial boys 
 training for mission work — about a dozen Euro- 
 peans in all. Not by any means a luxurious or 
 easy hfe is that of these missionaries. Frequent 
 services, kraal visiting, school duties, and manual 
 labour in the field, all this keeps their time 
 thoroughly occupied from early morning till dark 
 and after. Nor is accommodation sumptuous ; one 
 of them had nothing more commodious for a 
 sleeping apartment and study than a small native 
 hut, another had made a bedroom of the Bishop's 
 travelling waggon. The mission house too is 
 plainly furnished, but his lordship is very mindful 
 of the apostolic injunction, and hospitality forms 
 a real item in the St. Vincent's programme. The 
 Sunday services were many, and mostly in the Zulu 
 language ; there was no church, but a room had 
 been fitted up to do duty for it, and at one end, 
 on a raised footpace, stood an altar, duly garnished 
 with a large cross and a pair of candlesticks. It 
 struck me that Bishop McKenzie in his alb and 
 chasuble looked far more episcopal than his 
 English confreres in the meaningless, balloon- 
 sleeved vesture so dear to the heart of the 
 Anglican prelate, and that the service was more 
 
 Q 2 
 
84 THRO UGH THE ZUL U CO UNTR V : 
 
 calculated to impress the heathen with a sense of 
 dignity and importance. There being no har- 
 monium, the singing was unaccompanied, and 
 when in the course of it a stray ' click ' occurred, 
 the effect was not a little curious to uninitiated 
 ears. But I thought I had never heard a language 
 which suited the Divine Office better than this 
 sonorous and musical tongue. There was a service 
 specially for heathen, on which occasion the room 
 was well filled, mostly with men from kraals in 
 the neighbourhood, who Hstened attentively and 
 respectfully to the ' Umfundisi ; ' ^ whether they 
 really took in what was told them is quite another 
 thing, for it is no easy matter to convince the 
 shrewd, sceptical Zulu. He will listen patiently 
 and courteously enough — for he has all the 
 instincts of a gentleman — while in his heart of 
 hearts he is thinking ' there is not much in it ; ' or 
 he will shake his head with a deprecatory smile, 
 which might be interpreted ' Umfundisi is a good 
 
 man, but .' While on the subject of missions 
 
 and missionaries, an idea seems to have got hold of 
 the religious world that the first thing to do with 
 a native is to clothe him — in fact, that until he 
 can be induced to wear breeches his Christianity 
 is worth very little indeed. Let anyone doubting 
 this look at the first missionary periodical at 
 
 ^ Teacher or missionary. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 85 
 
 hand : — ' The natives take readily to clothes ' — 
 * the people are all asking for clothes ' — such are 
 the statements that will meet the eye, as if the 
 sudden development of a taste for tailoring among 
 a dark-skinned race in a sweltering climate was a 
 sure sign of grace. The Zulu in his normal garb 
 (which is far more decent than that of most 
 savages), his supple limbs modelled like those of a 
 bronze statue, striding along with head erect and 
 light elastic step, is a fine noble-looking fellow ; 
 clap a tweed suit and shirt collar upon him, not 
 omitting a chimney-pot hat, or even a wideawake, 
 and you turn him into an awkward ungainly 
 barbarian, looking and feeling thoroughly ridi- 
 culous and uncomfortable. Wherefore the ques- 
 tion arises — Can these people be intended to wear 
 clothes ? 
 
 A practical difficulty which meets the mission- 
 ary at every turn is polygamy, a custom so deeply 
 rooted in the national institutions as to be an 
 almost insurmountable barrier to the spread of 
 Christianity. The Zulu gains in position and im- 
 portance according to the number of his wives, for 
 these represent value received for so many head of 
 cattle paid away, which in turn constitute riches ; 
 and over and above the actual loss of their labour 
 in the tillage of the soil, a man of position would 
 hardly undergo the ridicule and social degrada- 
 
86 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 tion which the putting away of his women would 
 involve. Nor is it by any means sure that these 
 good ladies would take the matter quietly — and 
 ' curtain influence ' counts for something even in 
 Zululand — the cant that has been talked about the 
 oppressed and down-trodden state of the women 
 notwithstanding, on which subject, by the way, it 
 struck me, during my progress through the country, 
 that they wore anything but a crushed appearance. 
 I heard the above difficulty discussed by the 
 missionaries, who themselves seemed by no means 
 clear as to the solution of the question, but with 
 them I shall now leave it. 
 
 Bishop McKenzie is a tall, dark man in the 
 prime of life, and gifted with a strong voice and 
 good delivery. As to his energy there can be no 
 sort of doubt. He is at work from morning till 
 night at one thhig or another, and periodically 
 makes Visitation tours throughout his somewhat 
 extensive diocese ; at the time of my leaving 
 Zululand he was on the point of starting upon 
 one of these, to extend far away beyond the Swazi 
 country, a matter of several weeks. An isolated 
 life is this missionary life, unendurable for any 
 length of time save to those whose hearts are in 
 the work. To the hard-worked priest toihng in the 
 slums of our teeming cities the free air and sun- 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 87 
 
 shine, the great mountains and silent wastes of a 
 wild country, may seem a pleasant relief to turn 
 to. But I question whether the isolation would not 
 counterbalance other attractions and advantages 
 when put to the test. 
 
88 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY. 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 Meaning of * Isandhlwana ' — Zulu narratives of the battle. 
 
 The site of the camp is along the eastern base of 
 Isandhlwana,^ which rises immediately above it in 
 the rear ; fronting it the country is all open to 
 Isipezi mountain, some fourteen miles off, where 
 Lord Chelmsford was engaging Matyana at the 
 time of the attack. On the left, but at right angles 
 to Isandhlwana, which lies north and south, runs 
 the Nqutu range, over which the Zulu army first 
 appeared. At the foot of this range, about two 
 miles from camp, is a conical eminence where the 
 rocket battery was stationed. The actual scene of 
 operations, then, was an oblong plain about three 
 miles in extent, whence, in the event of defeat, 
 escape would only be possible by making for the 
 
 * The meaning- of Isandhlwana, or more correctly Tsandhlwane, is 
 neither * little hand,' nor * little house,' nor any other of the hundred and 
 one interpretations which were devised at the time of the disaster, but 
 refers to a portion of bovine intestinal anatomy. The spelling of the 
 word which I shall observe throughout these pages will be that which is 
 now universally employed, though ' Isandhlwane ' is the more correct. 
 The pronunciation of the word is exactly according to its orthography, 
 every letter being distinctly sounded. 
 
nS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 89 
 
 river some miles off on the right, or by gaining the 
 Eorke's Drift road over the ' neck ' in the rear. 
 The slope round the actual base of Isandhlwana 
 is steep and rugged, and intersected with deep 
 ' dongas ' here and there, the rest of the plain 
 being fairly smooth. 
 
 The following narrative is that of a warrior of 
 the Umbonambi regiment, who was present at the 
 battle ; I give it as nearly as possible in his own 
 words : — 
 
 ' Several days before the fight we started from 
 Undini, eight regiments strong (about 25,000 men). 
 The King said, " The white soldiers have crossed 
 into Zululand and are coming further in, soon 
 they will be here (at Undini) ; go and drive them 
 across Umzinyati (the Buffalo) right back into 
 Natal." The impi ^ was commanded by Tyingwayo ; 
 under him were Mavumengwane, Mundiila, and 
 Yumandaba, the induna (chief) of the Kandam- 
 pemvu regiment ; this regiment is also called 
 Umcityu, but Kandampemvu is the oldest name. 
 Matyana-ka-Mondisi was not present, nor was 
 Dabulamanzi. Untuswa, brother of Seketwayo, is 
 the induna of my regiment ; he took part in the 
 fight, so did Mehlo-ka-zulu and Sirayo's other son. 
 The chief Sibepu also fought. 
 
 ^ A body of men under arms for any military or aggressive 
 purpose. 
 
90 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY : 
 
 ' We were lying in the hills up there, when one 
 of our scouting parties came back followed by a 
 number of mounted men ; they were most of them 
 natives, but some were whites. They fired upon 
 us. Then the whole imjpi became very excited 
 and sprang up. When the horsemen saw how 
 numerous we were they began to retreat. We 
 formed up in rank and marched towards the camp. 
 At the top of the last hill we were met by more 
 horsemen, but we were too many for them and 
 they retreated. Here, where we are standing (my 
 informant's kraal was situated close to the rocket 
 hill before mentioned), there were some parties of 
 soldiers in red coats who kept up a heavy fire upon 
 us as we came over. My regiment was here and lost 
 a lot of men ; they kept tumbling over one upon 
 another. (The narrator became quite excited, and 
 indulged in much gesticulation, illustrating the 
 volleys by cracking his fingers like pistol-shots.) 
 Then the Ngobamakosi regiment, which formed the 
 left horn of the im/>i, extended and swept round on 
 the south of the rocket hill so as to outflank the 
 soldiers, who, seeing this, fell back and took cover 
 in that donga ^ (pointing to a donga which inter- 
 
 * These dongas are rifts in the ground caused by heavy rains, and 
 varying in depth from two to fifty feet. So suddenly do they occur 
 that where you thought all was smooth and unbroken, you find your- 
 self on the brink of a yawning chasm, which perhaps will necessitate 
 a detour of several miles. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 91 
 
 sects the field about a mile from camp), and fired 
 •upon us from there. By that time the Ngobama- 
 kosi had got among the " paraffin " (rockets) and 
 killed the horses, and were circling round so as to 
 shut in the camp on the side of the river, but we 
 could not advance, the fire from the donga was 
 too heavy. The great indunas were on the hill 
 over there (pointing to an eminence commanding 
 the north side of the camp, above where the mis- 
 sion-house now stands), and just below them a 
 number of soldiers were engaging the Kandam- 
 pemvu regiment, which was being driven back, but 
 one of the sub-chiefs of the Kandampemvu ran 
 down from the hill and rallied them, calling out that 
 they would get the whole impi beaten and must 
 come on. Then they all shouted " Usiitu ! " and 
 waving their shields charged the soldiers with great 
 fury. The chief was shot through the forehead and 
 dropped down dead, but the Kandampemvu rushed 
 over his body and fell upon the soldiers, stabbing 
 them with their assegais and driving them right in 
 among the tents. 
 
 ' My regiment and the Umpunga formed the 
 centre of the impi. When the soldiers in the 
 donga saw that the Kandampemvu were getting 
 behind them, they retreated upon the camp, firing 
 at us all the time. As they retreated we followed 
 them. I saw several white men on horseback 
 
92 . THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 galloping towards the " neck," which was the only 
 point open ; then the Nokenke and Nodwengu 
 regiments, which had formed the right horn of the 
 im'pi^ joined with the Ngobamakosi on the " neck." 
 After that there was so much smoke that I could 
 not see whether the white men had got through or 
 not. The tumult and the firing was wonderful ; 
 every warrior shouted " Usiitu ! " as he killed any- 
 one, and the sun got very dark,^ like night, with 
 the smoke. The English fought long and hard ; 
 there were so many of our people in front of me 
 that I did not get into the thick of the fight until 
 the end. The warriors called out that all the white 
 men had been killed, and then we began to plunder 
 the camp. The Undi and Udhloko regiments, 
 which had been in reserve, then went on " kwa 
 Jim "^ to take the post there. We found " tywala"^ 
 in the camp, and some of our men got very drunk. 
 We were so hot and thirsty that we drank every- 
 thing liquid we found, without waiting to see what 
 it was. Some of them found some black stuff in 
 bottles (probably ink) ; it did not look good, so they 
 did not drink it ; but one or two who drank some 
 
 ^ He is referring to an annular eclipse, which, it is not a little 
 curious, should have taken place while the frightful conflict was at its 
 height. 
 
 * Literally, * at Jim's.' Rorke's Drift is so called by the Zulus after 
 one ' Jim ' Rorke, who formerly lived there. 
 
 ^ Native beer. Tlie word is also applied to ardent spirits or any 
 sort of intoxicating beverage. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 93 
 
 paraffin oil, thinking it was " tywala," were poisoned. 
 We took as mucli plunder as we could carry, and 
 went away home to our kraals. We did not re- 
 assemble and march back to Ulundi. 
 
 ' At first we had not intended attacking the 
 camp that day, as the moon w^as " wrong " (in an 
 unfavourable quarter — a superstition), but as the 
 whites had discovered our presence the indunas 
 said we had better go on. Only six regiments 
 took part in the fight — the Nodwengu, Nokenke, 
 Umbonambi, Umpunga, Kandampemvu, and 
 Ngobamakosi. The Uve is part of the Ngo- 
 bamakosi, and not a separate corps ; it is the 
 boys' regiment.' 
 
 The above seems a plain unvarnished version 
 of those events of the day which came within 
 the narrator's actual observation ; the following 
 account is that of a Zulu belonging to the 
 Nokenke regiment, which, with the Nodwengu, 
 formed the right horn of the attacking force, 
 and operated at the back of Isandhlwana moun- 
 tain. The first portion of the narrative, as to 
 how the afiair began, tallies exactly with that of 
 the Umbonambi warrior, albeit the men were 
 unknown to each other, for I picked up this 
 story in a different part of the country. After 
 describing the earlier movements, he went on : — ■ 
 
94 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 * While the Kandampemvu were driving back the 
 horsemen over the hill north of the camp, we 
 worked round behind Isandhlwana under cover of 
 the long grass and dongas, intending to join with 
 the Ngobamakosi on the " neck" and sweep in upon 
 the camp. Then we saw white men beginning to 
 run away along the road " kwa Jim ; " many of these 
 were cut off and killed, down in the stream which 
 flows through the bottom of the valley. More and 
 more came over, some mounted and some on foot. 
 When they saw that the valley was full of our 
 warriors, they turned to the left and ran off along 
 the side of the hill towards Umzinyati (the Buffalo) ; 
 those who had not got horses were soon overtaken. 
 The Nodwengu pursued the mounted men, num- 
 bers of whom were killed among the thorns and 
 dongas, but I heard that some escaped. Our regi- 
 ment went over into the camp. The ground is high 
 and full of dongas and stones, and the soldiers did 
 not see us till we were right upon them. They 
 fought well — a lot of them got up on the steep 
 slope under the cliff behind the camp, and the 
 Zulus could not get at them at all ; they were shot 
 or bayoneted as fast as they came up. At last 
 the soldiers gave a shout and charged down upon 
 us. There was an induna ^ in front of them with a 
 long flashing sword, which he whirled round his 
 head as he ran — it must have been made of fire. 
 
 * Supposed to be Captain Youughusband. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 95 
 
 Wheiigh ! (Here the speaker made an expressive 
 gesture of shading the eyes.) They killed them- 
 selves by running down, for our people got above 
 them and quite surrounded them ; these, and a 
 group of white men on the " neck," were the last to 
 fall. 
 
 ' The sun turned black in the middle of the 
 battle ; we could still see it over us, or should 
 have thought we had been fighting till evening. 
 Then we got into the camp, and there was a great 
 deal of smoke and firing. Afterwards the sun came 
 out bright again/ — ' Were there any prisoners 
 taken ? ' I asked. — ' No ; all were killed on the 
 field, and at once ; no white men w^ere tortured : 
 it is the Zulu custom to kill everyone on the spot ; 
 prisoners are never taken.' 
 
 There seems no reason for doubting this state- 
 ment, which may be taken as scattering to the 
 winds the numerous absurd and sensational ' yarns ' 
 which got about at the time, and are still credited. 
 Several Zulus whom I questioned on the subject 
 all agreed in saying that it was not the custom to 
 torture prisoners of war, though it was sometimes 
 done in cases of ' umtagati ' (witchcraft). Hence it 
 is comforting to know that our unfortunate 
 countrymen who fell on that fatal day were spared 
 the most horrible side of savage warfare, and met 
 their deaths as soldiers, in the thick of battle, at the 
 hands of a foe in every respect worthy of their steel. 
 
96 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 ' CHAPTER Vm. 
 
 ' Fugitives' Drift ' — The saving of the Colours — Zulus ' at Home ' — 
 A novel brew — On headgear — '■ The gilt ofif the gingerbread ' — A 
 Rorke's Drift hero — Ascent of Isandhlwana — Relics — A gi'and 
 monument. 
 
 One morning I started from Isandhlwana to explore 
 the line of retreat to ' Fugitives' Drift,' as it is now 
 called, accompanied by one of the mission clergy, 
 who had kindly offered to act as guide. Eiding 
 over the camp ground we crossed the waggon road 
 on the ' neck,' and struck into the narrow path 
 running along the base of ' Black's Kopje ' down 
 into the ravine. Heaps of debris lay about — bones 
 and skulls of oxen, belt buckles, sardine tins, 
 shrivelled-up boots, the nails falling out of the 
 rotting soles, odds and ends of clothing, old 
 brushes — in fact, rubbish of all sorts ; while every 
 ten or twenty yards we would come upon sadder 
 traces of the flight in the shape of Httle heaps of 
 stones, through the interstices of which could be 
 seen the bones of some unfortunate buried under- 
 neath. The track is smooth enough for three or 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 97 
 
 four hundred yards, and then the trouble begins ; 
 as we get among the thorns the ground is seamed 
 with deep dongas yawning suddenly before us, 
 rendering riding anything but safe. Now we are on 
 the brink of one of these chasms ; then the track 
 suddenly diverging, takes us along a narrow razor- 
 hke ridge with a fall of some fifteen or twenty feet 
 on either side. I pictured to myself what long 
 odds were against a lot of men riding for their 
 lives over such ground, all crowding upon each 
 other, and the savage enemy behind rushing in 
 among them with unearthly yells, driving the 
 maddened horses into the dongas and stabbing 
 their riders — and many seemed to have come to 
 grief here, judging from the traces. At the bottom 
 of one of these fissures lay the fragments of an 
 ammunition train, which had evidently taken a 
 regular ' header,' the shattered skeletons of four 
 horses or mules in a heap together, and thinly 
 covered over with stones those of the two unfor- 
 tunates who presumably were with the team. 
 Among twisted-up ends of old straps and harness, 
 ammunition boxes splintered and broken were 
 strewn. I found the rope handle of one of these 
 intact, and very hard I had to saw at it before I 
 could get it off. Pretty good this, after three years 
 of exposure to weather. On all sides were traces 
 and remains of the flight ; here and there one 
 
 11 
 
98 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 would come upon significant heaps of earth or 
 stones, or a rag of clothing fluttering on a bush 
 just as it had been torn from some fugitive. After 
 crossing the stream at the bottom of the valley the 
 ground is open, but fearfully rough and stony, and 
 so it continues the whole way. The bulk of those 
 who fled must have been killed within the first 
 couple of miles, according to the signs. 
 
 My companion had brought his gun, and a 
 covey of partridges rising in front of us, he made a 
 good right and left shot, dropping his brace ; but 
 owing to the length and thickness of the grass, we 
 could only find one of the birds, after much search- 
 ing. Then we put up three or four bucks, which, 
 however, kept religiously out of shot range, and 
 we had no rifle ; so the mission larder was defrauded 
 again. 
 
 At length we reach the brow of the last steep, 
 and scramble down its rugged side. It is appallingly 
 hot, as the middle of a February day in South 
 Africa can be, and we have taken two hours and a 
 half to get here, for so stony is the ground that 
 we have been obliged to lead the horses nearly the 
 whole way. 'Fugitives' Drift,' strictly speaking, 
 is not a ' drift ' at all ; probably no one ever rode 
 through it before the event from which it takes its 
 name, or ever will again. There is no gradual 
 descent to the river, which at this point runs deep 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 
 
 99 
 
 and wide, and is only got at by scrambling almost 
 headlong down a high, crumbling bank. The 
 crossing was made at the lower end of a long 
 rea'ch ; in the middle of the water is a large stone, 
 to which Melvill was clinging when his gallant 
 companion, deliberately throwing away his own 
 life, turned back to help him. Let us picture the 
 scene. The swift, swollen river flowing on with a 
 sullen roar ; the high wooded banks, whose tangled 
 undergrowth resounds with the song of birds, while 
 ever and anon the long-drawn whistle of a flight of 
 spreuws, their bright plumage flashing in the sun, 
 echoes from an overhanging cliff*. Opposite, a 
 long ravine, its aloe-covered sides sleeping in the 
 dim heat of the sultry midsummer day. Presently 
 an approaching clamour — louder and louder, 
 nearer and nearer — and a crowd of men comes 
 pouring over the brow of yon slope in wildest con- 
 fusion. Horses lose their footing on the rocky 
 steep and roll over, falling upon their riders, and 
 the dark forms of a thousand infuriated savages 
 are bounding in and out among the demoralised 
 mass, plying the deadly assegai ; blades gleam 
 redly in the sun ; despairing death cries mingle 
 with the triumphant howls of the maddened bar- 
 barians, and the cliff's, which, a moment before, 
 had softly echoed the peaceful song of birds, now 
 
 H 2 
 
loo THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 throw back, in thunderous reverberation, volley 
 upon volley of ringing shots. 
 
 A few, however, have got clear of that frantic 
 crpwd. Look at those two, especially, who are 
 riding as if they had something more than their 
 lives to save : and so they have — the honour of 
 their regiment — its Colours. A plunge — the water 
 rises in jets around them, the falling drops mingling 
 with the plash of leaden hail. Now they are 
 through — no — one has disappeared. See, the 
 other turns back. Why does he not keep on, the 
 bulk of the peril is over now ? A few more steps 
 and he will be safe ; it is madness, deliberate mad- 
 ness, to throw away his life ; he can do no good 
 by it ! Who shall say that all this and more — the 
 vision of home, a future career, a hundred hopes 
 and ambitions — does not flash across his mind at 
 this moment ? But he is a Briton and a soldier ; 
 a comrade is in danger, and the Colours must be 
 saved ; his own life is as nothing in the balance. 
 Again he disappears in that turbid, boiling flood. 
 See, the bank is lined with dark eager forms ; puffs 
 of smoke issue from many a point — ' ping,' * ping,' 
 fall the vengeful bullets. Both are down. No, 
 they are up again, on the opposite shore, but they 
 have lost their horses and — the Colours. A fright- 
 ful yell wakes the echoes from the surrounding 
 heights as the fierce foemen dash into the river. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. loi 
 
 like bloodhounds, in pursuit. The two heroes toil 
 
 laboriously up a long ravine, but they are wounded 
 
 and exhausted ; their fleet foes gain upon them ; a 
 
 few hundred yards, a short struggle, and — another 
 
 brilliant page has been added to the glowing 
 
 annals of British deeds of arms. The two soldiers 
 
 lie pierced through and through with many a 
 
 wound, and the Colours are lost ; but they have 
 
 done their best — their very best. And the current 
 
 rolls on its course beneath the great overhanging 
 
 silent cliffs, and at evening time the low of cattle 
 
 wending down to drink, and the song and laughter 
 
 of Zulu girls coming from a neighbouring kraal to 
 
 fill their calabashes, are tlie only sounds that now 
 
 wake these solitudes formerly rent by the din of 
 
 fierce and deadly strife. 
 
 About five hundred yards from the river, near 
 the upper end of the ravine, rest the two heroes, 
 beneath a stone cross on which is recorded their 
 names and the manner of their deaths. 
 
 Our way back lay through a long bushy valley 
 to the left of the Fugitives' Track, returning from 
 the river ; the heat was fearful, and our horses 
 were in a perfect bath as they stepped lazily along. 
 Presently something white lying among the grass 
 catches my eye ; it is a human skull, large and 
 well formed. How can it have come here, right 
 out of the line of flight as we are ? Some poor 
 
I02 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 wretch who has perhaps crept away to die in 
 soUtude. Truly the region round about Isandhl- 
 wana seems a very Golgotha. 
 
 But a reek of smoke rising above the bushes 
 points to habitation of some sort, and threading a 
 narrow path through some well cultivated mealie 
 fields, we ride up to a small kraal and dismount. 
 Two Zulus are sitting on the ground, one busy 
 polishing up the other's head-ring ; a vessel of water 
 is by his side and a flat piece of wood in the 
 operator's hand, and a few women and children 
 tumble out of the huts to peer at the ' abeliingu ' 
 (white people). We throw ourselves on the grass 
 and proceed to enter into conversation with the 
 two men : the Zulu is a genial soul and enjoys 
 nothing so much as a regular good gossip ; more- 
 over my companion was known to them. Cheery, 
 good-humoured fellows were these two, and chatted 
 away at a great rate, and presently, at a hint from 
 my companion, some ' tywala ' (native beer) was 
 brought us. Now this beverage, which is made of 
 ' amabele,' a kind of millet, and sometimes of maize, 
 does not of necessity commend itself to the un- 
 initiated palate ; but when the cupbearer is a big 
 Zulu woman, most scantily clad, who, previous to 
 handing the bowl containing the liquor, squats 
 down in front and takes a preliminary sip, the un- 
 travelled Briton might excusably decline to slake 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 103 
 
 his thirst under the circumstances, and suddenly 
 discover that he is not so ' dry ' as he fancied. 
 But if haply he has toiled along for hours in the 
 scorching atmosphere of the Bufialo valley on a 
 February day he will, I trow, think better of 
 it ; anyhow, under our judicious handhng the 
 modicum of ' tywala ' waxed smaller and beauti- 
 fully less, until the bottom of the bowl became 
 glaringly apparent. But whatever are the merits 
 or demerits of this barbaric brew, there can be no 
 doubt as to its refreshing properties in hot weather ; 
 to appreciate it, you must be genuinely thirsty, 
 for it is not at all the kind of stuff to drink in cold 
 blood. It is a very safe ' tipple,' intoxication being 
 only contingent on the absorption of a far greater 
 quantity than any European would care to imbibe. 
 The practice of taking a sip before handing the 
 bowl to a guest, has, of course, its counterpart in 
 that of medigeval civilisation ; no Zulu would think 
 of omitting this form. 
 
 We lay there chatting for some time, the head- 
 ring polishing going on the while. These head- 
 rings, worn by the married men only, are made of the 
 dark gum of the mimosa, and when well kept shine 
 like a newly blacked boot. They are about the 
 thickness of a man's thumb, fitting close round the 
 top of the head just above the forehead ; as a rule 
 Zulus who wear the ring shave their heads. 
 
I04 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 The unmarried men let their hair grow naturally, 
 as also do the girls, unlike the Natal natives, who 
 twist and plait their wool into the most fantastic of 
 patterns and devices. Shortly before marriage the 
 Zulu women let the hair of the scalp grow, which, 
 when long enough, is worked into a conical shape 
 and anointed with red ochre till it shines and 
 sparkles like mica. Eather a becoming arrange- 
 ment is this topknot, doing away with the otherwise 
 roundheaded ' niggerish ' appearance. The same 
 holds good of the ring. 
 
 While I was remarking upon the friendliness of 
 our entertainers, one of them rather took the gilt off 
 the gingerbread by asking for sixpence. My com- 
 panion pointed out to him that it was bad form to beg, 
 especially before an ' inkos ' who had come all the 
 way from England to see them, and the delinquent 
 tried hard to appear ashamed of himself. However, 
 I told him he must come and pay me a visit at the 
 waggon, next day if possible, and we could have a 
 big talk, which he promised to do, and as the sun 
 was low and it was cool again we started, parting 
 from our entertainers with mutual goodwill. It 
 was dusk when we got back to the Mission, 
 healthily tired after the day's proceedings. Next 
 morning my Zulu friend, who answered to the 
 name of Jojo, appeared in due course. I found he 
 belonged to the Udhloko regiment, and had fought 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 105 
 
 at Eorke's Drift, and was well posted up in the 
 whole question of the war. We had a long talk, 
 after which I handed him over to my ' boys ' to be 
 well fed, and having stowed away his full share of 
 mealie-meal and sundry jorums of black coffee — 
 to which invigorating decoction, by the way, the 
 natives are very partial — my visitor took his leave, 
 hugely complacent in the acquisition of some 
 * gwai ' ^ and sundry knicknacks dear to the 
 barbaric heart. 
 
 Strolling up to the Mission shortly afterwards 
 the first person I ran against was Master Jojo, who 
 grinned significantly. I remarked casually to my 
 companion of the day before, that that lighthearted 
 savage had lost no time in looking me up, and had 
 just made a pretty creditable feed. 'Why,' was 
 the reply, to my astonishment, ' he says he's 
 starving, and hasn't had anything to eat to-day.' 
 When tackled with such flagrant mendacity 
 the rascal was not a whit disconcerted : only 
 laughed, and said that having got a lot of good 
 things out of one ' inkos ' he thought he'd better 
 come and see what he could get out of the other. 
 The humbug ! A fine specimen was this fellow, 
 tall, supple, and rather light coloured, with a 
 handsome good-humoured face, but, I suspect, a 
 great rogue. 
 
 ^ Tobacco or snuff. 
 
io6 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 I climbed to the summit of Isandhlwana, which 
 ascent is neither long or perilous, being at the 
 north end gradual and easy, albeit good exercise 
 for wind and limb. From the top a good sweeping 
 view is to be had, and the whole battlefield lies 
 spread out beneath like a map. 
 
 I suppose that for many years relics of the 
 conflict will keep on turning up — assegai heads, 
 buttons, and such like ; here and there a bullet is 
 to be found, and cartridge cases in plenty. Every 
 now and then you come across a heap of these, and 
 begin to speculate on how some poor fellow made 
 a long stand for it on this particular spot until his 
 ammunition failed. On closer inspection, however, 
 the illusion is dispelled, for about eight out of ten 
 of these cartridge cases have never been fired at 
 all, as you may see by the unexploded cap and the 
 marks of teeth where the enterprising savage has 
 torn open the case to extract the powder and ball. 
 I particularly noticed that none of these unexploded 
 cases were to be found on the outskirts of the 
 field, all there having been fired off ; not until one 
 got upon the site of the actual camp did they 
 become plentiful, pointing, if anything, to the fact 
 that the fight in camp was hand to hand, our men 
 being rushed before they had time to fire many 
 shots, whereas those forming the outer lines of 
 defence would have had plenty. And the above 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 107 
 
 circumstance seems to make against the idea that 
 there was any faikire of ammunition. The heavier 
 missiles had also been emptied of their contents, 
 and unexploded shells were plentiful enough ; a 
 number of these had been collected at the Mission, 
 some of them being put to such commonplace 
 uses as door weights and even candlesticks, while 
 others did duty as borders to little bits of garden 
 patches. 
 
 A few tombstones have been erected, mostly 
 just below the ' neck,' rather as memorials than as 
 marking actual graves ; for, by the time the first 
 burying party visited the place, the bodies, with 
 very few exceptions, were past recognition. One 
 of these exceptions was Captain George Shepstone, 
 of the Natal Native Horse, whose grave is on 
 the slope beneath the western precipice — a pretty 
 sculptured cross enclosed by a low stone wall. 
 A grass fire had blackened and laid bare the whole 
 slope, but the flames had left untouched the grass 
 inside the enclosure, which stood out, a green 
 spot, with its white cross in the centre, against 
 the surrounding blackness. But one monument is 
 shared alike by all. Towering above the sad and 
 fatal field, the lion-shaped Isandhlwana rears its 
 rugged crest to the sky ; and, looking on that 
 stern defiant frontlet keeping its silent watch for 
 ever over our fallen countrymen, I could not but 
 
io8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 realise how grand a monumental stone Nature had 
 provided, as though to shame the puny efforts of 
 Art. 
 
 And Isandhlwana's stately crest its vigil aye will keep, 
 Guarding our brethren's peaceful rest, wrapt in their last long 
 
 sleep ; 
 Gigantic looms its rugged height crowned with a halo wreath, 
 As streams the pale moon's silver light o'er the weird plain 
 
 beneath. 
 Or at the close of scorching day, bathed in the summer mist, 
 Those iron walls by slanting ray of fading sunlight kissed ; 
 And the nightbird leaves his rocky nest with shrill and ghostly 
 
 scream, 
 As sinks afar in the purpling west the twilight's last faint 
 
 gleam. 
 When the deep thunder's angry tone peals through the blackened 
 
 sky, 
 Vivid around that summit lone the flame-winged arrows fly, 
 And the storm wind with a frightened whirl scuds through the 
 
 troubled air — 
 Seeming defiance back to hurl from his huge frontlet bare, 
 There, in his towering grandeur piled, unmoved through calm 
 
 and storm, 
 Majestic o'er the lonely wild reigns that stern lion-form. 
 And fitter monument ne'er crowned the fallen soldier's grave. 
 Oft upon blazoned folds unwound floating o'er land and wave, 
 Emblem of Britain's might renowned, here watching o'er her 
 
 brave. ^ 
 
 ^ From a poem by the author, contributed to the Natd Mercury 
 on the third anniversary of the battle. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 109 
 
 CHAPTEE IX. 
 
 Hlubi — A trial-at-law- Native oratory — Sirayo's stronghold— The 
 Ityotyozi valley — A standstill and a snake — Visitors — An im- 
 portant institution — ' Big tagati ' — Where the Prince was killed 
 — Sabuza — A beggar — The Queen's Cross — A kindly tribute — An 
 old story retold. 
 
 The scene of tlie Prince Imperial's death is about 
 twenty miles from Isandhlwana as the crow flies, 
 but by road nearly twice that distance ; and hav- 
 ing thoroughly ' done ' the great battlefield, and 
 the oxen being considerably set up by their long 
 rest, we inspanned early one morning and took the 
 road for the Ityotyozi valley. The first halt was 
 at St. Augustine's, a mission station in charge of 
 the Rev. Charles Johnson, about thirteen miles 
 from Isandhlwana and four from Rorke's Drift ; 
 but a change of weather coming on, with violent 
 thunderstorms and heavy showers, I was detained 
 two or three days, which gave me an opportunity 
 of seeing Hlubi, the chief of the district, whose 
 residence is close to the station. 
 
 At the termination of hostilities there was an 
 
no THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 impression abroad that Zululand was to be kept 
 for the Zulus exclusively, and that no part thereof 
 would be taken from them under any pretence 
 whatever : whether a statement to that effect was 
 made by authority, my memory does not serve. 
 Anyhow, a large slice of the country was given to 
 this Hlubi, who is not a Zulu at all, but the head 
 of a clan of Basutos living within the borders of 
 Natal, who did good service on our side during the 
 war. Whether another way might not have been 
 found of rewarding a friend and ally than giving 
 him territory to which he could have had no claim, 
 may be a fair question ; but, on the other hand, 
 looking at the arrangement as simply one of pohcy, 
 there can be no doubt as to the advantage of 
 placing the district comprising the scene of the 
 one great Zulu triumph, under an alien devoted to 
 British interest. As a matter of fact the two 
 border districts, from the Blood Eiver to the 
 Tugela mouth, are both ruled by chiefs whose 
 interests are unmistakably identical with our own. 
 A middle-aged man, rather stout, with an in- 
 telligent face, dressed in velveteen jacket, tweed 
 trousers, and flannel shirt, and with a general air of 
 native well-to-do-ness, such is the chief Hlubi. His 
 aspirations tend in the direction of comfort, for he 
 lives in a substantial stone house with a verandah, 
 and uses tables and chairs. Furthermore, he 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND -ITS PEOPLE iii 
 
 drives his own trap, an American ' spider ' — albeit 
 given to loading up the same rather inordinately : 
 for to drive seven full-grown persons in a vehicle 
 constructed to seat four, is inordinate loading up. 
 At the time of my arrival the chief was engaged in 
 presiding over a ' trial-at-law,' so after we had ex- 
 changed civilities, he left me to resume his judicial 
 seat. About fifty natives — Zulus and Basutos — were 
 squatted round in a circle, with the defendants, 
 six in number, in the centre ; the ' court ' was held 
 in the open air, Hlubi being the only man who 
 affected a chair, the others sitting on the ground 
 tailor-fashion. There appeared to be ' counsel ' on 
 both sides : seeing, however, that three individuals 
 would be talking all at once, both loud and fast — 
 and can't a native talk — it struck me that the man 
 who would determine the rights and wrongs of the 
 case should be gifted with an extra judicial mind. 
 An indaha'^ of this kind will often last for days. 
 Once a native orator is on his legs (metaphorically, 
 for the discussion is generally carried on squatting) 
 it must be a very powerful diversion indeed that 
 will arrest the stream of talk and gesture — the 
 gesture denunciatory or explanatory, the gesture 
 deprecatory or exultant, all play an important 
 part in aboriginal speech-making. And yet no 
 
 ^ Palaver. The word is also used for conversation, ' news,' or any 
 kind of talk. 
 
112 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 one could brand that torrent of volubility with the 
 ignominious term 'jabber,' for there is a wonder- 
 ful grace about this pantomimic illustration — the 
 grace and ease of a born orator — while the smooth , 
 even flow of words, no less than the readiness of 
 repartee, betokens a command of language which 
 our trained speakers might well envy. A native 
 is never at a loss ; never at a moment's hesitation 
 for an expression wherewith to convey his mean- 
 ing : how poor and wanting in this respect is our 
 unmelodious English compared with his facile 
 tongue. But I suppose the man does not exist 
 who, once upon his legs, more dearly loves to hear 
 himself talk than the native of South Africa, be he 
 Zulu or Xosa, Tembu or Basuto, or be he who he 
 may. 
 
