UNIVERSITY OF 
 
 KOKTi-J CA PU NA 
 
 School o± Library 
 
 Science 
 
THE 
 
 YOUNG COLONISTS 
 
 By G. A. HENTY, 
 
 Author of "Jack Archer," "The Young Buglers," "The Boy 
 Knight," etc., etc. 
 
 CHICAGO: 
 
 M. A. DONOHUE & CO. 
 
 407-429 Dearborn St. 
 
CEJUOtt 
 
 - I 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER I. paqbs 
 
 ASnow Drift < 1 
 
 CHAPTER II. 
 The Red Flag 13> 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 The Farm 2& 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 The Outbreak of War ,. , 38- 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 Isandula. , , 5& 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 Zlobani 60 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 Kambula 8a 
 
 CHAPTER VIII. 
 The Second Advance « 94 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 Ulundi 108- 
 
 CHAPTER X. 
 A Trading Expedition... , 120 
 
 CHAPTER XI. 
 A Troop of Lions 134 
 
 CHAPTER XII. 
 An Attack by Elephants 147 
 
 CHAPTER XIIL 
 J Brash with the Natives 160 
 
 696747 
 
iy CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 Trapped in a Defile 173 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 A Mountain Torrent , 185 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 A Fight with the Boers 198 
 
 CHAPTER XVII. 
 A Terrible Journey 208 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 The Boer Insurrection 219 
 
 CHAPTER XIX. 
 The Garrisons in the Transvaal 228 
 
 CHAPTER XX. 
 kaing's Neck...,- 238 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 CHAPTEE I. 
 
 A SNOW DRIFT. 
 
 The country round Castleton, in Derbyshire, is greatly 
 admired by summer tourists, for it lies in the wildest 
 part of that county; but in winter the wind whistles 
 sharply over the bleak hills — where there are no trees to 
 break its violence — the sheep huddle under the shelter of 
 the roughly-built stone walls, and even lovers of the 
 picturesque would at that season prefer a more level and 
 wooded country. The farm of Mr. Humphreys was situ- 
 ated about a mile from Castleton. It consisted of one 
 hundred acres or so of good land in the bottom, and of 
 five or six times as much upland grazing on the hills. 
 Mr. Humphreys owned as well as farmed his land, and 
 so might have claimed, had he chosen, the title of gen- 
 tleman-farmer; but he himself would have scoffed at such 
 an idea. He was a hard-working, practical farmer, about 
 over his ground from morning to night save when the 
 hounds met within easy distance in winter; then he 
 would moukt "Kobin," who served alike as hunter, or 
 hack, or to drive in the neat dogcart to Buxton market; 
 and, although there were many handsomer horses in the 
 field, Mr. Humphreys was seldom far off when the fox 
 was killed. 
 
 His faini'y consisted of his wife and two sons; the 
 
2 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 eldest, Richard, was about fourteen years old. His 
 brother, John, was three years younger. Both went to 
 school at Castleton. The younger boy was fond of hia 
 books; he had always been weak and delicate, and, being 
 unable to spend his time in active exercise out of doors, 
 he was generally to be found reading by the fire in win- 
 ter, or lying on the ground in summer under a tree in 
 the orchard, with his chin on his hand, and the book 
 before him. Richard had no literary taste; he managed 
 to scrape through his work and keep a moderate place in 
 his class, somewhere about halfway down; but he threw 
 his whole heart into outdoor exercise, and was one of the 
 best bats in the school, although there were many there 
 older by years. He knew every foot of the hills, could 
 tell every bird by its note, and knew all about their nests 
 and eggs. Except in school, or perhaps during the long 
 winter evenings, it was rare indeed to find Dick with a 
 book in his hand. 
 
 "You will never set the Thames on fire, Dick," his 
 father would say to him. 
 
 "I shall never want to, father," he would reply. "I 
 do not see that learning will ever be much good to me." 
 
 "That is a foolish idea, Dick. A great deal of the 
 learning that boys get at school is of no actual value in 
 pounds, shillings, and pence. It is not the fact of know- 
 ing Latin and Greek and mathematics which benefits a 
 man; but it is the learning of them. It is the discipline 
 to the mind which is of benefit. The mind is like the 
 body. There is no use in cricket, or in boating, or in 
 hunting, but these things strengthen the body and make 
 it active and healthy, and able to do better everything 
 which it undertakes, and it is exactly the same thing 
 with the mind; besides, the days are coming when 
 farmers must farm their land with science and intelli- 
 gence, or they will be left behind in the race. We are 
 
TEE YOUXiG COLONISTS. 3 
 
 being rivaled by the farmers of America. Not only do 
 we have to pay rent, but by the tithes and rates and 
 taxes they put upon us government makes the English 
 farmer pay a heavy tax upon every bushel of corn he pro- 
 duces, while they allow the American corn to come into 
 the market tax-free. This may be all right, but it does 
 not appear fair to me. However, there it is, and we 
 have got to meet it, and if we are to keep our heads 
 above water, it can only be by farming up to the very 
 best lights of the day." 
 
 "Well, father," Dick said, "then it seems to me that 
 when we grow up John and I must farm together. He 
 shall be the scientific partner; I will do the work." 
 
 "That is all right enough, Dick, but you must have 
 some science too, else you and he will never get on. You 
 •would want to go on in the old-fashioned groove, and 
 •would call his ideas new-fangled. No, I intend you, 
 when you get old enough, to go to Cirencester College, 
 •where you will learn the theory and science of farming 
 thoroughly. You will get the practical part at home. 
 As to John, he is a child yet, and, I trust, will grow up 
 strong and active; but if his tastes remain as they now 
 are, I do not think it likely he will take to farming, and 
 we must find some other career for him." 
 
 One afternoon in the beginning of December two of 
 Dick's schoolfellows said to him: 
 
 "We are going over the hills to our uncle's farm, 
 Dick. Will you go with us?" 
 
 When there was nothing better to do Dick was always 
 ready for a walk, and he at once agreed to accompany 
 the Jacksons. The elder boy was about his own age, the 
 younger two years his junior. 
 
 The Jacksons called for him directly he had finished 
 his dinner, and they started away together for a farm 
 which was about four miles distant. They struck right 
 
4 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 across the hills, as it would have been two miles longer 
 by the nearest road. 
 
 "I should not be surprised/' Dick said, "if it were to 
 snow to-night; it is bitterly cold, and the clouds look 
 very heavy." 
 
 "I hope it won't snow until we get back," James^, the 
 younger of the brothers, remarked. 
 
 "I don't know," Dick answered, looking at the clouds. 
 "I should not be surprised if it began at any moment." 
 
 The wind was blowing strongly. The hills were high 
 and steep, and, although the boys made their best speed, 
 it was considerably over an hour before they reached the 
 farm. They had started at two, and it was now a quar- 
 ter past three. Mr. Jackson was out. The boys deliv- 
 ered the message with which they had been charged to 
 their aunt. 
 
 "Now," she said, "I will cut you each a hunch of 
 cake, and when you have eaten that and had a glass of 
 fresh milk you had best start at once. It is bitterly cold, 
 and we are going to have snow. The sooner you are 
 home the better." 
 
 The boys now ate their cake. Mrs. Jackson came to 
 the door with them. Then she said, as the first flake of 
 snow fell: 
 
 "I am not sure, boys, that you had not better stay here 
 all night." 
 
 The boys laughed. 
 
 "Why, what would they say at home? They would 
 just be in a way about us." 
 
 "Well, at any rate, you had better go by the road." 
 
 "Oh, that is two miles further at least. We should 
 not get home until long after dark. We shan't be an 
 hour by the hills. We know every foot of the way." 
 
 "Well, good-by, then. Make as much haste as you 
 can." 
 
THE TOUiWG COLONISTS. 5 
 
 Fof half a aiile their way led along the road, then they 
 scrambled over a wall and began to ascend the barren 
 hillside. The snow was falling fast now. Thicker and 
 thicker it came down, and when, hot and panting, they 
 reached the top of the hill, the wind blew the flakes so 
 fiercely into their faces that they were half-blinded, and 
 were obliged to turn their backs to the gale while they 
 got breath. For half an hour they struggled on. They 
 could scarcely see ten paces before them through the 
 driving snow, and in every sheltered spot white patches 
 rapidly began to form. 
 
 "How different things look in a snowstorm!" Dick 
 said, as they stopped for breath and shelter under the 
 lee of a wall. "I don't know, Tom, but I am not quite 
 sure that we are going straight; I do not know what wall 
 this is." 
 
 "No more do I," Tom Jackson replied. "I felt quite 
 sure that we were going right at first, but somehow I 
 don't think so now." 
 
 "I wish the snow would stop for a minute," Dick said, 
 "just to let us have a look round. If I could see a hun- 
 dred yards I am sure I should know where we are. 
 What is the matter with you, James; what are you blub- 
 bering about?" 
 
 "My feet are so cold; they hurt dreadfully." 
 
 "Oh, never mind," Dick said. "Come, boys, push 
 along, and'we shall soon be home." 
 
 Again they started with heads bent to face the storm. 
 
 "It is getting dark awfully fast," Tom Jackson said. 
 
 "It is, and no mistake. Come, let us have a trot. 
 Come on, young one." 
 
 But although Dick spoke hopefully, he was not as 
 confident as he appeared. He was sure now that, they 
 had lost the way. They might not, he hoped, be far off 
 the track; but he knew that they were not following the 
 precise line by which they came. 
 
6 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 It was now nearly dark. The snow was fai:..^ thicker 
 than ever, and the ground, except upon the uplands 
 exposed to the full force of the wind, was covered with a 
 white mantle. 
 
 On arriving at the bottom of a steep hill they stopped 
 again. 
 
 "Do you know where we are, Tom?" 
 
 "Not in the least," Tom answered. 
 
 "This ought to be the last valley," Dick said, "and 
 after one more climb we ought to go straight down into 
 Castleton. Don't you remember in that valley there 
 were a lot of sheep in a fold, with a wall round it? If 
 we can find that we shall know that we are right. It is 
 near the bottom, so we shall not miss it. Which way 
 shall we turn — left or right?" 
 
 "Let us try the left first," Tom said. 
 
 They walked for half a mile, gradually ascending. 
 
 "It is not this way," Tom said at last. "We are get- 
 ting to the head of the valley. What are you doing, 
 James?" as the young boy, who had been sobbing for 
 some time, threw himself on the snow. 
 
 "I cannot go any further," he murmured. "I am so 
 cold, and so tired, and so sleepy." 
 
 "Oh, nonsense!" Dick said. "Here, take hold of his 
 arm, Tom, and lift him up; give him a good shake; he 
 must go on; he would die if he stopped here." 
 
 The two lads raised the younger boy, and half-support- 
 ing, half-dragging him, turned and retraced their foot- 
 steps. 
 
 It was pitch dark now, and they could not see a yard 
 before them. For some time they continued their way. 
 
 "There is no shepherd's hut. Certainly, this is not 
 the valley. What on earth are we to do?" 
 "I don't know," Tom said, beginning to cry. 
 "Shut up, Tom Jackson. What are you thinking 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 7 
 
 about? This is no time for howling like a baby; you' 
 have got to think of what is best to do. It is no use 
 climbing the next hill, for we might be going away from 
 home, instead of getting nearer. Besides, we should 
 have to haul Jimmy up, for he can scarcely stand now; 
 and, although it is bitterly cold here, it would be worse 
 on the top of the hill. No, We have got to stop here all 
 night, that is clear." 
 
 "We shall be dead before morning!" Tom roared. 
 
 "I will hit you in the eye, Tom Jackson, if you don't 
 shut up; you are as bad as a girl; I am ashamed of you. 
 Now, what we have got to do is to find some sort of 
 shelter, either a wall or bush, and we must keep on until 
 we come to something. JKeep awake, Jimmy; we shan't 
 have much further to go, and then you can lie down 
 quietly." 
 
 They went on for a bit. 
 
 "It is no use," Dick said. "They don't put walls 
 across bottoms; more likely to find one either to the 
 right or left. Now, Tom, you stop here for a minute or 
 two, and I will look about; you keep shouting every 
 minute, so that I can find my way back to you." 
 
 Turning off, he began to ascend the next hill, and in 
 two or three minutes shouted the glad news to Tom that 
 he had found the wall; then he returned. 
 
 Jimmy, cheered at the prospect of lying down, made 
 an effort, and they soon reached the wall. 
 
 Like most of the walls in Derbyshire, it wa^; formed of 
 flat stones laid without mortar, some four feet high. 
 
 "Now, Tom, set to work; get some stones off the wall 
 on both sides, and build up two other walls against this; 
 three feet wide inside will do, and just long enough to 
 lie in. Here, Jimmy, you help; it will keep you awake, 
 and, you see, the higher we make the walls the snugger 
 it will be; we will have quite a nice house." 
 
8 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 The boys all set to work, and in half an hour three 
 walls were built. At the point where the two side walls 
 touched the other they were three feet high, and sloped 
 down to two at the lower end. 
 
 "Now, Jimmy, you chuck the snow out. Tom and I 
 will go, one each way, along the wall; likely enough we 
 may come upon some bushes — they often grow in shelter 
 of the walls: if we can find a few sticks we will cover the 
 house over. Lots of these stones are a couple of feet 
 long, and we will manage a sort of roof. The snow will 
 soon cover it, and we shall be as warm as possible." 
 
 A quarter of an hour later the two boys returned; both 
 had been successful and brought a bundle of sticks; 
 these were laid across the top, interspersed with smaller 
 twigs, the ends being kept down with stones to prevent 
 their being blown away. The last were placed in posi- 
 tion after the boys had crept inside. They did not at- 
 tempt to roof it with stones, for the supply of sticks and 
 brushwood was large enough to catch the snowflakes as 
 they fell, and these would soon form a covering, while it 
 would have been difficult to balance the stones. 
 
 Jimmy was by this time in a state almost of lethargy; 
 but the others were fairly warm from their exertions. 
 They now lay down close beside the younger boy, one on 
 each side. At first they felt the cold extremely. 
 
 "Let us keep awake as long as we can," Dick said. 
 
 "I don't feel inclined to sleep at all," Tom answered; 
 "my hands and feet feel frozen, but I am warm enough 
 everywhere else, and the ground is precious hard and 
 bumpy." 
 
 "I am only afraid about Jimmy," Dick said; "he is 
 sound asleep, and he was so awfully cold; lie as close as 
 you can to him, Tom, and put your arm over him and 
 keep your legs huddled up against his." 
 
 "It feels warmer than it did," he went on, after a 
 pause of half an hour; "don't you think so, Tom?" 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 9 
 
 "a lot warmer," Tom said. "I expect the snow has 
 made a good thick roof." 
 
 "Yes, and the wind does not blow through the stones 
 as it did. I expect the snow is drifting up all round; it 
 was getting very deep against the wall when we got in, 
 and if it goes on all night, Tom, I should not wonder if 
 we are covered deep before morning. The wind always 
 sweeps it off the hills, and makes deep drifts in the 
 bottoms." 
 
 " What shall we do, then?" 
 
 "I don't know," Dick answered; "but there will be 
 plenty of time to think of that in the morning. I think 
 Jimmy is all right, Tom; I have just put my hand inside 
 his waistcoat and he feels quite warm now. Say your 
 prayers, and then let us try to get off to sleep." 
 
 This they were not very long in doing, for the air in 
 the little hut was soon heated by the action of their 
 bodies. Outside the storm was still raging, and the 
 wind, laden with swirling snow from the uplands, was 
 piling it high in the valleys. Already the hut was 
 covered, and the wall behind it. 
 
 All night and all next day the snow continued to fall; 
 the next day, and the next, it kept on. Old folks down 
 in Castleton said they never remembered such a storm. 
 It lay three feet deep in the fields, and there was no say- 
 ing how deep the drifts might be in the hollows. For 
 the first two days the wind had tried its best to keep the 
 hills clear, but it had tired of the work, and for the last 
 two had ceased to blow, and the great feathered flakes 
 formed steadily and silently. 
 
 Tom was the first to wake. 
 
 "Halloo!" he exclaimed, "where are we? Oh! I re- 
 member. Dick, are you awake?" 
 
 "Yes, I am awake now," Dick said. "What is it? It 
 is not morning yet. I seem to have been asleep a long 
 
10 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 time, a*id don't my bones fust ache? Jimmy, old boy, 
 are you all right?" 
 
 "Yes," Jimmy grunted. 
 
 "It is quite warm," Dick said. "It feels very close, 
 and how still it is! The wind has quite gone down. Do 
 you know, Tom, I think it must be morning. There 
 seems a faint sort of light. I can see the stones in the 
 wall behind you." 
 
 "So it must," Tom assented. "Oh! how stifling it 
 is!" and he raised himself into a sitting position. 
 
 "I am afraid we are buried deep in the snowdrift. 
 Put your hand up, Tom; don't you feel some of these 
 sticks are bent in the middle?" 
 
 "Ever so much; there must be a great weight on them. 
 What are we to do, Dick — shall we try and dig a way 
 out?" 
 
 "That will be no good," Dick answered; "not if it is 
 deep; and if it has been snowing all night there is no 
 saying how deep it may be this morning down in this 
 bottom. This drift-snow is like dust. I remember last 
 winter that Bill Jones and Harry Austin and I tried to 
 make a tunnel in a deep drift, but the snow fell in as fast 
 as we scraped it away. It was just like dry sand." 
 
 "We are all right for warmth," Tom said; "but it 
 feels quite stifling." 
 
 "Yes, we must try and get some air," Dick said. 
 "The roof-sticks are close together down at our feet. 
 There were three or four left over when we had finished, 
 so we can take them away without weakening the roof. 
 We might shove one of them up through the snow." 
 
 The sticks were removed carefully, but a quantity of 
 fine snow fell in on their feet. One was then shoved up 
 through the top, but the only effect, when it was re- 
 moved, was that it was followed by some snow powder- 
 ing down on their faces. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 11 
 
 "Let us tie four of them together," Dick said. "I 
 lave plenty of string in my pocket." 
 
 This was done, fresh sticks being tied to the bottom 
 as the first were shoved up through the snow. 
 
 "Now, Tom, help me to work it about a bit, so as to 
 press the snow all round, and make a sort of tube." 
 
 For some time a shower of little particles fell as they 
 worked, but gradually these ceased. Then the stick was 
 cautiously lowered, being untied joint by joint, and look- 
 ing up the boys gave a shout of pleasure. At the top of 
 the hole, which was some six inches wide at the bottom, 
 was a tiny patch of light. 
 
 "We have only just reached the top," Dick said; "the 
 snow must be near fifteen feet deep." 
 
 Small though the aperture was, it effected a sensible 
 relief. The feeling of oppression ceased; half an hour 
 later the hole was closed up, and they knew that the 
 snow was still falling. 
 
 Another length of stick was added, and the daylight 
 again appeared. 
 
 The boys slept a good deal; they had no sensation of 
 cold whatever, the heat of their bodies keeping the air at 
 a comfortable temperature. They did not feel so hungry 
 as they expected, but they were very thirsty. 
 
 "I shall eat some snow," Tom said. 
 
 "I have heard that that makes you more thirsty, " Dick 
 remarked; "hold some in your hands till it melts, and 
 then sip the water." 
 
 Four days passed; then they found that the snow no 
 longer continued to cover up the hole, and knew that the 
 snowstorm had ceased. The number of sticks required 
 to reach the top was six, and as each of these was about 
 four feet long they knew that, making allowance for the 
 joints, the snow was over twenty feet deep. 
 
 Very often the boys talked of home, and wondered 
 
12 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 what their friends were doing. The first night, when 
 they did not return, it would be hoped that they had 
 stayed at the farm; but somebody would be sure to go 
 over in the morning to see, and when the news arrived 
 that they were missing, there would be a general turn 
 out to find them. 
 
 "They must have given up all hope by this time/' 
 Dick said, on the fifth morning, "and must be pretty 
 sure that we are buried in the drift somewhere; but, as 
 all the bottoms will be like this, they will have given up 
 all hopes of finding our bodies till the thaw comes." 
 
 "That may be weeks," Tom said; "we might as well 
 have died at once." 
 
 "We can live a long time here," Dick replied confi- 
 dently. "I remember reading once of a woman who had 
 been buried in the snow being got out alive a tremendous 
 time afterward. I think it was five weeks, but it might 
 have been more. Hurrah! I have got an idea, Tom." 
 
 "What is that?" Tom asked. 
 
 "Look here; we will tie three more sticks " 
 
 "We can't spare any more sticks," Tom said; "the 
 snow is up to our knees already." 
 
 "Ah! but thin sticks will do for this," Dick said; "we 
 can get some thin sticks out here. We will tie them 
 ever the others, and on the top of all we will fasten my 
 red pocket-handkerchief, like a flag; if any one comes 
 down into this bottom they are sure to see it." 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 13 
 
 CHAPTEE II. 
 
 THE RED FLAG. 
 
 Dick's plan was soon carried into effect, and the little 
 red flag flew as an appeal for help ten feet above the 
 snow in the lonely valley. 
 
 Down in Oastleton events had turned out just as the 
 boys had anticipated. The night of the snowstorm 
 there was no sleep for their parents, and at daybreak 
 next morning Mr. Humphreys and Mr. Jackson set out 
 on foot through the storm for the distant farm. They 
 kept to the road, but it took them four hours to reach 
 the farm, for the drifts were many feet deep in the hol- 
 lows, and they had, the greatest difficulty in making their 
 way through. 
 
 When, upon their arrival, they found the boys had left 
 before the gale began, their consternation and grief were 
 extreme, and they started at once on their return to 
 Castleton. 
 
 Search' parties were immediately organized, and these, 
 in spite of the fury of the storm, searched the hills in all 
 directions. 
 5 After the first day, when it was found that they "were 
 f not at any of the shepherds' huts scattered among the 
 hills, all hopes of finding them alive ceased. So hopeless 
 was it considered that few parties went out on the three 
 following days; but on the fifth, when the snowstorm 
 ceased and the sun shone out, numbers of men again 
 tramped the hills in the vague hope of finding some sign 
 
14 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 of the missing boys; they returned disheartened. The 
 snow was two feet deep everywhere, twenty in many of 
 the hollows. 
 
 The next day but few went out, for the general feeling 
 was that the bodies could not be discovered until the 
 thaw came, and at present it was freezing sharply. 
 
 Among those who still kept up the search were several 
 of the boys' schoolfellows. They had not been per- 
 mitted to join while the snowstorm continued, and were 
 therefore fresh at the work. A party of four kept to- 
 gether, struggling through the deep snowdrifts, climb- 
 ing up the hills, and enjoying the fun, in spite of the 
 saddening nature of their errand. 
 
 On arriving at the brow of a deep valley five miles 
 from home, they agreed that they would go no further, 
 as it was not likely that the missing boys could have 
 wandered so far from their track. That they had in 
 fact done so was due to a sudden change in the direction 
 of the wind; it had been driving in their faces when they 
 started, and with bent down heads they had struggled 
 against it, unconscious that it was sharply changing its 
 direction. 
 
 "Just let us have a look down into the bottom," one 
 of the boys said; "there may be a shepherd's hut here." 
 
 Nothing, however, was seen, save a smooth, white 
 surface of snow. 
 
 "What is that?" one exclaimed suddenly. "Look, 
 there is a little red flag flying down there — come along." 
 
 The boys rushed down the hill at full speed. 
 
 "Don't all go near the flag," one said; "you may be 
 treading on their bodies." 
 
 They arrived within ten yards of the flag, in which 
 they soon recognized a red pocket-handkerchief. They 
 were silent now, awe-struck at the thought that their 
 companions were lying dead beneath. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 15 
 
 "Perhaps it is not theirs/' the eldest of the party said 
 presently. "Anyhow I had better take it off and carry it 
 home." 
 
 Treading cautiously and with a white face, for he 
 feared to feel beneath his feet one of the bodies of his 
 friends, he stepped, knee-deep in the snowdrift, to the 
 flag. He took the little stick in his hand to pluck it up; 
 he raised it a foot, and then gave a cry of astonishment 
 and started back. 
 
 "'What is the matter?" the others asked. 
 
 "It was pulled down again," he said in awe-struck 
 tones. "I will swear it was pulled down again." 
 
 "Oh, nonsense!" one of the others said; "you are 
 dreaming." 
 
 "I am not," the first replied positively; "it was regu- 
 larly jerked in my hand." 
 
 "Can they be alive down there?" one suggested. 
 
 "Alive! How can they be alive after five days, twenty 
 feet deep in the snow? Look at the flag!" 
 
 There was no mistake this time; the flag was raised 
 and lowered five or six times. The boys took to their 
 heels and ran and gathered in a cluster fifty yards away 
 on the hillside. 
 
 "What can it be?" they asked, looking in each others' 
 pale faces. 
 
 The behavior of the flag seemed to them something 
 supernatural. 
 
 "We had better go back and tell them at home," one 
 of them said. 
 
 "We can't do that; no one would believe us. Look 
 here, you fellows," and he glanced round at the bright 
 sky, "this is nonsense; the flag could not wave of itself; 
 there must be somebody alive below; perhaps there is a 
 shepherd's hut quite covered with the drift, and they 
 liave pushed the flag up through the chimney." 
 
16 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 The supposition seemed a reasonable one, and a little 
 ashamed of their panic the group returned toward the 
 flag. The eldest boy again approached it. 
 
 "Go carefully, Tomkins, or you may fall right down a 
 chimney. " 
 
 The flag was still continuing its up and down move- 
 ment; the boy approached and lay down on the snow 
 close to it; then he took hold of the stick; he felt a pull, 
 but held fast; then he put his mouth close to the hole, 
 two or three inches in diameter, through which it passed. 
 
 "Halloo!" he shouted; "is any one below?" 
 
 A cry of "Yes, yes," came back in reply. "The two 
 Jacksons and Humphreys." 
 
 "Hurrah!" he shouted at the top of his voice, and his 
 companions, although they had not heard the answer, 
 joined in the cheer. 
 
 "Are you all right?" he shouted down again. 
 
 "Yes, but please get help and dig us out." 
 
 "All right; I will run all the way back; they will have 
 men here in no time; good-by; keep up your spirits." 
 
 "They are all there below!" he shouted to his friends. 
 "Come on, you fellows, there is not a moment to lose." 
 
 "Wild with excitement the boys made their way home; 
 they rushed down the hillsides, scrambled through the 
 drifts in the bottoms, in which they sometimes disap- 
 peared altogether, and had to haul each other out, strug- 
 gled up the hills, and, panting and breathless, rushed in 
 a body into Mr. Humphreys' farmhouse, that standing 
 nearest to them, on their way to Castleton. 
 
 "We have found them; we have found them," they 
 panted out. "They are all alive." 
 
 Mrs. Humphrey had risen from her seat in a chair by 
 the fire as the boys entered, and uttering a faint cry fell 
 back insensible. 
 
 At this moment the farmer, who had but five minutes 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. Yl 
 
 before returned, having been out since daybreak on the 
 hills, hurried into the room; he was taking off his heavy 
 boots when he heard the rush of feet into the house. 
 "We have found them, sir; they are all alive!" 
 
 "Thank God! thank God!" the farmer exclaimed rev- 
 erently, and then seeing his wife insensible hurried 
 toward her, uttering a shout for the servants. Two 
 women ran in. "Look to your mistress," he said; "she 
 has fainted; the good news has been too much for her — 
 the boys are found alive." 
 
 With mingled exclamations of gladness and dismay the 
 servants raised their mistress. 
 
 "Now, boys, where are they?" Mr. Humphreys asked. 
 
 The lads gave a rapid narrative of what had happened. 
 
 "Under the snow all this time!" the farmer exclaimed; 
 "they must be, as you say, in a hut. Now, will one of 
 you stay and show me the way back, and the others go 
 on to Mr. Jackson's and other places, and bring a strong 
 party of men with shovels on after us?" 
 
 The lad who had spoken with the prisoners remained 
 to act as guide, the others hurried off. 
 
 "Come with me, my boy, into the larder. There, help 
 yourself; you must be hungry and tired, and you have 
 got to do it over again." 
 
 Mr. Humphreys then ran into the yard, and bade the 
 four laborers provide themselves with shovels and pre- 
 pare to accompany him at once. 
 
 He then went back into the parlor. His wife was just 
 opening her eyes; for a time she looked confused and 
 bewildered, then suddenly she sat up and gazed beseech- 
 ingly at her husband — memory had come back to her. 
 
 "Yes, wife, thanks be to God, it is true — the boys are 
 alive; I am just going with these men to dig them out. 
 They are snowed up in a hut. Now, Jane, get a large 
 basket, and put in it lots of bread and bacon — the men 
 
18 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 who are working will want something; fill the largest 
 stone jar with beer; put in a bottle of brandy and a bot- 
 tle of milk, and set to and get some soup ready; bring 
 three small mattresses downstairs and a lot of blankets." 
 Five minutes later the search-party started, Mr. Hum- 
 phreys and the guide leading the way; the men followed, 
 one carrying five shovels; another, the basket and jar; 
 the other two, three hurdles on which were placed the 
 mattresses and blankets. 
 
 It was no easy matter so laden making their way over 
 the hills and through the deep drifts. Mr. Humphreys 
 took his share of the labor; but it was two hours from 
 the time when they started before they arrived at the 
 spot where the flag was waving, and the night was already 
 closing in. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys hurried forward to the flag; he knelt 
 down beside it. 
 
 "Are you still alive, Dick? — it is I, your father!" 
 "Yes, father, we are all alive, and we shall be all right 
 now you have come. Don't get too near the stick; we 
 are afraid of the hole closing up, and smothering us." 
 
 "Which side is the door," Mr. Humphreys asked, "so 
 that we can dig that way?" 
 
 "There is no door, father; but you had better dig 
 from below, because of the wall." 
 
 "There must be a door," Mr. Humphreys said to him- 
 self, as he rejoined the men. "There can't be a hut 
 without a door; Dick must be a little light-headed, and 
 no wonder. Now, lads, let us set to work from below." 
 The five men were soon at work, throwing aside the 
 snow. In a short time the other parties arrived. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys had brought with him a stock of 
 candles. These were lit and stuck in the snow, where, 
 as there was no wind, they burned steadily, affording suf- 
 ficient light for the search. The work was all the more 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 19 
 
 difficult from the lightness of the snow, as the sides fell 
 in like sand as they worked upon it, and they were 
 obliged to make a very broad cutting. 
 
 At last there was a cheer, as they struck the ground. 
 
 "Now, working uphill we must be at the hut in a few 
 feet." 
 
 Twenty willing hands labored away incessantly, but to 
 their surprise no hut was met with; they worked and 
 worked, throwing the snow behind them, until Mr. Jack- 
 son struck his shovel upon something hard. 
 
 "Here is a wall or something," he said. 
 
 Another minute uncovered a low wall of two feet in 
 height, and directly afterward a leg was popped up 
 through the snow. A loud cheer broke from the men. 
 
 But again the snowdrift fell in from the sides, and it 
 was another quarter of an hour before the lads were 
 lifted from the narrow shelter where they had for five 
 days lain. 
 
 The Jacksons were too weak to stand, but Dick was 
 just able to keep on his feet. A cup of milk mixed with 
 some brandy was given to each. Then Dick in a few 
 words told the story, and the surprise of all, as they 
 examined the little hut and heard the details of the 
 almost miraculous preservation of the boys, was almost 
 unbounded. 
 
 They were now wrapped in blankets and laid on mat- 
 tresses placed on the hurdles; the contents of the baskets 
 — for others besides Mr. Humphreys had brought a stock 
 of provisions, not knowing how long the search-party 
 might be engaged — were distributed among the workers, 
 and then four men lifted each hurdle and the party 
 started for home, a messenger having been sent back at 
 full speed directly the boys were got out, to bear the glad 
 news to Castleton. 
 
 It was just midnight when the main body returned. 
 
20 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 A second cup of brandy and milk had done much to 
 revive the two elder boys/ and Dick had been able to eat 
 a piece of bread, James, however, had fallen asleep 
 directly he was wrapped in the blankets, and did not 
 awake until he was set down at his father's door. 
 
 At both houses doctors were in waiting for their 
 arrival. Dick was at once pronounced to be none the 
 worse for his adventure, except that his feet were frost- 
 bitten from long contact with the snow; indeed had it 
 not been from this cause he could, on the following day, 
 have been up and about. As it was, in a fortnight he 
 was perfectly himself again. 
 
 Tom Jackson was confined to the house for many 
 weeks; he lost several of his toes, but eventually became 
 strong and hearty again. James, however, never recov- 
 ered — the shock to his system had been too great; he 
 lingered on for some months, and then sank quietly and 
 painlessly. 
 
 The events of the snowstorm left a far deeper trace 
 upon Mrs. Humphreys than upon her son. The terrible 
 anxiety of those five days had told greatly upon her, and 
 after they were over she seemed to lose strength rapidly. 
 She had never been very strong, and a hacking cough 
 now constantly shook her. The doctor who attended her 
 looked serious, and one day said to Mr. Humphreys: 
 
 "I don't like the state of your wife; she has always 
 been weak in her lungs, and I fear that the anxiety she 
 went through has somehow accentuated her former 
 tendency to consumption. The air of this place — you 
 see she was born in the south — is too keen for her. If I 
 were you I would take her up to London and consult 
 some first-rate man in lung diseases, and get his opinion.'" 
 
 The next day Mr. Humphreys started for London. 
 The celebrated physician examined his wife, and after- 
 ward took him aside. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 21 
 
 "I cannot conceal from you," he said, "that your 
 wife's lungs are very seriously affected, although con- 
 sumption has not yet thoroughly set in. If she remains 
 in this country she may not live many months; your only 
 hope is to take her abroad — could you do that?" 
 
 "Yes, sir," Mr. Humphreys said. "I can take her 
 anywhere. Where would you advise?" 
 
 "She would benefit from a residence either in Egypt 
 or Madeira," the doctor said; "but for a permanency I 
 should say the Cape. I have known many complete 
 cures made there. You tell me that you are engaged in 
 agricultural pursuits; if it is possible for you to settle 
 there, I can give you every hope of saving her life, as the 
 disease is not yet developed. If you go, don't stay in 
 the lowlands, but get up into the high plateaus, either 
 behind the Cape itself, or behind Natal. The climate 
 there is delicious, and land cheap." 
 
 Mr. Humphreys thanked him and left, returning the 
 next day to Castleton. The astonishment of the boys, 
 and indeed of Mrs. Humphreys, was unbounded, when 
 the farmer announced in the evening at supper that he 
 intended to sell his land and emigrate at once to the 
 Cape. 
 
 The boys were full of excitement at the new and 
 strange idea, and asked numerous questions, none of 
 which the farmer could answer; but he brought out a 
 pile of books, which he had purchased in town, concern- 
 ing the colonies and their resources, and for once Dick's 
 aversion to books vanished, and he was soon as much 
 absorbed as his brother in the perusal of the accounts of 
 the new land to which they were to go. 
 
 On the following Saturday, to the surprise of all Cas- 
 tleton, an advertisement appeared in the Derbyshire 
 paper announcing the sale by auction at an early date of 
 Mr. Humphreys' farm. 
 
22 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 Dick and John were quite heroes among their com- 
 panions, who looked with envy at boys who were going 
 to live in a land where lions and elephants and all sorts 
 of wild beasts abounded, to say nothing of warlike 
 natives. 
 
 "There always seem to be Kaffir wars going on," one 
 boy said, "out at the Cape; you will have all sorts of 
 excitement, Dick." ' 
 
 "I don't think that sort of excitement will bo nice," 
 Dick replied; "it must be horribly anxious work to think 
 every time you go out to work that the place may be 
 attacked and every one killed before you get back. But 
 that is all nonsense, you know; I have been reading 
 about some of the Kaffir wars; they are in the bush- 
 country, down by the sea. We are going up on to the 
 high lands at the back of Natal. Father says very likely 
 we may buy a farm in the Transvaal, but mother does 
 not seem to like the accounts of the Dutchmen or Boers, 
 as they are called, who live there, and says she would 
 rather have English neighbors; so I expect if we can get 
 a farm somewhere in the Natal colony, we shall do so." 
 
 "You seem to know all about the place," the boy said, 
 surprised. 
 
 "Well, we have had seven or eight books to read about 
 it, and I seem now to know more about South Africa 
 than about any other country in the world. There are 
 the diamond fields, too, out there, and I hope, before I 
 settle down regularly to a farm, that father will let me 
 go for a few months and try my luck there. Would it 
 not just be jolly to find a diamond as big as a pigeon's 
 egg and worth about twenty thousand pounds?" 
 
 "And do they do that?" the boy asked. 
 
 "Well, they don't often find them as big as that; still, 
 one might be the lucky one." 
 
 The news that Mr. Humphreys and his family wera 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 23 
 
 about to sell off and emigrate Daturally caused a great 
 deal of talk in and around Castleton, and put the idea 
 into the minds of many who had never before seriously 
 thought of it. If Mr. Humphreys, who had one of the 
 best farms in the neighborhood, thought that it would 
 pay him to sell his land and go out, it would surely be a 
 good thing for others to do the same. He was consid- 
 ered to be a good farmer and a long-headed man; one 
 who would not take such a step without carefully looking 
 into the matter — for Mr. Humphreys, in order to avoid 
 questioning and the constant inquiries about his wife's 
 health, which would be made, did he announce that he 
 was leaving for that reason, did not think it necessary to 
 inform people that it was in the hopes of staving off the 
 danger which threatened her that he was making a move. 
 
 A great many of the neighboring laborers would gladly 
 have gone with him; but he found by his reading that 
 Kaffir labor was to be obtained out there very cheaply. 
 He determined, however, to take with him two of his 
 own hands — the one a strong, active young fellow named 
 Bill Harrison, the other a middle-aged man named John- 
 son, who had been with him from a boy. He was a mar- 
 ried man with two girls, aged fifteen and sixteen, the 
 eldest of whom was already employed by Mrs. Hum- 
 phreys in the house. Johnson's wife was a superior 
 woman of her class, and Mr. Humphreys thought that it 
 would be pleasant for his wife, having a woman at hand, 
 whom she could speak to. The girls were to act as serv- 
 ants — indeed, Mr. Humphreys thought it probable that 
 the whole party would live under one roof. 
 
 Among those whom Mr. Humphreys' decision to 
 emigrate had much moved was Mr. Jackson. He was 
 not in so good a position, as he did not farm his own 
 land; but he had sufficient capital to start him well in 
 the colony, where a farm can be bought outright at a few 
 
24 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 shillings an acre. He talked the matter over with his 
 friend on several occasions, and at last said: 
 
 "Well, I think I have pretty well made up my mind; 
 the doctor is telling me that my poor little chap is not 
 likely to live long; his mother is wrapped up in him, and 
 will never like the place again — sol think on all grounds 
 a change will be good. I can't come out with you, be- 
 cause I have got a lease of the farm; but I- fancy that it 
 is worth more than it was when I took it, and if I can 
 get a good tenant to take it off my hands I don't suppose 
 the landlord will make any objections. I shall look 
 about at once, and, when my poor little chap is gone, I 
 shan't be long before I come after you. You will let me 
 know how you find the place, and whether these book 
 accounts are true? — I have heard that many of these 
 chaps who write books are awful liars. I should like to 
 get a farm as near you as may be." 
 
 It was early in the spring when Mr. Humphreys and 
 his party embarked at Plymouth in the Dunster Castle. 
 The farm had sold well, and Mr. Humphreys possessed a 
 capital of several thousand pounds — a sum which would 
 make him a rich man in the colony. None of the party 
 had ever seen the sea before, and the delight of the two 
 boys and the wonderment of the laborers at all they saw 
 was very great. Mr. Humphreys had taken first-class 
 passages for himself and family, while the others of 
 course were steerage passengers. 
 
Sffl 10UJXU VOLGA IS2U %& 
 
 CHAPTER III. 
 
 THE FARM. 
 
 The voyage to the Cape passed without any incident 
 whatever. The weather was fine the whole distance. 
 Without even a single storm to break the monotony they 
 touched at Cape Town and Port Elizabeth, and at last 
 arrived at Durban. The journey had not been too long 
 for the boys; everything was so perfectly new to them 
 that they were never tired of watching the sea and look- 
 ing for porpoises and the shoals of fish, over which 
 hovered thousands of birds. 
 
 Once or twice they saw a whale spout, while flying- 
 fish were matters of hourly occurrence. They had 
 prodigious appetites, and greatly enjoyed the food, which 
 was altogether different to that to which they had been 
 accustomed. They had stopped at Madeira and St. 
 Vincent, where great stocks of delicious fruit had been 
 taken on board. Altogether they were quite sorry when 
 they arrived at the end of the voyage. 
 
 The landing was effected in large boats, as theDunster 
 Castle drew too much water to cross the bar at the 
 mouth of the harbor. 
 
 They stopped only one day at Durban, where Mr. 
 Humphreys hired a wagon to take the party to Pieter- 
 Maritzburg, the capital. He was not encumbered with 
 baggage, as he had decided to buy everything he wanted 
 in the colony. 
 
 "You may pay dearer," he said, "no doubt; but then 
 
26 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 you get just what you want. If I were to take out im- 
 plements, they might not be suited to the requirements 
 of the country. As for clothes, they would of course be 
 pretty much the same everywhere; still, it is better to 
 take out only a year's requirements and to buy as we 
 want, instead of lumbering over the country with a 
 quantity of heavy baggage." 
 
 The party were greatly amused at their first experi- 
 ence of a Cape wagon; it was of very large size, massively 
 built, and covered with a great tilt; and it was drawn by 
 sixteen oxen, spanned two by two. This was an alto- 
 gether unnecessary number for the weight which had to 
 be carried, but the wagon had come down loaded from 
 the interior, and Mr. Humphreys therefore paid no more 
 than he would have done for a wagon with a small num- 
 ber of oxen. They took two days to accomplish the 
 journey, the women sleeping at night in the wagon, and 
 Mr. Humphreys and his sons in blankets on the ground. 
 
 The driver, who was an Englishman, had been many 
 years in the colony, and from him, upon the road, Mr. 
 Humphreys gained much valuable information about the 
 country. The driver was assisted by two Kaffirs, one of 
 whom walked ahead of the leading cattle, the other 
 alongside, shouting and prodding them. 
 
 The boys were astonished at the power and accuracy 
 with which the driver whirled his whip; this had a short 
 handle and a lash of twenty yards long, and with it he 
 was able to hit any animal of the team with absolute cer- 
 tainty, and indeed to make the thong alight on any part 
 of their bodies at which he aimed. 
 
 On their arrival at Pieter-Maritzburg Mr. Humphreys 
 hired a house, and here he placed his party while he set 
 to work to make inquiries after a suitable location. He 
 soon heard of several places which seemed suitable, and 
 having bought a horse started for Newcastle, a small 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 2T 
 
 town situated close to the frontier-line between the* 
 Transvaal and Natal. 
 
 He was away for three weeks, and on his return, 
 informed his wife that he had purchased a farm of two- 
 thousand acres, with a substantial farmhouse, at a dis- 
 tance of ten miles from Newcastle, for the sum of fifteen 
 hundred pounds. 
 
 The farmhouse was already roughly furnished, but Mr. 
 Humphreys purchased a number of other articles, which, 
 would make it comfortable and home-like. He laid in a. 
 great stock of groceries, and then hiring a wagon, simi- 
 lar to that in which they had before traveled, started 
 with his party for the farm, having also hired four Kaffirs- 
 to assist there. Traveling by easy stages, it took them 
 twelve days to get to Newcastle. The country was, 
 undulating and the road rose steadily the whole distance. 
 
 Near Pieter-Maritzburg the population was compara- 
 tively thick. The fields were well cultivated and the- 
 vegetation thick and luxuriant, but as they ascended the 
 character of the country changed. Vast stretches of 
 rolling grass everywhere met the eye. This was now 
 beautifully green, for it was winter. In the summer and 
 autumn the grass becomes dry and burned up; fire is then 
 applied to it, and the whole country assumes a black- 
 mantle. But the first shower of rain brings up the 
 young grass and in a very short time the country is. 
 covered with fresh verdure. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys told his wife that, before fixing on the 
 farm, he had ridden into the Transvaal, and found tho, 
 land could be purchased there even more cheaply than in 
 Natal; but that he had much conversation with English 
 settlers on the frontier, and these had for the most pari. 
 strongly advised him to settle fmside the Natal frontier. 
 
 "It may be that all will be right," one had told him, 
 "but the Boers have not yet irecovered from their scara* 
 from Secoceni." 
 
28 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 ''Who is Secoceni, father?'' Dick asked. "The books 
 we have say nothing about him." 
 
 "No," Mr. Humphreys said; "they were all published 
 a few years since, and none of them treat much of the 
 affairs of the Transvaal, which, as an independent state, 
 had comparatively little interest to English settlers. 
 'There are in the Transvaal, which is of immense extent, 
 a very large number of natives, enormously outnumber- 
 ing the Boers. In the southern districts, where the 
 Boers are strongest, they cruelly ill-treat the natives, 
 making slaves of them, and thinking no more of shooting 
 one of them down than they would of shooting a dog. 
 In the outlying provinces they live almost on sufferance 
 of the natives, and, were these to unite their forces and 
 rise, they could annihilate the Dutch. Secoceni is a 
 powerful chief, who lives with his tribe in a natural 
 stronghold; he has always held himself as independent 
 of the Dutch. As his men used to make raids upon the 
 Boers' cattle, the latter attacked him, and in alliance 
 with Swazis, another powerful tribe, endeavored to carry 
 his fortress; they were, however, badly beaten; it being 
 only by the gallantry of their native allies that the Boer 
 contingent was saved from destruction. Secoceni then 
 took the offeusive. A perfect panic seized the Boers; 
 they refused to obey the orders of their government, and 
 to turn out to resist the invaders. The treasury was 
 empty, for their government had never been enabled to 
 persuade them to pay taxes. They applied for aid to 
 Natal, but finally their plight was so bad that they were 
 glad to accept the offer which Mr. Shepstone made them, 
 of annexation to England, by which they secured our 
 protection and were safe from annihilation. Secoceni 
 was not the only enemy who threatened them. They 
 had a still more formidable foe in the Zulus on the east- 
 ern frontier. These are a very warlike people, and it 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 29 
 
 was known that their king meditated the conquest of the 
 Transvaal. But, glad enough as the Boers were at the 
 moment to accept the protection of England,, now that 
 the danger is over a great many of them would like to* 
 kick down the bridge which has helped them over the 
 stream. They make no secret of their dislike to Eng- 
 lishmen, and although they are glad enough to sell their 
 land at prices immensely in advance of the former value, 
 for indeed land was previously almost unsalable in the 
 Transvaal, they are on bad terms with them. One of my 
 informants describes them as a sullen, sulky people, and 
 predicts that sooner or later we shall have trouble with 
 them; so I thought it better altogether to pay a little 
 higher for my land, and to be within the boundaries of 
 this colony." 
 
 On arriving at the farm Mrs. Humphreys was glad to 
 find that the house, though rough, was substantial. It 
 .was built of stone. The walls were of great thickness, 
 as the stones were laid without mortar, with which, how- 
 ever, it was faced inside and out. One large room 
 occupied the greater portion of the ground floor; beside 
 this was a small sitting-room. Upstairs were four bed- 
 rooms. Eor the time the small room downstairs was. 
 turned into a bedroom, which Mr. and Mrs. Humphreys, 
 occupied. The four bedrooms upstairs just held the 
 rest of the party. The outhouses consisted only of a 
 large barn and a rough stable. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys at once rode over to Newcastle, and 
 obtained the services of a mason and six Kaffirs, and pro- 
 ceeded to add a wing to the farmhouse. This was for 
 the use of Johnson and his wife, and Harrison. The 
 whole party were, however, to take their meals together 
 in the great kitchen. A hut was also built for the 
 Kaffirs, and another large stable was erected. 
 
 A few days after his arrival Mr. Humphreys went 
 
30 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 across the border into the Transvaal, taking Harrison 
 and two of the Kaffirs with him, and returned a fort- 
 night later with a herd of four hundred cattle, which he 
 had purchased. He also bought three yoke of oxen, 
 broken to the plow. Hitherto the farm had been purely 
 «, pastoral one, but Mr. Humphreys at once began to 
 break up some land for wheat and Indian corn. The 
 Kaffirs were set to work to fence and dig up a plot round 
 the house for vegetables, and to dig holes near it, over a 
 space of some acres, for the reception of three thousand 
 young fruit-trees— apples, pears, peaches, and plums — 
 which he had bought at Pieter-Maritzburg, and which 
 were to come up in two months' time. He also bought 
 six riding-horses. 
 
 In a few weeks the farm assumed quite a different ap- 
 pearance. A gang of Kaffirs, ten strong, had been hired 
 io hurry on the work of preparing the orchard and erect- 
 ing a fence round it. Wood was, Mr. Humphreys found, 
 extremely scarce and dear, the country being absolutely 
 bare of trees, and wood for fuel was only obtained in 
 kloofs or deep hollows, and had to be fetched long dis- 
 tances. 
 
 "I suppose," Mrs. Humphreys said to her husband one 
 evening, "you mean to make cattle-raising your principal 
 point?" 
 
 "No," he said; "every one raises cattle, and the Dutch 
 can do it cheaper than we can; they have immense tracts 
 of land, and their Kaffir labor costs them next to noth- 
 ing. I do not say that we could not live and to a certain 
 extent thrive on cattle, but I think that there is some- 
 thing much better to be done. Wood is an awful price 
 here, and all that is used has to be brought up from the 
 coast. I think therefore of planting trees. The climate 
 is magnificent, and their growth will be rapid. They 
 •will, of course, require fencing to keep out the cattle, but 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 31 
 
 I shall do that, as I am doing the orchard, with wire 
 fencing and light iron-uprights. Labor is plentiful, and 
 there are large nurseries near Pieter-Maritzburg, where 
 I can procure any number of young trees; so I mean to 
 plant two hundred acres a year — in ten years the whole 
 farm will be planted, and the loppings for poles and fire- 
 wood will in a very short time after planting begin to pay 
 well. In fifteen years the first two hundred acres will be 
 fit to fell, and the property will be worth a very large 
 sum of money. Of course we can sell out before that if 
 we like. But at the present price of wood up here, or 
 even should it fall to a quarter of its present price, the 
 value of the two thousand acres of wood will in twenty 
 years be extremely large." 
 
