Read Ebook: Stoneheart: A Romance by Aimard Gustave

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Ebook has 1573 lines and 62258 words, and 32 pages

Origin of Zulus--Their tribes--Senzagacone--Chaka--His wars--Innovations--Administration--Standing army--Death--Position of Zulus amongst kindred tribes--First contact with whites--The Boers--The English--Panda--His reign and death--Accession of Cetywayo--His promises to the English--Breaches of faith--The boundary question--Its origin and nature--The case of Sirayo--Its history--The Middle Drift affair--Other causes of war--The Ultimatum sent--Official declaration of war--State of the British forces--Cetywayo's army and its organization--Their tactics. 1

Plan of campaign--Native levies--Special service officers--The advance--Pearson's column--Glyn's column--Wood's column--Utrecht--First brush with the enemy--Difficulties of transport--Action on Inyezani--Pearson at Ekowe--Glyn's advance--Durnford's failure--Isandhlwana--Description of camp--The battle--Details--Reconnaissance and return of Lord Chelmsford--Rorke's Drift--Causes of Isandhlwana--Remarks. 24

Ekowe described--The fort--Guard for the frontier--Raid on Dabulamanzi's Kraal--Another raid--Life in Ekowe--Wood at Potter's Kraal--Capture of Baglusini--Skirmish and capture of cattle--Destruction of Manyanyoba Kraal--Colonel Rowlands--Capture of Makatees Kop--Junction with Wood--Camp at Kambula--Coming in of Oham--Disaster at Intombi Drift--Death of Moriarty--Rescue of Oham's wives and people--Events that led to the attack on Umbelini--The Zlobani--The attack--Details--Death of Campbell--Narrow escape of Wood--Death of Weatherly--St. Helena and H.M.S. "Shah." 67

Effects of Zlobani--Description of Kambula Camp--Desperate Zulu attack thereon--Description of the battle--Deaths of Lieutenants Bright and Nicholson--Gallant rescue by Captain Woodgate--Force and commanders of the Zulu attack--Their losses--The English losses--Fortifications at Kambula Kop--Block House--Arrival of despatches--Exciting scene. 132

Organization of column for relief of Ekowe--The march--Heliographic signals--Camp at Ginghilovo--Disposition of the troops--Zulu advance--The battle--English victory--Death of Colonel Northey--English losses--Zulu force and loss--Relief of Ekowe--Meeting of Pearson and Chelmsford--State of Ekowe garrison--Barrow's cavalry raid on Dabulamanzi's kraal--British sentry firing on British troops. 156

End of first period of the Zulu war--Organization of fresh advance--Reinforcements from England--Scene in Durban--Disembarkation of troops--Cavalry camp at Berea--Lord Chelmsford's arrival at Durban--His reception--Review of Lancers and King's Dragoon Guards at Cato Manor--Plan of new campaign--Composition of No. 1 column--Composition of No. 2 column--Cask bridge over Amatikula--Forts Crealock and Chelmsford--Wood's reconnaissance to Blood River--Description of Blood River and its scenery--Appearance of Buller's Light Horse--Removal of Wood's Kambula camp--Grandier's capture and escape--His tale--Description of Dabulamanzi and Cetywayo--Death of Dabulamanzi. 184

Lord Chelmsford with Wood at Kambula--Patrol by Buller--Capture of cattle--Scene from Kambula Kop--Zulu attack on patrol--Removal of Wood's camp to Mayegwhana--Wood's force--Scarcity of drivers and voorlopers--Newdigate at Conference Hill--Fort and dep?t at Conference Hill--Work of No. 1 column--Exciting incident with a convoy--Distribution of troops--Forts on the Tugela, Inyezani, and at Ginghilovo--System of guards and precautions against surprises--All ready for the advance--Recapitulation of military situation--Newdigate's forts at Landsman's Drift--Arrangements for garrisons in rear of advance--The Lower Tugela command--Patrol by Wood and Buller in direction of Isandhlwana--Second patrol by Buller--Zulu attack--The Prince Imperial on patrol--Reconnaissance in force to Isandhlwana and burial of the dead. 221