 In the trial I witnessed, the defendants were 
 charged with resisting some of Hlubi's police : 
 whether they were convicted or not I never heard. 
 
 Near St. Augustine's is Sirayo's ^ old stronghold, 
 the scene of the first skirmish after the troops 
 crossed into Zululand, and this I took occasion to 
 visit. About an hour's ride brought us through 
 the green valley of the Bashi, and after several 
 
 ^ Zulus cannot sound the letter * r,' pronouncing it as * h ; ' yet in 
 their language it conveys something more than the ordinary sound of 
 ' h,' more like ^ch' in the German word * ich.' Thus it is pronounced 
 in * Sirayo.' Sometimes they pronounce it ' 1/ as in their coined word 
 * umbu/ele/ umbrella. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 113 
 
 tedious detours to get round a mealie field or to 
 avoid a deep donga, we entered the steep stony 
 defile leading to the truculent old chieftain's former 
 abode. The morning was dark and lowering, heavy 
 clouds completely veiling the krantzes (cliffs) and 
 hill tops, while a constant and insinuating drizzle 
 did its level best to render life exceedingly uncom- 
 fortable for the ambitious explorer. The site of 
 the kraal, which was easily found, is on a ridge, or 
 rather spur, overlooking the approaches from the 
 valley on either side ; the cattle enclosure stiil 
 stands, and is girt by a solid stone wall, around 
 which, and thickly overgrown with tangled weeds, 
 are the clay floors of the huts, being all that remain 
 of the same. On the other side of the ravine, in the 
 Tear, rises a huge wall of frowning cliff, along 
 whose face clouds were driving in misty scud, the 
 crags looming out stern and forbidding in their 
 shadowy dimness ; and here, amid the stones and 
 clefts, Sirayo's followers made a futile stand against 
 the hated invader. 
 
 A temporary lull in the downpour enabled us 
 to compass a fire and some breakfast, which im- 
 parted a surprisingly brighter tint to things in 
 general. Previously, what with the early start and 
 the long wet ride, I was rather weary, and felt 
 strongly sympathetic towards Nature in her ab- 
 horrence of a vacuum, which combination of dis- 
 
 I 
 
114 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 comforts had set me wondering whether it was 
 worth while going through so much to gain so httle, 
 as the charity boy is proverbially supposed to have 
 said when he came to the end of the alphabet. 
 The look-out, however, assumed a more cheerful 
 hue after breakfast, and I was inclined to explore 
 the rugged fastness in front, but the rain coming 
 on again harder than ever, it was manifest that no 
 good could be effected by slipping and tumbling 
 about among slimy boulders and long wet grass ; 
 accordingly, saddling up, we took the homeward 
 track. 
 
 As soon as the weather fairly cleared we started, 
 and halting for the night on the heights near Itelezi, 
 descended early next morning into the Ityotyozi, 
 a clear stream whose sandy bed winds through 
 grassy bottoms, where the track was anything but 
 plain. Owing to its winding course the river has 
 to be crossed several times, which, the drifts being 
 nearly all more or less bad, is not an advantage. 
 I arrived at one of these to find the waggon stick- 
 ing fast, and the driver endeavouring, with a per- 
 sistency worthy of a better cause, to upset the 
 same. However, I was just in time to save its centre 
 of gravity and avert the catastrophe, and after ply- 
 ing spade and pick for a few minutes, the offending 
 wheel rolled reluctantly out of the hole, and we 
 were on the move again. The next event came in 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 115 
 
 the shape of a big puff adder lying in the middle 
 of the road, which Fani deftly slew with his long 
 whip, looking hugely pleased with himself after the 
 successful accomplishment of this feat. In fact 
 he soon got hold of the idea that the destruction 
 of all the snakes in Zululand was his particular 
 mission, and, thereafter, whenever a serpent showed 
 itself anywhere near our line of march, he effectually 
 ' did for ' that unwary reptile. 
 
 The surrounding country was green and un- 
 dulating, and did not seem thickly populated, 
 though a few kraals were scattered about here 
 and there upon the plains. During the mid-day 
 halt some Zulus paid me a visit at the waggon ; 
 the gift of a little tobacco (which is not used for 
 smoking, but converted into snuff), and a few 
 trifles, placed us at once on the best of terms, 
 and they sat chatting away about the war and 
 tlieir own politics of the day as familiarly as if 
 we had known each other all our lives. 
 
 Snuff-taking, by the way, constitutes an 
 eventful item in the Zulu day's doings. It is in 
 no wise to be engaged in lightly or hurried over, 
 but must be attended with all the deliberate 
 ceremonial which so important an undertaking 
 demands. Is the would-be snuffer on his travels, — 
 he does not take his ' pinch ' while walking along. 
 Oh no ! He sits down by the roadside, gravely 
 
 1 2 
 
ii6 THROUGH THE ZULU COLNTRY: 
 
 extracts his snuffbox (either a bit of reed or a 
 long tube of polished horn with a stopper) from 
 the slit in the lobe of his ear where it is generally- 
 kept — I suppose because pockets are unknown 
 conveniences to people the bulk of whose clothing 
 consists of Nature's garb — pours a quantit}^ of 
 its contents into his bone snuff-spoon, if he has 
 one, or into the hollow of his hand if he has not, 
 and by a series of ' pinches ' transfers every particle 
 of the pungent mixture to his nasal cavities. 
 Which operation completed, he sits for a few 
 minutes in placid enjoyment of the results of his 
 favourite indulgence ; then, replacing his snuffbox 
 in its auricular repository, starts on his way with 
 the air of a man who has satisfactorily discharged 
 a heavy responsibility towards himself and society 
 at large. Three or four old men taking snuff 
 together is a sight worth witnessing. The calm 
 gravity, the sublime indifference to all earthly 
 things depicted on each countenance during the 
 operation is a study in itself. The use of snuff 
 is not confined to age or sex, the women indeed 
 being as fond of it as their lords ; but the Zulus 
 have never taken to the pipe, though the Kafirs on 
 the Cape frontier, men and women alike, smoke 
 ferociously, as do also many of the Natal natives. 
 
 But to return to our visitors. My field glass 
 was a great source of diversion : they couldn't 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 117 
 
 understand how their own kraal, about a mile 
 off, could be brought by its means within a few 
 yards ; nor how, on reversing the glass, the same 
 object should appear far away on the horizon. 
 But the climax of astonishment was reached when, 
 unscrewing one of the ends, I used it as a burning 
 glass and ignited paper and dry grass, finishing 
 by lighting my long pipe therewith. One venture- 
 some spirit went so far as to put his hand under 
 the lens after some persuasion, but promptly saw 
 good and sufficient reasons for withdrawing it, 
 whereat the others laughed him to scorn. Never- 
 theless they shook their heads and thought 
 that the man who could bring down fire from 
 the sun to light his pipe with must be very big 
 ' tagati ' ^ indeed. 
 
 I arrived on the scene of the Prince's death 
 at sundown. An old man who was driving cattle 
 l^ointed out the spot, for the stone itself, being 
 in a hollow, is not visible until you are right 
 upon it. We outspanned about 500 yards from 
 the enclosure, and almost before the oxen were 
 clear of their yokes received a visit from the petty 
 chief Sabuza and a few of his followers — it was 
 on the site of this worthy's former kraal that the 
 unfortunate Prince and his party were ofis addled 
 
 * Sorcerer, or anything that is uncanny, corresponding to the 
 North American Indian term ' great medicine.' 
 
ii8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 when attacked. Sabuza is a quiet, good-humoured 
 looking old customer, of sturdy build, and grey- 
 headed, but an inveterate ' beggar ' withal. I 
 opened the proceedings by distributing ' gwai ' 
 (tobacco), and the Zulus, squatting down, prepared 
 for a talk. 
 
 ' What had I got to sell ? ' they were anxious 
 to know. I explained that I was not a trader, 
 but had come up there to see them and their 
 country, and wanted to have a look at the Prince's 
 monument. With a keen eye to the main chance, 
 Sabuza struck in that he expected people to pay 
 for the latter privilege, a notion which met with 
 huge ridicule from me. The old man was 
 evidently sensible of the 'prestige attaching to him- 
 self and his neighbourhood by the possession of 
 such a ' lion,' and was resolved to make the most 
 of it. I asked him if he kept the place in good 
 order. ' Yes. he had told the white inkosi ^ that 
 he would, and he did.' After some more talk 
 they left, saying that it was late, and promising 
 to return in the njorning. Soon after their de- 
 parture I strolled over to the monument. There 
 it stood, white and calm in the moonlight ; every 
 word graven upon the cross as plainly readable 
 as in broad daytime. I stepped within the silent 
 
 ^ Major Stabb aud Colonel Bowker, on the occasion of the unveil- 
 ing of the monument. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 119 
 
 enclosure ; all around spoke of stillness and peace, 
 as though I were standing on holy ground. And 
 Ityotyozi's limpid waters rippled on over their 
 sandy bed, blending in tuneful murmur with the 
 rustle of long grass ever and anon stirred by a 
 faint zephyr ; blackly loomed the hills against 
 the starlit sky, while a full moon hanging above 
 in the clear vault of night shed a flood of silver 
 radiance upon this quiet vale, where a promising 
 hfe was laid low and the destiny of a great empire 
 diverted. As I turned to leave the place a light 
 twinkled redly forth from the dark hill side across 
 the valley, and the sound of distant voices and 
 laughter borne upon the night air seemed to 
 bring one back to the everyday world. 
 
 In the morning Sabuza duly put in an appear- 
 ance ; others came up in twos and threes, among 
 them my cattle-driving friend of the previous 
 evening, who rejoiced in the name of Mpunhla, 
 bringing with him some green mealies culled for 
 my special benefit. I have said that the old 
 chief was an inveterate beggar ; the reader will 
 judge whether he sustained that character when 
 I say there was hardly a thing that he didn't ask 
 for. He opened fire at once, first insinuating that 
 I ought to give him a blanket, then ventured to 
 suggest that a suit of clothes would add generally 
 to his personal appearance. I replied that if tliere 
 
I20 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 was one reason more than another why I should 
 have elected to be born a Zulu, that reason would 
 be to avoid the necessity of wearing clothes in 
 such weather as we were then experiencing. 
 ' Wouldn't I give him a shirt ? ' — ' No ; I didn't 
 carry articles of clothing to give away, they took 
 up too much room in the waggon.' He came 
 down in his demands at last to — a needle and 
 thread, but I was obdurate ; as long as he went 
 on begging he should get nothing. However, 
 I distributed some strips of coloured calico among 
 the assembly, which they proceeded to tie round 
 their heads with unconcealed satisfaction. The 
 amount of gratification which, in Zululand, can 
 be evoked by the bestowal of a few of the veriest 
 trifles is refreshing to witness. A couple of inches 
 of ordinary Boer tobacco places you on the 
 friendliest footing with the average Zulu ; give him 
 a red handkerchief and he is happy ; if you throw 
 in a few brass buttons his countenance will beam 
 with delight, while the donation of a coloured 
 umbrella, the gaudier the better, will make him 
 your debtor for life. I have more than once seen 
 a burly barbarian, in all the scantiness of his native 
 costume, striding along, as proud as Punch, beneath 
 a big umbrella striped with more than the colours 
 of the rainbow, and lookincr down from his fancied 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 121 
 
 elevation upon his less fortunate brethren who 
 were without the coveted ' shelter-stick.' Lucifer 
 matches, too, are greatly prized, being almost un- 
 known except in the vicinity of a trading store. 
 The native way of kindling a fire is by the friction 
 of two bits of stick. A small hole is made in the 
 side of one, into which the pointed end of the 
 other is inserted and twirled quickly round be- 
 tween the hands until it smoulders and ignites the 
 tinder. 
 
 In company with Sabuza and two or three of 
 his men I explored the scene of the catastrophe. 
 Looking up the Ityotyozi valley, on the left is a 
 long bare range beginning with the Mihlungwane, 
 two round-headed green hills. On the right the 
 ground slopes gradually down to the river, around 
 which are fertile low-lying bottoms planted over 
 with meahe fields ; one of these now covers the 
 site of Sabuza's old kraal where the party was first 
 attacked. About a quarter of an acre of ground 
 is walled in, and there is a small inner enclosure 
 some twenty ft. by twelve ft., within which, at the 
 head of a kind of rough altar tomb of piled stones, 
 stands the ' Queen's Cross ' upon a pedestal hewn 
 from a solid block of native marble. The original 
 wreath placed around the cross by the expedition, 
 though much faded, is still intact, and a few other 
 
122 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 wreaths in more or less withered condition lay 
 about. The inscription, which I first read in the 
 moonlight, runs in this wise : — 
 
 THIS 
 
 CROSS IS 
 
 ERECTED 
 
 BY 
 
 y QUEEN VICTORIA 
 
 IN AFFECTIONATE REMEMBRANCE OF 
 
 NAPOLEON EUGENE LOUIS 
 JEAN JOSEPH 
 
 PRINCE IMPERIAL 
 
 TO MARK 
 
 THE SPOT 
 
 WHERE WHILE 
 
 ASSISTING 
 
 IN A 
 
 RECONNAISSANCE 
 
 WITH THE 
 
 BRITISH 
 
 TROOPS 
 
 ON THE 
 
 1ST JUNE 
 
 1879 
 
 HE WAS 
 
 ATTACKED 
 
 BY A PARTY 
 
 OF ZULUS 
 
 AND FELL 
 
 WITH HIS 
 
 FACE TO THE 
 
 FOE 
 
 *With his face to the foe.' And now that the 
 red tide of war has rolled back from the land, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 123 
 
 that foe so merciless and unsparing in battle is 
 foremost in honouring his memory. Fronting the 
 entrance of the enclosure a plank stands upright 
 in the ground on , which is fixed a curiously 
 wrought brass crucifix, bearing a dedicatory le- 
 gend. The graves of the troopers of Bettington's 
 Horse are behind the cross, and in the left-hand 
 corner of the enclosure stands the original rough 
 wooden tablet erected by the Eoyal Scots Fusiliers ; 
 the trees planted by the expedition are growing 
 up, and the place is kept in wonderfully good 
 order. It will be remembered that the monument 
 was formally handed over by Major Stabb, the 
 commander of the expedition, to Sabuza and his 
 clan, who promised to take care of it, and right 
 well has the old chief kept his word. When we 
 entered the enclosure the Zulus stood for a mo- 
 ment, one after another, and raising the right hand 
 above the head, gave the salute of honour — ' Inkos ! ' 
 which ceremony they told me was always gone 
 through whenever they had occasion to visit the 
 place. A graceful and kindly tribute this, to the 
 memory of a fallen enemy. Who shall say that a 
 fund of generosity does not lurk in the breasts of 
 these dark children of the wilds, whom we are 
 accustomed to look upon as a set of brutal, in- 
 human barbarians ? 
 
 I was at some pains to get at the facts of the 
 
124 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY : 
 
 whole affair, which, according to the story of 
 Sabuza and his followers, were these. The Zulus 
 who surprised the Prince numbered sixty men 
 belonging to the Ngobamakosi, Umbonambi, and 
 Nokenke regiments — a scouting party, in fact. The 
 presence of white men was reported by one of the 
 number, who, from a peak overlooking the valley, 
 directly opposite the scene of the catastrophe, had 
 seen the Prince's party ofFsaddle at the kraal. 
 Thereupon the whole body moved stealthily down 
 a deep donga opening into the Ityotyozi ; gaining 
 the river they crept along beneath its high banks, 
 and advanced upon the unsuspecting group under 
 cover of the standing corn. Those fatal ten 
 minutes ! But for that disastrous delay the Prince 
 would have been alive now. The savages were 
 scarcely in position when the word was given to 
 mount, but fearing lest their prey should escape 
 them after all, they made the attack. A hurried 
 volley ; a wild shout ; and the rout was complete. 
 One of the troopers was unable to mount his horse, 
 that of the other was shot ; but the Prince still had 
 hold of his — a large grey — which plunged and 
 reared, becoming quite unmanageable. ' We fired 
 again,' said my informant, ' and charged forward, 
 shouting " Usutu." The big horse broke away, and 
 ran after the other white men who were riding olT 
 as fast as they could, round the slope. He fought 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 125 
 
 hard when we came up to him ; the scuffle with 
 the horse had brought him here (about 150 yards 
 from where the attack was made). The first man 
 to stab him was Xamanga ; he belonged to the 
 Umbonambi regiment, and was afterwards killed 
 in the battle of Nodwengu.^ We did not know 
 at the time who the Prince really was, but 
 thought he was an English induna. His sword 
 was taken to Cetywayo.' 
 
 The bones of the trooper's horse were still lying 
 near where that of the Prince broke away, but 
 other traces of the sad affair were there none. 
 Although at first blush it would seem that had 
 the object of the party been to court surprise 
 and attack, no better spot could have been chosen, 
 yet the face of the country is so deceptive, having 
 all the appearance of being open and devoid of 
 cover, that those unacquainted with it might 
 more readily be taken in. As a matter of fact, 
 however, the long grass and numerous dongas 
 afford ample cover for a lurking foe, who, taking 
 advantage of the fields of standing corn and the 
 winding bed of the river, could advance unseen 
 upon almost any point, within an incredibly 
 short space of time. 
 
 At the close of the day's proceedings old 
 
 1 Or Ulundi. Zulus always call it the battle of Nodwengu, because 
 fought nearest the kraal of that name. 
 
126 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 Sabuza and his followers were rendered happy 
 by sundry donations, and I made a speech on a 
 small scale, saying I should tell the English 
 inkosi how well the monument was being looked 
 after, which announcement seemed greatly to 
 please them. I told Sabuza that I wanted to 
 leave at early dawn, and must have some one to 
 pilot me into the main road to Isipezi, as the 
 track was very indistinct and the country seamed 
 with fissures. He, however, said he would go 
 himself, and promised to be with me long before 
 sunrise. But when morning came there was no 
 sign of anyone ; so, not in the best of humours 
 at being ' done,' I gave orders to inspan, won- 
 dering how the deuce we should manage to find 
 the way, seeing that the grass was breast high 
 and there was no semblance of a track. How- 
 ever, before we had gone many hundred yards 
 Mpunhla put in an appearance, just in the nick of 
 time, too, for we were already beginning to go 
 wrong. He had seen me start, he said, and that 
 none of the people were with me ; it was not good 
 that an inkos should leave them witliout anyone to 
 show him the road ; accordingly, he had come after 
 me with that object, and lucky was it for me that 
 he did. I took quite a fancy to the old fellow — 
 so quiet and pleasant mannered, never asking for 
 anything, but very pleased if any little trifle was 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 127 
 
 given him. He told me that his fighting days were 
 over, but I could not help thinking that he would 
 have been a tough customer in his time, for he was 
 a finely made man yet. How carefully he steered 
 us through bad drifts and over the smoothest 
 ground — walking alongside for miles, chatting and 
 pointing out all the landmarks far and near, till, 
 after two hours' travelling, we struck the road. 
 When, lo and behold ! who should come trotting up 
 but old Sabuza, trying to look as if he had piloted 
 us all the way. The old humbug ! 
 
128 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY. 
 
 ' CHAPTEE X. 
 
 The Upoko valley — A rencontre — Traders and trade — Mehlo-ka-zulu 
 — The hiter bit — Zulu honesty — A Briton and his growl. 
 
 Towards evening we began to descend into the Upoko 
 valley. Hitherto the country had been open and 
 treeless, now it became more rugged ; large masses 
 of rock were littered about the undulating plains, 
 and a long bushy range of hills rose on the opposite 
 side of the valley. The open country, with its 
 rolling ' steppes ' of billowy grass tossing in the 
 breeze, has a certain charm of its own — even then 
 it must be seen with the sun upon it and the blue 
 sky overhead ; on a wet or cloudy day the effect is 
 depressing in the extreme — but the bush country 
 is more pleasing to the eye and more alive with all 
 the varieties of bird, beast, and insect. Just as we 
 reached the bottom of the valley another waggon 
 appeared on the crest of the hill in front, which 
 turned out to be that of a trader. The rencontre 
 of a waggon in that wild country where for days 
 I had not seen the face of a compatriot was like 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 129 
 
 speaking a ship on the lonely sea. We exchanged 
 civihties and agreed to outspan together and make 
 a night of it. 
 
 The trader is quite an institution in Zululand, 
 albeit there is but scope for an extremely hmited 
 number. Loading up his waggon with articles 
 likely to be in request — such as blankets, knives, 
 umbrellas, Salampore cloth (a kind of blue gauzy 
 fabric much worn by the native women), tobacco, 
 snuff, beads, &c., the man crosses the border. 
 Perhaps he is fitted out by a storekeeper, in which 
 case he gets a percentage on the profits, or the 
 waggonload is entirely his own affair. He is away 
 two, three, or four months, according to the num- 
 ber of his waggons, the success he meets with, or 
 the route by which he travels. It is indispensable 
 that he should be well acquainted with, the native 
 language ; furthermore, he must be firm and busi- 
 nesshke in all his dealings, for the Zulu is a hard 
 nail at a bargain, and will always try to get as 
 much and give as httle as he can. Hides, horns, 
 and live cattle generally form the staple articles of 
 barter ; coin of the realm being scarce, and but 
 little understood in Zululand. The habitual trader 
 is well known to the chiefs, whom he takes care to 
 propitiate with judicious gifts from time to time, 
 an important item in the programme. He goes 
 from kraal to kraal, living among the natives and 
 
 K 
 
I30 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 frequently on native fare. The best trader, too, is 
 the man who combines tact with courage and reso- 
 lution. For, although a traveller may pass through 
 the length and breadth of the land, and meet with 
 nothing but kind and civil treatment, with the 
 trader the case is different ; it is often considered 
 quite legitimate to overreach him if possible ; and 
 any potentate in whose bad books he happens to 
 figure may be inclined to make things warm for 
 him. The trip over, he returns to Natal, his wag- 
 gon emptied of the goods he carried up with him, 
 but, in their place, loaded with hides, buckskins, 
 horns, a little ivory perhaps — anything that will 
 find a market in the colony — and driving along 
 with him a choice herd of sleek Zulu cattle. All 
 of which he disposes of, either to buy a fresh load 
 and start off again, or to return to his farm ; for 
 some combine trading with their ordinary farming 
 pursuits, taking a periodical trip into Zululand ; 
 others again do nothing else, having stores estab- 
 lished in various parts of the country in addition to 
 their itinerary traffic. 
 
 While we were outspanning, I noticed a slight 
 stir among the ' boys,' the name ' Mehlo-ka-zulu ' 
 passing from mouth to mouth. Looking up, I saw 
 a tall, clean-limbed native coming towards us, 
 swinging his kerrie as he moved through the grass 
 with an easy gliding run, two or three rough 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 131 
 
 lurcher-like mongrels at his heels. With the usual 
 greeting ' Saku bona' ^ he sat down, panting after 
 his run, and began a brisk confabulation with the 
 trader. I looked with considerable interest at this 
 man, one of the principal factors in the bringing 
 on of the war. It may be worth while recapitu- 
 lating the circumstances. In July 78, six months 
 before the declaration of hostilities, one of Sirayo's 
 wives fled from her lord and master, and took 
 refuge in Natal. She was followed by a party 
 under the leadership of Mehlo-ka-zulu and Nkumbi- 
 ka-zulu, Sirayo's eldest and second sons, recaptured 
 in the Umsinga division, brought back into 
 Zululand, and there put to death according to 
 Zulu law and custom. The old chief appears to 
 have been unfortunate in his domestic relations, 
 for, shortly after this, another of his spouses sud- 
 denly preferred living in Natal. Again Mehlo-ka- 
 zulu came forward to vindicate the honour of his 
 father's house, and led another armed band across 
 the border ; the second recalcitrant wife was seized 
 and taken back to Zululand, where she met with 
 the same fate as the first. These little escapades, 
 however justifiable in Zulu eyes, were none the 
 less distinct violations of British territory, to 
 answer for which the persons of Sirayo's two sons 
 and one of his brothers were demanded by the High 
 
 ^ Literally ' I have seen you.' 
 K 2 
 
132 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 Commissioner. Had they been given up it is diffi- 
 cult to see what punishment could have been meted 
 out to them ; the slaughter of the women in both 
 instances having taken place in Zululand was as 
 effectually beyond the cognisance of colonial courts 
 as if it had taken place in Siberia, no penalty being 
 provided by the criminal law of Natal for the 
 violation of territory. The war ended, Mehlo- 
 ka-zulu surrendered to the Secretary for Native 
 Affairs, and after a brief imprisonment at Maritzburg 
 was allowed to return home, as anyone who gave 
 the matter a moment's thought might have fore- 
 seen would be the case. 
 
 Mehlo-ka-zulu is a fine, well-made man, of about 
 ^^Q or six-and-twenty, with an intelhgent face and 
 brisk, hvely manner. A sub-chief of the Ngoba- 
 makosi regiment and a good shot, he is much 
 looked up to by his younger compatriots as a 
 spirited and daring warrior, but among traders 
 and border men he enjoys the reputation of being 
 an irreclaimable scamp, and many a bit of sharp 
 practice is laid to his account, of which the follow- 
 ing story may serve as a specimen. I said that 
 Sirayo's residence, previous to the war, was within 
 a few miles of the border, over which at that time 
 horses and cattle took to straying in rather an 
 unaccountable manner, to be sent back with a 
 heavy claim from Sirayo for damages to mealie 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 133 
 
 gardens or something — frequently, too, never 
 returning at all, and, rightly or wrongly, the old 
 chieftain's enterprising sons were credited with 
 these disappearances. Now it happened that a 
 border farmer lost a horse which he at length 
 ascertained to be at Sirayo's kraal. Knowing his 
 man, he sent and offered Sirayo 1/. if he would 
 find (.^) the horse for him, to which the chief 
 agreed. Time, however, slipped by and the 
 animal was not forthcoming, but our friend Mehlo- 
 ka-zulu was, and proceeded to inform the 
 aggrieved colonist that his father thought 1/. too 
 little ; they could not get the people to turn out for 
 so small a consideration ; and that he must give a 
 lot of things in addition, among which blankets 
 and ' squareface ' (Hollands gin) figured largely. 
 But while negotiations were in progress, one of 
 the farmer's native servants contrived to let his 
 master know that the missing quadruped was con- 
 cealed just across the river close at hand. Of 
 course he received instructions to go through 
 quietly and take it, which feat being successfully 
 accomplished, the naturally incensed settler turned 
 upon Mehlo-ka-zulu, telling him that as he had 
 promised Sirayo 1/. he would keep his word, but 
 that he, Mehlo-ka-zulu, was an infernal scoundrel, 
 and, for the rest, the sooner he took himself off the 
 better. I believe there was nearly a battle royal 
 
134 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 on the spot between the two, but be that as it 
 may, the wily savage must have returned to his 
 ' native heath ' feehng wondrously small. 
 
 Whether growth in years, martial experiences, 
 or subsequent intercourse with Europeans have 
 diminished or eradicated scampish proclivities in 
 this young warrior I am unable to say ; one thing, 
 though, I can say, which is that his reception of me 
 when I visited him at his own kraal was all that 
 was courteous and friendly. However sharp in 
 his dealings the Zulu may be with trader or border 
 resident, my experience of him as a traveller is all 
 in his favour. More than once have I returned to 
 the waggon, after leaving it alone and unprotected 
 for some hours, to find several natives squatting 
 round awaiting my return, pointing out to each 
 other such of its contents as were visible, which 
 contents they knew to consist of the very articles 
 most prized by themselves, yet not a thing was 
 touched. A fool, wasn't I, for making the experi- 
 ment ? Granted ; but having made it, I like now 
 to look back upon such an instance of spontaneous 
 honesty on the part of these untaught barbarians 
 towards a stranger alone in their midst, as if they 
 had said, ' He trusts us and so he may.' If the 
 fact of the Zulu being given to sharp practice, even 
 at times bordering on rascality, in a bargain be 
 cited as nullifying his other good qualities, I 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 135 
 
 would simply ask if our own commercial mercury- 
 is exceptionally exalted. 
 
 I believe that, save in actual war time, any 
 Englishman may go all over Zululand alone and 
 unarmed with perfect safety, provided he is friendly 
 and courteous towards the natives ; in short, pro- 
 vided he behaves as a gentleman, and none more 
 readily detect any flaw in such behaviour than 
 they. But the ' Jack and " baas " ' ^ style of inter- 
 course with the colonial natives does not go down 
 among the Zulus, who, if treated with ordinary 
 courtesy, are the last people to presume ; at least 
 such is my experience. Let this fact speak for 
 itself. I travelled through the greater part of the 
 country alone with my Natal ' boys,' and not 
 one instance of distrust or hostility did I meet 
 with. 
 
 To return to our camp. Bargaining was going 
 on in a spirited manner, apparently, from the 
 talking and gesticulation, and yards of Salampore 
 cloth were being unrolled and measured, doubtless 
 to deck the lithe figure of some swarthy nymph 
 whom the chief's son contemplated adding to his 
 sufficiently liberal allowance of spouses. I was 
 anxious to enter into conversation with him when 
 the ' deal ' should be over, but meanwhile was 
 rummaging in my waggon for something or other. 
 
 ^ A Dutch word meaning ' master.' 
 
136 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 On emerging thence I found he was gone, and 
 could descry his dusky form disappearing in the 
 fast faUing shadows of evening — he probably elate 
 at having got on the blind side of the trader, 
 this worthy, on the other hand, chuckhng over 
 having ' made ' out of him. At the same time I 
 am under the impression that in matters of 
 ordinary trade — by ordinary trade I exclude fire- 
 arms and Hquor — the dealings are fair enough. If 
 the trader gets a wide profit, it must be remembered 
 that he undergoes considerable risk. His waggon 
 may come to grief, his oxen may sicken and die, 
 his servants may take it into their heads to desert 
 him, and so on. Then, too, he has to bring the 
 goods up there, and is working his waggon and 
 oxen ; moreover, he has to feed his servants and 
 pay them a high rate of wages, none the less so for 
 accompanying him across the somewhat dreaded 
 border. On the other hand, the articles in which 
 he deals, though of small value in Natal, are greatly 
 prized and sought after by the Zulus ; wherefore a 
 bargain which would border upon a swindle if 
 effected in the colony, is fair enough in Zululand, 
 taking into consideration the outlay and the risk. 
 Added to which, both parties are thoroughly well 
 nble to look after their own interests. 
 
 These traders are a curious class, and my 
 friend was not the least curious of them. It 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 137 
 
 was a glorious moonlight night, and as we sat over 
 our fried rashers and black coffee, while our re- 
 spective retinues fraternised round their fire — for 
 be it ever so warm the natives always like a fire 
 to sit round at night — he poured out his grievances. 
 He had but a poor opinion of the Zulus as a people ; 
 they were hars, thieves, and braggarts, and I would 
 be sure to find it out before I had got much 
 further. Once when his servants had all deserted 
 him, they (the Zulus) had promised to find some 
 one to replace them and drive his waggon, but 
 instead of doing so had deliberately left him in the 
 lurch. Then, again, they were always bragging about 
 Isandhlwana; indeed, he had had a row with this 
 very Mehlo-ka-zulu on that account. I ventured 
 to remark that my experiences of them had been 
 favourable hitherto, and that having had plenty of 
 opportunities of pilfering from me, yet they had 
 refrained from doing so. 
 
 ' Oh, that was all very well, but if I were only 
 to take stock of my goods and chattels I should 
 miss a lot of things.' 
 
 I did not, however, miss anything, then or at 
 any future time, but was ready to allow for the 
 grievances of a man who probably had an uphill 
 struggle for it in order to keep his family decently, 
 for he told me he had a wife and four children in 
 Natal. Doubtless, too, his experiences in Zulu 
 
i'38 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 traffic had not been all plain sailing ; furthermore, 
 being an Englishman he must have his growl. We 
 sat up chatting over our pipes till the moon was 
 high overhead. When I awoke next morning my 
 friend the trader was gone, and I could make out 
 the white tent of his waggon moving along against 
 the green hillside some distance off. He was not 
 half a bad fellow at bottom, and I sincerely hope 
 he may have many and many a successful trip 
 under more favourable circumstances. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 139 
 
 CHAPTEE XI. 
 
 An * afternoon call ' — Kraal etiquette — Zulu hospitality — Native mode 
 of slaughterinpr cattle — The story of a clever shot — Zulu opinion 
 of artillery — *Ubain-hai' — Sirayo — General feeling with regard 
 to Cetywayo. 
 
 SiRAYo's kraal lies, one of a group, on tlie banks of 
 the Upoko river, at the foot of a long round-topped 
 range of hills, and thither when the heat of the day- 
 had somewhat abated did Andries and I take our 
 way. 
 
 Passing an old military camp, with its. tent 
 marks and low crumbling earthwork, we crossed 
 the rocky bed of the stream. A couple of hundred 
 yards further we came upon a rather slovenly 
 collection of huts, and were received by the usual 
 pack of mongrels yapping around ; these having 
 been speedily and forcibly pacified I inquired for 
 the chief, and was told he was out but would be 
 back soon. As I did not want to miss seeing him, 
 I promised to call again in returning, and mean- 
 while adjourned to his son's kraal, which was only 
 a few hundred yards off. Here I was more fortu- 
 
140 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 nate, as I found Mehlo-ka-zulu at home. He was 
 seated against the fence of the cattle kraal under 
 the shade of a dried bullock hide fixed on a couple 
 of sticks above his head, and as we came up, the 
 barking of curs brought a number of faces belong- 
 ing to women and children to the doors of the 
 huts, to have a peep at ' umliingu ' (the white man), 
 a somewhat rare animal in those parts. Dismount- 
 ing I walked up to Mehlo-ka-zulu, and took a seat 
 on the ground by his side. ' Saku bona ! ' said he, 
 with a pleased smile, evidently recognising me from 
 our meeting the evening before. I rephed in due 
 form, and began to start a conversation. 
 
 On visiting a kraal the etiquette observed is as 
 follows. You ride up ; the chief man, or anyone 
 else who receives you, looks you up and down for 
 a few moments and then greets you with ' Saku 
 bona ' (literally ' I have seen you '), to which you 
 reply ' Yeh bo ' (Yes, indeed). He either asks you 
 to come into a hut then, or when you have stated 
 your business. The first question is nearly always, 
 ' Where do you come from .^ ' It is contrary to 
 etiquette to go into anyone's hut armed or to hold 
 a weapon in your hand while talking ; wherefore, if 
 you have a gun with you, you leave it outside, or 
 if the conversation is held in the open air you put 
 it down. The meaning of which is, of course, that 
 sitting with a weapon in your hand implies distrust 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 141 
 
 of your host. It is also considered bad manners 
 to go into or out of a hut backwards, or to stop 
 when halfway through the door and go out again. 
 When food or drink is offered you it is always 
 tasted first by your entertainer or some one belong- 
 ing to him ; you may, however, decline it without 
 giving ofience, provided of course you do not 
 manifest any sign of disgust with regard to its pre- 
 paration, or the preliminary sip, if of a fastidious 
 turn. It is sufficient to say you have only just 
 broken your fast, or have not acquired a liking for 
 sour milk or ' tywala,' or any reasonable excuse 
 will do. On taking your leave you say, ' Hlala 
 gahle ' (' Best quietly,' or ' nicely '), to which they 
 reply • Yeh bo, hamba gahle ' (' Yes, indeed ; go 
 quietly'). I used generally to shake hands with 
 the chief men on arrival at a kraal ; it pleased them 
 immensely and placed matters on a friendly footing 
 at once. 
 
 When we had talked a little, Mehlo-ka-zulu 
 rising, proposed that we should adjourn to his hut. 
 Now my experience of the domicile of the Cape 
 frontier Kafir — its greasiness, smoke, and squalor — 
 I had not yet been into a Zulu hut — prompted me 
 instinctively to dechne the proffered hospitality, 
 saying it was cooler outside : a shocking fiction, 
 for it was something more than broiling as I sat 
 there, nor was the bullock's skin large enough to 
 
142 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 shelter me too. It wouldn't do, however, I was 
 evidently expected to comply ; so, going on all 
 fours, crept through the aperture with the best 
 grace I could muster. Once inside I was agreeably 
 surprised ; instead of the ' fugginess ' and grease 
 I had been resigning myself to, the atmosphere 
 was delightfully cool after the fierce heat of the 
 summer afternoon ; the hard clay floor was beauti- 
 fully polished and everything scrupulously clean. 
 A few mats lay about, and blankets rolled neatly 
 up and placed on one side. Several dangerous 
 looking assegais and kerries were arranged upon a 
 rack, while a ' miitya ' of leopard skin, denoting the 
 rank of its wearer as a chiefs son and a warrior of 
 some standing, hung from a peg. 
 