 The boys were delighted with their new life. Mr e 
 Humphreys had, before leaving England, bought for 
 Dick a Winchester repeating-rifle. These arms are very 
 light, and Dick was able to carry his without difficulty; 
 and very shortly after their arrival his father had a mark 
 erected at a distance from the house, at which he could 
 practice with safety. Game was abundant all over the 
 country. Herds of deer and antelope of various kinds 
 often swept past in sight of the farmhouse, and winged 
 game also abounded. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys had at home been considered a first- 
 rate shot at partridges, and had for four or five years 
 belonged to the Castleton volunteers, and had carried off 
 many prizes for rifle-shooting. He was now able, by go- 
 ing out for a few hours once or twice a week, to keep the 
 larder well supplied, and the little flock of fifty sheep, 
 which he had bought for home consumption, was but 
 seldom drawn upon. The Kaffirs were fed upon mealies, 
 as they call Indian corn, of which Mr. Humphreys had 
 no difficulty in purchasing sufficient for his wants from 
 the neighboring farmers. , 
 
32 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 His noxt neighbors were two brothers, Scotchmen, 
 named Fraser, who lived at a distance of four miles. 
 They rode over the day after the travelers' arrival, and 
 offered their services in anyway. Mr. Humphreys, how- 
 ever, was well supplied with stores of all kinds, and his 
 two white laborers, being both handy men, were able to 
 do all that was required about the house. 
 
 The Frasers proved pleasant neighbors, and often rode 
 over and spent Sunday with the Humphreys, and the 
 boys sometimes went over and spent the day with them. 
 i A Kaffir lad, son of one of the men engaged upon the 
 farm, was hired by Mr. Humphreys as a special attendant 
 for Dick. On these vast undulating plains, where there 
 are no trees to serve as a landmark, it is exceedingly dif- 
 ficult for a stranger to find his way. Dick was told by 
 his father that, whether riding or walking, he was always 
 to take the Kaffir boy with him; and except when he was 
 indulging in a gallop the lad was easily able to keep up 
 with him. He had been born a hunter, and soon taught 
 Dick how to stalk the timid deer, and, as the lad im- 
 proved in his shooting, he was ere long enabled to keep 
 the larder supplied — a duty which Mr. Humphreys gladly 
 handed over to him, as every minute of his own time was 
 occupied by his work on the farm. 
 
 Of an evening after supper, which was partaken of at 
 the conclusion of work, the men retired to their own 
 wing and Mrs. Humphreys and the two girls sat down to 
 their sewing by the fire; for upon the uplands the even- 
 ings are quite cold enough to find a fire a comfort in 
 winter. Then the boys would take out their lesson- 
 books and work steadily for three hours. Under the 
 changed conditions of their life, Mr. Humphreys felt 
 that Dick might, if he chose, well discontinue his study 
 of the classics, and his work therefore consisted in the 
 reading of history, travels, and books of scientific knowl- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 33- 
 
 "Next to being a learned man," his father said to him, 
 "the best and most useful thing is to be a thoroughly 
 well-informed man on all general subjects." 
 
 John, however, continued his studies as before; his 
 life of outdoor exercise strengthened and improved him, 
 and he no longer wished to be always sitting with a book 
 in his hand — still, he had a natural love of study, which 
 his father encouraged, deeming it possible that as he- 
 grew up he might be unwilling to embrace the life of a 
 colonist, in which case he determined to send him home 
 to finish his education in England, and afterward to start 
 him in any profession he might select. 
 
 Finding that the cost of carriage up the country was 
 very high, and as he would yearly require many wagon- 
 loads of young trees and fencing, Mr. Humphreys deter- 
 mined to do his own teaming; he therefore bought two 
 of the large country-wagons and set a Kaffir to work to 
 break in some young steers to the yoke. 
 
 Six months after their arrival in the colony they had 
 for the first time visitors to stay at the farm — Mr. Jack- 
 son, his wife, his son Tom, and two daughters coming 
 out to settle near them. This was a great delight to the 
 boys, and fortunately Mr. Jackson was able to buy a 
 farm of five hundred acres adjoining that of his friend;, 
 the house, however, was but a cabin, and while a fresh 
 one was being erected the family remained guests of the 
 Humphreys. Mr. Jackson had, at his friend's advice, 
 brought with him from England a laborer with his wife 
 and family, who at once took up their residence in the 
 hut on the farm. 
 
 To Dick the coming of the Jacksons was a source oi 
 special pleasure. Tom was just his own age, and tha 
 two boys had become inseparable friends at home after 
 their adventure, in the snow, upon which occasion Tom, 
 as he freely owned, had owed his life to Dick's energy 
 
34 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 and promptness of suggestion. Dick was fond of his 
 brother, but three years make a great difference at this 
 period of life, and, as their tastes were wholly dissimilar, 
 •John had never been a companion for him. Since their 
 arrival in South Africa they had got on very well to- 
 gether; still, they had not the same ideas or subjects of 
 thought, and it was an immense delight to Dick to have 
 his old friend and companion with him. 
 
 It must not be supposed that Dick's time was occupied 
 solely in amusement; from early morning until dinner- 
 time he worked steadily. Sometimes he assisted to erect 
 the hurdles and strain the wires of the fencing; at others 
 lie aided in the planting of the fruit trees; then he would 
 be with the Kaffirs who were breaking in the oxen for 
 the wagons. At all times he took off his coat and worked 
 with the rest, for, as his father said: 
 
 "If a farmer is to be able properly to look after men 
 at work, he must be able to do the work himself.'' 
 
 While Dick was at work with the men, John, who was 
 too young to be of any use, remained indoors at his 
 books, and, although of an afternoon he would stroll out, 
 he seldom went far from the house. The other boys 
 generally went for long rides when work was done. One 
 day they sighted a herd of steinbock. Leaving their 
 horses with the Kaffir lad in a hollow, they crept round 
 so as to get the deer between them and the wind, and 
 managed to reach unobserved a brow within a hundred 
 yards of the herd. Dick had by this time become a good 
 shot, and the buck at which he aimed fell dead in its 
 tracks. Tom was not much of a shot, but he had fired 
 into the thick of the deer and gave a shout of delight at 
 seeing one of them fall. The rest of the herd dashed off 
 at full speed. Tom ran, shouting, forward, but to his 
 mortification the stag that he had hit rose again to its 
 feet and went off at a trot in the direction taken by the 
 
THE YOUNQ COLONISTS. 35 
 
 orfcers; a minute later the Kaffir boy was seen running 
 toward them at his full speed, leading the horses. 
 
 The two boys on his arrival leaped into their saddles, 
 and started in pursuit of the wounded stag, which was< 
 still in sight, thinking at first they could easily ride it. 
 down. But the animal seemed rather to gain than to 
 lose strength, and, although they had considerably les- 
 sened the start he had obtained of them, he still kept, 
 steadily on. Active and wiry as their horses were, they 
 could not overtake it, and the boys had at last the morti- 
 fication of seeing that the stag was now gaining upon: 
 them, and they presently drew rein, and their panting 
 horses came to a standstill. 
 
 "What a horrid sell!" Tom Jackson exclaimed angrily.. 
 "I can't understand his going like that after I fairly- 
 brought him down." 
 
 "I expect," Dick said, "that your bullet can only have 
 grazed his skull; it stunned him for the moment, but. 
 after he had once come to himself he went on as briskly 
 as usual. If he had been hard hit we should certainly 
 have ridden him down." 
 
 "Well, I suppose," Tom said more good-humoredly,, 
 "there is nothing for it but to ride back." 
 
 "But which is our road?" Dick said in some dismay- 
 "I am sure I have no idea, and now that the sun is gonas 
 in there is nothing to steer by." 
 
 While they had been riding the day had changed; the 
 sky, which had for weeks been bright and fine, was now 
 overcast with heavy clouds. 
 
 "We are in for a storm, I think," Dick went on, "and 
 it is coming on fast. I have not an idea which w ay to 
 go, and I think our best plan will be to halt. Joel will 
 track us, and the further we go the longer he will be in- 
 overtaking us. There is the first drop! The best thing 
 to do, Tom, will be to take oft our saddles and tether our 
 
36 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 horses, and then to wait. This storm is a nuisance? in 
 the first place we shall be drenched, in the second it will 
 wash out our tracks, and the darkness will come so 
 quickly that I am afraid Joel will not be able to trace us. 
 You see we do not know whether we have been riding 
 ■straight or not; the stag may have been running in a 
 ■circle for anything we know, and as we have been riding 
 ior something like two hours, we may be within five 
 miles of home or we may be twenty-five." 
 
 Scarcely had the boys got the saddles off and tethered 
 their horses when the rain came down in a sheet, accom- 
 panied by the most tremendous thunder and the most 
 vivid lightning Tom had ever seen. 
 
 "This is awful, Dick," he said. 
 
 "Yes," Dick agreed; "thunderstorms here are fright- 
 ful* Houses are often struck; but, lying down here in 
 the open, there is not much fear." 
 
 For hours the storm continued unabated; the rain 
 came down in a perfect deluge. The boys had put their 
 saddles together and had covered these with the horse- 
 cloths so as to form a sort of tent, but they were never- 
 theless soaked to the skin, and, to add to their discom- 
 £ture, the horses had been so frightened by the blinding 
 glare of the lightning that they tugged at the ropes 
 until, as the wet penetrated the ground, the pegs became 
 loosened, and they scoured away into the darkness. 
 
 After continuing for five hours the rain suddenly 
 ceased. 
 
 "What are we to do in the morning, Dick?" 
 
 "If it is fine it will be easy enough; we shall put our 
 saddles on our heads and walk eastward. I have got a 
 little pocket-compass which father gave me in case I 
 should at any time get lost, so we shall have no difficulty 
 in keeping our way, and sooner or later we must strike 
 the road running north to Newcastle." 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 3? 
 
 They did not, however, wait till morning; so wet and 
 chilled were they that they agreed they Avould rather 
 walk than lie still. Accordingly they put the saddles on 
 their heads as soon as the rain ceased and the stars shone 
 out, struck a light and looked at their compass, fixed on 
 a star to steer by, 1 and then set out on their journey. 
 
 Fortunately, after two hours' walking they struck the 
 road at a point some ten miles from the farm, and were 
 home soon after daybreak, just as their fathers were 
 about to set out with a body of Kaffirs in search of them. 
 Joel had returned late at night, having turned his face 
 homeward when it became too dark to follow the track; 
 the horses had both come in during the night.. 
 
38 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS, 
 
 CHAPTER IV. 
 
 THE OUTBREAK OF WAR. 
 
 As soon as the Jacksons' house was finished they went 
 into residence there; but two or three times a week Dick 
 and Torn managed to meet, one or other being sure to 
 iind some excuse for riding over. 
 
 The Humphreys had arrived in Natal at the end of 
 April, 1877, and by November in the following year their 
 iarm presented a very different appearance to that which 
 it had worn on their arrival— sixteen months of energetic 
 labor, carried on by a considerable number of hands, 
 will effect wonders. Possessing ample capital Mr. Hum- 
 phreys was able to keep a strong gang of Kaffirs at work, 
 and for some time had thirty men upon the farm. Thus 
 "the house which, when he took it, stood solitary and lone 
 in a bare plain, was now surrounded by two hundred 
 acres of young trees. Of these, twenty acres were fruit 
 trees; the remainder, trees grown for their wood. These 
 were planted thickly, as they would every year be thinned 
 out, and the young poles would fetch a good sum for 
 fencing. Although they had only been planted a few 
 months they were already green and bright; they were 
 protected from the cattle by a wire fence encircling the 
 whole. 
 
 The cattle had thriven and were doing well, and a 
 large field of Indian corn had been harvested for the use 
 of the Kaffirs. The cattle had nearly doubled in num- 
 bers, as Mr. Humphreys did not care about selling at 
 present. The expenses of living were slight. M»at, 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 39* 
 
 fowls, and eggs were raised upon the farm, and the guns 
 of Mr. Humphreys and Dick provided them with a plenti- 
 ful supply of game. Four milch cows were kept in a, 
 paddock near the house, and supplied it with milk, but- 
 ter, and cheese. Groceries and flour had alone to be 
 purchased, and, as Mr. Humphreys said, he did not care 
 if he did not sell a head of cattle for the next ten years j 
 but he would be obliged to do so before long, as the farm, 
 would carry but a small number more than he already 
 possessed, and its available extent for that purpose woulct 
 diminish every year, as the planting went on. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys was fortunate in having a small stream: 
 run through his farm. He erected a dam across a hol- 
 low, so that in winter a pond of two or three acres in. 
 extent, and fifteen or sixteen feet deep, was formed,, 
 affording an ample supply for the summer; this was of 
 great utility to him, as he was thereby enabled to con- 
 tinue his planting operations, filling up each hole with, 
 water when the trees were put in, and then, as this sub- 
 sided, filling in the earth; by this means the young trees 
 got a good start, and seldom required watering after- 
 ward. He had a large water-cart built for him; this was, 
 drawn by four oxen, and brought the water to the point 
 where the Kaffirs were engaged in planting. 
 
 Steers sufficient for two wagons had been broken in,, 
 and when these were not employed in bringing up young: 
 trees and fencing from Newcastle they worked upon the 
 road between Newcastle and Pieter-Maritzburg, there- 
 being a great demand for conveyance, as numbers of 
 traders were going up into the Transvaal and opening; 
 stores there. Mr. Jackson had also two wagons engaged 
 in the same work. When trees and goods were wanted 
 for the farm, Dick went down with the wagons to see 
 that these were properly loaded, and that the young 
 trees, which were often in leaf, were taken out every 
 
40 TEE YOTTNG COLONISTS. 
 
 night and set with the roots in water until the morn- 
 ing. 
 
 One evening, early in October, Mr. Jackson rode over 
 with Tom. 
 
 "I have heard," the former said to Mr. Humphreys, 
 '"that the government have determined on moving the 
 troops down to the Zulu frontier; the attitude of Cete- 
 wayo is very threatening." 
 
 "He is a troublesome neighbor," Mr. Humphreys said. 
 "They say that he has thirty thousand fighting men, and 
 in that case he ought to be able to overrun both Natal 
 and the Transvaal, for there is no doubt that Zulus fight 
 with great bravery. -As for the Dutch, I really can't 
 blame the Zulus. The Boers are always encroaching on 
 their territory, and any remonstrance is answered by a 
 rifle-shot. Had it not been for our annexation of the 
 Transvaal, Oetewayo would have overrun it and exter- 
 minated the Dutch before now. We have a strong force 
 in the colony just at present, and I think Sir Bartle 
 Frere means to bring matters to a crisis. The existence 
 •of such an army of warlike savages on the frontier is a 
 standing threat to the very existence of the colony, and 
 the constitution of the army renders it almost a necessity 
 that it should fight. All the men are soldiers, and as 
 none are allowed to marry until the regiment to which 
 they belong has distinguished itself in battle, they are 
 naturally always burning for war. The Pieter-Maritzburg 
 paper says that it understands that Sir Bartle Frere is 
 about to send in an ultimatum, demanding — in addition 
 to various small matters, such as the punishing of raiders 
 across the frontier — the entire abandonment of the pres- 
 ent system of the Zulu army, and cessation of the bloody 
 massacres which constantly take place in that country. 
 If a man offend3 the king, not only is he put to death, 
 but the whole of the people of his village are often mas- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 41 
 
 sacred. Altogether an abominable state of things pre- 
 vails; there seems to be but one opinion throughout the 
 colony, that it is absolutely necessary for our safety that 
 the Zulu organization shall be broken up." 
 
 "I see," Mr. Jackson said, "that there is an advertise- 
 ment in the papers for wagons for the transport of stores, 
 and the price offered is excellent. A large number are 
 required; I was thinking of sending down my two teams 
 — what do you think?" 
 
 "I have been turning it over in my mind," Mr. Hum- 
 phreys replied, "and I am inclined also to offer my 
 wagons. The rate of pay is, as you say, high, and they 
 certainly will have a difficulty in obtaining the number 
 they require. I shall not have need for mine for home 
 purposes for a considerable time now. The hot weather 
 will soon be setting in, and planting is over for the sea- 
 son. I shall of course go on digging holes for my next 
 batch, but I shall not want them up until after the end 
 of the hot season. So I think, as I can spare them, I 
 shall hire them to the government. I think we ought all 
 to do what we can to aid it at present, for every one agrees 
 as to the necessity of the steps it is now taking." 
 
 "And do you think that there will be any fighting, 
 father?" Dick asked eagerly. ' 
 
 "That no one can say, my boy. The Zulus are a proud 
 as well as a brave people, and believe that they are invin- 
 cible. I hardly think that they will consent to break up 
 their army and abandon their customs at our dictation; I 
 should not be surprised if it comes to fighting." 
 
 "Oh, father, if you hire the wagons to the government, 
 may I go with them? I can see that the Kaffirs look 
 after the oxen, you know, and that everything goes 
 straight. I have picked up a little Kaffir from Joel, and 
 can manage to make them understand." 
 
 "Well, Dick," Mr. Humphreys said, after a littl» 
 
42 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "thought, "I don't know that I have any objection to it; 
 it will be a change for you, and of course there will be no 
 achance of the wagons being near if any fighting goes on. 
 What do you think, Jackson? I suppose your boy will 
 Tva^nt to go if mine does?" 
 
 "Well, I don't mind," Mr. Jackson answered. "I 
 suppose it will not be for long, for the boy is useful on 
 the farm now. However, as you say, it will be a change, 
 and boys like a little excitement. Well, I suppose I 
 must say yes; they are fifteen now, and old enough to 
 keep out of mischief." 
 
 The boys were delighted at the prospect of the expedi- 
 tion, and at once went out to talk matters over together. 
 'They cordially agreed in the hope that the Zulus would 
 ifight, and promised themselves that if possible they 
 ivould see something of it. Their fathers would, they 
 thought, allow them to take their horses, and it would 
 foe easy, if the wagons were left behind, to ride forward 
 with the troops, and see what went on. 
 
 Two days later the four teams started together for 
 Pieter-Maritzburg. Contrary to their expectations the 
 boys were not allowed to take their horses. 
 
 "No, no, Dick," Mr. Humphreys had said, when his 
 son asked him, "no horses, if you please; I know what 
 you will be up to. Galloping about to see what is going 
 on, and getting into all sorts of mischief and scrapes. 
 No, if you go, you go with the wagons, to see that every- 
 thing goes straight, to translate orders to the Kaffirs, 
 and to learn something of wagon-driving across a rough 
 ^country. For between this place and Pieter-Maritzburg 
 it is such a fair road that you really learn nothing in that 
 way; once get into a cross country, and you will see how 
 "they get wagons down steep kloofs, across streams, and 
 over rough places. No, you and Tom will stick to the 
 wagons. I have been fixing a number of rings to-day 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 4S 
 
 underneath one of them, and your mother and the women 
 have been at work, makiug a sort of curtain to hook on 
 all round; so at night you will have a comfortable place to 
 sleep in, for the wagons will likely enough be so filled 
 with cases and stores that there will be no sleeping in 
 them. You can take the double-barrel as well as your 
 Winchester, as of an evening you may be able to get a 
 shot sometimes at game, which will vary your rations a 
 bit. You must take with you a stock of tinned meats 
 from Pieter-Maritzburg, for I do not suppose they will 
 issue regular rations to you. So long as you are this side 
 of the Tugela you will be able to buy food; but if the 
 troops cross into Zululand you may have to depend on 
 what you carry." 
 
 Tom with his two wagons arrived at daybreak, and xhe 
 four teams set off together, Mrs. Humphreys — who had 
 now completely lost her cough and was quite strong and 
 well — laying many injunctions upon Dick against expos- 
 ing himself to any danger, and Dick promising to be as 
 careful as possible. 
 
 Upon their arrival at Pieter-Maritzburg the boys went 
 at once to the government transport-yard, and on stating 
 their errand were shown into the office of the officer in 
 charge. 
 
 "We have brought down four teams of sixteen oxen 
 each," Dick said, "from near Newcastle, to be hired to 
 the government." 
 
 "That is right, my lads," the officer said, "we have 
 room for plenty more. This is the form of contract. 
 You engage to serve the government by the month; you 
 bear any damages which may take place from wear and 
 tear of the roads, breakdowns, and the other ordinary 
 accidents of travel; the government engages to make 
 good any loss or damage which may occur from the 
 action of the enemy. This is not," he said, smiling, 
 
44 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "likely to take place, but still those are the terms. 
 Have you any authority from your fathers, to whom, I 
 suppose, the teams belong, to sign the contracts for 
 them?' , 
 
 f "Yes, sir," Dick said. "Here is a paper from my 
 father, and one from Tom Jackson's father, saying that 
 they agree to be bound by the terms of the contract, and 
 that they authorize us to sign in their names. We are 
 going with the wagons, sir, to look after the Kaffirs." 
 
 ''Well," the officer said, "you can do as you like about 
 that; but if you speak Kaffir it will be useful — only, 
 mind, you will have to provision yourselves. From the 
 day the teams are taken up rations of mealies will bo 
 served to the Kaffirs at the various halting-places, but 
 there is no provision for rations of white men. The cat- 
 tle, too, will be fed, but you will have to see to your- 
 
 "Yes, sir; we expected to do so." 
 
 "Well, you had better fetch the teams up to the yard. 
 I must inspect and pass them before they are taken up. 
 Bring them round at once; then they will be loaded 
 to-night, and start at daybreak to-morrow." 
 
 The teams were brought round to the yard, and im- 
 mediately passed by the officer, who indeed remarked 
 upon the excellence of the animals. The Kaffirs were 
 directed to outspan or unyoke the oxen, for whom 
 rations of hay and grain were at once issued. 
 
 The boys returned to the town and made their pur- 
 chases, which were carried down by two Kaffirs and 
 stored in the wagons, which were already in process of 
 being loaded — two with boxes of ammunition* the others, 
 with miscellaneous stores for the troops. They slept at 
 an hotel, and next morning at daybreak presented them- 
 selves at the yard. The Kaffirs were already harnessing 
 up the oxen, and in a quarter of an hour the four wagons* 
 with sixteen others, started for the Tugela. 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. . 45 
 
 It was now the middle of December. Early in the 
 month commissioners had been sent to Cetewayo with 
 the terms decided upon by Sir Bartle Frere. The first 
 clauses of the document contained the settlement of the 
 disputed frontier, and fines were fixed to be paid by the 
 chiefs whose men had committed forays across the 
 "borders; it then went on to demand that the whole of 
 €etewayo's army should at once be disbanded; freedom 
 of marriage was to be allowed, when the parties thereto 
 were of age; justice was to be impartially administered; 
 missionaries to be allowed to reside in the Zulu country; 
 British residents to be appointed; all disputes between 
 Zulus and Europeans to be referred to the king and resi- 
 dent; and no expulsion from Zulu territory was to be 
 carried into effect without the distinct approval of the 
 resident. 
 
 It was intimated to the king that unless these terms 
 were accepted by the 11th of January the army would at 
 once invade the country. Few men expected that the 
 Zulu king would tamely submit to conditions which 
 would deprive him of all the military power in which he 
 delighted, and would reduce him to a state of. something 
 like dependency upon the British. 
 
 During the month of December General Thesiger, who 
 commanded the British forces in South Africa, made 
 every effort to prepare for hostilities. The regiments 
 which were at the Cape were brought round by sea; a 
 "brigade of seamen and marines was Ian* 3 3d from the ships 
 of war; several corps of irregular* ^orse were raised 
 among the colonists; and regiments of natives were en- 
 rolled. Before the date by which the king was to send 
 in his answer the troops were assembled along the 
 frontier in the following disposition: 
 
46 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 No. 1 Column. 
 (Headquarters, Thring's Post, Lower Tugela.) 
 
 Commandant. — Colonel C. K. Pearson, the Buffs. 
 
 Naval Brigade. — One hundred and seventy bluejackets 
 and marines of H. M.S. Active (with one Gatling and 
 two seven-pounder guns), under Captain Campbell, K.N, 
 
 Royal Artillery. — Two seven-pounder guns and rocket 
 battery, under Lieutenant W. N. Lloyd, R.A. 
 
 Infantry. — Second battalion, Third Buffs, under 
 Lieutenant-Colonel H. Parnell. 
 
 Mounted Infantry. — One hundred men under Captain 
 Barrow, Nineteenth Hussars. 
 
 Volunteers. — Durban Rifles, Natal Hussars, Stanger 
 Rifles, Victoria Rifles, Alexandra Rifles. Average, forty- 
 men per corps — all mounted. 
 
 Native Contingent. — One thousand men under Major 
 Graves, the Buffs. 
 
 No. 2 Column - . 
 
 (Headquarters, Helpmahaar, near Rorke's Drift.) 
 
 Commandant. — Colonel Glyn, first battalion, Twenty- 
 fourth Regiment. 
 
 Royal Artillery — N. battery, fifth brigade, Royal Artil- 
 lery (with seven-pounder guns), under Major A. Harness, 
 B.A. 
 
 Infantry. — Seven companies first battalion, Twenty- 
 fourth Regiment, and second battalion, Twenty-fourth 
 Begiment, under Lieutenant-Colonel Degacher. 
 
 Natal Mounted Police. — Commanded by Major Dart- 
 nell. 
 
 Volunteers. — Natal Carabineers, Buffalo Border Guard, 
 Newcastle Mounted Rifles — all mounted; average, forty 
 an en* 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 4? 
 
 Native Contingent.— One thousand men, under Com- 
 mandant Lonsdale, late Seventy-fourth Highlanders. 
 
 No. 3 Column. 
 
 (Headquarters, Utrecht.) 
 
 Commandant. — Colonel Evelyn "Wood, V.C., C.B., 
 
 fortieth Regiment. 
 
 Eoyal Artillery. — Eleventh battery, seventh brigade, 
 B.A. (with four seven-pounder guns), under Major E. 
 Tremlett, R.A. 
 
 Infantry. — Eirst battalion Thirteenth Kegiment, and 
 Ninetieth Kegiment. 
 
 Mounted Infantry. — One hundred men, under Major 
 J. C. Russell, Twelfth Lancers. 
 
 Frontier Light Horse. — Two hundred strong, under 
 Major Kedvers Buller, C.B., Sixtieth Rifles. 
 
 Volunteers. — The Kaffrarian Vanguard, Commandant 
 Schermbuicker, one hundred strong. 
 
 Native Contingent. — The Swazis, our native allies, 
 some five thousand strong. 
 
 In the first fortnight of their engagement the wagons 
 traveled backward and forward between Pieter-Maritz- 
 burg and Grey Town, which for the time formed the base 
 for the column of Colonel Glyn. The distance of the 
 town from the capital was forty-five miles, and as the 
 wagons traveled at the rate of fifteen miles a day, they 
 twelve days were in accomplishing two double journeys. 
 When they were loaded up the third time they received 
 orders to go straight through to the headquarters of the 
 column at Helpmakaar. The boys were pleased at the 
 ■change, for the road as far as Grey Town was a good one. 
 
 They reached Grey Town for the third time on the 
 3d of January. Here they found the place in a state of 
 great excitement, a mounted messenger having arrived 
 
48 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 that morning with the news that Oetewayo had refused 
 all demands and that large bodies of the Zulus were 
 marching toward the frontier to oppose the various 
 columns collecting there. 
 
 fe On arriving at the government-yard the lads received 
 orders at once to unload the wagons and to take on the 
 stores of the second battalion of the Twenty-fourth, 
 which was to march from Grey Town the next morning. 
 The start was delayed until the afternoon, as sufficient 
 wagons had not arrived to take on their baggage.. The 
 road was rough, and it was late in the afternoon before 
 they arrived at the Mooin Eiver. 
 
 The weather had set in wet, the river was in flood, and 
 the oxen had immense difficulty in getting the wagons 
 across. Two teams had to be attached to each wagon, 
 and even then it was as much as they could do to get 
 across, for the water was so high that it nearly took 
 them off their feet. 
 
 The troops were taken over in punts, and, after cross- 
 ing, a halt was made for the night. 
 
 After seeing the cattle outspanned and attended to,, 
 the boys wandered away among the troops, as they were 
 to start at daybreak, and it was long past dark before all 
 •were over. The tents were not pitched, and the troops 
 bivouacked in the open. Brushwood was collected from 
 the rough ground around, and blazing tires were soon 
 burning merrily. It was all new and very amusing to> 
 the boys. The troops were in high spirits at the prospect 
 of an early brush with the enemy, and songs were sung 
 around the fires until the bugle rang out the order r 
 "Lights out/' when the men wrapped themselves in their 
 blankets and lay down, and the boys retired to their snug 
 shelter under the wagons, where their Kaffirs had, as 
 usual, laid piles of brushwood to serve as their beds. 
 
 The next morning they were off early, and reached th© 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 49 
 
 Tugela after five hours' march. This river does not here 
 form the frontier between Zululand and Natal, this being 
 marked by the Buffalo — a much larger and more inu- 
 portant stream — from the point where this falls into the 
 Tugela, some fifteen miles below the spot where they 
 crossed the latter river, which here runs toward the south- 
 west. 
 
 Two more days' marching took the column to Help- 
 makaar. The weather was wet and misty, and the troops 
 now marched in close order, with flankers thrown out, 
 for the road ran parallel with the Buffalo, about five 
 miles distant, and it was thought possible that the Zulus 
 might cross the river and commence hostilities. A cor- 
 don of sentinels had, however, been placed all along the 
 river from Eorke's Drift down to the point of junction 
 of the Buffalo and Tugela; below the stream was so wide 
 that there was no fear of the Zulus effecting a crossing. 
 
 Most of the troops which had been stationed at Help- 
 makaar had already marched up to Eorke's Drift, and 
 after staying two days at Helpmakaar the second bat- 
 talion of the Twenty-fourth marched to that place, 
 where the first battalion of the same regiment were 
 already encamped. 
 
 Two days later the remainder of the force destined to 
 act under Colonel Glyn had assembled at Eorke's Drift 
 — the term "drift" meaning a ford across a river. 
 
 This column was the strongest of those which had been 
 formed for the simultaneous invasion of Zululand, and 
 General Thesiger was himself upon the spot to accom- 
 pany it. Many of the wagons which had brought up 
 stores were sent back to Grey Town for further supplies; 
 but those of the boys, being laden with the spare ammu- 
 nition and baggage of a portion of the Twenty-fourth, 
 were to accompany the column in its advance. 
 
 The last two days of the term granted to Cetewayo to 
 
50 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 accede to our terms were full of excitement; it had been 
 reported, indeed, that the king was determined upon 
 resistance, but it was thought probable that he might 
 yield at the last moment, and the road leading down to 
 the drift on the other side of the river was anxiously 
 watched. 
 
 As the hours went on and no messenger was seen ap- 
 proaching, the spirits of 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 the campaigns of Abyssinia and 
 Ashanti told their comrades how on both occasions the 
 same uncertainty had prevailed as to the intentions of 
 the enemy up to the last moment; and the fact that in 
 both campaigns the enemy had at the last moment 
 resolved l to fight was hailed as a sort of presage that a 
 similar determination would be arrived at by the Zulu 
 king. 
 
 To the boys these days passed very pleasantly; they 
 had nothing to do but to wander about the eamp and 
 watch the proceedings. There was a parade of the two 
 native regiments before the general, who was much 
 pleased with their appearance, and who exhorted them 
 on no account to kill women, children, or prisoners. 
 
 Among these native regiments were curiously many 
 Zulus; for great numbers of this people had at various 
 times been obliged to take refuge in Natal, to avoid the 
 destruction threatened them by their despotic king, and 
 these were now eager to fight against their late monarch. 
 
 Some of the bodies of volunteer horse were very smart 
 and soldier-like in their appearance. They were for the 
 most part composed of young farmers, and Dick and Tom 
 bitterly regretted that they had not been a few years 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 51 
 
 older, in which case, instead of looking after a lot of 
 bulls, as Dick contemptuously said, they might have been 
 riding in the ranks of the volunteers. 
 
 By the regulars the two days were spent in cleaning 
 their arms and accouterments, whose burnish and clean- 
 liness had suffered much in the long, wet march, and from 
 the bivouacs on the damp ground. 
 
 After marching from Grey Town with the Twenty- 
 fourth the boys had been placed regularly on the roll of 
 the army as conductors, and although they drew no 
 pay, had now the advantage of receiving rations as white 
 men. They had upon the line of march frequently 
 chatted with the young officers of the regiment, who, 
 finding that they were the sons of well-to-do farmers and 
 were cheery, high-spirited lads, took to them very much, 
 and invited them of an evening to join them round the 
 campfire. 
 
 The last day came, and still no messenger arrived from 
 Cetewayo, and in the evening orders were issued that the 
 column should at daybreak pass the drift and advance 
 into the enemy's country. The troops lay down that 
 night in high spirits, little dreaming of the disaster which 
 was to befall them in the campaign which they thought of 
 so lightly. 
 
5^ THE YOUNG COLONISTS, 
 
 CHAPTER V. 
 
 ISANDULA. 
 
 At two o'clock on the morning of January 11 the 
 bugle sounded the reveille, and the troops prepared to 
 cross the Buffalo. Tents were struck, baggage piled on 
 the wagons, and the regiments stood to arms at half-past 
 four. The native contingent crossed first. The cavalry 
 brigade under Lieutenant-Colonel Eussell placed their 
 ammunition on a pontoon and rode over. The river was 
 in some places up to the necks of the infantry, and even 
 the cavalry were nearly swept away. The first and 
 second battalions of the Twenty-fourth crossed on the 
 pontoons. The third regiment of the native contingent 
 threw out skirmishers, but could find no trace of the 
 enemy. 
 
 A heavy storm had come on at daybreak, but this left off 
 at nine o'clock. Lieutenant-Colonel Buller, commanding 
 the Frontier Light Horse, now rode in from the camp of 
 Colonel Wood's force, which had crossed the Blood Eiver 
 and had encamped inZululandat a spot about thirty-two 
 miles distant. Lord Chelmsford rode over there with an 
 escort of the Natal Mounted Police and the Natal Cara- 
 bineers, who on their return captured three hundred 
 head of cattle, several horses, and a number of sheep and 
 goats. During the day the wagons, oxen, and ambu- 
 lances were brought across the river on the pontoons. 
 
 Early next morning the first battalion of the First 
 Native Regiment, four companies of the first battalion of 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 53 
 
 the Twenty-fourth, and three hundred of the irregular 
 horse started on a reconnaissance toward the kraal of 
 Sirayo, the chief whose sons had been the greatest 
 offenders in the raids into Natal. The cavalry were 
 thrown out in skirmishing order, and after marching 
 nine miles they descended into the slope of the valley in 
 which Sirayo's kraals were situated. The enemy were 
 heard singing their war-songs in one of the ravines, and 
 the Third Native Regiment advanced against them, with 
 the Twenty-fourth in reserve. The Zulus opened fire as 
 they approached, and so heavy was this that many of our 
 natives turned and ran; they were rallied, however, and 
 ■with a rush carried the caves in which the Zulus were 
 lurking. 
 
 In the meantime the Twenty-fourth's men had moved 
 round to the head of the ravine, and cut off the enemy's 
 retreat. There was a skirmish between the cavalry and 
 some mounted Zulus, and six of these, including a son of 
 Sirayo„ were killed. Thirty horses and four hundred 
 head of cattle were captured. 
 
 The next day was spent in cleaning up arms and ac- 
 couterments, after the heavy rain which had fallen the 
 preceding week, and several days were spent in making 
 the roads passable for the wagons. 
 
 On the 20th the force moved forward, leaving one 
 company of the second battalion of the Twenty -fourth, 
 under Lieutenant Bromhead, with some engineers and a 
 few natives to guard the ford and look after the pon- 
 toons, and garrison the store and hospital. The column 
 camped at Isandula, or, as it is more properly called, 
 Isandwhlana, ten miles distant from Eorke's Drift. A 
 portion of the road was extremely rough, and the wagons 
 had the greatest difficulty in making their way forward. 
 
 The spot selected for a camping-ground was a wide flat 
 valley, with hills on the left and undulating ground on 
 
54 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 the right; almost in the center rose an isolated hill, per- 
 pendicular on three sides, and very steep and difficult 
 on the fourth. The camp was pitched in front of this: 
 hill, looking down the valley, with a mile of open coun- 
 try between it and the hills on the left. 
 
 The camp was formed in the following order: on the 
 left were the two battalions of the Third Native Eegi- 
 ment; the Eoyal Artillery were in the center; next to 
 these was the second battalion of the Twenty-fourth. 
 The line was then taken up by the cavalry, with the first 
 battalion of the Twenty-fourth on the right of the whole. 
 The wagons were all placed between the camp and the 
 hill at the back. 
 
 By a strange and criminal neglect no attempt was 
 made to intrench this position, although it was known 
 that the column might at any moment be attacked by 
 the Zulus. 
 
 It was determined that the greater part of the force 
 should advance the next morning toward a. stronghold 
 ten miles distant from the camp, straight down the val- 
 ley. News had come that a large number of Zulus were 
 at this spot, and it was supposed that these would fight. 
 The column consisted of eight companies of each of the 
 battalions of the Third Native Eegiment, 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 been deserted by the enemy. 
 At four o'clock, as the cavalry were skirmishing at a dis- 
 tance on both flanks, they came upon a body of Zulus 
 about two thousand strong. The horse fell back upon 
 the infantry, but, as it was now late, Major Dartnell de- 
 cided to encamp for the night, and to attack in the 
 morning. A messenger was dispatched into camp with 
 a report of the day's proceedings, and some provisions 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 55 
 
 and blankets were sent out, with news that the general 
 would join the troops with reinforcements in the morn- 
 ing. 
 
 At daybreak he left the camp at Isandula with seven 
 companies of the second battalion of the Twenty-fourth, 
 and orders were sent to Colonel Durnford, at Korke's 
 Drift, to bring up two hundred mounted men and his 
 rocket-battery, which had reached that spot. 
 
 The Zulus were seen in all directions, and a good deal 
 of skirmishing took place. By a gross neglect, equal to 
 that which was manifested in the omission to fortify the 
 camp, no steps whatever were taken to keep up commu- 
 nication between the column, which now consisted of the 
 greater part of the troops, and those who remained at 
 the camp at Isandula. No signalers were placed on the 
 hills, no mounted videttes were posted, and the column 
 marched on, absorbed in its own skirmishes with the 
 enemy, as if the general in command had forgotten the 
 very existence of the force at Isandula. Even in the 
 middle of the day, when the firing of cannon told that 
 the camp was attacked, no steps were taken to ascertain 
 whether reinforcements were needed there, and it was 
 not until hours after all was over that a party was dis- 
 patched to ascertain what had taken place at the camp. 
 
 Upon the day on which the two native regiments 
 advanced the two boys felt the time hang heavy on their 
 hands; they would have liked to take their guns and go 
 out to shoot some game for their dinners, but all shoot- 
 ing had been strictly forbidden, as the sound of a gun 
 might cause a false alarm. After hanging about the 
 camp for an hour or two Dick proposed that they should 
 climb the hill which rose so steeply behind them. 
 
 "If the columns have any fighting," he said, "we 
 should be sure to see it from the top." 
 
 Borrowing a telescope from one of the officers of the 
 
56 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 volunteer cavalry/ they skirted round to the back of the 
 hill, and there began their climb. It was very steep, but 
 after some hard work they reached the summit, and then 
 crossed to the front and sat down in a comfortable niche 
 in the rock, whence they could-command a view far down 
 the valley. They could see the two battalions of infan- 
 try marching steadily along, and the cavalry moving 
 among the hills and undulations on both flanks. They 
 had taken some biscuits and a bottle of beer up with 
 them, and spent the whole day on the lookout. The 
 view which they gained was a very extensive one, as the 
 hill was far higher than those on either side, and in many 
 places they could see small bodies of the enemy moving 
 about. At sunset they descended. 
 
 "I vote we go up again," Tom said the next morning. 
 "The general has gone forward with most of the white 
 troops, and there is sure to be fighting to-day. We shall 
 have nothing to do, and may as well go up there as any- 
 where else." 
 
 After the general's departure there remained in camp 
 five companies of the first battalion of the Twenty-fourth, 
 and one of the second battalion, two fieldpieces with 
 their artillery-men, and some mounted men. 
 
 Just as the boys were starting at eight in the morning 
 there was a report in the camp that the Zulus were gath- 
 ering in force to the north of them. This quickened 
 the boys' movements, and half an hour later they gained 
 the top of the hill, and from their old position looked 
 down upon the camp lying many hundred feet below 
 them. There was considerable bustle going on, and the 
 Kaffir drivers were hastily collecting the cattle which 
 were grazing round, and were driving them into camp. 
 
 "There is going to be a fight!" Dick exclaimed, as 
 they gained their lookout; "there are crowds of ^ulus 
 out there on the plains." 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 57 
 
 Could the boys have looked over the hills a mile away 
 to their right, they would have seen that the number of 
 Zulus down in the valley in front was but a small pro- 
 portion of those gathering for the attack; for fifteen 
 thousand men had moved up during the night, and were 
 lying quietly behind those hills, three or four thousand 
 more were taking the road to Rorke's Drift, to cut off 
 any who might escape from the camp, while as many 
 more were showing down the valley. Altogether some 
 twenty-four thousand of the enemy had gathered round 
 the little body in the camp. To the boys, however, only 
 the party down the valley was visible. 
 
 At eleven o'clock Colonel Durnford came into camp 
 with his three hundred and fifty mounted men from 
 Eorke's Drift, and advanced Avith them to meet the 
 enemy threatening the left flank, while two companies 
 of the first battalion of the Twenty-fourth moved out to 
 attack their right. The Zulus, now reinforced from 
 behind the hills, moved forward steadily, and Colonel 
 Durnford with his cavalry could do little to arrest them. 
 For an hour the infantry stood their ground, and the 
 two fieldpieces swept lines through the thick ranks of 
 the enemy. The Zulus advanced in the form of a great 
 crescent. 
 
 "Things look very bad, Dick," Tom said; "what do 
 you think we had better do?" 
 
 "I think we had better stay where we are, Tom, and 
 wait and see what occurs; we have a splendid view of the 
 fight, and if our fellows meet them we shall see it all*, 
 but if — oh, look there, Tom!" 
 
 Over the hills on the left thousands of Zulus were seen 
 pouring down. 
 
 "This is terrible, Tom. Look here, I will crawl along 
 over the crest, so as not to be seen, and look behind to 
 see if it is clear there. If it is, I vote we make a bolt. 
 
gg TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 It is of no use our thinking of going down for a couple 
 of horses; the Zulus will be in the camp long before we 
 . could get there." 
 
 Five minutes later he again joined his friend. 
 
 "They are coming up behind too, Tom. They have 
 really surrounded us. Look, they are close to the camp!'* 
 
 It was a scene of frightful confusion. Nothing could 
 be seen of the companies of the Twenty-fourth, which 
 had gone out to meet the Zulus. The great wave of the 
 advancing army had swept over them. Below, the panic 
 was complete and terrible, and soldiers, native drivers, 
 and camp-followers were running wildly in all directions. 
 
 One party of the Twenty-fourth's men, about sixty 
 strong, had gathered together and stood like a little 
 island. The incessant fire of their rifles covered them 
 with white smoke, while a dense mass of Zulus pressed 
 upon them. Many of the soldiers were flying for their 
 lives; others again, when they found that their retreat 
 was cut off, had gathered in groups and were fighting 
 desperately to the last. Here and there mounted men 
 strove to cut their way though the Zulus, while numbers 
 of fugitives could be seen making for the river, hotly 
 pursued by crowds of the enemy, who speared them as 
 they ran. 
 
 "It is frightful, frightful, Tom! I cannot bear to 
 look at it." 
 
 For a few minutes the fight continued. The crack of 
 the rifles was heard less frequently now. The exulting 
 yell of the Zulus rose louder and louder. On the right 
 Colonel Durnford with his cavalry essayed to make one 
 last stand to check the pursuit of the Zulus and give 
 time for the fugitives to escape; but it was in vain, 
 showers of assegais fell among them, and the Zulu crowd 
 surged round. 
 
 For a time the boys thought all were lost, but a few 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 59 
 
 horsemen cut their way through the crowd and rode for 
 the river. The artillery had long before ceased to fire, 
 and the gunners lay speared by the cannon. The first 
 shot had been fired at half -past eleven, by one o'clock all 
 Was over. The last white man had fallen, and the Zulus 
 swarmed like a vast body of ants over the camp in search 
 of plunder. 
 
 Horror-stricken and sick, the boys shrank back against 
 the rock behind them, and for some time sobbed bitterly 
 over the dreadful massacre which had taken place before 
 their eyes. But after a time they began to talk more 
 quietly. 
 
 "Will they come up here, do you think, Dick?** 
 
 "No, I don't think so," Dick replied. "They could 
 hardly have seen 115 come up here, even if they had been 
 on the lookout on the hills, and as they reached the 
 back 9f the mountain before the camp was taken, they 
 will Know that nobody could have come up afterward 
 Lie back here; we cannot possibly be seen from below. 
 They will be too much taken up with plundering the 
 camp to think ot searcnmg *his hill. What on earth is 
 the general doing? — I can see his troops right ^way on 
 the plain. Surely he must have heard the guns? Our 
 only hope now is that when he hears it he will march 
 straight back; but even if he does I fear that the Zulus 
 will be too strong for him. The whole force which he 
 has with him is no stronger than that which has been 
 crushed here, and I don't expect the native regiments 
 can make much stand if attacked by such a tremen- 
 dously strong force." 
 
 So long as the daylight lasted the boys, peering occa- 
 sionally over, could see the Zulus at the work of plun- 
 dering. All the sacks and barrels were taken from the 
 wagons and cut or broken open, each man taking as 
 much as he could carry of the tea, sugar, flour, and other 
 
60 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 necessaries; many of the yoke-oxen were assegaied at 
 once, and cut up and eaten, the rest being driven off 
 toward the north by a party of warriors. 
 
 At nightfall the tents were set on fire; they soon 
 burned out, and the boys could no longer see what was 
 taking place. Eising from the shelter, they walked back 
 to the other side of the crest. 
 
 "I can hear firing now," Dick said; "it seems to me 
 that it is back at Eorke's Drift." 
 
 They were soon sure that they were not mistaken; as 
 it grew darker a flittering light was seen in that direction, 
 and a continued fire of distant musketry was heard. 
 Later on there was a broad glare in the sky. 
 
 "I fear it is all over there too," Dick said, "and that 
 the place has been burned." 
 
 Still, however, the firing continued as heavy as ever, 
 and long on into the night the lads sat listening to it. 
 At last they fell asleep, and when they awoke the sun 
 was already high. Thus they missed their chance of 
 escape. 
 
 At nine o'clock in the evening Lord Chelmsford's 
 force, hearing at last what had happened, marched back 
 into the camp, and before day had fairly broken con- 
 tinued their way down to Korke's Drift. The defenders 
 here, a little garrison under Lieutenant Bromhead of 
 the Twenty-fourth and Chard of the Eoyal Artillery, had 
 made a heroic defense against some four thousand of 
 the enemy. With mealie bags and boxes they built up a 
 breastwork, and this they held all night, in spite of the 
 desperate efforts of the Zulus to capture it. The hos- 
 pital, which stood at one end of the intrenchment, was 
 carried and burned by the Zulus, but the little garrison 
 held out till morning in an inner intrenchment round 
 the storehouse. 
 
 Here was seen what could be done in the way of 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 61 
 
 defense by the aid of hastily thrown up intrenchments; 
 and had breastworks been erected at Isandula, as they 
 ought to have been the instant the troops arrived there, 
 and still more so when the major portion of the column 
 marched away, the force there, small as it was, would 
 doubtless have made a successful resistance. Even had 
 the step been taken, when the Zulus were first seen 
 approaching, of forming a laager — that is, of drawing up 
 the wagons in the form of a hollow square — at the foot of 
 the-- steep mountain, the disaster might have been 
 averted. It may be said that the massacre of Isandula 
 was due entirely to the over-confidence and carelessness 
 of the officers in command of the column. 
 
 The boys on waking crawled back cautiously to a spot 
 where they could obtain a view over the valley, and, to 
 their surprise, the force which, on the afternoon before,, 
 they had seen out there had entirely disappeared. Many 
 bodies of Zulus were seen moving about, but there was 
 no trace of the white troops. They made their way to 
 the back of the hill, and then, to their horror, saw the 
 column moving away from them, and already halfway 
 on its road to Korke's Drift. 
 
 Their first impulse was to get up and start off in a run 
 in pursuit of it, but this feeling lasted but a moment, for 
 between the hill and the column many scattered parties 
 of Zulus were to be seen. The boys looked blankly at 
 each other. It was but too clear that they were cut off 
 and alone in the enemy's country. 
 
 "Whatever shall we do, Dick?" 
 
 "I have not the least idea, Tom. At any rate there is 
 nothing to be done at present. We should be assegaied 
 in a moment if we were to go down; let's go back to our 
 old lookout." 
 
 After much talk, they agreed that it would be hopeless 
 to attempt to make south and cross the Buffalo, as many 
 
$2 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 *>f the fugitives had done. There were sure to be strong 
 bodies of Zulus along the river, and even if they passed 
 these without detection they would be unable to cross the 
 river, as they would find no ford and neither of them was 
 able to swim. 
 
 There were great numbers of Zulus in the camp below, 
 and these seemed to be pursuing the work of plundering 
 more minutely than they had done on the previous day. 
 The stores scattered recklessly about were collected, 
 placed in empty barrels, and loaded up on the wagons. 
 Presently a number of cattle were brought down; these 
 were harnessed to the wagons and driven off, and by 
 nightfall nothing save scattered remnants marked the 
 place where the British camp had stood. But from their 
 post the boys could see that the ground far and near was 
 dotted with corpses, black and white. 
 
 After nightfall the boys descended to the camp, and 
 having marked the exact spot where the wagons had 
 stood were able to collect a number of pieces of the 
 broken biscuit scattered about; they were fortunate 
 enough to light upon a water-bottle still full, and with 
 these treasures they returned to the post on the moun- 
 tain. They had agreed to wait there for three or four 
 days, in fact as long as they could hold out, and then 
 quietly to walk into one of the native kraals. If caught 
 in the act of flight they were certain of being killed, but 
 they hoped that when the Zulus' blood had cooled down 
 after the conflict their lives might possibly be spared. 
 
 This plan was carried out; for four days they remained 
 on the hill of Isandula, and then descending late one 
 evening to the plain walked for ten or twelve miles 
 north, and waiting until daybreak showed them a large 
 native kraal at no great distance, they made for it, and 
 sat quietlv down at the door of the principal hut. Pres- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 63 
 
 ently a girl issued from a neighboring hut, and, upon 
 seeing them, gave a scream and ran back again. The 
 cry brought others to the doors of the huts. When the? 
 boys were seen, a perfect hubbub of tongues broke forth, 
 and many of the men, running out with their spears, ad- 
 vanced toward the lads. They sat perfectly quiet, and 
 held up their hands to show that they were unarmed. 
 The Zulus hesitated. Dick went through the motion of 
 eating and drinking, and in his best Kaffir begged for a 
 glass ot water. 
 