Advance of the 2nd column--Landsman's Drift to Kopje Allein--Description of camp--Plan of campaign--Discovery of Port Durnford--It becomes the base of 1st division--Troops composing 1st column--Crealock's journey to Durnford. 256

Death of the Prince Imperial--Lieutenant Carey's account--Discrepancies in and comments thereon--Feeling in the camp--Expedition under General Marshall to search for the body--Description of the spot--Recovery of the body--Court-martial on Carey. 268

March of the 2nd column--Kopje Allein--Climate of the locality--Sickness among the troops--Evil effects of Cardwell's system--Embassy from Zulu chiefs--Cavalry skirmish--Death of Adjutant Frith--Difficulties of transport--Reinforcement of Wood--Appointment of Sir Garnet Wolseley--Opinion of the troops thereon--Alleged inhumanities--The helioscope. 295

Advance of 1st column--Description of route--Forts Crealock and Chelmsford--Causes of delay--Sickness of troops and its origin--Capture of cattle--Proposals for peace by Umsintwanga--His interview with Crealock--Surrender of Umguelumgwizi--Advance of 2nd division--Details of troops composing it--A fortified kraal--Fort built by Wood on the Umlatoosi--Patrol by Buller--Burning of five kraals in the Usipexi district--Amhlabatini--Dep?t there described--Envoys from Cetywayo--Advance to White Umvolosi--Wood's camp--Lord Chelmsford's ultimatum to Cetywayo. 311

Raid across the Umvolosi by Buller--Gallant rescue of a sergeant by Lord William Beresford--Buller's losses--Umvolosi crossed by the main body--Formation of troops into square--Total numbers--Firing of kraals--Advance of Zulus from Ulundi--The Zulu attack--Repulse of Zulus--Pursuit by Cavalry--Death of Wyatt-Edgell--Losses of both sides--Withdrawal of English army--Effects of the battle of Ulundi--Surrender of 700 Zulus to Crealock--Cause of retreat after Ulundi--Resignation of Lord Chelmsford--His farewell parade--Epitome of work done by 1st column, and why it was not present at Ulundi--Ondini burnt by Barrow. 337

Arrival of Sir Garnet Wolseley--Reception at Durban--Changes made by Wolseley--His plans for the future--Attempt to land at Port Durnford and its failure--Sir Garnet at St. Paul's--Grand council of Zulu chiefs--Resignation of General Crealock--His farewell to his troops at Camp Umlalasi--F?tes in honour of Lord Chelmsford--Wolseley at Pietermaritzburg--Disturbances in Pondoland and Transvaal--Wolseley at Rorke's Drift--McLeod and the Swazis--Their appearance and habits--Wolseley at Intanjaneni--Surrender of guns by Mbelebele--Adhesion of various chiefs. 359

Plans for the capture of Cetywayo--The Jantjis--Vijn's appearance at Victoria--His narrative--Its consequences--Despatch of Major Barrow and Lord Gifford in pursuit of the king--Their march--Description of country traversed--Gifford and Maurice sent on by Barrow--Marches and countermarches--Physical characteristics of country; its flora and fauna--Visit to kraal of friendly Zulus--Capture of two of the king's attendants--Women of the king's household captured--Captain and twenty Basutos join Lord Gifford--Gifford's stratagem to obtain information of the king's hiding-place--Cetywayo's refuge discovered--Forced night-march--Message to Major Marter--His arrival on the scene--Capture of the king. 379

NOTES 406

THE STORY OF THE ZULU CAMPAIGN

Origin of Zulus--Their tribes--Senzagacone--Chaka--His wars--Innovations--Administration--Standing army--Death--Position of Zulus amongst kindred tribes--First contact with whites--The Boers--The English--Panda--His reign and death--Accession of Cetywayo--His promises to the English--Breaches of faith--The boundary question--Its origin and nature--The case of Sirayo--Its history--The Middle Drift affair--Other causes of war--The Ultimatum sent--Official declaration of war--State of the British forces--Cetywayo's army and its organization--Their tactics.

