The Young Colonists: A Story of the Zulu and Boer Wars Page 8

had been reported, indeed, that the king wasdetermined upon resistance, but it was thought probable that he mightyield at the last moment, and the road leading down to the drift on theother side of the river was anxiously watched.

  As the hours went on and no messenger was seen approaching, the spiritsof the troops rose, for there is nothing that soldiers hate so much as,after enduring the fatigues preparatory to the opening of a campaign,the long marches, the wet nights, and other privations and hardships,for the enemy to yield without a blow. Men who had been in thecampaigns of Abyssinia and Ashanti told their comrades how on bothoccasions the same uncertainty had prevailed as to the intentions of theenemy up to the last moment; and the fact that in both campaigns theenemy had at the last moment resolved to fight, was hailed as a sort ofpresage that a similar determination would be arrived at by the Zuluking.

  To the boys these days passed very pleasantly; they had nothing to dobut to wander about the camp and watch the proceedings. There was aparade of the two native regiments before the general, who was muchpleased with their appearance, and who exhorted them on no account tokill women, children, or prisoners.

  Among these native regiments were curiously many Zulus; for greatnumbers of this people had at various times been obliged to take refugein Natal, to avoid the destruction threatened them by their despoticking, and these were now eager to fight against their late monarch.

  Some of the bodies of volunteer horse were very smart and soldier-likein their appearance. They were for the most part composed of youngfarmers, and Dick and Tom bitterly regretted that they had not been afew years older, in which case, instead of looking after a lot of bulls,as Dick contemptuously said, they might have been riding in the ranks ofthe volunteers.

  By the regulars the two days were spent in cleaning their arms andaccoutrements, whose burnish and cleanliness had suffered much in thelong wet march, and from the bivouacs on the damp ground.

  After marching from Grey Town with the 24th the boys had been placedregularly on the roll of the army, as conductors, and, although theydrew no pay, had now the advantage of receiving rations as white men.They had upon the line of march frequently chatted with the youngofficers of the regiment, who, finding that they were the sons ofwell-to-do farmers and were cheery, high-spirited lads, took to themvery much, and invited them of an evening to join them round thecamp-fire.

  The last day came, and still no messenger arrived from Cetewayo, and inthe evening orders were issued that the column should at daybreak passthe drift and advance into the enemy's country. The troops laid downthat night in high spirits, little dreaming of the disaster which was tobefall them in the campaign which they thought of so lightly.

  CHAPTER FIVE.

  ISANDULA.

  At two o'clock on the morning of the 11th of January the bugle soundedthe reveille and the troops prepared to cross the Buffalo. Tents werestruck, baggage piled on the waggons, and the regiments stood to arms athalf-past four. The native contingent crossed first. The cavalrybrigade under Lieutenant-Colonel Russell placed their ammunition on apontoon and rode over. The river was in some places up to the necks ofthe infantry, and even the cavalry were nearly swept away. The firstand second battalions of the 24th crossed on the pontoons. The thirdregiment of the native contingent threw out skirmishers, but could findno trace of the enemy.

  A heavy storm had come on at daybreak, but this left off at nineo'clock. Lieutenant-Colonel Buller, commanding the Frontier LightHorse, now rode in from the camp of Colonel Wood's force, which hadcrossed the Blood River and had encamped in Zululand at a spot aboutthirty-two miles distant. Lord Chelmsford rode over there with anescort of the Natal Mounted Police and the Natal Carabineers, who ontheir return captured three hundred head of cattle, several horses, anda number of sheep and goats. During the day the waggons, oxen, andambulances were brought across the river on the platoon.

  Early next morning the 1st battalion of the 1st Native Regiment, fourcompanies of the 1st battalion of the 24th, and 300 of the irregularhorse started on a reconnaissance towards the kraal of Sirayo, the chiefwhose sons had been the greatest offenders in the raids into Natal. Thecavalry were thrown out in skirmishing order, and after marching ninemiles they descended into the slope of the valley in which Sirayo'skraals were situated. The enemy were heard singing their war-songs inone of the ravines, and the 3rd Native Regiment advanced against themwith the 24th in reserve. The Zulus opened fire as they approached, andso heavy was this that many of our natives turned and ran; they wererallied, however, and with a rush carried the caves in which the Zuluswere lurking.