 The Zulus, seeing that the boys were alone, approached 
 them, and began to ask them questions, and were evi- 
 dently much surprised at hearing that they had escaped 
 from the massacre of the British. From the door of the 
 hut in which they were sitting a chief, evidently of high 
 rank, for the others greeted him respectfully, now came 
 out. 
 
 After the cause of the tumult was explained to the- 
 chief he ordered the boys to be bound. This was done 
 and they were put into an empty hut while their fate was 
 decided upon; after much deliberation it was agreed by 
 the Zulus that, as they were but boys and had come into 
 the camp unarmed and of their own accord, their lives' 
 should for the present be spared. 
 
 It happened that in the village were a party of men 
 who belonged to the tribe of Umbelleni, whose territory 
 lay to the northwest, and these volunteered to take the 
 prisoners to their chief, who was one of the strongest 
 opponents of the English. His country, indeed, lay just 
 within the Zulu frontier, and, having been engaged in 
 constant skirmishes and broils with the Dutch settlers, 
 he was even more disappointed than the other chiefs at 
 the taking over of the Transvaal by England, just at the; 
 time when the Zulus were meditating its conquest. 
 
64 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 The road from Itelezi, the village at which the boys 
 had given themselves up, to Umbelleni's country ran 
 along between the Blood Kiver and the lofty hill coun- 
 try; and, although they were ignorant of the fact, 
 Colonel Wood's force was at that moment lying on this 
 line. They were therefore taken up over a mountain 
 country, crossing Mount Ingwe, to the Zlobani Moun- 
 tain, a stronghold ten miles south of Umbelleni's chief 
 kraal, and where at present he was residing. After three 
 days' journey the lads, exhausted and footsore, ascended 
 to the plateau of the Zlobani Mountains. 
 
 Upon their way they passed through many villages, and 
 at each place it needed the efforts of their guards to pre- 
 vent their being seriously maltreated, if not killed. The 
 Zulus, although victorious at Isandula, had suffered ter- 
 ribly, it being estimated that nearly three thousand had 
 fallen in the attack. 
 
 Thus there was not a village but had lost some of its 
 members, for, although the Zulu regiments have local 
 denominations and regular military kraals, each regiment 
 consists of men drawn from the population at large. 
 
 Every four or five years all the lads who have passed 
 the age of eighteen since the formation of the last corps, 
 are called out and formed into a regiment, or are em- 
 bodied with some regiment whose numbers have fallen in 
 strength. Thus a regiment may consist of men differing 
 considerably from each other in point of age, the great 
 distinction being that some corps consist entirely of 
 married men, while others are all unmarried. A regi- 
 ment remains unmarried until the king formally gives 
 the permission to take wives, and the corps to whom the 
 boon has been granted are distinguished from the others 
 by their hair being arranged in a thick ring round the 
 head. So great is the enmity between these married 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 65 
 
 regiments and their less fortunate comrades that they are 
 never encamped in each other's view, as fighting in that 
 case would inevitably take place. Thus it happened 
 that, although some of the corps had suffered far more 
 than others, the loss was spread over the whole of Zulu- 
 v J *nd. 
 
£6 THE YOUNQ COLONISTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VI. 
 
 ZLOBANI. 
 
 While disaster had fallen upon the center column, 
 the division under Colonel Evelyn Wood had been show- 
 ing what could be done when care and prudence took the 
 place of a happy-go-lucky recklessness. It had advanced 
 from Ufcrecht on January 7, and had moved up to the 
 frontier at Sandspruit. At two in the afternoon of the 
 10th it moved forward, halted at six, and again advanced 
 by the light of the moon at half-past one in the morn- 
 ing; a mounted advance guard was thrown out, flanking 
 patrols were organized, and the troops moved in the 
 greatest silence. 
 
 The next day Colonel Buller, with his irregular horse, 
 went out, and after a skirmish with the Zulus brought in 
 a thousand cattle, and Captain Barton, with a party 
 scouting in another direction, captured five hundred and 
 fifty. 
 
 On the following morning a reconnaissance in force 
 was made, and a good deal of skirmishing took place; 
 but, as Colonel Wood never allowed his men to follow 
 the Zulus into rough ground, the latter were unable to 
 effect anything against the column. This division ad- 
 vanced forward but slowly, as it was intended that they 
 should keep within reach of the leisurely moving central 
 column. 
 
 After several slight skirmishes the news reached them 
 on the 24th of the disaster of Isandula, and with it Colo- 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 6? 
 
 nel Wood received orders to fall back; and on the 26th 
 he encamped at Kambula. Raids were made in all direc- 
 tions with great success; the great military kraal of 
 Manyamyoba was captured and destroyed by Colonel 
 Buller and his cavalry. As Colonel Wood's was now the 
 most advanced column, Colonel Rowlands, with a wing 
 of the Eightieth and a couple of guns and two hundred 
 Swazis, together with Eaaf's Horse and Wetherby's 
 Borderers, were sent as a reinforcement to him. 
 
 The Zulus were not idle, and Umbelleni and Manya- 
 myoba made several successful raids across the border 
 and destroyed the kraals of natives friendly to the Eng- 
 lish. These two chiefs were not regular Zulu chieftains;' 
 both were adventurers who had gathered under them 
 numbers of broken men, and had for years carried on 
 raids on their own account from their mountain strong- 
 hold, in much the same way that the Scotch borderers of 
 olden times harassed the country on the English side of 
 the frontier. 
 
 Oham, the king's brother, with his own following, 
 came into Colonel Wood's camp, and gave himself up, 
 saying that he was altogether opposed to the war. 
 
 The boys on their arrival at Zlobani were brought be- 
 fore Umbelleni. That chief briefly gave orders that they 
 should be killed; but two or three of his headmen repre- 
 sented to him that they might be of use; they would be 
 able to carry a message to the British camp, should he 
 desire at any time to send one; by their appearance and 
 dress, they could tell him the nature of any troops they 
 might intend to attack, and could read and explain any 
 letters which might be captured on messengers; finally, 
 they might be an acceptable present to send toCetewayo, 
 who might not be pleased if he heard that prisoners had 
 been killed in cold blood. 
 
 Umbelleni assented to the reasoning, and ordered the 
 
68 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 boys to be taken to a hut. The Zulu dwellings resemble 
 in form great beehives. They are circular and dome- 
 hoofed; the entrance is but three feet high, and people 
 can only enter by crawling. A woman was ordered to 
 cook for them. No guard was placed over them, and 
 they were permitted to wander about freely, as escape 
 from such a position was considered impossible. 
 
 Six weeks passed slowly, and on March 11 a messenger 
 arrived, and there was a sudden stir in the camp. In 
 a few minutes the fighting men assembled. The boys 
 were ordered to take their place in the column, and at a 
 swift march, with which they had the greatest difficulty 
 in keeping up, the column moved away. 
 
 "Where are they taking us now, I wonder?" Tom 
 said. 
 
 "I suppose they are going to attack some English party 
 on the march; our men are hardly likely, I should think, 
 again to be caught napping, as they were at Isandula." 
 
 Crossing two rivers, the Bevana and Pongola, they at 
 night halted in another mountain kraal of Umbelleni, 
 about three miles from the Intombe Eiver. On the bank 
 of the river could be seen twenty wagons. These wagons 
 had come down from Derby, on their way to Luneberg, 
 a town situated four miles from the Intombe. Major 
 Tucker, who commanded there, sent Captain Moriarty 
 with a company of the Eightieth, seventy strong, down 
 to the river to protect the wagons while crossing, and 
 that officer had orders to neglect no precaution, and 
 above all to keep an incessant and vigilant lookout. 
 
 The river was in flood, and no crossing could be 
 effected, and for four days the wagons remained on the 
 northern bank. Captain Moriarty placed the wagons in 
 laager on the bank, and took post there with forty of his 
 men, leaving Lieutenant Harwood with thirty-four on 
 the south bank with directions to cover the sides of the 
 
THE JOUNG COLONISTS. 69 
 
 / 
 laager with a flanking fire, should it be attacked. The 
 
 position of the wagons was a dangerous one, as the 
 
 ground rose immediately behind them, and was covered 
 
 with bush. 
 
 In the middle of the night of the 11th TTmbelleni's 
 men arose, and, accompanied by the boys, started from 
 the kraal, and Dick and Tom were filled with forebod- 
 ings of what was about to happen. Dick had already 
 gathered from the natives that the guard of the wagons 
 was an extremely small one, and, as the body mo^.ig to 
 attack them were between four and five thousand strong, 
 the chance of a successful resistance appeared small. 
 
 When within a short distance of the wagons two of the 
 Zulus motioned to the boys to stop. In ten minutes 
 they heard a sentry challenge; his shout was answered by 
 a loud yell, and the Zulus poured down to the attack. 
 Unfortunately Captain Moriarty had not taken sufficient 
 precaution against surprise, and before the men were 
 fairly under arms the Zulus were upon them. 
 
 The force on the other side of the river were now on 
 the alert, and their rifle-fire opened before that of the 
 defenders of the wagons. For a moment or two there 
 was a sharp rattling fire from the wagons; then there 
 were shouts and screams, the firing ceased, and the boys 
 knew that the laager had been captured. Many of the 
 soldiers indeed were assegaied before they could leave 
 their tents, most were slaughtered at once, but a few 
 managed to swim across the river. The Zulus swarmed 
 after them. Lieutenant Harwood jumped upon his 
 horse and rode off to Luneberg to fetch assistance. The 
 little detachment was broken by the rush of the Zulus, 
 but a sergeant and eight men fell back into a deserted 
 kraal, and succeeded in repelling the attacks of the 
 enemy. 
 
 Lieutenant Harwood was afterward tried by court- 
 
70 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 martial for his conduct; he was acquitted, but the gen- 
 eral in command refused to confirm the verdict, and the 
 ,commander-in-chief at home approved of the view he 
 took of the matter, and issued a general order to the 
 effect that "An officer, being the only one present with 
 a party of soldiers actually engaged with the enemy, is 
 not under any pretext whatever justified in deserting 
 them, and thus by so doing abandoning them to their 
 fate." 
 
 Apprehensive of the arrival of reinforcements from 
 Luneberg, Umbelleni did not continue his attack upon 
 the little party in the kraal, but, after hastily plunder-, 
 ing the wagons, retreated with his force, and the next 
 day returned to Zlobani. 
 
 A few days passed and the boys learned that two regi- 
 ments from Ulundi were expected shortly to reinforce 
 Umbelleni's men. The chief himself, with the majority 
 of his followers, was now at his kraal, four miles distant, 
 but the boys remained in the village on the Zlobani 
 plateau. Several times they saw parties of British horse 
 riding over the plains and from a distance reconnoitering 
 the position, and they wondered whether there could be 
 any intention on the part of Colonel Wood to attack it. 
 There was on the plateau a large number of cattle, part 
 the property of Umbelleni's men, but the great major- 
 ity spoil taken in raids. It sieemed to the boys that an 
 attack could scarcely be successful. The sides of the 
 mountains were extremely precipitous, covered with 
 bush, and contained large numbers of caves. There was 
 but one path up which mounted men could ride; this was 
 about halfway along the west side, the hill being a much 
 greater length from north to south than from east to 
 west. Up the southern extremity of the plateau was a 
 path by which footmen could descend to the plain, but it 
 was exceedingly steep and altogether impracticable for 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 71 
 
 cavalry; a handful of men should have been able to hold 
 the position against an army. 
 
 Colonel Wood, having heard of the large quantity of 
 cattle concealed on the ZIobani Mountain, had determined 
 to attack it, and at three o'clock in the morning of 
 March 27 a cavalry party started. It consisted of one 
 hundred and fifty mounted infantry; the Frontier Light 
 Horse, one hundred and twenty-five; Eaaf's Troop, 
 fifty; Piet-TJys' Boer Contingent, fifty; Wetherby's 
 Horse, eighty; Schermbrucker's Horse, forty — a total of 
 four hundred and ninety-five men. They were com- 
 manded by Colonel Eussell, andColonel Wood was himself 
 to join them in the evening. The party was a picked 
 one, all being well mounted and good rifle-shots. 
 
 The track led across a rough sandy country with deep 
 nullahs, and thickly covered with trees and bush. At 
 five o'clock they halted for half an hour, and then again 
 advanced. After five miles' traveling across a very rough 
 country they came out into a large cultivated flat which 
 terminated in a long, dark, winding gorge, black with 
 bush and skirted by precipices of sandstone and granite. 
 They turned into this and followed a rivulet until they 
 came to the end of the gorge, where they discovered a 
 steep path which seemed cut out of the solid rock, and 
 was only wide enough for one horseman to pass. After 
 three-quarters of an hour's climbing they gained the 
 summit. 
 
 The country was wild in the extreme. The plateau 
 upon which they found themselves extended for seven or 
 eight miles. Huge masses of scrub and bowlders, peaks, 
 terraces, and ledges of rock appeared everywhere, while 
 caves and immense fissures formed retreats for the cattle. 
 It was now late in the afternoon, and the force bivouacked 
 for the night, having brought with them three days' 
 provisions. At seven in the evening Colonel Wood 
 
72 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 joined them with his staff, eight mounted men of the 
 Fiftieth Regiment and six natives under Untongo, a son 
 of Poqgo, a friendly chief. Untongo had by some means 
 obtained information that seven strong regiments had 
 marched from TJlundi seven days before, and was most 
 anxious that the column should return to Kambula. 
 
 Colonel "Wood, however, could not carry out this 
 advice, for Colonels Buller and Wetherby and Piet-Uys, 
 with their commands, who were in front, had moved for- 
 ward a long distance, and a retreat now would leave 
 them to be surrounded and cut off. The troops lay down 
 and slept, and at half-past three o'clock again prepared 
 to advance. Distant shots were heard, showing that 
 Colonel Buller was attacked, and just as the party was 
 setting off, Colonel Wetherby with his troopers rode in, 
 having in the night got separated from Buller's men in 
 the wild and broken country. As the troops advanced 
 they came here and there across the bodies of Zulus, 
 showing that Buller had had to fight his way. Captain 
 Ronald Campbell ascended a rock and scanned the coun- 
 try with his glass. Faraway, almost in the center of the 
 gigantic and apparently inaccessible cliff of Zlobani, the 
 remains of Buller's column could be seen slowly advanc- 
 ing, driving some dark masses of cattle and Zulus before 
 them. 
 
 Colonel Wetherby obtained permission to lead his men 
 on at once to Buller's assistance, while Colonel Wood fol- 
 lowed with the remainder of the force. Wetherby 
 moved by a terribly difficult path to the right, while 
 Wood kept to what seemed the main track. About half 
 a mile further the latter came on a party of two hundred 
 Zulus, armed with rifles; these crossed in front of him, 
 taking an occasional shot at the leading files of the party, 
 who on account of the difficulties of -the road were com- 
 pelled to dismount and lead their horses. Their object 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 73 
 
 was evidently to cut off Wetherby's troop from the main 
 column. Lieutenant Lysons, leaving the column, recon- 
 noitered the ground, and found that Wetherby's party 
 was already divided from them by a deep and impassable 
 ravine, at the bottom of which was the pathway by which 
 Buller had made his way to the summit of the cliff. A 
 strong party of Zulus were seen far away in front, work- 
 ing as if to cut off Buller's horse. It was clear that 
 there was nothing to do but to press forward in hopes 
 that the line taken by Wetherby and that which the main 
 column was following would come together. 
 
 At this moment a heavy fire was opened by a party of 
 the enemy from a narrow ledge of rock a hundred yards 
 above them. Untongo and two of his men guided a 
 party of eight marksmen to a still higher point, and their 
 fire speedily drove off the Zulus. Half an hour's march 
 brought Wood upon Wetherby's track, and high above 
 them to the right the rear of Buller's column could be 
 seen. No more unsuitable ground for the operation of 
 mounted men could be found; perpendicular rocks rose 
 in all directions, while steep precipices fell away at their 
 feet. Killed and wounded horses were seen at every turn 
 of the road, showing how stoutly the enemy had hel4 
 their ground, and how difficult an operation Buller had 
 performed. Sending fifty men to work upon the right 
 flank and endeavor to take the Zulus in the rear, Golonel 
 Wood kept his men for a few moments under cover of a 
 friendly ledge of rocks, to take breath and look to their 
 rifles, girths, and ammunition, and then pressed rapidly 
 forward and joined the Border Horse. 
 
 The scene was now most exciting. The firing was 
 almost continuous, and the yells of the savages rose from 
 every rock and bush, mingled with the loud cheers of 
 Buller's men far up in front, as they saw the column 
 approaching to their aid. The ground was now more 
 
74 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 level and practicable for riding, and Colonel Wood 
 mounted his horse and, accompanied by his own little 
 escort of a dozen men and the Border Horse under 
 Colonel Wetherby himself, with his gallant boy, aged 
 fifteen, who was fighting by his side, galloped forward for 
 the front, leaving Colonel Eussell in command of the 
 column. When within a hundred paces of the summit 
 of the cliff a rain of fire opened upon their front and 
 flank from a mass of Zulus firing from caves, crevices, 
 and behind enormous bowlders. From one cave to the 
 right front an excessively heavy fire was kept up, and 
 Colonel Wetherby dashed at this with his men just as 
 Colonel Wood's horse staggered from a deep assegai 
 wound in the chest. At the same moment a native from 
 behind a bowlder fired at that officer at ten paces' dis- 
 tance; the bullet missed him and Lieutenant Lloyd rode 
 at the man, but fell, shot through the head. Colonel 
 Wood and Captain Bonald Campbell rode forward to 
 cover his body. Two more Zulus fired at the same in- 
 stant and the colonel's horse fell dead. Colonel Weth- 
 erby's men were hotly engaged at close quarters with the 
 Zulus, and were unable to join the colonel. Captain 
 Campbell, Lieutenant Lysons, and the eight Ninetieth 
 men of the eseort rushed at the opening. Captain 
 Campbell fell, shot through the head, bnt the rest dashed 
 forward. 
 
 There was a movement in the cave and a sudden shout 
 in English of "Come on!" and as the little band dashed 
 in and fell upon the Zulus they saw, to their astonish * 
 ment, two English boys, armed with assegais, attacking 
 these in the rear. In another minute the Zulus were all 
 cut down, and the party returned to Colonel Wood. 
 
 On the previous afternoon Zulu scouts had arrived at 
 Zlobani with the news that an English column was on its 
 way toward it. Messengers were dispatched to Umbel- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. ?5 
 
 leni's kraal, and at night his force there came to the 
 assistance of those at Zlobani. Early in the morning the 
 boys proceeded with a number of Zulus to the edge of 
 the plateau, and were placed with eight of their guards 
 in a cave. From its mouth they watched anxiously the 
 events of the day. 
 
 Colonel Buller's party had struck upon the right road, 
 and after hard fighting gained the summit of the cliff. 
 Here a great quantity of cattle were collected, and these 
 were sent off in charge of a body of friendly natives, 
 which accompanied the force. This column in the ad- 
 vance had not passed near the cave in which the boys 
 were placed. Their hearts beat high as they saw Colonel 
 Wood's column suddenly turn off from the line which 
 Buller had followed, and make straight for it. Their 
 excitement grew higher and higher as the conflict 
 increased in vigor. 
 
 Soon the Zulus in the cave were at work. When Cap- 
 tain Campbell charged forward with his handful of men 
 Dick and Tom exchanged a glance. They stood quiet 
 until i ( t was evident that the English attack would be 
 pushed home; then, as the men of the Ninetieth, led by 
 Lysons, dashed at the entrance of the cavern, the boys 
 seized two assegais and each pinned one of the crouching 
 Zulus to the ground. Before the others could turn 
 round upon them Lysons and his men were among them. 
 
 The fire of Buller's men from above drove the Zulus 
 from their hiding-places. But Colonel Wood, finding it 
 impossible to make his way up at this point, moved 
 round at the foot of the rocks, to try and find the point 
 at which Buller had ascended the cliff. Before doing so, 
 however, the bodies of Captain Campbell and Lieutenant 
 Lloyd were carried down the hill and buried in a hastily 
 made grave. As, carrying their wounded men, the little 
 party made their way to the foot of the cliff, Untongo, 
 
76 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 who had been reeonnoitering the rocks on both sides, ran 
 down to him and began to talk rapidly, pointing over 
 toward the plain. 
 
 Colonel Wood did not understand Kaffir, but Dick, 
 who was standing by, said: 
 
 "He says, sir, that there is a great Zulu army marching 
 below." 
 
 Colonel Wood mounted a fresh horse, and making his 
 way with great difficulty across some broken ground 
 reached a point where he could see the plain. There, in 
 five continuous columns, the Zulu army from Ulundi, 
 twenty thousand strong, was sweeping along at its usual 
 rapid pace. It was evident at once that only by a speedy 
 retreat could any of the force hope to escape. Colonel 
 Wood dispatched a message at once to Colonel Eussell, 
 who had with his force by this time commenced the 
 ascent at the extreme westerly point to retrace his steps 
 instantly, and to cover as far as possible the retreat of 
 the native allies with the cattle. 
 
 Colonel Buller above had also seen the coming danger. 
 So far he had accomplished his work admirably. The 
 Zulu position had been triumphantly stormed,. and a 
 large number of cattle taken and driven off. 
 
 Had Colonel Wood's force and Wetherby's troop ar- 
 rived on the scene of action immediately after Buller had 
 ascended to the plateau, the retreat could have been 
 made in time, and the expedition would have been suc- 
 cessful at all points. The unfortunate incident of their 
 losing the track, the delay caused thereby, and their 
 inability to rejoin him had given time for the Ulundi 
 army to come up. 
 
 Colonel Buller found that it was impossible now to 
 descend to the plain by the path by which he had as- 
 cended. Not only would he have to fight his way back 
 through the whole force of Umbelleni, but his retreat by 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 77 
 
 that route would be cut off by the Ulundi men. Conse- 
 quently, pursued by a great body of exulting Zulus, he 
 made his way along the plateau to the steep path at its 
 extremity. 
 
 The scene here was terrible. The Zulus blocked the 
 way in front and lined both sides. Buller himself, with 
 Piet-Uys, defended the rear, assisting the wounded, and 
 often charging desperately into the ranks of the Zulus 
 pressing upon him. The path was slippery with blood 
 and strewn with dead. As the last of his troop made 
 their way down it, Piet-Uys, a most gallant Dutchman, 
 fell dead across the body of his horse, with six Zulus, 
 whom he had shot with his revolver, around him. 
 
 Wetherby's troop was surrounded, and forty-five out 
 of his eighty men killed. The colonel himself and his 
 boy both fell, the latter refusing to leave his father, 
 although the latter urged him to gallop off and join the 
 column, which appeared to be making its way through 
 the Zulus. Colonel Russell's command got through 
 without so much opposition; but Buller's horse, Piet- 
 Uys' troop, and Wetherby's command suffered terribly. 
 
 Fortunately the Ulundi army did not follow the 
 retreat; first, because the tremendous three days' march 
 which they had made had in a great measure exhausted 
 the men, who had started in such haste that they had 
 brought no provisions with them, and secondly, on ac- 
 count of the steady attitude and resolute bearing of 
 Russell's command. 
 
 Buller's force reached Kambula camp at half-past 
 seven at night. It had set in stormy, and torrents of 
 rain were falling. Although he had been in the saddle 
 for forty-eight hours, Colonel Buller, on hearing that a 
 small party of the survivors had taken refuge in hiding 
 ten miles away, collected a party of volunteers, and, tak- 
 ing led horses, set out to rescue them. This was effected; 
 
78 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 the fugitives were found to be seven in number, and 
 returned with their rescuers safely to camp. 
 
 The boys had both escaped, two of Wetherby's men, 
 who accompanied Colonel Wood, taking them on their 
 saddles behind them. The total loss was ten officers and 
 seventy-eight men. 
 
 For the night the boys were handed over to the charge 
 of one of the officers of the staff, but in the morning 
 Colonel Wood sent for them, and they then told him the 
 story of their adventures since the battle of Isandula, 
 with which he was greatly interested. He said that he 
 would at once have sent them to Utrecht, but that the 
 camp would probably be attacked during the day. 
 
 The troops had been on the alert all night, expecting 
 an attack. Before daylight Captain Kaaf was sent out 
 with twenty-five men to reconnoiter, and returned with 
 one of Oham's natives. This man had joined the 
 Zulu army as it advanced, and was, fortunately for him- 
 self, not recognized by them as being one of Oham's 
 people. In the night he had slipped away. He reported 
 the Zulus twenty thousand strong, a great portion of 
 them being armed with rifles. 
 
 Fortunately little preparation was necessary at Kam- 
 bula. Nothing had been left to chance here, and there 
 was therefore no fear of a repetition of the Isandula dis- 
 aster. Each corps, each subdivision, each section, and 
 each man had his place allotted to him, and had been 
 told to be in that place at the sound of the bugle. 
 
 The little fort was in a strong position, laid out upon 
 an elevated narrow reach of tableland. A precipice, 
 inaccessible to a white man, guarded the right flank; on 
 the left a succession of steep terraces had been utilized 
 and carefully intrenched, each successive line command- 
 ing that below it. At one end there was a narrow slip 
 of land swept by two seven-pounders. Immediately in 
 
TSE YOUNG COLONISTS. ?8 
 
 the rear, upon an eminence one hundred and twenty feet 
 higher than the fort, was a small work, armed with two 
 guns. The camp consisted of an outer defense of one 
 hundred wagons and an inner one of fifty — the whole 
 protected by earthworks and ditches. 
 
80 Itftto JO-'jivG coLomw& 
 
 CHAPTER VII. 
 
 KAMBULA. 
 
 Immediately Oham ; s Zulu had made his report, the 
 bugle sounded, and the garrison quietly and quickly took 
 up the places assigned to them. Messengers went out to 
 order a fatigue party, which had gone out wood-cutting, 
 to return at once. These men reported that they had 
 seen the Zulus scouting, about five miles to the west. 
 The tents were struck, the men lined the shelter 
 trenches, and ammunition was served out by fatigue 
 parties told off for this duty. The white conductors and 
 commissariat men, most of whom were old settlers and 
 good shots, were told off to the different faces of the 
 laager, A small party were provided with stretchers, in 
 order to carry the wounded to the hospital in the center. 
 
 Dick and Tom, having no duty and being without 
 arms, thought that they might as well make themselves 
 useful at this work, and therefore, taking a stretcher, 
 they proceeded to one of the outer shelter trenches. 
 
 It was nearly eleven o'clock when the Zulus were seen 
 approaching, and halted just out of musket-range. Here 
 apparently a council of war was held, and it was more 
 than an hour before any forward movement was made. 
 Then a body of them, about seven thousand strong, ran 
 at a tremendous pace along a ledge situated at the edge 
 of the cultivated land. The troops were ordered not to 
 fire, as it was thought better to wait until the Zulus came 
 on in earnest. At half-past one a cloud of skirmishers 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 81 
 
 advanced from the Zulu army, and fed by supports began 
 to scale the north front of the English position. Here, 
 behind the outermost line of intrenchments, some of 
 Buller and Eussell's dismounted men, and a portion of 
 tne band of the gallant Piet-Uys were stationed, and 
 these opened fire upon the Zulus. Scarcely one of them 
 but was a dead-shot, and no sooner did a head or a shield 
 appear above rock or bowlder or tuft of grass than the 
 deadly rifle rang out, and in most cases there was an 
 enemy the less to encounter. 
 
 The Boers particularly distinguished themselves at this 
 work. Most of these men are certain shots, being trained 
 from childhood in the use of their large single-barreled 
 guns, carrying an enormous bullet, and suited for the 
 destruction of big game. Animated by a hatred of the 
 Zulus, and a longing for vengeance for the death of their 
 late leader, the Boers picked off their foes with unerring 
 aim. The enemy's skirmishers now retired, and a more 
 solid line took their place, supported by a dense column 
 in its rear. The cavalry remounted and fell slowly back, 
 and Major Eussell, with twenty of his men, made a bril- 
 liant charge on a party of Zulus who were running to 
 take possession of a sheltering ledge of rocks, and, after 
 cutting down a great many, retreated without the loss of 
 a man. 
 
 Buller and Eussell now retired slowly within the laager, 
 their retreat being covered by Colonel Gilbert and four 
 companies of the Thirteenth, who were posted at this 
 face of the works. One company of the Thirteenth, 
 under Captain Cox, held the cattle-laager, which was 
 situated outside the line, and so were able to take the 
 enemy in flank, as they attacked the main work. This 
 little garrison and Colonel Gilbert's men poured a tremen- 
 dous fire upon the Zulus, who still, however, pushed 
 forward. 
 
32 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 Major Hackett was now ordered to take a couple of 
 companies of the Ninetieth, and to advance up the slope, 
 ^round the rear of the cattle-laager. Taking post here, 
 they opened a deliberate and deadly fire upon the enemy, 
 and then advancing drove back the Zulus with great loss. 
 The Zulu general, however, led a party of his best 
 marksmen round to his right, and opened a heavy tire 
 upon the Ninetieth, as they fell back upon their intrench- 
 ments. Lieutenant Bright fell mortally wounded, and 
 in running forward to pick him up Major Hackett was 
 struck by a ball sideways, which passed through both 
 eyes and destroyed his sight forever. Meanwhile, from 
 the works on the heights, Captain Nicholson was doing 
 great execution with his two seven-pounders. The Zulu 
 main body had now come within range, and grape and 
 canister were poured into their heavy masses. As 
 Nicholson was standing on the parapet, fieldglass in 
 hand, directing the pointing of two guns, a bullet struck 
 him on the temple and he fell dead. He was seen from 
 the laager to fall, and Major Vaughan was sent to take 
 his place. Major Tremlett, E.A., now took the four 
 guns, hitherto held in reserve, to a small piece of rising 
 ground outside the laager, and opened fire upon the 
 masses of the enemy with immense execution. From 
 time to time Buller and Russell, as they saw openings 
 for a charge, swept down and drove the enemy's skir- 
 mishers back on to their main body; the Zulus, altogether 
 unaccustomed to cavalry, always falling back precipitately 
 at these assaults. 
 
 At three o'clock a hot cross-fire was opened upon a 
 company commanded by Captain Woodgate, which was 
 stationed halfway between the laager and the upper fort, 
 keeping open a communication between them, the 
 enemy's fire from a height commanding this line being 
 particularly galling. Two of Tremlett's guns were brought 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 83 
 
 to bear on the point, and the enemy's fire speedily 
 slackened. For another hour and a half the troops con- 
 tinued to be hotly engaged, for the enemy, when driven 
 back from one flank, swept round in most perfect order 
 and attacked another. 
 
 At half-past four the Zulus, concentrating again, at- 
 tacked the northern side, and made some desperate 
 rushes up to the muzzles of the English rifles, and the 
 lighting for a time was almost hand to hand. 
 
 The boys had worked round with their stretchers wher- 
 ever the fire was hardest, and had carried many wounded 
 men into hospital. They were at the north face when 
 the Zulus swarmed up toward it, and Woodgate's men 
 fell back into the shelter of the laager. As they came in 
 a young lieutenant, who was commanding the rear, fell, 
 apparently dead. Being in the rear of the company his 
 fall was unnoticed by the men. Dick, who was peering 
 over the intrenchment, saw him fall, and saw too that he 
 moved slightly. 
 
 "Quick, Tom!" he exclaimed; and, carrying the 
 stretcher, the boys scrambled over the breastwork and 
 ran toward the officer. He had fallen some twenty yards 
 outside, and the Zulus, rushing on, were but eighty yards 
 away. 
 
 On reaching the side of the young officer the boys laid 
 their stretcher on the ground, rolled him upon it, and, 
 lifting it, turned toward the camp. A ringing cheer 
 from the men had greeted this action, mingled with 
 shouts of "Kun! run!" for by this time the Zulus were 
 but twenty yards behind. 
 
 A stream of fire broke out from the top of the breast- 
 works; an assegai whizzed over Dick's shoulder, and 
 another grazed Tom's arm, but they hurried on until 
 they reached the ditch, and then threw themselves and 
 their burden down. There for five or six minutes they 
 
£4 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 lay, while the fight raged above them. Then the British 
 cheer rose, and the boys knew that the Zulus had fallen, 
 back. 
 
 A minute later a dozen men leaped from the intrench- 
 ment into the ditch outside, and lifted the wounded 
 lieutenant over it into the arms of those behind. 
 
 "Bravo! boys, bravo!" a hundred voices shouted, aa 
 the boys scrambled back into the works, while the men 
 crowded round to pat them on the shoulder and shake 
 their hands. 
 
 It was evident now that the Zulu fire was slackening, 
 and three companies of the Thirteenth went out, and, 
 taking posts by the edge of the slope of the cattle-laager, 
 opened fire upon them as they retired. Every gun was 
 brought to bear upon them, and as, disheartened and 
 beaten, they fell back, Buller and Bussell, with every 
 mounted man in camp, sallied out and fell upon them, 
 and, burning with the desire to wipe out their misfortune 
 of the preceding day, chased them for seven miles, like a 
 flock of sheep, cutting down immense numbers. 
 
 It was ascertained afterward from prisoners that the 
 Zulu force which attacked was composed of twenty-five 
 thousand men. It was commanded by Tyangwaiyo, with 
 Umbelleni as his second. Many of the leading chiefs of 
 Zululand and three thousand of the king's bravest and 
 best troops fell in the attack on Kambula, and this battle 
 was by far the hottest and best-contested which took 
 place during the war. 
 
 Upon our side two officers and twenty-one men were 
 killed. The difference between the result of the action 
 at Kambula and that at Isandula was due entirely to the 
 fact that in one case every precaution was taken, every 
 means of defense utilized; while in the other no more 
 attention was paid to any of these points than if the 
 troops had been encamped at Aldershot. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 85 
 
 Upon the day following the battle Colonel "Wood set 
 iiis men to work to erect further defenses at the points 
 which the recent action had shown to be weak, and never 
 ceased work until the place had been made almost impreg- 
 nable against an assault of savages, however brave. 
 
 The messenger who carried to Natal the news of the 
 victory of Kambula also took letters from the boys to 
 their parents, acquainting them of their safety; and with 
 the first convoy of wounded on the following day the 
 boys started for home, Colonel Wood having given to 
 each a flattering testimonial as to their gallant conduct 
 in the action, and having presented them with two horses 
 belonging to men of Buller's corps who had fallen in the 
 action, ordering that the horses should be entered as 
 bought for the queen's service, and the value paid to the 
 relatives of their late owners. 
 
 Three days' march took the convoy to Utrecht, and 
 the next morning the boys rode home, the distance from 
 there to Newcastle being about forty miles. They were 
 received as if they had risen from the dead, for their 
 letters had not arrived before them, and their parents 
 had of course assumed that they had been killed at Isan- 
 dula. Both the mothers were in mourning, and their 
 joy at the restoration of their sons was unbounded. 
 
 Mrs. Jackson fainted from surprise and delight as 
 Tom rode up; but Dick, remembering the effect which 
 the news of his being alive in the snow had produced 
 upon his mother, was careful to save her the shock. Ac- 
 cordingly, instead of riding direct to the house, he made 
 a detour and rode across the farm until he met Bill Har- 
 rison. The man was delighted at the sight of his young 
 master, and could hardly believe his eyes as he saw him 
 riding toward him. 
 
 After the first warm greeting was over Dick learned 
 that his mother had been seriously ill, and was now re- 
 
86 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 covering, and that his father had been much shaken. 
 Dick told Harrison to go to the house, and, under the 
 excuse of some question about his work, to call Mr. 
 Humphreys out, and to tell him of his return, leaving it 
 to him to break the news to his wife. 
 
 This Mr. Humphreys, after recovering from his own 
 emotion at the joyful intelligence, did so gradually and 
 quietly that the tale produced no injurious effect upon 
 the mother. 
 
 He began by saying that he had heard that a rumor was 
 afloat that some of those that were supposed to have been 
 killed at Isandula had been kept captives by the Zulus. 
 
 Mrs. Humpheys for a time doubted the news, but, 
 upon her husband's assurance that the intelligence was 
 well founded, a faint feeling of hope began to spring up; 
 then gradually, step by step, he told her that it was 
 reported that these captives consisted chiefly of non- 
 combatants, men who had taken refuge among the rocks 
 and bushes when the fight was seen to be going against 
 the troops. This still further raised Mrs. Humphreys* 
 hopes; for, from the presence of mind and shrewdness 
 which Dick had shown on, the occasion of the snow- 
 storm, it seemed probable that he would be quick to avail 
 himself of any chance of escape there might be. Then 
 Mr. Humphreys said that the report affirmed that among 
 the prisoners were two or three quite young lads, and so 
 step by step he went on, until the delighted mother 
 learned that her son was already upon the farm, and was 
 only waiting until he knew she would be strong enough 
 to see him. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys now went to the door and gave a loud 
 shout, and Dick, who had been waiting the signal agreed 
 on at a short distance from the house, ran up and was 
 soon in his parents' arms. A minute or two later his 
 younger brother ran in, having just heard the news from 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 87 
 
 Harrison, and it was indeed a happy party which that 
 night assembled in the sitting-room of the farmhouse, 
 and listened to Dick's account of the adventures he had 
 gone through. Not a little proud were the father and 
 mother, as they read Colonel Wood's testimony to the 
 gallant conduct of their son. 
 
 The next day Mr. and Mrs. Jackson drove over with 
 Tom, and the warmest congratulations were exchanged. 
 
 "Have you been paid for the wagons, father?" Dick 
 asked. 
 
 "Yes, my boy, for there was a notice that the owners 
 of all wagons and teams destroyed at Isandula would be 
 paid at once. As there was a record kept of the owner- 
 ship of those which accompanied the column, there was 
 of course no difficulty in proving the loss, and both Mr. 
 Jackson and myself received orders on the public treas- 
 ury for their value last week. You see more transports 
 were required, and there was such a panic after Isandula 
 that if government had not promptly paid for their losses 
 there they would have got no more wagons from farmers 
 for their work. We have already four more building for 
 us at Newcastle." 
 
 "I suppose there wa3 a great fright in the colony after 
 the defeat?" 
 
 "Terrible!" Mr. Humphreys answered. "Every one 
 imagined that the Zulus would at once cross the frontier, 
 and carry fire and sword throughout the colony. The 
 rest of the Fourth Regiment instantly went forward to 
 Colonel Glyn's column, and this restored it to something 
 like its strength before the fight. The rivers were high, 
 which may have accounted partly for the Zulus not tak- 
 ing the offensive. Probably, too, the great loss which 
 they themselves must have suffered had some effect; 
 while they might not have liked to have advanced in 
 force across the frontier, being, as they were, threatened 
 
88 THE TOUWG COLONISTS. 
 
 on the one side by the column of Colonel Wood at Kam- 
 bula, and on the other by that of Colonel Pearson at 
 ■ Ekowe." 
 
 "I have not heard about that column, father. What 
 are they doing?" 
 
 "I will tell you about it this evening, Dick, as it is 
 rather a long story." 
 
 After the Jacksons had driven off in the evening, Dick 
 again asked his father about the doings of Colonel Pear- 
 son's column. 
 
 "Well, my boy, they have neither suffered a great 
 defeat, like that under Lord Chelmsford, nor obtained a 
 decisive victory, like the column of Colonel Wood; they 
 have beaten the enemy in a fight, and are at present be- 
 sieged in a place called Ekowe, or, as it is sometimes 
 spelled, Etckowi." The column consisted of eight com- 
 panies of the Third Buffs under Colonel Parnell; six 
 companies of the Ninety-ninth, under Colonel Welman; 
 one company of Eoyal Engineers and two seven-pounder 
 guns; they had, besides a naval brigade consisting of two 
 hundred and seventy blue-jackets and marines of her 
 majesty's ships Active and Tenedos, with three Catling 
 grins, two hundred mounted infantry; two hundred 
 colonial mounted riflemen also formed part of the 
 column, with about two thousand men of the native con- 
 tingent. They had great difficulty in crossing the 
 Tugela, which was nearly four hundred yards wide. But, 
 thanks to the exertions of the sailors, a flying bridge was 
 constructed — that is, a boat with ropes attached to both 
 shores, so that it can be pulled backward and forward, 
 or, as is sometimes done, taken backward and forward by 
 the force of the stream itself. 
 
 "It was the 13th before the crossing was effected. 
 The -enemy were in considerable force near the river. A 
 small earthwork, called Fort Tenedos, was thrown up on 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 89> 
 
 the Zulu bank of the river. On the 18th the leading 
 division started on its march into the enemy's country, 
 followed the next day by the second division, a small de- 
 tachment being left to garrison the fort. Every precau- 
 tion was taken in the advance, and the cavalry scouted 
 the country in front of the column. At the end of the 
 first day's march the Inyoni, a small stream ten miles, 
 north of the Tugela, was reached. 
 
 "The second day they encamped on the UmsindusL 
 The third day's march brought the column to the Amat- 
 ikulu; beyond this the country became covered with 
 bush, and great care was then taken, as it was known 
 that a large force was marching from Ulundi to oppose 
 their further advance. Early on the morning of the 
 22d, the day which proved so fatal to Colonel Glyn'& 
 column, the first division had just crossed the Inyezane 
 Eiver and was halted for breakfast, when they were at- 
 tacked by a large force of the enemy, who, having chosen 
 this position, were lying in wait for them. The ground 
 chosen for the halt was not a favorable one, as it was 
 surrounded by bush. But as no other place could be 
 found by Major Barrow, who commanded the horse, near 
 water, the halt had been made here. Scarcely had they 
 begun their preparations for breakfast when Captain 
 Hart, who was out scouting in front with the advance; 
 company of the native contingent, discovered the enemy 
 advancing rapidly over the ridge in his front and. 
 attempting to gain the bush on both flanks of the halting- 
 place. The Zulus at once opened a heavy fire upon the 
 native contingent, and of these one officer and four non- 
 commissioned officers and three men fell almost immedi- 
 ately. 
 
 "The native contingent was called in, and the naval 
 brigade and two guns, under Lieutenant Lloyd, and two 
 companies of the Buffs were ordered to take up a position 
 
90 THE TOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 upon a knoll close to the road, on which they were halted. 
 "The sailors at once opened fire on the enemy with two 
 seven-pounders and two twenty-four-pounder rocket- 
 tubes, while the Buffs poured a heavy fire with their 
 rifles upon them. The wagons were still coming up, and 
 these were parked as they reached the ground; and two 
 companies of the Buffs, who were guarding them on the 
 march, being now free to act, were ordered to move out 
 in skirmishing order, and draw the enemy out of the 
 bush, when, as they retired, they were exposed to the 
 fire from the knoll. 
 
 "The engineers and mounted troops moved forward, 
 with the infantry skirmishers, supported by a half-com- 
 pany of the Buffs and a half-company of the Ninety- 
 ninth. The enemy tried to outflank their left, and 
 Captain Campbell with a portion of the naval brigade 
 and some of the native contingent went out and drove 
 them from a kraal of which they had taken possession. 
 A still further advance was now made, and the Zulus 
 took to flight, leaving three hundred dead upon the 
 ground. The attacking party were five thousand strong, 
 and against these some five or six hundred of our troops 
 were engaged. We had only eight Europeans killed and 
 four natives, and about twenty wounded. The next day 
 Colonel Pearson reached Ekowe. The position was a 
 strong one, as the place stood upon rising ground; it 
 had been a missionary station, and there was a church 
 which could at the worst be converted into a citadel. 
 
 "Colonel Pearson at once set to work to fortify the 
 position. The same evening the news arrived of the dis- 
 aster at Isandula. After a consultation with his officers 
 Colonel Pearson decided to hold the spot at which he now 
 was, convinced that, without further supplies of reinforce- 
 ments, he could hold the place for two months. In 
 order to economize food, the mounted men and most of 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS, 91 
 
 the natives were sent back, and there remained twelve- 
 hundred British troops. 
 
 "Colonel Pearson at once commenced his preparations 
 for a siege. Three moderate-sized brick erections were 
 turned into storehouses, and the church into a hospital, 
 the tower making a capital lookout; from this a splen- 
 did view was obtained, the hill by the Tugela being; 
 clearly visible. The men set to work to fortify the place. 
 The intrenchments were of a six-sided form, about sixty 
 yards across, with a ditch outside them eighteen feet, 
 deep and twelve feet wide. Assegais were planted in 
 the bottom. Added to the south side was a kraal for 
 cattle and horses, also defended by a small wall. Outside 
 the fort were entanglements of rows of felled trees and 
 bushes. The supply of water was obtained from a good 
 well, outside the walls, but covered by the fire of the 
 fort. The guns were placed in position, and the garrison 
 was ready for any attack that might be made upon them. 
 All these details we learned in the early days of the 
 siege by occasional messengers, who managed to find 
 their way through, but these had been few and far be- 
 tween; of twelve messengers sent out the first week of 
 February, only one got through. The garrison had made 
 several sorties, and had destroyed Dabulamanzi's kraal. 
 They also went out and cut off a large convoy of cattle 
 on its way to Ulundi." 
 
 "But how have they found out what is being done at 
 Ekowe, if the first week only one messenger got through 
 out of twelve?" Dick said. 
 
 "By a very ingenious plan, Dick. For three weeks 
 we knew nothing of what was going on, and then it 
 struck an engineer that communication might be estab- 
 lished by flashing signals." 
 
 "What are flashing signals, father?" 
 
 "Well, my boy, as a general rule they are made by 
 
$2 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 / 
 showing a light either for a long or short period. Thus, 
 
 one long and one short might be A; one short and one 
 ,long f B; two short and one long, C; and soon all through 
 the alphabet. The distance was so great that ordinary 
 lights would not have answered, but it struck one of the 
 engineers that with a looking-glass the sunlight might be 
 reflected. You know at what a distance the sun's reflec- 
 tion on a window can be made out. Well, it was tried 
 in vain for a whole week by Lieutenant Haynes, of the 
 Royal Engineers, but at the end of that time he was de- 
 lighted at seeing answering flashes from the hill on which 
 Ekowe stands. Since that time news has been regularly 
 received every day by this means of what is passing in 
 the fort. 
 
 "In the meantime preparations were being made for 
 the relief of the garrison. The news of the defeat at 
 Isandula was sent home by a swift ship, by which the 
 particulars were telegraphed from St. Vincent. The 
 people at home did not lose an hour. The Shah, which 
 was on her way home, heard the news at St. Helena, and 
 Oaptain Bradshaw, who commanded her, at once, on his 
 own responsibility, turned his ship's head south, and 
 steered for Durban, bringing with him the garrison of the 
 island. Some drafts from the Fourth, Eighty-eighth, 
 and Ninety-ninth Regiments were brought down from 
 the Cape; the Boadicea also arrived, and every man who 
 could be spared from her and the Shah was landed and 
 sent up to the Tugela. 
 
 "In the second week in March the Fifty-seventh and 
 Ninety-first Regiments arrived from England. One 
 hundred and sixty men were brought over from the gar- 
 rison of Mauritius, and a few days later the third bat- 
 talion of the Sixtieth Regiment also arrived. These 
 assembled on the Tugela on the 27th, and that day set out. 
 The vanguard was composed of the seamen and marines 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 9$ 
 
 of the Shall and Tenedos — six hundred and forty men 
 and two Gatlings, the Ninety-first Eegiment of nine hun- 
 dred men, four hundred men of the Ninety-ninth, one 
 hundred and eighty men of the Third Buffs, one hun- 
 dred and fifty mounted infantry, two hundred of the 
 mounted native contingent, and sixteen hundred men of 
 the native infantry contingent. The second division 
 consisted of two hundred men of the Boadicea with Gat- 
 lings, the Thirty-seventh Eegiment, and the third bat- 
 talion of the Sixtieth, nine hundred men, and two troops, 
 of mounted natives. That is all I can tell you, my boy. 
 The news only arrived here yesterday that they had 
 started. In the course of three or four more days I hope 
 that we shall hear that they have given the Zulus a thor- 
 ough licking. It is a strong force, and as there are about 
 thirty-three hundred white troops among them, and 
 there is no fear of their being taken by surprise this 
 time, we need not have any anxiety about the result. I 
 understand that, in accordance with the advice which 
 Colonel Pearson has flashed from Ekowe, they are not 
 going to follow the road he took, but to keep along on, 
 the lower ground near the sea." 
 
 "And do you think, father, that they will push on for 
 Ulundi when they have rescued the garrison of Ekowe?" 
 
 "No, Dick; I think they are quite strong enough to do 
 so, but as there are at least half a dozen more regiments 
 on their way out from England, including some regi- 
 ments of cavalry, it will be more prudent to stop until 
 our whole fighting force is here, when we ought to be 
 enabled to make short work of them, and to do the work 
 completely and effectually. And now, Dick, I am thor- 
 oughly sleepy — the sooner we are in bed the better." 
 
94 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 CHAPTER VIIL 
 
 THE SECOND ADVANCE. 
 
 It was some days before the news reached Newcastle of 
 the complete success of the relieving column. On their 
 first day's march no difficulty was met with. The road 
 was a good one, and the Zulus did not show in any force. 
 The column halted for the night near the junction of 
 the Inyoni and Amatikulu Rivers. The wagons were 
 placed in laager and a ditch and parapet formed round 
 the camp> The ground was open and the wagons were 
 able to travel six abreast. Numerous Zulu kraals were 
 passed, but these were found deserted. 
 
 On the afternoon of the 1st they encamped at 
 Ginghilovo. From this.point Ekowe was visible; signals 
 were exchanged with the besieged, and Colonel Pearson 
 warned Lord Chelmsford that the Zulus were moving 
 forward to attack him. The night passed quietly, but 
 the greatest vigilance was maintained. 
 
 At daybreak dense masses of Zulus were seen in the 
 distance, and at six o'clock they approached the camp. 
 They came on in their usual order, with a massive center 
 and advanced horns on either flank. The British were 
 kept lying down behind the shallow trenches they had 
 thrown up. The Zulus advanced in splendid order with 
 a sort of dancing step. Their white and colored shields, 
 their crests of leopard skins and feathers, and the long 
 ox-tails dangling from their necks gave them a wild and 
 strange appearance. Every ten or fifteen yards the first 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 95 
 
 line would halt, a shot would be fired, then a loud yell 
 burst forth, and they again advanced with a humming 
 sound, in time to which their dancing movement was 
 kept up. The Sixtieth, who lay opposite to the point 
 against which they advanced, withheld their fire until 
 the first line of skirmishers came to within three hundred 
 yards. Then a deadly sheet of flame flashed along 'he- 
 ridge of the shelter-trench, and a number of the Zulu 
 warriors fell. 
 