The Emashlabatini country was originally occupied by a small tribe called the Abanguni; of its more ancient kings little is known beyond that they seem to have been of peaceful habits, making no wars, but breeding cattle; also that the name of one was Zulu. In their own country the appellation of Abanguni in course of time died out, though still used by their neighbours, and for it was substituted Abakwa-Zulu , Zulu and Undabezita. The tribe was composed of several families or clans, each having its own chieftain. In the time of Cetywayo's reign the names of these clans and their respective chiefs were as follows:--The Uhutilezi, a family having two branches; Umnyama, Cetywayo's prime minister, was chief of one, and Umtyubane of the other; the Ubixela and Umgazi, who were divisions of one family, the former owning Umvumhlana as chief, the latter Sigodi--subsequently slain at Isandhlwana--whose predecessor was Panda's prime minister Masipula, and his successor Mapoko; the Umtombelo and Umblalosi, also two branches of one family, whose respective chiefs were Mabanda and Segetwayo; the Uquabe, whose chief was named Rouhlo; the Uzimgu, whose chieftain rejoiced in the appellation of Unfanawenklela; the Fakazi, whose chief was Umkasana; the Umtanzi, with a chieftain Umbono by name; and the Igazi, whose head was Umkanyile; the Amagungebe, their chief was the notorious Sirayo; the Ukanyile, whose chief was Upagatwayo; the Ulanga, their chief Umhlaka; the Umpingose, whose chief was Ganse; and the Umhloben, a scattered family having no head.

The word Zulu, or Undabezita, was invariably employed in addressing any member of these families, whatever his rank or station might happen to be.

The first king of whom any particulars are known was Senzagacone, son of Ufaina. When this king began to reign he had no legitimate offspring: he had, however, a natural son by Unamdi, daughter of Umkeki, chief of the Langmene tribe, named Chaka . He afterwards married this Unamdi, by whom he had a daughter Nuncoba, but no sons. She being his favourite wife, the king, according to the custom of the country, "gave her for a son," his natural son Chaka, thus legitimating him. When Chaka was fifteen, his father, thinking he might become troublesome, sent to kill him; but Chaka, being warned, fled to Dingiswayo, chief of the Umtwetwa, where he remained until the king's death, though on the occasion of his legitimation an invitation was given him to return to the paternal kraal.

Meanwhile Chaka had become an Induna of great influence and popularity in the land of his refuge; so when on the death of Senzagacone the Zulu tribe sent to him requesting him to be their king, and he consented, all the tribes through which he passed on his way to the Zulus accompanied him; and the whole of the Zulu clans assembled to meet him, and he was made king with great rejoicings. In the interim between Senzagacone's death and Chaka's accession, Umkaibye ruled the Zulus and arranged for Chaka's return. It was now that the jealousy long smouldering between the Umdwandwe and the Umtwetwa, the two most powerful tribes in that part of Africa, broke into an open quarrel. Uzwidi, chief of the former, attacked and utterly routed the latter, killing their chief, Dingiswayo, Chaka's friend and protector. The worsted tribe naturally applied to Chaka for help. Thereupon Uzwidi immediately marched to attack the Zulus, and a great battle ensued on the south of the White Umvolosi. The result was that the left wing of either army was victorious; but both lost so heavily that they retired to their respective countries.

On his retreat, Chaka was attacked by the Langmeni, but failing in their assault, this tribe then deserted their own country and joined the Umdwandwe. Having defeated another coast tribe which assailed him, Chaka occupied both these countries, leaving the Emashlabatini district waste and uninhabited.

In the following year an immense expedition was despatched against the Sotshangana, a people dwelling across the Somba Mountains, beyond Delagoa Bay.

So large was this army that Zululand was almost denuded of warriors, an event which was taken advantage of by Dingaan and five more of the king's brothers, to treacherously fall upon Chaka, whom they slew, together with his chief councillor, Umxamana.

The benefits conferred on his people by Chaka can hardly be over-estimated; he had raised them from a small tribe to a nation, and that nation a dominant one. As the Quirites were amongst the component tribes of the earlier Roman kingdom, so were the Zulus or Undabezita amongst the various tribes subject to the central Zulu authority, and curiously enough this resemblance extends still further; the Quirites were subdivided into gentes, or families, each with a distinctive name, and in a precisely similar manner, as has been before stated, the Undabezita were divided into sub-tribes or clans, each with its own gentile or family name. Nor were his people ungrateful to the memory of their first great king, for after the time of Chaka, the bastard, that name was never employed in its original signification, but to the present day a substitute, "Umlandhwana," is always used by a Zulu to express that idea.