 The ' miitya ' is a kind of small square apron 
 worn by every Zulu, and generally constituting 
 his sole attire. Suspended from the loins it is in 
 two pieces, the one in front ordinarily made of 
 Zanzibar cats' tails, the other consisting of a bit of 
 square hide, or in the case of chiefs and men of 
 rank, of leopard skin. This last, however, is worn 
 as part of the regimental dress in actual war time 
 or on the occasion of a review, at other times the 
 ordinary bit of hide. In cold weather — and it 
 can be cold in those parts during the winter 
 months or during a spell of rains, as I have already 
 found occasion to show — the Zulu wraps himself in 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 143 
 
 an ample green woollen blanket, for, though hardy 
 by constitution, he can shiver at times, and, more- 
 over, is not indifferent to the comforts of a bright 
 fire and a warm hut while the biting wind howls 
 outside. 
 
 The Zulu hut is a dome- shaped structure made 
 of dry grass woven into thatch and stretched upon 
 a framework of sticks, the outside being usually 
 covered with grass mats. The floor is of hard clay, 
 and, being continually poHshed with smooth round 
 stones, shines hke glass ; a small hollow in the centre 
 constitutes the fireplace, and one or more poles, 
 according to the size of the hut, support the roof. 
 The structure is entered by a small arched aperture, 
 just large enough to enable a man to crawl through 
 on all fours, in front of which is a pahsade, or 
 rather screen, of mat or wattle ; the original idea 
 of so small an entrance way being that of protec- 
 tion against wild beasts. 
 
 Handing me a wooden ' pillow ' ^ for a seat, 
 Mehlo-ka-zulu threw himself upon a mat and settled 
 himself comfortably for a talk. One of his wives 
 brought in a large calabash of ' tywala ' and a 
 bucket of clear spring water : with the latter all 
 the drinking vessels were carefully washed, then, 
 frothing up a calabash about a pint and a half in 
 
 ^ The sleeper rests with his neck or cheek upon this implement, to 
 avoid lying on or injuring his head-ring. 
 
144 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 capacity, my host handed it to me after the usual 
 courtesy sip, and filled a clay bowl for himself. 
 Andries and two or three men who had dropped 
 in making themselves happy with another jorum. 
 
 To my inquiries as to how he was getting on 
 since the war, Mehlo-ka-zulu replied that it hadn't 
 made much difierence to him individually ; his 
 father had been a powerful chief but now was 
 nobody, and had been driven out of his former 
 country. Still they managed to live. 
 
 'Did he regret having fought ? ' 
 
 ' No, he couldn't exactly say that ; he was a 
 young man and wanted to prove himself a warrior. 
 He had been in all the principal engagements : 
 Isandhlwana, Kambula, and Ulundi, and now he 
 wanted to " sit still." ' 
 
 ' Always ? ' 
 
 ' Well, that he couldn't say either ; he liked a 
 fight now and then ; there was no mistake about it. 
 As to whether he had killed many men at Isandhl- 
 wana, he supposed he must have killed some one, 
 but there was a great deal of confusion.' 
 
 Now this answer was evasive, for I subsequently 
 heard that he had rather distinguished himself in 
 the battle in question. As a rule, however, no 
 Zulu will own to having actually killed anyone 
 with his own hand, thinking such admission would 
 be ofiensive ; and so far from being ready to brag 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 145 
 
 about their successes, I invariably found the reverse 
 tendency to prevail ; in fact, tough, wiry looking 
 warriors, just the most likely fellows to have played 
 the deuce among our ranks, are the very ones who 
 will most readily disclaim having killed anyone in 
 battle. Who shall say there is not something chival- 
 rous in this consideration for an enemy's feelings ? 
 
 ' Well, now, what did he think of Maritzburg ? ' 
 
 ' Not much ; ' and, with a smile full of meaning, 
 ' how easy it would have been for an im'pi to " eat 
 up " the place and kill everybody in it. They 
 could begin at Mkunkundhlovwane (Grey Town) 
 in the morning and finish with Mkunkundhlovu 
 (Maritzburg) in the evening.' In fact he had, pre- 
 viously to seeing it, pictured the capital to himself 
 as far larger and more imposing than it really was. 
 
 I told him I had just seen the place where the 
 Prince was killed. 
 
 ' Yes, he remembered the affair, and was sorry 
 when he heard of it. That wasn't the way to kill 
 a man, to' creep up to him in the grass and shoot 
 him. Zulus ought to meet their enemies in the 
 open, in fair fight, as they did us at Isandhlwana, 
 and at Kambiila, and again at Nodwengu ; then so 
 much the worse for whoever was beaten, but the 
 way in which the Prince had been killed was not 
 good.' 
 
 There spoke the brave man and the warrior ; 
 
146 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 and certainly the genuineness of his enunciation 
 seems borne out by the line of action practised by 
 the Zulus throughout the campaign. 
 
 Presently a large piece of beef was brought in, 
 which I was told it was intended I should take 
 away with me, whereat Andries' eyes glistened as 
 he thought of many a succulent stew to be con- 
 cocted during the evening outspan. In fact it fed 
 my retinue for several days, but did not look 
 sufficiently inviting to tempt me, for the Zulus do 
 not bleed their meat after the manner of English 
 butchers, consequently it has a raw and uninviting 
 appearance, even when done to a turn. The way 
 in which they go to work is thus. The ox destined 
 for slaughter is driven into the cattle kraal with 
 several others ; a man then goes up to the doomed 
 animal, and with one swift and sure stroke plunges 
 an assegai into its heart — it falls, and they sit 
 round until it has ceased to move, when the work 
 of skinning and quartering begins. During which 
 process, by the way, the Zulus do not show in a 
 pleasant or prepossessing light ; indeed, a lot of 
 them round a freshly slaughtered beast remind one 
 of nothing so much as a herd of vultures. Some- 
 times the slaughterer makes a bad shot, missing 
 the vital part, in which case the animal not un- 
 frequently turns upon its would-be destroyer, 
 promptly clearing the enclosure of all human 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 147 
 
 occupants. I once saw a man thus * clievvied ' by 
 a cow he had stabbed, and only escape being 
 gored and seriously injured by sheer nimbleness 
 and agility. Then they stood upon the wall and 
 flung assegais at the hapless bovine, till they 
 brought it down. 
 
 To return to my story. My entertainer was 
 delighted with the gift of a red handkerchief to 
 put on his head, and some strings of blue and 
 white beads, which I afterwards saw him distri- 
 buting among the ladies of his harem — he told me 
 he had ten spouses— and as Sirayo had not 
 returned, I suggested we should go to the waggon, 
 and perhaps might find him there. Passing the 
 old camp mentioned above, Mehlo-ka-zulu stopped, 
 and began to ' spin a yarn.' When the troops 
 were there a skirmish took place between them 
 and some Zulus on the other side of the river ; 
 but what he wanted to tell me was that while a 
 ' war - doctor ' was performing his incantations 
 there, a well-directed shell from the camp dropped 
 into the middle of the group, cutting the luckless 
 wizard clean in half. 
 
 He pointed out the spot, right away among the 
 thorns, nearly a mile ofi*; and to this day they 
 beheve that that shot was intended exclusively for 
 the ' doctor's ' benefit. 
 
 The Zulus have a very wholesome dread of the 
 L 2 
 
148 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 effectiveness of' Ubain-bai ' (cannon). As this is the 
 name by which artillery is known throughout the 
 country, it may not be amiss to give the origin of 
 the word, which is rather an amusing one. 
 
 Well, then, formerly at Maritzburg a gun was 
 fired at 8 a.m., the hour when all native servants 
 and labourers were expected to be at their work. 
 After a while the time of gunfire was altered to 9, 
 but ' Jack,' who has some idea of time, though 
 none of punctuality, still persisted in sticking to 
 the old hour, and from sheer force of habit would 
 go to his master for his daily task. The ' baas,' 
 however, would put him off : ' Don't bother me 
 now, come hy-and-hy — when the gun fires ! ' 
 
 ' What does he say ? ' would be the inquiry 
 of an expectant group when their spokesman 
 returned. 
 
 ' He says, " Come hy-and-hy'' ' 
 
 Directly the expected detonation was heard, 
 nearly every native throughout the city would 
 exclaim * Haow ! Ubain-bai ! ' and betake himself 
 to his work. The expression stuck, and forth- 
 with the gun became ' Ubain-bai ' among the 
 native population of Natal, extending thence to 
 Zululand. Some bold spirits have asserted that 
 the expression owes its origin to the time that 
 elapses between the report and the bursting of the 
 shell. Not bad — but rather too deep and far- 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 149 
 
 fetched an idea to take root so readily in the Zulu 
 mind, and there is no doubt about the former 
 being the real origin of the word. 
 
 Eesuming our way, we soon came upon Sirayo 
 and a few followers, sitting down in the grass. 
 From what I had heard of the old chief — his deep- 
 rooted hostility to us before the war, and his anti- 
 English proclivities generally, I expected to see 
 a grim, scowling savage ; instead whereof, I be- 
 held an urbane, jovial-looking old Zulu advancing 
 to meet me with outstretched hand, and grinning 
 from ear to ear. Looking at him I thought of the 
 West African potentate, described as in full dress 
 in a cocked hat and pair of spurs. His South 
 African brother, however, was less aspiring, and 
 rejoiced in a head-ring and a pair of boots (of 
 course not omitting the inevitable ' mutya '), for 
 the pedal extremities of this worthy were cased in 
 a huge pair of bluchers, which, he being a great 
 sufferer from gout, seemed about the worst line of 
 adornment he could have struck out in. The old 
 fellow lumbering along (he is enormously fat), with 
 a barbed assegai in his hand, and trying to look as 
 if he were not on hot bricks, cut a slightly ridicu- 
 lous figure. It did not require much persuasion 
 to induce him to turn back with us, and speedily 
 the whole group was squatting in front of the 
 waggon in high good humour. 
 
ISO THnOUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 I began by telling him I had been to look at 
 his old home near Eorke's Drift. 
 
 ' Yes,' he said, ' he had been turned out of his 
 country, and was an outcast ; a new chief, Hlubi, 
 had been put in his place. He was an old man 
 now, and couldn't go wandering about in search of 
 new locations ; all his cattle had been taken, and 
 he was quite poor, and glad to live quietly where 
 he could.' 
 
 ' Did he know Mr. Johnson, the missionary ? ' 
 
 ' Oh, yes ; Johnson used to be his friend, now 
 he was Hlubi's friend, and Hlubi had driven him 
 (Sirayo) out of his territory (the inference being 
 plain). Why didn't we bring back Cetywayo? 
 What could we want to keep him for? Had we 
 killed him ? ' 
 
 I explained that the King was well cared for 
 in his captivity, but that as to the possibility of 
 his restoration I could tell them nothing, being 
 merely a private person. 
 
 * Well,' said he, ' give us back Cetywayo, and 
 the country will be happy again ; or, anyhow, 
 bring him so that we can only see that he is alive 
 and well.' 
 
 Sirayo was always a crony of the King's, one 
 of his most trusted indunas in fact ; his son, 
 Mehlo - ka - zulu, being also a great favourite. 
 Wherever I went I found the same state of feeUng ; 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 151 
 
 all the old chiefs loyally attached to the exiled 
 King, and desiring his return. Always the same 
 story : * Bring us back the King ! ' This feeling is 
 also shared by the bulk of the people ; and when 
 ultimately I left the country it was with the im- 
 pression that Cetywayo was that day the most 
 popular man in Zululand. 
 
 After some more talk my visitors left, the chief 
 and his son happy in the acquisition of a big knife 
 apiece ; and a few trifles distributed among their 
 followers sent me up like a rocket in their estima- 
 tion. Poor old Sirayo, I could not help feeling 
 sorry for him, though I am bound to say that his 
 misfortunes were mainly brought upon his own 
 head by his anything but immaculate conduct in 
 general. But the war was over now, and resent- 
 ment had had time to cool. An outcast, where 
 formerly he had been powerful and respected ; 
 his cattle gone ; one of his sons killed in battle ; 
 an alien reigning in his stead ; his friend and bene- 
 factor a captive and an exile, and himself old, 
 sick, and broken-down. Yes, I think one could 
 afford to pity him. 
 
IS2 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 A thunderstorm and a novel cistern — * Arrival of the mail ' — A com- 
 fortable night — Matyana's kraal — Pastoral scene — The last new 
 thing in shields. 
 
 A LONG night ' trek ' brought us into the main road 
 again, and at daybreak I started Andries off to 
 fetch the post from Isandhlwana (for there is a 
 post office agency at Eorke's Drift, and the mail, in 
 the shape of a Zulu with a bag, runs to the 
 Bishop's twice a week) about fifteen miles across 
 country, and then, making a short march, crossed 
 the Upoko, and outspanned to await his return, 
 which would hardly be before nightfall. Opposite 
 rose the cliffs and steep slopes of Isipezi mountain, 
 and on the right the coneof Inhlabamakosi; beneath, 
 a wild open valley, not a bush or tree to relieve 
 the general air of desolation ; a kraal or two, 
 with its cultivated mealie patch, and a few cattle 
 grazing around, were the only signs of hfe, and the 
 oppressiveness of a dull leaden day seemed rather 
 enhanced than dispelled by periodical showers of 
 rain, which imparted a steamy dampness to the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 153 
 
 sultry atmosphere. Ever and anon from the 
 westward came the muffled roar of distant thunder, 
 and more and more distinctly, lurid gleams were 
 forking amidst the inky blackness which hung like 
 a pall over the far landscape. I could see that, 
 unless the wind changed, we were in for a violent 
 thunderstorm, which in these open regions, on an 
 exposed hillside, with little or nothing to draw off 
 the force of the lightning, is not exactly a joke. 
 A brooding stillness had fallen upon everything 
 till it seemed that you might have heard a whisper 
 a mile off: the darkness spread, louder and louder 
 rolled up each thunder-peal, nearer and more vivid 
 flashed the Hghtning, and a spot or two of rain the 
 size of a crownpiece warned that it was time to 
 make all snug, and promptly ; for already the 
 lightning was glinting weirdly along the huge dark 
 krantzes (cliffs) of Isipezi, and fierce thunder tones 
 sounded forth loud and menacing, echoing each 
 long-drawn roll in a hundred rocky reverberations, 
 to die away sullenly among the distant heights. 
 Scarcely had we time to unhook the trek-chain 
 and fasten down the sail of the waggon-tent when 
 the storm burst in all its fury. Peal after peal in 
 deafening succession ; steely, vivid flashes, almost 
 scorching in their nearness, following so close 
 upon each other that everything seemed fairly 
 bathed in a sea of red and blue flame. Then a lull 
 
154 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 — a few instants of deathly stillness, only broken 
 by the heavy patter of a rain-drop or two on the 
 waggon tent ; it is dark as night, a silence that 
 may be felt. Crash ! bang ! — an appalling roar 
 — a dazzhng sheetiness, and the ground reels. Has 
 the earth been suddenly cleft in twain ? No, the 
 fluid has only struck something, probably a rock ; 
 it was a near shave though, and I don't care how 
 few more such experiences I get. But the storm 
 seems to have exhausted its violence in that last 
 frightful crash, the thunderclaps, though frequent, 
 have lost verve ^ down comes the rain, literally in 
 spouts, the danger is over, and the storm-king 
 rushes off with sullen roar along the ridge. 
 
 And now I have to turn attention to more 
 commonplace matters, for the waggon tent evinces 
 an unworthy desire to emulate the distinctive 
 features of a well-ordered sieve ; in plain English, 
 the canvas, having been so long dry, proceeds to 
 leak abominably. Basins, pannikins, mackin- 
 toshes, are all pressed into the service, but no — the 
 confounded thing breaks out in a fresh place, till 
 at last, sit where I will, a growing spout drops its 
 miserable trickle on to my longsuffering head. 
 Necessity, we are told, is tlie mother of invention, 
 wherefore, being blessed with two hats, I cave in 
 the crown of one which I cram on over the other, 
 and allow the water to trickle at its own sweet will 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 155 
 
 into the hollow thus formed. Fancy bemg driven 
 to making a cistern of your hat, and carrying the 
 said reservoir on your summit ! But you are driven 
 into queer straits in the wilds. However, this did 
 not last long, the leakage ceasing as soon as the 
 canvas became fairly saturated. 
 
 Fani and Mlamvu, who have been sitting huddled 
 up in their blankets, stolidly waiting for the storm 
 to pass, now turn out, but it is raining steadily, 
 and seems likely so to continue throughout the 
 night ; for there is not a break in the dull wrack 
 which envelopes the earth in its darkening shivery 
 folds, while the ground, which an hour ago was 
 hard as adamant, is now ankle deep in mire. No 
 chance of lighting a fire to-night, everything is 
 thoroughly saturated, so I turn in to the waggon 
 and make the best of it, which ends in my falling 
 off into a doze. Presently I wake up with a start. 
 It is pitch dark and raining heavily, the canvas 
 is lifted, and a round black head appears, bisected 
 by a double row of ' ivories ' as its owner's mouth 
 expands into the broadest of grins. It is Andries 
 with the post. A good fellow that ! Why should 
 he not, seeing what sort of a night it was going to 
 be, have turned snugly in at some kraal by the way- 
 side, and come on in the morning ? I could not 
 have blamed him. But no — he knew I wanted the 
 post, so trudged on for hours through the rain 
 
156 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 and darkness in order that I might get it as soon 
 as possible. A good, faithful fellow ! And I sat 
 reading my letters by the dim light of a swinging 
 lantern in the waggon-tent, away in the wilds of 
 Zululand, pitchy darkness outside, and the rain 
 driving against the far from substantial shelter. 
 What a night it was ; with one of those sudden 
 changes peculiar to the much belauded South 
 African climate, it had become horribly cold, 
 everything in the way of bedding was wet, so I 
 had to sleep in my clothes, in a half-sitting 
 posture. Sleep did I say ? Not much of that ; it 
 was a case of shivering till dawn, and then a 
 ' double ' up and down the miry road to infuse 
 a little circulation into my benumbed limbs. 
 
 Towards mid-day, the ground having dried 
 somewhat, we were on the move again, traversing 
 a wide expanse of open plain ; Ibabanango, a co- 
 nical mountain, towering up, over a thousand feet, 
 on the left. The day was cool, and the oxen 
 stepped out briskly. A few hours of steady travelling 
 brought us to the Umhlatusi : bumping down a 
 sudden and rough descent we crossed the river, 
 which at that point is easily fordable, and out- 
 spanned, but only for a short time, for the long 
 steep hill on the other side of the valley must be 
 left behind by nightfall, and the sun is beginning 
 to dip already. High up on the mountain side we 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 157 
 
 pass the principal kraal of the chief, Matyana-ka- 
 Mondisi, into which is being driven a herd of fine 
 cattle, whose sleek hides glisten in the setting 
 gun. It being late I give that worthy the go-by, 
 otherwise should have stopped to have a talk with 
 him. On reaching the brow of the ascent I look 
 back. Great hills, now purple in the fast fading 
 light, throw out their round, jutting spurs abruptly 
 into the valley, the big kraal beneath is alive with 
 animation, the shouts of the boys in the cattle en- 
 closure mingling with the deep voices of its occu- 
 pants, while now and again a resentful low rises 
 above the rest as some recalcitrant beast finds its 
 arrangements interfered with to suit those of its 
 owners. Far below, the river winds through the 
 valley like a streak of silver, and the grassy slopes 
 beyond are specked with the dappled hides of 
 many a herd wending its way to the kraals dotted 
 about here and there ; the shout and whistle of 
 the drivers coming up clear upon the still air. 
 And the roseate glow in the west grows fainter and 
 fainter, melting into the purple and then the grey 
 of an evening sky ; stars peep forth ; behind, the 
 towering peak of Ibabanango fades into gathering 
 gloom, and the hush of night sinks upon hill and 
 valley. Passing along the summit of the lofty 
 ridge we halt a little beyond Fort Evelyn. 
 
 From Fort Evelyn to Kwamagwaza the country 
 
158 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 is hilly and broken, and the road in consequence 
 very winding. Far down on the northern side lies 
 the valley of the White Umfolosi and the Mahla- 
 batini plain, the site of Ulundi and Nodwengu and 
 the other great kraals ; southward the wild broken 
 country stretches away to the Natal border, while 
 behind can be seen the distant head of Isandhlwana 
 peering up faint and blue on the horizon. A 
 pleasant landscape, open, sunny, and smiling. Herds 
 of cattle graze upon the hillsides, kraals are to be 
 seen everywhere, boldly perched upon a spur or 
 nestling in a sheltered valley, and mealie patches 
 show in greener contrast upon the sufficiently 
 verdant slopes ; for it is well watered is this fair 
 land, and the tall grass sways in billowy masses to 
 the breeze. No, there is nothing mediocre or tame 
 about the scene. The bold spurs fall abruptly in 
 sudden, well-nigh perpendicular slopes ; the 
 valleys, beginning in dark narrow ravines soon to 
 spread out and lose themselves in a broad smihng 
 plain, are picturesque with the fantastic dwelling- 
 places of their wild inhabitants ; and sharp outlines 
 of the mountain ranges, with here and there a 
 jagged peak, cleave the blue sky-line in the far 
 distance. Such is the panorama spread on either 
 side, as we sit in the shade of the waggon one fine 
 morning on a high ridge some fourteen miles 
 beyond Fort Evelyn. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 159 
 
 But the sound of deep voices and the rattle of 
 assegai handles betoken new arrivals, and dropping 
 their weapons in the grass, three tall Zulus stride 
 up, and, with their open stately salute, ' Inkos,' 
 raising the right hand above the head, squat them- 
 selves on the ground at my side. Let us look at 
 my visitors. Two of them are middle-aged men 
 from 5ft. 10 to 6ft. in height, broad and well- 
 proportioned, their countenances straight-featured 
 and bearded, with a good-humoured though dig- 
 nified expression, and splendid foreheads, their 
 shaven skulls encircled by the inevitable head-ring. 
 The third, though taller, is inferior to the others 
 in physique, but he is an umfane ^ and does not 
 wear the ring. 
 
 Under the warming influence of a big pannikin 
 of black coffee and some 'gwai' (tobacco) where- 
 with to replenish the polished horn snuffboxes 
 stuck through the lobes of their ears, my guests 
 are in no wise loth to descant upon their martial 
 experiences, or, indeed, upon any subject. The 
 two first belong to the Undi corps, the youngster 
 to the Ngobamakosi ; they had all fought at 
 
 ^ Boy. Among the Zulus, no matter what his age, every un- 
 married man is virtually a ' boy.' When he marries he is allowed to 
 tunga,\\i'. 'sew' (the head-ring) and is thenceforth a man. Since 
 the removal of the marriage restrictions, a large number of the young 
 men have thus tunga-ed, which they could not have done perhaps 
 for years under the old military system. 
 
i6o THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 Kambiila, and one of the older men at Eorke's 
 Drift. The general opinion in the army, they said, 
 was that Kambula camp should have been carried, 
 and certainly would have been, but that the regi- 
 ments forming the outflanking sides, the Ngobama- 
 kosi and Kandampemvu, were in such a hurry to 
 begin that they got on too far ahead of the rest, 
 thus affording the English an opportunity of 
 routing and disheartening them before the main 
 body came up. 
 
 ' What did they think of the shells ? ' 
 ' " Ubam-bai ? " ^ " Haow ! " Didn't like them 
 at all. First the warriors tried to dodge them, and 
 scattered when they saw them coming, till at last 
 on one occasion when a lot had dispersed from 
 where the missile was expected to fall, it astonished 
 them by dropping right in the thick of the group 
 that had just dodged it. Arms, and legs, and 
 heads flew in every direction,' went on my in- 
 formant, with an expressive gesture. ' This event 
 caused them to lose heart more than anything, as 
 they found they could not get out of the way of 
 the " bam-bai " so easily. At Sandhlwana the big 
 guns hardly fired at all, and even then, when 
 they did, they scarcely hit anyone.' 
 
 ' But at Eorke's Drift — there were no big 
 guns there, and the English could have stood 
 
 ' See p. 148. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. i6i 
 
 here (making my hand into a hollow) while the 
 Zulus were everywhere ; how is it you didn't make 
 a better fight of it ? ' 
 
 ' The soldiers were behind a schaans (breast- 
 work), and,' added the narrator significantly, 
 showing all his ivories, ' they were in a corner.' 
 
 ' But at Nodwengu there was no schaans ! ' 
 
 ' Then there were more big guns and more 
 Englishmen,' was the reply ; ' besides, the soldiers 
 had bits of roof iron ^ which they held over their 
 heads as shields.' I rather ridiculed this idea (one, 
 by the way, that has gained implicit credence 
 throughout Zululand — some even going so far as 
 to assert that they heard their bullets rain upon the 
 liypothetic bucklers), and pointed out the absurdity 
 of a column taking the field, armed with bits of 
 roof-iron. 
 
 ' Did they ever pick up any of these things 
 after a battle?' 
 
 But all I could say was of no use, the warriors 
 only shook their heads as unconvinced as ever. 
 
 Then they began to talk about Cetywayo. 
 ' Where was he ? ' 
 
 ' Oh ! he was all right,' I replied, ' and well 
 taken care of ; ' at which they seemed pleased. 
 
 ^ The sheets of corrugated iron or zinc, with which most colonial 
 houses are tiled. 
 
 M 
 
i62 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 ' Were they attached to him ? -Was he a good 
 king ? ' I asked. 
 
 ' Ehe ! kakiilu ' (yes ; greatly) — this with em- 
 phasis ; ' he was a good king, arid beloved by all 
 the people.' 
 
 ' Didn't he " eat up " ^ and kill a great many 
 people ? ' 
 
 ' N"o ; not many. A few were killed for umtagati 
 (witchcraft), but that was all right ; if he (the 
 speaker) were guilty of itmtagati he would deserve 
 to be killed too. Yes ; Cetywayo was a good 
 king, and all the people were sorry he had been 
 taken away.' 
 
 I stood up and looked on the wide sweep of 
 rolling grassy slopes, over mountain and river, 
 valley and green plain sleeping in a glow of golden 
 sunshine, my visitors eyeing me narrowly. 'A 
 grand country ! ' I said, ' a grand country ! " Sit 
 still " ^ and keep it ; you've lost your king, don't 
 throw away your country too ! ' 
 
 ' Yeh-bo ! ' (yes, indeed) they exclaimed, as the 
 idea seemed to strike them ; then, rising, they 
 saluted as before, ' Inkos ! ' and gathering up their 
 assegais, started off upon their way. Looking after 
 their erect, well-knit figures, I could not but think 
 
 * Idiom for seizing anyone's cattle as fine or penalty. 
 ' * Sitting still ' is the idiom for being at peace. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 163 
 
 til em fine fellows ; not a trace of resentment, no 
 rankling bitterness towards their conquerors ; the 
 war is a thing of the past, and themselves as cordial 
 and open towards the stranger as though it had 
 never been. 
 
 m2 
 
i64 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 CHAPTEK Xni. 
 
 Kwamagwaza — A desperate position and a tragic reminiscence — The 
 soldiers' grave — The valley of the Umhlatusi. 
 
 The mission station at Kwamagwaza occupies a 
 pleasant position on the high ground overlooking 
 the valley of the Umhlatusi. Tall blue gums stand 
 in considerable profusion, being planted along the 
 ridges and overshadowing the station, and on the 
 steep slopes are large patches of cultivated land 
 sown with mealies and ' amabele.' The huts are 
 scattered about in clusters, with here and there an 
 attempt at a square cottage, constructed of withes 
 cemented with clay, and commonly known as 
 ' wattle and daub ; ' a window, perhaps, and a rudely 
 hung door finishing off the concern. 
 
 Kwamagwaza is a large station, but the people 
 located thereon did not by any means strike me 
 as representative Zulus ; indeed, there were Natal 
 natives and some unmistakable half-castes : many 
 of the tenements, too, were tumbledown and 
 squalid in the extreme. The old mission building, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 165 
 
 as also the church, were in ruins, having been 
 burnt by the Zulus during the war, which can 
 hardly be wondered at, seeing that it would have 
 been folly on their part to leave buildings which 
 might be used against themselves, as was the case 
 at Etshowe. The station is in charge of the Eev. 
 E. Eobertson, a veteran missionary long resident 
 in Zululand. I attended one of the services, part of 
 which was performed by a stalwart native cleric, who 
 also led the singing with five hundred-lung power ; 
 a good many people attended, the men being 
 placed on one side of the room, the women on the 
 other, and seemed to enter into the thing, the 
 singing especially. Near Kwamagwaza are the 
 graves of Lieutenant Scott-Douglas and Corporal 
 Cotter, who met their deaths there under the 
 following circumstances. 
 
 On the afternoon of July 1, 1879, Lieutenant 
 Scott-Douglas and an orderly started from Fort 
 Evelyn on despatch duty to Fort Marshall, Whether 
 baffled by the darkness, overtaken by a mist, or com- 
 pelled to leave the road for the purpose of evading 
 stray parties of the enemy, nobody knows or ever 
 will know ; anyhow, they missed the way, arriving 
 at length at Kwamagwaza. There, it is supposed, 
 they remained, hiding in the ruins of the mission 
 buildings during the whole of the next day, owing 
 to the vicinity of hostile bands. Let us imagine 
 
i66 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the position of these unfortunate men. Far from 
 human aid, in the heart of an unknown and savage 
 country ; no friendly bush or rocks to conceal 
 their movements from the eagle glance of the 
 enemy's scouts, who from many a commanding 
 eminence would sweep the bare treeless hills and 
 valleys ; forced to lie close in the daytime, and at 
 night hardly daring to move lest they should lose 
 themselves yet more. Only two — alone, lost and 
 without food — surrounded by ruthless foes with 
 the glance of the hawk and the movements of the 
 Ipanther, what chance had they ? On the morning 
 of the 3rd ^ they evidently tried to retrace their 
 steps, starting back by the way they had come, but 
 not to go far. Cresting the ridge which runs right 
 across the station about half a mile from the ruins, 
 they were fated to fall in with a large body of 
 Zulus from the Empandhleni district who were on 
 their way to join the im'pi at Ulundi. These im- 
 mediately gave chase. The doomed men fled for 
 about a mile along a spur, then, dismounting, 
 abandoned their horses and plunged into a deep 
 grassy ravine, presumably with the intention of 
 hiding. Fatal move ! — flight alone could have 
 
 * Subsequent inquiries proved beyond doubt that they met their 
 deaths, not on the 2nd, as was at first supposed, but on the 3rd ; for 
 the band that killed them did not reach Ulundi in time for the battle, 
 which took place on the 4th. Had it left Kwamagwaza on the 3rd, 
 it could easily have done so, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 167 
 
 saved them, for wliat possible chance had they of 
 baffling by conceahnent those human bloodhounds 
 trained in all the signs and sounds of the wilderness, 
 able to track them by a displaced blade of grass or 
 the disturbed note of a startled bird. On reaching 
 the bottom of the valley they appear to have 
 separated and taken different directions, for their 
 bodies when discovered wei*e lying some distance 
 apart. I visited the spot where that of Lieutenant 
 Scott-Douglas w^as found ; a deep narrow ravine, 
 one side a smooth round slope, the other covered 
 with mealies and tall grass, while through a line of 
 tangled bush dotted with tree fern, plunging from 
 rock to rock, a mountain stream hurled its clear 
 waters down with a pleasant murmur ; and there, 
 beneath the arching feathery fans of two spreading 
 tree ferns, the unfortunate officer met his death. 
 Standing there I could picture the whole scene. 
 The desolate ravine, alive with grim dark figures 
 and flashing spears glancing through the long 
 grass — the hills echoing with exultant shouts as 
 nearer and surer those pitiless savage warriors 
 closed in upon their prey securely trapped in that 
 lonely defile — and the doomed Briton at bay, his 
 back to the hill, the branched canopy overhead 
 and the bounding watercourse at his feet. Then 
 the wild ' Usutu ' pealing in ferocious triumph — a 
 sudden rush — and all is over. Whether exhausted 
 
i68 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 and worn out by hunger and the hard despairing 
 race for life, or in the hope that he would be 
 spared, it does not appear that the unfortunate 
 officer made much resistance. But that he died 
 facing his relentless foes there can be no doubt. 
 
 It was a clear, still evening ; the shadows were 
 already deepening in the valley, though the sur- 
 rounding hilltops were gilded by the glow of 
 sunset. I turned to leave the tragic spot, feehng 
 that a kind of solemnity and awe pervaded it, as 
 though faint voices from another world were 
 minghng with the metallic ring of the mountain 
 stream upon its stony bed and the weird piping of 
 a bird in the sedges. Murmur on, winds, in the 
 cool eventide ; fall, streamlet, with tuneful plunge 
 into your rocky cells ; birds trill out your clear 
 notes through this mournful solitude, this vale of 
 death ; sing a requiem over the hapless stranger, 
 done to death, despairing and exhausted, and alone 
 in a far-off land— for these are the incidents that 
 render war a horrible thing, rather than the stirring 
 movements of a brilliant field, the fierce rush of 
 battle and the din and clamour of conflicting hosts, 
 the charge, and the ringing cheer of victory. 
 
 The remains of the two ill-fated ones rest be- 
 neath handsome tombstones erected by Sir G. H. 
 Scott-Douglas, the lieutenant's father. Upon an 
 eminence overlooking the sad spot stands the little 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 169 
 
 cemetery — a square enclosure bounded by a sod 
 wall, along whose top is an embryo hedge of aloes 
 and Madagascar thorn. At the head of the tomb- 
 stones still stand the wooden crosses erected by 
 the troops when they performed the necessarily 
 rough and ready sepulture of their fellow soldiers, 
 and the whole is surrounded by a trench about 
 seven feet by six, outside of which the ground is 
 ploughed up for a width of several yards to guard 
 against any possibility of injury to the place from 
 grass fires. Three large cactus trees, visible from 
 far and near upon the smooth hill top, mark the 
 soldiers' burial ground, which, by a curious turn 
 of fate, is also the old place of sepulture of a Zulu 
 chieftain named Usidwa. 
 
 From Kwamagwaza the rolling open country 
 continues ; the road winds along over hill and 
 ridge, commanding a view of the Umhlatusi valley, 
 the river now and then glimpsed below Hke a 
 silver streak, losing itself among the distant spurs, 
 beyond which, in darker blue, the Indian Ocean 
 contrasts with the paleness of the far horizon. On 
 past the mission station of St. Paul's, down a nasty 
 bit of road falhng away from Inkwenkwe Hill, and 
 we are in the bush country again. Huge forest 
 trees rise above the mimosa and other bushes 
 fringing the road, among whose gnarled limbs may 
 here and there be descried a big nest of sticks, the 
 
170 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 handiwork of one of the many species of large 
 birds of prey infesting these wilds, while creepers 
 and parasites hang in festoons from the branches. 
 Birds are flitting about, waking the depths of the 
 wood with hvely call or note of alarm ; monkeys 
 spring chattering from bough to bough ; and 
 poised high over the tree tops, floats the form of a 
 rakish-looking falcon whirling in steady circles be- 
 neath the blue vault, his keen eye upon the noisy 
 feathered denizens of the thicket, while a suspicious 
 rustle in the tangled grass is heard as some big 
 snake, startled by the creaking of wheels, slips ofi* 
 out of harm's way. Behind rises the high ground 
 we have just come down from, intersected by many 
 a gloomy gorge with densely wooded sides and 
 black overhanging clifis — the home of the savage 
 leopard and prowling hyaina. 
 
 The Umhlatusi is a fine stream running in long 
 reaches over a gravelly bed ; its banks, well lined 
 with reeds, are suggestive of crocodiles — of which, 
 in fact, the river has its full share in common with 
 all the larger rivers of Zululand ; however, upon 
 that occasion we were not troubled by its saurian 
 inhabitants, who, under ordinary circumstances, 
 would fight shy of the noise and whip-cracking 
 attendant on the crossing of a waggon. They 
 generally prefer an easier method of circumventing 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 171 
 
 their prey, and woe to the hapless native who 
 should chance to be swept off his legs when the 
 river is at flood, or the unwary traveller thinking 
 to enjoy a refreshing swim on that smooth surface. 
 Calves and goats, and even children paddling too 
 near those quiet-looking reed beds, have been 
 seized, and dogs crossing the river sometimes dis- 
 appear under their masters' very noses. 
 
 A grey scud working up across an already 
 gloomy sky, and a few large raindrops, seemed to 
 render a halt advisable before it got quite dark. 
 With the exception of a shght shower or two, the 
 rain kept off ; but it was cloudy and lowering, and 
 seated there upon the waggon box until a late 
 hour, smoking my pipe and looking out into the 
 blackness, the subdued crunch of the tired oxen 
 mingling with the heavy breathing of my satellites, 
 who, head tucked up in blanket, were sleeping the 
 sleep of a good conscience, the effect was dismal 
 in the extreme. For now the voices of the wild 
 bush would lend their influences to the scene — the 
 weird call of a night-bird, the yelping bark of a 
 skulking jackal, the howl, or rather roar, of the 
 large striped hysena,^ would ever and anon sound 
 from the pitchy darkness around my encampment, 
 while strange and ' uncanny ' noises echoed from 
 
 ^ The * wolf ' of the South African colonist. 
 