 The main body now rushed forward, and although a 
 tremendous fusillade was kept up on them, the Zulu ad- 
 vance pressed on, ever fed by those in the rear, which 
 deployed in excellent order as they reinforced the first 
 line. For twenty minutes the fire of the Sixtieth never 
 ceased. Again and again the Zulus pressed forward, but 
 their leading ranks were swept away by the storm of 
 bullets. 
 
 At half-past six the Zulu masses, without the smallest 
 confusion, faced to their right, ran round in columns, 
 and fell upon the face of the laager held by the Fifty- 
 seventh and Ninety-first. Here they were as hotly 
 received as they had been by the Sixtieth. Notwith- 
 standing the deadly fire, the Zulus pressed forward with 
 noble courage. They had ceased to shout now, and 
 seemed only anxious to reach the square. Four times they 
 rushed forward; each time they fell back with terrible 
 loss. The fire of the soldiers was assisted by that of the 
 native contingent, who, posted in the wagons behind,, 
 added their fire to that of the Ninety-first and Fifty- 
 seventh. 
 
 The last attack, was led by Dabulamanzi in person, and 
 arrived within five yards of the muzzles of the men's 
 rifles; indeed one or two of the chiefs actually seized the 
 hot barrels with one hand, while they stabbed at the men 
 with their shortened assegais. 
 
96 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 This was their final repulse, and they now began to 
 fall back. The moment that they did so the cavalry 
 dashed out in pursuit, and chased them far across the 
 plain. The Gatlings and nine-pounders added in no 
 slight degree to the effect of the rifles. The entire Eng- 
 lish loss was but two officers and four privates killed, 
 and three officers and thirty-four privates wounded; 
 while the Zulu loss exceeded one thousand. The force 
 under Dabulamanzi was about eleven thousand, and a 
 similar force was close at hand, but fortunately had not 
 joined that of Dabulamanzi before he attacked the 
 British. 
 
 On the following day the Fifty-seventh, Sixtieth, and 
 Ninety-first, together with the mounted men and several 
 of the mounted brigade, taking with them three days' 
 provisions, marched for Ekowe. Major Barrow scouted 
 the ground, and reported that everywhere assegais, 
 shields, feathers, ear and head ornaments, skins, furs, 
 blankets, and even guns were lying about in confusion, 
 evidently cast away in their headlong flight by the Zulus, 
 but that none of these had been seen. 
 
 The column, however, advanced with every precaution, 
 as it was possible that Dabulamanzi might procure rein- 
 forcements. No enemy, however, was met with, and the 
 column continued its march until they were met by 
 Colonel Pearson with five hundred men, coming out to 
 lend a hand to them in case they should be attacked. 
 The united column then marched into Ekowe. The 
 health of the garrison had suffered much from exposure 
 to the sun and rain, and from the want of vegetables and 
 useful medicine. Beef they had plenty of, as it was con- 
 sidered advisable to kill and consume the wagon-oxen 
 rather than see them die from want of forage. 
 
 The great event of the siege had been the discovery of 
 certain strange flashes of light on the white walls of the 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 9? 
 
 church-tower; these, after puzzling many of the officers 
 and soldiers, were at length brought under the notice of 
 an officer of the naval brigade, who had been trained in 
 the use of the heliograph, and he was able at once to 
 explain the mystery. They were three days before they 
 could contrive an apparatus, which could be worked, to 
 reply. Fortunately an old mirror was found, and com- 
 munication was opened. The effect of their renewed 
 intercourse with the outer world, and of learning the 
 preparations which were being made for their relief, 
 acted more beneficially on the health of the imprisoned 
 garrison than all the tonics the hospital could afford. 
 Nevertheless, between the commencement of the siege 
 and the arrival of the relief thirty deaths had occurred. 
 
 To the great regret of the garrison they found that it 
 had been determined by the general to abandon the fort 
 which they had held so long, as the whole force was re- 
 quired in Natal for operations in the field in conjunction 
 with the reinforcements on their way out. Before leav- 
 ing, however, it was determined to strike another blow at 
 Dabulamanzi, whose private residence had escaped at the 
 time that his kraal was burned. A small party of about 
 two hundred men therefore went out and fired the place 
 without resistance. Ekowe was evacuated, and, having 
 left a garrison at Ginghilovo, Lord Chelmsford retired 
 with his force across the Tugela. 
 
 Every day for the next fortnight news reached New- 
 castle of the arrival of one or more transports with rein- 
 forcements, and in a month from the date of the arrival 
 of the first from England seventeen transports came in, 
 bringing more than nine thousand soldiers and two thou- 
 sand horses. The force consisted of two regiments of 
 cavalry, twelve hundred and fifty sabers, two batteries of 
 artillery with five hundred and forty men, one hundred 
 and ninety men of the Royal Engineers, six regiments of 
 
§8 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 infantry, five thousand three hundred and twenty bayo- 
 nets, drafts of the regiments already in the colony ana 
 Army Service Corps' men, twelve hundred. Most of 
 ■the regiments brought their equipments complete and 
 ready for the field — tents, waterproof-sheets, cooking 
 Titensils, and camp stores. The Army Service Corps 
 brought with them one hundred light but strongly-built 
 ■wagons. 
 
 Among the arrivals was the Prince Imperial of France, 
 "who had come out as a volunteer. 
 
 To convey the baggage and stores of so numerous a 
 •force an immense number of wagons was required, ana 
 a very urgent appeal was made to the loyalty of the col- 
 onists to furnish transport for the troops engaged in 
 iighting their battles. 
 
 In answer to this appeal Mr. Humphreys and Mr. 
 •Jackson decided to send down the new wagons which 
 had just been finished. Immediately they heard of the 
 decision, Dick and Tom begged for permission again to 
 .accompany the wagons. Their mothers at first refused 
 ^even to listen to the request, but their fathers, talking 
 the matter over between them, agreed that harm was 
 not likely this time to come of it. 
 
 The force was so overwhelmingly strong that there was 
 not the slightest prospect of a repetition of the disaster 
 •of Isandula. At that time several hundred English sol- 
 diers had been surprised and crushed by some twenty 
 thousand of the enemy, but in future every precaution 
 would be taken, and the British force would be ten times 
 .as strong as that which fought at Isandula. The colo- 
 nists thought that it would be really an advantage to the 
 ooys to take part in the expedition; it was quite possible 
 that if they remained in the colony they might have oc- 
 casion to take part in wars with one or other of the 
 native tribes, and the experience that they would gain in 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. Q9 
 
 the campaign would in that case assuredly be useful to 
 them. Having thus decided, Mr. Humphreys and his 
 friend succeeded in obtaining their wives' consent to the 
 boys accompanying the wagons, and in high glee they 
 started for Durban on the 20th of April. 
 
 The campaign was arranged on a new plan. The* 
 numerous columns in which the strength of the force had 
 been frittered away were abolished, and the following 
 was adopted as the designation of the forces in the field, 
 under the lieutenant-general commanding, viz.: First 
 Division South African Field-forces, Major-General 
 Crealock, C.B., commanding, consisting of all troops on 
 the left bank of the Lower Tugela; Second Division 
 South African Field-forces, Major-General Newdigate 
 commanding, consisting of all troops in the Utrecht dis- 
 trict other than those attached to the Flying Column 
 under Brigadier-General Wood, V.C., C.B., which was 
 designated as "Brigadier-General Wood's Flying 
 Column." Major-General Marshall assumed command 
 of the cavalry brigade, and Major-General the Hon. H. 
 H. Clifford, C.B., V.C., took up the command of the base 
 of operations and superintendence of the lines of com- 
 munication. 
 
 The forces were divided as follows: 
 
 First Division (General Crealock's), Lower Tugela 
 Command. 
 
 Naval Brigade . 80O 
 
 M. Battery, Sixth Brigade, Eoyal Artillery . . 90 
 
 Detachment, Eleventh — Seventh Eoyal Artillery . 25 
 
 Second — Third Regiment . , . „ o 836 
 
 Fifty-seventh Eegiment ..... 830 
 
 Third— Sixtieth " 880 
 
 Eighty-eighth "';';,. . . . . .640 
 
 Ninety-first " • • • * • • 850 
 
100 
 
 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 .^Ninety-ninth " 
 
 . 870 
 
 Mounted Infantry, Second Squadron • 
 
 70 
 
 Army Service Corps ..... 
 
 50 
 
 "Army Hospital Corps 
 
 20 
 
 
 
 ^Eighth — Seventh Eoyal Artillery . . . 
 
 80 
 
 O— Sixth ," " . . 
 
 50 
 
 Lonsdale's Horse 
 
 84 
 
 
 
 
 
 ."Native Contingent — 
 
 
 
 
 
 . 151 
 
 Total strength, effective and non-effective . 
 
 . 9,215 
 
 Second Division (General Newdi(*ate's). 
 
 First Dragoon-Guards ) attached to 
 Seventeenth Lancers \ Second Division 
 
 . 650 
 
 . . 62C> 
 
 N— Fifth Eoyal Artillery . . . 
 
 
 N— Sixth " ..... 
 
 go 
 
 Tenth— Seventh " ..... 
 
 70 
 
 Tenth— Sixth " 
 
 30 
 
 Eoyal Engineers 
 
 60 
 
 Second — Fourth Eegiment .... 
 
 7tf 
 
 Detachment, First — Thirteenth Eegiment . 
 
 63 
 
 Second — Twenty-first (two companies at Maritzbi 
 
 lrg) 820 
 
 First — Twenty-fourth Eegiment . 
 
 . 530 
 
 Second — Twenty-fourth " ... 
 
 . 586 
 
 Fifty-eighth (one company at Durban) 
 
 . 906 
 
 Eightieth (several companies in the Transvaal) 
 
 . 300 
 
 Ninety-fourth (one company at Grey Town) 
 
 . 870 
 
 Army Service Corps . . 
 
 60 
 
 Army Hospital Corps 
 
 3C 
 
 Grey Town District Colonial Volnnteers . 
 
 . 139 
 
 Natal Mounted Police • . • « 
 
 7S 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 101 
 
 Natal Carabineers . . . . • . 2T 
 
 Newcastle Mounted Rifles 18- 
 
 Buffalo Mounted Guard 20* 
 
 Native Contingent — Europeans . . • . 41 
 
 Natives (foot) . . . ... . 3,128 
 
 Natives (mounted) 243 
 
 Total strength, effective and non-effective . 10,238 
 
 General "Wood's Flying Column. 
 
 Eleventh— Seventh Royal Artillery ... 87' 
 
 Royal Engineers 13 
 
 First — Thirteenth Regiment 721 
 
 Ninetieth " 823 
 
 First Squadron, Mounted Infantry ... 103 
 
 Army Service Corps 9 
 
 Army Hospital Corps ...... 13* 
 
 Frontier Light Horse 173 
 
 Raker's Horse • • 179 
 
 Transvaal Rangers . •. . . . . 141 
 First Battalion, Wood's Irregulars — 
 
 Europeans n 14 
 
 Natives . . . ' 377~ 
 
 Second Battalion, "Wood's Irregulars — 
 
 Europeans 5 
 
 Natives 355 
 
 Natal Native Horse- 
 Europeans 4 
 
 Natives 75^ 
 
 Total strength, effective and non-effective . . 3,092 
 
 Grand Total. 
 
 First Division 9,215 
 
 Second " 10,238. 
 
 General Wood's Flying Column . . . 3,092 
 Total, effective and non-effective, namely— 
 Europeans, 15,660, and natives, 6,885 • . 22,545- 
 
102 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 Out of this grand total there were about four hundr&J 
 sick and non-effective witn the First Division, three huu. 
 u «lred with the Second Division, and six hundred (includ- 
 ing some of Wood's Irregulars, absent and not accounted 
 ior since the 28th of March) with Wood's Flying Column. 
 So that altogether, deducting, say, fifteen hundred Lord 
 •Chelmsford had at his disposal, from the middle of April, 
 a total of twenty-one thousand troops, of which over fif- 
 teen thousand were European. Colonels Pearson and 
 Wood were made brigadier-generals, and the former was 
 to command No. 1 Brigade, First Division, and Colonel 
 Pemberton, Third-Sixtieth, the other. They both, how- 
 <ever, had to give up their commands through sickness, 
 and Colonels Rowland, V.C., C.B., and Clark, Fifty- 
 seventh Kegiment, succeeded them. 
 
 Major-General Clifford, V.C., C.B., had the following 
 staff for the management of the base of the operations 
 and the maintenance of the lines of communication 
 between Zululand and Natal: 
 
 Lieutenant Westmacott, Seventy-seventh Foot, aid- 
 ■de-camp; Major W. J. Butler, C.B., assistant-adjutant 
 and quartermaster-general, stationed at Durban; and Cap- 
 tain W. R. Fox, Eoyal Artillery, deputy assistant- 
 adjutant and quartermaster-general. 
 
 On the arrival of the boys with the wagons at Pieter- 
 Maritzburgthey reported themselves at the headquarters 
 of the transport corps, and were told that they were not 
 to go down to Durban, but were to load up at once and 
 accompany the Dragoon-Guards, who were to march the 
 next morning for the front. 
 
 This time the lads were mounted, as their fathers 
 thought that they would gain more benefit from their 
 experience if they were able to move about instead of 
 being confined to the sides of their wagons, and it was 
 a satisfaction to their mothers that, in case of any un- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 103 
 
 toward event again happening, they would be in a better 
 position for making their escape. 
 
 General Newdigate's columns were encamped atLand- 
 mann's Drift; the cavalry, under General Marshall, was 
 also there. The march was altogether without incident. 
 
 Some days passed quietly, when a small party of horse 
 made an expedition to Isandula; they reported that 
 nearly a hundred wagons were still standing upon the 
 field of battle. On the 17th of May, three days later, the 
 rumor ran through the camp that the cavalry were to* 
 start on the 19th, to bury the dead and bring away the 
 wagons. The Army Service Corps and wagons were to> 
 accompany the party, which was to consist of the 
 Dragoon-Guards and Lancers, with a party of native 
 mounted scouts. 
 
 In the afternoon of the 18th the two boys went to Colo- 
 nel Marshall's tent; they waited patiently until he came 
 out, accompanied by two or three other officers. 
 
 "We have come to ask, sir, if you will allow us to go 
 with your column. We are in charge of wagons here, 
 but they are not going. We were at the battle, and saw 
 the whole thing, and were taken prisoners afterward and 
 carried to Umbelleni's kraal, where we were liberated 
 when Colonel Wood's cavalry attacked the Zlobani hill.. 
 We are well mounted, sir, and are good shots; so, if you? 
 will let us go, we could keep with the scouts and not be 
 in your way." 
 
 "How did you see the fight?" General Marshall asked. 
 
 "We had gone up to the top of the hill, sir, before it 
 began, and fortunately the natives did not notice us." 
 
 "Oh, yes, you can go," the general said. "Probably 
 you can give us a better account of the action than any 
 one else, as others who escaped were occupied by their 
 own business, and could not mark the general progress 
 of the battle. So you were taken prisoners! Well, I am 
 
104 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 going out now, but if you will call in this evening at 
 about half-past eight I shall be glad to have a talk with 
 Tou." 
 
 In the evening the boys called upon the general, one 
 of the most popular and dashing officers in the service. 
 Three or four of his staff were there, and all listened 
 with great interest to the boys' account of their adven- 
 tures. 
 
 "You seem to have plenty of pluck and coolness, 
 youngsters/' the general said, when they had finished. 
 "In future you need not trouble to ask for permission to 
 accompany me whenever the cavalry go out, providing 
 we have natives mounted with us; you must go as 
 recruits, and can either keep with them or ride with my 
 orderlies." 
 
 Much pleased with the permission given, the lads re- 
 turned to the wagons, and the next morning they started 
 on their way. 
 
 The column bivouacked that night at Dill's Town, 
 .and reached Rorke's Drift between three and four o'clock 
 in the morning, and were there joined by the Natal 
 Oarabineers and Colonel Harness, R.A., with guns. 
 
 At daybreak on the 20th the reconnoitering force 
 orossed the river. No signs of the enemy were seen 
 until they neared Isandula; then signal-fires blazed up 
 on the hills to the right, and spread quickly from hill to 
 hill far into the interior. Pushing steadily on, the plain 
 of Isandula was reached by ten o'clock. The whole 
 scene of the conflict was overgrown with long grass, 
 thickly intermixed with growing crops of oats and Indian 
 oorn. Lying thickly here, and scattered over a wide 
 area, lay the corpses of the soldiers. The site of the 
 oamp itself was marked by the remains of the tents, in- 
 termingled with a mass of broken trunks, boxes, meat- 
 4ins, papers, books, and letters in wild disorder. The 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. . 105 
 
 sole visible objects, however, rising above the grass, were 
 the wagons, all more or less broken up. 
 
 The scouts were placed in all directions to give warn- 
 ing of the approach of any enemies. The Army Service 
 Corps set to work to harness the seventy pairs of led 
 horses they had brought with them to the best of the 
 wagons, and the troops wandered over the scene of the 
 ■engagement, and searched for and buried all the bodies 
 they found, with the exception of those of the Twenty- 
 lourfch Eegiment, as these, Colonel Glyn had asked, 
 should be left to be buried by their comrades. The 
 bodies of the officers of Colonel Durnford's corps were 
 all found together, showing that when all hope of escape 
 was gone they had formed in a group and defended 
 themselves to the last. The men of the Koyal Artillery 
 buried all the bodies of their slain comrades who could 
 be found, but the shortness of the time and the extent of 
 the ground over which the fight had extended rendered 
 anything like a thorough search impossible. 
 
 The object of the expedition was not to fight, and as 
 at any moment the Zulus might appear in force upon the 
 field, a start was made as soon as the wagons were ready. 
 Forty of the best wagons were brought out, with some 
 water-carts, a gun-limber and a rocket-battery cart. 
 Twenty wagons in a disabled condition were left behind. 
 Some seventy wagons were missing, these having been 
 carried off by the Zulus, filled either with stores or with 
 their own wounded. Having accomplished this work 
 the cavalry rejoined headquarters at Landmann's Drift. 
 
 On the 27th of May the column advanced, Newdigate's 
 division leading the way. By two o'clock in the after- 
 noon the men had crossed the Buffalo and marched to 
 Kopje-allein through a bare and treeless country. One 
 of the most popular figures in the camp was the Prince 
 Imperial of France, who, having received a military edu> 
 
106 - TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 cation at Woolwich, and being anxious to see service, had 
 applied for and obtained leave to accompany the expedi- 
 tion. The young prince had been extremely popular at 
 Woolwich, and was indeed an immense favorite with all 
 who knew him — high-spirited and full of life, and yet 
 singularly gentle and courteous in manner. He was by 
 nature adapted to win the hearts of all who came in con- 
 tact with him. His abilities too were of the very high- 
 est order, as was proved by the fact that, although suf- 
 fering under the disadvantage of being a foreigner, he 
 yet came out so high in the final examination at Wool- 
 wich as to be entitled to a commission in the Koyal 
 Engineers. When it is considered how keen is the com- 
 petition to enter Woolwich, and that all the students 
 there, having won their places by competitive examina- 
 tions, may be said to be considerably above the average 
 of ability, it will be seen that, for one who had previously 
 gone through an entirely different course of education, 
 and had now to study in a language that was not his own, 
 to take rank among the foremost of these was a proof 
 both of exceptional ability and industry. 
 
 A splendid career was open for the young prince, for 
 there is little doubt that, had he lived, he would sooner 
 or later have mounted the throne of his father, and there 
 are few pages of history more sad than those which relate 
 to his death in a paltry skirmish in a corner of Africa. 
 To Englishmen the page is all the more sad, inasmuch 
 as, had the men accompanying him acted with the cool- 
 ness and calmness generally shown by Englishmen in a 
 momant of danger, instead of being carried away by a 
 cowardly panic, the prince imperial might yet be alive. 
 
 At Kopje-allein Newdigate's column was joined by 
 that of General Wood. Three days were spent in care- 
 fully axploring the country, and on the 1st of June the 
 divis m, as nearly as possible twenty thousand strong, 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 107 
 
 ■with a baggage-train of four hundred native wagons, 
 moved forward and encamped near the Itelezi Eiver. 
 The flying column of General Wood went on one march 
 ahead, and the country was carefully scouted by Buller's 
 horse for twenty miles round, and no Zulus were found. 
 
,108 TE® YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 CHAPTER IX. 
 
 ULUNDI. 
 
 On Sunday, the 1st of June, General Wood with a small 
 escort was out reconnoitering in advance of his column, 
 which was about five miles in front of the force of Gen- 
 eral Newdigate. The morning was clear and fresh, the 
 ridges of the hills on either side were dotted with Bul- 
 ler's horsemen. They crossed the river by a ford, and 
 having ridden about another mile forward they observed 
 some of the vedettes on the high ground signaling that 
 horsemen were approaching. 
 
 Riding on to see who they could be, they were joined 
 by Colonel Buller and a dozen of his men, and together 
 they rode forward to meet the five men who were seen 
 approaching. In a few seconds Kieutenant Carey and 
 four troopers of Bettington's Horse rode up, and when 
 they had told their story English soldiers had the shame 
 and humiliation of knowing that an English officer and 
 four English troopers had escaped unwounded from a 
 Zulu ambush, in which they had left a gallant young 
 prince, the guest of England and the hope of France, to* 
 be barbarously slain. 
 
 Early in the morning the prince had learned that a 
 patrol was to be sent out in advance of the column, and 
 had applied for and obtained permission to accompany 
 it. Colonel Harrison, acting as quartermaster-general, 
 granted the permission, and had an interview with tha 
 prince. 
 
TEE IOUNG COLONISTS. 10£ 
 
 Six men of Bettington's Horse and the same number 
 ■of Shepstone's Basutos were to form the party; but un- 
 fortunately the Basutos did not come up at the appointed 
 time, and the patrol consisted therefore only of the 
 prince, Lieutenant Carey, the six men of Bettington's 
 Horse, and one Zulu. Considering the importance of the 
 safety of the prince, a grave responsibility attaches to 
 the staff-officer who allowed him to go with so small a 
 party. 
 
 After an hour's ride they reached the crest of a hill 
 and dismounted to fix the position of some distant points 
 by the compass. Here Colonel Harrison overtook them, 
 •and remarked that the whole of the escort was not with 
 them, and that they had better wait for the Basutos to 
 come up. The prince said: 
 
 "Oh, we are quite strong enough — besides, we have 
 .all our friends around us, and with my glass I can see 
 General Marshall's cavalry coming up." 
 
 Unfortunately Colonel Harrison did not insist that the 
 party should wait until the Basutos arrived, and they 
 proceeded another seven miles, and then halted in an 
 isolated kraal in a valley. A worse spot could not have 
 been selected for a halt, as it was surrounded by long 
 •grass, six or seven feet high; here the saddles were taken 
 off the horses, and coffee was prepared. Without any 
 search being made they sat down to make coffee, although 
 it was clear, from the burnt embers, bones, and other 
 debris, that the place had been but recently occupied. 
 
 The Zulu was the first to see the enemy in the long 
 grass, and the horses were at once saddled. The escort 
 stood ready by them, and just as the prince gave the 
 word, "Prepare to mount," the Zulus' war-cry burst 
 out, and some guns were fired from the grass. 
 
 The horses started at the outburst, and some broke 
 away. Never were a body of troops in an enemy's coun- 
 
110 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 try so unprepared for the attack. Not a carbine was 
 loaded! not a sentry placed! Each of the troopers, in- 
 cluding the officer, was seized with a wild panic, and 
 thought only of flight — one indeed had fallen at the first 
 shot. The prince's horse was ill-tempered and badly 
 broken, and, frightened by the firing and yells, he was so- 
 restive that the prince was unable to mount. Had one 
 of those men stood for an instant at his head the prince 
 might have gained his saddle, but all had galloped away, 
 leaving him alone. Running by his horse, he in vain 
 endeavored to mount; he had not had time to tighten 
 the girth, the saddle slipped round, and the horse gal- 
 loped away. Unfortunately the prince's revolvers were 
 in the holsters, so he was unarmed, save with his sword, 
 and with this he stood bravely at bay, and died nobly 
 facing his foes, who pierced him with assegais at a dis- 
 tance. 
 
 According to Zulu accounts afterward obtained, there 
 were but five or six men engaged in the attack, and had 
 the Englishmen accompanying the prince, nay, even had 
 one of them, possessed but the smallest amount of pres- 
 ence of mind and courage, the prince imperial might 
 have been saved. There is no blacker page in the annals 
 of English military history. 
 
 The feeling of indignation, shame, and regret in the 
 English camp when this shameful episode was known 
 was indescribable. Of all the party the friendly Zulu 
 was the only one who came out with honor; he had gone 
 toward the river to fetch water when he discovered the 
 enemy, and might have instantly taken flight. He re- 
 turned, however, and gave warning that the Zulus were 
 lurking round. Even then it does not appear that he 
 attempted to fly, but fought the foe until overcome by 
 numbers. His body was afterward discovered not far 
 irom that of the prince, riddled with wounds, together 
 
TEE TOUNG COLONISTS. HI 
 
 with a number of his own assegais broken, but stained 
 with the blood of his assailants. 
 
 The next morning the cavalry rode out to find and 
 bring in the prince's body. When it was discovered, it 
 was tenderly brought into camp. It was afterward taken 
 over to England, and laid by the remains of his father at 
 Chislehurst. A court-martial was held on Lieutenant 
 Carey. The sentence was kept secret, but it was gener- 
 ally understood that he was dismissed from the service 
 with ignominy. He was sent home under arrest, but on 
 his arrival there the proceedings of the court-martial 
 were declared null and void on account of some technical 
 irregularity, and he was ordered to resume his duties, 
 It was reported that this extraordinary leniency was 
 shown by the special desire of the empress, who made a 
 personal request to the queen that nothing should be 
 done in the matter. 
 
 Early in June some messengers arrived in Lord Chelm- 
 ford's camp from Cetewayo. Lord Chelmsford told them 
 that before any negotiations could be entered into the 
 whole of the spoil taken at Isandula, especially the two 
 captured seven-pounder guns, must be restored. 
 
 Considerable delays now took place, and for three 
 weeks a force Of Englishmen sufficient to march through 
 and through Zululand in every direction was kept doing 
 nothing at a distance of three days' march from the 
 enemy's capital. So extraordinary and unaccountable 
 was the delay that the English government appointed 
 Sir Garnet Wolseley to go out to supersede Lord Chelms- 
 ford. Upon the receipt of this news, preparations for an 
 advance were at last made. On the 21st General New- 
 digate's column reached the right bank of the Umlatoosi. 
 General Crealock, who commanded the division which 
 was operating by the sea, also moved forward about this 
 time, but met with such difficulties, owing to the sick- 
 
112 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 ness which attacked his transport-train, that he was 
 unable to co-operate with the first division, although his 
 iorce did service by occupying a large number of the 
 enemy, who would otherwise have been free to act against 
 the main column. 
 
 Between the 24th and 26th General Newdigate's and 
 "Wood's columns advanced but six miles. But Buller 
 "with his horse scouted ahead, and cut up a number of 
 Zulus who were engaged in burning the grass, to hinder 
 the advance of the horses and cattle. On the 26th 
 Colonel Drury-Lowe, with the light cavalry, four hun- 
 dred and fifty of Buller's men and two guns, went out 
 and attacked and burned five large military kraals. On 
 the 27th the column advanced five miles toward Ulundi, 
 leaving their tents behind them, and taking only twa 
 hundred ammunition wagons and ten days' rations; five 
 hundred infantry were left to guard the stores. 
 
 On the afternoon of that day some messengers came in 
 from Cetewayo, bringing one hundred and fifty of the 
 cattle captured at Isandula, together with a pair of ele- 
 phant's tusks/and a letter written in English by a trader 
 captured at Isandula. The letter said that the king 
 could not comply with all Lord Chelmsford's commands, 
 -as the arms taken from us at Isandula were not brought 
 to him, and that it was beyond his power as a king to 
 order or compel any of his regiments to lay down their 
 arms. He said the cannon should be sent in, and on 
 the receipt of the cattle and these weapons the English 
 must retire from Zululand. The trader had written in a 
 corner of the letter, in pencil, a few words of warning, 
 and an intimation that Cetewayo had with him at Ulundi 
 a picked force of twenty thousand men. 
 
 Lord Chelmsford refused to receive the tusks, and told 
 the messengers to inform Cetewayo that before he 
 should think of retiring all the conditions must be com- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 113 
 
 plied with and the Zulu regiments lay down their arms. 
 Late in the evening several large bodies of the enemy, 
 amounting to some thousands, were noticed moving from 
 the direction of Ulundi, passing by their left flank. 
 
 The next morning General Wood moved forward as far 
 as the left bank of the White Umvolosi, and Newdigate's 
 column followed in the afternoon. Wood's division 
 bivouacked on the further side of the river, Newdigate's 
 halted on the right. The most vigilant watch was kept, 
 with pickets in every direction, and patrols of cavalry 
 beyond these. 
 
 At daybreak on the 27th the main body crossed the 
 river, and joined Wood on the left bank. They were 
 now but fifteen miles from Ulundi, and the king's five 
 kraals were visible to the naked eye. Three days were 
 given to Cetewayo to comply with the conditions, but 
 the original terms were altered so far that Lord Chelms- 
 ford consented to receive one thousand captured rifles 
 instead of insisting upon the regiments laying down their 
 arms. While waiting, the army remained on the Umvo- 
 losi, having retired to the right side, pending the decision 
 of peace or war. 
 
 During these three days the Zulus had made many 
 hostile demonstrations against us. On the first and sec- 
 ond they kept up a scattered fire at distant ranges at our 
 men, --and on the third, growing bolder, pushed their 
 skirmishers down to the rocks on the opposite side of 
 the river, and fired upon the men, as they were watering 
 their horses in the stream. One horse was killed and 
 several men wounded. 
 
 Buller therefore asked and obtained permission to 
 made a raid on the other side. A couple of gu::s were 
 brought into requisition to defend his crossing, and two 
 or three rounds of shrapnel sent a crowd of Zulus, who 
 had approached the opposite heights, straggling in all 
 
X14 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 directions. Buller's horse, the mounted infantry, and 
 Baker's horse dashed over the river at once. At full 
 speed they raced across the country; Baker's men, 
 yttided by their leader, inclined to the left front, by 
 Buller's orders, to carry and hold a hillock which com- 
 manded the ford. 
 
 Colonel Eaaf, with a portion of Buller's horse, was 
 halted near the kraal of Unodwingo to act as a reserve, 
 and Buller, with one hundred of his best mounted men, 
 pushed on with the intention of exploring the ground as 
 far as possible toward Ulundi. He knew that the bulk 
 of the king's army was away upon Lord Chelmsford's 
 right flank, and thought therefore that he mighb push 
 on to Ulundi without opposition. The country consisted 
 of a plain, across which ran some stony undulations, and 
 at one point were two hollows, united at a right angle. 
 The Zulu general disposed his men in shelter, and as 
 Buller with his little band of horsemen rode up they rose 
 and poured a very heavy fire into the ranks of the horse- 
 men. Sudden and unexpected as was this attack, Bul- 
 ler's men were too well used to native fighting to evince 
 the slightest confusion. In the most perfect order they 
 began to fall back in alternate ranks, keeping up a steady 
 fire upon the enemy, who were eagerly advancing. Eaaf 
 and his men rode up to the assistance of the hotly-pressed 
 party, and Baker's horse, upon their hillock, opened a 
 steady fire upon the Zulus. Gradually and steadily the 
 cavalry fell back toward the river, the two guns on the 
 opposite bank aiding them by their fire of grape and 
 shrapnel upon the Zulus, who pressed forward with 
 extreme bravery. 
 
 Many gallant deeds were done. Lord "William Beres- 
 ford, who had accompanied tb* party as a volunteer, dis- 
 tinguished himself by his bravery and coolness. Seeing 
 upon the ground a dismounted and wounded trooper, 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 115 
 
 surrounded by a dozen Zulus, he wheeled his horse and 
 dashed down among them, knocking over three with the 
 rush of his horse, and cutting down two with right and 
 left strokes of his saber; in another moment he had the 
 wounded man on his horse behind him, and carried him 
 off in safety. 
 
 Commander d'Arcy, also seeing a wounded man on 
 the ground, tried to carry him off, but his horse, being 
 restive, reared and fell back upon him, so that the unfor- 
 tunate trooper was overtaken and assegaied; while 
 D'Arcy, who was severely bruised by falling on his 
 revolver, was able to get back safely, but was unable to 
 take part in the next day's fight. 
 
 A little before daybreak Wood with his flying column 
 crossed the river, followed by the main army. The 
 whole of the baggage was left in charge of the Twenty- 
 fourth, and nothing was taken save the ammunition and 
 water-carts, each man carrying four days' supply of bis- 
 cuits and preserved meat in his haversack. The crossing 
 of the river was made without any opposition, but the 
 movements of the troops were watched by a party of 
 Zulus from a hillock on the left. 
 
 As soon as favorable ground had been reached Wood 
 was signaled to halt and wait for the main body, and 
 when the junction was effected the order was given to 
 form a large hollow square. Inside this square were two 
 companies of engineers, together with the ammunition 
 carts, water carts, and ambulance wagons, carts with in- 
 trenching tools, stretchers and bearers, together with 
 two Gatling guns in a reserve. The front face of the 
 square was formed by the Eightieth Eegiment, with two 
 Gatling guns in their center and two seven-pounders on 
 their right. The right face of the square was formed of 
 seven companies of the Thirteenth Eegiment. Next to 
 these came two seven-pounder and one nine-pounder 
 
116 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 guns; four companies of the Fifty-eighth completed the 
 line on this side. The rear face was composed of two 
 companies of the Twenty-first, and three companies of 
 the Ninety-fourth, with a nine-pounder gun. On the 
 left or west flank were three companies of the Ninety- 
 fourth, two seven-pounder guns, eight companies of the 
 Ninetieth, and two nine-pounders. Buller's cavalry 
 were away, scouring the country on the flanks. Colonel 
 Drury-Lowe, with two squadrons of the Seventeenth 
 Lancers and Captain Shepstone's Basutos, formed the 
 rearguard. The square moved forward for a few miles, 
 when they began to near the smaller kraals. Toward 
 the left front the Zulu columns could now be seen across, 
 the plain, with the sun glancing down upon their long 
 lines of white shields. Upon reaching the first kraal the 
 square was halted while it was fired. The next kraal was 
 a very large one, called Unodwingo. This was also fired;, 
 but, as it was found that the smoke drifted across the 
 plain so as to act as a screen to the Zulus, Lord Chelms- 
 ford ordered its extinction. Strong columns of the 
 enemy could now be seen moving out in good order from 
 TJlundi, and the square halted on some si ightly rising 
 ground. 
 
 The Zulus soon opened a dropping .fire on the right 
 front, and from a strong force operating on some broken 
 ground near Unodwingo on the left. By nine o'clock 
 the Zulu attack was fairly developed. Buller's men 
 then made a strong demonstration on the left, driving 
 the Zulus from the hollow where they were sheltered 
 back to the Unodwingo kraal. This movement was well 
 supported by Shepstone and the Basutos. 
 
 The Zulus now brought up a strong reinforcement 
 from the right, so as to assist those engaged with the 
 cavalry. Buller's men fought in the Dutch fashion, in 
 two ranks; the first mounted and ready to dash in a 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 117 
 
 moment upon any weak point in the enemy's line, the 
 second on foot, using their saddles as a rest for their 
 rifles. As soon as the front rank became too hardly 
 pressed, they cantered to the rear and dismounted and 
 opened fire, while the second rank mounted in readiness 
 to charge. Gradually Buller and Shepstone fell back ; 
 the Zulu column pressing upon them until well within 
 reach of the Gatlings and Martinis. The cavalry then 
 took refuge in the square, and over the ridges of the 
 front and left the Zulu column with loud shouts swept 
 -down upon the square. The British infantry now opened 
 fire. Gatlings and rifles poured in their deadly hail of 
 fire, while the guns swept the Zulu ranks with shrapnel 
 and grape. Terrible as the fire was, the Zulus pressed 
 bravely forward, filling up the gaps made in their ranks, 
 their wild war-cry rising even above the roll of the rifle- 
 fire. The fiercest attack came from the Unodwingo 
 kraal. Forming under cover of the kraal, a large body, 
 led by a chief on a white horse, and formed in a hollow 
 square, dashed at the right rear angle of the British 
 formation. Tremendous as the fire was, they pressed 
 forward until it seemed as if they would come to close 
 quarters with the column; but, brave as the Zulus were, 
 it was impossible to withstand the fire which the Twenty- 
 first, Ninety-fourth, Fifty-eighth, and Royal Engineers 
 poured into them. The square was broken up, and after 
 a moment's pause the Zulus turned and sought shelter 
 from the leaden hail. 
 
 While the fight was raging here another Zulu column 
 had attacked the front; but here the assault was speedily 
 repulsed, the cool and steady fire of the Eightieth having 
 so deadly an effect that the Zulus never attempted to 
 make a rush upon them. It was now a quarter to ten — 
 but a quarter of an hour from the firing of the first shot, 
 but the combat was virtually at an end. The Zulus, 
 
118 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 astounded at the storm of fire by which they had been 
 received, were everywhere wavering; Lord Chelmsford 
 gave the order, and the two squadrons of lancers burst 
 frdm the square, greeted with a loud cheer from 'the 
 infantry, and with their pennons fluttering in the breeze, 
 and their long lances in rest they dashed upon the flying 
 Zulus, and drove them headlong into a little ravine. 
 But flanking this, and hidden by the long grass, half a 
 Zulu regiment had been posted to cover the retreat, and 
 as the squadrons of lancers came on a volley was poured 
 in, which emptied several saddles and killed Lieutenant 
 Wyatt-Edgell, who was leading his men. In another 
 "moment the line of lancers dashed down upon the Zulu 
 ranks, and before the level line of lances the enemy went 
 down like grass. Shattered and broken in an instant, 
 the Zulus fought in stubborn knots, stabbing at the 
 horses, throwing themselves on the men, and trying to 
 dismount them. 
 
 In a melee like this the lance was useless, and the 
 troopers drew their swords and fought hand to hand with 
 the foe; and now a troop of the king's Dragoon-Guards 
 and Buller's horse took up the charge, and the flying 
 Zulus were cut down in scores before they could gain the 
 crest of the hill. The Zulus here fought with far less 
 determination than they had exhibited at Kambula. 
 There for four hours they had striven in vain to carry 
 General "Wood's strongly intrenched position; here they 
 made one great effort, and then all was over. Their 
 force was estimated at twenty-three thousand, and of 
 these they lost only about fifteen hundred, of whom at 
 least one-third were killed in the retreat. The battle 
 over, the remaining kraals were burned. 
 
 Most unfortunately, the day after the battle of Ulundi, 
 the news of the arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley reached 
 the front, and the movements of the army were paralyzed 
 
The flying Zulus were out down in scores. Colonists, p. 113. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 119 
 
 by the change of command. Instead, therefore, of a vig- 
 orous pursuit of the enemy, nothing was done, and the 
 army halted until the new commander-in-chief should 
 arrange his plans of action. Lord Chelmsford at once 
 resigned command of his column, and left for England. 
 
 The two boys had been present at the battle of Ulundi. 
 They had, during the weary weeks which preceded the 
 advance, made the acquaintance of most of the officers 
 of the cavalry, and Colonel Lowe had repeated the per- 
 mission given them by General Marshall. They had 
 therefore, when on the morning of the fight the column 
 marched out, attached themselves to Shepstone's 
 mounted Basutos, and had fought in the ranks of that 
 corps during the cavalry action which preceded the 
 attack on the square. 
 
 After the action was over great quantities of cattle 
 and corn fell into the han^s 01 the *oops, and so large a 
 transport-train was no longer necessary. Orders were 
 therefore issuea V?**- a certain number of the wagons 
 could take tHr discharge from the service, and the lads 
 at once applied to be placed on the list of those whose 
 services could be dispensed with. 
 
 Two days later they started for the rear with a convoy 
 of sick and wounded, and in due time, without further 
 adventure, arrived home, to the great delight of their 
 parents. 
 
 The victory of Ulundi virtually put an end to the war; 
 a great portion of the troops were sent home; the Zulu 
 chiefs came in and surrendered with their followers, 
 almost to a man. Cetewayo succeeded in concealing 
 himself for some time, but after a long chase he was 
 captured by Major Marter and Lord Gifford, and was 
 sent a prisoner to the Cape* 
 
120 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 CHAPTER X 
 
 A TRADING EXPEDITION. 
 
 After dividing Zululand into districts and appointing 
 a chief to rule over each, General Wolseley marched his 
 lorce against Secoceni, the chief whose hostile attitude 
 had caused the Boers to accept the protectorate of Eng- 
 land. This chief had maintained his defiant attitude, 
 and, relying upon the strength of his hill stronghold, had 
 kept up an irregular war upon them, aided by the Swazis 
 who came down from the north to assist him. 
 
 Sir Garnet Wolseley attacked Secoceni's mountain. 
 His men fought bravely, but were altogether unable to 
 uesist the attack of the English. The place was carried, 
 his warriors killed or dispersed, and his power altogether 
 broken. As the lads were not present at this affair- 
 being well content to stay for awhile and assist their 
 fathers on the farm — it is not necessary to enter into 
 further details of it. 
 
 A few months later three teams of wagons drove up to 
 the farm. It was late, in the evening, and their owner, 
 who had met Mr. Humphreys several times at Newcastle, 
 knocked at the door. 
 
 "I have made a long march, " he said, "to-day, and 
 the oxen are knocked up; so if you will take me in I 
 will halt here for the night instead of going on. The 
 roads have proved heavier than I had expected, and I 
 have done a very long day's journey." 
 
 Mr. Humphreys at once invited the speaker to enter. 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 121 
 
 Mr. Harvey was a trader, one of those who are in the 
 habit of taking long expeditions far into the interior,, 
 with his wagons laden with cotton, beads, tower-muskets,, 
 powder, lead, and toys prized by the natives, returning 
 laden with ivory, ostrich feathers, and skins. He was 
 now about to start upon such a journey, having stocked 
 his wagons at Durban. 
 
 After supper was over the trader told many stories of 
 his adventures among the natives, and the profits which 
 were gained by such journeys. 
 
 "Generally," he said, "I go with six wagons, but I 
 was very unlucky last time; the tzetze fly attacked my 
 animals, most of which died, and the natives took ad- 
 vantage of my position to make an attack upon me. I 
 beat them off, but was finally obliged to pack all my most 
 valuable goods in one wagon, to make my way back with 
 it, and abandon everything else to the natives. Now,, 
 Humphreys, why don't you join me? You have got a 
 wagon, and you can buy stores at Newcastle, not of 
 course as cheap as at the seaside, but still cheap enough 
 to leave a large marginal profit on the trip." 
 
 "I cannot leave the farm," Mr. Humphreys said. 
 
 "Nor can his wife spare him, Mr. Harvey," Mrs, 
 Humphreys put in. 
 
 "Well, why don't you send your son, here,,, with the 
 wagon?" Mr. Harvey asked. "The man who generally 
 travels with me as partner broke his leg the other day, 
 down at Durban, and I should be very glad of one or two 
 white companions. Two or three white men together 
 can do anything with the natives, but if there is only one, 
 and he happens to knock up, it goes very hard with him.'* 
 
 "Well, I don't know," Mr. Humphreys said, as Dick 
 looked eagerly toward him; "it is a sort of thing that 
 wants thinking over." 
 
122 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "Oh! father," Dick exclaimed excitedly, "it would be 
 & glorious trip, especially if Tom Jackson would go too. 
 I u heard Mr. Jackson only yesterday say that his draft- 
 oxen are eating their heads off, and that he must put 
 them on the roadto do some freighting. You see, if Mr. 
 Jackson did not care about going in for the trading him- 
 self — and I know, from what he said the other day that 
 his money is all employed on the farm — you might hire 
 his wagon for the trip. In fact that and your own \* 
 
 "That sounds easy and satisfactory enough, Dick/' 
 Mr. Humphreys said, laughing; "but one does not jump 
 into these things in a moment. There, you go off to 
 bed, and I will talk the matter further over with Mr. 
 Harvey." 
 
 Dick went to bed in high glee. When his father once 
 said that he would talk a thing over, Dick felt that the 
 -chances were very strong that he would give in to his 
 wishes. Mr. Humphreys was less influenced by the idea 
 of making a good trading speculation than by the con- 
 sideration that a journey of this kind would not only give 
 great pleasure to his son, but would be of real benefit to 
 him. It was Mr. Humphreys' opinion that it is good for 
 a lad to be placed in positions where he learns self- 
 Teliance, readiness, and promptness of action. For him- 
 self his farm-work occupied all his thoughts, and he 
 needed no distraction; o?t for a lad change is necessary. 
 Had Dick had — as would i. <we been the case at home — a 
 number of schoolfellows and companions of the same 
 age, he would have joined in their games and amuse- 
 ments, and no other change would have been necessary, 
 or indeed desirable; but in the farm in Natal it was alto- 
 gether different. The work of looking after a number of 
 Kaffirs planting and watering trees was monotonous, and 
 unbroken, as it generally was, by the sight of a strange 
 face from the beginning to the end of the week, it was 
 likely to become irksome to a boy. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 123- 
 
 Occasionally indeed Dick and Tom Jackson would 
 meet and go out on a shooting expedition together; but 
 Tom could seldom be spared, as his father, being shorter- 
 handed than Mr. Humphreys, found him of considerable 
 use. 
 
 Soon after daylight Dick was aroused by his father. 
 
 "Jump up at once, Dick; I want you to ride over with 
 a letter to Mr. Jackson. We have pretty well settled 
 that you shall go with Mr. Harvey, and I am writing to- 
 make an offer to Mr. Jackson for the use of his wagon: 
 for six months." 
 
 Dick gave a shout of delight, and in a very short time' 
 had dressed himself, and, having saddled his horse, was: 
 dashing at full speed across the veldt. Early as the hour 
 was when he arrived, Mr. Jackson was already out in his- 
 fields. Dick soon found him, and handed him the letter,, 
 and while he was reading it explained in low, excited 
 words to Tom the mission on which he had come. 
 
 "Well, I don't know," Mr. Jackson said, when he had; 
 finished the letter; "your father makes me a very liberal 
 offer, Dick, for my wagon and team for six months, on. 
 the condition that I allow Tom to accompany them, and 
 he points out that in his opinion a journey of this kind 
 will be likely to develop the boy's character and teach, 
 him many things that may some day be of use to him. 
 It comes upon me suddenly, and it seems he wants the- 
 wagon and team to be at Newcastle this evening, ready 
 for a start in the morning. He himself is going to ride 
 over there to purchase goods to freight it directly he 
 receives my reply. I must go in and consult with 
 mother before I come to any decided conclusion." 
 
 So saying he strode off toward the house. 
 
 Dick, leading his pony, walked after, by the side of 
 Tom, to whom he explained all he knew of the character 
 of the proposed journey. 
 
124 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "Mr. Harvey says, Tom, that of course lie goes to 
 trade, but that at the same time he does a lot of shoot- 
 ping, both for the sake of the skins and for the meat for 
 the men. He says that he often meets with lions, hip- 
 popotami, and sometimes elephants — sometimes they 
 meet with hostile natives." 
 
 Altogether the expedition promised an immense vari- 
 ety of adventure. The boys remained chatting outside 
 the house until Mr. Jackson came to the door and called 
 them in. 
 
 "So you are not contented to stop at home, Dick," 
 Mrs. Jackson said, "and you want to take Tom rambling 
 away with you again? Of course I cannot say no, when 
 my husband is inclined to let him go, but I shall be ter- 
 ribly anxious until he is back again." 
 
 "I won't let him get into any scrapes, Mrs. Jackson," 
 Dick said confidently. 
 
 "I have no faith whatever," Mrs. Jackson said, smil- 
 ing, "in your keeping him out of scrapes, but I do' think 
 it possible that you may get him out of them after he is 
 once in them. Do be careful, my boys, for the sakes of 
 your fathers and mothers! I know Mr. Harvey has been 
 making these journeys for a good many years and has 
 always got back safely, and I have great faith in his ex- 
 perience and knowledge — but there, Dick, I must not 
 keep you. Here is my husband with an answer to your 
 father's letter, and as you will have lots to do, and your 
 father will be waiting for this letter before he starts for 
 Newcastle, you had better ride off at once. Good-by, my 
 boy, for I shan't see you again before you stark I trust 
 that you will come back safe and well." 
 
 Two minutes later Dick was again galloping across the 
 country, arriving home in time for breakfast. 
 
 Mrs. Humphreys was in better spirits than Dick had 
 feared he should find her; but her health had improved 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 125 
 
 immensely since her arrival in the colony, and she was 
 more active and energetic than Dick ever remembered 
 her to have been. She was able therefore to take a far 
 more cheerful view of the proposed expedition than she 
 could have done the year before, and her husband had 
 had comparatively little difficulty in obtaining her con- 
 sent to Dick's accompanying Mr. Harvey. 
 
 "Your father thinks that it will be for your good, my 
 boy," she said, "and I have no doubt that you will enjoy 
 yourself greatly — but be sure to be careful, and don't let 
 your high spirits get you into scrapes — remember how 
 valuable your life is to us!" 
 
 "While you are away, Dick," his father said, "you will 
 remember that you are absolutely under Mr. Harvey's 
 orders. As the head of the expedition he stands in the 
 position of the master, and he must receive ready and 
 explicit obedience from all. He is not a man unneces- 
 sarily to curb or check you, and you- may be sure that he 
 will not restrain you unless for the good of the expedi- 
 tion. You must beware how far you stray from the 
 caravan; the country you are going to is very different 
 from this. Here, go where you will, you are sure in a 
 short time to come upon some farmhouse, where you may 
 get directions as to your way. There, once lost, it is 
 upon yourself alone you must depend to recover the track. 
 The beasts of prey are formidable opponents, and a lion 
 or an elephant wounded, but not killed, could rend you 
 into pieces in a moment; therefore you must be prudent 
 as well as brave, obedient as well as enterprising. You 
 have already shown that you have plenty of presence of 
 mind, as well as of courage, and in nine cases out of tea 
 the former quality is even the more necessary in a coun- 
 try such as that you are now going to. Courage will not 
 avail you when a wounded leopard is charging dovvn 
 upon you and your rifle is already discharged, but pres- 
 
126 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 «nce of mind may point out some means of escape from 
 the danger. And now, if you have finished breakfast, 
 you had better ride over with me to Newcastle — I have a 
 very large number of goods to buy. Mr. Harvey, who 
 -went on the first thing, will meet me there and show me 
 the kind of goods most likely to take with the natives; it 
 -will be well that you should not only know the price o| 
 ■each article, but that you should see everything packed, 
 so as to know the contents of each bale by its shape and 
 markings — a matter which may save you much trouble 
 when you begin to trade." 
 