  In the meantime the 24th's men had moved round to the head of theravine, and cut off the enemy's retreat. There was a skirmish betweenthe cavalry and some mounted Zulus, and six of these, including a son ofSirayo, were killed. Thirty horses and 400 head of cattle werecaptured.

  The next day was spent in cleaning up arms and accoutrements, after theheavy rain which had fallen the preceding week, and several days werespent in making the roads passable for the waggons.

  On the 20th the force moved forward, leaving one company of the 2ndbattalion of the 24th, under Lieutenant Bromhead, with some engineersand a few natives to guard the ford and look after the platoons, andgarrison the store and hospital. The column camped at Isandula, or, asit is more properly called, Isandwhlana, ten miles distant from Rorke'sDrift. A portion of the road was extremely rough, and the waggons hadthe greatest difficulty in making their way forward.

  The spot selected for a camping-ground was a wide flat valley, withhills on the left and undulating ground on the right; almost in thecentre rose an isolated hill, perpendicular on three sides, and verysteep and difficult on the fourth. The camp was pitched in front ofthis hill, looking down the valley, with a mile of open country betweenit and the hills on the left.

  The camp was formed in the following order: on the left were the twobattalions of the 3rd Native Regiment; the Royal Artillery were in thecentre; next to these was the 2nd battalion of the 24th. The line wasthen taken up by the cavalry, with the 1st battalion of the 24th on theright of the whole. The waggons were all placed between the camp andthe hill at the back.

  By a strange and criminal neglect no attempt was made to intrench thisposition, although it was known that the column might at any moment beattacked by the Zulus.

  It was determined that the greater part of the force should advance thenext morning towards a stronghold, ten miles distant from the camp,straight down the valley. News had come that a large number of Zuluswere at this spot, and it was supposed that these would fight. Thecolumn consisted of eight companies of each of the battalions of the 3rdNative Regiment, with the greater part of the cavalry.

  The force started early and marched for three hours down the valley.Here they came on much cultivated ground, but the kraals had beendeserted by the enemy. At four o'clock, as the cavalry were skirmishingat a distance on both flanks, they came upon a body of Zulus about 2000strong. The horse fell back upon the infantry, but, as it was now late,Major Dartnell decided to encamp for the night, and to attack in themorning. A messenger was despatched into camp with a report of theday's proceedings, and some provisions and blankets were sent out, withnews that the general would join the troops with reinforcements in themorning.

  At daybreak he left the camp at Isandula with seven companies of the 2ndbattalion of the 24th, and orders were sent to Colonel Durnford, atRorke's Drift, to bring up 200 mounted men and his rocket-battery, whichhad reached that spot.

  The Zulus were seen in all directions, and a good deal of skirmishingtook place. By a gross neglect, equal to that which was manifested inthe omission to fortify the camp, no steps whatever were taken to keepup communication between the column, which now consisted of the greaterpart of the troops, and those who remained at the camp at Isandula. Nosignallers were placed on the hills, no mounted videttes were posted,and the column marched on, absorbed in its own skirmishes with theenemy, as if the general in command had forgotte
n the very existence ofthe force at Isandula. Even in the middle of the day, when the firingof cannon told that the camp was attacked, no steps were taken toascertain whether reinforcements were needed there, and it was not untilhours after all was over that a party was despatched to ascertain whathad taken place at the camp.

  Upon the day on which the two native regiments advanced, the two boysfelt the time hang heavy on their hands; they would have liked to taketheir guns and go out to shoot some game for their dinners, but allshooting had been strictly forbidden, as the sound of a gun might causea false alarm. After hanging about the camp for an hour or two, Dickproposed that they should climb the hill which rose so steeply behindthem.

  "If the columns have any fighting," he said, "we should be sure to seeit from the top."

  Borrowing a telescope from one of the officers of the volunteer cavalry,they skirted round to the back of the hill, and there began their climb.It was very steep, but after some