172 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the ravines and caves of the adjacent hillside. A 
 lonely and desolate place. Notwithstanding all of 
 which exhilarating surroundings I was ready to 
 sleep tolerably soundly by the time it became ex- 
 pedient to turn in, and the following day, cresting 
 the southern heights of the valley, left the bush 
 country behind and eventually reached Etshowe. 
 
JTS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 173 
 
 CHAPTEE XIV. 
 
 Etshowe — The fort — Pleasures of picket duty — Two ' sells ' — A retro- 
 spective glance — Imbombotyana hill — * In the Heavens ' — A 
 novelty in tattooing — Dabulamanzi — Another ' beggar ' — Deriva- 
 tion of * Etshowe.' 
 
 Etshowe, or, as it was originally written, Ekowe, 
 is an open and commanding position on the brow 
 of the heights overlooking the coast country. The 
 first thing on arrival was to visit the old fort, 
 which I accordingly did, accompanied by the Rev. 
 Mr. Oftebro, the clergyman in charge of the 
 Norwegian mission there, which is one of the 
 oldest stations in the country. 
 
 The fort, then, consists of a substantial earth- 
 work, enclosing a space of two acres and a half; 
 it is oblong in shape, and surrounded by a ditch 
 some 12 feet by 10. What with Gatlings and 
 rocket tubes mounted at the corners of the earth- 
 work, and the fosse staked and wired, the place 
 was simply impregnable to a barbarous foe how- 
 ever intrepid, if unprovided with artillery. No 
 fierce rushes such as whelmed the lines at Isandhl- 
 
174 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 wana, and caused the fate of the Kambula camp 
 to hang in the balance, could avail here ; for even 
 in the event of the enemy's legions braving the 
 fearful storm of artillery and volley fire, and 
 surging up to the very walls, there was the gaping 
 ditch, wide and deep, with its threatening stakes 
 and wired network, and its kaponiers, whence a 
 few riflemen could play awful havoc among those 
 who thought to cross it. No ; the Zulus were wise 
 enough to see that the place was too much for 
 them, and refrained from attacking it ; yet to 
 this day they regard it with a kind of satisfaction, 
 as a standing tribute to their prowess. 
 
 But although no open attack was attempted, 
 the fort and all that went on there was watched 
 day and night. Zulu scouts would creep up 
 within a few yards of the earthwork, close enough, 
 as one of them told me, to hear the breathing of 
 the sentry on guard, and our outlying vedettes 
 were more than once surprised by the lithe and 
 crafty savage, who, worming his way noiselessly 
 through the long grass, left the unpractised Briton 
 but a poor chance, as the following incident, told 
 me by a Zulu who had fought throughout the 
 campaign, may serve to show. This bold warrior, 
 then, in company with seven other congenial 
 spirits, were amusing themselves one day stalking 
 a couple of men on picket duty, who sat quite 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 175 
 
 unconcernedly while tlieir deadly foes were ad- 
 vancing nearer and nearer upon tliem. ' While 
 they were talking,' said my informant, ' we crept 
 on ; when they were silent we lay still as if dead. 
 We got within fifty yards of them, when others 
 came up from the fort ; we did not like the look 
 of these, so were obliged to go away again.' I 
 venture to say that those two will never know 
 what an escape they had. A peculiarly trying 
 and perilous duty is this outlying guard ; a couple 
 of men, or even more, placed by themselves, far 
 from the lines and surrounded by tall grass 
 through which the savages can crawl silently and 
 with ease. Little is it then to be wondered at that 
 the attacks upon vedettes were not always un- 
 successful. 
 
 Imbombotyana, the high cone upon which 
 the heliographing was carried on, overlooks the 
 position, and another mode of aggression adopted 
 by the Zulus was to fire upon the outposts from 
 this eminence. But a party of our men, stealing 
 a march on them in the night, got there first, 
 and, lying in wait, opened an unexpected and 
 effectual fire, mightily astonishing the enterprising 
 barbarian, and completely spoiling his fun. Then 
 the enemy would playfully pull up the stakes 
 which had been driven in at measured distances 
 round the fort to facilitate accuracy of shooting 
 
"176 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 in case of attack ; a charge of dynamite, however, 
 placed at the foot of one of them exploding with 
 considerable damage, likewise put him out of 
 conceit with this new entertainment. 
 
 But a more pressing danger stared the garrison 
 in the face than anything threatened by the enemy. 
 The season was a v/et one, exceptionally so in 
 fact, and here were close upon 1,500 men shut 
 up within an area of a couple of acres, without 
 shelter, and obliged to lie on the bare ground, 
 which in the daytime was trodden into sloppy 
 mire, at night reeking with pestilential exhalations. 
 This could have but one result. Men began to 
 sicken and die off, and on a steep slope in front 
 of the fort a little cemetery tells its own tale. 
 Beneath rough and simple, but in many instances 
 tastefully devised, wooden crosses, twenty-eight 
 men, rank and file, lie buried there, most of them, 
 from the inscriptions, quite young men ; and con- 
 sidering the bad and insufficient food, exposure 
 to unusually wet weather, and the inevitable un- 
 wholesomeness attendant upon the circumstances, 
 the wonder is that the death return was not much 
 greater. 
 
 Looking at the fort now, one would think it 
 had been constructed twelve years ago rather 
 than three. Long grass trailing from the earth- 
 work almost conceals the ditch, whose brink is, in 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 177 
 
 places, so overgrown with brambles and rank 
 herbage as to constitute a source of danger to 
 the unwary explorer ; the buildings within, that 
 did duty for storehouses and hospitals, are in a 
 tumbledown state ; in fact, the whole enclosed 
 space presents a woful and ruinous appearance. 
 At one end is a clump of blue gums, but the 
 fruit trees planted by the missionaries were cut 
 down with a view to clearing the ground in and 
 around the fortification. 
 
 I said that heliographic communication with 
 the border was carried on from the summit of 
 Tmbombotyana, and no better point could have 
 been chosen, for it commands the whole of the 
 coast country. From the Etshowe side, Tmbom- 
 botyana is rather an unimposing round-topped 
 eminence, but from its summit a splendid view 
 awaits, for the ground suddenly falls away a 
 thousand feet, and besides the low coast country, 
 which lies spread out like a map, the eye may 
 wander at will from the Tugela bluff to San Lucia 
 Bay ; from the broken mountains along the Natal 
 border to the Ingandhla range westward. Beneath, 
 a perfect picture is unfolded ; on every side hills 
 and mimosa-clad vales watered by many a silver 
 stream ; herds of cattle dot the slopes, and among 
 the symmetrical circular kraals may be seen 
 moving about the dark figures of their inhabitants, 
 
 N 
 
178 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 whose voices and laughter are faintly borne up- 
 wards on the still air. In the distance two 
 hump-like hills rising mark the site of the Gin- 
 gindhlovu battlefield ; beyond, the ruins of Fort 
 Chelmsford ; and, like a speck, Dikileni, one of 
 the residences of the chief, John Dunn, stands 
 white against the plain, which rolls on till sepa- 
 rated by a belt of yellow sand and a streak of 
 shining surf from the deep blue of the ocean. A 
 floating haze, just sufficient to soften the golden 
 rays of a declining sun without impeding the 
 view, settles upon the landscape, and the scene is 
 a charming one. 
 
 Before leaving Etshowe I paid a visit to 
 Dabulamanzi, whose principal kraal is about six 
 miles off. This worthy, whose name came greatly 
 into prominence before the war, is one of Cetywayo's 
 half-brothers. Why he should have been made 
 so much of it is difficult to understand, seeing 
 that he is not an induna in any sense, and 
 whatever lustre may be reflected on him is solely 
 due to his relationship with royalty, except 
 that everyone, having got hold of the name of one 
 man of rank, was determined to make the most 
 thereof. Accordingly, in Natal, Dabulamanzi was 
 forthwith constituted commander-in-chief of the 
 Zulu army, and its leader in every battle, quite 
 irrespective of such trivialities as time and place. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 179 
 
 As a matter of fact he never held an actual 
 command at all, though a sort of precedence 
 was allowed him by virtue of his rank ; the real 
 commander-in-chief of the forces being Tyingwayo, 
 in some instances Mnyamane accompanying to 
 ' watch the proceedings ' on behalf of the king. 
 
 Very picturesque are the kraals in the bush 
 country, and that of Dabulamanzi has the ad- 
 vantage of situation thrown in, lying as it does 
 at the foot of a range of round-topped hills, whose 
 pleasant slopes are relieved at intervals by the 
 dark forest trees of wooded ravines. Imagine 
 two large parallel circles of thorn fence or palisade 
 about seven feet high, the wide inner space being 
 the cattle enclosure, that between them con- 
 taining the dome-shaped huts. This one numbered 
 fourteen or fifteen tenements, and rejoiced in 
 the aspiring title of ' Ezulwini ' — ' in the Heavens.' 
 It struck me as a rather amusing coincidence 
 that his other kraal, down in the low-lying coast 
 country, should be called ' Eziko ' — ' in the fire.' In 
 the open country, where there is little or no bush, 
 the kraals have but one enclosure, which is built 
 of stones, and round this, outside, stand the huts. 
 
 We met some Zulus on the way, carrying shields 
 and assegais ; one of them was marked about the 
 chest and shoulders as if he had been tattooed 
 with Chinese white, which decoration, he said, 
 
 N 2 
 
i8o THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 was the result of a rocket burn at Isandhlwana. 
 Two or three men were hanging about as I rode 
 up, one of whom went to inform the chief of my 
 arrival, presently returning to tell me to 'walk 
 in,' which I did, metaphorically, and creeping 
 through the low doorway stood in the presence 
 of the doughty ' Divider of Waters.' ^ My lord 
 looked decidedly cool and comfortable, squatting 
 on a mat, without a rag of clothing but his 
 mutya^ and the inevitable head-ring encircling 
 his shaven poll. Two of his sons, boys of about 
 ten or eleven, stopped in their play to stare at 
 umlungu (the white man) as I entered. One side 
 of the hut was piled up with trunks ; and heaps 
 of rugs, topboots, brass candlesticks, lanterns, 
 and other odds and ends were lying about, the 
 whole suggestive of Isandhlwana loot. 
 
 Dabulamanzi is a fine-looking man of about 
 thirty-five, stoutly built and large-limbed like most 
 of his royal brethren. He is light in colour even 
 for a Zulu, and has a high, intellectual forehead, 
 clear eyes, and handsome regular features, with 
 jet-black beard and moustache. But although a 
 handsome face, it is not altogether a prepossessing 
 one, for it wears a settled expression of insincerity 
 and cunning which would cause you to have Httle 
 doubt as to the deservedness of public opinion 
 
 ^ Meaning of * Dabulamanzi.' 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. i8i 
 
 about him if you had heard it, and if you had not, 
 readiness of behef when you should come to do so. 
 That opinion I have heard expressed by those who 
 knew the man, in two words, 'a blackguard.' With 
 missionary and trader ahke he is in disrepute, and 
 many are the tales of sharp practice, if not down- 
 right rascality, which were told me about him ; nor 
 is he popular among his countrymen. 
 
 We shook hands, and sitting down opposite the 
 chief, I produced a substantial piece of tobacco, 
 which was promptly transferred to his side of the 
 field. Then he told Andries to bring in my gun 
 — which, in accordance with Zulu etiquette, I 
 had left outside — as he wanted to look at it. He 
 examined it with the air of a connoisseur (the 
 fellow has the reputation of being a good shot), 
 bringing it to his shoulder, trying the hammers, 
 handling the weapon as if he could not bring him- 
 self to part with it. I well knew what was coming, 
 and sure enough soon it came. 
 
 ' I must give him the gun.' 
 
 ' No, no, that wouldn't do at all. I had the 
 greater part of the country to go through yet, and 
 what should I do without a gun ? Besides, what 
 would John Dunn, the great chief, say if I gave 
 away arms in his territory ? ' ^ (which we were 
 then in). 
 
 ^ Zulus are not allowed to possess firearms. 
 
1 82 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 He resigned it with a sigh. ' Hadn't I brought 
 him any clothes ? ' 
 
 ' No, they took up too much room/ 
 
 ' Or some gin ? 
 
 ' No, Hquor was not allowed to be given away 
 either, in John Dunn's district.' In short, the fellow 
 was an arrant ' beggar ' ; to such an extent that 
 during the rest of the trip his name passed into a 
 standing joke and a byword among Andries and 
 his fellows, who, when any of my visitors waxed 
 importunate, would exclaim with emphasis, ' Haow ! 
 U Dabulamanzi ! ' meaning to say, ' Ah, there's 
 Dabulamanzi ! ' or ' He must be Dabulamanzi ! ' 
 
 This practice of begging is by no means general 
 among the Zulus, indeed I found it rather the 
 exception than the rule. A good plan when you 
 have to do with anyone of importunate fame is to 
 try and ' outbeg ' him ; in a word, to meet every 
 demand by a counter request, without the smallest 
 compunction. But, as I said before, the practice 
 is far from being universal, and where it prevails 
 is an abominable nuisance, for you can't converse 
 freely and comfortably with a man whom you well 
 know to be all the time turning over in his own 
 mind what he shall ask you for next. 
 
 However, in this instance I had brought my 
 friend a few presents, and began by fishing out a 
 white felt hat with a striped cord round it. This 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 183 
 
 was accepted with a profusion of thanks, and he 
 proceeded to stick it on his head, thereby meta- 
 morphosing himself from rather a fine-looking 
 savage into a slouching ruffian — I never yet saw 
 the Zulu whom a hat of any sort suited. Having 
 sufficiently admired the effect in a looking-glass, he 
 told one of his small boys to put it away, in the 
 execution of which command I discerned, besides 
 a lot of coats and trousers, two more new wide- 
 awakes, and began to wish I had kept my 'tile ' for 
 the adornment and gratification of some more 
 ' roofless ' potentate. 
 
 A few further gifts met with ready acceptance, 
 and then I thought my turn had come, so intimated 
 that I was capable of appreciating a knob-kerrie. 
 
 ' No, he hadn't got one.' 
 
 ' Then what was that ? ' pointing to a bundle of 
 sticks in a corner, among which I fancied I could 
 detect a decent one. 
 
 ' Oh, that wasn't a good one.' 
 
 ' Good enough,' said I, on the principle of 
 ' half a loaf,' ' and I wanted something whereby 
 to remember my visit.' 
 
 Seeing that I was determined to have it, he sent 
 one of the above mentioned urchins to clean it, 
 and handed it over with great empressement. I 
 have it to this day, together with better kerries 
 — and worse. 
 
[84 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 We talked a good deal about the war and sub- 
 sequent events, but I elicited nothing new in the 
 way of information or incident from Dabulamanzi, 
 who, Hke many other Zulus of rank, was reticent 
 in matters poHtical to a degree bordering on the 
 suspicious — and after a couple of hours' indaba 
 (talk) I left him. 
 
 The word 'Etshowe' was a puzzler to the 
 British understanding when the place first became 
 notable. No one knew exactly how to write it, 
 still less to pronounce it. Some would write it 
 ' Etshowe ' or ' Echowa.' Others, again, would 
 make it ' Ekowe,' and when so written the chances 
 were a hundred to one that the British public 
 would thus pronounce it, to wit, with the ' k ' 
 hard. The fact being that the word was originally 
 written by the Norwegian missionaries, who spelt 
 it ' Ekowe,' the accent over the ' k ' giving to that 
 letter the sound of ' tsh ' ; so the spelhng which 
 most accurately conveys the pronunciation is 
 ' Etshowe ' — the last ' e ' being short but sounded, 
 and to this I have adhered. 
 
 The derivation of the word is said to be this. 
 Coming up from the enervating heat of the low- 
 lying coast country and suddenly brought face to 
 face at this point with the fresh breezes that sweep 
 the high open regions, a native would exclaim, ' Eh ! 
 Tsh6we ! ' (an ejaculation of cold and shivering). 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 185 
 
 and wrap his blanket around him if he had one, or 
 start off into a run if he had not. Such a meaning, 
 though quaint and apparently far fetched, is never- 
 theless the probable one, for the first thing that 
 strikes you with regard to the place is its bleak 
 and windy situation. 
 
i86 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 Battle of Inyezane — Scenery — An aggressive customer — Inyoni — A 
 trading store — Johan Oolenbrander — A tussle, and a narrow escape 
 — Mang6te — Gingindhlovu — A ride across country, and a ducking. 
 
 It was a glorious morning as we wound our way 
 down the military road, which, skirting the base of 
 Imbombotyana, zigzags along the ridges, and dip- 
 ping into a hollow, here and there, at length brings 
 you down into the bed of the Inyezane river. A 
 glorious morning, I say, for the newly risen sun 
 shone from a cloudless sky, and a curtain of mist 
 then lifting had studded the bushes with dewdrops 
 sparkling and flashing like myriads of diamonds. 
 Bright spreuws flitted among the thorns, sounding 
 their shrill but by no means discordant whistle, 
 and the air was musical with the low murmur of bees 
 winging in and out through the blossoming mimosas, 
 whose fragrant boughs, sweeping down over the 
 road, brushed the waggon tent as we passed under- 
 neath. But oh, how hot it was ! — by the time we 
 had rounded the Ombane spur and crossed the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 187 
 
 Inyezane drift, I was nearly baked as I sat on the 
 box. 
 
 This was the scene of the engagement with 
 Colonel Pearson's column on the memorable 
 22nd January, being, in fact, the first pitched 
 battle of the campaign. While halted among the 
 thorns the column was attacked by an impi^ 
 estimated at about four thousand strong, which after 
 half an hour's severe skirmishing was routed with 
 considerable loss. Though at first sight the cir- 
 cumstance of being attacked in the bush might 
 seem to place the troops at a disadvantage, yet 
 as a matter of fact it was not so ; for the Zulus 
 could not show to such imposing effect in point of 
 numbers, nor could they employ their usual out- 
 flanking tactics with anything hke such force as in 
 the open. Hence the affair assumed the features of 
 a skirmish, and while the thick bush did not pre- 
 vent the artillery and rockets from operating with 
 effect, it precluded the possibility of the sweeping 
 and formidable Zulu charge, at the same time 
 affording our men cover whence they could with 
 coolness and accuracy pick off the enemy. This 
 engagement is known to the Zulus as the battle of 
 Ombane (not Inyezane), from the Ombane spur 
 round the base of which it took place. 
 
 Beyond the Inyezane drift our way for miles 
 lies over a plain, densely wooded in parts, in others 
 
i88 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 open and park-like, sparsely inhabited too, for 
 kraals are few and far between, nor are there 
 cattle upon the meadow-like flats. Now and then 
 a buck is to be seen standing on the outskirts of 
 the bush, intently watching us ; birds of prey, too, 
 are plentiful, from the small red falcon hovering 
 over the grass to the huge crested buzzard soaring 
 on dark spreading pinions above the tree tops. The 
 Amatikulu, a clear stream with reedy banks, is 
 crossed, and the dense bush closes up to the road, 
 which becomes a regular jungle path, the trees in 
 many places meeting overhead, their trunks lost 
 in a tangled impenetrable mass of creepers and 
 undergrowth. Strange looking trees, too, such as 
 I had not met with before. One of them bore a 
 fruit with a smooth rind about the size and colour 
 of a shaddock, which Andries assured me was ex- 
 cellent, but on tasting it I found it bitter as gall. 
 His palate and mine were evidently fashioned with 
 differing ideas of ' excellence,' though from the 
 face the rascal made when trying to devour it him- 
 self, I imagine it hardly suited him either. 
 
 Going along the bush road we disturbed the 
 meditations of a large cobra, who thereupon 
 showed fight. Again Fani was to the fore with 
 his long whip ; buoyed with the recollection of 
 like feats previously achieved he treated the 
 elevated crest and flashing eyes, the inflated hood 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 189 
 
 and sharp menacing hiss, with lofty disdain, and by 
 a well directed ' whack ' put an end for ever to 
 the truculent reptile's hopes and fears. Presently 
 the country became more hilly and open, the 
 domed thatches of huts glimpsed here and there 
 among the bush betokened habitation again, and 
 we passed several Zulu kraals, the sinking sun 
 throwing a coppery gleam on the heads and 
 shoulders of some of their habitants, who had 
 turned out and were peering over their palisades 
 to watch us go by. Halting for the night at the 
 Umsundusi drift we arrived next morning after a 
 short trek at the Inyoni river, a small stream 
 whose mouth is a few miles north of that of the 
 Tugela. 
 
 There is a trading store at the Inyoni, but it 
 being Sunday, its occupant was yet between the 
 sheets indulging in a late sleep ; travellers, however, 
 are scarce in those parts, and it was not long before 
 he turned out to do the honours. Curious places 
 are these trading stores. Let the reader imagine 
 a rough and ready building, divided into two or 
 more partitions, round one of which runs a counter 
 duly furnished with weights and scales. On 
 shelves against the walls are arranged blankets, 
 Salampore cloth, coloured handkerchiefs, rolls of 
 tobacco, sheath knives, packages of beads, brass 
 buttons, looking-glasses — everything in which the 
 
190 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 native mind delights ; while hanging from nails in 
 the roof beams are buckets, tin pannikins, three- 
 legged pots, cleavers, straps, hats, mihtary surtouts, 
 umbrellas, and so forth. One of the partitions, over 
 and above its use for store purposes, will perhaps 
 be fitted with a rough table and used as dining 
 and sitting room, and if space be an object a mat- 
 tress will be spread on the bales of goods which do 
 duty as a sleeping bunk. At the Inyoni, however, 
 things .were on a larger scale, and the storekeeper 
 had a sleeping apartment to himself. 
 
 Being Sunday the store is closed, and we sit in 
 the shade smoking and discussing affairs in general. 
 Presently the trampling of hoofs announces the 
 approach of a party — two white men, and a native 
 on horseback and leading spare horses. The new 
 arrival is introduced to me as ' Mr. Colenbrander,' 
 and I find myself shaking hands with a pleasant- 
 looking man of about thirty, every inch the 
 frontiersman, with dark beard and bronzed com- 
 plexion, and dressed in buckskin suit, with riding 
 boots and spurs ; a revolver in its holster is slung 
 round him, and a formidable clasp knife hangs 
 from his belt. The removal of his hat displays a 
 deep scar over the temple several inches in length, 
 pointing to what ^lust have been a very awkward 
 and dangerous wound ; it is in fact the result of a 
 blow from a battleaxe received during an inter- 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 191 
 
 tribal foray some months previously. Separated 
 from his party, while pursuing the losing side, he 
 was endeavouring to ride down a 'fugitive, who 
 turned upon him and a severe hand to hand con- 
 flict ensued. The savage, expecting no quarter nor 
 deigning to ask it, fought with all the reckless 
 courage which characterises his race, and laid 
 about him lustily with his axe, then driving an 
 assegai into his adversary's head he strove with all 
 his might to work it down into the brain ; Colen- 
 brander, however, seized his wrist, and for some 
 moments thus they struggled. But the Zulu warrior, 
 though a powerful man, was no match for the cool 
 pluck and determination of the European, and, 
 severely wounded in more places than one, Colen- 
 brander succeeded at last in killing his antagonist, 
 stabbing him to the heart with his own assegai. 
 This encounter added not a little to the reputa- 
 tion for pluck and resolution which he already 
 enjoyed. 
 
 Johan Colenbrander is of Batavian origin ; 
 during the war he served as a volunteer in the 
 Corps of Guides with the coast column under 
 General Crealock, and took part in the battle of 
 Gingindhlovu. He is now established as a trader 
 in Sibepu's country and is much trusted by that 
 chief, to whose place, some 150 miles further north, 
 he was journeying at the time of our meeting. 
 
192 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 He is adviser and confidential agent to Sibepu, and 
 a man of some importance in Zululand. 
 
 We rode over to Mangete, John Dunn's prin- 
 cipal residence, the following day. It lies in a 
 hollow about two miles from the Tugela, and looks 
 quite a village ; besides the chief's own dwelling, a 
 large comfortable- looking house with a verandah, 
 there are other tenements great and small, includ- 
 ing the ' office,' gaol, &c., and the quarters of his 
 secretary, an Englishman. There is also a school, 
 where a number of the chief's daughters are being 
 educated under a European governess. Within 
 a couple of miles is St. Andrew's Mission, one of 
 Bishop McKenzie's stations ; whereby it will appear 
 that John Dunn is not averse to tolerating mission- 
 aries as such, though sternly (and rightly) exclud- 
 ing the 'political missionary from his territory. 
 
 On reaching Mangete I learnt that the chief 
 was not expected back for some time, being away 
 at his other place in the Umgoye mountains, which 
 was disappointing, as I wanted to make his acquaint- 
 ance. Therefore when Colenbrander proposed 
 that I should take a ride up there with him, as he 
 was going that way, it seemed the very solution of 
 the difficulty ; accordingly, starting the waggon off 
 on the backward track with orders to await my 
 arrival at Etshowe, I strapped a mackintosh on to 
 the saddle and was ready for a start. 
 
ITS B'ATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 193 
 
 A couple of hours' easy riding — for it was hot 
 — brought us to the Amatikulu, some twenty miles 
 below where I had previously crossed, and after 
 watering our horses in the clear stream we held on. 
 Passing Fort Crealock — formerly a strong earth- 
 work but now deserted and in ruins, being, like all 
 the other ' forts ' built in the country, constructed 
 for purposes of temporary entrenchment only — on, 
 through fields of standing corn and pumpkin 
 patches, past a couple of shanties, where we halted 
 a few minutes while my companion exchanged 
 civilities and ' chaff' with some very rough speci- 
 mens of Dutch humanity, and presently we turned 
 off the waggon track to visit the battlefield of 
 Gingindhlovu. As we rode slowly up the long 
 slope down which the horsemen charged the fleeing 
 Zulus, a white object glistening among the grass 
 attracted my attention. It was a single skull, and 
 a fine large head it must have belonged to ; no 
 bones were to be seen around, nor while exploring 
 the field did we find any other relics of the en- 
 gagement — nothing but this one solitary skull. 
 
 Gingindhlovu struck me as one of the most God- 
 forsaken places I had ever seen. Standing within 
 the low crumbling earthwork I looked around. 
 To the north the ground stretched away for miles, 
 flat and open, dotted here and there with clumps 
 of bush, to where a range of hills shut in the 
 
 
 
194 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 view ; on the left front the Ombane spur, above 
 and beyond which rises Imbombotyana. From this 
 direction the attack was first made, the right horn 
 of the im'pi meanwhile, sweeping up on the other 
 side of the laager^ succeeded, by reason of the lay 
 of the ground, in getting within two hundred yards 
 of the entrenchment before being discovered. This 
 side was led by our friend Dabulamanzi on horse- 
 back, who, however, found it expedient to with- 
 draw, the riflemen making things altogether too 
 warm for him. The attacking force has been 
 estimated at about eleven thousand, and was under 
 the command of Sigcwelegcwele, the induna of the 
 Ngobamakosi regiment — Dabulamanzi being also 
 there on his own account. On the west side of 
 the earthwork lie buried the officers and men 
 who fell in the engagement, the grave of Colonel 
 Northey having a wooden cross over it painted 
 white. 
 
 The sky had become overcast, and as we turned 
 to leave the place great inky clouds were gathering 
 up over the mountains to northward, and the long 
 low boom of distant thunder was ever and anon 
 borne across the still waste. When we had ridden 
 a little way I looked back — there stood the wooden 
 cross by the side of the crumbling earthwork, 
 gleaming white upon the bare dismal plain. A 
 lonely grave in a strange and lonely spot. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 195 
 
 We passed the ruins of the old Gingindhlovu ^ 
 kraal, and soon arrived at Dikileni, John Dunn's 
 halfway house, where we would ofFsaddle for an 
 hour, then on again. Travelhng rapidly over 
 wide flat plains, we leave Fort Chelmsford away on 
 our left, and the Umgoye range rises nearer and 
 nearer in front ; but the weather is threatening, 
 and though only a few drops of rain have come 
 near us, heavy showers are falling in the mountains 
 ahead. The ground gets more uneven, and 
 presently the rain comes down in earnest. Crossing 
 the Umlalasi we are fairly among the mountains, 
 winding in and out by narrow paths well known 
 to my companion and saving a considerable 
 distance. High round-topped hills, through whose 
 grassy valleys rivulets are bounding, their courses 
 marked by Hues of tree ferns and yellow-wood, 
 the bridle path carries us higher and higher, till at 
 length we crest the last ridge and arrive amidst 
 deluging torrents of rain at our destination. 
 
 * From ' Ginga,' ' roll/ in the sense of * roll over/ and * indhlovu/ 
 * the elephant.' 
 
 2 
 
196 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 CHAPTEE XVI. 
 
 Ncandiiku — John Dunn — Administration of justice — Liquor traffic — • 
 Sitimela — * A stitch in time ' — An eventful career — Charioteering 
 in excelsis — Gihlana, 
 
 A WILD and picturesque valley in the Umgoye 
 range, shut in by forest-clad hilltops and cleft by 
 a clear stream leaping from rock to rock in many 
 an eddying pool — on a spur overlooking this 
 stands Ncandiiku,^ the mountain residence of the 
 chief, John Dunn. A single-storey ed house, with 
 verandah on two sides, dining and sitting rooms, 
 and plenty of bedrooms — a more comfortable 
 dwelling than the generality of frontier houses, 
 even within the colonial border. At the back are 
 the stables (for the chief is particular in matters of 
 horseflesh), ofiices, and other outbuildings, while in 
 front a fruit garden slopes down to the stream. A 
 large circular kraal lies in a hollow just below the 
 house, and strips of cultivated land are laid out 
 along the river bed ; the place is well shaded, if 
 
 * Nca-indiiku, * hit a stick/ in the sense of parrying a blow. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 197 
 
 anything rather too closed in with trees. Such is 
 Ncandiiku, 
 
 And now a word as to its owner, about whom 
 I have from time to time been asked all manner of 
 absurd questions, even by those whom one might 
 have expected to know better. ' Didn't he wear 
 the head-ring, or live in a hut, or dress in a blan- 
 ket ? ' and so on. John Dunn is a handsome, well- 
 built man, about five feet eight in height, with 
 good forehead, regular features, and keen grey 
 eyes ; a closely cut iron-grey beard hides the lower 
 half of his bronzed, weather-tanned countenance, 
 and a look of determination and shrewdness is 
 discernible in every lineament. So far from affect- 
 ing native costume, the chief was, if anything, 
 more neatly dressed than the average colonist, in 
 plain tweed suit and wideawake hat. In manner 
 he is quiet and unassuming, and no trace of self- 
 glorification or ' bounce ' is there about him.. He 
 has a reputation for reticence — a fault in the right 
 direction by the way, for his part is a trying and 
 difficult one, and the more uncommunicative he is 
 the better — doubtless owing his success in great 
 measure to the fact that he knows how and when 
 to hold his tongue. 
 
 We met with a kind welcome, and towards 
 dark sat down to a well served and plentiful spread, 
 being waited on by a tall head-ringed man, who 
 
198 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 moved noiselessly about with an aptness that any 
 civiHsed butler or club waiter might have envied. 
 We turned in somewhat early, for the chief, besides 
 being a man of temperate habits, is a practical 
 believer in the ' early to bed, early to rise ' maxim, 
 and the next morning Colenbrander and I parted 
 company, he continuing his journey northward, 
 and I remaining a day or two longer at Ncanduku. 
 I declined his invitation to join him in a sea-cow 
 shooting expedition in the winter, though if ever 
 I did launch out into that particular branch of 
 venerie, I should not wish for a better companion. 
 The territory under the sway of John Dunn 
 lies between the Tugela and Umhlatusi rivers, and 
 is about 100 miles in length, extending along the 
 border to within fifteen miles of Isandhlwana, 
 where it joins Hlubi's district. So far as I could 
 judge, it appeared to be as orderly and well 
 governed as that of any other potentate, and a 
 great deal more so than those of some. Three 
 European * administrators ' or magistrates — one of 
 these, by the way, being the son of Mr. Oftebro, the 
 missionary at Etshowe — are stationed in different 
 parts of the country, whose business is to collect 
 hut tax and adjudicate upon petty cases, the more 
 serious ones being decided by the chief himself, to 
 whom of course lies the right of appeal in any. 
 Oifences capitally punishable, such as murder, are 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 199 
 
 tried before a full court, constituted of all the 
 ' administrators ' and native indunas^ and presided 
 over by the chief, who is very attentive to all matters 
 connected with the administration of justice ; he 
 has an organised staff of native police under a 
 white inspector, and is frequently occupied the 
 whole day in hearing cases. The ' administrators ' 
 receive a fixed yearly salary from the chief. 
 
 A sore point with John Dunn was the possible 
 restoration of Cetywayo, which he looked upon as 
 a direct breach of faith with himself. It must be re- 
 membered that Sir Garnet Wolseley's words on the 
 subject were explicit when addressing the chiefs and 
 people at Ulundi on September 1, 1879. Said he, 
 * It is six years ago on this very day, September 1, 
 that Cetywayo was crowned king of the Zulus, 
 and only yesterday you yourselves saw him carried 
 away a prisoner, never to return again to Zulu- 
 land.' Never to return again to Zululand — and on 
 that understanding, said John Dunn, he and the 
 other chiefs undertook the responsibilities of the 
 territories allotted to them. That was the basis 
 of the Ulundi settlement, the perpetual exile of 
 Cetywayo from Zululand ; and as long as the chiefs 
 appointed under that settlement observed the 
 provisions of their deed of appointment, it would 
 be a monstrous breach of faith on the part of the 
 Imperial Government to oust them. 
 
200 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 A great many ungenerous things have been 
 said and written about John Dunn, mainly attribu- 
 table, I cannot but think, to jealousy of a man who 
 has made a position for himself and is reputed 
 wealthy. ~ One of the commonest charges against 
 him is that of supplying the Zulus with firearms 
 previous to the war. Even if he did, was he alone 
 in this? Further, would those who make the 
 most outcry about it have refrained from doing 
 likewise, given the chance ? I doubt it greatly. 
 And then one seems to remember hearing it pretty 
 frequently laid down as an axiom, that the natives 
 are more formidable when armed with their own 
 weapon, the assegai, than with firearms. If this be 
 so, how in the name of logic can anyone make a 
 grievance of their possessing firearms which they 
 are unable to use with precision, are likely to 
 cumber their movements in the field, and, better 
 still, cause them to deteriorate in and abandon the 
 use of their own weapon ? 
 
 Another reproach hurled at the chief is that he 
 has become ' a regular Zulu ' and is a polygamist. 
 If he prefers living in Zululand and occupying a 
 high position among its people to living in Natal, 
 a unit among his fellow-countrymen, it is purely 
 his own affair : I can imagine a man who has led 
 a wild, roving life finding the position of chief, 
 among a brave and superior race Uke the Zulus, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 201 
 
 one not unworthy of his ambition. His domestic 
 relations, again, are entirely his own concern ; he 
 lives in Zululand, not in European society; he does 
 not bring his wives with him when he visits the 
 colony, nor on these occasions can anyone cite a 
 single instance of his acting in a way unbecoming 
 the usages of civilised society. 
 
 Persons wishing to trade in the territory are 
 required to take out a licence, paying for the same 
 at a fixed rate per waggon, but all trafficking in 
 firearms or ardent spirits is strictly prohibited under 
 any circumstances. 
 
 I emphatically assert that on the ground of his 
 proscription of the liquor traffic alone, John Dunn 
 is entitled to the thanks of all true philanthropists, 
 and whatever may be his shortcomings in other 
 respects, this would go far towards whitewashing 
 them. Look at Kafirland and the locations along 
 the Cape frontier, studded with canteens enjoying 
 an almost unrestricted right of sale — and what is 
 the state of the natives ? A thieving, filthy, impu- 
 dent, worthless set of vagabonds, a pest to their 
 unfortunate neighbourhoods, never reliable and 
 always discontented, spending all their earnings in 
 drink when they do condescend to work. I have 
 seen as many as a hundred Kafirs round one of 
 these canteens in a state of semi- and complete 
 intoxication ; and there they sit and drink, working 
 
2C2 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 themselves into a sort of frenzy, till a word brings 
 about a blow, and a savage fight ensues. Cape 
 colonists complain that the Kafir becomes more 
 worthless and impudent every day, and wonder 
 thereat ; yet not only the country but every 
 border town swarms with canteens, their walls red 
 with Kafir ochre. 
 
 Now let us turn to Zululand — and what a con- 
 trast ! Here are no canteens, and instead of the 
 slouching, drunken barbarian of the Cape border, 
 you find the well-made, intellectual-looking Zulu, 
 with his open greeting and cheery smile — a savage 
 also, but a fine savage, cleanly in his person and 
 dwelling, and honest withal, with whom, except in 
 actual time of war, the traveller and his belongings 
 may move about in safety, as I have already shown. 
 And the time will come, as ' British influence ' 
 extends, when the country will be ' opened up,' 
 the trading store and canteen run hand in hand, 
 and the demoralisation of this splendid race will 
 begin. Then we shall hear people talking of how 
 the Zulus have ' deteriorated.' Therefore, in pro- 
 hibiting the sale of intoxicating liquor in his terri- 
 tory, John Dunn is acting as a wise and far-seeing 
 ruler, and really doing more for the welfare of his 
 people than by building a legion of schools and 
 churches. 
 