 The shopping did not take up so long a time as Mr. 
 Humphreys had anticipated; the large storekeepers all 
 kept precisely the kind of goods required, as they were in 
 the habit of selling to the Boers for barter with the 
 natives. 
 
 In the afternoon the wagon was sent away, and an 
 lour before daybreak next morning Dick, having bade 
 farewell to his mother, started with Mr. Humphreys. 
 
 Tom and Mr. Jackson arrived there a few minutes 
 later, and the work of loading the wagons at once com- 
 menced, and was concluded by nine o'clock; then they 
 joined the wagons of Mr. Harvey, which were already 
 waiting outside the town. 
 
 Their fathers rode with them to the ford across the 
 river, and then after a hearty farewell returned to their 
 farms, while the caravan of five wagons crossed into the 
 Transvaal. 
 
 Each wagon was drawn by sixteen oxen, with a native 
 driver and leader to each. There were three Swazis who ' 
 had accompanied Mr. Harvey on previous expeditions, all 
 .good hunters and men who could be relied upon in every 
 ■emergency. The eldest of these natives was a very tall 
 ;and muscular man, of some forty-five years of age; the 
 left side of his face, his shoulder, and side were deeply 
 
TEE TOTING COLONISTS. VII 
 
 seamed with scars, the relies of a fight with a wounded 
 lioness. He had a very long and difficult name, which 
 had been Anglicized and shortened by Mr. Harvey into 
 "Jack." 
 
 The second of the trio was a man so short as to be 
 almost deformed, a very unusual circumstance among 
 the natives. His head was set low between his shoul- 
 ders, and his long sinewy arms reached almost to his 
 ankles. Mr. Harvey told the lads he was immensely 
 strong, and the expression of his face was quick and in- 
 telligent. He was about twenty-four years of age; he 
 had been found by Mr. Harvey's father, who had also 
 been a trader, deserted and apparently dying, a baby of 
 only a few months old. Among savage people infants 
 who are in any way deformed are generally deserted and 
 left to perish, and this was the fate evidently intended for 
 the child when the mother became convinced he would not 
 grow up tall and straight, like other men. Mr. Harvey 
 had picked it up, fed and cared for it, and it grew up 
 full of a passionate attachment for him, following him 
 everywhere, and ready at any moment to give his life for 
 him. He was called Tony, and spoke English as fluently 
 as the native language. 
 
 The third of the hunters was a tall, slight figure, a 
 man of about thirty-five, with muscles like whipcord, 
 who could, if it were needed, go for one hundred miles 
 without a halt, and tire out the swiftest horse. In addi- 
 tion to these were ten natives, who assisted with the 
 cattle, pitched the tent, cooked and skinned the game, 
 and did other odd jobs. 
 
 The road was fairly good, and two days after leaving 
 Newcastle they arrived at Standerton, a rising place, in- 
 habited principally by English traders and shopkeepers. 
 Here three roads branched: the one led to Utrecht on 
 <die east; another to Pretoria, the capital, to the north- 
 
123 THE TOTING COLONISTS. 
 
 west; while the third, a track much less used than the* 
 others, led due north. This was the one followed by the 
 caravan. 
 
 As they proceeded the Dutch farmhouses became 
 more sparsely sprinkled over the country, and several 
 large native kraals were passed. Over the wide plaina 
 large herds of deer roamed almost unmolested, and the 
 lads had no difficulty in keeping the caravan well sup- 
 plied with provisions. One or two of the Kaffirs gener- 
 ally accompanied them, to carry in the game; but Mr. 
 Harvey and the three hunters, accustomed to more excit- 
 ing sport, kept along with the caravan, the former well 
 content that the lads should amuse themselves with 
 furnishing food for the party. 
 
 At Newcastle Mr. Humphreys had purchased a couple 
 of small pocket-compasses, one for each of the boys, and 
 the possession of these gave them great confidence, as, 
 with their guidance, they were always enabled to strike 
 the trail of the caravan. 
 
 The road had now altogether ceased, and they wera 
 traveling across a bare, undulating country, dotted occa- 
 sionally by herds and flocks of Dutch settlers, and by the 
 herds of wandering deer, but unbroken by a tree of any 
 size, and for the most part covered with tall grass. The 
 deer met with were for the most part antelopes of one or 
 «ther of three kinds, all of which abounded on the 
 higher plains. These are known as the "wilde-beest," 
 the "bless-buck," and the "spring-buck." 
 
 The venison which these creatures afforded was occa- 
 sionally varied by the flesh of the "stump-pig," which 
 abounded in considerable numbers, and, as they ran at a 
 great speed, afforded the boys many a good chase. 
 
 Generally the caravan halted for the night — while they 
 were still in a country occupied here and there by Boers 
 —near one of the farmhouses. It was not that these 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 129 
 
 habitations added to the pleasure of the halting-place, 
 for the Boers were generally gruff and surly, and their 
 dogs annoyed them by their constant barking and growl- 
 ing, but for the most part it was only at these farm- 
 houses that water could be obtained. A small sum was 
 generally charged by the Boers for the privilege of water- 
 ing the oxen of each wagon. 
 
 It would seem a churlish action to charge for water, 
 but this fluid is very scarce upon the veldt. There are 
 long periods of drought, of which, in a dry season, thou- 
 sands of cattle perish; it is therefore only natural that- 
 each farmer should hoard his supply jealously, for he 
 cannot tell how great his own need of it may shortly be. 
 The water is for the most part stored in artificial ponds, 
 made by damming up hollows through which the water 
 runs in the wet season. 
 
 Sometimes, as the caravan made its slow way along, a 
 young Boer would dash up upon his horse, and, reining 
 in, ask a few questions as to their route, and then ride 
 off again. Already the boys had admired the figures and 
 riding of the Boers whom they had seen in action in 
 Zululand, but they ware much more struck by their ap- 
 pearance as they saw them now. There are no finer mc/i 
 in the world than the young Boers of the Transvaal; in 
 after-life they often become heavy, but as young men 
 their figures are perfect. Very tall and powerfully built, 
 they sit their horses as if man and animal were one, and 
 are such splendid marksmen that, while riding at full 
 speed, they can with almost absolute certainty bring 
 down an antelope at a distance of one hundred and fifty 
 yards. 
 
 But the abodes of the Boers, and their manner of liv- 
 ing, impressed the boys far less favorably. However 
 extensive the possessions and numerous the herds of a 
 Boer, he lives in the same primitive style as his poorest 
 
130 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 neighbor. The houses seldom contain more than two, or 
 at most three, rooms. The dress of the farmer, wife, 
 and family is no better than that of laborers; whole 
 families sleep in one room; books are almost unknown in 
 their houses, and they are ignorant and prejudiced to an 
 extreme degree. Upon his horse and his gun the Boer 
 will spend money freely, but for all other purposes he is 
 thrifty and close-fisted in the extreme. Water is re- 
 garded as useful for drinking purposes, but its utility 
 for matters of personal cleanliness is generally altogether 
 ignored. Almost all sleep in their clothes, and a shake 
 and a stretch suffice for the morning toilet. 
 
 The power of a Boer over his sons and daughters is 
 most unlimited, and he is the hardest and cruelest of 
 masters to the unfortunate natives whom he keeps in 
 slavery under the title of indentured apprentices, and 
 whose lives he regards as of no more importance than 
 those of his sheep, and as of infinitely less consequence 
 than those of his horses or even of his dogs. To the un- 
 happy natives the taking over of the Transvaal by England 
 had been a blessing of the highest kind. Eor the first 
 time the shooting of them in cold blood had come to 
 be considered a crime, and ordinances had been issued 
 against slavery, which, although generally evaded by the 
 Boers, still promised a happy state of things in the 
 future. 
 
 At the native kraals the travelers were always wel- 
 comed when it was known that they were English. The 
 natives looked to Queen Victoria as a sort of guardian 
 angel, and not a thought entered their heads that they 
 would ere long be cruelly and basely abandoned to the 
 mercies of the Dutch by the government of England. 
 
 Slowly and without incident the caravan made its way 
 north, and at last encamped upon the Joanks of the great 
 river Limpopo, the northern boundary of the Transvaal. 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 131 
 
 This river was too wide and deep to be forded, but at the 
 spot where they had struck it there was a large native 
 kraal. Here Mr. Harvey, who had many times before 
 followed the same route to this spot, was warmly wel- 
 comed and preparations were made for effecting a cross- 
 ing. The oxen were first takeu across; these were 
 steered by ropes attached to their horns and fastened to 
 a canoe, which paddled ahead of them. The beasts were 
 delighted to enter the water after their long dusty jour- 
 ney, and most of them, after reaching the opposite bank, 
 lay down for a long time in the shallow water at the 
 edge. Most of the stores were carried across in canoes. 
 Inflated skins were then fastened to the wagons, and 
 these also were towed across the stream by canoes. The 
 passage had commenced at early morning, and by night- 
 fall the whole of the caravan and its contents were safely 
 across the stream. 
 
 "We are now," Mr. Harvey said, "in the Matabele 
 country; the natives are for the most part friendly, as 
 they know the advantage they derive from the coming of 
 English traders, but there are portions of the tribe alto- 
 gether hostile to us, and the greatest caution and care 
 have to be exercised in passing through some portions of 
 the country. To the east lies a land said to be very rich 
 in gold, and there can be little doubt that it is so, for we 
 frequently find natives who have traded with that coun- 
 try in possession of gold-dust, but they allow no white 
 men to pass their frontier on any pretext whatever. 
 They have become aware in some way how great is the 
 value of gold in the eyes of Europeans, and fear that if 
 the wealth of the country in that metal were but known 
 a vast emigration of Europeans would take place, which 
 would assuredly sooner or later end in the driving out or 
 extirpation of the present inhabitants of the land." 
 
 The news which they had learned at the village where 
 
133 THE fOUNQ COLONISTS. 
 
 th8y had crossed, of the state of affairs among the tribes 
 of the north, was not encouraging. The natives said 
 ■"that there had been much fighting. Not only had erup- 
 tions taken place with tribes still further north, but the 
 Matabele had also been quarreling among themselves. 
 
 "This is bad news indeed," Mr. Harvey said; "these 
 tribal wars make journeying very difficult; for, although 
 none of the tribes may be hostile to Europeans at ordinary 
 times, they view them with distrust when coming from a 
 tribe with whom they are at war. In peace-time, too, 
 when each section of the tribe is under some sort of con- 
 trol by the head chief, each will hesitate to rob or attack 
 an European caravan, because the whole would consider 
 themselves aggrieved and injured by such a proceeding. 
 In war-time, on the other hand, each thinks, 'If we do 
 not rob this rich caravan some one else is sure to do so; 
 we may as well have the plunder as another.' War is 
 injurious to us in other ways; instead of the tribes spend- 
 ing their time in hunting, they remain at home to guard 
 their villages and women, and we shall find but little 
 ivory and few ostrich feathers gathered to trade for our 
 goods. I had not intended to have incumbered myself 
 with a larger following, but I think, after what I have 
 heard, it will be wise to strengthen our party before 
 going further. I will therefore hire twenty men from 
 the village here to accompany us; they will be useful in 
 huntings and will cost but little; their wages are nomi- 
 nal, and we shall have no difficulty in providing them 
 with food with our rifles. In one respect they are more 
 useful than men hired from time to time from among 
 the people further north for the purpose of driving 
 game, for, as you see, many of them carry guns, while 
 beyond the river they are armed only with bows and 
 arrows." 
 
 '"I am surprised to see so many guns," Dick said; 
 
r TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 13J 
 
 "where could these people have got the money to buy 
 them?" 
 
 "It is the result of a very bad system/' Mr. Harvey 
 replied. "The Cape authorities, in spite of all the rep- 
 resentations which have been made to them, of the 
 extreme danger of allowing the natives to possess fire- 
 arms, allow their importation and sale to them, simply 
 on account of the revenue which they derive from it, as 
 a duty of a pound is charged on each gun imported into 
 the colony. From all parts of South Africa the natives, 
 Pondos, Basutos, Zulus, and other Kaffirs, goto the dia^ 
 mond-fields and work there for months; when their 
 Earnings suffice to enable them to buy a gun, a stock of 
 ammunition, and a blanket, they return to their homes. 
 All these fellows you see carrying guns have served their 
 six or eight months in the diamond-mines; a dozen of 
 them would be a strong reinforcement to our fighting 
 power, in case of an attack." 
 
 There was no difficulty in engaging the required num- 
 ber of men. Each was to be paid on the conclusion of 
 the journey with a certain quantity of powder and lead, 
 a few yards of cotton, some beads and other cheap 
 trinkets, and was to be fed on the journey. Thus rein- 
 forced the caravan proceeded on its way. 
 
13ft THE YOuNQ COLONISTS 
 
 CHAPTER XL 
 
 A TEOOP OF LIONS. 
 
 The country across which the wagons now made their 
 way differed somewhat from that over which they had 
 previously passed; it was not so undulating, and the 
 herbage was shorter and more scanty; the soil was for 
 the most part sandy; trees were much more abundant, 
 and sometimes there were thick growths of jungle. 
 Even before leaving the Transvaal they had at night 
 often heard the roar of lions, but these had not ap- 
 proached the camp. 
 
 "We must look out for lions to-night," Mr. Harvey 
 said, when the caravan encamped near a large pool which 
 in the wet season formed part of a.river, and was now for 
 the most part dry. "We must laager our wagons, and 
 get as many cattle inside as we can, and must keep the 
 rest close together, with fires in readiness to light in case 
 of an attack." 
 
 "But surely the lions would never venture to attack 
 so large a party?" Dick said in surprise. 
 
 "They will indeed," Mr. Harvey answered. "These 
 brutes often hunt together, as many as twenty or thirty; 
 they are nothing like such powerful beasts as the North 
 African lions, but they are formidable enongh, and the 
 less we see of them the better. But there are numerous 
 prints on the sand near the water, and probably large 
 numbers of them are in the habit of coming to this pool 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 13? 
 
 to drink. I expect therefore that we shall have a stir- 
 ring night." 
 
 As soon as the oxen were unyoked they were driven a 
 short distance out to pasture. Five or six of the natives 
 looked after them, while the remainder set to work to 
 gather sticks and dried wood for the fires. 
 
 "I think," Tom said, "that I will go and have a bathe 
 in the pool." 
 
 "You will do no such thing," Mr. Harvey remarked; 
 "the chances are that there are half a dozen alligators in 
 that pool — it is just the sort of place in which they lurk, 
 for they find no difficulty in occasionally taking a deer or 
 a wild hog, as he comes down to quench his thirst. 
 There! don't you see something projecting above the 
 water on the other side of the pool?" 
 
 "I see a bit of rough wood, that looks as if it were the 
 top of a log underneath the water." 
 
 "Well, just watch it," Mr. Harvey said, as he took 
 aim with his rifle. 
 
 He fired; the water instantly heaved and whirled at 
 the spot the boy was watching; the supposed log rose 
 higher out of the water, and then plunged down again; 
 five or six feet of a long tail lashed the water and then 
 disappeared, but the eddies on the surface showed that 
 there was a violent agitation going on underneath it. 
 
 "What do you think of your log now?" Mr. Harvey 
 asked, smiling. 
 
 "Why, it was an alligator," Tom said. "Who would 
 have thought it? — it looked just like a bit of an old 
 tree." 
 
 "What you saw," Mr. Harvey said, "was a portion of 
 the head; the alligator often lies with just his eyes and 
 nostrils out of water." 
 
 "Did you kill it, sir, do you think?" Dick asked. 
 
 "Oh! no," Mr. Harvey replied; "the ball would glance 
 
136 - THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 off his head as it would from the side of an ironclad 
 ship. It woke him up, and flustrated him a bit; but h» 
 is pone the worse for it. So you see, Tom, that pool is 
 hardly fit to bathe in." 
 
 "No, indeed, sir," Tom answered, turning a little pale 
 at the thought of the danger which he had proposed to 
 incur. "I would rather fight half a dozen lions than get 
 into the water with those brutes." 
 
 "I don't know about half a dozen lions," Mr. Harvey 
 said; "although certainly one lion is an easier foe to 
 \ickle than an alligator. But one can never be too care- 
 ful about bathing in this country. In the smallest pools, 
 only a few yards long and a few feet wide, an alligator 
 may be lurking, especially if the weather is dry and the 
 pools far apart. Even when only drawing water at such 
 places it is well to be careful, and it is always the best 
 plan to poke the bottom for a short distance round with 
 a pole before dipping in a bucket. Remember, if you 
 should ever happen to be seized by one of these animals, 
 there is but one chance, and that is to turn at once and 
 stick your thumbs into his eyes. It requires nerve when 
 a brute has got you by the leg, but it is your only chance, 
 and the natives, when seized by alligators, often escape 
 by blinding their foes. The pain and sudden loss of 
 sight always induces them to loose their hold." 
 
 "I hope I shall never have to try," Tom said, shiver- 
 ing. 
 
 "It is safer not, certainly," Mr. Harvey agreed; "but 
 there, I see dinner is ready, and Jumbo has got a bucket 
 of water, so you can douse your heads and wash your 
 hands without fear of alligators." 
 
 At nightfall the cattle were all driven in. The horses 
 and a few of the most valuable oxen were placed in the 
 laager formed by the wagons; the rest were fastened out- 
 side to them, side bs side, by their horns; at each corned 
 
.THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 137 
 
 the natives had piled up a great heap of firewood. An 
 hour after sunset the roar of a lion was heard out on the 
 plain ; it was answered simultaneously in six or eight 
 directions, and the stamping of the oxen announced that 
 the animals were conscious of danger. 
 
 "There are a troop of them about," Mr. Harvey said, 
 "just as I feared. Put a little more wood on the fires, 
 boys ; it is as well to keep them burning briskly, but it 
 will probably be some hours before they work themselves 
 up to make an attack upon us." 
 
 As the time went on the roaring became louder and 
 more continuous. 
 
 "There must be a score of them at least," Mr. Harvey 
 said ; ' ' they are ranging round and round the camp ; they 
 don't like the look of the fires. " 
 
 By ten o'clock the roaring had approached so closely 
 that Mr. Harvey thought that it was time to prepare for 
 the defense ; he took post at one side of the square, and 
 placed the boys and Jumbo at the other three ; Tony and 
 the other hunter were to keep outside the cattle, and 
 walk round and round. The armed natives were scat- 
 tered round the square. The drivers and cattle-men 
 were to move about among the animals, and do their best 
 to pacify them, for already a perfect panic had seized 
 upon the draft - cattle, and with starting eyes and coats 
 ruffled by fear they were tugging and straining at their 
 ropes. 
 
 "Quiet, you silly beasts," Dick said, leaning out of 
 the wagon in which he had taken his place; "you are 
 safer where you are than you would be anywhere else. 
 If you got away and bolted out into the plain, as" you 
 want to do, you would be pulled down and killed in no 
 time." 
 
 The fires were now blazing brightly, throwing a wide 
 circle of light round the camp and making visible every 
 object within fifty yards. 
 
138 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 \ 
 
 ;' It bad basti arranged that so long as the lions kept at & 
 'distance and only approached singly the defenders of the 
 ^arious faces of the square should retain their positions; 
 but that, should a formidable attack be made upon any 
 one ride, the white men with two of the natives with 
 them snouiu nasten to the print attacked. 
 
 Several times, as Dick stood m the wagon, rifle *n 
 hand, straining his eyes at the darkness, he fancied he 
 saw indistinct shadowy forms moving at the edge of the 
 circle of light. Two or three times he raised his rifle to 
 take aim, but the object;: v~3re so indistinct that he 
 doubted whether his fancy had not deceived him. 
 
 Presently the crack of Mr. Harvey's rifle was heard? 
 followed by a roar of a sharper and more angry nature 
 than those which had preceded it. As if a signal had 
 aeen given- three or four creatures came with great 
 bounds out oi the darkness toward the side where Dick 
 was posted. Taking a steady aim, he fired. Tony, wiio 
 was outside with the cattle on that side of the square, 
 did the same. The other natives had been ordered to 
 retain their fire until the lions were close enough to 
 insure each shot telling. The lion at which Dick had 
 aimed paused for a moment with a terrific roar, and then 
 bounded forward again. When he came within twenty- 
 yards of the oxen the four natives posted by Dick's side 
 fired. The lion for a moment fell; then, gathering itself 
 together, it sprang on to the back of a bullock, just in 
 front of where Dick was standing. The lad had a sec- 
 ond rifle in readiness, and leaning forward he placed the 
 muzzle within two yards of the lion's head and fired. 
 The animal rolled off the back of the bullock, who, with 
 the one standing next to him, at once began to kick at 
 it, endeavoring to get their heads round to gore it with 
 their horns. The lion, however, lay unmoved; Dick's 
 last shot had been fatal. 
 
\$ee Newcomers as once opened Fiee. 
 
 Colonists, p. 1S9» 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 139 
 
 The other, lions on this side had bounded back into the 
 darkness. From the other sides of the square the sound 
 of firing proclaimed that similar attacks had been made; 
 but as there was no summons for aid, Dick supposed 
 that the attacks were isolated ones, and so, after recharg- 
 ing his rifles, he remained quietly at his post. 
 
 For some hours the attack was not renewed, though 
 the continuous roaring showed that the lions were still 
 elose at hand. Mr. Harvey went round and advised the 
 boys to lie down at their posts and get a little sleep, as 
 the natives would keep watch. 
 
 "I don't think we have done with them yet," he said; 
 "we have killed three, but I think, by the roaring, the 
 number has considerably increased within the last hour. 
 It is probable that an attack will be made an hour or so 
 before daybreak, and I expect it will be in earnest next 
 time." 
 
 Dick accordingly lay down to sleep, but he was too 
 excited to close his eyes. 
 
 After a long time it seemed to him that the roaring 
 was dying away, and a drowsiness was stealing over him, 
 when suddenly Mr. Harvey's rifle was heard, and he 
 shouted: 
 
 "To this side — quick! they are upon us." 
 
 Dick, Tom, and Jumbo, with the six natives, leaped 
 iiom the wagons, and, running across the little inclo- 
 sure, scrambled up into those on the other side. There 
 was a momentary silence here, the whole of the defend-- 
 ants having discharged their pieces, and a number of 
 lions bounding across the open were already close to the 
 cattle. 
 
 The newcomers at once opened fire. Two or three 
 01 the lions sprang among the cattle; but the rest, in- 
 timidated by the noise and flash of the guns, and by the 
 yelling and shouting of the natives, turned and made off 
 
140 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 again. Those among the cattle were soon disposed of, 
 but not before they had killed three of the draft-oxen 
 and seriously torn two others. 
 
 * The roaring continued until daybreak, gradually, how- 
 ever, growing fainter and more distant, and it was evi- 
 dent that the attack had ceased* _._. 
 
 "Are their skins worth anything?" Dick asked. 
 
 "Yes, they are worth a few dollars apiece, except in 
 the case of old lions, who are apt to become mangy, and 
 these are not worth skinning. We have killed eight of 
 them, but their skins will not be worth anything like so 
 much as the cattle they have killed; however, it is well 
 that it is no worse. An attack by these troops of lions 
 is no joke; they are by far the most formidable animals 
 of South Africa. I don't say that an attack by a herd of 
 wild elephants would not be more serious, but I never 
 heard of such a thing taking place. They are timid 
 creatures, and easily scared, and except in the case of 
 wounded animals or of solitary bulls they can scarcely b© 
 considered as dangerous." 
 
 When day broke the native:! set to work -to skin th@ 
 lions, with the exception of one whose skin was value- 
 less. As soon as the operation was completed the skins 
 were packed in the wagons, the oxen were inspanned 3 
 and the caravan proceeded on its way, ail being glad to 
 leave so dangerous a locality. 
 
 Tire next evening they encamped upon a liver, and ths 
 nighs passed without interruption. The following mcrn° 
 ing 3 just as they were about to start, Tony, who with the 
 Other hunters had gone out at daybreak, r;' L rrned with 
 the news that he had found the spoor o2 elephant^ and 
 $hat he believed c. hard had passed along only a £e T ,7 
 licurs before. 
 
 Mr. Harvey at once decided fee halt where he was id' 
 another day. The oxen were agair unyoked., andsir. r :'r 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 141 
 
 the armed natives having been left to guard the camp, 
 under the direction of Jumbo the whole of the rest, with 
 the white men, set off in pursuit of the elephants. 
 
 The spoor was quite distinct, and even had this failed, 
 there would have been no difficulty in following the 
 track, for there were scattered here and there trees, and 
 the elephants in passing had broken off many boughs, 
 which, stripped of their leaves, lay upon the ground 
 they had traversed. 
 
 Tony and the other hunter, Avhose name was Blacking, 
 a sobriquet gained from the extreme swarthiness of his 
 skin, scouted ahead, and presently held "up their hands 
 to those following them to advance quietly. The trees 
 were very thick here, and Mr. Harvey and the boys dis- 
 mounted and led their horses to the spot where the 
 hunters had halted. They were standing at the edge of 
 a large circular clearing, three-quarters of a mile in diam- 
 eter; it had probably at one time been the site of a 
 native village, for there were signs of cultivation, and a 
 number of scattered heads of maize rose here and there, 
 the descendants of a bygone mealie plantation. Feeding 
 upon these were a herd of some twenty elephants; of 
 these the greater portion were females or young ones, but 
 there were three fine males — one, a beast of unusual size. 
 
 ''That is the master of the herd," Mr. Harvey said, 
 "a savage-looking old customer; he has a splendid pair 
 of tusks, although the tip of one," he added, gazing at 
 the elephant through his fieldglass, "is broken off. I 
 think that for the present we will leave him alone, and 
 direct our attention to the other two males. I will take 
 Tom and Jumbo with me; you, Dick, shall have Tony 
 and Blacking. Three of the natives shall go with each 
 party, but you must not rely upon them much; and, re- 
 member, the one fatal spot is the forehead. Fasten your 
 horses up here, and leave two of the natives in charge. 
 
142 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 Let the other six go round to the opposite side of th« 
 clearing and advance slowly from that direction, showing 
 themselves occasionally, so as to draw the attention ai. 
 the herd toward them. The elephants will probably 
 move leisurely in this direction. Take your station be- 
 hind trees, moving your position carefully as they 
 approach, so as to place yourselves as near as possible in 
 the line of the elephant you have.fixed on. "We will take 
 up our station a hundred yards to the right of where we 
 are standing; do you go as far to the left. The natives 
 will take the horses into a thicket some distance in the 
 rear. Whichever of the two young male elephants, 
 comes nearest to you is your mark, ours is the other. If 
 they keep near each other we shall probably meet again 
 here." 
 
 The two parties moved off to the places assigned to 
 them, and the natives whose duty it was to drive the 
 elephants started to their positions. Keeping some little 
 distance back among the trees, so that they could observe 
 the movements of the elephants, while themselves un- 
 seen, Dick and his party moved to the spot indicated, 
 and then sat down. 
 
 For three-quarters of an hour the elephants continued 
 to feed upon the heads of maize; then the big male sud- 
 denly wheeled round, extended his great ears, lifted his 
 trunk, and trumpeted. At this signal the others all 
 gathered together, and stood gazing in the direction fro*n 
 which danger threatened. Again the old bull gave an 
 angry scream. The others moved slowly away from the 
 danger, but he advanced in the direction in which he 
 had seen the'natives. 
 
 "Very bad elephant that," Tony whispered to Dick; 
 "he give heaps of trouble; you see him charge." 
 
 A minute or two later the elephant, catching sight of 
 his enemies, quickened his pace, and with his little tail 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 143 
 
 switching angrily, uplifted trunk, and widespread ears, 
 he charged down upon them at a pace of which Dick had 
 not supposed so cumbersome a beast would be capable. 
 
 In a moment the distant natives were seen to rise from 
 the grass and to run at full speed back toward the wood. 
 The elephant pursued them until he reached the trees; 
 here he halted, and gazed for some time into the wood. 
 Then seeing no signs of the natives — for these knew bet- 
 ter than to provoke so vicious a beast by firing at him — • 
 he trumpeted defiantly, and slowly retraced his steps 
 toward the rest of the herd. These, led by the two 
 toiales, were already approaching the trees behind which 
 Dick and his party were lying concealed. Before they 
 had arrived there Mr. Harvey and his party came up. 
 
 Dick and Tom were both carrying heavy smooth-bore 
 guns, similar to those used by the Boers. These their 
 fathers had purchased at Newcastle on the day of their 
 start; they were old. weapons, but very strong and serv- 
 iceable; they carried a heavy charge of powder and a 
 large ball, of a mixture of lead and tin, specially made 
 for elephant-shooting. 
 
 "Dick fire first," Blacking whispered in his ear; "if 
 he not kill him, then the rest of us fire." 
 
 Dick was lying down behind the trunk of a tree, his 
 rifle steadied against it; when the elephant was within a 
 distance of twenty yards he fired, taking steady aim at 
 the vital point. The recoil of the piece was tremendous, 
 and the roar of its report almost stunned him; be gave, 
 however, a shout of delight, for the elephant stood for 
 half a minute swaying from side to side, and then fell 
 heavily upon the ground. 
 
 Mr. Harvey had given Tom the first shot at the other 
 elephant; but, just at the moment when the lad was 
 about to fire, the elephant gave a sudden start at the 
 report of Disk's rifle, and Tom's shot struck it at the 
 
144 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 side of the head and glancing off passed through its ear. 
 Throwing up its trunk, the elephant instantly charged. 
 Mr. Harvey fired, but the uplifted trunk prevented his 
 getting an accurate aim at the vital spot. The bullet 
 passed through ohe trunk, and then glanced off the fore- 
 head. The elephant swerved and showed its side, at 
 which a general volley was fired by all the guns still 
 loaded. The great beast stood still for an instant, 
 stumbled forward a few strides, and then its legs seemed 
 to bend beneath it, and it sank down quietly to the 
 ground. 
 
 Just at this moment, as the affrighted cows were turn- 
 ing to fly across the plain, there was a thundering rush,, 
 and the great elephant charged through them, and pass- 
 ing between the dead males dashed into the wood. Its 
 rush was so sudden and headlong that it carried the ele- 
 phant past the men standing behind the trees; but it 
 speedily checked itself, and turning round made a rush 
 upon them. There was an instant stampede. Most of 
 the natives at once threw away their guns; some climbed 
 hastily up into the trees against which they were stand- 
 ing; others took to the bushes. The elephant charged 
 in after these, but seeing no signs of them he speedily 
 came out again and looked round for a fresh foe. His 
 eye fell upon Dick, who had just recharged his rifle. 
 
 "Kun, Dick! run!" shouted Mr. Harvey. 
 
 But Dick saw that the elephant was upon him, whil© 
 the tree near which he was standing was too thick to 
 climb. The elephant was holding his head so high that 
 Dick could not aim at the spot on the forehead, out* 
 waiting until the animal was within ten yards of Jliaj 5 fi& 
 fired into its open mouth, and then leaped bemad the 
 tree. With a scream of pain the elephant rushed OB*1 
 but being unable to check himself he came fall butt with 
 tremendous force against the tree, which quivered under 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 145 
 
 the blow, and Dick, thinking that it was going to fall 
 upon him, sprang back a pace. Three or four more 
 shots were fired before the elephant could turn, and then 
 wheeling round it charged upon its new assailants. 
 
 Tom was one of those nearest to him; the boy had just 
 discharged his rifle and advanced a few feet from the tree 
 behind which he had been standing. Before he could 
 regain it he felt something pass round him, there was a 
 tremendous squeeze, which stopped his breath and seemed 
 to press his life out of him, then he felt himself flying 
 high into the air, and became insensible. 
 
 Apparently satisfied with what he had done, the ele- 
 phant continued his rapid pace into the open again, and 
 followed the retreating herd across the plain. 
 
 Dick had given a cry of horror, as he saw the elephant 
 seize his friend, and his heart seemed to stand still when 
 he saw him whirled high in the air. Tom fell into a 
 thick and bushy tree, and there, breaking through the 
 light foliage at the top, remained suspended in the upper 
 boughs. 
 
 In an instant Jumbo climbed the tree, and making his 
 way to the lad lifted him from the fork in which he was 
 wedged, placed him on his shoulder as easily as if he had 
 been a child, and descending the tree laid him on the 
 ground by the side of Mr. Harvey. The latter at once 
 knelt beside him. 
 
 "Thank God, he is breathing!" he exclaimed at once. 
 "Lift his head, Dick; open his shirt, Blacking; and give 
 me some water out of your gourd. I trust he is only 
 stunned; that brute was in such a hurry that he had not 
 time to squeeze him fairly, and the tree has broken his 
 fall. If he had come down to the gound from that 
 height it must have killed him." 
 
 He sprinkled seme water upon the lad's face and 
 chest, and to his and Dick's delight Tom presently 
 
146 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 opened his eyes. He looked round in a surprised and 
 half-stupid way, and then made an effort to rise, but a. 
 cry broke from him as he did so. 
 
 "Lie still, Tom," Mr. Harvey said; "you are hurt, 
 but, I hope, not severely. Cut his shirt off, Dick; I 
 expect some of his ribs are broken." 
 
 Upon Mr. Harvey carefully feeling Tom's ribs, he 
 found, as he had expected, that five of them were broken 
 — three on one side and two on the other. 
 
 "Some of your ribs are damaged, Tom," he said 
 cheerfully; "but that is of no great consequence; they 
 all seem pretty fairly in their places. Now I will ban- 
 dage you tightly, so as to keep them there, and then we 
 will carry you back to the wagons and nurse you until 
 they grow together again; young bones soon heal, and in 
 a week or ten days you will, I hope, be able to travel 
 again; you had a close shave of it. I never met a more 
 savage beast than that bull-elephant in all my experi- 
 ence." 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 147 
 
 CHAPTEK XII. 
 
 AN ATTACK BY ELEPHANTS. 
 
 A littee was speedily constructed from some boughs 
 of trees, and Torn being placed in it was at once carried 
 back to the camp, escorted by his friend. The hunters 
 remained behind to cut out the tusks of the two ele- 
 phants that had fallen. A portion of the trunks and 
 feet, which are considered the most delicate portions of 
 the elephant, was laid aside for the use of the white men, 
 and a large quantity of meat was brought back to camp 
 ior the natives. 
 
 The sound of firing had brought up some people from 
 a, small village two or three miles away, and these to their 
 immense joy were allowed to carry off enough meat to 
 enable them to feast to the utmost extent of their ability 
 for a week to come. 
 
 Mr. Harvey had in the course of his wanderings fre- 
 quently had occasion to dress wounds and bandage 
 broken bones; he was therefore able to apply the neces- 
 sary bandages to Tom, and the lad was soon lying in 
 comparative ease on a bed formed of rags. Generally 
 the boys slept in hammocks, but Mr, Harvey insisted 
 ^that Tom must lie perfectly straight on his back until 
 the bones had begun to set again. 
 
 "We made a sad mess with that old bull to-day, Dick," 
 he said. "It is humiliating to think that he should have 
 charged us all, injured Tom, and got away almost 
 unscathed." 
 
148 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "You see, sir," Dick said, "he attacked us unexpect- 
 edly; our guns were all discharged, and he came on with 
 t such a rush that there was no getting a steady shot at 
 him. The whole affair lasted little more than a minute, 
 I should say." 
 
 "I shall go out to-morrow morning," Mr. Harvey said, 
 "and take up the track again, and see if I cannot get 
 even with the beast. There is time enough to-day, for it 
 is still early, but the herd will be so restless and sus- 
 picious that there will be no getting near them, and I 
 should not care to face that old bull unless I had a fair 
 chance of killing him at the first shot. He has a mag- 
 nificent pair of tusks, and ivory sells so high that they 
 would be worth a good deal of trouble and some risk to* 
 get." 
 
 "Shall I go with you, sir?" 
 
 "No, Dick, I would rather you did not. The business 
 will be more dangerous than usual, and I should not like 
 the responsibility of having you with me. Tom had as- 
 narrow a shave yesterday as ever I saw, and I certainly 
 do not want two of you on my hands." 
 
 Dick was not sorry at Mr. Harvey's decision, for after 
 the charge of the bull-elephant he felt just at present he 
 should not care about encountering another. The next 
 morning Mr. Harvey, accompanied by the three native 
 hunters and the greater portion of the others, started in 
 pursuit of the elephants. 
 
 Dick, after sitting for some time with Tom, took his 
 gun and wandered round near the camp, shooting birds. 
 As the sun got high, and the heat became fiercer and 
 fiercer, he returned to camp, and had just taken off his 
 coat and sat down by the side of Tom when he heard 
 shouts of terror outside the tent. 
 
 Eunning out to see what was the matter, he saw the 
 natives in a state of wild terror. They pointed across 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 149> 
 
 the plaio, and Dick, to his astonishment and alarm, saw 
 a g-reat elephant approaching at a rapid trot, with his. 
 trunk in the air and his ears extended to the fullest. He 
 recognized at once the bull which had charged them on 
 the previous day. The natives were now flying in all 
 directions. Dick shouted to them to stand and get their 
 muskets, but his words were unheeded; he ran to the 
 tent, seized the long smooth-bore gun which he had 
 carried the day before, and also that of Tom, and charged 
 them both hastily, but coolly. 
 
 "What on earth is it all about?" Tom asked. 
 
 "It is the elephant again, Tom; lie quiet, whatever- 
 you do; you cannot run away, so lie just as you are." 
 
 Then with a gun in each hand Dick ran out of the 
 tent again. The elephant was now but a hundred yards 
 away. Dick climbed into a wagon standing in the line 
 on which he was coming, knelt down in the bottom and 
 rested the muzzle on the side, standing up and waving 
 his arm before he did so, so as to attract the attention of 
 the elephant. The great beast saw him, and trumpeting 
 loudly came straight down at him; Dick knelt, as steady 
 as a rock, with the sight of the gun upon the elephant's 
 forehead. 
 
 When he was within twenty yards Dick drew the = 
 trigger, and, without waiting to see the result, snatched 
 up and leveled the second gun. The elephant had 
 staggered as he was hit, and then, as with a great effort, 
 he pulled himself together and again moved forward, but , 
 with a stumbling and hesitating step; taking steady aim 
 again, Dick fired when the elephant's trunk was within 
 a yard of the muzzle of his gun, and then springing to 
 his feet, leaped on the opposite side of the wagon and 
 took to his heels. 
 
 After running a few steps he glanced back over his 
 shoulder^ and then ceased running; the elephant was no * 
 
150 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 longer in sight above the wagon, but had fallen an inert 
 mass by its side. 
 
 \ "All right, Tom!" Dick shouted loudly.; "I have done 
 for him." 
 
 Before going to look at the fallen elephant Dick went 
 to the spot where stood the piled muskets of the natives 
 who had fled; dropping a ramrod into them, he found 
 that two were loaded, and taking these in his hands he 
 advanced toward the elephant. The precaution was 
 needless; the great beast lay dead; the two heavy balls 
 liad struck within an inch or two of each other, and 
 penetrated the brain. The first would have been fatal, 
 and the elephant was about to fall when Dick had fired 
 the second time. 
 
 Gradually the drivers and other natives returned to 
 ■camp with shouts of triumph. These, however, Dick 
 speedily silenced by a volley of abuse for their cowardice 
 in running away and leaving Tom to his fate. A few 
 minutes later Mr. Harvey galloped in at full speed, 
 closely followed by the swift-footed Blacking. 
 
 "Thank God, you are safe, my boys," Mr. Harvey 
 said as he leaped from his horse. "I have had a terrible 
 fright. We followed the spoor to the point where they 
 iiad passed the night; here the trackers were much puz- 
 zled by the fact that the great elephant, whose tracks 
 were easily distinguished from the others, seemed to 
 have passed the night in rushing furiously about. 
 Numbers of young trees had been torn up by the roots, 
 and great branches twisted off the larger trees. They 
 concluded that he must have received some wound which 
 had maddened him with pain. We took up the track 
 where the herd had moved on, but soon found that he 
 had separated himself from it, and had gone off at full 
 speed by himself. We set off in pursuit, observing a 
 good deal of caution, for if he had turned, as was likely 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 15} 
 
 enough, and had come upon us while in such a frantic 
 state, we should have had to bolt for our lives. I was 
 thinking only of this when I saw the hunters talking to- 
 gether and gesticulating. I soon found out what waa- 
 the matter. They told me that if the elephant kept on 
 in the line he was taking, it would assuredly bring him 
 in sight of the camp, if not straight upon it. As I had 
 no doubt that he would in that case attack it, I put 
 spurs to my horse at once, and dashed on at full speed in 
 hopes of overtaking the elephant, and turning it, before 
 it came within sight of the camp. I became more and 
 more anxious as I neared the camp and found the ele- 
 phant was still before me; then I heard two shots closer 
 together, and I could hear no others, and you may guess- 
 how relieved I was when I caught sight of the camp, and 
 saw the natives gathered round something which was, I 
 had no doubt, the elephant. I had feared that I should 
 see the whole place in confusion, the wagons upset, and 
 above all the tent leveled. Thank God, my dear boy> 
 you are ail safe! Now tell me all about it." 
 
 Dick related the circumstances, and Mr. Harvey- 
 praised him highly for the promptnessy coolness, and 
 courage with which he had acted. Then he roundly 
 abused the natives in their own language for their cow- 
 ardly conduct. 
 
 "Are you not ashamed of yourselves?" he asked;, 
 "what do you carry your arms for if you are afraid to use 
 them? Here are sixteen men, all with muskets, who* 
 run away in a panic, and leave one white lad to defend 
 his wounded friend alone." 
 
 The reproaches of Mr. Harvey were mild by the side of 
 the abuse which the three hunters— for by this time* 
 Tony and Jumbo had reached the camp — lavished upon 
 their compatriots. 
 
 "What are you good for?" they asked scornfully^. 
 
152 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "you are fit only to be slaves to the Dutch; the master 
 had better hire women to march with him; he ought to 
 take your arms away, and to set you to spin." 
 
 Crestfallen as the natives were at their own cowardice, 
 they were roused by the abuse of the hunters, and a 
 furious quarrel would have ensued had not Mr. Harvey 
 interposed his authority and smoothed matters down, ad- 
 mitting that the attack of the enraged elephant was 
 really terrifying, and telling the natives that now they 
 saw how well the white men could fight, they would no 
 doubt be ready to stand by them next time. 
 
 The hunters now proceeded to cut out the tusks of the 
 elephant. When they did so the cause of the animal's 
 singular behavior became manifest; a ball had struck 
 him just at the root of the tusk, and had buried itself in 
 one of the nerves there, no doubt causing excruciating 
 pain. 
 
 The tusks were grand ones, Mr. Harvey saying that he 
 had seldom seen a finer pair. The news of the slaughter 
 of three elephants drew together a considerable number 
 of natives, who were delighted to receive permission to 
 carry off as much meat as they chose. When the 
 greater portion of the flesh of the old bull had been re- 
 moved, ten oxen were harnessed to the remains of the 
 earcass, and it was dragged to a distance from camp, as 
 Mr. Harvey was desirious of remaining where he was for 
 some days longer on Tom's account, and the effluvia from 
 the carcass would in a very short time have rendered the 
 camp uninhabitable had it remained in the vicinity. 
 
 In a week Tom was convalescent; he was still, how- 
 ever, very stiff and sore. A hammock was therefore 
 slung under the tilt of one of the wagons, the sides were 
 drawn up to allow of a free passage of air, and the cara- 
 van then went forward on its journey. 
 
 For the next fortnight nothing of importance hap- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 153 
 
 pened; sometimes the journeys were short, sometimes; 
 extremely long, being regulated entirely by the occur- 
 rence of water. At many of the halting-places a good 
 deal of trade was done, as the news of the coming of 
 the caravan spread far ahead of it, and the natives for a 
 considerable distance on each side of the line of rout& 
 came down to trade with it. They brought with them 
 skins of beasts and birds, small packets of gold-dust, 
 ostrich feathers, and occasionally ivory. Mr. Harvey was- 
 well content with his success so far. 
 
 For some time past, owing to the disturbed state of 
 the country and the demand for wagons occasioned by 
 the war, the number of traders who had made their way 
 north had been very small, and the natives consequently 
 were eager to buy cotton and cloth, and to get rid of the. 
 articles which they had been accumulating for the pur- 
 pose of barter with the whites. Never before, Mr. 
 Harvey said, had he done so good a trade in so short a 
 time. 
 
 At the end of the fortnight after starting Tom was: 
 agair able to take his seat in the saddle and ride quietly 
 along jy the side of the caravan, Mr. Harvey warning 
 him on no account to go above a walking pace at present 
 as a jerk or a jar might break the newly-knit bones, and 
 undo all the work that had been effected. 
 
 In the meantime Dick, accompanied by one or other 
 of the hunters, always rode out from the line of march, 
 and had no difficulty in providing an ample supply of 
 game. He was careful, however, not to shoot more than 
 was required, for both he and Mr. Harvey viewed with 
 abhorrence the taking of life unnecessarily, merely for 
 the purpose of sport. He was able, nevertheless, to kill 
 a great many deer without feeling that their flesh was 
 wasted; for not only were the number of mouths in the 
 caravan large, and their powers of eating wonderful, but 
 
154 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 the natives who came in to trade were always glad to eat 
 «p any surplus that remained — and indeed Mr. Harvey 
 "•iqund the liberal distribution of meat opened their 
 .hearts and much facilitated trade. 
 
 Two or three days after they had left the scene of the 
 elephant-hunt some objects were seen far out on the ) 
 plain, which the hunters at once pronounced to be 
 ostriches. Dick would have started in pursuit, but Mr. 
 Harvey checked him. 
 
 "They can run," he said, "faster than a horse can gal- 
 lop. Tboy can indeed be ridden down, as they almost 
 always run in a great circle, and the pursuit can betaken 
 Tip with fresh horses, but this is a long business. We 
 will send the hunters out first, to get on the other side 
 ■of them, and when they are posted we will ride out. 
 doing quite slowly the attention of the birds will be di- 
 Tected to us; this will give the hunters an opportunity of 
 creeping up on the other side and shooting or lassoing 
 them. If I am not mistaken they have a good many 
 young ones with them — this is about the time of year 
 when this is usually the case. If we could catch a dozen 
 of them they would be prizes, for they fetch a good sum 
 down in the colony, where ostrich-farming is carried on 
 on a large scale. They are very easily tamed, and would 
 soon keep with the caravan and give no trouble." 
 
 After remaining quiet for some little time to give the 
 hunters time to make a wide circuit, Mr. Harvey and 
 Dick rode quietly forward toward the birds, who stood 
 on a slight swell of ground at a distance of about half a 
 mile, evidently watching the caravan with great interest. 
 
 By Mr. Harvey's instruction Dick unrolled the blanket 
 "which ho always carried on his saddle, and taking an end 
 in each hand held it out at arm's length on a level with 
 the top of his head, Mr. Harvey doing the same. 
 
 "They are silly birds," Mr. Harvey said, "and their 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 155- 
 
 attention is easily caught by anything they don't under- 
 stand. Like all other wild creatures they are afraid of 
 man; but by holding the blankets out like sails they do- 
 not see our outline,' and cannot make out what th$ 
 strange creatures advancing toward them can be." 
 
 At a foot-pace they advanced toward the ostrichesj. 
 these made no signs of retreat until the horsemen ap- 
 proached to within about seventy yards. Then from the 
 brow behind the birds the three hunters suddenly rose 
 up, and whirling the balls of their lassoes round their 
 heads launched them among the ostriches. Three birds 
 fell with the cords twisted round their legs, and two 
 more were shot as the startled flock dashed off at full 
 speed across the plain. Mr, Harvey and Dink dropped 
 their blankets, and started at full gallop. 
 
 "Bring down an old bird if you can, Dick, and then 
 let the rest go, and give your attention to cutting off the 
 young ones." 
 
 Dick fired at one of the old birds, but missed; Mr. 
 Harvey brought one to the ground. The young ostriches,, 
 which were but a few weeks old, soon began to tail off in* 
 the race, and after ten minutes' riding Mr. Harvey and 
 Dick had the satisfaction of getting ahead of them and 
 turning them. A little more driving brought the fright- 
 ened creatures to a standstill, and most of them dropped 
 in a squatting position to the ground, huddled together 
 like frightened chickens. They were sixteen in number,, 
 but one which had falJen and broken its leg was at once 
 shot. The legs of the young ostrich are extremely 
 brittle, and one of the troubles of the farmers who rear 
 them is that they so frequently break their bones and 
 have to be killed. 
 
 Blacking was sent off at his best speed to overtake the 
 caravan and bring back a dozen men with him. The 
 ostriches which had been lassoed had been at once killed 
 
156 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 by the hunters, and the feathers of the five killed by 
 them and of that shot by Mr. Harvey were pulled out. 
 '"■Three out of the six were in splendid plumage. 
 
 "How much are each of those feathers worth?" Dick 
 ■asked. 
 
 "Those fine white ones will fetch from one pound to 
 one pound five shillings apiece out here — some as high as 
 thirty shillings. A perfect ostrich feather, fit for a 
 court-plume, will sell in England for three to live pounds. 
 The small, dark-colored feathers are worth from sixpence 
 to one shilling apiece." 
 
 The young birds, after their wings had been tied to 
 their sides, were lifted and carried away, Dick being 
 unable to help laughing at their long legs sticking out in 
 front of the bearers, and at their long necks and beaks, 
 with which from time to time they inflicted sharp pecks 
 on the men who were carrying them. 
 
 When the caravan was overtaken the birds were 
 placed in a wagon, and in the evening were liberated 
 inside the laager formed by the wagons. Some grain 
 was thrown to them, and they soon began to pick this 
 up. After this their expression was rather one of curiosity 
 than fear, and they exhibited no alarm whatever when 
 Dick, scattering some more corn, came in and moved 
 quietly among them. For the first few days they were 
 •carried in a wagon, but at the end of that time they were 
 completely domesticated. After the camp was formed 
 they walked about, like barndoor fowls, picking up any 
 scraps of food that were thrown to them, and indeed 
 .getting so bold as sometimes to attempt to snatch it from 
 the men's hands. When on the march they stalked 
 gravely along by the side of the wagons. 
 
 "What is the value of an ostrich?" Dick asked Mr. 
 Harvey one day. 
 
 "An ostrich of about three or four months old," 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 157 
 
 Mr. Harvey replied, "is worth from thirty to fifty 
 pounds. A full-grown cock and two hens, the stock with 
 which most small settlers begin ostrich-farming, are 
 worth from two hundred to four hundred pounds. 
 Each hen will lay about fifty eggs in a year, so that 
 if only half are reared and sold at the rate of twenty- 
 pounds apiece, which is a low price, at three weeks old,, 
 there is a good profit upon them. The young birds in- 
 crease in value at the rate of about three pounds per 
 month. The feathers are generally sold by weight; fine 
 plumes go from seventy to ninety to the pound, and 
 fetch from forty to fifty pounds. The feathers of the 
 wild birds are worth a third more than those of the tame 
 ones, as they are stronger. The quantity of feathers 
 sold is astonishing. One firm in Port Elizabeth often 
 buys ten thousand pounds' weight of ostrich feathers per 
 week. Of course these are not all first-class plumes, and 
 the prices range down as low as three pounds or fifty 
 shillings for the poorest kind." 
 
 "Where do they get water out here in the desert?" 
 
 "They have no difficulty here," Mr. Harvey replied, 
 "for an ostrich thinks nothing of going twenty or thirty 
 miles; but they require to drink very seldom." 
 
 "How many feathers can be plucked from each bird a. 
 year?" 
 
 "About three-quarters of a pound of first-class feathers; 
 besides the inferior sorts. There are now such quan- 
 tities of ostriches in the colony that the price of 
 feathers has gone down materially, and is now not so 
 high as the figures I have given you. The highest class 
 feathers, however, still maintain their price, and are 
 likely to do so, for the demand for feathers in Europe 
 increases at as rapid a rate as does the production." 
 
 "I suppose they could not be kept in England?" Dickr 
 asked; "for there must be a splendid profit on suck 
 farming." * 
 
158 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "No," Mr. Harvey replied; "they want above all 
 things a dry climate. Warmth is of course important, 
 tl)ut even this is less essential than dryness. They may 
 be reared in England under artificial conditions, but they 
 would never grow up strong and healthy in this way, 
 and would no doubt be liable to disease — 'besides, as even 
 in their native country you see that the feathers deierio- 
 rate in strength and diminish in value in domesticated 
 birds, there would probably be so great a falling off in 
 the yield an4 value of feathers in birds kept under arti- 
 :ficial conditions in England that the speculation would 
 3iot be likely to pay." 
 
 "Do the hens sit on their eggs, as ordinary hens?" 
 
 "Just the same," Mr. Harvey answered, "and very 
 iunny they look with their long legs sticking out. Not 
 •only does the hen sit, but the cock takes his turn at keep- 
 ing the eggs warm when the mother goes out to feed." 
 
 "I shall ask father," Dick said, "when we get back, to 
 arrange to take these fifteen ostriches as part of his share 
 of the venture; it would be great fun to see them stalk- 
 ing about." 
 
 "Ah! we have not got them home yet," Mr. Harvey 
 replied, smiling; "we must .not be too sanguine. We 
 nave certainly begun capitally, but there is no saying 
 what adventures are before us yet. We have been par- 
 ticularly fortunate in seeing nothing of the tzetze fly. 
 As you know, we have made several considerable detour 
 to avoid tracts of country where they are known to pre- 
 vail, still, occasionally they are met with in unexpected 
 places, and I have seldom made a trip without losing 
 some of my horses and cattle from them." 
 
 "How is it that a fly can kill a horse? They are not 
 larger than our bluebottles at home, for I saw one in a 
 naturalist's window in Pieter-Maritzburg." 
 
 "It is a mystery, Dick, which has not yet been solved; 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 15& 
 
 there are flies in other parts of the world, whose bite is 
 •sufficiently poisonous to raise bumps underneath the 
 skins of animals, but nothing approaching the tzetze in 
 virulence. It certainly appears unaccountable that tb© 
 venom of so small a creature should be able to kill & 
 great animal like a horse or an ox." 
 
 " x f3 it found only in the south of Africa?" 
 
 "JSTo, Dick, it extends more or less over the whole of 
 the plateau-lands of Africa, and is almost as great a. 
 scourge in the highlands of Egypt as it is here." 
 
 "I wonder," Dick said thoughtfully, "why the tzetze 
 was created; most insects are useful as scavengers, or to> 
 furnish food for birds, but I cannot see the use of a fly 
 ■which is so terribly destructive as this." 
 
 "I can't tell you, my boy," Mr. Harvey said. "That 
 everything, even the tzetze, has a good purpose, you may 
 be sure, even though it is hidden from us. Possibly, for 
 example, it may be discovered some day that the tzetze 
 is an invaluable medicine for some disease to which man 
 is subject, just as blistering powder is obtained from the 
 crest-body of the cantharides beetle. However, we must 
 be content to take it on trust. We must leave our, 
 descendants something to discover, you know, Dick; for 
 if we go on inventing and discovering as we are doing, it 
 is clear that they must look out for fresh channels for 
 research." 
 
260 TEE YOUNG COLO1VIST& 
 
 CHAPTER XIII. 
 
 A BRUSH WITH THE NATIVES. 
 
 One day Jumbo touched Dick's arm, as he was riding 
 along with the caravan, and, pointing to a clump of trees 
 at some little distance, said: 
 
 "Giraffe." 
 
 Dick reined in his horse, and gazed at the trees. 
 
 "I don't see it," he said. > 
 
 "They are very difficult to see," Mr. Harvey remarked; 
 *'they have a knack somehow of standing so as to look 
 like a part of the tree. I don't see him myself, but if 
 Jumbo says he is there, you may be sure he is.'* 
 
 "Is the skin valuable?" Dick asked. 
 
 ■ "No, Dick, it would not be worth cumbering ourselves 
 'with. Nor is the flesh very good to eat— I do not say it 
 -cannot be eaten, but we have plenty of venison. I never 
 like shooting a giraffe when I can help it. Clumsy and 
 .awkward as they are, they have wonderfully soft and ex- 
 pressive eyes, and I do not know anything more piteous 
 than the look of a dying giraffe; however, if you ride up 
 to the trees and set them scampering, you will get a 
 good laugh, for their run is as awkward and clumsy as 
 that of any living creature." 
 
 Dick accordingly started at a gallop toward the trees; 
 it was not until he was close to them that he saw three 
 .giraffes, two old ones and a young one, They started 
 off, as he approached, at a pace which seemed to Dick to 
 be slow, as well as extraordinarily clumsy. The two old 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 16L 
 
 ones kept themselves between their offspring and the? 
 pursuer, as if to shield it from a shot. Dick, however, 
 had no idea of firing; he only wished to gallop up close; 
 so as to get a nearer view of these singular beasts, but to 
 his astonishment he found that, although his horse was 
 going at its best speed, the apparently slow-moving 
 giraffes were steadily gaining upon him. He could 
 hardly at first believe his eyes. But he was gradually 
 tailed off, and at last, reining in his horse, he sat in the* 
 saddle and enjoyed a good laugh at the strange trio in 
 front of him, with their long, straggling legs and necks. 
 
 "When he rejoined the caravan Mr. Harvey, who bad 
 watched the pursuit, asked him laughingly if he managed* 
 to catch the giraffe. 
 
 "I might as soon have tried to catch an express train; 
 they went right away from me — and Tommy can gallop- 
 too; but he hadn't a chance with them, although he did 
 his best." 
 
 "They do move along at a tremendous pace in their 
 clumsy fashion. They take such immense strides with 
 those odd long legs of theirs, that one has no idea of: 
 their speed until one chases them. I never knew a new 
 hand who tried it, but he was sure to come back with a*' 
 crestfallen face." 
 
 Three weeks after leaving what they called the ele- 
 phant-camp the caravan halted for two days. They had 
 now arrived at the spot where their troubles with the 
 natives might be expected to begin; they were at the 
 border of the Matabele country, and here Mr. Harvey 
 intended to'turn west, and after keeping along for some 
 time to bend to the south and re-enter the colony north: 
 of Kimberley, and to journey down to Port Elizabeth, 
 which is the principal mart for goods from the interior. 
 Between the Matabele and the tribes on their border hos- 
 tilities had for some time prevailed, and while they 
 
162 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 .halted Mr. Harvey sent forward Blacking with a few 
 presents to the chief of the next tribe, saying that he 
 P was coming through his country to trade, and asking fa* 
 -& promise that he should not be interfered with in his 
 passage. 
 
 At the end of the second day the messenger returned. 
 
 "The chief says come; he says he has been a long time 
 without trade. But before he answered he talked with 
 his chiefs, and I don't know whether he means honestly, 
 i'he tribe has a bad name: they are thieves and robbers." 
 
 "Well, we will go on," Mr. Harvey said, "neverthe- 
 less; we have got the chief's word, and he will not after 
 that venture to attack us openly, for if he did he knows 
 •very well than no more traders would visit his country. 
 His people may make attacks upon us, but we are strong 
 «nough to hold our own. l We muster about thirty guns, 
 and in our laager would be able to beat off his whole 
 tribe, did they attack us; we will, however, while travel- 
 ing through his country, be more careful than hitherto. 
 The wagons shall, when it is possible, travel two abreast, 
 so that the line will not be so long to guard, and you 
 jnust not wander away to shoot. Fortunately we have a 
 •store of driei meat which will last us for some time." 
 
 On the following morning the caravans set out, and 
 after traveling twelve miles halted on the bank of a 
 stream. Soon after they had formed their camp five or 
 aix natives came in; they brought a few bunches of 
 ostrich plumes and some otter skins; these they bar- 
 tered for cotton, and having concluded their bargains 
 wandered about in the camp, as was the custom of the 
 "natives, peeping into the wagons, examining the bul- 
 locks, and looking at all the arrangements with childish 
 curiosity. 
 
 "I expect these fellows have come as spies rather than 
 traders," Mr. Harvey said to the lads. "As a general 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. , 16$ 
 
 thing the natives come in with their wives and children ^, 
 but, you see, these are all men. I observed too that they 
 have particularly examined the pile of muskets, as if 
 reckoning up our means of defense. In future, instead 
 of merely a couple of men to look after the cattle and. 
 keep off any marauders, I will put six every night on 
 guard; they shall be relieved twice during the night, and 
 one of the hunters shall be in charge of each watch — if 
 there are signs of trouble, we will ourselves take it by 
 turns." 
 
 Two or three times that night the sentries perceived 
 moving objects near the camp, and challenged; in each, 
 case the objects at once disappeared; whether they were 
 hyenas or crawling men could not be discerned. 
 
 At the halt next day a much larger number of natives: 
 came in, and a satisfactory amount of trade was done. 
 Their demeanor, however, was insolent and overbearing,, 
 and some of them went away with their goods, declining; 
 to accept the exchange offered. After they had left the.' 
 camp several small articles were missed. 
 
 The next day they passed across a plain abounding ir& 
 game, and Mr. Harvey said that the boys and the three* 
 hunters might go out and kill some fresh meat; but he 
 warned Dick and Tom not to allow their ardor in the 
 chase to carry them away from the hunters, but to keep 
 as much as possible together. When they had killed as 
 many animals as could be carried on their horses and the 
 hunters' shoulders, they were to return at once. 
 
 It was the first time that Tom had been out hunting- 
 since his accident; his bones had all set well, and beyond 
 a little stiffness and occasional pain he was quite himself 
 again. 
 
 "I am glad to be riding out again with"you, Dick," he 
 said; "it has been awfully slow work jogging along by 
 the side of the caravan." 
 
3.Q1 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 In addition to the three hunters they took as usual a 
 native with them, to hold the horses should it be neces- 
 tsary to dismount and stalk the game, instead of chasing 
 it and shooting it from the saddles, an exercise in -which 
 "by this time the boys were efficient. They found more 
 difficulty in getting up to the game than they had ex- 
 pected, and the hunters said confidently that the animals 
 must have been chased or disturbed within a few hours. 
 They had accordingly to go four or five miles across the 
 plain before they could get a shot; but at last they saw a 
 herd feeding in a valley. After the experience they had 
 Lad that morning of the futility of attempting to get 
 near the deer on horseback, they determined that the 
 hunters should make a circuit, and come down upon the 
 herd from different points. Tom and Dick were to stay 
 on the brow where they were then standing, keeping 
 well back, so as to be out of sight from the valley, until 
 they heard the report of the first gun, when they were to 
 :mount and endeavor to cut off and head the deer back 
 upon the others. The hunters then started — Jumbo and 
 Blacking going to the right, Tony and the other to the 
 left. 
 
 After an hour's walking they reached their places at 
 points about equidistant from each other, forming with 
 Tom and Dick a complete circle round the deer. They 
 were enabled to keep each other in sight, although 
 hidden from the herd in the hollow. When each had 
 gained his station they lay down and began to crawl 
 toward the deer, and until they were within one hundred 
 and fifty yards of the herd the latter continued grazing 
 quietly. Then an old buck gave a short, sharp cry, and 
 struck the ground violently with his hoofs; the others all 
 ceased feeding, and gazed with startled eyes to windward, 
 &nd were about to dash off in a body when the four men 
 ^fired almost simultaneously, and as many stags fell. The 
 
" iiiift ii 111 i 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 165 
 
 Test darted off at full speed in the direction in which 
 Tom and Dick were posted, that being the only side 
 open to them. An instant later Tom and Dick appeared 
 on horseback on the brow, and dashed down toward the 
 herd; these, alarmed at the appearance of a fresh enemy, 
 broke into two bodies, scattering right and left, giving 
 both lads an opportunity for a good shot. Both suc- 
 ceeded in bringing down their mark. They then dis- 
 mounted, and giving their horses to the native joined 
 the hunters. They had bagged six deer, and the hunters 
 at once proceeded to disembowel them; one was to be 
 slung behind each of the saddles, and the others would 
 foe carried by the hunters and native. 
 
 While they were so engaged they were startled by a 
 shout, and saw the native running down toward them, 
 leading the horses and gesticulating wildly. 
 
 "We are attacked," Blacking said, and almost at the 
 same moment three or four arrows fell among them. 
 
 They had collected the dead deer at one spot, and were 
 standing in a group; looking round they saw a large 
 number of natives crowning the low hills all round them, 
 and saw that while they had been stalking the deer they 
 themselves had been stalked by the natives. Without a 
 moment's hesitation the hunters disposed the bodies of 
 the deer in a circle; seizing the two horses they threw 
 them beside the deer, fastening their limbs with the 
 lassoes which they carried, so that they could not move; 
 then the six men threw themselves down in the circle. 
 
 All this had been done in a couple of minutes. The 
 arrows were falling fast among them, but none had been 
 hit, and as soon as the preparations were complete they 
 opened a steady fire at the enemy. With the exception of 
 the man who had come out with the horses all were good 
 shots, and their steady fire at once checked the advance 
 of the natives, whose triumphant yelling ceased, as man 
 
166 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 after man went down, and they speedily followed the 
 example of their opponents, and, throwing themselves; 
 $own on the grass, kept up a fire with their arrows in a 
 circle of seventy or eighty yards round the hunters. 
 
 Gradually, however, their fire ceased, for to use their 
 bows they were obliged to show their heads above the 
 grass, and whenever one did so the sharp crack of a rifle 
 was heard; and so often did the bullets fly true to their 
 aim that the natives soon grew chary of exposing them- 
 selves. 
 
 "What will they do now?" Dick asked, as the firing- 
 ceased. 
 
 "They are cowards," Jumbo said contemptuously. 
 "If they had been Zulus, or Swazis, or Matabele, they 
 would have rushed in upon us, and finished it at once." 
 
 "Well, I am very glad they are not," Dick said; "but 
 what is to be done?" 
 
 "They will wait for night," Tony answered; "then 
 when we cannot see them, they will creep up close and 
 charge." 
 
 "In that case," Dick said, "the best thing will be for 
 us to keep in a body, and fight our way through them,, 
 and make for the camp." 
 
 Jumbo shook his head. 
 
 "They quiet now because they think they got us safe; 
 if we try to get away, they rush down upon us; we shoot 
 many, but we all get killed." 
 
 "Then," Dick said, "the best thing will be for me to 
 jump on my horse and ride straight through them; if 1 
 get off alive, I will make for the caravan and bring back 
 Mr. Harvey and the rest to your assistance." 
 
 "No good," Blacking said; "your horse would be 
 stuck full of arrows before you get away; he drop dead; 
 they kill you. I go." 
 
 "But it would be just as dangerous for you as fo* me* 
 Blacking." 
 
THE YOUNQ COLONISTS. 167 
 
 "No," the hunter said; "directly you stand up to get 
 on horse they see you and get ready to shoot; the horse 
 fall dead before he reach them. I will crawl through the 
 grass; they will not see me till I get to them — perhaps I 
 get through without them seeing at all; if not, I jump 
 up sudden and run; they all surprised, no shoot straight; 
 once through line they never catch me." 
 
 Jumbo and Tony assented with a grunt, and Dick, see- 
 ing that no better plan could be suggested, offered no 
 •opposition to the young hunter undertaking the task. 
 
 Leaving his gun and ammunition behind him, the 
 black at once without a word crawled out between the 
 carcasses of the deer, making his way, like a snake, per- 
 fectly flat on his stomach, and soon it was only by a very 
 slight movement of the grass, which was nearly two feet 
 high, that Dick could follow his progress. But he could 
 not do this for long, an arrow whizzing close to his head 
 warned him that he was exposing himself, and he lay 
 down behind his stag and listened with intense eagerness 
 for the outcry which would arise when Blacking was dis- 
 covered. 
 
 It seemed a long time, so slow and cautious was the 
 black's advance. At last there was a sudden yell, and 
 the little party, sure that the attention of their assail- 
 ants would for the moment v be diverted, raised their 
 heads from the shelter and looked out. They saw Black- 
 ing bounding at full speed up the slope; a score of 
 natives had sprung to their feet, and were discharging 
 their arrows in the direction of the fugitive, who zig- 
 zagged, as he ran with rapid bounds, to unsteady and 
 divert their aim. One arrow struck him in the side; 
 they saw him break off the feather-head, pull it through 
 the wound, and throw it away without a moment's pause 1 
 in his flight. 
 
 "Is it a serious wound?" Tom asked eagerly. 
 
168 * TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 Jumbo shook his head. 
 
 "Not kill him," he said; "too near skin." 
 
 By this time Blacking's pursuers had thrown their 
 bows across their shoulders, and grasping their assegais 
 bad started in pursuit. 
 
 "They no catch him," Tony said confidently; "Black- 
 ing clever man; he not run too fast; let them keep close 
 behind him; they think they catch him, and keep on 
 Tunning all the way to camp. People here watch, not 
 tink to attack us; then they wait again for the oders to 
 come back; half of dem gone, a good many killed, they 
 not like to attack us now." 
 
 "What do you say, Tony? — shall we get up and follow 
 in a body slowly?" 
 
 "That would be good plan," Tony said, "if sure no 
 more black men come; but if others come and join dem,. 
 dey attack us out on plain, we got no stags to lie behind. 
 Dey fight hard 'cause they know that Blacking have got. 
 away, and that help come; make bad affair of it; better- 
 stop here." 
 
 Presently two or three of the natives were seen com- 
 ing back over the brow, having given up the pursuit.. 
 Dick's rifle was a good one, and the brow was not more 
 than four hundred yards away; he took a steady aim and 
 fired, and one of the natives fell. A yell of astonish- 
 ment broke from the others, and they threw themselves? 
 instantly on the grass. This, however, although long 
 enough to shelter them in the bottom, was shorter and 
 scantier on the slope. The inclined position too enabled 
 Dick to see them, and he again fired. He could not see 
 where the ball struck, but it must have been close to the 
 two natives^ for these leaped to their feet and bounded 
 back again over the brow. 
 
 "That was a capital shot of yours, Dick," Tom said. 
 "I will try next time. Our rifles will carry easily enough 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 169 
 
 as far as that, although the hunters' won't. If we can 
 but prevent any of these fellows who have gone after 
 Blacking from coming down and rejoining those round 
 ns, we are safe enough, for if they did not dare to make 
 a rush when there were about sixty of them they will not 
 try now when there are not half that number." 
 
 An hour later a party of some ten or twelve natives 
 appeared again on the brow. Dick and Tom at once 
 fired. One of them fell, and the rest again retired be- 
 hind the brow, shouting something to those below, which 
 Tony at once translated that Blacking had got away. 
 The news, added to the effect of the fall of their com- 
 rades on the height, dispirited the natives below, and 
 one or two were to be seen stealing up the slopes. 
 
 Dick and Tom were on the alert, and one of the 
 natives fell with a broken leg; this completed the uneasi- 
 ness of the party below. Creeping away from the deadly 
 rifles to the foot of the slope, they suddenly rose and 
 bounded up it. A general volley was fired by the be* 
 leaguered party, and two more natives fell; the rest 
 dashed up the slope, two of them on the way lifting and 
 carrying off their wounded comrades. 
 
 "We all right now," Jumbo said; "dey no attack us 
 here any more; like enough dey wait and lie in ambush 
 in grass, in case we move away; but we not do that; we 
 sit here quietly till the caravan arrive." 
 
 "Do you think Mr. Harvey will bring the whole cara- 
 van?" 
 
 "Sure to do dat," Jumbo said. "He no able to leave 
 party to protect the wagons and to send party here to us; 
 he bring the caravan all along together. If he attacked, 
 he make laager; but me no tink dey attack. The people 
 ready to cut off little party; den the chief say he not 
 responsible, but if his people attack the caravan dat dif- 
 ferent thing." 
 
170 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 The hours passed slowly; the heat in the bottom, as 
 the sun, almost overhead, poured its rays down into it, 
 ■was very great. As the hours passed on the heat became 
 less oppressive, but it was with intense pleasure that the 
 boys saw Mr. Harvey suddenly appear on the brow, and 
 checking his horse gaze into the valley. 
 
 They leaped to their feet and gave a shout, which was 
 answered by Mr. Harvey. 
 
 "Are they round you still?" he shouted. 
 
 "No; they have all gone," Dick replied; and Mr. 
 Harvey at once rode down. 
 
 By the time he reached them the hunters had freed 
 the legs of the horses, and these struggled to their feet. 
 
 "You have given me a nice fright," Mr. Harvey said,, 
 as he rode up. 
 
 "We have had a pretty good fright ourselves," Dick 
 replied. "If it had not been for Blacking pluckily get- 
 ting through them to take you the news, I don't think 
 we should have seen daylight. Is he much hurt, sir?" 
 
 "He has got a nasty wound," Mr. Harvey replied. 
 "An arrow has gone between his ribs. He fell down 
 from loss of blood when he reached us, and had we gone 
 much further he would have been overtaken. They 
 were close upon his heels when he got in. Fortunately 
 I halted the caravan soon after you started; when I saw 
 the herds making way I thought it better to wait till you 
 rejoined us. It was well I did so; we noticed him a 
 couple of miles away, and when we saw he was pursued I 
 went out with six men and met him half a mile from the 
 caravan. He had just strength left to tell us what had 
 happened. Then we went back to the caravan, and 
 moved out toward you. "We were obliged to come 
 slowly, for there are a good many natives out on the 
 plains, and twice they looked so threatening that I had 
 to laager and treat them to a few distant shots. They 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 171 
 
 evidently did not like the range of my rifle, and so I 
 have come on without any serious fighting. I have been 
 in a great fright about you; but Blacking, when he re- 
 covered from his faint, told me that he thought you were 
 safe for awhile, as nearly half the party which had been 
 attacking you had followed him, and that you had already 
 killed so many that he thought they would not venture to 
 attack before nightfall. Now, you had better come up 
 to the wagons at once; you can tell me all about it after- 
 ward." 
 
 The deer which had formed such useful shelter were 
 now lifted, and in a qarter of an hour the party reached 
 the wagons without molestation. A vigilant watch was 
 Jsept all night, but no alarm was given. 
 
 In the morning Mr. Harvey rode down with the lads 
 and the hunters into the valley. Except that here and 
 there were deep blood-stains, no signs of the con- 
 flict remained, the natives having carried off their dead 
 in the course of the night. The hunters, after examin- 
 ing the ground, declared that fifteen of the enemy had 
 fallen, including those shot on the slopes. The journey 
 was now resumed. 
 
 At the next halt the natives came in to trade as usual, 
 and when questioned professed entire ignorance of the 
 attack on the hunters. 
 
 Three days later, without further adventure, they ar- 
 rived at the kraal of the principal chief. It was a large 
 village, and a great number of cattle were grazing in the 
 neighborhood. The natives had a sullen appearance, 
 but exhibited no active hostility. Mr. Harvey formed 
 his wagons in a laager a few hundred yards outside the 
 ■village, and then, accompanied by the boys, proceeded to 
 the chief's abode. They were at once conducted to his 
 presence. He was seated in a hut of beehive form, rather 
 larger than those which surrounded it. When the white 
 
172 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 men crawled in through the door, which like all in native 
 structures was not more than three feet high, they were 
 at first unable to see, so dark was the' interior. The 
 chief uttered the usual words of welcome. 
 
 "I have a complaint to make, chief," Mr. Harvey said, 
 "against some of your people. They attacked my two 
 friends and some of my followers when out hunting. 
 Fortunately they were repulsed, with the loss of some 
 fifteen of their number, but that does not make the 
 attack upon them any the less inexcusable." 
 
 "That is bad," the chief said; "how does my friend, 
 the white trader, know that they were my men?" 
 
 "They were inside your territory anyhow," Mr. 
 Harvey said. "It was upon the third day after I had 
 left the Matabele." 
 
 "It must have been a party of Matabele," the chief 
 said; "they often come into my territory to steal cattle; 
 they are bad men — my people are very good." 
 
 "I can't prove that hey were your people," Mr. 
 Harvey said, "whatever I may think; but I warn you, 
 chief, that if there is any repetition of the attack while 
 we are in your country you will have no more 'traders 
 here. Those who attacked us have learned that nq can 
 defend ourselves, and that they are more likelj to get 
 death than plunder out of the attempt." 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 173 
 
 CHAPTER XIV. 
 
 TEAPPED IK A DEFILE. 
 
 "What do you think of affairs?" Dick asked Mr. 
 Harvey, as, on leaving the chief's hut, they walked back 
 to their wagons. 
 
 "For the moment I think we are perfectly safe; the 
 chief would not venture to attack us while we are in his 
 village. In the first place it would put a stop to all trade, 
 and in the second, far as we are from the frontier, he 
 would not feel safe were a massacre to take place in his 
 village. He knows well enough that were a dozen white 
 men to come out to avenge such a deed, with a few 
 wagon-loads of goods to offer to his neighbors as pay for 
 their assistance, he and his tribe would be exterminated. 
 When we are once on our way again we must beware. 
 The feeling among the tribe at the loss they have sus- 
 tained must be very bitter, although they may repress 
 all outward exhibition of it to us, and if they attack us 
 just as we are on the line between their land and their 
 neighbor's they can deny all knowledge of it. However, 
 they shall not catch us asleep." 
 
 "I see the men have put the wagons in laager," Tom 
 said. 
 
 "Yes, I told them to do so," Mr. Harvey answered; 
 "it is the custom always with traders traveling north of 
 the Limpopo, and therefore will not be taken as a sign of 
 suspicion of their good faith. A fair index to us of their 
 disposition will be the amount of trade/ If they bring 
 
174 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 their goods freely we may assume that there is no fixed 
 intention of attacking us; for if they are determined to 
 seize our goods those who have articles to trade would 
 not care to part with them, when they would hope to 
 obtain a share of our goods for nothing." 
 
 The next morning Mr. Harvey spread out a few of his 
 goods, but hardly any of the natives came forward with 
 articles for barter. In the afternoon Mr. Harvey went 
 across to the chief. 
 
 "How is it," he asked, "that your people do not bring 
 in their goods for sale? Among the tribes through which 
 I have passed I have done much trade; they see that I 
 give good bargains — your people bring nothing. If they 
 do not wish to trade with the white men, let them say so, 
 and I will tell my brethren that it is of no use to bring 
 their wagons so far." 
 
 "My people are very poor," the chief said; "they 
 have been at war with their neighbors, and have had no 
 time to hunt the ostrich or to get skins." 
 
 "They cannot have been fighting all the time," Mr. 
 Harvey rejoined; "they must have taken furs and skins 
 — it is clear that they do not wish to trade. To-morrow 
 morning I will go on my way; there are many other 
 tribes who will be glad at the coming of the white 
 trader." 
 
 After Mr. Harvey's return to the wagons, it was evi- 
 dent that orders had been issued that some trade should 
 be done, for several parcels of inferior kinds of ostrich 
 feathers and skins were brought in. As it was clear,, 
 however, that no genuine trade was to be done, at day- 
 break the oxen were inspanned, and the caravan con- 
 tinued its journey. 
 
 For the next two days the track lay across an open 
 country and no signs of molestation were met with. 
 
 "We are now coming," Mr. Harvey said, "to the 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 175 
 
 rery worst part of our journey. The hills we have seen 
 in front of us for the last two days have to be crossed. 
 To-morrow we ascend the lower slopes, which are toler- 
 ably easy; but the next day we have to pass through a 
 very wild gorge. The road, which is the bed of a stream, 
 mounts rapidly; but the ravine is nearly ten miles in 
 length. Once at its head we are near the highest point 
 of the shoulder over which we have to cross, and the 
 descent on the other side is comparatively easy. If I 
 could avoid this spot, I would do so; but I know of no 
 other road by which wagons could cross the range for a 
 very long distance either way; this is the one always used 
 by traders. In the wet season it is altogether impassa- 
 ble, for in some places the ravine narrows to fifteen 
 yards, with perpendicular cliffs on either side, and at 
 fchese points the river, when in flood, rushes down twenty 
 or thirty feet deep. Even putting aside the danger of 
 attack in going through it, I would gladly avoid it if I 
 could, for the weather is breaking; we have already had 
 some showers, and may get heavy thunderstorms and a 
 tremendous downfall of rain any day. 
 
 The next day the journey was an arduous one; the 
 ground was rough and broken, and the valley up which 
 the road lay was frequently thickly strewn with bowlders, 
 which showed the force with which the water in flood- 
 time rushed down over what was now its empty bed. 
 
 After a long day's work the caravan halted for the 
 night at the spot where the valley narrowed to the ravine. 
 
 "It has been a pretty hard day's work to-day," Tom 
 said. 
 
 "It is nothing to to-morrow's, as you will see," Mr. 
 Harvey replied. "Traders consider this defile to be the 
 very hardest passage anywhere in South Africa, and 
 there are plenty of other bad bits too. In many cases 
 jou will see we shall have to unload the wagons, and it 
 
176 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 will be all that a double team can do to pull them up 
 empty. Sometimes, of course, the defile is easier than at 
 others; it depends much upon the action of the lasf; 
 floods. In some years rocks 'and bowlders have beeu 
 jammed so thickly in the narrow parts that the defile 
 has been absolutely impassable; the following year, per- 
 haps, the obstruction has been swept away, or to a cer- 
 tain extent leveled by the spaces between the rocks being 
 filled up with small stones and sand. How it is this sea- 
 son, I do not know; up to the time we left I had heard 
 of no trader having passed along this way. I have 
 spoken of it as a day's journey, but it is only under the 
 most favorable circumstances that it has ever been ac- 
 complished in that time, and sometimes traders have 
 been three or fom days in getting through." 
 
 Directly the caravan halted Blacking and Jumbo, 
 started to exam.ne the defile; it was already growing- . 
 dusk, and they were only able to get two miles up before 
 it was so dark that they could make their way no fur- 
 ther. They returned, saying that the first portion of the 
 defile, which was usually one of the most difficult, was in 
 a bad condition; that many enormous bowlders were lying 
 in the bottom; but that it appeared to be practicable, 
 although in some places the wagons would have to be 
 unloaded. 
 
 At daybreak the oxen were inspanned, and in a quar- 
 ter of an hour the leading wagon approached the entrance 
 of the gorge; it seemed cut through a perpendicular cliff 
 two hundred feet high, the gorge through which the 
 river issued appearing a mere narrow crack rent by some 
 convulsion of nature. 
 
 "It would be a fearful place to be attacked in," Dick 
 said, "and a few men with rocks up above could destroy 
 ns." 
 
 "Yes," Mr. Harvey said; "but you see up there?" 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 1*7 
 
 Dick looked up, and on one side of the passage saw 
 aome tiny figures. 
 
 "The three hunters and ten of our men with muskets 
 are up there; they started three hours ago, "as they 
 would have to go, Jumbo said, five miles along the face 
 of the cliff before they reached a point where they could 
 make an ascent so as to gain the edge of the ravine. 
 They will keep along parallel with us, and their fire 
 would clear both sides; it is not usual to take any pre- 
 caution of this sort, but after our attack of the other 
 day, and the attitude of the chief and his people, we 
 cannot be too cautious. After passing through the first 
 three miles of the defile, the ravine widens into a valley 
 a hundred yards wide; here they will come down and 
 join us. There are two other ravines, similar to the first 
 to be passed through, but the country there is so wild 
 and broken that it would be impossible for them to keep 
 along on the heights, and I doubt whether even the 
 natives could find a point from which to attack us." 
 
 They had now fairly entered the ravine. For thirty or 
 iorty feet up the walls were smooth and polished by the 
 action of the winter torrents; above, jagged rocks over- 
 hung the path, and at some points the cliffs nearly met 
 overhead. Although it was now almost broad daylight, 
 in the depths of this ravine the light was dim and 
 obscure. 
 
 The boys at first were awestruck at the scene, but their 
 attention was soon called to the difficulties of the pass. 
 The bed of the stream was covered with rocks of all 
 sizes; sometimes great bowlders, as big as a good-sized 
 cottage, almost entirely blocked the way, and would 
 have done so altogether had not the small bowlders round 
 them formed slopes on either side. The depths of the 
 ravine echoed and re-echoed, with a noise like thunder, 
 the shout of the driver and the crack of the whip, as the 
 
178 THE YOUNG C0L0N18TS. 
 
 oxen struggled on. The wagons bumped and lurched 
 along over the stones; the natives and whites all worked 
 their hardest, clearing away the blocks as far as possible 
 from the track required for the wagons. Armed with 
 long wooden levers four or six together prized away the 
 heavy bowlders, or when these were too massive to be 
 moved by their strength, and when no other path could 
 be chosen, piled a number of smaller blocks, so as to 
 make a sort of ascent up which the wheels could travel. 
 The wagons moved but one at a time, the united efforts, 
 of the whole party being required to enable them to get 
 along. When the leading wagon had moved forward a 
 hundred yards the next in succession would be brought 
 up, and so on until the six wagons were again in line; 
 then all hands would set to work ahead, and prepare the 
 path for another hundred yards. 
 
 In two places, however, no efforts sufficed to clear the 
 way; the blocks rose in such jagged masses that it was 
 absolutely impossible for the oxen to pull across them — > 
 indeed it was with the greatest difficulty that when un- 
 yoked they were one by one got over; then tackles were 
 fastened from the top of the rock to the wagons below — 
 ropes and blocks being generally carried by travelers for 
 such emergencies — the oxen fastened to the ends of the 
 ropes, and with the purchase so obtained the wagons 
 were dragged bodily one by one over the obstacles. 
 
 It was not until late in the afternoon that the party 
 passed safely through the defile and reached the valley 
 beyond, men and animals worn out by the exertions they 
 had undergone. 
 
 The day had not passed without excitement, for when 
 they were engaged at the most difficult point of the jour- 
 ney the crack of rifles was heard far overhead, and for 
 half an hour a steady fire was kept up there. Those be- 
 low were of course wholly ignorant of what was passing 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 179 
 
 there, and for some time they suffered considerable 
 anxiety; for if their guard above had been overpowered 
 they must have been destroyed by rocks cast down by 
 their foes. 
 
 At the end of half an hour the firing ceased; but it 
 was not until they camped for the night in the valley 
 bejond the gorge that they learned from the hunters, 
 who joined them there, what had happened. There 
 ware, Jumbo explained, three or four hundred natives,, 
 but fortunately these approached from the opposite sido 
 of the gorge; consequently the little party of defenders 
 was in no danger of attack. The enemy had been dis- 
 concerted when they first opened fire, but had then 
 pressed forward to get to the edge of the ravine. The. 
 superior weapons of the defenders had, however, 
 checked them, and finding that there was no possibility 
 of coming to close quarters with the little band, they 
 had, after losing several of their number, abandoned the 
 attempt and fallen back. 
 
 Soon after nightfall they were startled by a heavy 
 crashing sound, and great rocks came bounding down 
 the sides of the valley. The cattle and wagons were at 
 once moved to the center of the watercourse, and here 
 they were safe, for the bottom of the valley was so 
 thickly strewn with great bowlders that, tremendous as- 
 was the force with which the rocks loosened far above 
 came bounding down, these were either arrested or 
 shivered into fragments by the obstacles before they 
 reached the center of the valley. 
 
 No reply to this bombardment of the position was at- 
 tempted. The enemy were invisible, and there was no 
 clew to their position far up on the hillside. So long as 
 the rolling down of the rocks was continued, it was cer- 
 tain that no attack at close quarters was intended; con- 
 sequently, after posting four sentries to arouse them in 
 
180 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 case of need, the rest of the party, picking out the soft- 
 est pieces of ground they could find between the stones, 
 lay down to rest. 
 
 Before doing so, however, Mr. Harvey hah a consulta- 
 tion with the hunters. They said that the next narrow 
 ravine was broken by several lateral defiles of similar 
 character, which came down into it, and that it would 
 therefore be quite impossible to keep along the top; 
 whether there were any points at which the enemy could 
 take post and assail them from above, they knew not. 
 
 There was, then, nothing to do but to push steadily 
 on, and early next morning they resumed their way. On 
 the preceding day a slight shower of rain had fallen, but 
 this had been insufficient to increase notably the waters 
 of the streamlet which trickled down among the rocks, 
 for the most part hidden from view. The hunters were 
 of opinion that heavier storms were at hand, and Mr. 
 Harvey agreed with them in the belief. 
 
 "We are in a very nasty position, boys," he said, "and 
 I wish now that I had turned south, and made my way 
 down to the Limpopo again, and kept along its banks 
 until past this mountain-range; it would have meant a 
 loss of two months' time, and the country which we shall 
 reach wh.en we get through this defile is a very giod one 
 for trade. Still, I am sorry now that I did not adopt 
 that plan; for, what with the natives and the torrent, 
 our position is an extremely serious one; however, there 
 is nothing for it but to push on now. We have passed 
 one out of the three gorges, and even if the other two 
 are in as bad a condition as the one we came up yester- 
 day, two more days' labor will see us through it." 
 
 As the caravan moved along the valley the yells of the 
 natives, high up on the slopes, rose loud and menacing. 
 They must have been disgusted at seeing that the labor 
 upon which they had been engaged the whole night, of 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 181 
 
 loosening and setting in motion the rocks, had been 
 entirely thrown away, for they could see that the wagons 
 and teams were wholly uninjured. 
 
 As the caravan reached the point where the Valley 
 narrowed again, a mile above the halting-place, they began 
 to descend the slopes, as if they meditated an attack, and 
 the rifles of the whites and the three hunters opened fire, 
 upon them and checked those on the bare sides of tho 
 hill. Many, however, went further down, and descend- 
 ing into the valley crept up under the shelter of the 
 stones and bowlders, and as soon as they came within 
 range opened fire with their bows and arrows. By this 
 time, however, the wagons were entering the ravine, 
 which, although at its entrance less abrupt and perpen- 
 dicular than that below, soon assumed a precisely simi- 
 lar character. 
 
 Once well within its shelter Mr. Harvey posted Dick; 
 with the three hunters and four of the other natives to 
 defend the rear. This was a matter of little difficulty-, 
 Two or three hundred yards up the ravine a barrier,, 
 similar to those met with on the previous day, was en- 
 countered, and the wagons had to be dragged up by' 
 ropes, an operation which took upward of three hours. 
 
 While the passage was being effected Dick with his. 
 party had remained near the mouth of the ravine, and. 
 had been busy with the enemy who pressed them; but 
 after the last wagon had safely crossed the barrier they 
 took their station at this point, which they could have 
 held against any number of enemies. 
 
 The caravan proceeded on its way, men and animals 
 laboring to the utmost; when, at a point where the sides 
 of rock seemed nearly to close above them, a narrow line 
 of sky only being visible, a great rock came crushing and 
 leaping down, bounding from side to side with a tremen- 
 dous uproar, and bringing down with it a shower of 
 
182 THE YOUNG COLONISTS* 
 
 smaller rocks, which it had dislodged in its course. The 
 bottom of the ravine was here about twelve yards wide, 
 •and happened to be unusually level. The great rock, 
 which must have weighed half a ton, fell on one side of 
 the leading wagon and burst into fragments which flew 
 in all directions. Fortunately no one was hurt, but a 
 scream of dismay broke from the natives. 
 
 "Steady!" Mr. Harvey shouted; "push on ahead; but 
 each man keep to his work — the first who attempts to 
 run and desert the wagons I will shoot through the 
 head." 
 
 "Tom, go on a hundred yards in front, and keep that 
 distance ahead of the leading wagon. Shoot down at 
 pnce any one who attempts to pass you." 
 
 JJock followed rock in quick succession; there was, 
 however, fortunately a bulge in the clifE on the right- 
 £and side, projecting some twenty feet out, and as the 
 Olocks struck this they were hurled off to the left side of 
 the path. Seeing this Mr. Harvey kept the wagons close 
 along on the right, and although several of the oxen and 
 three or four of the men were struck by detached frag- 
 ments from above, or by splinters from the stones as 
 they fell, none were seriously injured. 
 
 Long after the caravan had passed the point the rocks 
 continued to thunder down, showing Mr. Harvey that 
 those above were unable to see to the bottom of the 
 gorge, but that they were discharging their missiles at 
 random. A short distance further a cross ravine, a mere 
 cleft in the rock, some five feet wide at the bottom, was 
 passed, and Mr. Harvey congratulated himself at the cer- 
 tainty that this would bar the progress of their foes 
 above, and prevent the attack being renewed from any 
 point further on. 
 
 At this point so formidable an obstacle was met with 
 in a massive rock, some thirty feet high, jammed in the 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 185 
 
 narrowest part of the ravine, that the wagons had to be 
 emptied and hauled by ropes up the almost perpendicular 
 rock, the oxen being taken through a passage, which 
 with immense labor the men managed to clear of stones, 
 under one of the angles of the rock. It was not. until 
 after dark that they reached the spot where the ravine 
 again widened out into a valley, having spent sixteen 
 hours in accomplishing a distance of only three miles. 
 However, all congratulated themselves that two-thirds of 
 their labor was over, and that but one more defile had to 
 be surmounted. 
 
 The rearguard remained encamped at the opening of 
 the defile, but the night passed without interruption, the 
 natives -being doubtless disheartened by the failure to 
 destroy the caravan by rocks from above. 
 
 "Do you think there is any chance of their attacking 
 ns to-night, down the slopes, as they did this morning?" 
 Tom asked Mr. Harvey. 
 
 "None whatever," the latter replied, "as you will see 
 in the morning. This valley does not resemble the last;, 
 the rocks rise almost perpendicularly on both sides, and 
 it would not be possible for them to make their way 
 down, even if they wanted to do so." 
 
 With the first dawn of light the oxen were inspanned. 
 Just as they were starting one of the natives of Dick's 
 party came up to Mr. Harvey, and reported that the 
 natives in large numbers were showing in the ravine, and 
 the sharp crack of the rifles, which almost at the same 
 moment broke out, confirmed his statement. 
 
 "The defile must be held," Mr. Harvey said, "until 
 we are well in the next pass. When the last wagon hast 
 entered I will send back word, and they must then follow 
 us and hold the entrance. Tom, you had better 
 take four more of the armed natives to strengthen the 
 rearguard. Tell Dick to come on and join me. You 
 
134 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 had yonr fair share of labor yesterday, and your hands 
 are cut about so, by lifting and heaving rocks, that you 
 would be able to do little to-day. It is rather a good 
 sign that the natives are pressing forward in such force 
 on our rear, as it shows that they have no great faith in 
 any attempt they may make to-day to repeat their rock- 
 throwing experiment of yesterday." 
 
 As before two natives were sent on ahead to examine 
 the defile, and Mr. Harvey moved on with the caravan 
 until he reached the upper edge of the valley, which was 
 scarcely half a mile long. Just as he did so the natives 
 came hurriedly down the defile; they reported that a 
 short distance up they had met with another obstacle, to 
 the full as difficult as that which they had got the wagons 
 over on the preceding day, and that, as they turned an' 
 angle in the defile and came in sight of it, they were 
 saluted by a shower of arrows, and saw a crowd of natives 
 on the top of the barrier. They had thrown themselves 
 down behind the bowlders, and had obtained a good 
 view of the natives and the obstacle. It was some forty 
 feet further up, and was formed by three or four great 
 bowlders jammed in together.- On the other side small 
 bowlders and stones seemed to have been piled up by the 
 torrent to the level of the rocks; but on the lower side it 
 was almost perpendicular, and they questioned if a man 
 could climb it — certainly there was no passage for oxen. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS 
 
 ic>i> 
 
 CHAPTER XV. 
 
 A MOUNTAIN TORRENT. 
 
 The news brought by the scouts was very serious. 
 The continued fire in the rear showed that the enemy 
 were making a serious attack in that quarter. But Mr. 
 Harvey feared that his fighting force there must be* 
 weakened greatly, to enable him to attack so formidable 
 a position as that which the enemy occupied in front. 
 Before arriving at any decision as to his best course, he 
 halted the caravan, and went forward himself, with the 
 two natives, to inspect the position which they had dis- 
 covered. 
 
 When he reached the turn in the defile he crawled for- 
 ward among the bowlders until he reached a spot where 
 he could obtain a clear view of the barrier; it was to the 
 full as formidable as it had been described by the scouts. 
 It would have needed an active man to scale the rocks 
 without any opposition from above, while on the top a 
 dense body of natives were clustered, numbering at least 
 fifty, and probably a considerable portion of their force 
 was concealed from view. 
 
 Mr. Harvey sent back one of the natives to tell Dick 
 to come on and join him; after which he was to go back 
 and bid Jumbo come up, as Mr. Harvey had great con- 
 fidence in the hunter's shrewdnesa 
 
 Dick oresently arrived, and was much impressed with 
 the formidable nature of the obstacle. 
 
 "Wr *" light creep forward," he said, "among the 
 
186 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 stones and soon drive those fellows off the edge, but 
 they would only lie down behind, and could easily de- 
 stroy us, as we climbed one by one to the top. Each 
 one, as he got up, would be riddled with assegais. What 
 are you thinking of doing, sir?" . 
 
 "I don't know what is best, Dick. I quite agree with 
 you, it is a tremendous position to storm, but on the 
 other hand it would be almost as bad to retreat.'* 
 
 Ten minutes later Jumbo arrived at a run; without a. 
 word he threw himself down by the side of Mr. Harvey, 
 and for two or three minutes gazed silently at the 
 obstacle ahead; then, to Mr. Harvey's surprise, he 
 turned over on to his back, and lay there with his eyes 
 open. 
 
 "What on earth are you doing, Jumbo?" 
 
 "Look there, sir," the native said, pointing to a glis- 
 tening spot, the size of a crown-piece, on his stomach. 
 
 "Well, what of that?" Mr. Harvey said; "that's a 
 •drop of rain — there's another fallen on my hat. What 
 do you think of that place ahead?" 
 
 "Me no think nothing about him, sir; that place, sir, 
 210 consequence one way or de other. You hear him, 
 sir?" 
 
 As he spoke a loader crash of thunder burst over- 
 bead. Mr. Harvey looked up now. That portion of the 
 sky which could be seen was inky black. Great drops of 
 rain were falling with a pattering sound on the rock. 
 
 "Storm come, sir; very bad storm. I see him com- 
 ing, and say to Massa Tom, 'Two or tree hour fight over; 
 now you see someting like a mountain-storm. In tree 
 hours water come down twenty feet deep.' " 
 
 "You are right, Jumbo. It is lucky the storm has 
 begun so early; if we had got far into the defile we 
 should have been caught. Now, all we have got to do is 
 to wait. Go back, Dick, and send up every man with 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 187 
 
 firearms; we must at once engage those fellows in front 
 and occupy their attention. If they once perceive their 
 danger they will make a desperate rush down here, and 
 it will go hard with us then. When you have sent the 
 fighting-men up, see that the teamsters move all the 
 wagons to the highest piece of ground you can find in 
 the valley. Let them arrange the wagons there as closely 
 as they will pack, and keep the animals well round them. 
 A flood will destroy our enemy, but I am not sure that it 
 may not destroy us too. Now hurry away, and tell the 
 fighting-men to run up as quick as they can. "When you 
 have seen everything in readiness join Tom, and warn 
 him to be ready to fall back to the wagons as soon as the 
 flood comes." 
 
 Dick ran down the ravine. It was not until he issued 
 from it that he was aware how tremendously the rain 
 was pouring down. In the defile he had been conscious 
 only of a slight mist, with an occasional drop of heavy 
 rain, for very few of the raindrops which entered the 
 gap far above descended to the bottom, almost all strik- 
 ing against the sides. In the comparatively open valley, 
 however, the rain was coming down in a perfect cataract. 
 Dick at once sent all the fighting-men to the front, and 
 three minutes later the report of musketry told that they 
 were engaged with the enemy. 
 
 Dick now set to work with ten of the natives to select 
 the spot on which to place the wagons. The bottom of 
 the valley was very flat, and the sand between the 
 bowlders showed that when the water was high the 
 whole was covered. He, however, found a spot on the 
 left-hand side, about midway between the two defiles, 
 which was some feet higher than the rest. The hill- 
 side behind at this point rose somewhat less abruptly 
 than elsewhere, and it was probable that the rise in the 
 bottom was formed by a slip which had taken place at 
 
t88 ™ E YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 some past period. Here the wagons were arranged side 
 beside in two rows, the wheels of the three inner wagons 
 close against the slope above them. The cattle were 
 gathered closely round. 
 
 Dick then joined Tom, whom he found in high spirits, 
 the hunters having already told him that the flood would 
 very soon come to their relief. The party was hotly en- 
 gaged. About thirty or forty yards intervened between 
 them and their enemy, who, crouching behind rocks, were 
 shooting their arrows high into the air, so that they came 
 down almost perpendicularly upon the defenders. One of 
 these had been killed and three severely wounded by the 
 missiles; while they themselves could only get an occa- 
 sional shot at a limb exposed beyond the shelter of the 
 bowlders. 
 