 He has been accused of tyranny and wholesale 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 203 
 
 ' eating-up,' but it should be borne in mind that 
 savages must be ruled with a strong hand, half 
 measures being worse than none at all : further, 
 that the leaders of the King's party, his relations 
 and others, were sullenly and but passively acquies- 
 cent in the settlement of the country, as indeed 
 they still are ; and if the chief was obliged to resort 
 to occasional acts of severity in order to maintain 
 his authority, there was every excuse for him. 
 Added to this must be considered the exaggeration 
 inseparable from nineteen out of twenty cases of 
 the kind, and in about the same proportion to them. 
 That of Sitimela is one in point. 
 
 About eighteen months ago, one Sitimela, by 
 birth a Tonga, but hailing from Natal, set up a 
 claim to the chieftainship of the Utetwa tribe, and 
 further, to the throne of Zululand itself. Having 
 collected a force, this ambitious gentleman made 
 a descent upon the territory of Umlandela, a next 
 door neighbour of John Dunn's, who forthwith fled 
 to him for assistance. The intervention of Mr. 
 Osborn, the British resident, was called in, but 
 that official's powers being purely nominal he could 
 do nothing, and the matter was given over to the 
 chiefs, Dunn and Sibepu. Accordingly a force of 
 about 1,500 of Sibepu's men, under Colenbrander, 
 and 2,000 of Dunn's, led by the chief in person, 
 met Sitimela and his followers, attacked and routed 
 
204 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY : 
 
 them with great loss, and burnt their military kraal. 
 Sitimela himself was either slain or managed to get 
 clean away, for he has not been heard of since, and 
 peace was restored. The affair was seized upon 
 with avidity by certain parties in Natal, stories of 
 atrocities were trumped up, and capital made out 
 of it by those interested in the King's return and 
 others hostile to Dunn, who was accused of sanc- 
 tioning the massacre of women and children, and 
 encouraging his followers to commit acts of bar- 
 barity, and a small hullabaloo was raised. Of 
 course some excesses are inevitable in war between 
 savages, who in the flush of conquest are simply 
 unrestrainable, but there is no proof that the chief 
 was aware of any such until too late to prevent 
 them, even if he was at all. On the other hand, 
 I have been assured on good authority that his 
 orders were the reverse of merciless. But a rising 
 which might have assumed the proportions of 
 a serious disturbance was effectually nipped in 
 the bud by the promptitude and energy of John 
 Dunn. 
 
 The chief has been severely handled by 
 colonial writers and speakers on account of his 
 attitude during the war — in fact denounced openly 
 as a traitor to his former friends. Now this is not 
 only unfair but ungrateful. Knowing every inch 
 of the country, thoroughly conversant as one of 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 205 
 
 themselves with the people and their ways, Dunn 
 with his corps of Guides was able to be of the most 
 valuable service to our forces. Looked upon with 
 suspicion by the colonists as soon as he arrived in 
 Natal, and denounced as a Zulu spy ; his life in 
 danger as men's minds were more and more worked 
 up by the ever developing uncertainty and excite- 
 ment attendant upon the war, what wonder that, 
 yielding to Lord Chelmsford's earnest solicitations, 
 he at length abandoned his attitude of neutrality 
 and took the field with us ? It was a mistake, 
 perhaps ; indeed I cannot help thinking that had 
 he held out to the end as strictly neutral, his posi- 
 tion to-day would have been vastly stronger with 
 the Zulus themselves, and from a colonial point 
 unassailable. But, as he remarked rather bitterly 
 to me, his detractors never seemed to consider 
 what a difference it might have made to our arms 
 if he had thrown in his lot with Cetywayo and 
 brought European experience, combined with more 
 than Zulu shrewdness, to bear upon the enemy's 
 councils of war. That the Zulu force was badly 
 handled, not so much in open fight as in neglecting 
 to seize its multifold opportunities of harassing our 
 movements, is obviously patent ; what a difference, 
 then, in the results of the campaign might have 
 been the presence of a cool, resolute, far-seeing 
 European at its head. 
 
2o6 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 John Dunn's history is briefly this. EngHsh by 
 birth, he arrived in Natal with his parents when 
 quite a boy, and early evinced a predilection for a 
 roving Hfe. In 1856 civil war broke out in Zulu- 
 land between Cetywayo, then heir to the throne, 
 and his brother Umbulazi, and Dunn, at that time 
 twenty-two years of age, was sent by the border 
 agent to assist the latter chieftain. The rival forces 
 met about four miles from the Tugela, close to 
 Mangete, and a sanguinary battle took place, re- 
 sulting in the slaughter of Umbulazi, with a number 
 of his followers, and the total defeat of his army, 
 Dunn narrowly escaping by swimming the Tugela 
 and taking refuge in Natal. 
 
 In the course of hostilities, Cetywayo's party 
 had seized some cattle belonging to white traders 
 under the pretext that these had helped Umbulazi, 
 and this bid fair to lead to complications. Again 
 Dunn came to the fore, volunteering to proceed to 
 Cetywayo's residence and induce him to give up 
 the cattle. A risky experiment, dehberately to 
 place himself in the power of a savage ruler against 
 whom he had so recently fought. But he knew 
 his man ; Cetywayo's ardour had had time to cool, 
 he saw that he had ' put his foot in it,' and was 
 casting about for a means of getting out of the 
 difficulty with a good grace. Dunn's arrival sup- 
 plied that means ; the cattle were restored, and 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 207 
 
 Cetywayo, ^remembering the bravery displayed by 
 Dunn in battle, also admiring the cool daring of 
 the man who was not afraid to beard him in his 
 own country after having fought against him as 
 an enemy, made overtures of alliance. Dunn was 
 induced to transfer his fortunes to Zululand, where 
 he soon made his mark as a hunter and trader ; he 
 was created an induna over a section, and lived as 
 such under Cetywayo until the commencement of 
 hostilities in 1879. 
 
 The weather was too rainy during my stay for 
 much going about. On one occasion the chief took 
 me for a drive in his American ' spider,' and the 
 masterly way in which he steered that light but 
 thoroughly serviceable vehicle round the spurs and 
 along the steep grassy sides of the hills where there 
 wasn't a vestige of a track, rather astonished me. 
 ' What would an English coachman do if told to 
 drive here ? ' said he. Certainly the feat looked a 
 formidable one, and yet we went swinging along 
 as if there had never been such a thing as a level 
 road. A younger brother of Cetywayo's, Gihlana 
 by name, put in an appearance at Ncandiiku, but 
 there was nothing remarkable about him ; he has 
 a quiet, pleasing countenance, and, like the King, 
 is very dark coloured. 
 
 A strange and eventful life had been that of 
 my host, and, what with hunting stories and talking 
 
2o8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 over Zulu and other affairs, I found I had got 
 through three entertaining days by the time I took 
 the road again ; when, bidding farewell to the hos- 
 pitable chief, I started across country under the 
 pilotage of a guide he had provided for me, to 
 rejoin the waggon at Etshowe. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE 209 
 
 CHAPTEE XYII. 
 
 Wild country — Sigcwelegcwele — A crack colonel of a crack regiment 
 — Etshowe again — A dissertation on phenomena — Inkwenkwe hill 
 — Vumandaba — A chief at Home' — 'Hard wood' — A Mively' 
 domicile — Novel weapons — * Bring us back the King ! ' 
 
 Leaving Ncandiiku behind, we struck into a narrow 
 bridle path which wound in and out around the tops 
 of the hills, the forest-clad Umgoye range on the 
 right, while to the left a rolling and sparsely wooded 
 tract of country stretched far away past the Gin- 
 gindhlovu field to the Tugela. The day was cloudy 
 and cool, and my pony stepped out briskly ; my 
 guide, a tall, thin old Zulu, trotting cheerily along 
 in front. Here and there we came to a multitude 
 of diverging tracks, whereupon the old fellow 
 would suddenly go down on all fours, minutely 
 examine the ground for a moment, and springing 
 up, point to one of the paths with his kerrie, ex- 
 claiming ' Lo ! ' (that), suiting the action to the 
 word by striding along it at a great pace. I was 
 fortunate to have him, for there were so many 
 tracks shooting off in all sorts of directions, that I 
 
 p 
 
210 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 should have been sadly at sea if alone. Nor would 
 a knowledge of bearings help much, for the way is 
 so winding and circuitous, by reason of hills and 
 broken ground, that frequently you seem to be 
 heading right away from your destination instead 
 of towards it, and what is apparently the shortest 
 and most direct way leads you after a little while — 
 nowhere. 
 
 Thoroughly savage and forbidding in aspect 
 was the region through which lay my route that 
 morning, and yet essentially picturesque. On every 
 side deep ravines, a hne of black vegetation 
 marking the course of a stream dashing through 
 their depths, while perched on a hilltop here and 
 there, might be seen a large kraal, its palisade of 
 thornbush, circular and symmetrical, forming a 
 dark crown upon the round green summit ; and as 
 we threaded the bridle path on the side of a well- 
 nigh perpendicular slope, literally poised over the 
 ravine hundreds of feet below, in our ears the 
 deafening rustle of the grassy sea swaying and 
 tossing in the breeze, the effect was certainly 
 wild. 
 
 Eight or ten miles of travelling brought us to 
 a couple of well-to do-looking kraals, one being 
 that of Gihlana, before mentioned, the other that 
 of Sigcwelegcwele, the induna of the Ngobamakosi 
 regiment, which is the crack corps of tlie army. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 211 
 
 I was anxious to visit this magnate, but had a long 
 way to go that day and tlie weather was very 
 unsettled ; however, while debating in my mind 
 whether to go into the kraal or not, I saw a tall 
 Zulu advancing towards us from the drift of the 
 stream. From the deferential manner in which 
 my guide addressed him, I suspected that this must 
 be none other than the owner of the euphonious 
 name himself, and so it turned out. He is a fine- 
 looking man, in the prime of life, tall and broad- 
 shouldered, and carried his shaven head as erect 
 as if it ought to wear a crown instead of a shiny 
 ring of mimosa gum — a good specimen of a savage 
 warrior ; and I thought that if the Ngobamakosi 
 could show many men like its chief, small wonder 
 at it being the crack corps. We exchanged the 
 ' time of day,' but not much more in the way of 
 indaba, and I held on my course. The Umlalasi at 
 that point boasts a remarkably bad drift, wherein, 
 my horse slipping, T came a nasty cropper, for- 
 tunately with no more result than a semi-ducking 
 and a bruised elbow. The old guide was active in 
 his commiseration, wrenching up huge handfuls of 
 grass wherewith he sought to dry my soaked 
 ' continuations,' much in the way that one would 
 rub down a horse when grooming him. He 
 looked upon me as a special consignment from the 
 chief, and as such to be carefully handled until I 
 
 p 2 
 
212 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 should be delivered over at Etshowe in safety. As 
 we progressed I began to suspect that my pilot 
 was by no means so sure of the road as he professed 
 to be, and some curious turnings and awkward 
 crossings which he ran me into, further strengthened 
 the idea. However, we got over the worst and 
 most hilly part of the way without further accident, 
 and made a halt near the kraal of Sintwangu, the 
 king's messenger, whom I had seen at the Inyoni. 
 I sent the old fellow across to try and get some 
 mealies or tywala^ but he came back saying that 
 Sintwangu was away, and the people at the kraal 
 had told him that food was scarce in the land and 
 they had none to spare ; so there was nothing for 
 it but to saddle up again and push on. Notwith- 
 standing this philosophical reflection I began to feel 
 very hungry and rather tired, which combination 
 of discomfort, taken in conjunction with my casualty 
 in the drift, had thrown me — shall I confess it ? — 
 into an exceedingly bad humour, culminating in the 
 certainty that my guide was steering at random, in 
 fact didn't know much about the way — a conviction 
 ■ I more than once endeavoured to force upon liim, 
 but the old fellow was very good-natured over it 
 all — only laughed and shook Jiis head, pointing to 
 the track more emphatically than ever. I thought 
 there was no end to the tortuosity of the bush 
 paths — for we had got into wooded country again 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 213 
 
 — now slipping and tumbling in the rocky bed of 
 a watercourse, now ducking my head to avoid 
 having my eyes scratched out by the long sharp 
 thorns of a sweeping mimosa bough, and was not 
 at all sorry when, late in the afternoon, after a 
 final climb, we found ourselves at Etshowe, and 
 there, about a mile off on the flat, stood the white 
 tent of the waggon. 
 
 My guide was well looked after, and started off 
 home again next morning in a most contented 
 frame of mind, brought about by the acquisition of 
 sundry articles of luxury and use precious in native 
 eyes. 
 
 And now I had come through the lower part 
 of the country from end to end. Entering at 
 Eorke's Drift, and taking the battlefields and places 
 of interest in their order, I had thoroughly ' done ' 
 Isandhlwana and the Fugitives' Drift, Sirayo's 
 stronghold, and the scene of the Prince Imperial's 
 death in the Ityotyozi valley. I had inspected the 
 fort at Etshowe, and the Inyezane battlefield, had 
 made my way down to the residence of John Dunn 
 near the Tugela mouth, and then round by the 
 Gingindhlovu, Fort Crealock, and the Umgoye back 
 to Etshowe. I had seen the different phases of 
 country, wooded and open, and had had experi- 
 ence of all weathers. I had visited and been visited 
 by several of the chiefs and principal personages, 
 
214 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 and had talked with all classes of the people. So 
 now I began the return march. As far as Kwa- 
 magwaza the way was the same ; from there I would 
 branch off, and passing Ulundi make my way to 
 the wild mountainous regions in the north. 
 
 Starting at daybreak from Etshowe, I intended 
 to cross the Umhlatusi bush and get over the worst 
 part of the opposite ascent before night, but the 
 weather in front looked anything but promising. 
 From the brow of the ridge heavy showers could 
 be seen travelling along the opposite heights, com- 
 pletely hiding them every now and then in a thick 
 misty veil. Curious effects are frequent in these parts. 
 I have watched a shower moving in a compact 
 solid-looking pillar, and standing within a hundred 
 yards of it as it swept by, felt no more of its effects 
 than a slight drizzle, as one might feel the spray of 
 a waterfall. I have stood for a couple of hours 
 watching a violent thunderstorm sweep over a 
 large tract, and within a mile of its inky curtain 
 and vivid flashes, the clear azure of the sky imme- 
 diately overhead was not obscured by a single 
 fragment of a cloud. A beautiful effect was that 
 produced by the change of position of a rainbow, 
 one end of the bow remaining stationary, while 
 the other described almost a semicircle on the 
 plain, moving swiftly round like the beam of a 
 revolving hght in a fog. And the night side is 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 215 
 
 rich in phenomena ; meteors of wondrous beauty 
 are not infrequent, while shooting stars are so 
 common that one hardly notices them. 
 
 Although the weather was dull and ominous, 
 by afternoon the clouds had all cleared off, the 
 sun poured his rays into the valley, keeping up its 
 reputation for intense heat, which, by the way, is 
 the usual characteristic of these deep bushy valleys. 
 At nightfall I halted beneath the Inkwenkwe hill, 
 whose round back loomed against the clear starry 
 heavens. A flame from the dying camp fire every 
 now and then cast a flickering glow upon the white 
 tent, sinking again into its dull red embers ; the 
 drowsy talk of the ' boys ' lying rolled in their 
 blankets under the waggon ceased ; and the 
 distant cry of bird or beast, borne up from the 
 valley beneath, was the only sound which broke 
 the stillness. 
 
 Between the Inkwenkwe and Kwamagwaza 
 lives one of Cetywayo's military chiefs, by name 
 Vumandaba, whom I had marked down for a visit ; 
 so under the guidance of a small boy who had 
 wandered to the waggon to see what he could pick 
 up, Andries and I started upon that mission. A 
 winding bridle path, steep and slippery, brought 
 us to the chief's residence, which lies in a deep 
 valley — so deep and narrow as rigidly to exclude 
 anything in the shape of a current of air. A 
 
2i6 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 stifling hole ; although but a short distance from 
 the road, one might pass it again and again with- 
 out even suspecting the existence of habitation, so 
 uninviting and unlikely a place is it. The kraal is 
 not an imposing one by any means, and when we 
 arrived everything human seemed to be carefully 
 keeping out of the baking heat. A few draggle- 
 tailed cocks and hens were pecking about, and I 
 was rather astonished to see sHnking among the 
 huts a common domestic cat, though a demoralised 
 and attenuated-looking specimen of the ' familiar ' 
 of the kitchen hearth. 
 
 Dismounting in front of the principal tenement 
 amid vociferous yapping from the usual contingent 
 of curs, I was told that Yumandaba would be glad 
 to see me, so, crawling through the aperture, stood 
 up in the hut. Coming suddenly into the gloomy 
 interior from the full glare of a midday sun, at 
 first I could see no one, but soon made out several 
 dark forms squatting in a semicircle, upright and 
 motionless, eyeing me in suspicious and inquiring 
 silence. The chief was sitting a little apart from 
 the others, and having narrowly scrutinised me for 
 a few moments, he broke the silence with the usual 
 greeting, ' Saku bona ! ' to which I responded by 
 shaking hands, and sat down opposite him. The 
 Zulu has a mode of shaking hands peculiar to 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 217 
 
 himself ; it is not like the English way, but a good 
 honest grip for all that. His fingers and thumb 
 are kept quite rigid, but he lays hold of your hand 
 and shakes it with a will ; very different to the 
 dab of a flabby paw with which the Boer favours 
 you, leaving a sensation on your palm, of contact 
 with a fish or a raw leg of mutton. Vumandaba 
 is a tall, thin old man, with grizzled hair and beard, 
 a rugged countenance, and at first a not very pre- 
 possessing appearance ; he is a good specimen of 
 the high class Zulu, dignified in manner and speech, 
 and free from Dabulamanzi's besetting sin — begging. 
 He was in great favour with Cetywayo, who created 
 him principal induna over the Kandampemvu 
 regiment, and also appointed him ' cupbearer,' his 
 duties being to attend upon the King and to taste 
 the food and drink before it was allowed to pass 
 the royal palate. 
 
 I said that Yumandaba's appearance was not a 
 prepossessing one ; yet, when the first instincts of 
 native reserve had worn off, I found him a very 
 genial and pleasant old fellow. Not the least 
 pleasing feature about him were his feelings of 
 attachment and loyalty towards his late master. 
 He was full of Cetywayo, nearly his first question 
 being about the King and his welfare. ' Why 
 hadn't we brought him back? All the people wanted 
 
2i8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 him. When Lukuni^ (Sir Evelyn Wood) came to 
 Inhlazatye several moons ago they thought he was 
 bringing back Cetywayo, but instead he told them 
 that the King would not be restored. They were 
 disappointed ; they all wanted the King again. 
 Why had Lukuni come all the way from England 
 to tell them that ? / must get the King brought 
 back to them ; they wanted to see him. When I 
 returned home I must be sure and tell the Govern- 
 ment to send back Cetywayo.' 
 
 I hastened to explain that my mission in Zulu- 
 land was quite unofficial, and that, being only a 
 private person, I had no more influence for or 
 against the desired restoration than the most 
 insignificant inhabitant of their kraal. But it 
 was no use ; they only half believed me, for they 
 couldn't understand anyone taking the trouble to 
 visit them and their country purely for the fun of 
 the thing. ' Hadn't I anything to do with Lukuni 
 or with Government ? ' ' Nothing whatever,' I 
 reiterated. I told the old chief, however, that I 
 could do this much for him — record his wishes for 
 the benefit of the public. Whereat he seemed 
 pleased. 
 
 There was one exceedingly unpleasant side to 
 
 ^ ' Lukuni ' means literally * hard wood/ and the sobriquet by 
 which the gallant General is known throughout Zululand is not only 
 a play upon his name, but a tribute to his reputation as a soldier in 
 native es'imation. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 219 
 
 my visit. Happening to glance upwards I noticed 
 that the whole roof of the hut was alive with a 
 kind of trembling shimmer, reminding one of the 
 electric advertisements over shop doors. On closer 
 investigation I discovered that the roof was alive 
 with cockroaches, whose shiny backs were respon- 
 sible for the glistening I had seen. They literally 
 swarmed, and though with some alacrity I left a 
 space between myself and the side of the hut against 
 which I had been leaning, yet every now and 
 then one of the cheerful insects would playfully 
 promenade along my ear, or two or three would 
 organise a steeplechase on the brim of my wide- 
 awake. This was nasty, to say the least of it, but 
 when they took to dropping into the pots of tywala 
 which had been brought in for our delectation, it 
 was nastier. The old chief didn't seem to care 
 though ; with the greatest sangfroid he would 
 insert his grass spoon, ladle out the offending insect, 
 and proceed to take a big drink on the spot, just 
 to show there was no ill feeling ; while I — well, 
 the day was piping hot, and one can't afford to be 
 fastidious in the wilds — found it in my conscience 
 to follow his example. All the native huts, by the 
 way, are more or less overrun with cockroaches, 
 though in some of comparatively recent construction 
 there are hardly any ; Vumandaba's abode, how- 
 ever, judging by the smoke-blackened rafters and 
 
220 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the superabundance of these crawling pests, must 
 have been a venerable tenement indeed. 
 
 The Kandampemvu regiment was in the thick 
 of the battle at Isandhlwana, and foremost in carry- 
 ing the camp, though it suffered severely in the 
 earlier stage of the conflict from the fire of the 
 outlying companies ; and now its chief told me how 
 stubbornly some of our soldiers had fought to the 
 last, many of them using their pocket-knives when 
 their bayonets were wrenched from them. Some 
 even astonished their savage enemies by a well- 
 directed ' one, two ' straight from the shoulder, 
 flooring the too exultant warriors like nine-pins. 
 The Zulus could not understand how men could 
 use their hands as knob kerries, for the native is 
 quite a stranger to the art of fisticuffs. ' A few of 
 the soldiers,' said the chief, ' shot a great deal with 
 " little guns " (revolvers), but they didn't shoot well. 
 For every man they killed, they fired a great many 
 shots without hitting anybody.' 
 
 One thing that sent Vumandaba up in my esti- 
 mation was that he did not begin by asking for 
 anything and everything. But although he did 
 not beg, he was greatly delighted with the gift of 
 a large knife and a few other things I had brought, 
 gripping my hand with fervent expressions of 
 thanks, which were duly echoed by the other men 
 in the hut ; for if you give anything to a chief, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 221 
 
 his followers always shout out their thanks as 
 vigorously as though the donation were to each 
 and all of themselves. He made me a present of a 
 likely-looking knob-kerrie ' to remember him by,' 
 which I have still — a most effective companion for 
 a dark road in a ruffianly neighbourhood. On 
 hearing I would pass Inhlazatye, he was very 
 anxious that I should see Mnyamane and the King's 
 son Dinizulu, and as I was getting up to go, the 
 old chief laid his hand on my arm in his eagerness. 
 ' Bring us back Cetywayo,' he said ; ' we want to 
 see our King again. Bring him back I ' I declare 
 I felt quite small for the moment, call it foolish 
 sentimentality who will. Many a time since have 
 I seemed to see the old man's rugged, earnest face, 
 and to hear his emphatic tones — the loyal old 
 warrior — pleading for his fallen and exiled King. 
 
222 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY. 
 
 -■ CHAPTEE XVni. 
 
 Cetywayo and the missionaries— Entonjaneni — Valley of the White 
 Umfolosi — A cool spot and a picture — Mahlabatini — * Then and 
 now ' — Battle of Ulundi. 
 
 Hitherto I had been particularly fortunate, having 
 got along without breakdown or accident of any 
 sort, either to waggon or oxen, servants or self, 
 and now was back at Kwamagwaza. There I met 
 Dr. Oftebro, a Norwegian medical missionary, who 
 had been some time settled in the country and 
 was then living in the Mahlabatini basin, a few 
 miles from Ulundi. This gentleman — a relation, 
 by the way, of the missionary at Etshowe — ^was of 
 opinion that the war could not have been averted. 
 The Zulus, he said, especially the younger men, 
 were so inflated with martial ardour, so com- 
 pletely carried away by a sense of their own vast 
 superiority over any force that could be brought 
 against them, that there was absolutely no holding 
 them ; and they bragged openly and incessantly of 
 what they could and would do when the word 
 was given for them to march upon Natal. In fact, 
 
I7S BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 223 
 
 a white man's life was not safe in Zn Inland at the 
 time. The doctor had no very high opinion of 
 Cetywayo, whom he described as crafty and un- 
 reliable, infinitely inferior in character and probity 
 to his father Mpande,^ whose word could always 
 be depended upon. 
 
 By the way, I found that Cetywayo did not 
 stand well with the missionaries generally, which one 
 can readily understand ; for, apart from a certain 
 professional prejudice against a man who deliber- 
 ately and absolutely rejected their teachings, all 
 the traditions, interests, and predilections of a 
 savage ruler, or, indeed, of a civilised one, would 
 naturally be in antagonism to the setting up of an 
 imperium in imperio among his subjects. That the 
 establishment of mission stations was regarded 
 distrustfully by Cetywayo on this account there 
 can be no doubt ; and if ' good ' and well-meaning 
 people would but think, they would see that a 
 heathen king was not necessarily a monster because 
 he opposed the ' spread of the Gospel,' and 
 would, perhaps, write and talk a little less wild 
 nonsense on the subject. Even if the would-be 
 evangelisers are earnest, single-minded men, desirous 
 only of making converts from heathenism — as I am 
 willing to believe the missionaries in Zululand are — 
 the fact still remains that the whole of their 
 
 ^ Commonly known as Panda. 
 
2 24 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 teaching is contrary to the most rooted convictions 
 and time-honoured customs of the nation, upon 
 whom, after all, they are virtually forced nolens 
 volens. I say forced, because it is idle to suppose 
 that, prior to the war more than now, any Zulu 
 potentate would have dared actually to abolish 
 missions, however desirous he might be of doing 
 so. It is one thing for the missionary to take his 
 life in his hand and go among savages, simply 
 relying on his message and example for success ; it 
 is another thing for him to go into Zululand with 
 the full moral support of the British Government 
 at his back. I have no hostility towards mis- 
 sionaries as such — quite the contrary. But I do 
 think we should look at the question from both 
 sides ; remembering, too, that in his heathen state 
 the Zulu would not compare badly for morality 
 and honesty with the average Briton, man for man, 
 and that Christianity is not always exhibited to 
 him in a specially immaculate or attractive guise. 
 And it is a fact that no missionary's Hfe was ever 
 taken or even threatened in Zululand previous to 
 the war or since, though they may now and then 
 have undergone petty annoyances from this or that 
 individual chief. 
 
 A midday halt some twelve miles from Kwa- 
 magwaza, a night trek, a long bumping down the 
 steep Entonjaneni hill, and we are among the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 225 
 
 ' thorns ' in the valley of the White Umfolosi. Stifling 
 hot is it here, even so early as 7 a.m., and as we move 
 along towards the river not a sign of humanity do we 
 see. No picturesque kraals dotting the hill sides ; 
 we meet no Zulus striding along the road flinging 
 their cheery greeting at us as they pass ; all is 
 deserted even as though the land were ' dead,' as 
 the expressive native idiom for war-time has it. 
 Here and there a huge bird of prey springs away 
 from the topmost branches of a euphorbia, and, 
 spreading his broad wings, soars lazily o^ to flop 
 down upon a bough some two hundred yards 
 further and inspect the intruders ; or a buck starts 
 up suddenly amid the long grass, and before I can 
 get a shot at him, bounds off through the thick 
 bush which covers the valley on either hand. 
 Passing the old laager where the column was 
 lying four days before the battle, while messages 
 were exchanged between the King and Lord 
 Chelmsford, we come to the drift, which, though 
 wide, is shallow and good. We cross, and outspan on 
 the bank under the shade of the mimosas. It is a 
 lovely spot. In front the broad Umfolosi flows on 
 over its sands, between green banks fringed with 
 overhanging trees and dense reed patches, then, 
 making a sudden bend below the drift, it washes 
 the base of a long wall of red krantz whose cre- 
 viced face is festooned with mosses and trailing 
 
 Q 
 
226 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 ferns. The air is warm but not sultry, and vibrates 
 ever and anon with the strident screech of a tree 
 cricket, while the call and whistle of many a bird 
 sounds from the brake. Presently some Zulus 
 descend to the river on the other side, and begin to 
 cross ; the effect of their dark bodies against the 
 water, their coloured shields and gleaming assegais, 
 and the wild surrounding, with the background of 
 bush and blue sky, makes a perfect picture. Then 
 as the sun gets low, we inspan and trek on quietly, 
 to halt upon the scene of the great decisive battle 
 which was to break the Zulu power. 
 
 From the Umfolosi drift, open and undulating 
 ground with patches of bush here and there. We 
 cross a small watercourse or two, and about an hour's 
 travelling brings us to a grassy level, commanding 
 a view of the entire plain, from the river behind to 
 the ranges of hills which close it in like a basin. 
 Here on the right, about one hundred yards from 
 the road, is the site of the Nodwengu kraal ; about 
 a mile on the other side of it is a huge circle in 
 the grass, several hundred yards in diameter. A 
 curious circle, apparently a belt of herbage of 
 different growth, for it is darker than the green 
 slope on which it lies. That circle is all that 
 remains of the Ulundi kraal — the former residence 
 of the Zulu King. About a mile beyond this again, 
 and at nearly even distances from each other, may 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 227 
 
 be seen two more large circles, marking the site of 
 tlie military kraals, Qikazi and Umlambongwenya, 
 the first being on the left and nearest the road. 
 The remaining two, Undakaombi and Bulawayo, 
 situate on the left of the road and not visible from 
 it, go to make up the six kraals constituting the 
 capital of Zululand. Whether by accident or 
 design they are placed in threes, forming two 
 triangles. 
 
 Travelling through the country I think one 
 hardly realises to the full the thoroughness of its 
 conquest. Kraals and mealie fields all over the 
 place ; cattle grazing quietly and securely ; Zulus 
 passing to and fro, always cheerful and apparently 
 contented, and to hear them talk, moreover, does 
 not convey the idea of a conquered people. But 
 standing as I did that sunny afternoon contemplat- 
 ing the large silent circles on the Mahlabatini 
 plain, formerly astir with busy life — then it is that 
 the sense of change forces itself upon one. 
 
 Let us suppose an evening such as this. There 
 stand the huge kraals with their clustering rings 
 of dome-shaped huts, among which, here and there, 
 dark forms may be seen moving, while yonder a 
 number of women are coming from the stream, 
 calabash on head, in single file, stepping to the 
 time of a monotonous but not unmelodious chant. 
 The sun dips to the western hills ; sleek cattle are 
 
228 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 wending along the green plain, conspicnous among 
 them the snowy whiteness of the royal herd ; the 
 barking of dogs and the shout and whistle of drivers 
 mingling with the deep toned low of driven cattle. 
 For a short time all is bustle and animation ; then 
 the red fires twinkle out here and there in the 
 fast gathering darkness ; a hush falls ; but those 
 silent and fantastic dwellings are teeming with 
 human life — the pulsating heart of a warrior 
 nation. 
 
 But to-day how different is all this. Yon 
 silent circles remain, sole relics of the savage 
 capital burnt and razed to the ground. Our shot 
 and shell has well and effectually done its work. 
 Skulls and bones bleaching by hundreds in the 
 grassy bottoms, instead of the fierce and dauntless 
 savages who formerly peopled this place and 
 marched in serried battalions up to the very mouth 
 of the cannon, to be mown down like grass, but to 
 fall as valiant warriors, shouting their battle cry — 
 as true patriots defending their homes. No one 
 can say that these were foemen unworthy of our 
 steel, and now that resentment has had time to 
 cool, no one will grudge them due praise for a long 
 and stubborn defence of their country. But the 
 blood of thousands of their bravest has been 
 poured out like water, their King a captive and an 
 exile — their former capital a scene of silence and 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 229 
 
 desolation. Truly one feels that the greatness of 
 a nation lies buried here. 
 
 The following is so graphic an account of the 
 battle of Ulundi that I cannot refrain from quoting 
 it in full. It appeared in the ' Port Elizabeth Tele- 
 graph,' August 12, 1879. 
 
 BATTLE OF ULUNDI. 
 
 (^By an Eye-witness.') 
 
 ' Some weeks have elapsed since I wrote to you 
 last, and during the interval some stirring events 
 have come to pass. I must make a skip and come 
 down to July 2. On that day the two brigades of 
 the second division, having on the day previous 
 descended from the heights to the west of Ulundi, 
 began the march which brought them, in the 
 afternoon, to the banks of the White Umvolosi. 
 In the early morning, long before the sun was up. 
 Col. Buller, that man of muscle and nerve, had 
 started with his irregular but serviceable cavalry 
 to take up a position on the west bank of the river, 
 and hold it until joined by the troops. At six 
 o'clock the column followed, the 90th leading. I 
 left at the time, and an hour's ride brought me to 
 the cavalry. The mounted infantry, under Capt. 
 Brown, were away on a distant ridge to the left, 
 the Basutos, under Captain Cochrane, were ahead, 
 EaaflTs Eangers were on the right, and D'Arcy's 
 
230 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 r.L.H., with Baker's Horse, were in the centre. 
 Everything was quiet when I arrived, although 
 a few minutes before the men had distinctly heard 
 the war song of a Zulu regiment in motion. 
 Hearing from Capt. Blaine that this regiment could 
 be seen from the position held in front by the 
 Basutos, I went forward and joined these gallant 
 auxiliaries. I found them all seated upon a small 
 kopje, and, together with their officers, looking 
 intently at the kraal of Nodwengu, distant from 
 there about four miles. They had been watching 
 the regiment whose chanting had been heard by 
 the volunteers behind. This regiment or regiments 
 numbered about 8,000, and came from a military 
 kraal about five miles to the north-west of ISTod- 
 wengu, and on the left of the Basutos. The Zulus 
 marched in companies, chanting their terrible war 
 song as they went, and very soon reached Nod- 
 wengu, into which they filed in splendid order. 
 From the kopje I had a good view of Undine, 
 which I take to mean a collection of the King's 
 kraals. Below us, 800 yards off, flowed the wind- 
 ing Umvolosi, its western bank covered with a 
 thick growth of mimosa trees and aloes; just before 
 us, and a mile on the other side of the river, was 
 Bulawayo, one of the military kraals ; to the right 
 of that, and 700 yards distant, was the mighty 
 circle of Nodwengu, with its ring of huts, five 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 231 
 
 deep ; to the east of tbe latter was another large 
 military kraal ; another one again on the right of 
 this, and between these two last, but nearer down, 
 was Ulundi, with the southern curve of the circle 
 alone showing on the top of a rise. It was not 
 long before I saw the regiment leave Nodwengu 
 and march for a kraal above it. In half-an-hour 
 I saw four regiments on the march from various 
 points to a kraal above Ulundi. In this they 
 formed up, and a formidable mass they appeared to 
 be ; almost filling up all the available space in the 
 huge circle. Ulundi, you must remember, is 500 
 yards in diameter, and the other kraals are almost 
 as large. At 12 o'clock the formation broke up, 
 and the warriors poured out in three broad and 
 long black columns. They had been doctored, and 
 were ready to accept battle. However, no engage- 
 ment was to be fought that day. General Chelms- 
 ford woidd not cross the river, although the ground 
 on the other bank offered by far the best site for 
 a camp ; and the two laagers were formed up among 
 the thorn trees at a distance of some 700 yards from 
 the river drift.' 
 