 Not having received orders to stay by Tom, Dick 
 retraced his steps up the valley to the party above. 
 From the cliffs at the side of the valley waterfalls were 
 leaping down, and a stream of water was already begin- 
 ning to flow down its center. The bed of the defile was 
 perfectly dry, the stones being scarcely wetted by the 
 fine mist from above. Dick found Mr. Harvey and the 
 natives engaged in keeping up a hot fire at the top of 
 the obstacle, lying at a distance of forty or fifty yards 
 from it among the rocks. One or two dead natives were 
 stretched on the top of the rock; the rest were not to be 
 seen, but the arrows whistled fast over his head, showing 
 that they were lying down just behind it. 
 
 "The rain is tremendous outside," Dick said, as he 
 joined Mr. Harvey. "You can have no idea what it is 
 here. The water is pouring so fast into the valley that a 
 stream is forming there already, and will soon be run- 
 ning two or three feet deep down the lower pass. I 
 ■wonder it has not begun to make its way down from 
 above." 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 189 
 
 i 
 
 "It has begun, Dick; look at those little threads of 
 
 water between the stones. When it comes, it will come 
 with a rush; that is always the way with these gorges. 
 Jumbo is listening; it will come with a roar like thun- 
 der. He has just told me I had better send most of the 
 men back at once, keeping only four or five to continue 
 firing to the last moment. You see the enemy, who are 
 there on a sort of platform, will not notice the water that 
 is making its way down. See how fast it rises; it is 
 ankle-deep already — and, I tell you, we shall have to run 
 when the time comes. " 
 
 All the natives, with the exception of Jumbo and two 
 other men, were sent back. 
 
 "I don't see anything to fire at," Dick said. 
 
 "No," Mr. Harvey agreed; "it is a pure waste of am- 
 munition, except that it occupies their attention. They 
 can hardly be conscious yet how tremendously it is rain- 
 ing. If they were they would not remain where they 
 are, but would make a rush upon us, however great the 
 risk." 
 
 "Listen!" Jumbo exclaimed suddenly. 
 
 They listened and were conscious of a dull, heavy, 
 roaring sound. Jumbo leaped to his feet. 
 
 "Come!" he said; "run for your lives." 
 
 They started up and took to their heels. A terrible 
 yell was heard behind them, and, glancing over his 
 shoulder as he turned the corner, Dick saw the natives 
 climbing down from their defense, and even leaping 
 from the top in their terror. Fast as Dick was running, 
 the roar behind rose louder and louder. 
 
 "Quick, Dick," Mr. Harvey shouted, "or you will oe 
 too late." 
 
 Dick hurried to the utmost, but the stream was 
 already rising rapidly, and was running knee-deep be- 
 tween the stones. Stumbling and slipping, and cutting 
 
190 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 himself against the rocks, Dick struggled on. The 
 mighty roar was now close behind him, and seemed to 
 him like that of a heavy train at full speed. He reached 
 the mouth of the ravine; the water was already up to his 
 waist. Mr. Harvey and Jumbo dashed in, seized him by 
 the arms, and dragged him out. 
 
 "Run!" they said. 
 
 They were not fifty yards from the mouth when Dick, 
 looking round, saw a mighty wall of water, fifteen feet 
 high, leap from it, pouring as from huge sluice-gates 
 into the valley. He did not stop running until he joined 
 the rest gathered by the wagon's. 
 
 Tom and his party were already there, for the rising 
 water had soon warned their assailants of the danger, 
 and the fire had suddenly ceased. Already the greater 
 part of the valley was covered with water, down the 
 center of which a foaming torrent was flowing. Here and 
 there could be seen numerous dark objects, which, he 
 knew, were the bodies of the natives who had defended 
 the upper defile, caught before they could reach its 
 mouth by the wall of water from above. They had in- 
 stantly been dashed lifeless against the rocks and 
 bowlders, and not one could be seen to make toward the 
 comparatively still waters on either side of the center 
 stream. 
 
 Driven back again by the narrow entrance to the lower 
 defile the water in the valley rose rapidly, as with an 
 ever-increasing violence it poured in from above. There 
 it was rushing out in a solid, dark-brown cataract, which 
 Dick judged to be fully forty feet in height. In a 
 quarter of an hour from its first outburst the water had 
 already reached the feet of those standing upon the little 
 knoll of ground in the valley. The oxen lowing and 
 stamping with terror pressed more and more closely to- 
 gether. The young ostriches were placed in one of 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 191 
 
 the wagons, for although their height would have left 
 their heads well above water, they would probably have 
 succumbed to the effects of a prolonged submersion of 
 their bodies. 
 
 "If it goes on like this for another quarter of an 
 hour," Mr. Harvey said, "the oxen will be washed away, 
 if not the wagons. Thank God, I think we can all man" 
 age to climb up the slope. Jumbo, tell the men each to 
 load themselves with five or six days' provisions. Let 
 half a dozen take boxes of ammunition, and as many 
 bales of the best cloth. Let the rest take as many 
 bundles of the best ostrich feathers as they can carry. 
 Let them lay them all on the slope, twenty or thirty 
 yards up, wherever they can find place for them, and 
 then come down again, and make as many trips with the 
 best goods as they can." 
 
 All hands worked hard; inch by inch the water rose; 
 Mr. Harvey, assisted by the boys and teamsters, fastened 
 ropes together, and with these surrounded the closely 
 packed throng of cattle. The water was now more than 
 waist-deep, and was still rising; soon the cattle on the 
 outside were lifted off their feet. There was no current 
 here, and they floated with their heads on the backs of 
 those in front of them; higher and higher the water rose, 
 till the whole of the cattle were afloat. At first a few 
 straggled, but soon they subsided into quiet, and the 
 whole mass floated together, with only their heads above 
 water. 
 
 On every available ledge on the hillside were placed 
 bundles and bales of all kinds, and here the whites and 
 natives stood, watching the progress of the flood. The 
 thunder-shower had ceased soon after the water first 
 burst through the gorge, but Mr. Harvey knew that some 
 hours must elapse before the flood would begin to abate. 
 
 "I don't see why the water should not run off as fast 
 as it comes in," Dick said. 
 
192 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "It all depends, Dick, upon the question whether in 
 tljie lower defile there is any place narrower than the 
 mouth, through which the water is rushing from above. 
 According to appearances this is so; for, could the water 
 escape faster than it comes in, the lake here would cease 
 to rise. I think now the water has reached a level, 
 where the outflow nearly equals the inflow. I have been 
 watching the wheels of the wagons, and for the last ten 
 minutes I do not think it has risen above an inch or 
 two." 
 
 "I will get down and watch," Dick said, and he 
 scrambled down to the water's edge. 
 
 Two minutes later he shouted up: 
 
 "It has not risen at all since I came here!" 
 
 The teamsters had taken their station on the outside 
 wagons, and continued to talk and shout to the oxen, 
 exhorting these to be patient and quiet, as if the animals 
 were capable of understanding every word they said. 
 
 For three hours there was no change in the situation. 
 Then all thought that there was a slight decrease in the 
 height of the torrent of water pouring from the defile, 
 and half an hour later a slight but distinct subsidence in 
 the level of the water could be perceived. In another 
 hour it had fallen a foot, and alter that the fall was 
 rapid and steady. The deep roar caused by the rushing 
 torrent and the rumbling of the huge bowlders and rocks 
 swept along in the narrow defile gradually subsided, and 
 soon the bullocks were again standing on their feet. 
 
 The natives set to work to wash away the thick sedi- 
 ment which the flood had left on the floor of the wagons, 
 and before nightfall the goods were all repacked. But 
 few signs of the recent flood now remained in the valley. 
 A stream still rushed through the center. Trunks and 
 branches of trees lay here and there, as the water had left 
 them, and the bodies of some twenty or thirt v natives 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 193 
 
 were lying among the rocks* In some, places shallow 
 pools remained; in others were sheets of glistening mud. 
 
 "We shall have no more trouble with the natives," 
 Mr. Harvey said; "the fighting-men of that tribe must 
 have been nearly annihilated. " 
 
 "Do you think that those below were caught, as well 
 as those above?" 
 
 - "Certainly," Mr. Harvey answered; "the water went 
 ■down with the speed of a race-horse; they had only a few 
 minutes' start, and would have been overtaken before 
 they could have even gained the lower bed of the gorge. 
 We can journey on peacefully now. We have been for- 
 tunate indeed; we have only lost one man, and the three 
 who were hit with stones are all likely to do well. We 
 have not lost a single bullock nor a bale of goods." 
 
 "We shall have hard work to get the wagons up that 
 place where the natives made the stand to-morrow." 
 
 "It is quite likely," Mr. Harvey said, "that the 
 obstacle there no longer exists. A flood like that of 
 to-day would carry away anything. Look at those great 
 blocks, some of which must weigh more than a hundred 
 top*j. Likely enough some of them have formed part of 
 that great pile. I have already sent Tony and Blacking 
 tip the defile to see how the flood has left it, and in an 
 hour they will tee back to report." 
 
 The hunters on returning brought the good news that 
 the great block had been removed, and so far as they 
 had explored no other of any importance had been 
 found. They said indeed that the defile was now more 
 open than either of the two gorges they had already 
 passed through. 
 
 This was very satisfactory, for all had had enough of 
 lifting and heaving rocks. Their hands were all cut 
 and wounded, and every limb ached with the strains 
 which they had undergone. 
 
194 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 The next mornmg at daybreak the caravan started. 
 The hunters' report of the state of the roads was fairly 
 borne out, and although some difficulties were met with 
 it was unnecessary to unyoke the oxen, although of 
 course many bowlders had to be cleared away to allow 
 them to pass. On emerging at the upper end of the 
 defile they found they were in a valley which opened out 
 to a great width, and rose in gradual slopes at its head to 
 the crest of the hills. As the only egress at the lower 
 end was by the defile, it was clear that the whole rain- 
 fall must make its way by this exit, which fully accounted 
 for the tremendous torrent they had witnessed. 
 
 Two days' traveling brought them to the foot of the 
 slopes on the other side of the range of hills, and they 
 were soon engaged in carrying on a considerable trade 
 with the natives there. 
 
 For another three months they traveled slowly through 
 the country, by the end of which time they had disposed 
 of all their goods, and the wagons were filled to the tilts 
 with skins and bales of ostrich feathers. 
 
 They now turned their faces to the south. After 
 journeying for a fortnight they perceived one day,/ far 
 across the couritry, the white tilts of another caravan. 
 The three whites at once started at full gallop, eager to 
 hear news of what had taken place in the colony during 
 their absence. As they neared the caravan two white 
 men rode out to meet them; both were known to Mr. 
 Harvey, and hearty greetings were exchanged. 
 
 The newcomers were halting for the day, and Mr. 
 Harvey and the boys were soon seated in tents, with 
 three bottles of beer in front of them, a luxury which 
 they heartily enjoyed, having been many months with- 
 out tasting it. 
 
 "And now what is the news in the colony?" Mr. Har- 
 vey asked, after having replied to their Questions as to 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 195 
 
 the state of trade, and the route which they had fol- 
 lowed, as the newcomers would of course take another 
 line, so as not to pass over the same ground. 
 
 "Things don't look well," they answered; "the Boers 
 are growing so insolent that there is no getting on with 
 them. Several English have been shot down in various 
 places, without the smallest cause. They openly declare 
 their intention of recovering their independence. The 
 English stores are for the most part tabooed, and things 
 altogether look very threatening. There is a mere 
 handful of British troops in the Transvaal, and only a 
 regiment or so in Natal. Those wretched duffers at 
 home hurried every soldier out of the country the instant 
 the fighting was over, and if the Boers really mean busi- 
 ness we shall have no end of trouble. You see, we have 
 crushed their two enemies, tne Zulus and Secoceni, and 
 now that we have done the work for them they want to 
 get rid of us." 
 
 "I thought we should have trouble with them," Mr. 
 Harvey said; "they are an obstinate, pig-headed race; 
 they never would pay taxes to their own government; 
 they would not even turn out and fight when Secoceni 
 threatened to overrun the country; and now, as likely as 
 not, they will fight desperately for the independence they 
 were glad enough to relinquish in the hour of danger. 
 What you tell me is a nuisance. I had originally in- 
 tended to go down through Kimberley to Port Elizabeth; 
 but I changed my mind and decided to go back through 
 the Transvaal, and I have come so far to the east that I 
 J do not like to change my plans again. However, I don't 
 suppose we shall be interfered with. They can't very 
 well quarrel with us, if we won't quarrel with them." 
 
 "Perhaps not," the trader said; "but I tell you I have 
 found it precious difficult to keep my temper several 
 times. The insolence and swagger of those fellows ia 
 amazing." 
 
196 TEE TOTING COLONISTS. 
 
 The two caravans halted near each other for the day, 
 and a pleasant evening was spent. The next morning 
 each resumed its way. 
 
 No further adventure was met with until the Limpopo 
 was reached; this was crossed on rafts. The natives who 
 had accompanied them were now paid on*, receiving a 
 handsome present each, in addition to the sum agreed 
 upon, and the caravan proceeded on its way. 
 
 At the first Dutch village at which they arrived, a 
 week after leaving the Limpopo, they had evidence of a 
 change of demeanor in the Boers. As they passed 
 through the streets a group of five or six men were 
 standing at the door of a store; one of them in a loud 
 and insolent voice made a remark to the others, that he- 
 fore long they would not have any of these English dogs 
 going through their country — a remark which was re- 
 ceived with boisterous approval by the others. Mr. 
 Harvey's face flushed, and he was on the point of rein- 
 ing in his horse, and riding up to chastise the insolent 
 Boer, but the thought of the distance of country yet 
 before him checked him. It was clearly the intention of 
 the man to force a quarrel, and in this the English were 
 sure to get the disadvantage finally. He therefore rode 
 quietly on with the insolent laughter of the Dutchmen 
 ringing in his ears. The lads were equally indignant, 
 and it was only the example of Mr. Harvey which had 
 restrained them. 
 
 "Things have come to a pretty pass," Mr. Harvey 
 said as he dismounted, "that Englishmen should be 
 openly insulted in this way. However, I suppose it will 
 not do to resent it, for these scoundrels would clearly be 
 only too glad of an excuse to shoot us down; but if this 
 sort of thing is going on at every village we pass through 
 we shall have hard work in keeping our tempers until we 
 are fairly out of the Transvaal. I pity our countrymen 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 197 
 
 who have bought land or set up stores in this country. 
 I was never fond of the Boers, though I am willing to 
 allow that they are a splendid set of men, and that they 
 are magnificent riders and good shots. I question if we 
 shall ever retain them against their will. Of coarse if 
 we had a government which worked with energy and de- 
 cision it would be a different matter altogether. There 
 are a considerable number of English and Scotch settlers 
 already here, and the natives would rise against the 
 Dutch to a man, if called upon to do so; and if a couple 
 of dozen of their ringleaders were promptly seized and 
 shot there would be an end to the whole matter. But I 
 know what it will be: the natives will not be encouraged 
 or even allowed to rise, our soldiers, who can hardly hit a 
 haystack at a hundred yards, will be shot down at a dis- 
 tance by the Boers, and likely enough we shall meet 
 with a serious disaster, and then the English govern- 
 ment will get frightened and make any terms these fel» 
 lows demand." 
 
198 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 CHAPTER XVI. 
 
 A FIGHT "WITH THE BOERS. 
 
 For some time they continued their journey, meeting 
 everywhere with the grossest incivility on the part of the 
 Boers; in many places they were refused water at the 
 farms, and warned at once off the land, and Mr. Harvey 
 had the greatest difficulty in keeping his own temper 
 and restraining the boys from resenting the language of 
 the Boers. 
 
 One day, as they were riding along, two Boers on 
 horseback halted on an eminence near the road and ad- 
 dressed taunting remarks to them; they made no answer, 
 but continued their way. They had not gone a hundred 
 yards when one of the Boers deliberately took aim and fired 
 at them; the ball passed between Dick and Mr. Harvey and 
 struck one of the natives walking jnst in front of them,, 
 killing him upon the spot. This was too much. Mr. 
 Harvey and the lads wheeled their horses, unslung their 
 rifles, and fired at the Boers^ who were galloping away. 
 One of them at once dropped from his saddle, shot- 
 through the head; the other reeled, but, retaining his 
 seat, galloped off at full speed. 
 
 "This is a bad business, boys," Mr. Harvey said; "we 
 could not help it, but it will bring trouble upon us. I 
 Now let us branch. off from the road we are following 
 and make for Leydenberg; we are within three days' 
 march of that place. There is an English garrison 
 there, and justice will be done. If we push on straight 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 199 
 
 for Standerton we shall be overtaken and probably 
 killed before we get there." 
 
 The bullocks' heads were turned toward the southeast, 
 and at the best pace the teams were driven across the 
 country. Several large native kraals were passed in the , 
 course of the day, and after a march of nearly double the 
 ordinary length the caravan halted for the night on the 
 banks of a stream. A sharp watch was kept all night, 
 but nothing particular happened. 
 
 Just as they were about to inspan the oxen in the 
 morning some fifteen or twenty men were seen approach- 
 ing at a gallop. The oxen were at once driven again to 
 the laager, and every man seized his arms. The Dutch- 
 men halted at a distance of a hundred yards, and then 
 three of them rode up to the caravan. 
 
 "What do you want?" Mr. Harvey said, advancing on 
 foot in front of the wagons, while the lads and the three 
 hunters stood, rifles in hand, behind them. 
 
 "We summon you to surrender," the Boers said; 
 "you have murdered Mr. Van Burer and wounded Mr. 
 Schlessihoff." 
 
 "We have done nothing of the sort," Mr. Harvey an- 
 swered. "We were going quietly along the road when 
 those men insulted us; we passed on without answering. 
 After we had gone a hundred yards they fired at us, nar- 
 rowly missed me, and killed one of my men. We fired 
 back, and with the result you have named. We are 
 quite ready to answer for our conduct, and when we get 
 to Leydenberg we shall at once deliver ourselves up to 
 the magistrate, and report what has occurred, and you 
 can then bring any charge you want to make against us." 
 
 "You will never get to Leydenberg," the Boers said 
 scoffingly; "we are your magistrates and judges; we 
 want no English law here. Once for all, will you sur- 
 render?" 
 
200 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "We certainly will not," Mr. Harvey replied, "and if 
 you molest us it will be at your peril." ' 
 
 Without another word the Boers turned their horses' 
 heads and rode back to their comrades; upon their join- 
 ing them the whole rode some little distance to the rear, 
 and then divided, half turning to the left, the other to 
 the right. 
 
 "What on earth are they going to do?" Dick asked in 
 surprise. 
 
 "They are going to surround us," Mr. Harvey said; 
 "they will dismount and leave their horses in shelter. 
 Now, lads, out with all the bales of skins and pile them 
 up under the wagons." 
 
 All hands set to work, and soon under each wagon a 
 thick breastwork of bales was erected, reaching nearly up 
 to the floor, leaving only enough space to see out of and 
 fire; the three whites and the hunters took station, one 
 under each wagon, the teamsters and other natives being 
 distributed round the square. Quickly as they had 
 labored, the preparations were not complete when from 
 a brow at the distance of about a hundred yards from 
 the laager, a shot was fired, the bullet burying itself with 
 a thud in one of the bales of skins; almost instantly from 
 every point in a circle round other shots were fired, and 
 the splintering of wood and the dull sounds as the shots 
 struck the barricade told how accurate was their aim. 
 
 Mr. Harvey's orders had been, "Don't throw away a 
 shot. When you see the flash of a rifle, aim steadily at 
 that point; the next time a head is lifted to take aim, 
 hit it." The natives were ordered on no account to fire, 
 unless the Boers attempted to close, but to lie quietly 
 under shelter of the defenses. In consequence of these 
 orders not a shot replied to the first volley of the Boers; 
 but when the second round commenced puffs of smoke 
 darted from beneath the wagons. Dick and Tom knew 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 201 
 
 that their shots' had been successful, for the heads at 
 which they had aimed lay clearly in view, and no dis- 
 charge came from the rifles pointed toward them. The 
 other shots must have passed near their marks, and after 
 this first exhibition of the shooting powers of the de- 
 fenders the Boers became much more careful, firing 
 only at intervals, and shifting their ground each time 
 before they raised their heads to take aim. So the 
 whole day passed, a dropping fire being kept up on both 
 sides. The defenders were convinced by the end of the 
 day that seven or eight of the Boers had fallen, but their 
 places had been more than filled by newcomers who had 
 been seen galloping across the plain toward the scene of 
 conflict. On the side of the defenders no casualties had 
 occurred. 
 
 Toward evening the fire died away, and Tom and Dick 
 joined Mr. Harvey. 
 
 "What will they do next ?" 
 
 "I don't know, Dick; the Boers are by no means fond 
 of exposing themselves to danger, as has been proved 
 over and over again in their fights with natives. They 
 must have suffered already a great deal more than they 
 bargained for, and are no doubt heartily sick of the job. 
 They may try a rush at night, though I question whether 
 they will do so. I rather imagine that their tactics will 
 be to besiege us until we are driven to make a move, and 
 then to attack us by the way. Fortunately the stream 
 is close at hand, and we can get water for our cattle. 
 Still, there must be an end of it at some time or other." 
 
 Blacking now crept under the wagon. 
 
 "Massa, what you say? — me think the best plan will be 
 for me to crawl out and run to chief Mangrope; his place 
 twenty miles away; he always hate the Dutch, and refuse 
 to pay tribute; several times they have sent parties 
 against him, but he always beat them off. Blacking tell 
 
202 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 him that de Beers attack English, and that if he come 
 down and help drive them off you give him one team of 
 fine oxen — he come." 
 
 "I think your plan is a very good one, Blacking; but 
 do you think that you can get through?" 
 
 "Get through those stupid Boers? Easily," Blacking 
 said contemptuously. 
 
 "Very well, Blacking; then as soon as it is dark you 
 had better start." 
 
 Blacking nodded and withdrew, and an hour after- 
 ward stole out from the camp. 
 
 As soon as night fell the Boers opened fire again, this 
 ^ime aiming entirely at the end of the wagons nearest 
 the water, evidently with the intention of rendering it 
 difficult to procure water from the stream. 
 
 Mr. Harvey and his companions answered by firing at 
 the flashes. As they hoped that rescue would arrive ere 
 long, Mr. Harvey did not permit any one to go outside 
 shelter to fetch water, as the animals had been watered 
 in the morning the first thing, and could, if necessary, 
 hold out until the following night. 
 
 Just as daylight was breaking a tremendous yell was 
 heard, followed by a hasty discharge of muskets; then 
 there was the sound of horses' hoofs galloping at full 
 speed, and then, headed by Blacking, two to three hun- 
 dred natives came up to the camp. The chief himself 
 was among them. Mr. Harvey had on several occasions 
 traded with him, and now thanked him warmly for the 
 welcome aid he had brought him. 
 
 The Boers were already far away, each man having rnn 
 to his horse and galloped off, panic-stricken at, the sud- 
 den attack. The oxen were at once inspanned, two 
 being taken from each team and presented to the chief, 
 together with a large bale of cotton in return for his as- 
 sistance. The caravan then started, and after a march, 
 of sixteen hours arrived at Leydenberg. 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 203 
 
 "It is an awful nuisance/' Dick said to Tom on the 
 inarch, "our being obliged to come round here. If 
 everything had gone straight, I calculated that we might 
 be at home by Christmas Eve. Now, goodness only 
 knows when we shall arrive; for as likely as not we may 
 be kept here for days over this row with the Boers." 
 
 The moment they arrived at Leydenberg Mr. Harvey, 
 accompanied by the two lads and the three native 
 hunters, went to the house of the magistrate. That gen- 
 tleman had just finished his dinner; but on being told 
 that his visitors' business was urgent he asked them to 
 be shown in. The hunters remained outside, and the 
 lads followed Mr. Harvey into the house. 
 
 "I have come to make a complaint against some 
 Boers," the trader said. 
 
 "Then I can tell you beforehand," the magistrate put 
 in, "that your mission is a vain one. Outside this town 
 I have not at present the slightest authority. Com- 
 plaints reach me on all sides of outrages perpetrated by 
 the Boers upon English settlers and traders. Strong 
 armed parties are moving about the country; and al- 
 though I will of course hear anything that you have got 
 to say, with a view of obtaining redress when things set- 
 tle down again, I cannot hold out any hope of being able 
 to take action at present." 
 
 "I have scarcely come to you, sir, with the idea of ob- 
 taining redress, but rather of stating my case, in case the 
 Boers should bring a complaint against me." 
 
 The trader then proceeded to relate the circumstances 
 which had occurred: the wanton attack upon them in 
 the first place, the murder of one of their servants, the 
 killing of one and the wounding of the other of the ag- 
 gressors, the v subsequent attack upon their camp, and 
 their relief by Mangrope. 
 
 "I think you have got remarkably well out of the 
 
204 THE YOUNG GOLONISTS. 
 
 affair, and although the attack of the Boers has cost you 
 the life of one of your followers and twelve oxen, as you 
 have killed eight or ten of them you have made matters 
 more than even, and have, moreover, given them a lesson 
 which may be useful. * I will take down your deposi- 
 tions, as it is as well that your friends here, and the 
 hunters you speak of, should testify to it. It is hardly 
 likely that I shall hear any more of the matter; the 
 Boers were clearly in the wrong, and in any case they 
 would not be likely at the present moment, when the 
 country is in a state very closely approaching insurrec- 
 tion, to seek redress in an English court. Fortunately 
 two hundred and fifty men of the Ninety-fourth .Regi- 
 ment leave here to-morrow morning, on the way to 
 Pretoria. Their road will, for some distance, be the 
 same as yours; their colonel is at the present moment in 
 the next room with several of his officers, and I will re- 
 quest permission for your wagons to follow his baggage- 
 train. Thus you can keep with him until the road 
 separates, by which time you will be well out of the dis- 
 trict of the Boers who attacked you. You will, I sup- 
 pose, go through Utrecht and keep the eastern road, as 
 that will be shorter than going round by Standerton and 
 Newcastle. If you will wait here for a few minute? I 
 will speak to the colonel. " 
 
 In a short time the magistrate returned, saying that 
 Mr. Harvey's six wagons might join the baggage-train of- 
 the Ninety-fourth on the following morning. 
 
 At eight o'clock the Ninety-fourth marched from 
 Leydenberg, and Mr. Harvey's wagons fell in the rear of 
 the column. As they had a considerable amount of bag- 
 gage and stores, the column would not proceed at a 
 faster rate than the ordinary pace of the bullock-train. 
 
 When the column was once on the march the colonel I 
 rode down the line and entered into conversation with 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 205 
 
 Mr. Harvey and the lads, who were riding with him, and 
 after having heard the narrative of the fight with the 
 Boers, he said to the lads, "You have had a baptism of 
 fire early.' ' 
 
 Mr. Harvey smiled. 
 
 "They have had some very much more serious fighting 
 in the country north of the Limpopo; besides, they were 
 both present at Isandula, Kambula, and Ulundi." 
 
 "Indeed!" the colonel said; "then they have seen 
 lighting. Perhaps you will ride on with me to the head 
 of the column again; we have a long day's march before 
 us, and if your young friends will give us some of their 
 experiences it will while away the time." 
 
 The four cantered together to the head of the column, 
 where the doctor and one or two other officers were rid- 
 ing. After a word or two of introduction the colonel 
 asked the lads to tell them how they came to be at 
 Isandula, and how they escaped to tell the tale. 
 
 "You had better tell it, Dick," Tom said; "you are a 
 better hand at talking than I." 
 
 Dick accordingly proceeded to relate their adventures 
 during the Zulu war, and the story excited great interest 
 among the officers. When the column halted for the 
 day the colonel invited Mr. Harvey and the lads to dine 
 at the mess, and would not listen to any excuse on the 
 ground that their clothes were better suited for travel- 
 ing among the native tribes than for dining at a regi- 
 mental mess. 
 
 The dinner was a very pleasant one, and after the 
 cloth had been removed and cigars were lit, Mr. Harvey, 
 afc the colonel's request, related their adventures north 
 of the Limpopo. 
 
 "Your life is indeed an adventurous one," he said, 
 when the trader had finished. "It needs endurance, 
 pluck, coolness, and a steady finger on the trigger. You 
 
206 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 may truly be said, indeed, to carry your lives in your 
 hands." 
 
 "Our present journey has been an exceptionally -ad- 
 venturous one," Mr. Harvey said, "and you must not 
 suppose that we are often in the habit of fighting our 
 way. I have indeed on several occasions been in very 
 perilous positions, and some other evening, before we 
 separate, I shall be glad, if it will interest you, to relate 
 one or two of them." 
 
 "By the way," the colonel said, when they took their 
 leave, "remember, the word for the night is, 'Newcas- 
 tle.' 'You will probably be challenged several times by 
 sentries before you get to your wagons, for although 
 there is no absolute insurrection at present, there is no 
 saying when the Boers may break out. They will hardly 
 think of attacking a body of troops marching peaceably 
 along; still, it is as well to neglect no precautions. If you 
 are challenged, 'Who comes there?' you will reply, 
 'Friends.' The sentry will then say, 'Advance and give 
 ^the word.' You walk forward and say, 'Newcastle,' and 
 you will pass all right." 
 
 The march was continued for four days. At the end 
 of this time they arrived at the spot where the direct 
 road for Pieter-Maritzburg through Utrecht left that 
 which they were following. 
 
 "Look here, lads," Mr. Harvey said; "this road will 
 take you considerably out of your way. If you like you 
 can follow the column for another couple of days. Youj 
 will then cross the south road, and can there leave themjj 
 and gallop on by yourselves to Standerton in one day,; 
 and home the next. That will take you back by the 23d;; 
 whereas, if you go on with me, you will not be back by 
 New Year's Day. We are getting now to a part of the,! 
 colony where the English element is pretty strong, an( 
 the Boers are not likely to be troublesome; so I bhall 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 207 
 
 have no difficulty in passing down with the wagons. 
 You can tell your fathers that we have had a most satis- 
 factory trip, and I expect when I have sold our goods at 
 Durban they will have good reason to be coutent." 
 
 The lads gladly accepted the offer; they were longing 
 to be at home again, and especially wished to be back by 
 Christmas. 
 
 The colonel on hearing of the arrangement heartily 
 invited the lads to mess with the regiment for the time 
 that they continued with them, and offered to have a 
 spare tent pitched for their accommodation. 
 
208 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS, 
 
 CHAPTEK XVII. 
 
 A TERRIBLE JOURNEY. 
 
 That evening Mr. Harvey and the lads were again in- 
 vited to dine at mess, and after dinner the colonel asked 
 Mr. Harvey if he would be good enough to tell them 
 some of his adventures in the interior. 
 
 "I have had so many/' the trader said, "that I hardly 
 know which would be most interesting. I have been 
 many times attacked by the natives, but I do not know 
 that any of these affairs were so interesting as the fight 
 we had in the defile the other day. Some of the worst 
 adventures which we have to go through are those occa- 
 sioned by want of water. I have had several of these, 
 but the worst was one which befell me on one of my 
 earliest trips up the country. On this occasion I did not 
 as usual accompany my father, but went with a trader* 
 named MacGregor, a Scotchman, as my father was ill at 
 the time. He considered me too young to go by myself, 
 and when he proposed to MacGregor that I should join 
 him with the usual number of wagons he sent up, Mac- 
 Gregor objected, saying— I have no doubt with justice—- 
 that the double amount of goods would be more than.j 
 could be disposed of. He added, however, that he 
 should be glad if I would accompany him with a couplt 
 of wagons. It was, as it turned out, a very good thin| 
 for my father that his venture was such a small ont 
 MacGregor was a keen trader; he understood the native 
 character well and was generally very successful in his 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 20» 
 
 ventures. His failing was that he was an obstinate, pig- 
 headed man, very positive in his own opinions, and dis- 
 trusting all advice given him. 
 
 "Our trip had been a successful one. We penetrated 
 very far in the interior, and disposed of all our goods. 
 When we had done so, we started to strike down to 
 Kimberley across a little-known and very sandy district. 
 The natives among whom we were endeavored to dis- 
 suade MacGregor from making the attempt, saying that 
 the season was a very dry one, that many of the pools 
 were empty, and that there would be the greatest diffi- 
 culty in obtaining water. MacGregor disregarded the- 
 advice. By taking the direct route south he would save 
 some hundreds of miles. He said that other caravans 
 had at different times taken this route in safety, and at 
 the same time of the year. He insisted that the season 
 had not been a particularly dry one, an* that he was not 
 going to be frightened by old women's tales. The 
 natives were always croaking about something, but he- 
 did not mean to lose a month of his time for nothing. 
 
 "Accordingly we started. The really bad part of our 
 journey was about one hundred and fifty miles across a- 
 sandy country, with low scrub. The bullocks, when 
 driven to it, would eat the leaves of this scrub, so that 
 we did not anticipate any difficulty in the way of forage. 
 In the wet season many streams run across the country 
 and find their way into the Limpopo. In summer they 
 dry up, and water is only obtained in pools along their 
 courses. There were twelve wagons in the caravan — tea 
 belonging to MacGregor, and my two. I had with me a 
 servant, a native, who had been for years in the employ- 
 ment of my father, a very faithful and trustworthy 
 fellow. 
 
 "At the end of the first day's march of fifteen miles, 
 •we found water at the snot to which our native guide led 
 
210 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 us. . The second day the pool was found to be dry. We 
 got there early, having started before daybreak, for the 
 heat was tremendous. On finding the pool empty I rode 
 ten miles down the course of the stream, and Mac- 
 Oregor as far up it, but found no water, and on getting 
 back to the camp the oxen were inspanned, and we made 
 another march; here we found water, and halted next 
 day. 
 
 "So we went on until we were halfway across the 
 desert. Several of the marches had been double ones, 
 the track was heavy from the deep sand, some of the 
 oxen had died, and all were much reduced in strength. 
 Although MacGregor was not a man to allow that he had 
 been wrong, I saw that he was anxious, and before ad- 
 vancing he sent on a horseman and the native guide two 
 days' journey to ses how the water held out. On their 
 return they reported that twenty miles in front there 
 was a pool of good water, and that thirty miles further 
 there was a small supply, which was, however, rapidly 
 drying up. MacGregor determined to push on. The 
 first day's march was got through, athough five or six 
 more oxen dropped by the way. The second was a ter- 
 rible march; I have never known a hotter day in South 
 Africa, and one felt blinded and crushed by the heat. 
 The weakened teams could scarcely draw the wagons 
 along, and by nightfall but half the journey had been 
 performed. The oxen were turned loose and allowed for 
 an hour or two to crop the bush; then they were in- 
 spanned again. All night long we continued our march; 
 when, just at sunrise, we got to the place where water 
 had been found, the pool was empty — the two days' sun 
 since the horseman had been there had completely dried 
 it up. We set to work to dig a hole; but the sand was 
 shallow, the rock lying but a foot or two below, and we 
 only got a few buckets of water, but just enough to give 
 
THE TOUNG COLONISTS. 211 
 
 a swallow to each of the oxen and horses. Again we* 
 searched far up and down the course of the stream, but 
 without success; we dug innumerable holes in its bed,, 
 but without finding water. 
 
 "We were still fifty miles from safety; but in that 
 fifty miles the natives said that they did not think a drop 
 of water would be found, as this was notoriously the 
 driest point on the route. Half the oxen had now died, 
 and MacGregor determined to leave all but two of the 
 wagons behind, to harness teams of the strongest of 
 those remaining, and to drive the rest alongside. We 
 halted till night to allow the animals to feed, and then 
 started. We got on fanly enough until daybreak; then, 
 the sun rose, and poured down upon us. It was a ter- 
 rible day. No one spoke and the creaking of the wheels 
 of the wagons was the only sound to be heard. Every 
 mile we went the numbers lessened, as the bullocks lay 
 down to die by the way. My tongue seemed to cleave to* 
 the roof of my mouth, and the sun to scorch up my 
 brain. I hardly took notice of what was going on around 
 me, but let the reins hang loose on my horse's neck. 
 Several times he stumbled, and at last fell heavily. I 
 picked myself up from the sands, and saw that he was? 
 dying. The wagons had come to a standstill now, and I 
 had, I saw, for the last quarter of a mile gone on alone. 
 I looked at my watch; it was four o'clock, and I turned 
 and walked slowly back to the Wigons. The drivers had 
 tmroped the oxen, but most of them lay where they had 
 halted, incapable of rising to their feet; others had tot- 
 tered to the shade cast by the wagons, and had thrown 
 themselves down there. The drivers were lying among 
 them. As I came up MacG*- gir staggered toward mej 
 he was chewing a handful Oj. 1 aves. 'I have been wrong, 
 Harvey,' he said, in a hoarse voice, 'and it has cost us all 
 our lives. Say you forgive me, my boy.' 'I forgive you 
 
212 THE TOUNQ COLONISTS. 
 
 ieartily,' I said; 'you thought it was for the best.' I 
 (■don't remember much more. I lay down and wondered 
 vaguely what had become of my man, whom I had noi 
 seen since we started on the previous evening. 
 
 "The next thing I remember was that it was night. 
 I got up on my feet and staggered to a bullock that I 
 heard faintly groaning; I cut a vein in his neck and 
 sucked the blood, and then started to walk; fortunately, 
 as it turned out, I had not gone a hundred yards when a 
 dizziness came over me, and I fell again to the ground. 
 I must have lain there for some hours; when I became 
 conscious water was being poured between my lips. I 
 soon recovered sufficiently to sit up, and found that it 
 was my faithful man. When the caravan started from 
 "the last halting-place he had seen that it was impossible 
 for it to reach its journey's end, and although, like the 
 rest, he was exhausted and worn out, he had started at 
 full speed alone, and by morning reached water, having 
 ■traveled fifty miles in the night. It was midday before 
 he succeeded in finding a native kraal; then by promise 
 ■of a large reward he induced forty men, each laden with 
 a heavy skin of water, to start with him, and at three in 
 the morning reached the camp; fortunately he stumbled 
 .across me just before he got there. 
 
 "The assistance arrived in time. Two of the drivers 
 ivere found to be dead, but MacGregor and the other 
 Tiands, sixteen in number, were all brought round. The 
 supply carried by the natives was sufficient to give an 
 ample drink to the eighteen oxen which were still alive. 
 A feed of maize was then given to each, but as they were 
 too weak to drag even one of the wagons they were 
 driven on ahead, and most of them got over the twenty- 
 five miles which still separated them from water. We 
 halted there a week, to allow the animals to recover; 
 then, carrying skins of water for their supply on the 
 
TEE YGTTNG COLONISTS. 21& 
 
 way, they went back and brought in the two wagons^, 
 one at a time. With these I came down to the colony. 
 MacGregor remained behind, and directly the rain set in 
 went up with native cattle and brought down the other- 
 wagons, all the valuable contents of which, however, had 
 in the intervening time been carried off by natives. It 
 was a near squeak, wasn't it? MacGregor was never the 
 same man again, and shortly after his return to Natal he 
 sold off his wagons and went back to Scotland. Being* 
 young and strong I soon recovered from my privation." 
 
 "Lions are very abundant in some parts of the inte- 
 rior, are they not, Mr. Harvey?" one of the officers, 
 asked, after they had thanked the trader for his story. 
 
 "Extraordinarily so," Mr. Harvey replied; "in fact it 
 has long been a puzzle among us how such vast quantities, 
 could find food — in no other country in the world could 
 they do so ; but here the abundance of deer is so great, 
 that the lions are able to kill vast numbers, without mak- 
 ing any great impression upon them." 
 
 "But I should not have thought," an officer said,, 
 "that a lion could run down a deer!" 
 
 "He cannot," Mr. Harvey said, "except for short dis- 
 tances. The South African lion is a lighter and more 
 active beast than the northern lion, and can for the first 
 hundred yards run with prodigious swiftness, taking; 
 long bounds like a cat. Stealing through the long grass, 
 and keeping to leeward of the herd, he will crawl up to 
 within a short distance unperceived, and then with half 
 a dozen tremendous bounds he is among them before 
 they have fairly time to get up their full speed. They 
 hunt too in regular packs; twenty or thirty of them will 
 surround a herd, and gradually lessening their circle 
 close upon their affrighted prey, who stand paralyzed 
 with fear until the lions are fairly among them. 
 
 "I was once surrounded by them and had a very nar- 
 
214 THE TGVNG COLONISTS. 
 
 row escape of my life. I had left my wagons at a large 
 itative village and had ridden — accompanied only by my 
 native servant — some fifty miles across the country to 
 another tribe, to see whether they had lately been visited 
 by any traders, and whether they had goods to dispose 
 of. I reached the kraal in the morning, and the palaver 
 with the chief as usual wasted the best part of the day; 
 it was nearly dark when I started, but I was accustomed 
 to ride by the light of the stars, and had no fear of miss- 
 ing my way. I had been only two hours on the road 
 when the sky became overcast, and half an hour later a 
 tremendous storm burst. Having now no index for 
 ■directing my way I found that it was useless to proceed; 
 the plain was open, but 1 knew that a good-sized river 
 ran a short distance to the north, so I turned my horse's 
 hea,(\ in that direction, knowing that on a river-bank I 
 was 'ikely to meet with trees.- Several times I missed 
 my w^y in the driving rain, for the wind shifted fre- 
 quently, and that was of course the only guide I had. 
 
 "At last, to my great satisfaction, I struck upon the 
 river and kept along its bank until I came to a large 
 olump of trees; here we unsaddled our horses, picked 
 out a comparatively dry spot under a big tree, which 
 stood just at the edge of the river, wrapped ourselves in 
 our rugs, and prepared to pass the night as comfortably 
 as we could. The river was high, and my only fear was 
 that it might overflow its banks and set us afloat before 
 morning. However, we had not been there long before 
 the rain ceased, the sky cleared, and the stars came out 
 again; but as the horses had done a long day's work on 
 the previous day, I determined to remain where I was 
 until morning. Having been in the saddle all the pre- 
 vious night, I slept heavily. 
 
 The wind was still blowing strongly, and I suppose 
 that the noise in the trees, and the lapping of the water 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 215 
 
 by the bank close by, prevented my hearing the stamp- 
 ing of the horses, which, under ordinary circumstances, 
 would certainly have warned me of the approaching 
 danger. Suddenly I awoke with a terrific uproar. I 
 sprang to my feet, but was instantly knocked down and 
 a beast I knew to be a lion seized me by the left shoul- 
 der. My revolver was, as always, in my belt; I drew it 
 out, and fired into the brute's eye; his jaw relaxed, and 
 I knew the shot was fatal. A terrible din was going on 
 all round; there was light enough for me to see that both 
 the horses had been pulled to the ground; two lions 
 were rending the body of my servant, and others were 
 approaching with loud roars. I sprang to my feet and 
 climbed up into the tree, just as two more lions arrived 
 upon the spot. My servant had not uttered a cry, and 
 was, I have no doubt, struck dead at once. The horses 
 ceased to struggle by the time I gained my tree. At 
 least twenty lions gathered round, and growled and quar- 
 reled over the carcasses of the horses. When they had 
 finished these they walked round and round the tree, 
 roaring horridly; some of them reared themselves against 
 the trunk, as if they would try to climb it, but the lion 
 is not a tree-climber, and I had not much fear that they 
 would make the attempt. I hoped that in the morning 
 they would move off; but they had clearly no intention 
 of doing so, for as it became daylight they retired a 
 short distance and then either lay down or sat upon their 
 haunches in a semicircle fifty yards distant, watching 
 me. 
 
 "So the whole day passed; I had only the four shots" 
 left in my revolver, for my spare ammunition was in the 
 holster of my saddle, and even had I had a dozen revol- 
 vers I could have done nothing against them. At night 
 they again came up to the tree, and in hopes of fright- 
 ening them off I descended to the lower branches, and 
 
316 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 fired my remaining shots at brutes rearing up against it. 
 As I aimed in each case at the eye, and the muzzle of 
 my pistol was within four feet of their heads, the shots 
 were fatal; but the only result was that the lions with- 
 drew for a short distance, and renewed their guard 
 Tound the tree. 
 
 "You will wonder perhaps why all this time I did not 
 take to the water; but lions, although, like all the cat 
 tribe, disliking water, will cross rivers by swimming, and 
 they seemed so pertinacious that I feared they might fol- 
 low me. Toward morning, however, I determined on 
 risking it, and creeping out to the end of a branch which 
 overhung the river I dropped in. The stream was run- 
 ning strong, and I kept under water, swimming down 
 with it as hard as I possibly could. When I came up I 
 glanced back at the tree I had quitted. The lions we/e 
 gathered on the bank, roaring loudly and lashing their 
 tails with every sign of excitement, looking at the wat*er 
 where they had seen me disappear. I have not the least 
 doubt but that they would have jumped in after me, had 
 I not dived. I took this in at a glance, and then we;at 
 under again, and so continued diving until I was sure 
 that I was beyond the sight of the lions; then I made for 
 the bank as quickly as possible. The river swarmed with 
 crocodiles, and had it not been for the muddiness of the 
 water I should probably have been snapped up within a 
 minute or two of entering it. 
 
 "It was with a feeling of deep thankfulness that I 
 crawled out and lay down in a clump of reeds half a 
 mile beyond the spot where the lions were looking for 
 me. When the sun got high I felt sure that they would 
 have dispersed as usual, and returned to their shelter for 
 the day, and I therefore started on foot, and reached my 
 camp late at night. 
 
 "The next day we got in motion, and when three days 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 21? 
 
 later we arrived at the kraal from which we had started, I- 
 rode over to the tree and recovered my revolver and. 
 saddles. Not even a bone remained of the carcasses of 
 the horses, or of my native attendant." 
 
 "That was a very nasty adventure," the colonel said. 
 "Is it a common thing, caravans being attacked by 
 lions?" 
 
 "A very common thing," the trader replied; "indeed 
 in certain parts of the country such attacks are con- 
 stantly made, and the persistency with which the lions, 
 in spite of the severe lessons they have received of th& 
 deadly effect of firearms, yet continue to attack cara- 
 vans is a proof that they must often be greatly oppressed 
 by hunger." n 
 
 "Which do they seem to prefer," one of the officers- 
 asked, "human beings or cattle?" 
 
 "They kill fifty oxen to one human being; but this 
 probably arises from the fact that in the lion-country the 
 drivers always sleep round large fires in the center of the 
 cattle. I think that by preference the lions attack the 
 horses, because these are more defenseless; the cattle 
 sometimes make a good fight. I have seen them when, 
 loose forming a circle with their heads outside, showing 
 such a formidable line of horns that the lions have not. 
 ventured to attack them. Once or twice I have seen 
 single oxen, when attacked by solitary lions, come out 
 victors in the assault. As the lion walked round and 
 round, the bullock continued to face him, and I have 
 then often seen them receive the spring upon their 
 horns, and hurl the lion wounded and half-stunned yards 
 away. Once I saw both die together — the bullock with 
 one of his horns driven into the lion's chest, while the 
 latter fixed his teeth in the bullock's neck, and tore 
 away with his claws at its side, until both fell dead 
 together." 
 
518 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 "It must be a grand country for sport," one of the 
 ■officers said. 
 
 "It is that!" t*he trader replied. "I wonder some- 
 times that gentlemen in England, who spend great sums 
 every year in deer-forests and grouse-moors, do not more 
 often come out for a few months' shooting here. The 
 voyage is a pleasant one, and although the journey up 
 ■country to the interior of course takes some time, the 
 trip would be a novel one, and every comfort could be 
 ■carried in the wagons; while the sport, when the right 
 country was reached, would be more abundant and 
 varied than in any other part of the world. Lions may 
 be met, deer of numerous kinds, giraffes, hippopotami, 
 •crocodiles, and many other animals, not to mention an 
 occasional gallop after ostriches. The expenses, more- 
 over, would not be greater than the rental and keep of a 
 •deer-forest." 
 
 "Yes, I am surprised myself that more sportsmen do 
 not come out here. In odd times, too, they could get 
 good fishing." 
 
 "Excellent," the trader replied; "some of the rivers 
 literally swarm with fish." 
 
 "When I get back to England," the colonel said, "I 
 must advise some of my friends to try it. As you say, 
 there are scores of men who spend their thousands a 
 year on deer-forests, grouse-shooting, and horse-racing, 
 .and it would be a new sensation for them to come out 
 for a few months' shooting in the interior of Africa. I 
 must not tell them too much of the close shaves that you 
 and your friends have had. A spice of danger adds to 
 the enjoyment, but the adventures that you have gone 
 through go somewhat beyond the point-*" 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 21$ 
 
 CHAPTER XVIII. 
 
 THE BOER INSURRECTION. 
 
 The next morning the lads bade farewell to Mr- 
 Harvey and the three hunters, and then rode on with the 
 regiment. The day passed as quietly as the preceding, 
 ones had done. 
 
 On the 20th the column was marching along a road 
 commanded on both sides by rising ground. The troops; 
 as usual were marching at ease; one company was ahead 
 of the line of wagons, two companies marched in strag- 
 gling order by the side of the long teams, and the fourth 
 company formed the rearguard. 
 
 Suddenly, without the slightest warning, a flash of 
 fire burst from the edge of the rise at either side. Num- 
 bers of* the men fell, and a scene of the wildest confu- 
 sion ensued. Some of the young soldiers ran for shelter 
 underneath the wagons; others hastily loaded and fired 
 va. the direction of their unseen foes. 
 
 The colonel and officers strove to steady the men, and 
 to lead them up the slope to attack the Boers; but so 
 deadly was the fire of the latter, and the men fell in such 
 numbers, that the colonel soon saw that resistance was: 
 hopeless. Many of the officers were killed or wounded 
 by the first fire, and in five minutes after the first shot, 
 was fired one hundred and twenty men were killed or 
 wounded; and as the rest could not bp got together to 
 charge up the slope under the deadly fire of the Boers, 
 the colonel, who was himself wounded, surrendered with 
 
:220 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 the survivors to the Boers. Two or three mounted 
 officers only succeeded in getting through. 
 
 When the fire opened Dick and Tom at once threw 
 themselves off their horses, and unslinging their rifles 
 opened fire. When they saw the bewilderment and con- 
 fusion, and how fast the men were dropping under the 
 fire of the Boers, Dick said to his friend: 
 
 "It is all up, Tom; it is simply a massacre. We will 
 wait for a minute or two, and then mount pnd make a 
 dash for it." 
 
 Their horses were both lying down beside them, for 
 the lads had taught them to do this at the word of com- 
 mand, as it enabled" them often when out hunting to 
 conceal themselves in a slight depression from the sight 
 of an approaching herd of deer. Thus they, as well as 
 their masters, remained untouched by the storm of bul- 
 lets. The Boers, almost concealed from view, steadily 
 picked off the men. 
 
 "It is of no use, Tom; let us mount and make a bolt 
 for it. They must surrender in a few minutes, or not a 
 man will be left alive." 
 
 They gave the word to their horses, and these leaped 
 to their feet, and, as was their habit in the chase, dashed 
 off at full speed the instant their masters were in the 
 saddle. Bending low on the necks of their horses, the 
 lads rode at the top of their speed. Several bullets came 
 very close to them, but keeping closely side by side, to 
 lessen the mark they presented to the enemy, they 
 dashed on untouched. Looking round when they had 
 proceeded some little distance, they saw that four Boers 
 had mounted and were in hot pursuit. Their horses 
 were good ones, in capital condition, and had done easy 
 work for the last few days. The Boers also were well 
 mounted, and for three or four miles the chase con- 
 tinued, the Dutch from time to time firing; but the lada 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 22i» 
 
 were a good four hundred yards ahead, a distance beyond 
 that at which the Boers are accustomed to shoot, or 
 ■which their guns will carry with any accuracy. 
 
 "We must stop this," Dick said, as they breasted an 
 ascent. "If they should happen to hit one of our 
 horses it would be all up with us. Dismount, Tom, as 
 soon as you are over the rise." 
 
 A« soon as they were out of sight of their pursuers, 
 they reined up their horses and dismounted. They 
 again made the animals lie down, and throwing them- 
 selves behind them, rested their rifles upon them. 
 
 The Boers, they had noticed, were not all together — ». 
 twd^of them being about fifty yards ahead of the others- 
 At, full speed the leading pursuers dashed for the rise;, 
 as they came fairly in view they were but fifty yards- 
 distant. The lads and their horses were almost hidden 
 in the long grass, and the Boers did not for a moment 
 notice them. When they did they instantly reined in 
 their horses, but it was too late. The lads had their 
 rifles fixed upon them, the two shots rang out together,, 
 both the Boers fell lifeless from the saddle, and the 
 Dutch horses dashed back along the track by which they 
 had come. 
 
 The lads instantly reloaded; but they waited in vain 
 for the coming of the other pursuers; these on seeing 
 the horses galloping toward them after the shots had 
 been fired had at once turned and rode off. After wait- 
 ing for a little time to be sure that they were not going; 
 to be attacked, the friends mounted and rode on. They 
 did not retrace their steps to see what had become of the; 
 other pursuers, as it was possible that these had imitated 
 their own tactics, and were lying down by their horses,, 
 waiting to get a shot at them, should they ride back- 
 They now continued their journey at an easy canter, and 
 late in the evening entered the little town of Standerton. 
 
222 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 JStanderton presented a scene of unusual excitement; 
 teams of wagons filled its streets, armed men moved 
 ;about and talked excitedly, numbers of cattle and horses 
 under the charge of Kaffirs occupied every spare place 
 near the town — it was an exodus. The loyal Boers, who 
 were at that time in an absolute majority throughout the 
 colony, were many of them moving across the frontier, 
 <to escape the conflict which they saw approaching. 
 
 The more enlightened among these people had been 
 fully conscious of the shortcomings of their own govern- 
 ment, prior to the annexation to England. Short as had 
 been the period that had elapsed since that event, the 
 benefits which had accrued to the country had been im- 
 mense. The value of land had risen fourfold; English 
 traders had opened establishments in every village, and 
 the Dutch obtained far higher prices than before for 
 their produce, with a corresponding reduction in that of 
 the articles which they had to purchase. Peaceable men 
 were no longer harassed by being summoned to take part 
 in commandos or levies for expeditions against the 
 natives. The feeling of insecurity from the threatening 
 attitude of the Zulus and other warlike neighbors was at 
 an end, as was the danger of a general rising among the 
 natives in the colony, who outnumbered the Boers by 
 ten to one. 
 
 Thus the wiser heads among the Boers bitterly re- 
 gretted the movement which had commenced for the 
 renewed independence of the country. They did not 
 believe that it would be successful, because they could 
 not suppose that England, having, by the repeated 
 assertions of its representatives that the annexation was 
 final and absolute, induced thousands of Englishmen to 
 purchase land, erect trading establishments, and embark 
 their capital in the country, could ever desert and ruin 
 them. They foresaw, moreover, that even should the 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 223? 
 
 rebellion be successful it would throw the country back, 
 a century, the rising trade would be nipped in the bud, 
 the English colonists would leave the country, the price 
 of land would again fall to a nominal sura, the old diffi- 
 culties of raising taxes to carry on the government would 
 recur, and restless spirits would again be carrying out 
 lawless raids upon the natives, and involving them in. 
 difficulties and dangers. 
 
 Further north the loyal portion of the Dutch remained 
 quiet during the trouble; but around Standerton, Utrecht, 
 and other places near the frontier large numbers of their* 
 crossed into Natal, with their wives and families, their 
 cattle and horses, and there remained until the end of 
 the war. The English settlers, almost to a man, aban- 
 doned their farms, and either retired into Natal or 
 assembled in the towns and formed themselves with the 
 traders there into corps for their defense. The manner 
 in which throughout the war these little bodies uniformly- 
 succeeded in repulsing every attempt of the Boers to cap- 
 ture the towns showed how easily the latter could have 
 been defeated had the British government acted with 
 energy when a sufficient force had been collected on the 
 frontier, instead of losing heart and surrendering at. 
 discretion. It is not too much to say that had the 
 British government stood altogether aloof, the colony of 
 Natal, with the English settlers and loyal Boers, could 
 single-handed have put down the insurrection in the 
 Transvaal. 
 
 The news which the lads brought to Standerton of the 
 unprovoked attack upon, and massacre of, the Ninety- 
 fourth caused a wild feeling of excitement. A crowd 
 rapidly gathered round the lads, and so great was the 
 anxiety to hear what had taken place that Dick waa 
 obliged to mount on a wagon, and to relate the whole 
 circumstances to the crowd. 
 
:224 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 Englishmen living at home in the happy conviction 
 that their own is the greatest of nations can form little 
 :idea of the feelings of men in a colony like the Cape, 
 where our rule is but half-consolidated, and where a 
 Dutch population, equal in numbers, are sullenly hostile 
 or openly insolent. The love of the old flag and the 
 pride of nationality are there very different feelings 
 from the dull and languid sentiment at home; and the 
 news of this bloody massacre, at a time when hostilities 
 had not commenced on either side, and when no overt 
 act of rebellion had taken place, caused every eye to 
 flash, and the blood to run hotly in men's veins. 
 
 Those who had hitherto counseled that the English 
 settlers should remain neutral in the contest were now 
 as eager as the rest in their demands that the place 
 should be defended. There was but one company of 
 British troops in the town; but within an hour of the 
 story of the massacre being known one hundred and fifty 
 men had put down their names to form a corps; officers 
 were chosen, and these at once waited upon the captain 
 In command of the troops, and placed themselves under 
 his orders. 
 
 The next morning scores of men set to work throwing 
 xip a breastwork round the place, catting holes in the 
 walls and houses for musketry, and preparing to defend 
 the little town to the last against any attack of the Boers. 
 
 The moment that he had heard from the lads of the 
 "disaster to the Ninety-fourth, the officer in command 
 •dispatched a horseman to carry the news at full speed 
 to Sir G. Pomeroy Colley, who was advancing toward 
 Newcastle with the troops from Natal. 
 
 The same night a messenger rode in, saying that the 
 Boers had raised theit flag at Pretoria, had killed sev- 
 eral English there, and were preparing to attack the 
 Ilittle British force encamped at a small distance from 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 225 
 
 the town; that at Potchefstroom they had also attacked 
 the troops; and that the insurrection was general. 
 
 The next morning the lads mounted and proceeded on 
 their way, and reached home late that evening, to the 
 immense delight of their parents. 
 
 The news of the rising created a fever of excitement 
 throughout Natal. H.M.S. Boadicea landed a rocket- 
 battery and a naval brigade, who at once marched up 
 toward the front; and Sir G. P. Colley, who commanded 
 the forces, hurried every available man toward Newcas- 
 tle, as the Boers were advancing in force toward the 
 irontier, and were preparing to invade Natal. 
 
 Every day brought fresh news from the Transvaal. 
 The little towns where the British were centered, isolated 
 and alone as they were in the midst of a hostile country, 
 in every case prepared to defend themselves to the last; 
 and at Potchefstroom, Wackerstroom, Standerton, Ley- 
 denberg, and other places, the Boers, attempting to carry 
 the towns, were vigorously repulsed. The news that a 
 large force of Boers was marching against Newcastle 
 caused great excitement in that portion of Natal, here 
 large numbers of Dutch were settled, and the colonists 
 were consequently divided into hostile camps Large 
 numbers of British colonists sent in their names as ready 
 to serve against the Boers; but the English military 
 authorities unfortunately declined to avail themselves 
 of their services, on the ground that they did not wish 
 to involve the colonists in a struggle which was purely 
 an imperial one. For, were they to do so, the Dutch 
 throughout the colony and in the Orange Free State 
 might also join in the struggle, and the whole of South 
 Africa be involved in a civil war. 
 
 There was much in this view of the case; but had a 
 strong corps of colonists been attached to the force of 
 Oeneral Colley, it is pretty certain that it would have 
 
226 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 escaped the disaster which subsequently befell it; for,, 
 being for the most part excellent shots and accustomed 
 to the chase, they would have met the Boers with their 
 own tactics, and thus, as the English settlers in the gar- 
 risons in the Transvaal showed themselves far better 
 fighters than their Dutch antagonists, so Natal, where 
 large numbers of young colonists had served against the 
 Zulus, Secoceni, Moirosi, and in other native troubles, 
 could, if permitted, have furnished a contingent which 
 would have entirely altered the complexion of the 
 struggle. 
 
 Upon the very day after the return of their sons Mr. 
 Humphreys and his friend Jackson, furious at the two 
 attacks which had been made by the Boers upon the 
 parties accompanied by their sons, rode into Newcastle 
 and inscribed their names in the list of those willing to 
 serve against the enemy. They also offered their wagons 
 and cattle to the authorities, to facilitate the advance of 
 the British troops. 
 
 This offer was at once accepted, and it was arranged 
 that on the 26th the carts still on the farm should go 
 down to Pieter-Maritzburg, and Mr. Humphreys wrote 
 a letter to Mr. Harvey, telling him that he was, upon his 
 arrival, after clearing the wagons of the goods that he 
 had brought down from the interior, to place them at 
 once at the disposal of the authorities for the transport 
 of military stores to Newcastle. Bill Harrison was to go 
 down with the carts, and to be in charge of them and 
 the wagons on their upward march. 
 
 Christmas was held with great festivity, to celebrate 
 the return of the lads. Mr. and Mrs. Jackson and Tom, 
 and four or five young settlers in neighboring farms 
 were invited by Mr. Humphreys to spend the day with 
 him. At his request they came early, and after the 
 service of the church had been read by him the day was 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 22? 
 
 spent in festivity. The young men rode races on their 
 horses, shot at marks for prizes of useful articles pre- 
 sented by Mr. Humphreys, and at five o'clock sat down 
 to a Christmas dinner. 
 
 The holly, the misletoe, and above all the roaring fire 
 -were absent, but the great kitchen was decked with 
 boughs. The roast beef, plum-pudding, and mince-pies 
 were equal to the best at home, and no pains were spared 
 io recall home customs on the occasion. 
 
 At one o'clock there had been an equally good dinner 
 given to the laborers and their families belonging to the 
 farms of Mr. Humphreys and his guests, and in the 
 ■evening all assembled in the great kitchen, and to the 
 tunes of a violin, played by one of the young colonists, 
 a merry dance was kept up for some hours. The next 
 morning Harrison started with the remaining wagon and 
 several carts for Pieter-Maritzburg, and the lads were 
 supposed to resume regular work on the farms. 
 
228 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS, 
 
 CHAPTEK XIX. 
 
 THE GARRISONS IN THE TRANSVAAL 
 
 The excitement of the time, was, however, too great 
 to permit the lads to settle down quietly, and every day 
 they rode over to Newcastle to gather the latest news. 
 The towns which held out in the Transvaal were Pre- 
 toria, Potchefstroom, Standerton, Wackerstroom, Ley- 
 denberg, Rustenberg, and Marabastadt. At Pretoria, 
 the capital, Mr. Edgert-on and Sergeant Bradley of the. 
 Ninety-fourth Eegiment, who escaped from the mas- 
 sacre, brought in the news, and on the following day the- 
 authorities proclaimed martial law. Colonel Bellairs,, 
 C.B., was commandant, and the military authorities at 
 once decided that the town must be abandoned, as, with 
 its gardens and scattered houses, the extent was too- 
 large to be defended. A military camp was therefore 
 formed outside the town, and to this the whole of the 
 loyal inhabitants moved out. The civilians consisted 
 of nine hundred and seventy-five men, six hundred 
 and seventy-six women, seven hundred and eighteen 
 children, thirteen hundred and thirty-one servants, 
 and natives — total, thirty-seven hundred. In addition 
 to these were the British troopy. All horses were- 
 at once taken for the volunteers, among whom most 
 of the white residents were numbered. The effective- 
 fighting force was about one thousand — made up of 
 four companies of the second battalion, Twenty-first 
 Pusiliers; three companies of the Ninety-fourth; one* 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 229 
 
 ^hundred and forty mounted volunteers, known as the 
 Pretoria Horse; one hundred mounted volunteers, 
 known as Norris' Horse, and the Pretoria Rifles, an in- 
 fantry volunteer corps, five hundred strong. For the 
 reception of the women and children intrenchments 
 were thrown up, connecting the jail and Loretto con : 
 vent, and the defense of this point was intrusted to six 
 'Companies of the Pretoria Rifles, under Major Le 
 Mesurier. The camp was distant about a third of a 
 mile from the jail and convent, and the approaches were 
 commanded by three little forts erected on eminences 
 around. 
 
 Several skirmishes took place in the last fortnight in 
 December, but the first sharp engagement occurred on 
 the 6th of January. Colonel Gildea took out a force of 
 twenty officers, four hundred and fifty men, a gun, and 
 fifteen wagons to bring in some forage and attack a Boer 
 ^position at Pienness River, about twelve miles off. 
 ^Norris' Horse scouted in front, and the Pretoria Pio- 
 neers were detached to cut off the retreat of the Boers. 
 "The Boers were easily turned out of their position. 
 Their defense was feeble; but several English were 
 killed, owing to the Boers treacherouly hoisting a flag of 
 truce, upon which the English skirmishers, who were 
 creeping forward, stood up, thinking that the Boers 
 surrendered; they then fired, and several of our men 
 were killed or wounded. The Boers being largely rein- 
 forced came forward to the attack, but were smartly re- 
 pulsed. Our loss was four men killed and one officer 
 (Captain Sampson); fourteen men were wounded. On the 
 15th another force started to attack a Boer laager, but 
 found the enemy in such, strength that they retired with' 
 -out serious fighting. 
 
 On the 12th of February an ineffective attempt was 
 made to take the Red Horse Kraal, seven miles from 
 
230 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 Pretoria, on the road toward Kustenberg. The force 
 consisted of twenty-two officers and five hundred and 
 thirty-three men. The carabineers under Captain Sanc- 
 tuary advanced and attacked a large stone building, one 
 thousand yards from the kraal. They were received by 
 a very heavy fire from the Boers, who advanced in such 
 strength that Colonel Gildea thought it prudent to fall 
 back. This movement, covered by the horse, was 
 effected, the infantry taking no part in the fight. Cap- 
 tain Sanctuary and eight men were killed; Colonel 
 Gildea and eight others severely wounded. No further 
 sortie was made during the continuance of the war, but 
 the Boers did not venture to attack the British position. 
 
 The town of Potchefstroom stood in the district most 
 thickly inhabited by the Boers. On the 14th of Decem- 
 ber, when it was reported that a large number of Boers 
 were approaching, Colonel Winsloe, who commanded,, 
 sent Captain Falls with twenty men of the Twenty-first 
 Fusiliers, twenty-six men of a corps commanded by- 
 Commandant Raafr*, and sixteen civilian volunteers to- 
 hold the courthouse. The jail was garrisoned by twenty 
 fusiliers, and the fort and earthwork, of some thirty 
 yards square, situated about one thousand yards from 
 the courthouse, was held by one hundred and forty men 
 of the fusiliers and a detachment of artillerymen, with 
 two nine-pounders, under Major Thornhill. The three 
 posts were provisioned as well as circumstances per- 
 mitted. 
 
 On the 15th five hundred mounted Boers entered the 
 town. On the 16th fighting began in earnest, and the.' 
 firing was hot on both sides. A very heavy fire was kept 
 tip on the prison and courthouse. Half an hour after it 
 commenced Captain Falls was killed. For the next sixty 
 hours the firing continued night and day, and one of 
 the little garrison was killed and nine wounded. Dur- 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. %%% 
 
 ing the night the Boers broke into a stable close to the 
 courthouse, and from a distance of eight yards a heavy 
 fire was kept up. During this time Colonel Winsloe in 
 the fort had given what aid he could to the garrison of 
 the courthouse by shelling the building from which the 
 Dutch were firing upon it. On the evening of the 17th 
 he signaled to the garrison to retire on the fort; but, 
 being completely surrounded, they were unable to do 
 this. On the morning of the 18th the Boers attempted 
 to set fire to the thatch roof of the courthouse; and as 
 nothing in that case could have saved the garrison, 
 Major Clarke and Commandant Baaff agreed to surren- 
 der on the terms that the lives of all those in the court- 
 house should be spared. This was agreed to; but two 
 loyal Boers, who had been captured at an outpost, were 
 tried, condemned to death, and shot. On the 21st of 
 December the garrison of the prison, falling short of 
 provisions, evacuated, it, and succeeded in gaining the 
 fort without loss. The Boers occupied the post, but 
 were driven out by the shell-fire from the fort. Mr. 
 Kelson, the magistrate, was taken prisoner in the town 
 by the Boers, and kept in close confinement. Three of 
 his sons got into the fort, and took part in its defense. 
 Two of them, on a dark night, on the 19th of February, 
 got through the Boer lines, and carried dispatches from 
 Colonel Winsloe to Newcastle, arriving there on the 5th 
 of March, after many perils, not the least of which was 
 swimming the Vaal River when in full flood. 
 
 In the meantime the attack on the fort itself had been 
 uninterrupted. The very first evening the watercourse 
 from which the supply of water to the camp was taken 
 was cut. A well had already been commenced and sunk 
 to a depth of twenty feet, but no water had been ob- 
 tained. Fortunately the water-barrels had been filled an 
 hour or two before the supply was cut, but these only 
 
%$2 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 contained two quarts of water per man. The weather 
 "was terribly hot, and the work of the men in the in- 
 trenchments was very severe. 
 
 On the night of the 17th Lieutenant Lindsell, with 
 some of the drivers of the Eoyal Artillery, acting as 
 cavalry, and a company of the Twenty-first, went out to 
 fill the water-casks from a stream half a mile away from 
 the camp, and fortunately succeeded in doing so, the 
 Boers not being on the lookout in that direction. This, 
 gave a further supply of two quarts per man. 
 
 The work of sinking the well had been continued 
 without intermission, and a depth of thirty-six feet had 
 been attained, but still no water was met with. A re- 
 ward of five pounds was offered to the first party who 
 struck water, and the soldiers off duty commenced digging 
 in several places. At last, to the intense relief of the gar- 
 rison, a party of Eoyal Artillerymen found water at a 
 depth of nine feet. The well soon filled, and yielded 
 plenty of water during the remainder of the siege. 
 
 A desultory fire was kept up until the 1st of January,, 
 when, the Boers being strongly reinforced, two thousand 
 men surrounded the fort at a distance of five hundred 
 yards, and opened a heavy fire upon it. They did not, 
 however, venture to attack the little garrison. On tho 
 5th they occupied the, cemetery, three hundred yardt* 
 from the fort, but Lieutenant Lindsell with a party of 
 volunteers went out by moonlight and drove them out. 
 The Boers then commenced making trenches, gradually 
 approaching the fort; but on the 22d Lieutenant Dal- 
 rymple Hay went out, carried the position from which 
 the Boers had been most troublesome, and captured four 
 prisoners, some guns, ammunition, and trenching-tools. 
 From that time, although the Boers continued to throw 
 up trenches, they contented themselves with a desultory 
 iire. 
 
TEE TOUm COLONISTS. 233 
 
 The siege continued for three months and five days; 
 at the end of that time the whole of the provisions 
 ■were exhausted. Fever, dysentery, and scurvy had 
 broken out, and many of the garrison had died. Out of 
 two hundred and thirteen men eighty-three had been 
 killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. In fact an armis- 
 tice between the armies had at that time been proclaimed, 
 but Cronje, the Boer who commanded the attack, 
 treacherously concealed the fact from the garrison. 
 When only three days' quarter-rations remained the 
 garrison surrendered the fort, on the condition that they 
 should be allowed to march down to Natal. 
 
 Messengers had reached Cronje nine days before with 
 news of the armistice, but although he was aware of this 
 be continued the siege to the end, the firing during the 
 last week being heavier than at any time during the 
 siege — on two days alone one hundred and fifty round 
 shot fell on the fort. The Boers were afterward obliged 
 to allow that the surrender of the fort had been obtained 
 by treachery, and to agree to the garrison being rein- 
 stated. ' 
 
 Standerton is the first town of any size on the main 
 Toad from Natal to Pretoria, and is situated on the 
 north bank of the Vaal River. On the outbreak of 
 Hostilities two companies of the Ninety-fourth and one of 
 the Eighty-ninth marched from Wackerstroom to this 
 town, and Major Montague of the Ninety-fourth Regi- 
 ment arrived from Natal to take the command. The 
 total strength of the garrison consisted of about three 
 hundred and fifty soldiers and seventy civilians. The 
 Landdrost, J. C. Krogh, remained loyal and assisted in 
 the defense, three forts were erected on eminences round 
 the town, two outworks and many breastworks and rifle- 
 pits were dug, houses interfering with the line of fire 
 were pulled down, and other buildings in suitable posi- 
 
234 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 tions were barricaded and loopholed. The center point 
 of defense was a building known as Fort Alice, eight 
 hundred yards from the town, and a military camp was 
 formed on a height one mile and a quarter from this 
 point. Preparations were made to blow up some of the 
 buildings, should the Boers carry the town, mines being 
 dug and laid to the fort. A good store of provisions was 
 collected. 
 
 On the 29th a scout on a hill signaled a large number 
 of Boers were approaching Erasmus Farm, three miles 
 distant from Standerton. Captain Cassell, with sixteen 
 mounted volunteers, went out to reconnoiter. Two or 
 three scouts were thrown out, and these arrived within 
 six hundred yards of the farm; suddenly a number of 
 Boers made their appearance, and Mr. G. B. Hall, one 
 of the mounted volunteers, gallantly tried to cross their 
 line to warn his comrades of the coming danger. Gal- 
 loping in front of the Boers, his horse was shot under 
 him; taking shelter behind it, he opened fire on the 
 enemy, and so attracted the attention of his party. One 
 man could not long resist three hundred, and Hall was 
 soon killed. The alarm, however, had been given in 
 time, and the mounted men fell back on the camp, ex- 
 changing shots with the enemy. The Boers now took 
 up a position six hundred yards from the camp, and 
 kept up a heavy fire. Skirmishes occurred daily, and 
 the enemy harassing the garrison from a height called 
 Standerton Kop, Major Montague caused a dummy-gun, 
 mounted on two wagon -wheels, to be placed in the in- 
 trenchments; the sight of this frightened the Boers off 
 Standerton Kop. 
 
 On the 7th of January a Swazi, named Infofa, who 
 had greatly distinguished himself by his bravery in the 
 Secoceni War, but was now undergoing a term of penal 
 servitude for culpable homicide, performed an act off 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 235 
 
 singular bravery. The Boers had during the night 
 erected a pmall earthwork on the outside of the "Vaal 
 River; fou? hundred yards nearer the town stood a 
 house, an r 3 fearing that this might be occupied by the 
 Dutch, ?t was determined to destroy it. Infofa with a 
 party oi Kaffirs volunteered for the duty; he crossed the 
 river with his party, and the Kaffirs began to pull down 
 the house. Infofa, however, took his gun, and marched 
 boldly away to the Boer earthw'ork, four hundred yards 
 distant, to the astonishment of the lookers-on. It hap- 
 pened that q-'j the moment no Boers were present in the 
 works, and the man reached it without a shot being 
 fired at him; inside he found some tools, and with these 
 he deliberately set to work and leveled the breastwork; 
 1 his accomplished, he returned to the party. 
 
 Unt : i the end of the war the Boers were unable to 
 make any impression upon Standerton, and whenever 
 they approached too closely the garrison sallied out and 
 drov e them off. 
 
 A i Leydenberg fifty, men of the Ninety-fourth, under 
 Lieutenant Long, had been left, when the four com- 
 panies under Colonel Anstruther had marched away. 
 T?ie people of the town, when the news of the rising 
 arrived, offered to defend themselves with the troops 
 against attacks; but Lieutenant Long declined to accept 
 the offer. There were in the town two hundred and 
 twenty women and children, and ouly thirty-four white 
 men who could be relied on; there were no defenses and 
 no water supply, and as Lieutenant Long knew that 
 three or four months must elapse before a relieving 
 force could arrive, he decided that it would only cost 
 the townspeople their lives and property were they to 
 attempt to defend the place. He therefore advised 
 them to remain neutral, while he with his fifty soldiers 
 defended the fort. This they did, and the commandant 
 
236 THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 of the Boer foree, Piet Steyn, caused their property to 
 ■"be respected when he entered the town with his troops. 
 
 For three months Lieutenant Long defended the fort 
 gallantly against all attacks. At one time the enemy- 
 set fire to the thatch roof of one of the buildings, but 
 the soldiers succeeded in extinguishing it, although the 
 Boers kept up a heavy fire; during the night the defend- 
 ers stripped off the roofs of the remaining thatch build- 
 ings and so prevented a renewal of this form of attack. 
 The Boers cut off the water-supply, but the garrison 
 sunk wells, and succeeded in reaching water in time. 
 The casualties among the fifty men during the siege 
 were three killed and nineteen wounded. At the end 
 of the war a general order was published, conferring the 
 highest praise upon Lieutenant Long and his little gar- 
 rison, for the bravery and endurance which they had 
 shown in maintaining for three months a close siege r 
 and this without any hope of relief or succor. At the 
 conclusion of the war Lieutenant Long was so disgusted 
 at the humiliating terms of the treaty, and the sur- 
 render to the Boers, that he resigned his commission in 
 the army. 
 
 Marabadstadt, though called a village, consists oi only 
 seven or eight houses. Sixty men of the Ninety-fourth 
 under Captain Brook formed the garrison which was 
 stationed there to keep order after the Secoceni War, as 
 no less than five hundred thousand natives inhabit the 
 surrounding district. Fortunately the races were being 
 held at the time when the news of the massacre of the 
 Ninety-fourth arrived, and the English inhabitants of the 
 neighborhood who were present at once responded to the 
 call of Captain Brook to aid in the defense, and thirty 
 white men and fifty half-castes enrolled themselves as 
 volunteers. The Boers attacked in considerable force, 
 having with them two cannon; but the fort held out 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 237 
 
 until the end of the war, the garrison making many 
 sorties when the Boers brought up their guns too close. 
 At Rustenberg and Wackerstroom a successful defense 
 was also maintained throughout the war by the British 
 and loyalists; but no incidents of importance marked 
 the siege of those piaces. 
 
338 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS, 
 
 CHAPTER XX,' 
 
 laing's neck. 
 
 On" the 24th of January General Colley's little column, 
 consisting of the Fifty-eighth, a battalion of the Six- 
 tieth, a small naval brigade, one hundred and seventy 
 mounted infantry, and six guns, moved out from New- 
 castle; they took with them an amount of baggage-train 
 altogether out of proportion to their force, as in addition 
 to their own baggage and ammunition they were taking 
 up a considerable amount of the latter for the use of the 
 troops besieged in the various towns in the Transvaal. 
 
 Mr. Humphreys and Jackson rode over to Newcastle 
 to see them start, and the lads sat chatting to them on 
 their horses, as the column filed by. 
 
 "I don't like the look of things, father," Dick said, 
 "and if you had seen the way the Boers polished off the 
 Ninety-fourth, I am sure you wouldn't like it either. If 
 we are attacked by them the troops would for the most 
 part be wanted to guard this huge baggage-train, and I 
 am sure, from what I have seen of the Boers, the only 
 way to thrash them is to attack them quickly and sud- 
 denly. If you let them attack you, you are done for. 
 Their shooting is ten times as good as that of the troops; 
 they are accustomed, both in hunting and in their 
 native wars, to depend each man on himself, and they 
 would hang round a column like this, pick the men oft" 
 at long distances, and fall upon them in hollows and 
 bushes; while, whenever our fellows tried to take the 
 
TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 239 
 
 offensive, they would mount their horses and ride away, 
 only to return and renew the attack as soon as the troops 
 fell back to the wagons. Besides, with such a train of 
 wagons we can only crawl along, and the Boers will have 
 time to fortify every position. I wonder, at any rate, 
 that General Colley does not push forward in light 
 marching order and drive the Boers at once out of Natal, 
 and cross the river into the Transvaal; then he would 
 have a flat, open country before him, and could bring 
 the wagons up afterward." 
 
 "What you say seems right enough, Dick," his father 
 answered; "but General Colley has the reputation of 
 being an excellent officer." 
 
 "I have no doubt that he is an excellent officer, father; 
 but he has had no experience whatever in the Boers' 
 style of fighting; he knows that they have often been de- 
 feated by natives, and I fancy he does not value them 
 highly enough. They cannot stand a quick, sudden 
 attack, and that's how the natives sometimes defeat 
 them, but at their own game of shooting from behind 
 rocks I believe that they are more than a match for 
 regular troops. However, we shall see. As I am not 
 going as a combatant I shall be able to look on quietly, 
 and fortunately the Boers are not like Zulus, and there 
 is no fear of non-combatants and prisoners being mas- 
 sacred. If there were, I tell you fairly, father, that I 
 would cry off, and let the wagons go without me, for I do 
 believe that things will not turn out well," 
 
 "Well, I hope you are wrong, Dick. But you have 
 seen so much fighting in this country during the last 
 two years that your opinion is certainly worth some- 
 thing. However, there is one satisfaction, there are a 
 number of troops now landing at Durban and on the 
 march up; so that if this little force does get a check, 
 it will soon be retrieved. Now, good-by, lad; mind, if 
 
240 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 there is an attack on the wagons, take as little part in it 
 as you can, arid stick to the position of non-combatants. 
 If they would have had us as volunteers, we would have 
 done our best; but as they have declined to accept the 
 offer of the colonists, let them fight it out their own 
 way. If they get beaten and the Boers swarm into 
 Natal, as in that case they certainly will do, the colo- 
 nists will take the matter in hand by themselves, and if 
 we don't send the Dutchmen packing back faster than 
 they come, I am a Dutchman myself." 
 
 Had Sir George Colley pushed on rapidly with his 
 column, he would have passed all the points at which the 
 Boers could have taken up strong defensive positions 
 before they could gather in force to oppose him, as he 
 had the choice of three or four different lines of advance, 
 and until the one by which he would travel was known 
 the Boer. army was forced to remain inactive, awaiting his 
 disposition. As soon, however, as he had left Newcastle, 
 and it was known by them that he had started along the 
 line of road to ibe west of Newcastle, they moved their 
 whole force to oppose him, and took post on a position 
 known as Laing's Neck, at a spot where the road had to 
 cross over a steep and difficult ridge. Here they set to 
 work to throw up intrenchments, and the leisurely, and 
 indeed dilatory, advance of the British gave them ample- 
 time for this. Although the distance from Newcastle 
 to Laing's Neck was but twenty-five miles, and the 
 column, unimpeded by baggage, could by a forced march 
 have seized the position on the very day of their leaving 
 Newcastle, and long before the Boers could have moved 
 their army to reinforce the little body who occupied the 
 position as corps of observation, no less than six days 
 elapsed before Sir George Oolley's force arrived before 
 T .)aing's Neck. 
 
 This time was spent in frequent halts, in improving 
 
T3E YOUNG C0L0M8T8. 241. 
 
 the roads, bridging the streams, and other similar opera- 
 tions, all useful enough in their way, but fatal to the 
 success of a flying column, whose object was to strike a 
 sudden blow at the enemy, and to secure the road and 
 passes as far as the frontier, in order to facilitate the 
 march of the main column of invasion, which was on its 
 way up from the coast. Dick and Tom chafed under the 
 long delays, and twice rode home and spent a day with 
 their parents. 
 
 At last, however, the column was in front of the 
 enemy's position. The Boers, who were some three 
 thousand strong, held a strong position on the line of the 
 crest of the ridge with breastworks thrown up in front. 
 The total force of Sir George Colley consisted of but 
 eight hundred and seventy infantry, together with the 
 mounted men and guns; and to attack such a -position, 
 with a chance of success, every man should have been 
 sent against the intrenchments. General Colley, how- 
 ever, seems at the last moment to have been alarmed for 
 the safety of his baggage, which was menaced by parties 
 of Boers on his left flank. He therefore prepared to 
 attack with only .five companies of the Fifty-eighth — > 
 that is, but little more than two hundred and fifty men, 
 keeping the whole 'of the rest of the infantry in reserve, 
 but ordering the mounted infantry to assist in the attack 
 — a service which upon such ground they were alto- 
 gether unfitted to perform. The result of such an arrange- 
 ment as this was inevitable. Tom and Dick could 
 scarcely believe their eyes when they saw this handful of 
 men advancing up the steep hill, at whose summit was a 
 force more than ten times as numerous, and composed 
 of some of the finest marksmen \ri the world. The six 
 English guns opened fire to cover the advance, and the 
 fifty-eighth went gallantly up the hill. As soon as they 
 approached the crest a tremendous fire of musketry was 
 
242 THS TOTING COLONISTS. 
 
 opened upon them by the Boers lying behind the in- 
 trenchments. The men were literally swept away by 
 the fire. Gallantly led by their officers, they pressed 
 forward until within a few yards of the breastworks; 
 then the Boers leaped to their feet, sprang over the 
 works, and fell upon them. Colonel Deane, Major 
 Poole, Lieutenant Elwes, and Lieutenant Bailey were 
 killed, and no less than one hundred and eighty of the 
 little force were killed, wounded, or taken prisoners. 
 Few even of the survivors would have escaped had not 
 the mounted infantry, who had ascended the spur at a 
 point further to the right, made a gallant charge along 
 the crest of the hill and checked the pursuit. The 
 main body of the British advanced a short distance to 
 make a demonstration, and prevent the Boers from fol- 
 lowing up their success. The whole column then fell 
 back four miles, to the ground which they had occupied 
 the night before. The gallantry displayed by the Fifty- 
 eighth and mounted infantry was the sole redeeming 
 feature in the discreditable affair of Laing's Neck, where 
 defeat had been rendered almost certain by the previous 
 hesitation and delays, and was insured by the folly of 
 sending a mere handful of men to attack such a posi- 
 tion. As the British fell back the Boers advanced, 
 and at nightfall placed themselves on the road between 
 the camp and Newcastle, entirely cutting the force off 
 from its base, and threatening both them and the town 
 of Newcastle. 
 
 Several days passed, the attitude of the Boers became 
 more and more threatening, and General Colley deter- 
 mined at all hazards to open the way back to Newcastle. 
 On the morning of the 8th of February he naoved out 
 with five companies of the Sixtieth Eifles, two field and 
 two mountain guns, and a detachment of mounted in- 
 fantry; Dick and Tom obtained leave to ride back with 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 243 
 
 the mounted detachment. At a commanding post near 
 the Eiver Ingogo Sir George Colley left two mountain 
 guns and a company of Eifles as a garrison, and moved 
 forward with the rest of the column. The Eiver Ingogo 
 runs at the bottom of a deep ravine. Crossing this 
 the English force mounted to the top of the opposite 
 crest, but they had gone but a short distance further 
 when they were attacked on all sides by the Boers. 
 The troops were ordered at once to take shelter among 
 the bowlders and bushes, while the two guns from the top 
 of the eminence opened fire with shell upon the enemy. 
 
 Dick and Tom sought shelter with the rest, making 
 their horses lie down beside them, and were soon as 
 hotly engaged as the Eifles around them in answering 
 the heavy fire of the Boers. The fight began at twelve 
 o'clock, and raged without intermission for six hours; 
 sometimes the Boers attacked on one side of the posi- 
 tion, sometimes upon another. The ground was broken 
 and thickly strewn with bowlders and bushes, and fa- 
 vored by these the Boers crept up sometimes close to the 
 position held by the English. So accurate was their 
 shooting that none of the defenders could show his head 
 above shelter for a moment, and it was as much as they 
 could do to prevent the enemy from carrying the posi- 
 tion at a rush. The Sixtieth fought with the greatest 
 coolness and steadiness, and, numerous as were the 
 enemy, they could not muster up courage for the rush 
 which would have assuredly overwhelmed the little party 
 that they were attacking. The two English guns could 
 render but small service, the men being shot down as 
 fast as they stood up to load, and every officer, driver, 
 gunner, and horse was killed or wounded within half an 
 hour after the action commenced. So incessant indeed 
 was the rain of balls that the guns after the action were 
 spotted with bullet-marks so thickly that it would have 
 
UA TBE YOVm COLOmSTS. 
 
 b&en difficult to place the tip of the finger upon a place 
 unstruck by a ball. 
 
 When darkness put a stop to the fight one hundred 
 and sixty men — more than two-thirds of the force — were 
 killed or wounded. Among the former were Captain 
 MacGregor of the staff, Captain Green of the Eoyal Artil- 
 lery, and Lieutenants Green and O'Connell of the Six- 
 tieth; while Lieutenants Pixney, Parsons, Twistlewaite 
 and Haworth, all of the Sixtieth, were wounded. Had 
 the Boers taken advantage of the cover of darkness to 
 steal forward, they must have annihilated the little force; 
 but they believed that they had them in their power, for 
 the rain had fallen heavily, the Ingogo had risen, and 
 was, they thought, unfordable. General Colley ascer- 
 tained, however, that it was still possible to cross, and 
 with the greatest silence the survivors moved off from 
 their position, the storm helping to conceal the move- 
 ment from the Boers. Very quietly they moved down 
 to the steam, and with the greatest difficulty succeeded 
 in crossing; then picking up on their way the company 
 and guns which had been left on the eminence beyond, 
 the column reached camp in safety. 
 
 In the meantime reinforcements had been pushing 
 forward from the sea as fast as possible, and on the 
 17th the column under Sir Evelyn Wood arrived 
 at Newcastle, to the great joy of its inhabitants. For 
 days an attack by the Boers had been expected, in- 
 trenchments had been thrown up round the great con- 
 voy which had been collected to advance with the force 
 and all the inhabitants who could bear arms, and many 
 settlers from the surrounding country, had come in to 
 aid in the defense, should the Boers attack it. 
 
 The arrival of the relieving column insured the safety 
 of the town, and the Boers between Newcastle and Gen- 
 eral Colley's little camp at once fell back to their old 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 245 
 
 position on Laing's Neck, leaving the road open. Gen- 
 eral Colley and his staff rode in from Prospect Hill, the 
 name of the camp, and had a consultation with General 
 Wood. The Ninety-second Eegiment marched out and 
 reinforced General Colley's column. 
 
 The Boers' position at Laing's Neck was commanded 
 by a lofty and ragged mountain, called Majuba Hill, on 
 its right, and the occupation of this hill by the British 
 would render the position untenable. It would have 
 been an admirable military movement to seize this hill 
 when the whole force was collected at the camp in readi- 
 ness to advance, as, with their flank turned and a force 
 advancing for a direct attack, the Boers must at once 
 have retreated, but General Colley most unfortunately 
 desired to retrieve the two defeats he had suffered, by 
 compelling the Boers to fall back, before the arrival on 
 the scene of Sir Evelyn Wood with the main body. He 
 believed, no doubt, and with reason, that Majuba Hill 
 once captured would be impregnable against any attack 
 which might be made against it. 
 
 Accordingly, on the night of the 26th, with twenty 
 officers and six hundred and twenty-seven men drawn 
 from the Fifty-eighth, Sixtieth, Ninety-second, and naval 
 brigade, he started from the camp with the intention of 
 seizing the hill. The night was a dark one, and the 
 march across the unknown country difficult in the ex- 
 treme. The intervening ground was cut up by steep 
 valleys and rapid ascents, and for hours the troops strug- 
 gled up and down these places, many of which would 
 have been difficult to climb by daylight. At last, after 
 immense labor, the force reached the foot of Majuba 
 Hill, having taken six hours in accomplishing a distance 
 which, as the crow flies, is little more than four miles. 
 At a commanding point near the foot of the hill two 
 hundred men were left, to keep open the communica- 
 
246 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 tion; the main body kept on until they reached the sum- 
 mit, just before daylight, the Boers being entirely in 
 ignorance of the movement which had taken place. The 
 position was of immense natural strength, as it was only 
 at a few points that an ascent could be made. On the 
 summit was a plateau, so that all the troops not actually 
 engaged in repelling assaults could lie down perfectly 
 secure from the fire from below. At sunrise the Boers 
 "Z'Sl'l -J seen moving about in their lines. Ai *«#& 
 laterality of mounted vedettes were seen trotting out 
 toward the hill, which during the day they used as a 
 post of observation; as they approached the outlying 
 pickets fired upon them. As the sound of the guns was 
 heard by the Boers below, a scene of the greatest confu- 
 sion and excitement was observed from the height to 
 prevail. Swarms of men were seen rushing hither and 
 thither; some to their arms, some to their horses, others 
 to their wagons, to which the oxen were at once har- 
 nessed, ready for a retreat in case of necessity. Then a 
 great portion of the Boers moved forward toward the 
 hill, with the evident intention of attacking it. 
 
 At seven o'clock the enemy opened fire, and the bullets 
 whistled up thickly round the edge of the. plateau. The 
 main body of the troops remained in the center of the 
 plateau, out of fire, small bodies being posted near the 
 edge to answer the fire of the Boers and prevent their 
 approaching the accessible points. For five hours the 
 musketry duel continued. So far its effect had been 
 trifling, a few men only being wounded. The position 
 appeared perfectly safe. The Boers were indeed 
 between the garrison of the hill and the camp, but the 
 former had three days' provisions with them, and could 
 therefore hold out until Sir Evelyn Wood arrived with 
 the main body for a direct attack upon the Boers' posi- 
 tion. 
 
THE YOUNG COLONISTS. 247 
 
 Between twelve and one o'clock the Boers' fire slack- 
 ened, and the besieged force thought that their assail- 
 ants were drawing off; this, however, was net the case. 
 Under cover of the shrubs and rocks the Boers were 
 creeping quietly up, and at one o'clock a terrific fire 
 suddenly broke out, and the enemy in great numbers 
 rushed up the short intervening distance between them- 
 selves and the scanty line of defenders on the edge of 
 the plateau; these, seized by panic, at once fled, and 
 the exulting Boers poured up on to the plateau and 
 opened a destructive fire upon the troops. 
 
 The scene which ensued was one of the most dis- 
 creditable in the annals of the British army. Although 
 armed with breech-loaders, and fully as numerous as the 
 assailants who had gained the crest of the kill, the re- 
 sistance offered was feeble in the extreme; had the 
 troops charged the Boers, the advantages of discipline 
 and of their vastly superior weapons would have been 
 irresistible, and they could have cleared the plateau as 
 speedily as it had been occupied. The great majority, 
 however, were seized with a wild panic, and, in spite of 
 the efforts of the officers, thought of nothing but seek- 
 ing safety in flight. A few stood and fired, but how 
 few these were can be judged from the fact that only oue 
 Boer was killed, one severely wounded, and four slightly 
 so; while half the British force were killed, wounded, or 
 taken prisoners, the remainder managing to escape down 
 the sides of the hill, and to join the force left at its foot, 
 or to hide in the bushes until night. Among the killed 
 were General Colley, Captain the Honorable C. Maude, 
 Surgeon-Major H. Cornish, Surgeon A. Landon, and Lieu- 
 tenant Trower of the naval brigade; eight officers were 
 killed, and seven taken prisoners; eighty-six men were 
 killed, one hundred and twenty-five wounded, fifty-one 
 taken prisoners, and two missing. The fight, such as it 
 
248 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 was, lasted five minutes. The force which had been left 
 at the bottom of the hill, under Captain Eobertson, was 
 also attacked; but, being admirably led by that officer, 
 fought its way back to the camp with but small loss, the 
 guns there assisting to cover its retreat. 
 
 The boys had not accompanied the expedition, and 
 from the camp had watched the line of smoke round the 
 hill, and had joined in the laughter of the officers at the 
 idea of the Boers attacking so tremendously strong a 
 position. Intense was the astonishment in camp when a 
 wreath of smoke suddenly rose from the summit, and 
 when this cleared away, and all was quiet, and it became 
 evident that the Boers had carried the position, it was 
 difficult to say whether the feeling of dismay or humilia- 
 tion most prevailed. 
 
 With the defeat of Majuba Hill the war in the Trans- 
 vaal virtually terminated. When the news reached Eng- 
 land the government declared that the honor of the 
 British flag should be vindicated, and great numbers of 
 troops were sent out to Natal; these marched up the 
 country, and were in readiness to assault the Boers' posi- 
 tion, when the English government suddenly gave way, 
 and granted to the Boers all that they demanded, the 
 sole provision insisted upon being a purely nominal sov- 
 ereignty on the part of the queen, and an equally nom- 
 inal protection for the natives — a clause in the treaty 
 which, from that time to this, no attempt whatever has 
 been made to enforce. Not only were the natives prac- 
 tically abandoned to the mercy of the Boers, to be shot 
 down or enslaved at their will, as in former times, but 
 the English settlers, who had for months made such a 
 noble defense in every town in the Transvaal, were aban' 
 doned, and the greater portion of them, ruined and 
 plundered, have long since left the country where, rely- 
 ing upon the empty promises and vain guarantee of Eng- 
 
8 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 249 
 
 land, they had embarked their fortunes. A more dis- 
 graceful and humiliating chapter in English history than 
 the war in the Transvaal, and the treaty which con- 
 cluded it, is not to be found. 
 
 After the battle of Majuba Hill Dick and Tom re- 
 turned to their farms, resolved to have nothing further 
 to do with the business; there they have remained 
 steadily since that time. Mr. Humphreys' plantation of 
 trees now covers a great extent of ground, and promises 
 fully to answer his expectations of eventual profit. 
 Those first planted are attaining large size, and the 
 thinning brings in a considerable annual income. His 
 wagons are fully employed in taking down fruit to 
 Pieter-Maritzburg. In another ten years Mr. Hum- 
 phreys expects that he will be a very wealthy man; he is 
 thinking next year of paying a visit, with his wife and 
 two sons, to England, where John will be left to finish 
 his education and pass through college, with a view of 
 eventually entering the Church. Dick is quite con- 
 tented with his life; he has taken no further part in 
 trading expeditions into the interior, although the profit 
 realized in the venture under Mr. Harvey was considera- 
 ble, but there is plenty of work on the farm to occupy 
 his time. A large number of natives are employed in 
 planting operations, and since the first year Mr. Hum- 
 phreys has raised all his own trees from seeds. The 
 breeding of cattle and horses has been abandoned, only 
 a small herd and a flock of sheep being kept for home 
 requirements, as it is found that the ever-increasing 
 plantation and the great orchards of fruit-trees are quite 
 sufficient to occupy their attention. 
 
 Mr. Jackson, too, is prospering greatly; influenced by 
 the example of his neighbor, he too has gone in for 
 planting, although on a much smaller scale than Mr. 
 Humphreys, bis means being insufficient to carry out 
 
250 TEE YOUNG COLONISTS. 
 
 such extensive operations. Tom and Dick are as great 
 friends as ever, and when they can be sparGd often go 
 out together on a deer-hunting expedition. Tom is en- 
 gaged to the daughter of a trader in Newcastle; Dick, 
 laughing, says that he shall look out for a wife when he 
 gets to England. The prospects would be altogether 
 bright for the emigrants from Derbyshire, were it not 
 for the trouble which the weakness of the British gov- 
 ernment, in sending back Oetewayo to Zululand, brought 
 about, and from the increasingly bad feeling growing up 
 between the Boers and the natives, owing to the constant 
 aggressions of the latter, and their ill-treatment of the 
 natives, in defiance of the agreements in the treaty with 
 the British government. If the day should come when 
 the natives at last rise and avenge upon the Boers the 
 accumulated injuries of many years, neither Dick Hum- 
 phreys nor Tom Jackson will be inclined to lift a hand 
 to save the Boers from their well-merited fate. The 
 example of the successful resistance offered by the 
 Basutos to the whole power of the Cape government has 
 had an immense effect among the native tribes-of South 
 Africa, and sooner or later the colonists there will have 
 a very serious crisis to pass through. Dick hopes that 
 this crisis will not occur in his time, for Mr. Humphreys 
 intends in another fifteen years, if he live so long, 
 when his first-planted trees will have gained maturity, 
 to divide his great forest into lots, to sell off, and to re- 
 turn to his native land. Dick quite agrees in the plan, 
 and hopes some day to be settled with an abundant com- 
 petency in Old England. 
 
 THE ERD. 
 
LOVE LETTERS 
 
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 cloth, stamped with original desiens, 
 in inks, on backs and sides. 
 
 PRICE PER VOLUME, ?5 CENTS 
 
 "No more readable books for the young have ever been 
 printed than these fifteen volumes."— Book and Newsdealer. 
 
 Jack Harkaway's School 
 
 Days 
 Jack Harkaway After 
 
 School Days 
 Jack Harkaway Afloat 
 
 and Ashore 
 Jack Harkaway at Oxford, 
 
 Part 1 
 Jack Harkaway at Oxford, 
 
 Part 2 
 Jack Harkaway Among 
 
 the Brigands, Part 1 
 Jack Harkaway Among 
 
 the Brigands, Fart 2 
 Jack Harkaway's Adven- 
 tures Around the World 
 
 9 Jack Harkaway in Amer- 
 ica and Cuba 
 
 10 Jack Harkaway's Adven- 
 
 tures in China 
 
 11 Jack Harkaway's Adven- 
 
 tures in Greece, Part 1 
 
 12 Jack Harkaway's Adven- 
 
 tures in Greece, Pact 2 
 
 13 Jack Harkaway's Adven- 
 
 tures in Australia 
 
 14 Jack Harkaway and His 
 
 iioy Tinker, Part 1 
 
 15 Jack Harkaway and His 
 
 Boy Tinker, Part 2 
 
 For sale by all book and newsdealers or will be sent postpaid 
 upon receipt of price, in currency, money order or stamps, to any 
 address in the United States, Canada or Mexico. 
 
 M. A. DONOHUE & CO. 40 ™&£?&* *• 
 
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