 After describing at considerable length the 
 events of July 3, the narrator goes on : 
 
 ' Next morning, ere yet the sun had risen, the 
 troops silently assembled. Buller's Irregulars crossed 
 the river and took up a position at the Bula- 
 
232 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 wayo kraal. At 6 o'clock the infantry advanced, 
 Wood's division leading. The Lancers brought 
 up the rear. The morning was biting, and a damp 
 mist hung over the river, but the troops walked 
 through the broad river as if they were tramping 
 along over a macadamised road. The march was 
 continued to the Bulawayo kraal, where the troops 
 were formed up in square, while the cavalry 
 advanced again as far as Nodwengu. General 
 Wood then rode forward and selected a spot to the 
 north-east of Nodwengu, and about 600 yards from 
 the nearest curve of the huts. This site was on 
 a ridge, and commanded a front on every side of 
 500 yards. While the troops were advancing to 
 take up a position here, the irregular cavalry 
 again moved onward. At this time the mist was 
 lifting, and the enemy could be seen on our right 
 and left advancing in loose and open order. I 
 went up to Baker's Horse, who were ordered to 
 draw on the enemy from the north. Very soon I 
 saw the loose masses on the north form up in 
 companies, which soon covered a frontage of a 
 mile, with the right wing resting on a ridge above 
 the drift, and the left wing in the valley on the 
 north side. As Baker's Horse advanced another 
 body of the enemy emerged from the hills still 
 further north, formed into line, and effected a 
 junction with the other line. There was then a 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 233 
 
 horse-slioe formation on the north, with the right 
 on one ridge and the left on another, and covering 
 a distance of some three miles. This long black 
 line swept steadily forward upon us, and, as I 
 saw them come on, I thought the battle that day- 
 would be a long and a terrible one. Baker's Horse 
 advanced towards the left wing of this formation, 
 and as they neared the regiment on the left the 
 latter broke up, and the Zulus scattered in skir- 
 mishing order. Lieut. Parmenter then advanced 
 with about twenty men, and poured a volley 
 into the enemy at a distance of about 200 yards. 
 The cavalry then slowly retired. They had done 
 what was required. This had drawn on the enemy 
 in fine style, and as we galloped back to the square 
 the bullets were whizzing about us. Just before 
 Lieut. Parmenter made his daring advance I looked 
 around. Not a shot had been fired. The mist 
 was slowly lifting from the hills, but still hung 
 above the river. The sun was flaming blood red 
 above the eastern hills. All was quiet ; an awful 
 stillness brooded over the valley, broken only by 
 the melodious singing of birds, a strange prelude 
 to thunder of cannon and rattle of musketry. 
 Nature seemed waiting for the terrible drama to 
 be so soon played out on that silent plain. Silent 
 and motionless for that breathless instant were 
 those who were to play at that drama. Below us 
 
234 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 was the solid square of British soldiers, a small red 
 square, the centre of a vast black line formed by 
 15,000 savage warriors, who were here bearded in 
 their stronghold. Between the centre and the 
 black line were bodies of cavalry scattered, each 
 troop standing in line with front to the enemy. It 
 seems to us that the black line has but to tighten 
 and then, with a rush and a bound as it springs 
 into action, overwhelm that small body of British 
 soldiers. But there are terrors concealed in that 
 solid square that will shake the fiercest hearts and 
 boldest spirits among the Zulu thousands. See 
 that cloud of white smoke that suddenly sweeps 
 from a corner of the square ! Hark to that 
 thunderous report ; hear the rushing of the shell 
 overhead ! The battle has commenced ; the circle 
 is drawing in ; the cavalry are retreating ; the first 
 gun has been fired ; the shell breaks above the 
 heads of a regiment of hot young men advancing 
 at a run from the north, and as it breaks those 
 beneath scatter and rush back. If Cetywayo, 
 watching the battle from afar, sees that he must 
 quake. When men waver in the first rush there 
 is little hope for them. But still the circle narrows, 
 and now the cavalry are all within the four walls 
 of living men. Then the roar of battle begins 
 indeed. There is one continuous rattle of mus- 
 ketry all round the square, the thunder of guns, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 235 
 
 the growling of the Gathngs, and the constant 
 whizzing of the bullets overhead. The 94th and 
 21st form the rear ; the 58th and 13th face Nod- 
 wengu on the right ; the 80th are in front, and the 
 90th on the left. There are two guns at every 
 corner, and two guns in the centre of each side. 
 Young regiments are attacking the rear and left ; 
 married men on the right and front. The enemy- 
 makes the fiercest assault on the rear. On come 
 the young men in the face of the leaden hail 
 poured upon them by the 94th and 21st. These 
 regiments are as cool as if on parade, and they fire 
 in sections, obeying the orders of their ofiicers as 
 to sighting and firing. They keep up a continual 
 firing, but yet the young warriors advance until 
 they are within one hundred yards. Now there is 
 a cry for the Gatlings, and the order is passed 
 down the line of the 90th to the 80th. Now the 
 enemy are within one hundred yards of the glisten- 
 ing bayonets ; and now they waver and look back. 
 It is all over with them. A thundering cheer from 
 volunteers and soldiers rises above the roar of 
 guns. The enemy turns and flies. Now is the 
 time for the Lancers. They leap into their saddles, 
 and the 21st open a way for them, but the General 
 thinks it is too early for a charge. Besides, the 
 married regiments are making it warm for the 
 13th and 58th. A few more volleys are fired, and 
 
236 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 then the Lancers are permitted to go. They file 
 out and form up outside the 94th ; their tall lances 
 and fluttering pennons look like a forest. Now 
 they are off, and are thundering after the dis- 
 heartened warriors. They sweep round from the 
 right of the 94th, and come out at the left of the 
 21st, and their track is marked by some 150 dead 
 and dying Zulus. And now the irregular cavalry 
 dash out. Baker's Horse rushes up to the point it 
 reached in the morning, and chases the very regi- 
 ment it had drawn on. The Basutos gallop away 
 towards Ulundi, chasing one of Cetywayo's picked 
 regiments beyond the King's kraal and killing 
 some 50 warriors. And so with the other troops. 
 The battle has lasted but 40 minutes. We lost 
 16 killed and had about 40 wounded. Truly 
 the Zulus are bad shots, for a better target than 
 we presented they could not have wished for. 
 The enemy lost about 1,500, and 500 of these we 
 must put to the account of the cavalry, who, both 
 English and colonial, behaved splendidly. Half- 
 an-hour after Ulundi was in flames. It was a huge 
 kraal, with huts six deep, and in numbers sufficient 
 to shelter 10,000 men. I went into Cetywayo's 
 house (a three-roomed single-floored place, with 
 thatched roof, verandah, doors, and windows), but 
 there was nothing in it but some old rat traps 
 and three pieces of ivory, which fell to the lot 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 237 
 
 respectively of Commandant Baker, Lord Beresford 
 (wlio was first in the kraal), and Capt. Cochrane, 
 who fired the house. In an hour the six military- 
 kraals on the plain were in flames and belching 
 forth dense volumes of smoke. That night the 
 Zulus sang a different song from that which they 
 had so menacingly wailed forth on the preceding 
 night. The battle was decided by the artillery 
 before the enemy came within range of the small 
 arms. The shrapnel took the dash out of the 
 attacking columns. The enemy's strategy was 
 excellent, but its execution was bad. Cetywayo, 
 as I have said, watched the battle from afar in 
 company with Mnyamane and other chiefs. Dabu- 
 lamanzi was present at the fight.' 
 
238 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY. 
 
 CHAPTEE XIX. 
 
 A Zulu on Gatlings— Ulundi and Nodwengu — An unlucky warrior — 
 Tall haggling — Midnight at Ulundi — A Golgotha. 
 
 My camp was pitched within thirty yards of 
 the site of the famous hollow square and about 
 four hundred from that of Nodwengu, and the 
 morning after arrival I started to explore the ruins 
 of Ulundi, under the guidance of an old Zulu who 
 had formerly been one of the head men of the 
 Undakaombi kraal. At the bottom of the slope I 
 dismounted to examine one or two of the skulls 
 lying about among the grass, some being remark- 
 ably large and well developed ones. I drew my 
 guide's attention to this, as he stood curiously 
 watching me. The old man smiled rather mourn- 
 fully and shook his head. ' Yes,' he said, ' we lost 
 some fine men — numbers of them. What could we 
 do against you English ? You stand still, and only 
 by turning something round ^ make the bodies of 
 our warriors fly to pieces ; legs here, arms there, 
 heads, everything. Whouw! — What can we do 
 
 ^ The Gatling. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 239 
 
 against that ? ' We resumed our way, and having 
 crossed the stream which threads in sedgy reaches 
 along the grassy bottom, stood upon the ruins of 
 Ukmdi. 
 
 Some idea as to the dimensions of the kraal 
 may be gleaned when I say that it takes full five 
 minutes of tolerably quick walking to cross it. 
 The floors of the huts still remain, with their fire- 
 places in the centre, but are thickly overgrown 
 with coarse herbage. At the upper end, near the 
 principal gateway, was Cetywayo's residence, a 
 square tenement with glazed windows and a door ; 
 the other huts for his wives and attendants being 
 of the ordinary shape. I was keenly on the look- 
 out for relics, but could find none ; a few bits of 
 broken glass, remnants of ancient gin bottles, lay 
 about, and fragments of native pottery, which is 
 made of clay baked in the sun and very brittle 
 and crumbly. On the site of the King's huts I 
 picked up some pieces of a clay bowl, a fragment 
 of an iron three-legged pot, and a smooth round 
 stone such as would be used for polishing floors — a 
 duty it had probably often performed on that of 
 the royal dwelling. Other rehcs more curious or 
 valuable there were none. 
 
 We pass on to Nodwengu. Here everything 
 wears a similar aspect, and the floors of the huts 
 clustering thickly together are covered with the 
 
240 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 same rank overgrowth. Nodwengu is the next in 
 size and importance to Ulundi, and like it, a royal 
 residence, having been the abode of the last King, 
 Mpande, Cetywayo's father. It is now the head- 
 quarters of the Nodwengu and Kandampemvu 
 regiments — Ulundi, as its name implies, being that 
 of the Undi, the royal corps. 
 
 By the time we have fully explored the two 
 homes of former royalty, the increasing force of a 
 blazing midday sun renders it expedient to return 
 to the shade of the waggon, where, as I lay in the 
 heat of the afternoon, taking it easy in company 
 with a long pipe, a passer by or two would sit 
 down for a few minutes' chat, but people were not 
 so numerous in these parts as I should have 
 expected. One young Zulu, a light-hearted, talk- 
 ative fellow, sat there descanting by the hour on 
 things in general. He had been shot in the leg at 
 Isandhlwana soon after the fight commenced, and 
 had lain on the ground until two of his brothers 
 carried him out of harm's way, so was not able to 
 see the end. I put in a suggestion to the effect 
 that it was better to be shot through the leg at 
 the beginning of the fight than through the head 
 at the end of it, which aspect of the case seemed 
 vastly to tickle his imagination, for he went into a 
 fit of laughter and agreed emphatically with the 
 idea. I happening to mention that I was rather 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 241 
 
 on the look-out for curiosities, my friend produced 
 a beautiful little horn snuffbox, and wanted to 
 know if that was the kind of thing. I rephed that 
 it was, whereupon he handed it over with a laugh, 
 saying I must take it to show the people in 
 England. He then asked if he should get me any 
 more like it, and on receiving an answer in the 
 affirmative he limped off down the road, returning 
 in about half-an-hour with a lot of snuffboxes, 
 bangles, spoons, and beadwork trifles, for which 
 he said I must give him things in exchange, as they 
 were not his own, and he couldn't make me a 
 present of them as he did the first snuffbox. I 
 took over the lot, to our mutual satisfaction. Poor 
 fellow, he will carry a tangible reminder of that 
 bullet until his dying day. 
 
 While on the subject, I was surprised at the 
 fewness of wounded men I fell in with during my 
 progress through the country. Whether, owing 
 to rude surgery, numbers died whom the most 
 ordinary skill could easily have saved, I cannot 
 say, but considering that every man with whom I 
 conversed had taken part in one or more of the 
 battles, the fewness of those who had wounds to 
 show was rather remarkable. 
 
 Presently some girls put in an appearance, with 
 the object of bartering a mat to me in exchange 
 for some beads. I looked at the mat — it was a 
 
242 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 good specimen of native work, and would do well 
 to hang a Zulu trophy against, when my travels 
 had been relegated to events of the past — and 
 decided to have it. But the way in which the 
 artless young creatures haggled was amazing. I 
 hadn't the exact kind of beads they wanted, so 
 must give them about five times as many of 
 another kind ; and that wasn't enough either ; I 
 must throw in half-a-dozen other things besides, 
 because I was an ' inkos,' and they didn't see a 
 white ' inkos ' every day, and so on. I let them 
 have their full fling, and then stated my terms. 
 More haggling, all talking at once, chattering and 
 laughing at the top of their voices ; but I got my 
 mat, and at my own price. 
 
 Our bargain concluded, they seemed sorry there 
 was nothing else to wrangle over, if only for an 
 excuse to make a little more noise. Two of them 
 were daughters of the old man who had officiated 
 as guide in the morning ; another argument adduced 
 in favour of an extra donation, by the way. Many 
 of the Zulu girls are good looking ; tall and grace- 
 ful, with an exceedingly bright and pleasing ex- 
 pression ; and these two were no bad specimens of 
 their race, as they stood there, their lithe brown 
 figures adorned with various coloured beads 
 fantastically worked. They made such a row, 
 however, chattering and screaming with laughter, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 243 
 
 that I was not sorry to see the last of them, as 
 they went bounding away in the direction of the 
 paternal kraal. 
 
 A glorious night succeeds the heat of the day ; 
 one advantage of the South African climate is that 
 however hot the day, the night is nearly sure to be 
 at any rate bearably cool. This one is perfect ; the 
 air still and balmy without a suspicion of chilhness, 
 and not until after midnight can I make up my 
 mind to turn in, so take a late stroll round the 
 scene of the conflict. A grand moon in its third 
 quarter hangs overhead ; shadowy and indistinct 
 sleep the heights, bathed in a misty film, the sharp 
 outline of many a peak toned down by the soften- 
 ing light ; a faint murmur of plashing water is 
 just audible, where Umfolosi flows and ripples over 
 her sandy ^bed ; and ever and anon, from far away 
 along the bushy river bank, the howl of some 
 prowling beast is borne upon the night. I wander 
 on ; at every step skulls, gleaming white amid the 
 grass, grin to the moon with upturned face and 
 eyeless sockets. Yonder, shadowed forth in dark 
 contrast on the moonlit plain, lie the ruins of 
 Ulundi and Nodwengu, dim and mysterious, like 
 mystic tracings from the wand of some grim 
 wizard of the wilderness. A night bird skims 
 across the waste, its plaintive cry floating above 
 the weird circles like a strange lament over the 
 
 r2 
 
 i 
 
244 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 downfall of those who erewhile peopled these 
 solitudes, and a slight breeze shudders through 
 the long grass like the whisperings of unearthly- 
 voices. 
 
 I return to camp, the white tent of the waggon 
 glistens like silver in the moonbeams, and a few 
 dull red embers in the dying fire glow amid the 
 ashes. Every living thing, biped and quadruped, 
 is buried in slumber, an example I haste to follow. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 245 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 
 Mfanawendhlela — A native dish — A jovial crew — Inhlazatye and the 
 Residency — Moral suasion — ' No thoroughfare ' — Intaba'nkulu — 
 Messengers — * Thunder in the air/ metaphorical and literal — On 
 storms — A refugee — A pleasant position, and a night march under 
 difficulties. 
 
 It is early morning as we move away from our 
 halting place and take tlie road for Inhlazatye, 
 which runs right past the kraal of Mfanawendhlela, 
 the chief of the Ulundi district, who tumbles out, 
 swathed in a green blanket, to prefer a modest 
 request for a bottle of gin. He is, however, doomed 
 to disappointment. 
 
 We climb the ridge, and the road winds along 
 the heights above the Mahlabatini plain ; there lie 
 the circles of the ruined kraals, the silver thread of 
 the river is now and again visible, and beyond, the 
 stone wall of the old laager ; while rising from the 
 wide valley, the En tonjaneni range cleaves the sky- 
 line. Turning from this to the north-eastward a 
 view of the dark forests beyond the Black Umfo- 
 losi opens out. A few hours' travelling, and we 
 reach a group of large kraals standing surrounded 
 
246 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 by their mealie patches, and bearing every indica- 
 tion of well-to-do-ness. So unusual a sight as a 
 tent waggon and its team, and a Briton riding in 
 front of the same, was enough to cause quite a 
 commotion in the minds of the inhabitants, and 
 in less than no time half a dozen big Zulus came 
 running up, anxious to know who I was and all 
 about me ; as usual, taking me for a trader. They 
 pointed out a good place to outspan, and I told 
 them to come down presently and have a talk ; a 
 proposal they were ready enough to endorse, for, as 
 I said before, the Zulu is an inveterate gossip, and 
 given a good Hstener, will indulge his propensity 
 for indaha to any extent. Over and above which, 
 an idea is floating through his mind that there are 
 pickings to be got at the white man's waggon, and 
 that on leaving the said structure he is extremely 
 likely to have acquired sundry trifles of more or 
 less value to himself. 
 
 These were exceedingly civil fellows. We had 
 not outspanned many minutes before a lot of 
 amasi^ was brought to us, sent by the head of 
 the kraal, who with two or three more came to see 
 what was going on. Others ' dropped in,' and 
 presently there were ten or a dozen stalwart bar- 
 
 * Curdled milk, which forms the staple article of Zulu diet. It is 
 eaten with mealies or * amabele,' worked into a kind of paste. No 
 adult Zulu will touch fresh milk, which is looked upon as food only 
 fit for children. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 247 
 
 barians squatting round, talking and laughing at 
 a great rate. I think there can hardly exist a 
 more thoroughly good-humoured race than these 
 people ; they never seem out of spirits, always 
 cheerful and Hvely, ready at a jest too. And can't 
 they laugh ? Anything in the shape of a joke will 
 elicit roars of merriment, spontaneous, hearty, and 
 unfeigned. I have seen a group of Zulus roll on 
 the ground and laugh till the tears ran down their 
 cheeks, at the antics and repartee of a native Joe 
 Miller. My visitors on the present occasion formed 
 no exception to the rule. They talked and sang, 
 and went through various manoeuvres for my enter- 
 tainment, showing me how they made the charges 
 which proved so fatal to our troops. They would 
 rush forward about fifty yards, and imitating the 
 sound of a volley, drop flat amid the grass ; then 
 when the firing was supposed to have slackened, 
 up they sprung, and assegai and shield in hand 
 charged like lightning upon the imaginary foe, 
 shouting ' Usiitu.' It certainly gave one a very 
 fair idea of their mode of procedure in actual 
 warfare. 
 
 I wanted to reach Inhlazatye that day — its 
 forest-clad sides were visible, rising up far in front — 
 so as soon as the heat began to abate, prepared for 
 a start. When we had inspanned, the head man 
 made a speech, consisting, as usual under the cir- 
 
248 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 cumstances, of expressions of good will, after which 
 the Zulus stood up, and with hand uplifted sang 
 out, ' Inkos ! Hambane gahle ! ' ^ their deep voices 
 making quite an imposing chorus. We parted the 
 best of friends, and saddling up I mounted and took 
 the road, leaving the waggon to follow. 
 
 A long, deep, desolate valley stretching ahead 
 for miles — a spectacle to rejoice the eyes of a lover 
 of the wild open scenery of Dartmoor and the like. 
 The hill sides treeless and brown, nothing to relieve 
 the wild monotony of the bare grassy slopes ; a 
 clear stream dashing over rocks and boulders ; the 
 jagged outlines of the mountain ridges, prominent 
 above which rise the terraced slopes of the turret- 
 headed Zihlalu ; and the utter sense of solitude, 
 would, I repeat, form a paradise to the moorland 
 rambler. But to me there always seems something 
 dismal about this kind of thing. The stillness, the 
 absence of animal life, all has a sombre and depress- 
 ing influence, as of a place one would be glad to 
 get out of. Every now and then the track would 
 descend abruptly into a watercourse overhung with 
 precipitous rocks and aloes, just the place for an 
 ambuscade. A steady climb up a long steep bit of 
 road, and I am riding over wide elevated table- 
 lands ; behind, the towering head of Zihlalu, which 
 from this point bears a striking resemblance to the 
 
 * * Chief ! go in peace ! ' 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 249 
 
 lion-shaped Isandhlwana, diminislies against the 
 evening sky, the wooded sides of Inhlazatye draw 
 nearer and nearer, and presently a hght twinkles 
 from a group of huts at the base of the mountain. 
 It is the Eesidency. 
 
 Here a disappointment awaited, for the British 
 Eesident, Mr. Osborn, whom I was anxious to see, 
 had left for Maritzburg only that morning ; but I 
 met with a very kind welcome from his clerk, Mr. 
 Boast, who was in charge during the absence of 
 his chief. The Eesidency, which is structurally of 
 a significantly temporary nature, consisting in fact 
 of a few large Zulu huts, occupies a pleasant site 
 on the eastern slope of Inhlazatye, commanding a 
 wide sweep of hill and valley in front, while im- 
 mediately behind, the great mountain rears its 
 forest- clad sides and precipitous walls. Mr. Osborn 
 and his clerk were the only Europeans on the 
 place, a few native policemen and an interpreter 
 or two constituting the staff, under which circum- 
 stances it may readily be imagined that the sole 
 influence exercisable by Her Majesty's British 
 Eesident in Zululand must be of the order known 
 as moral suasion. It may likewise be supposed 
 that, situated in the midst of a number of turbulent 
 and discontented chiefs and rival factions in a 
 chronic state of almost open warfare, among whom 
 the peace must be kept somehow, two Europeans, 
 
250 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 backed by a few native constables, are in a some- 
 what precarious and difficult position. Such was 
 the state of Zululand and the position of its 
 Eesident at the time of my progress through the 
 country. 
 
 From the summit of Inhlazatye, a wide plateau 
 some 6,000 feet above the sea level, there is a 
 grand view, the whole country lying mapped out 
 beneath. It is one of the highest points in Zulu- 
 land, and with Ibabanango constitutes quite a land- 
 mark for the greater part of the western side — 
 either of which when visible would suffice to in- 
 dicate his bearings to anyone not wholly deficient 
 in bump of locahty. Capital company was my 
 host, and as we sat of an evening — shall I confess 
 it ? — till late, over our pipes, he would entertain me 
 by the hour with anecdotes of Diamond Fields and 
 border interest. An isolated monotonous sort of 
 life must this Eesidency position be, but my friend 
 Mr. Boast seemed to take to it kindly. There 
 were horses to ride and plenty of bucks to be shot 
 in the mountains, whose grassy slopes also abounded 
 in partridges and quail ; it cost not much in the 
 way of living, and life could be taken in free and 
 easy fashion. 
 
 Very cheerless was the prospect as, after a stay 
 of three days at Inhlazatye, I turned out of one of 
 the huts at early dawn and climbed shiveringly 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 251 
 
 into the saddle, having started the waggon the 
 previous day. The air was chilly, heavy masses 
 of grey mist were driving along the face of the 
 cliff, a general feeling of dampness and a lowering 
 sky seemed to portend rain, and amid so auspicious 
 an opening to another day, I turned my back on 
 the Kesidency and struck into the road which 
 skirts the northern side of the mountain. On the 
 one hand a mighty cliff, whose dark wall frowned 
 overhead, on the other extensive fields of mealies 
 and arnabele, with kraals in the distance ; but 
 being in about as exalted a state of spirits as the 
 gloomy surroundings and the weather would be 
 likely to produce, I hardly looked to the right 
 or to the left as my pony stepped along at a brisk 
 easy walk, till, going down into a drift to cross a 
 dry watercourse, my cogitations were suddenly 
 interrupted by a deep threatening sound, and above 
 the long grass on the opposite bank appeared a 
 formidable-looking head, surmounted by a pair of 
 sharp gleaming horns with a most suggestive 
 upward curve, the whole being the property of 
 a very fine and very savage-looking Zulu bull, who 
 stood there about ten yards in front, rolhng the 
 whites of his eyes, and pawing the ground with all 
 the power and more than half the will to oppose 
 my progress ; for that the deep growling sound 
 which he emitted was the bovine equivalent for 
 
252 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 ' no thoroughfare,' neither I nor my steed enter- 
 tained the shghtest doubt. Now I was not at all 
 in the humour to make a long detour just for the 
 sake of affording a little fun to my opponent, and 
 yet there the brute stood, lashing his chocolate- 
 coloured hide, ploughing up the earth with his 
 hoofs, and throwing his horns about in a manner 
 that meant volumes. What was to be done ? — my 
 most formidable weapon of offence or defence being 
 two thirds of a light riding switch. However, 
 'needs must, &c.;' so turning a little out of the 
 track I passed about a dozen yards from my tyrant 
 without altering pace — in fact pretending to ignore 
 his existence. I don't mean to say I felt happy in 
 my mind — the ground was open, not a semblance of 
 a bush round which to dodge him had he carried 
 out his amiable intentions to the full — all that 
 could be done was to take things quietly. I looked 
 round ; the brute was following at a walk, but 
 getting over the brow of a rise I clapped, spurs and 
 — went ; so when my pursuer's objectionable pro- 
 portions appeared against the sky line, I had put 
 such a distance between us as to have the laugh 
 entirely on my own side. 
 
 After a ride of several hours I found the 
 waggon outspanned on a high ridge opposite 
 Intaba'nkulu, a long flat-topped mountain some 
 twenty miles from Inhlazatye. Some of the people 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 253 
 
 from neighbouring kraals paid me a visit, and sat 
 talking as usual about the war and Cetywayo ; 
 several had snuffboxes stuck in their ears, consist- 
 ing of revolver cartridge cases with stoppers, 
 which they said they had picked up at Isandhlwana. 
 In the middle of the day three Zulus carrying 
 bundles of assegais went by in rather a hurried 
 manner ; however, thinking to trade for an assegai 
 or two, I called out to them to stop. They came 
 up, but would hardly sit down. ' What was the 
 news ? ' I asked, seeing that something was in the 
 wind. They replied that Ndabuku had gone to 
 Maritzburg after the Eesident, because Sibepu was 
 sending a force against him to ' eat him up.' Then 
 gathering up their assegais they started off at a 
 rapid pace, saying they could not wait any 
 longer. 
 
 The above intelligence, if true, most likely 
 pointed to a row, Ndabuku and Mnyamane being 
 the prime agitators and leaders of the King's party, 
 as against Sibepu, John Dunn, and Uhamu ; and the 
 fact of Ndabuku having gone into Natal would 
 show that something was brewing. I had noticed 
 a good deal of unrest among the people in different 
 parts of the country, and now I was in one of the 
 most disturbed centres. 
 
 But meanwhile the weather, which had bright- 
 ened up since the morning, again became gloomy 
 
2 54 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 and threatening ; a dark cloud working up from 
 the south-west, and a distant flash and faint roll of 
 thunder, warned me what to expect. Gradually a 
 black pall spread from the horizon till nearly over- 
 head ; from my elevated position I overlooked the 
 country for miles, and near and far huge dark 
 columns were moving along as heavy showers 
 swept over the plain. Louder and nearer came 
 each successive roll, and bright jets rent the inky 
 cloud into many a ragged edge. There is some- 
 thing very awe-inspiring about the approach of a 
 storm in these regions. The wildness of the sur- 
 roundings ; the boding stillness that falls upon all 
 nature ; the towering ruggedness of the mountains ; 
 the vastness of the bare spreading plains, over 
 which the huge curtain, black as night, comes 
 sweeping up, like the slow and sure advance of 
 some fell host from whose pursuit there is no 
 escape ; and the ground trembles beneath the 
 long, deep, threatening roll, and a scorching smell 
 fills the air as each blue steely jet strikes down into 
 the very earth. A crash which seems to spHt the 
 mountain tops asunder has scarcely time to die 
 away in reverberating roar among the crags, when 
 another, yet more startling in its appalHng sudden- 
 ness, follows upon it, while the fluid plays around in 
 vivid streams ; and stunned and deafened by the 
 terrific din and well-nigh blinded by the dazzling 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 255 
 
 glare, you feel as though enveloped in a sheet of 
 electric flame. 
 
 We hastened to inspan, thinking to avoid the 
 storm, or at any rate to get into a better place, but 
 had not gone far before it became necessary to 
 halt. There were some kraals lying on the plain, 
 nor was it long before one of their inhabitants 
 came to see who I was, and pointed out the way to 
 Hlobane, saying I could get there next day. He 
 said that Uhamu ^ had been ' eating up ' and killing 
 numbers of people all round Hlobane, and that the 
 Abaqulusi section, to which he (my informant) 
 belonged, had been driven out altogether, but he 
 had heard that some of them had gone back. He 
 didn't seem to consider himself safe even there, for 
 although now in Tyingwayo's territory, yet Tying- 
 wayo was a friend of Mnyamane, who was for the 
 King, and an impi might arrive from Uhamu at any 
 moment. However, I induced him to go a little 
 way with me, the track being somewhat indistinct, 
 and the storm having cleared away we started. 
 After about an hour's travelling I parted with my 
 guide, and struck into the valley which skirts the 
 northern side of Intaba'nkulu. 
 
 1 A half-brother of Cetywayo's, commonly, but erroneously, known 
 as Oham, who came over to the British side shortly after the com- 
 mencement of hostilities. He was appointed under the Ulundi settle- 
 ment to a district in Northern Zululand, but has the reputation of 
 being rather a tyrant. 
 
256 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 For a little while after sundown the sky kept 
 clear enough, and one could see the way, albeit 
 the same was very bad and swampy, but this was 
 not to last, for now heavy clouds began to work 
 up, speedily obscuring the moon. The track went 
 from bad to worse ; at times one would have to 
 stop and go on hands and knees, literally to ' nose ' 
 out where it lay, and no sooner fairly on the move 
 again than the wheel would sink to the axle in a 
 mudhole. Outspanning was not to be thought of ; 
 we were in the middle of a regular swamp, and must 
 get through somehow ; but get through we must, 
 as to that there could be no mistake whatever. It 
 became darker and darker, above on either side 
 loomed the mountains, the harsh croaking of 
 innumerable reptiles sounded from the slimy 
 morass, while every now and then a ghostly blue 
 light would flicker and disappear, to gleam out again 
 a few yards further. Splash, splash — on we went, 
 the ground wet and ghstening as we ploughed 
 through it ; not a yard of the way did any one of 
 us know, and it was a case of forging ahead and 
 trusting to Providence. Cheerful position ! A 
 dreary swamp towards midnight in a gloomy 
 defile in the heart of a wild country ; the track 
 scarce discernible, and a thunderstorm rolling up 
 behind, for by that time there was every promise 
 of a repetition of the midday entertainment. A 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 257 
 
 heavy shower or two would reduce the ground to 
 an impassable state, it might be for days. The 
 idea acted like a spur ; we pushed on with re- 
 doubled energy. Now one wheel would plunge 
 into a hole, or both would stick fast in a narrow 
 but deep runnel, to be extracted therefrom with 
 much holloaing and cracking of whip ; then we 
 would get oiF the track, and only find it again with 
 some difficulty and considerable delay. But at 
 last the ground became firmer, the clouds parted 
 a little, and the moon shone out — the worst was 
 over, and after crossing a shallow river which ran 
 plashing and bubbling in the moonhght, we 
 camped for the rest of the night ; none too soon 
 either, for the rain came down smartly, and the 
 storm which had been following us now burst. But 
 thoroughly tired out, I dropped off to sleep in the 
 middle of it. 
 
 The next morning was cool, not to say chilly, 
 and though masses of cloud were hanging about 
 and drifting slowly apart, there seemed no proba- 
 bility of more rain. I found that we were in one 
 of those basin-like valleys which form a special 
 feature in that part of the country, and as the team 
 laboured slowly up the steep road I was able to take 
 in the scene of our nocturnal march ; then as we 
 ascended higher and higher Intaba'nkulu was left 
 behind. 
 
 s 
 
258 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 We move along beneath the bush-clad heights 
 — one wooded peak standing out above the rest 
 against the sky — poised over many a circular 
 kraal with which the deep narrow valley below is 
 studded. Eivulets leap from rock to rock, bury- 
 ing themselves in the mossy recesses of their 
 funnel-like beds, to emerge with a dash and sparkle, 
 and plunge on laughing over their slippery stones ; 
 feathery tree ferns wave their fanlike boughs above 
 the path ; and at last we gain the ridge. A fresh 
 view opens out, and we look down upon the bare 
 treeless plains lying beneath the rugged precipitous 
 range comprising Zunguin and Hlobane of ill- 
 starred fame. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 259 
 
 CHAPTER XXI. 
 
 An exhilarating scene — Hlobane — * Excelsior ' — Umbelini's fastness — 
 A rout and a race for life — A talk on the mountain side — A tragic 
 spot. 
 
 A WILD waste, flat and treeless ; grey clouds thickly 
 veil the sky, and the shades of evening are fast 
 gathering. In front, like a wall, rises the side of 
 a long hill ; no kraals or grazing herds upon its 
 dark slope lend life to its desolation ; no break 
 occurs in the hard, regular hne of perpendicular 
 rock wherewith its summit is crowned — a stern and 
 forbidding height. This is Hlobane mountain. 
 
 We cross a reedy swamp lying in a hollow of 
 the plain, whose slimy pools resound with the 
 croaking of frogs and the splash of reptiles as they 
 plunge into the muddy depths, and wind along a 
 level flat. The marsh just left is the source of the 
 Black Umfolosi. Skirting the base of the Hlobane 
 we pass a high conical hill called Nyambi, which 
 rises on our left front, and by the time we are 
 camped opposite the ridge connecting Hlobane with 
 Entendeke, night has long since set in. The posi- 
 
 S2 
 
26o THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 tion is a lonely one, and seems none the less so that 
 every yard we have traversed in order to reach it 
 has been terra incognita. Southward, among heavy 
 piles of clouds, lightning gleams are ever and 
 anon playing, the shadowy outline of Hlobane 
 looms above, while half-way up the Zunguin a 
 grass fire glows red against the pitchy blackness. 
 
 In the morning I find that there are several 
 kraals in the neighbourhood, some of whose occu- 
 pants are not slow to look me up, and I take the 
 opportunity of compassing a guide in order to 
 make the ascent. A young Zulu, who had taken 
 part in the fight, volunteers, and we start. Hlobane 
 rises to a height of about 1,000 feet from the 
 plain ; its summit, some three miles in length, is 
 in the shape of an irregular lozenge, whose western 
 point connects by a high razor-like ridge with 
 Entendeke, a steep table topped mountain. With 
 horses it can only be ascended on the eastern side, 
 to wit, that farthest from Kambiila, and at one 
 point on the southern, which I chose as being 
 nearest my camp. 
 
 What a climb it is ! A narrow zigzag cattle 
 path hollowed into holes, or with huge stones to be 
 got over like so many steps in a flight of stairs.' 
 And steep — it is like making the ascent of a high- 
 pitched roof. Eiding is out of the question most 
 of the way, so I resign my pony to Andries, who, 
 
/7:s: BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 261 
 
 poor fellow, is pufSng and blowing like a traction 
 engine. The guide, however, doesn't seem to mind 
 it at all, skipping merrily from stone to stone, as if 
 swarming up a thousand feet of nearly perpen- 
 dicular ascent were the most enjoyable of recrea- 
 tions ; he grins and shows all his white teeth 
 gleefully, as from the top of a rock he surveys my 
 distressful and perspiring countenance, and chucks 
 me one of his kerries to aid my efforts. But 
 everything comes to an end, and so, eventually, 
 does our climb, and we find ourselves on the 
 summit, which is quite flat, with a stream of clear 
 water running right across it. 
 
 Hlobane is totally unlike any of the adjacent 
 mountains ; its steep slopes culminate in a belt of 
 sheer cliff round whose base rocks and boulders lie 
 piled in rugged confusion, giving the idea that at 
 some time or other the top of the mountain has 
 fallen away all round, as indeed must have been 
 the case. Many of these rocks are of enormous 
 size, and it was among the holes and caves formed 
 by them that the Zulus lay in w^ait for our men 
 when they stormed the mountain. Beneath the 
 southern cliff is the site of one of Umbelini's 
 strongholds, with part of the wall of the cattle 
 enclosure still standing, and from his eyrie-like 
 position that bold marauder commanded a view of 
 the tract below. From the eastern side I could 
 
262 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 make out a white cross on the slope beneath, the 
 grave of some victim of the fatal day. All too 
 sadly frequent are these monuments in the wilder- 
 ness. 
 
 The Zulus whom I found at the waggon on 
 my return had all taken part in the fight, and 
 their account of it was briefly this : — About the 
 middle of the morning a British force arrived from 
 Kambiila camp and reconnoitred round the moun- 
 tain, looking for a place whereby to effect an ascent. 
 The Zulus at the top, consisting of Umbehni's men 
 and the Abaqulusi (to which clan my informants 
 belonged) were carefully watching the horsemen, 
 and being pretty sure that the west side of the 
 mountain would be the one attacked, lost no time 
 in getting into position among the caves. It was 
 no use ; they shot one or two of the officers, but 
 the British pressed on, dislodging them, and, gaining 
 the summit, drove them into cover among the 
 rocks at the sides. They could not tell the time 
 about, for it was a rainy day and the sun not 
 visible, but it must have been late in the afternoon 
 when an impi appeared on the opposite hills. 
 When the Zulus on the mountain saw the imjpi 
 they stole round behind the British so as to cut off 
 their retreat, whereupon these made for the western 
 point, and the Zulus charging in upon them from 
 behind, drove them towards Entendeke. I have 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 263 
 
 said that the latter was connected with Hlobane 
 by a narrow ridge, but to reach this about a hun- 
 dred feet of steep precipitous ground has to be 
 got over — a regular drop — a place that no one 
 would dream of riding down in cold blood. Down 
 it, then, however, our men had to go, the savages 
 charging them with fierce shouts, terrifying to 
 madness the already frightened horses, many of 
 which, losing their foothold, rolled over and over 
 down the fearful decHvity. Other Zulus swarmed 
 round the bases of the western cliffs to cut off the 
 fugitives, who were flying in the utmost disorder, 
 some mounted, others on foot, and meanwhile that 
 terrible legion was sweeping across the plain, 
 thousands and thousands of relentless foes, ad- 
 vancing rapidly and surely, utterly to annihilate 
 the whole reconnoitring party. Many of these 
 were killed among the boulders on Hlobane, 
 others on the ridge, while others again, who were 
 unhorsed, were cut off on the plain beneath. The 
 fugitives, mounted and on foot, made for Kambiila 
 camp, distant across country some twelve or 
 fifteen miles. 'A great many were killed,' con- 
 cluded my informant, ' on the flats along the base 
 of the Zunguin, and not until dark did the pursuit 
 cease.' 
 
 I asked them about Grandier, the Frenchman 
 who was supposed to have been captured during 
 
264 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the retreat from Hlobane, and to have escaped by 
 kiUing one of his guards while being taken to 
 Umbehni's clan for execution. They said that a 
 white man had been taken prisoner and brought 
 to Ulundi ; that Cetywayo had questioned him, 
 and had then sent him back under an escort, with 
 orders that he should be let go near Hlobane, so 
 that he could find his way to the English camp, but 
 they knew nothing about the killing of the guard. 
 Their statement agreed with that of other Zulus 
 whom I interrogated on the subject in various 
 parts of the country. 
 
 There are improbabihties about the French- 
 man's story which certainly seem to need ac- 
 counting for. His escape was avowedly made 
 during the halt after the first march, to wit, within 
 a few miles of Ulundi. But in that case it would 
 not take long for the surviving guard to return at 
 full speed and raise the country on the fugitive's 
 heels, whose recapture would be but a question of 
 a very few hours. Then, again, from Ulundi to 
 the Zunguin, where Grandier was picked up, is a 
 little matter of fifty miles as the crow flies, and a 
 good deal more by any known track ; further, it 
 is extremely rugged and mountainous, as the fore- 
 going pages may have served to show. How, 
 then, could this man, on foot and without food, 
 find his way across an unknown wilderness, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 265 
 
 exposed, as he would be, to the glance of Zulu 
 scouting parties patrolling the hills ? On the other 
 hand, it may fairly be asked what motive would 
 Cetywayo have for sparing the life of a prisoner — 
 an unusual act of leniency on the part of a savage 
 chief— -exasperated too, as he would naturally be, 
 by the defeat of his forces at Kambiila and the 
 loss of hundreds of his best warriors. Unless it 
 were that the King had heard how some Zulu 
 prisoners had been tended by our surgeons, or, 
 with a desperate sense of his ultimate downfall 
 coming more and more home to him, thought by 
 this act of clemency to commend himself more 
 readily to our sympathies when his day came, and 
 take a step in the direction of agreeing with 
 his adversary quickly. Again, should Grandier's 
 narrative be correct in every particular, it might 
 be that the survivor of the two men who guarded 
 him, fearing to go back and tell the King how ill 
 he had acquitted himself of his charge, had simply 
 made himself scarce and said nothing, which would 
 account for the Frenchman not being recaptured. 
 But whatever may be thought of the tale, the 
 Zulus all agree that the King's orders were for 
 the release of the captive. 
 
 While camped beneath Hlobane I would fre- 
 quently roam about alone, exploring its rugged 
 fastnesses. One evening, when scrambling up an 
 
266 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 exceptionally stony path, momentarily expecting 
 to be obliged to turn back, a sudden start and a 
 snort from my pony caused me to look up. 
 Within a few yards, leaning against a rock, stood a 
 couple of stalwart savages calmly watching me. I 
 saw that one of them carried an assegai with a 
 blade like a small claymore, and, seeing, coveted 
 and resolved to have it if possible. I climbed to 
 where they stood ; the warriors greeted me as 
 usual, ' Inkos ! ' and of course were anxious to 
 know all about me. The one with the assegai was 
 a fine, tall fellow, with a cheery countenance and 
 hearty manner, and we speedily became friends ; 
 the other, dark, taciturn, and unprepossessing, I 
 didn't much like the look of. But he of the 
 assegai did his companion's share of indaha and 
 his own too. He belonged to the Udhloko regi- 
 ment, and had been present at the attack on Eorke's 
 Drift, which battle he proceeded to fight over 
 again for my enlightenment with an effusiveness 
 and pantomimic accompaniment thoroughly Zulu ; 
 going into fits of laughter over it, as though one of 
 the toughest struggles on record were the greatest 
 joke in the world. At a judicious moment I pro- 
 duced some * gwai,' which was received with 
 acclamation, even my saturnine friend's dark 
 countenance expanding into a grin. Then taking 
 up the assegai I began to examine it, suggesting 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 267 
 
 that we should make an exchange, and throw- 
 ing out all sorts of inducements. Not a bit of it ; 
 the jovial warrior would about as soon think of 
 parting with his head-ring — or his head. He had 
 fought with that very weapon ' kwa Jim ' (Eorke's 
 Drift) &c. &c. ; no, he couldn't give it away on 
 any account. It was a splendid specimen of a 
 spear, but on no terms could I obtain it. 
 
 The sun had gone down, the hush of evening 
 had fallen upon the lone mountain side and upon 
 the dark forms of the two Zulus where they stood 
 among the grey rocks, while a few yards beneath, 
 my horse, saddled and bridled, was quietly crop- 
 ping the short grass which sprouted up between 
 the stones. And in thorough keeping with the 
 surroundings was the tall lithe figure of the savage 
 standing on the stony ledge in rehef against the 
 sky, and, as he narrated some incident, waving an 
 arm with graceful gesture over the panorama of 
 plain and mountain rolling away into the far 
 distance. As we stood there in friendly converse, 
 representatives of the two nations, civilised and 
 barbarous, who had fought so fiercely and poured 
 each other's blood like water upon the rugged sides 
 of this very mountain, I longed for the limner's 
 art that I might place the scene upon canvas there 
 and then. The darkness crept on apace ; dimly 
 faded the clifTs above into shadowy gloom, and far 
 
268 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 away upon the plain beneath, the tent of my 
 waggon was just visible like a white speck. And 
 now my friend who had done all the talking 
 signified his intention of going home ; so picking 
 up his assegai he strode off with a cheery farewell, 
 followed by his companion. A light shone forth 
 on the mountain side a httle way off, where, perched 
 eyrie-like on a kind of ledge, stood a small kraal 
 consisting of three or four huts, and I could see 
 the brown figures of the two Zulus making their 
 way thither among the rocks and long grass. 
 
 Before leaving Hlobane I wanted thoroughly 
 to explore the line of retreat, so starting the 
 waggon early one morning on the road to Kambula, 
 I rode off alone with that intent. Skirting the 
 Entendeke I worked round to the western side and 
 began the ascent, which was very like that already 
 described, except that it made up in steepness for 
 not being so stony ; in some places the horse could 
 barely keep his feet, and I expected every moment 
 to see him roll over. On, higher and higher, up a 
 stony gully rendered shppery by the trickle of a 
 thread of water. Here I picked up an ordinary 
 metal button half embedded in the soil, but of 
 other rehcs I found none, though on the look-out 
 for them ; and at last after a toilsome and danger- 
 ous climb — even a sprained ankle in that out-of- 
 the-way place assumes serious proportions, and 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 269 
 
 precipices abound — I reached the top, and cantering 
 along its smooth level stood upon the narrow 
 ridge. Looking at the piles of rocks and boulders 
 leading up to the summit of Hlobane, full well 
 could I realise the utter confusion which must 
 have characterised the rush of a crowd of horse- 
 men down that fearful place. Nor when they 
 gained the ridge would things be much better, for 
 over and above its narrowness and the almost 
 precipitous slopes on either side, it is stony to a 
 degree, and many a dangerous crevice lies hidden 
 away in the long grass. A cairn of loose stones 
 on the ridge marks the spot where the brave old 
 Dutch commandant, Piet Uys, fell. 
 
 Something of indescribable desolation seemed 
 to haunt the place, as though one were standing 
 alone outside the world. Heavy clouds were 
 gathering in the west, and the morning breeze came 
 in fitful puffs, singing through the long grass as 
 through the strings of a harp, then leaving a still- 
 ness as of death. Directly opposite towered 
 Zunguin's lofty head, huge and sullen ; while the 
 northern slope of Hlobane fell in one bold sweep a 
 descent of more than a thousand feet, and the eye 
 wandered over savage ravines and frowning krant- 
 zes farther and farther to many a distant peak in 
 the Transvaal and Swaziland. Far away I could 
 see my waggon with its twelve black oxen, crawling 
 
2 70 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 along like a centipede, but not a sound came up to 
 that silent ledge, poised, as it were, between earth 
 and heaven, the abode of an almost supernatural 
 stillness. As I turned to follow the line of flight, I 
 thought how small were the odds in favour of those 
 who had to race for their lives, with the dark 
 sweeping mass moving so swiftly over the plain to 
 cut off their retreat. The summit of Entendeke is 
 smooth enough, which may have had something 
 to do with affording the fugitives a start upon 
 beginning their hard race ; once over the brow the 
 trial begins. In cold blood the descent was diffi- 
 cult enough ; the sides were like glass, and one 
 would sHp and slide perhaps a dozen yards before 
 able to pull up, at imminent peril of being shot 
 over one of the many precipices which break the 
 continuity of the slopes. But the idea of charging 
 blindly down at breakneck pace made one shudder. 
 At last I stood beneath, on Zunguin's Neck, myself 
 and steed uninjured, but not half sorry to be down 
 again, and considerably out of breath after the 
 climb and the descent. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 271 
 
 CHAPTER XXn. 
 
 A ' stick/ but in the mud — ' Dutch spoken here ' — ' Philip drunk * — 
 More rain — A Republican — Kambiila — Zulu account of the battle 
 — Relics — A cemetery in the wilderness^ — Back to the border. 
 
 Kambula is, as before stated, about fifteen miles 
 from Hlobane across country, but by road nearly 
 double that distance. I ride along the base of the 
 desolate Zunguin range ; here and there a swamp 
 has to be crossed or a detour made to avoid a long 
 reach of water ; twice having cleared a deep 
 runnel my pony sinks to his knees on the brink in 
 the boggy, treacherous soil, nearly pitching me 
 over his head ; but the game little rascal scrambles 
 through — as what will a Basuto pony not scram- 
 ble through ? — and we hold on our way. Past 
 Seketwayo's kraal, lying there at the base of the 
 mountain, which chief, though ruler of one of the 
 districts and a man of rank and lineage, is not an 
 interesting person, and to tell the truth I am get- 
 ting just a little anxious to take the homeward 
 track again ; wherefore I deny myself the pleasure 
 
272 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 of looking him up, and keep straight on till 1 over- 
 take the waggon. That trusty vehicle, however, 
 is at a standstill, both front wheels sticking hard 
 and fast in a swampy runnel, while a little old Zulu 
 with an enormous assegai stands placidly contem- 
 plating the joint efforts of its three perspiring 
 guardians to effect an extraction. In vain does 
 Fani brandish his long whip and execute a series 
 of appalling ' cracks,' in vain does Mlamvu tug 
 doggedly and despairingly at the leading ' touw,' 
 in vain do Fani and Andries combine in calling 
 down dire maledictions on the horned heads of 
 ' Windvogel,' and ' Bckvel,' and ' Kwaairaan,' and 
 ' Mof,' and threaten those longsuffering animals 
 with magnified extermination — they, in common 
 with their brethren in the yoke, are doing their 
 level best and can do no more — the wheels remain 
 fast embedded in the black sticky earth. Unlash- 
 ing the spade and pick, we dig away furiously for 
 a space, thus affording a short rest to the panting 
 span as well as smoothing the way. Crack, crack — 
 goes the whip ; we yell frantically in chorus ; * a 
 long, long pull, and a strong, strong pull,' the 
 machine sways and jolts, and emerges uninjured ; 
 the little old Zulu, thinking there is no more 
 to be seen, trots off on his way, and we resume 
 ours. 
 
 But now we are getting into the 'Disputed 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 273 
 
 Territory,' ^ and signs of Dutch vicinity may be 
 detected in the phraseology of the natives. The 
 old famihar greeting, ' Inkos ! ' ringing out, with 
 the poetry of the wilderness about it, changes to 
 the common-place and low- sounding * Moro Baas ' 
 (Good mornings Master) ; now and then ' Ja ' takes 
 the place of the emphatic ' Ehe ! ' and enterprising 
 individuals even try their hand at Dutch colloquy. 
 We pass between several kraals ; outside of one 
 stands a ramshackle cart containing the wares of 
 some half-caste Dutch trader, tlie beneficial results 
 of whose mission soon manifest themselves in the 
 shape of a couple of tall, savage-looking Zulus, 
 both extremely drunk, who reel up to the waggon 
 boisterously demanding all sorts of things. With 
 the greatest difficulty do we keep them from tum- 
 bling under the wheels as they stagger alongside, 
 and at last, to get rid of them, I chuck them a box 
 of matches, which has the desired effect, and, quite 
 pleased, the fellows roll back to their kraal, to absorb 
 more alcohol and probably to finish by breaking 
 each other's heads and those of their neighbours — 
 unfortunately, not the trader's. 
 
 We outspanned that night at what is known as 
 the Old Hunting Eoad. A grey mist had settled 
 
 ' A strip of country on the Transvaal border, between the Pongolo 
 and the Blood River, claimed by the Boers, but awarded to the Zulus 
 by the Boundary Commission which sat at Rorke's Drift in February 
 
 1878. 
 
2 74 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 down upon the land, and a chill wind blew in vio- 
 lent gusts ; the firewood, having been wetted by a 
 shower during the day, declined to ignite ; then, 
 to crown all, with scarcely any warning a violent 
 thunderstorm broke over us, and in ten minutes' 
 time every pot and kettle was in requisition to 
 catch the leakages through the waggon tent : fire 
 being out of the question in the drenching rain 
 which ploughed up the road into a very morass. 
 
 Morning dawned on the far from cheerful 
 scene ; the rain had ceased, but heavy fog still 
 hung in masses about the hills ; there was no sign 
 of the sun, and it behoved us to wait for the ground 
 to dry a little before resuming progress. While 
 sitting on the waggon box smoking the pipe of 
 patience, I descried a horseman coming up the road 
 — travellers had hitherto been like the proverbial 
 angelic visitations, few and far betAveen, where- 
 fore I inspected this one with some curiosity as he 
 reined in. He was a rather respectable-looking 
 Dutchman, grey bearded and chimney-pot hatted ; 
 moreover spoke English well. Now the Boer as a 
 rule is modest in the display of linguistic attain- 
 ments even if possessed of any, in fact does not 
 attempt the English tongue unless he be — to use a 
 nautical phrase — ' three sheets in the wind ; ' even 
 then his performance is an indifferent one. But in 
 this instance my friend was eminently sober, and 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 275 
 
 talked the Queen's English rather fluently. I 
 began to suspect I had to do with some Transvaal 
 magnate, the more so that he seemed anxious to 
 get upon the topic of the late rebelhon, saying that 
 he had fought on the side of ^ the Eepublic' 
 
 ' Didn't I think the whole affair had been a 
 great mistake ? ' 
 
 ' Yes, I rather thought it had.' 
 
 At this my friend became quite animated, and 
 after some more talk on the subject, appealingly 
 asked whether I was of opinion that we should be 
 any the better for the possession of the Transvaal. 
 I stood up and looked round for a minute upon 
 the bare, treeless wastes, the desolate ranges and 
 dark sad peaks northward, and was able con- 
 scientiously to reply in the negative. Whereat my 
 interlocutor seemed puzzled whether to look dis- 
 appointed or pleased ; I think the former sentiment 
 predominated, for he almost immediately took his 
 leave. He told me his name, which I have for- 
 gotten, but it was not one of any note. 
 
 The road being dry enough for a move, a short 
 trek brought us to Kambiila, where we outspanned 
 within a hundred yards of the old fort. 
 
 I said that the surroundings were dismal, and 
 verily nothing could have been more cheerless than 
 the outlook, as, swathed in a mackintosh, I explored 
 the site of the fort and laager amid a chilHng and 
 
 t2 
 
2 76 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 continuous drizzle. But its unexhilarating entour- 
 age notwithstanding, Kambiila camp was about 
 the best for defensive purposes I had seen in Zulu- 
 land. It consisted of two laagers and a fort — 
 forming an obtuse-angled triangle, the three posi- 
 tions being from two to three hundred yards apart. 
 The fort occupied the highest and central point of 
 the ridge, the two laagers being situated one on 
 each side in such wise that they commanded a slope 
 all round. The front is the worst side, as the 
 ground falls suddenly away at a distance of about 
 three hundred yards from the position ; in the rear 
 is a long gradual slope. About a mile off, a deso- 
 late range of hills shuts in the view on the right 
 front, but to the left the country is open and un- 
 dulating, and it was from this direction that the 
 im'pi first appeared. Intense must have been the 
 expectation and excitement among the defenders 
 as, for hours before the attack, they watched the 
 dark masses deploying over the plain, marching 
 steadily on, no thought of wavering in their fell 
 purpose. And still they kept appearing, column 
 after column, till the earth was black ; and our 
 men would soon have an opportunity of avenging 
 the previous day's disaster, or — not one would live 
 to bear away the tale of this ; for in the event of 
 defeat no mercy need be looked for from yon cloud 
 of threatening savages sweeping along, stern and 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 277 
 
 intrepid, to annihilate the hated invader. On 
 they came, chanting a war-song in vaunt of what 
 they had done at Isandhlwana and would do 
 again. 
 
 And throughout that long afternoon amid the 
 smoke and din ; the screech of shell and rattle of 
 volleys ; the deep-toned war-shout mingling with 
 the scarcely less wild British cheer ; the thunder- 
 ous tread of the charging myriads as again and 
 again they surged up the incline, again and again 
 to fall back leaving the gory slope strewn with 
 writhing bodies — throughout that long afternoon 
 the fate of our countrymen hung in the balance. 
 But what could savages, however brave and well 
 organised, effect against such a position, so 
 staunchly defended, and with all the latest appli- 
 ances, too, of nineteenth century warfare. They 
 wavered and fled, and the previous day's disaster 
 was amply wiped out by the utter dispersion of 
 the flower of the martial strength of Zululand, 
 which, leaving more than 1,000 of its bravest 
 warriors dead around the British camp, must now 
 go back to its King shamed and defeated, by that 
 very circumstance warning him of his approaching 
 downfall. 
 
 The following is the narrative of a warrior of 
 the Tulwana regiment, a division of the Undi : — 
 
 ' Two days before the affair at Hlobane we 
 
278 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 started from Undini ; the King himself arranged 
 the plan of attack and position of the regiments. 
 When we arrived near Hlobane we heard firing 
 and saw a number of white men fighting with the 
 Abaqulusi on the mountain. They retreated as 
 we advanced, but a great many were killed. We 
 slept that night at Hlobane, marching on Kambula 
 the next day. The regiments were the Undi, 
 Udhloko, Nokenke, Umpunga, Nodwengu, Kan- 
 dampemvu (Umcityu), Umbonambi, and Ngoba- 
 makosi; this last led the right "horn." The 
 izinduna present were Tyingwayo, Mnyamane, 
 Sirayo, Mavumengwane, Mundiila and Maty ana -ka- 
 Mondisi ; they watched the fight from a hill (about 
 three miles off). When we got near the camp 
 some horsemen came out to meet us. Then the 
 Ngobamakosi rushed after them ; they retreated, 
 and the Ngobamakosi in following them got quite 
 separated from the main body of the impi. Then 
 the Kandampemvu on the other side rushed on, 
 too — there was a rivalry between the Kandam- 
 pemvu and the Ngobamakosi as to who should be 
 first in camp, so they both got on ahead, and by 
 the time we came up to attack in front they were 
 exhausted and almost beaten. The Undi managed 
 to get into the cattle-laager, but were driven out 
 again. We could not stand against the fire and 
 had to retreat; the two regiments forming the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 279 
 
 '^ horns " were quite exhausted and useless, and we 
 could not properly surround the position. 
 
 ' We were in smaller force than at Isandhlwana, 
 but were sure of being able to " eat up " the 
 English ; as it is we should have done so, had not 
 the Ngobamakosi and the Kandampemvu acted 
 like fools. The King was very angry when we 
 went back ; he said we were born warriors, and 
 yet allowed ourselves to be defeated in every 
 battle, and soon the English would come and take 
 him. We lost far more men at Kambula than at 
 Isandhlwana.' 
 
 The tumbledown wall and crumbling earthwork 
 of the fort still crests the mound : of the two 
 laagers one is overgrown with a crop of mealies, 
 the other is plainly to be traced by the tent marks 
 and scattered debris. I picked up an old gun- 
 barrel, and a button-cleaner belonging to the 13th 
 Eegiment ; bullets, too, and plenty of exploded 
 cartridge cases lay about. On the north of the 
 camp is a little cemetery where rest the remains 
 of those who fell ; the central monument, a stone 
 cross, standing a conspicuous object against the 
 surrounding waste. This enclosure is under the 
 care of an old Zulu, who showed me his credentials 
 from Sir Evelyn Wood, and was anxious for me to 
 inspect the place and report well thereon. As a 
 
28o THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 matter of fact it was in very good order : in one 
 corner the remnant of recent showers still lay, 
 which, when I pointed out, the old fellow started 
 off there and then for a spade and proceeded to 
 cut a drain through the sod wall. Further down 
 the slope, three or four dark spots of a different 
 growth show the places of sepulture of the Zulu 
 dead, who were buried in hundreds after the battle. 
 
 And now, having thoroughly explored the camp 
 and its surroundings, I find there is nothing more 
 to be done but to start for home ; and, as I said 
 before, Kambiila is not an exhilarating spot. 
 Wherefore we inspan and roll into the road again, 
 having made the round of the country and ' done ' 
 all the battlefields in succession, of which this is 
 the last. 
 
 Yery few days now will bring us to the border ; 
 the spirits of my ' boys ' rise ; even the oxen seem 
 to know they are bound for home, and step out 
 briskly as we hold steadily on over a bare desolate 
 waste where the great hills with their rock- 
 crowned summits are sleeping in their solitude. 
 On past Bemba's Kop and along the Blood river, 
 and away to the left rises the Munhla hill ; then, 
 as we near Itelezi, the square huts, flocks of goats, 
 and mounted natives show that we are among 
 Hlubi's Basutos. Then, one morning we halt on 
 the Emponjane ridge. There, in front, some twelve 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 281 
 
 miles off, rise the blue gum trees at Eorke's Drift 
 house, beneath the Shiyane hill ; while nearer, are 
 the buildings of St. Augustine's Mission and Hlubi's 
 domicile. A cheer breaks from my trusty followers, 
 who are elate at the prospect of being speedily at 
 home again ; nor am I disinclined to sympathise, for 
 we have had a good spell of the rough and tumble 
 of daily travel, and a little rest and civilisation will 
 not come amiss. 
 
 We reach St. Augustine's in the afternoon : 
 bidding farewell to the hospitable missionary, I 
 start the waggon with orders to outspan on the 
 other side of Eorke's Drift, while I ride round by 
 Isandhlwana to pick up the post — if haply there 
 be any — and take leave of the Bishop and his 
 community, to whom, in memory of much kind- 
 ness and of pleasant days, I here take the opportu- 
 nity of wishing all success. 
 
 The following day I cross the Buffalo and am 
 in Natal again ; and as we move along the border 
 on the road to Helpmakaar (a different one this 
 time), and the evening sun throws his beams full 
 upon the rocky face of Isandhlwana, which is fading 
 smaller and smaller behind us, and lights up with 
 a golden lustre the broad rolling plains and the 
 winding river, I must plead guilty to experiencing 
 a tinge of regret that never again shall I wander 
 through that fair land — never again hold pleasant 
 
282 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 converse with its warrior denizens, so intrepid in 
 defence of their country, so kindly and open- 
 hearted now that the dark cloud of war has lifted 
 and the red wave has flowed on. 
 
 Next morning we reach Helpmakaar without 
 event. One more glimpse of the Zulu border, and 
 we descend the heights of the Biggarsberg to Um- 
 singa. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 283 
 
 CHAPTER XXni. 
 
 A panorama — Zulu dances — A bushbuck ' drive ' — Native hunters — 
 Return to Maritzburg — Afloat again. 
 
 Being in Zululand for purposes of travel I did 
 not lay myself out at all for sport, having no dogs 
 for bird shooting, and bush-hunting necessitates a 
 regular ' drive,' which takes time and a little 
 trouble to organise ; but I had an opportunity of 
 seeing something in this line before ending my 
 wanderings, for a border friend was kind enough 
 to get up a bushbuck hunt on my account. He 
 had several trading stores planted along the bor- 
 der, and to one of these we were to proceed, having 
 sent up everything requisite and necessary for 
 making a night of it. 
 
 Behold us then, four in all, mounted and ready 
 for a start ; and before the sun has time to make 
 his power felt, we are cantering along the grassy, 
 flats towards the mountains. Our horses pick their 
 way gingerly across a broad slab of slippery rock, 
 over which the water, trickling, falls into a clear 
 pool fringed with delicate mosses and sparkling 
 
2S4 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 ferns, and we enter a steep winding bush-path : 
 mimosa branches with their sharp thorns sweep 
 across the saddle, aloes stand about the hill side 
 like black sentinels, and from the plumed eu- 
 phorbia the turtle-dove suddenly stops her melo- 
 dious ' cooing ' to dash away in a flutter of alarm 
 at the advent of the — shall I say it ? — somewhat 
 noisy group now breaking in upon the sleepy 
 stillness of Nature. We come to a native kraal in 
 a little hollow, whose inhabitants with their curs 
 turn out to inspect us. ' Now then, you fellows,' 
 sings out my friend, ' tumble out and go on up 
 and help drive ; we've sent up a cow for you to 
 kill to-night when it's all over.' ' Yeh-bo'nkos ! ' 
 they reply vociferously, for the prospect of a good 
 bush hunt culminating in beef and jollification is 
 more than the aboriginal mind can resist ; so, 
 diving into the huts, the jovial barbarians soon 
 reappear with assegais and shields, and, with their 
 curs at their heels, start off gleefully for the scene 
 of operations. We pass other kraals, whose 
 occupants are already on the move and preparing 
 to follow in the ruck ; more and more stony be- 
 comes the path, and steeper withal, till at last we 
 have to dismount and lead our steeds. But we 
 will pause here for a moment and look around. 
 There is the Biggarsberg range, at whose base the 
 roofs of the public offices and Sand Spruit buildings 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND LTS PEOPLE. 285 
 
 show out against the plain. Yonder, the huge 
 cone of Elenge towers above the surrounding 
 heights ; far beneath, the Tugela is winding Uke a 
 serpent through its deep wild valley ; and many a 
 lofty mountain heaves its bare head to the sky, 
 its wooded sides falling in abrupt sweeps, to lose 
 themselves in the vast sea of forest, which, undu- 
 lating in mighty waves of slope and ravine, now 
 gentle, now bold and forbidding, stretches, far as 
 the eye can reach, into misty dimness. Here a 
 huge krantz rears its frowning wall ; there a mighty 
 rock, which, detaching itself from some overhanging 
 cliff, has rolled down, and now lies firmly embedded 
 in the midst of the bush. Here and there, in a 
 small cleared space, stands a native kraal with its 
 quaint circle of huts ; and the eye ranges at will, 
 far and wide, over the roll of mountain and valley 
 and plain to the lofty peaks of distant Kahlamba 
 looming in shadowy outline through the soft haze. 
 And standing thus in the golden sunshine and warm 
 air, it strikes me that a more gloriously magnificent 
 panorama would be difficult to find. 
 
 But forward — so cresting the brow of the 
 height we turn our backs upon the splendid scene 
 and gallop over the wide grassy plains opening out 
 in front, along which at intervals may be seen a 
 line of natives in twos and threes, mounted and 
 afoot, all making in the same direction. Another 
 
286 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 hour's ride and we draw up at a small rough- 
 looking building standing at the head of a valley, 
 affording a picturesque peep of the Tugela winding 
 through the bush beneath ; while immediately 
 around, the broad green leaves and waving plumes 
 of standing corn rustle in the breeze. This is the 
 place of rendezvous. The house, which is a trading 
 store, has two rooms, one being fitted up with 
 counter, shelves, &c., such as I have already 
 described earlier in this narrative ; the other 
 apparently doing duty as kitchen, larder, and bed- 
 room put together, for the half of a buck hangs in 
 front of the fireplace, and a ' stretcher ' stands 
 against the wall on one side of the apartment. 
 
 We dismount ; crowds of natives are standing, 
 sitting, and lolling about in every conceivable 
 attitude, talking, chattering, and laughing, in fact 
 kicking up an indescribable and deafening shindy ; 
 dogs sneak in and out, getting into everyone's way 
 and being kicked and yelling accordingly. Plenty 
 of these are there, by the way ; curs black, brown, 
 and grey ; curs white and curs brindled ; in short, 
 curs of every shade and colour. The Zulu dogs 
 are mostly a kind of greyhound or lurcher ; in the 
 bush they will run down anything previously 
 wounded, but for speed are nowhere. 
 
 I am introduced to the chief, a stout pleasant- 
 looking man rejoicing in the name of Mawele, with 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 287 
 
 whom my friend seems to be on the best possible 
 terms. Presently an unmistakable sound is heard, 
 and lo, a fresh body of natives, some fifty strong, 
 appears, marching in a square and singing a war 
 song ; the suppressed fierceness of the strange 
 wild chant forming a perfect accompaniment to 
 the rattle of assegais and shields and the measured 
 tread of many feet. They file into the open space, 
 stand motionless for a moment, and at a sign 
 from their leader fall out and disperse. 
 
 But it is too soon to start yet, and to while 
 away the time the natives get up a dance. They 
 stand in a semicircle several ranks deep, with their 
 shields and knob-kerries, the master of ceremonies 
 with his small white shield in front. He gives the 
 signal ; a kind of weird quartet is heard in the ranks, 
 first very softly, then taken up by one after an- 
 other, but still softly, all keeping time with their 
 feet ; presently it grows louder and louder, and the 
 whole crowd seems labouring under the intensest 
 of suppressed excitement. They turn themselves 
 half round, first to this side, then to that, but 
 never budging an inch from their places, and the 
 earth shakes beneath the thunder of their feet as 
 they bring them to the ground like one man. 
 They clash their knob-kerries and shields together ; 
 they roar like wild beasts ; but never for a moment 
 do you lose the modulation of the fantastic 
 
288 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 harmony, the rhythm of the strange, fierce, thrill- 
 ing chant to which you feel yourself unconsciously 
 beating time ; and an irresistible longing comes 
 over you to seize a kerrie, throw yourself into the 
 rout, and stamp and howl with the best of them. 
 
 The ground is quivering beneath the tread of 
 many feet, eyeballs gleam and start from their 
 sockets, the clash of knob-kerries and shields is 
 deafening, the hill tops echo back the savage fury 
 of the unearthly chant, the excitement is wrought 
 to the highest pitch, when — the master of cere- 
 monies gives a slight signal, and the whole of that 
 frenzied crowd becomes still and motionless as 
 statues. A few minutes of rest, of panting and 
 blowing after the violent exertion, and the sign is 
 given. Again the ' choragi ' lead off, the crowd 
 takes up another song, and the fun waxes fast and 
 furious till the word goes forth to prepare for a 
 start. Assegais and kerries are collected, among 
 much clatter ; dogs, nosing out their owners, fall in 
 behind them ; and all move off. Some of the Zulus 
 form up into companies and march for the scene 
 of operations humming a hunting song ; others go 
 off by twos and threes to their assigned places, and 
 mounting our horses we make for where we shall 
 get the best chance of a shot and see most of the 
 drive, for the natives have no idea of our having 
 all the sport to ourselves. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 289 
 
 A short ride brings us to a grassy ' neck ; ' in 
 front lies a wide bush-covered valley, and round 
 the hillside on our right a growing clamour points 
 to the approach of the beaters. Far away on the 
 other side of the bush can be seen the dark forms 
 of the native hunters drawing in their line and 
 working up towards us, while eager groups stand 
 ready with assegai and kerrie. A rush, a shout, 
 and a prolonged yell from the curs — a buck is up 
 and away, and we can trace his course by the 
 agitation among the bush beneath as he springs 
 through it. Those who have rifles — it is too far 
 for shot guns — make for a point commanding an 
 open space which the quarry must cross. Bang, 
 bang ! — a cloud of dust flies round the startled 
 antelope ; it was a near shave. Bang ! — again the 
 dust rises behind him, but he is in the thick bush, 
 and safe ; and a string of dogs, black, brown, and 
 grey, crosses the open, yelling like fiends, on his 
 track. But the sight of quarry has roused the 
 latent instinct of destruction in Briton and native 
 alike, and we are all tenfold on the qui vive. The 
 hunt sweeps on ; hark ! — a warning shout. Look at 
 those two Zulus down there, how they listen for a 
 moment and run forward noiselessly as shadows. 
 They stand, eyeballs starting and nostrils dilated, 
 in an attitude of intense expectancy, still, motion- 
 less like bronze statues, one foot advanced, head 
 
 u 
 
290 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 and shoulders bent forward in a panther-like 
 crouch, in the right hand a long tapering assegai. 
 Nearer and nearer comes the crashing of the under- 
 wood, the bushes part, and a graceful form leaps 
 lightly into the glade within a few yards of them. 
 It is a young bushbuck ram, and the sun glints on 
 the points of his shiny black horns and lustrous 
 eye as he catches sight of his human foes, and, with 
 a frightened start, leaps off at a tangent. Well 
 for him that he does, or he would at this moment 
 be lying transfixed in his death throes, for the 
 murderous spear grazes his shoulder as he turns, 
 and the blade sticks quivering in the ground. 
 Zip ! — another assegai flashes through the air, and 
 the ill-fated antelope plunges and rolls over and 
 over. The two Zulus raise an exultant whoop, but 
 no, not yet ; he is up again, and whisking his white 
 tail defiantly, bounds safe into the friendly bush. 
 But he is hard hit and will not go far. Dogs are 
 called, and the two Zulus, stooping to pick up the 
 gore-stained assegai, dash into the bush on the 
 heels of the pack. A yell — a chorus of clamour — a 
 scream — as the bloodthirsty curs throw themselves 
 upon their quarry, and the successful hunters, 
 rushing up, rescue it from the mauling of their 
 fangs and raise the wild death shout, which is 
 taken up and echoed from a hundred throats. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 291 
 
 Hitherto the beaters have had all the fun to 
 themselves, but as the rout moves on a shot is 
 heard in the thick of the bush, and one of our party- 
 has given a good account of something. And now 
 we are riding along the brink of a mighty preci- 
 pice ; a rugged peak towers above ; beneath, the 
 forest trees rear their heads against the cliff, and 
 the slope falls away into the broad valley. A 
 wilder or more picturesque scene would not easily 
 be found. On all sides the great mountains are 
 sleeping in the golden light of the waning after- 
 noon ; far below, the Tugela winds and twists on 
 its serpentine course ; but the solemn stillness of 
 Nature on a grand scale is rudely broken in upon, 
 for the whole valley is alive with glistening dark 
 forms flashing through the verdure, and mingling 
 with the baying of their hounds the shouts of the 
 savages are borne on the quiet air. 
 
 No bad place for a full view of the hunt is 
 the brow of this same cliff. Extended for about a 
 mile through the bush beneath, a line of Zulus is 
 sweeping on, and we can spy the many-coloured 
 hides of their dogs zig-zagging about in the grass. 
 See, there is a rush towards one spot ; a buck is 
 away and the whole pack stringing after him. 
 Spear after spear is hurled, and yet he keeps on ; 
 we can still follow his flight and make out his 
 
 u2 
 
292 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 white ' plume.' But he has his work cut out for 
 him before he can clear that fatal circle, for look ! 
 there is another group of dark hunters lying in 
 wait. He sees it too, and literally flies past. 
 Assegais gleam for a moment in a perfect shower, 
 and — the white tuft no longer flits through the 
 bushes. The game little antelope lies on the 
 ground a brown, kicking heap, and the pack comes 
 pouring open-mouthed on to the carcase ; snapping 
 and snarling and tumbling over each other in their 
 eagerness to seize it. Again the loud death-whoop 
 peals through the valley, but before its echoes 
 have died away among the rocks and krantzes, 
 another shout announces the starting of fresh 
 quarry. Thoroughly roused now, only eager for 
 something to slay, they press forward, and the 
 ground is alive with the dark forms of excited 
 savages pouring like ants through the green bush, 
 as some of those high up on the mountain side 
 succeed by a whistle and a yell in slightly turning 
 the buck's course so as to bring him nearer to the 
 party beneath ; but he has a good start and 
 evidently intends to make the most of it. A few 
 assegais are launched at him, but he is out of 
 ' throw ' even for the most powerful and dexterous 
 arm, and they fall harmlessly short. A clamour 
 from the dogs as they rush off on his track, but, 
 blunderheaded brutes, they have been such a long 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 293 
 
 while thinking about it that he can afford to laugh 
 at the lot ; besides, he is unscathed and they 
 haven't a chance. So away he goes, and we can 
 see him ' ricochetting ' along, a mere speck, far 
 down there by the river, eluding his fate this time, 
 to meet with it by assegai or bullet in a future 
 ' drive,' or haply to fall a prey to some prowling 
 leopard on the moonht river-bank in the hush of 
 the still, warm night. 
 
 So intent am I watching the progress of the 
 hunt, that I hardly notice a brown shape bounding 
 across an open space at the foot of the cliff, or 
 only take it for one of the Zulu dogs ranging 
 on his own account. It is a buck though, and I 
 only awake to the fact when too late for a shot ; 
 but another of the party, more wary, has delivered 
 the contents of both barrels just as the animal is 
 disappearing among the scrub. Effectively, too, 
 as again that wild shout proclaims, the stricken 
 antelope running blindly into the clutches of a 
 group of beaters. But the afternoon is waning ; 
 it is exceedingly hot, and the natives are beginning 
 to have had enough. We, too, are rather dis- 
 appointed at the sport not being livelier, for scarce 
 half a dozen shots have been fired by our party, 
 all told. But for my part I am easily consoled 
 with the thought that not for the satisfaction of 
 bringing down the whole ' bag ' to my own gun 
 
294 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 would I have missed such an opportunity of 
 watching the affair from beginning to end, and 
 seeing the natives hunt in their own fashion. 
 
 And now it is all over ; the Zulus come strag- 
 gling up from the valley in long lines, and, gather- 
 ing on the brow of the cliff, pause for a short rest 
 before starting homewards. We count head — four 
 bushbucks and a rock rabbit constitute the spoil ; 
 might have been worse considering that the day 
 was somewhat advanced when we began. I sup- 
 pose I ought to say that I shot something ; the 
 fact, however, remains unmistakably that I did 
 not ; indeed I had no opportunity of so much as 
 letting off my gun, barring the chance just detailed. 
 But, as before stated, I had a splendid view of 
 the whole affair. 
 
 We ride slowly back; the natives straggle 
 across the veldt^ chattering volubly over the events 
 of the afternoon. While we are offsaddling at 
 the store, the weird rhythm of a savage song is 
 heard, drawing nearer and nearer. The Zulus are 
 bringing in the spoils of the hunt; the pecuHar 
 shivering sound of the loose bundles of assegais 
 which they carry (like no other sound I ever 
 heard) mingles with the regulated tramp of feet, 
 and the dark column marches into the open space ; 
 the perspiration pouring down the glistening hides 
 of the native hunters, as depositing their weapons 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 295 
 
 they throw themselves wearily on the ground for 
 a rest. 
 
 But they will be lively enough soon, for the 
 cow which has been promised them is even now 
 being driven up to meet her fate. She is young 
 and wild ; so wild, indeed, that none of them quite 
 like going near enough to slay her in their own 
 fashion, and one of our party takes a shot with his 
 rifle, missing a vital part and only wounding her, 
 for the animal is thoroughly frightened, and will 
 not be persuaded to stand still for a single moment ; 
 but the shot starts her off galloping wildly over the 
 plain. With a yell the Zulus dash away in pur- 
 suit, forming a wide ring gradually narrowing 
 round the doomed beast, who runs hither and 
 thither. At last, lowering her head, she breaks 
 through the circle with a fierce growling noise, as, 
 shaking her pointed horns and throwing the foam 
 from her mouth, she charges her pursuers, who 
 scatter for a moment, and, closing up again, start 
 swiftly upon her track. At length an assegai flung 
 by a powerful arm buries its sharp blade in her 
 heart, and the poor brute, rolling over and over, 
 expires with a hollow moan. The savages throw 
 themselves on the carcase like a set of vultures, 
 and the work of butchery begins. It is not a 
 pleasant sight though ; moreover, one man, rejoic- 
 ing in the possession of a knife, perhaps gets on 
 
296 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 quicker than his fellow who is armed only with an 
 assegai, whereupon they quarrel, and the whole lot 
 are fighting and tearing, gesticulating and scream- 
 ing — making an unholy and indescribable din ; so 
 we leave them to themselves. 
 
 Supper over, we proceed to make merry by 
 way of finishing up the undertaking, and the walls 
 of the old shanty ring to the chorus of ' John Peel ' 
 and other ditties of world-wide and uproarious 
 fame ; and when such of us as are vocalists have 
 exhausted our stock-in-trade and everyone has 
 bawled himself hoarse, some of the natives — who 
 by this have devoured the unfortunate cow, I was 
 going to say even to the skin and horns — are got 
 in and go through their fantastic dance to the 
 accompaniment of a wild war song. The shindy 
 at last becomes deafening, and having had enough 
 of it we eject them ; then, rolling ourselves in 
 blankets, turn in beneath the counter of the store 
 — to sleep, if haply we may. 
 
 Next morning we return to Sand Spruit, and 
 once more the mldt is black with natives who have 
 borne part in the chase and are now on the way 
 home again. An example it behoves me to follow, 
 so taking leave of my brethren of the hunt I inspan 
 and resume the even tenour of my way. Umsinga 
 is left far behind, we cross the Tugela — this time 
 on the pontoon — and wind up the steep rocky 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 297 
 
 road, to halt on the top of the high ridge over- 
 looking Mooi river. And, next day, as we descend, 
 my thoughts go back to that hot sunny morning 
 we toiled up this very bit of road months before, 
 then starting on a new expedition, every yard in 
 front terra incognita. To-day it seems very much 
 cognita does that large tract of country over which 
 I have wandered and am now leaving behind, and 
 yet I am not half sorry to return to civilisation ; 
 albeit my trip, with all its ups and downs, has 
 been far from wearisome and replete with interest 
 throughout. Crossing the Mooi river we wind 
 through the wild and beautiful valley, and event- 
 ually reach Grey Town, where I part with Andries, 
 my right hand man, and plod quietly on with the 
 other two. Then, having covered the forty miles 
 of road between that place and Maritzburg, I ride 
 into the capital one fine afternoon, travel-stained 
 and externally the worse for wear, flannel-shirted 
 and corduroyed, with countenance fiercely tanned 
 and blistered by much exposure to the gentle rays 
 of a South African sun — in short, looking an awful 
 rufiian — but more thoroughly ' fit ' and in ruder 
 health than ever before in my life. 
 
 A week or two to rest and sell off, a run down 
 to Durban by rail, a few days there, then a bumping 
 over the ' bar,' and I am once more on board ship — 
 but, reader, I have not done with you just yet. 
 
298 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 CHAPTEE XXIV. 
 
 Cetywayo at * Oud* Molen ' — The King on John Dunn — Former posi- 
 tion of Cetywayo — Ncungcwane and the royal attendants — Home- 
 ward bound. 
 
 Last, but not least, was my visit to Cetywayo, at 
 the Cape. Armed with a pass from the Secretary 
 for Native Afiairs, without which no one is ad- 
 mitted, I took the train out to Mowbray and made 
 my way to ' Oude Molen,' otherwise described as 
 the ' State Prisoners' Location,' where the ex- 
 monarch of Zululand was in durance. About half 
 an hour's walk by a very roundabout way brought 
 me to the place, a building looking as if it might 
 have been a Dutch farmhouse, with stabling and 
 outhouses, but devoid of trees, and standing in the 
 midst of the open flat. 
 
 There was no lack of visitors to the ex-King ; 
 since the restrictions on seeing him were removed, 
 every day, nearly, one or more parties would 
 arrive at Oude Molen. Having awaited the de- 
 parture of one of these, I sent in my card to the 
 interpreter, Mr. Dunn, and was admitted. In a 
 front room destitute of furniture but a few chairs, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 299 
 
 sat the once redoubted potentate, a large, quiet- 
 looking man of between fifty and sixty, dressed in 
 a suit of light tweed, with a yellow embroidered 
 smoking cap on his head. Cetywayo is darker 
 than most Zulus, and has a broad, mtelligent face, 
 with good eyes and pleasing expression — on the 
 whole a well-looking man, dignified and courteous 
 in manner, as are nearly all Zulus of rank, and 
 though of large proportions, not corpulent or un- 
 meldy. The Zulu royal family is proverbial 
 among the nation for stateliness of carriage, and 
 the King is no exception, holding himself very 
 erect, with his head slightly thrown back, as 
 though accustomed to look upon those around 
 him as inferiors. 
 
 He shook hands, saying he was glad to see me, 
 but learning that I had just returned from Zulu- 
 land, his face became quite animated over the 
 prospect of hearing about all his old friends and 
 subjects, and through the courtesy of Mr. Dunn, 
 Cetywayo's official interpreter, we were able to 
 have a long chat. 
 
 ' It was good,' said the King ; ' where had I 
 been, and whom had I talked to ? ' 
 
 I began from the very first, and he listened 
 attentively, putting in a remark here and there, 
 and keeping up a running commentary throughout. 
 He seemed intimately acquainted with every foot of 
 
300 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the ground I had been over, and would stop me to 
 tell some little anecdote connected with any par- 
 ticular spot, or would give the personal or family- 
 history of some one I happened to name. Every 
 now and then his eyes twinkled, and a broad smile 
 would light up his countenance as he related some 
 comic incident regarding the person or persons 
 under discussion. Which goes to show that over 
 and above an intimate acquaintance with his 
 country and people, Cetywayo possesses a strong 
 vein of humour. 
 
 At that time the idea of the English visit had 
 been given up, and the unfortunate King was in a 
 state of dire depression. ' Why wouldn't we send 
 him back to his country? He would always be 
 friends with the English.' I ventured to hint at 
 his future policy in the event of restoration ; be- 
 sides, how could we depose the chiefs we had set 
 up in his place ? He replied that all Zululand, 
 chiefs and people alike, would hail his return ; 
 those who didn't want to live under him could 
 leave the country ; he would not punish any of 
 them for having taken part against him hitherto, 
 but if they refused to return to their allegiance, 
 they must leave his country. 
 
 I suggested that some of them might be unpre- 
 pared to acquiesce in so sweeping a change in their 
 fortunes — John Dunn and Sibepu for instance. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 301 
 
 ' As for John Dunn (he said), he had no follow- 
 ing ; a hundred or two of Natal natives. All the 
 Zulus of his clan belonged to him (Cetywayo), also 
 his wives and cattle, and they would all leave John 
 Dunn and come back to him ; but he didn't want 
 them. John Dunn might take all his wives and all 
 his cattle and leave the country.' This was hardly 
 a satisfactory answer — evidently the King was not 
 benevolently disposed towards his former ally. 
 
 On the subject of his restoration he was very 
 sore. ' Why didn't we allow him to go to England 
 and plead his own cause ? We promised to do so at 
 first and then put him off again. Why should we 
 not send him back to Zululand ? We had taken 
 him away because, we said, he killed his people, and 
 now we had set up chiefs who did far more killing 
 than he (Cetywayo) had ever done. Look at 
 Uhamu, how he had been " eating up" and killing 
 the Abaqulusi. I had been to Hlobane and must 
 know all about it. Did I know how many people 
 Uhamu had killed ? ' 
 
 I replied that I did not, for certain. 
 
 ' Eio^ht hundred or a thousand,' said the Kino'. 
 
 I expressed incredulity as to it being anything 
 like that number, but he stuck to it — over eight 
 hundred people had been killed by Uhamu ; he 
 (Cetywayo) knew it for certain, and could tell me 
 the actual names of many of the victims. When 
 
302 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 I passed Hlobane I could hardly have seen any 
 people about. On this point, however, I was able 
 to set him right, for the kraals in that neighbour- 
 hood were all occupied. 
 
 Knowing well how a story gains in process of 
 transmission among these people, much after the 
 manner of the proverbial snowball, especially if 
 self-interest leans to the side of exaggeration, I 
 remained unconvinced ; for although, from all 
 accounts, Uhamu had been ' washing his spears ' 
 pretty freely, I don't believe that as a matter of 
 fact his victims were much more than a tenth of 
 the number estimated by Cetywayo. 
 
 I had brought with me some photographs of 
 the King's attendants, in which he took great 
 interest, giving me their names and family history, 
 together with those of his women, whom I ex- 
 pressed a wish to see. Accordingly, they having 
 received due notice, I was shown into the next 
 room, where I found the ladies of the royal house- 
 hold, four in number, who, however, did not strike 
 me as being anything out of the common. They 
 were large, tall women, with a hard, not to say 
 sulky, expression, though under the circumstances 
 one could scarcely expect them to look cheerful. 
 Each had her Httle stock of manufactures spread 
 out on the floor, beadwork, grass spoons, &c., for 
 which, by the way, they demanded full price. I 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 303 
 
 selected a couple of the grass spoons, paying three 
 shillings a piece for the same — I could have got 
 them for a tenth of the value in Zululand, but 
 royalty has its privileges — and rejoicing their 
 hearts with a tin of snuff, I returned to their 
 lord. 
 
 Elsewhere in these pages I recorded my con- 
 viction that during his exile Cetywayo was about 
 the most popular man in Zululand, and now I 
 thought I quite saw the reason of this popularity. 
 He has a dignified presence, looking every inch a 
 king ; a genial and engaging manner, and now and 
 then his face would be hghted up with a pleasing, 
 good-humoured smile, giving one the impression 
 that he is a man of natural kindliness of heart. 
 That a savage ruler — ay, and a civilised one for 
 that matter — enjoying absolute despotism, should 
 not, under the impulses of sudden passion or 
 undoubted self-interest, be led into the perpetra- 
 tion of occasional acts of cruelty or severity, would 
 be too much to expect of fallen human nature. 
 But what I do say, judging from all I heard and 
 saw, is that Cetywayo is not an ill-dispositioned 
 man, of which, by the way, this fact is not a little 
 significant, that the only one of the Zulu kings who 
 ' died in his bed ' was Mpande, Cetywayo's father 
 •and predecessor ; and although for some time pre- 
 vious to that event Cetywayo's power and influence 
 
304 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 had been steadily increasing, yet he showed no 
 eagerness for his father's death nor made any 
 attempt to accelerate the same. Since his own 
 accession times have become more difficult and 
 dangerous every year, and what with Boer aggres- 
 sion on the one side and Natalian coldness and 
 distrust on the other, it may readily be understood 
 that the position of the Zulu King was not exactly 
 a bed of roses. But that he was animated with a 
 real desire for the welfare of his people and 
 naturally inclined for peace, I have ceased to enter- 
 tain any doubt. And now, as time goes on and the 
 public at large is beginning to take a dispassionate 
 view of the affair, I believe I am right in saying 
 that an increasing opinion is growing up that he 
 was largely the victim of surrounding circum- 
 stances, and that his downfall was not entirely due 
 to his own delinquencies or mistakes. Of one 
 thing I am confident, however ; that many and 
 many a potentate could be found with whom 
 Cetywayo would compare far from unfavour- 
 ably. 
 
 I took leave of the King, who expressed himself 
 glad to have seen me and to have heard all about 
 Zululand and his old friends. Some day perhaps, 
 he said, I should be coming to see him in his 
 own country (a hope that he would eventually be 
 restored kept cropping up throughout his conver- 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 305 
 
 sation) ; then he could receive me better, and 
 meanwhile I must be his friend and think well of 
 him. 
 
 Passing from the ' royal audience ' I looked 
 in upon the attendants, the principal of whom, 
 Ncungcwane, an elderly man with grizzled hair, is 
 a relation of the King ; most of them being men 
 of rank and fine specimens of their race. Poor 
 fellowSj how different they looked, huddling gloomy 
 and taciturn round the fire as the chill evening of 
 a Cape winter day drew in, to the cheerful, lively, 
 good-humoured people I had left in the sunshine 
 and free air on the green hills and plains of Zululand. 
 They brightened up considerably on hearing that I 
 had just been into their old haunts and among 
 their countrymen, and it seemed to me quite like 
 old times standing there, surrounded by the ringed 
 heads and kindly dark faces. But it was too late 
 for much indaba, so dividing a canister of snuff 
 amongst the group, I departed and made my way 
 back to the station. 
 
 Another twenty-four hours and I am on the 
 deck of the homeward-bound mail steamer, having 
 trodden South African soil for the last time. The 
 steam is up, the shore-bell rings, hurried ' good- 
 byes ' are exchanged, the swarming decks clear by 
 magic of three fourths of their living freight, and 
 amid a cheer from the crowd on the jetty the great 
 
 X 
 
3o6 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 ship moves off into the blue waters of Table Bay. 
 We pass Eobben Island with its lighthouse ; fainter 
 and indistinct grows the rocky wall of Table 
 Mountain till it fades into the gloom of night, and 
 we stand forth upon our course over the wide 
 ocean — en route for Old England. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 307 
 
 CHAPTER XXV. 
 
 Zululand under the Ulundi settlement — Restoration of Oetywayo — 
 Military system and tactics — Zulu opinion of the Boers — Zulu 
 character and physique — Religion and superstitions — Formation 
 and appearance of the country — Climate — Wild animals. 
 
 Passing reference has been made in these pages to a 
 feeling of unrest prevailing among the Zulus. As a 
 matter of fact the country at that time, though to all 
 appearances quiet and peaceful, was not really so ; 
 for beneath the outward calm lay a strong feeling 
 of discontent, but one degree removed from open 
 agitation and actual outbreak. 
 
 The results of what is known as the Ulundi 
 settlement had begun to make themselves felt. 
 The chiefs set up under that settlement being, with 
 few exceptions, absolute nobodies, were held in 
 scant honour, and were practically of but small 
 power in the land. Of those exceptions Uhamu 
 had earned the contempt of his countrymen by his 
 defection from their cause; Hlubi was an alien, and 
 never had any claim to the allegiance of a single 
 
 x2 
 
3o8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 Zulu ; leaving Tyingwayo, Sibepu, and John Dunn. 
 Powerful indunas like Mnyamane, who, by the 
 way, has the reputation of being the shrewdest 
 man in Zululand, were left out in the cold at the 
 time of the settlement of the country, and no 
 notice was taken of any of the King's brothers. 
 Small matter of surprise, then, is it that these 
 worthies, supremely dissatisfied, should sedulously 
 gather round them the disaffected, and hatch plots 
 for the restoration of Cetywayo, with whom had 
 departed their own former glory and prestige. 
 Whether there would have been so much outcry 
 for the royal restoration had the country been 
 portioned out between Mnyamane and four or five 
 other influential indunas is fair subject for con- 
 jecture ; I myself am inclined to think there would 
 not. But under the Ulundi settlement the popu- 
 lation soon became divided into two hostile camps, 
 sullenly watching each other with an ill-will they 
 were at no pains to conceal — the Usutu faction, 
 with Mnyamane and Ndabuku, Cetywayo's brother, 
 at its head, on the one hand ; on the other Sibepu, 
 John Dunn, and Uhamu • for the maintenance of 
 the Ulundi scheme ; while the remaining chiefs 
 either stood neutral and trimmed between the 
 rival parties, or attached themselves to the one or 
 the other according as self-interest prompted. 
 But the differing interests did more than sit and 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 309 
 
 growl at each otlier. Sibepu would threaten 
 Ndabuku, and, under colour of a row about some 
 cattle (always a fruitful source of quarrel in Zulu- 
 land), Mnyamane would make a raid upon Sibepu, 
 who, of course, would retaliate : meanwhile Uhamu 
 amused himself by ' eating up ' a clan of the 
 Abaqulusi in his own territory. The British Eesi- 
 dent, having no force at his disposal, could effect 
 little or nothing towards the adjustment of these 
 and other small differences ; and everyone appeared 
 to do pretty much as he chose. All seemed 
 tending, and that not slowly, in the direction of a 
 general blaze. 
 
 Then came a lull. A large Zulu deputation 
 started for Maritzburg, and, although it rather 
 ignominiously returned, yet the circumstance of 
 the people having an opportunity of even partially 
 making known their grievance formed, in a 
 measure, a safety-valve. Moreover, the idea of 
 Cetywayo's restoration had been entertained, soon 
 to take tangible shape in his visit to England. 
 Then the ' royalist ' chiefs in Zululand knew that 
 the desired restoration was but a question of time, 
 and that nothing would be gained meanwhile by 
 turbulence and rebellion. 
 
 And now that the King's rule has been re- 
 established, whether the looked-for result — to wit, 
 the re establishment of peace and contentment — is 
 
3IO THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 attained, must depend largely on the policy of the 
 future. That policy it is not within the province 
 of these pages to discuss. Suffice it to say, that 
 Cetywayo himself has no right to be dissatisfied 
 with the terms of his restoration or with the 
 territory allotted to him, the latter being far the 
 greater portion of his former dominion, the whole 
 of which by Zulu law of conquest belongs to us. 
 He could not expect to be put into precisely the 
 same position as before, after the expenditure of 
 blood and treasure we had made in order to remove 
 him from that position, and it must be borne in 
 mind that he was not himself entirely free from 
 blame in the matter of the late war ; wherefore, in 
 all reason, not to say wisdom, he and his people 
 should ' let well alone ' and be thankful. 
 
 Formerly looked up to as the despotic head of 
 the most invincible and dreaded of all the native 
 races, Cetywayo has lived to see his rule over- 
 thrown, his formidable armies scattered like chaff, 
 and himself carried off to languish in tedious and, 
 to one of his temperament, soul-wearing captivity, 
 only to be emancipated by suing at the very feet 
 of the Power whom in the heyday of his renown 
 he thought to resist. May we not infer that a 
 man of his shrewdness and sagacity will utilise the 
 experience he has gained — in short, will have learnt 
 a lesson. 
 
ITS BATTLEI^IELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 311 
 
 The military system was set up by Tyaka (or 
 Chaka), under whose influence the Zulus sprung 
 from the small insignificant race they were at the 
 beginning of the present century, into a nation of 
 warriors. They carried on an aggressive warfare 
 with the neighbouring tribes, extending their con- 
 quests far and wide : the assegai and the torch were 
 never at rest, and their name became a terror and 
 a scourge. Already was the Zulu army a mighty 
 and formidable engine when Dingane, Tyaka's 
 successor, was brought into collision with the emi- 
 grant Boers in 1838. Sanguinary conflicts with 
 the latter, as also the civil war which resulted in 
 the assassination of Dingane and the succession of 
 Mpande (Panda), Cetywayo's father, had somewhat 
 cooled their martial ardour ; and under the rule of 
 this King — a man of mild temper and easy-going 
 habits — a long period of peace ensued, broken only 
 by an occasional raid upon border tribes and the 
 outbreak in 1856 pursuant on the feud between 
 Cetywayo and his brother Umbulazi. 
 
 But the army, though unemployed, was not 
 disbanded. Nearly the whole nation was enrolled 
 in regiments according to age, and the military 
 system and tradition remained unbroken. As a 
 matter of fact, enrolment was not compulsory, 
 though one of those customs which are stronger 
 than law : it was open to anyone to decline to join 
 
312 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 the army, but once enlisted, implicit obedience was 
 exacted. Each regiment had its induna and its 
 subalterns, with a commander-in chief over the 
 whole, and there was a wonderful esprit de corps 
 throughout: indeed to such an extent did this 
 prevail, that a fight was imminent between any 
 two or more regiments on the occasion of a great 
 national gathering, though all petty differences 
 were sunk in the glory of marching against a 
 common foe. 
 
 The tactics employed with such terrible effect 
 against our troops are identical with those of the 
 armies of Tyaka and Dingane ; the outflanking 
 and surrounding, the fierce, resistless, overwhelm- 
 ing rush, and the merciless destruction in the hour 
 of victory of every living thing. But in one respect 
 the mode of procedure has undergone a change. 
 Tyaka led his warriors in person ; now the induna 
 in command posts himself on a hill whence he can 
 overlook the scene of operations, with his staff 
 around him ; for there is a regular staff system con- 
 sisting mainly of the head indunas of each of the 
 various regiments, who, as a rule, are only a kind 
 of ' honorary ' colonel — the sub-chiefs doing all 
 the actual work. If he sees fit, he despatches one 
 or more of these down to communicate his plans 
 or to effect a rally should there be signs of wavering 
 at any particular point. In the event of defeat the 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 313 
 
 greater indunas lose no time in exemplifying the 
 latter half of an old proverb — in a word, they run 
 away and live to fight another day, or rather to 
 see that their subordinates fight. But although 
 the martial spirit is still alive in Zululand — every 
 man will tell you with some pride to what regiment 
 he belongs — cohesion has been completely destroyed 
 by the many differing and rival interests wliich have 
 cropped up within the last three years, and to re- 
 organise the army on the old lines would be to-day 
 next to an impossibility. I say to-day, because, as 
 before stated, the events of the future must depend 
 on the policy of the future. 
 
 One fine quality which the Zulus possess is a 
 readiness to forgive and forget. They bear no 
 malice, and, considering that, whether rightly or 
 wrongly, we invaded their country, slaughtered 
 thousands of their best warriors, burnt their 
 kraals, carried off their king, and reduced them — 
 the most powerful nation in Southern Africa — to 
 the condition of a conquered race, it is surprising 
 how little resentment is entertained towards us. 
 They say it was all the ' fortune of war,' ' it is past, 
 and there's an end of it,' and they welcome the 
 Englishman wherever he goes with the same 
 cheerful and hearty greeting. 
 
 But this goodwill in no wise extends to their 
 Transvaal neighbours, whom they hold in abhor- 
 
314 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 rence. The very mention of the Boers would evoke 
 strong expressions of contempt and detestation, and 
 when pressed for a reason it was everywhere the 
 same story. ' They are mean, and liars — always 
 on the look-out to steal our land.' One chief told 
 me he would like nothing better than to be allowed 
 to lead an im'pi against the Amahuna (Boers). 
 ' But,' I objected, just to see what he would say, 
 ' don't you know that they defeated us at Majuba ? ' 
 ' Yes,' was the reply, ' but the English could 
 have eaten them up afterwards if they had chosen. 
 We defeated the English at Isandhlwana, but where 
 are we now? So it would have been with the 
 Amahuna' 
 
 This was looking at the affair in its proper 
 light, which I found the Zulus did as a rule ; not 
 being at all inclined to rate Dutch prowess any 
 higher because it had proved too much for us 
 under certain circumstances. 
 
 The Zulu character has been greatly misrepre- 
 sented. We have been accustomed to look upon 
 this unfortunate nation as a horde of fierce un- 
 tameable barbarians whose every thought is of, 
 war ; rapine and massacre its summum bonum of 
 existence, and among whom the most ordinary 
 virtues are unknown — and upon its king as a 
 tyrannical despot and a monster of cruelty. In- 
 stead, what do we find ? A quiet, kindly, light- 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE, 315 
 
 hearted race ; sober, cleanly, and honest — loyally- 
 attached, too, to its exiled King, supposed to be 
 such a detestable tyrant. It would be idle, of 
 course, not to expect occasional turbulence and 
 disquietude among a brave, warlike people with 
 great mihtary traditions, but I maintain that the 
 Zulu is by nature of a quiet and kindly disposition, 
 not wanting in generosity, and good-humoured to 
 a degree ; in short, far from being a mere brutal 
 savage. He has his faults indeed, and if merciless 
 and cruel in the madness and exultation of victory, 
 at any rate it is the blind ferocity of the wild beast 
 whose rage is satiated with the death of an enemy, 
 not the refined barbarity of the Red Indian or 
 the Oriental delighting in the prolonged torments 
 of his victim. 
 
 The physique of the Zulus has been much ex- 
 aggerated. They are by no means the brawny 
 athletes of popular notion and illustrated periodi- 
 cal, it being, in fact, the rarest thing to find a man 
 with any extraordinary development of biceps ; as 
 a rule they are smooth-limbed rather than other- 
 wise, though tall and well built. But they make 
 up for muscular deficiency by a wonderful supple- 
 ness and agility, being lithe and active as wild cats, 
 and with a hardihood and constitution of iron. 
 And they are fine-looking — in many instances 
 handsome — men, with erect, graceful carriage and 
 
3i6 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 considerable dignity of aspect. You never, for 
 instance, see a Zulu with head sunk on his chest, 
 or bandy-legged, or with a stoop in the shoulders. 
 As adversaries, man for man they are not more 
 formidable than any other race ; it is the moral 
 effect — on themselves no less than on their enemies 
 — of the trained and disciplined regiments, the 
 honour and glory of which, in a measure, each 
 man feels to be centred in himself; the mighty 
 army in all its savage panoply, and the great 
 traditions at its back — this is what renders the 
 Zulu attack so terrific and irresistible. 
 
 As regards religion the Zulus may be said to 
 hold no definite belief whatever. They have no 
 temples, no idols or gods of any kind, no priests or 
 altars, and no recognised or national cult. They 
 have a hazy belief in a Supreme Being whom they 
 call ' Nkulu'nkulu,' ' the Great Great One,' and a 
 vague tradition about creation ; otherwise they are 
 given to superstition of various kinds. You never 
 meet a single Zulu abroad at night, very rarely any 
 at all ; if forced then to travel they go in a body. 
 What they are afraid of they hardly know ; goblins 
 are supposed to be disporting themselves whom 
 it is well not to meet ; wherefore they do their 
 journeying by day. I had a considerable amount 
 of night travelling, but not one instance can I 
 recollect of meeting a Zulu on the road an hour 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS FEOFIE. 317 
 
 after dark. Nor would they stay, if talking to me 
 at sundown, unless their kraal was very near indeed, 
 and only then if it was a bright moonlight even- 
 ing. 
 
 They are great believers in witchcraft and the 
 power of the evil eye. If any one is seized with 
 an illness at all out of the common, it is tagati 
 (witchcraft), and the izanusi (doctors) perform 
 their incantations over the hapless patient by way 
 of exorcising the evil spirit ; for which ' professional 
 attendance ' the rascals take care that they are 
 well remunerated. In the event of a chief or man 
 of rank being afflicted, a ' smelhng out ' takes 
 place, and after much ceremonial, which has been 
 too often described to need reiteration here, the 
 soothsayers, singling out some obnoxious person, 
 denounce him as the offender ; whereupon his cattle 
 and goods are confiscated, and he and his family are 
 fortunate if allowed to escape with their lives. 
 That tyrannical quackery of this kind should be 
 thus deeply rooted in the minds of a people other- 
 wise so shrewd is simply amazing. They firmly 
 believed in the inspiration of the izanusi, and 
 although no man knew but what his turn would 
 come next, yet they all acquiesced in the practice 
 of ' smelling out ' as a national institution wherein 
 nothing could shake their faith. 
 
 Signs and omens play an important part in 
 
3i8 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 their scheme. Phenomena in the heavens, unusual 
 meteorological occurrences, the flight of a parti- 
 cular bird, and a hundred other trifles constitute 
 omens of greater or less importance, to explain 
 which the ' spirits ' must be consulted and sacrifices 
 — generally of cattle — offered upon the graves of 
 departed chiefs. Of a future state they have little 
 if any idea, and, as before mentioned, they have a 
 vague behef in the Deity, but of definite rehgion or 
 recognised cult the Zulus have none. 
 
 The formation of the country is capricious in 
 the extreme ; elevated and smooth table-lands 
 suddenly alternating with broad valleys and lofty 
 mountains, and where least expected yawn deep 
 rifts. It is not a well wooded region on the whole. 
 Bush abounds in more or less profusion in the 
 basins formed by the valleys of the greater rivers 
 and in the tropical heat of the low-lying coast 
 lands, but the larger portion of the country is 
 open and treeless. A fine pasture land and well 
 watered, but the broad plains and rounded slopes, 
 waving with tall luxuriant grass, seem rather fitted 
 for grazing than for purposes of cultivation. 
 
 What may be the hidden resources of the 
 country I can only conjecture. Coal is talked of, 
 and I did happen to hear significant hints about 
 gold being found in such and such a place ; as to 
 its existence I have no doubt, whether in quantities 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 319 
 
 sufficient to prove remunerative is another thing. 
 Some of the rivers have every appearance of being 
 auriferous, notably the Ityotyozi, which flows over 
 a fine sandy bed, through an alluvial soil studded 
 with quartz. A prospecting party visited this river 
 about a year after the war, but the results not 
 being encouraging the undertaking was abandoned. 
 
 In the matter of climate, though warm in sum- 
 mer, it is far from unhealthy, and the nights are 
 delicious. In the low-lying coast country the heat 
 is great, and has all the damp, enervating feeling of 
 tropical latitudes, to which may be due the circum- 
 stance of the natives on the high open ' steppes ' of 
 northern and western Zululand being far superior 
 in physique and character to their brethren of the 
 coast. The winter months, May, June, and July, 
 are exceedingly cold ; keen, biting winds sweep 
 across the treeless wastes, and snow and sleet are 
 of no infrequent occurrence. 
 
 Of wild animals and birds the greater variety is 
 met with in the bush country. The rhebok and 
 stembok are to be shot on the open undulating 
 plains, which also abound in quail, with here and 
 there a sprinkling of partridges. The pauw and 
 the koorhaan — both * leery ' birds — whom you may 
 stalk at early morn in the long soaking grass till 
 wet to the skin, but not by a foot can you diminish 
 that reprehensible fifty yards which is to bring you 
 
320 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY: 
 
 within range, and your quarry, tired at length of 
 dragging you through the penetrating dew, heaves 
 up its great carcase and flaps off with a peevish 
 yell. The crane, with his blue slaty plumage, stalks 
 solemnly about ; and the plover circles overhead 
 in the gloaming, sounding his shrill pipe. Spreuws 
 whistle among the krantzes, the dainty sugar-bird ^ 
 dips his long needle-like bill into the red tubes of 
 the aloe blossoms, and the reed beds and bushes 
 overhanging river or water-hole are ah ve with the 
 twittering of clouds of yellow ' finks ' whose pendu- 
 lous nests sway and dip in the breeze. Birds of 
 prey, too, from the huge cinereous vulture and the 
 crested eagle to the little red kestrel, soar above 
 the waste. 
 
 The bark of the bushbuck echoes through 
 black, wooded ravines among whose caves • and 
 frowning krantzes the savage leopard makes his 
 home ; monkeys skip amid the gnarled boughs of 
 the yellow-wood trees ; jackals share the ground 
 burrows with the ant bear and the porcupine, and 
 the large striped hysena howls along the river bank 
 in the moonlight. The dark forests of Ingome 
 still afford cover to the beautiful koodoo with his 
 long spiral horns, and their wild recesses are not 
 guiltless of lions. Northward the lonely lagoons 
 around San Lucia Bay resound with the splash 
 
 ^ A species of humming- bird. 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 321 
 
 and snort of the hippopotamus, and in the reed- 
 fringed pools and quiet depths of the larger rivers 
 dwell the crocodile and iguana. Of serpents, the 
 cobra, the puff adder, and the mamba are the most 
 dangerous, but except in certain localities are not 
 common enough to constitute any real source of 
 peril. 
 
 Hardly a land that one would visit in quest of 
 sport — albeit with dogs and appliances a keen 
 sportsman who laid himself out therefor would 
 not do badly in this line — to the traveller it is full 
 of interest. The inhabitants are an intelligent and 
 kindly disposed race ; above all, the climate is 
 healthy, and anybody desiring a complete change 
 and a few months of life in the open air, might do 
 worse than follow my example and go ' Through 
 the Zulu Country.' 
 
322 THROUGH THE ZULU COUNTRY. 
 
 CONCLUSION. 
 
 The weather is fine and the sea calm, and no event 
 worth noticing breaks the even monotony of the 
 voyage, which is similar in most respects to that 
 described in the opening chapters of this narrative. 
 In due course we pass beneath the lofty peak of 
 Teneriffe ; Madeira, with its noisy crowd of peddling 
 natives, is left behind, and ploughing through the 
 now calm waters of the dreaded Bay we drop 
 anchor in Plymouth Sound. 
 
 But how difierent is the scene to when we last 
 were here. Then, the fierce sou'westerly gale 
 tearing through the leafless trees and lashing up 
 the chill, leaden waters. Now, the golden glory of 
 a sumnaer evening falls upon green pasture land 
 and luxuriant woods fringing down to the water's 
 edge ; the sinking sun sparkles upon the dancing 
 waves and darts his last beams afar upon the 
 snowy wings of some stately ship standing up 
 Channel. 
 
 Very pleasant to look upon is that fair Devon- 
 shire coast, as having landed the mails we weigh 
 anchor again for Southampton. Very pleasant, 
 
ITS BATTLEFIELDS AND ITS PEOPLE. 323 
 
 with its green meadows and golden cornlands, and 
 its villages nestling in the bays ; while each bold 
 headland stretches out towards you as though in 
 welcome. The night falls and the red eye of a 
 lighthouse gleams out upon the darkening sea, rival- 
 ling the starry lamps which appear one by one in 
 the dim vault overhead. A few more hours of 
 quiet, and then — presto — I am transported, as by 
 the wave of a magic wand, from the lone, silent 
 heart of a savage country into the din and turmoil 
 of the metropohs of the world. 
 
 Eeader, the best of friends must part, nor are 
 you and I exceptions to the inexorable rule. We 
 have been together in many wanderings, and if the 
 perusal of these pages has enabled you to pass an 
 agreeable hour or awakened your interest in 
 persons and places hitherto unthought of, they 
 will not have been written in vain. 
 
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