That Chaka was not averse to civilization and white men was evinced by his treatment of Fynn and five others who were rescued from a shipwreck in St. Lucia Bay. He even went so far as to accompany Fynn the whole way to Durban, to see him embark on a ship sent round from Cape Town for him, and to send at considerable expenditure in the shape of cattle two envoys to England, which he contemplated visiting himself, if their report should prove favourable. But this latter project failed in consequence of the king's murder, and the messengers got no further than Cape Town.

A year or two after his departure Fynn returned, and with Chaka's sanction established a trading-station at Durban . Once Fynn and some white men, being called upon for aid, assisted Chaka to punish a refractory tribe. When Chaka's army for the second time invaded the Pondos, it was through Fynn's representations that they would come into collision with the white men that the army proceeded no further.

On the army returning from the Sotshangana expedition, Panda, a brother of Chaka, was requested to assume the chief authority, but he declined, so Dingaan became king. Dingaan commenced his reign by killing all his brothers, except Panda, and all the late king's most trusted ministers. This caused great uneasiness amongst the chiefs, one of whom named Umquetu wishing therefore to withdraw from Dingaan's rule, departed with all his clan and cattle to the south. Coming into collision with the Pondos they were extirpated; hereupon Dingaan despatched an army to recover the cattle, which he regarded as his, from the Pondos. About the same time another chief, Umzilikazi, also revolted, and withdrew himself to the spot where Pretoria now stands. An expedition was in a similar manner despatched against him, and after capturing nearly all his cattle, returned therewith to the king.

Meanwhile the Boers had appeared on the scene at Natal, and they now claimed from Dingaan a considerable quantity of the cattle captured from Umzilikazi, alleging it had been originally stolen from them. To this Dingaan replied by bidding them recover some cattle that a petty chief had taken from him. Having done this and imprisoned the captured chief at Maritzburg, the Boers again applied for their own cattle, and a party under the command of one Peter Retief was sent to Dingaan. There now ensued a game of "diamond cut diamond," the Boers trying to outwit the king and capture him in his kraal, and Dingaan acting in much the same way to the Boers. The exact course of events is unknown, but for certain in the result Retief and his party were surprised and slain . Dingaan then invaded Natal, slaughtered many of the Boers, and captured much cattle. His forces penetrated as far as Ladismith, whence, after a heavy repulse in an attack on the Dutch laager, they retired home. Encounters from time to time continued to occur between the Zulus and the Boers with varying success to either side, till at length a peace was patched up. Panda showed himself so active in this war as to excite Dingaan's jealousy, in consequence of which he, with all his people went over and joined the Boers. Soon after this the Boers, in conjunction with Panda, invaded Zululand. The great fight occurred at Magongo, on the Umkusi river. Dingaan was utterly defeated, and retiring with a few attendants beyond the Bomba range, was killed by the Swazis. Panda now became king, and peace was made between the Zulus and Boers, the former ceding to the latter the Natal territory as far as the Tugela.

It was about this time that there occurred a struggle at Natal between the English and Dutch, in which the latter, being worsted, retired to the Utrecht district, where they received permission from Panda to dwell; Utrecht, it is said, being assigned as their outside limit.

Panda waged no more external wars, but lived peaceably in his kraal, breeding cattle. Most conspicuous amongst the sons of Panda were Cetywayo and Umbulazi; these two, having quarrelled, waged a sort of civil war one against the other, and in the result Umbulazi was defeated and killed. Amongst the army of Umbulazi were John Dunn and about thirty other white men armed with rifles. Cetywayo then quarrelled with another brother, and the same state of disorder continued till Panda's death, which occurred in October, 1872.

Cetywayo being thereupon accepted as king by the Zulu nation, applied to the English Government to recognize him. Accordingly, Sir Theophilus--then Mr.--Shepstone was sent as envoy, and publicly crowned Cetywayo at the Umlambongmenya kraal, on which occasion he spoke thus to the assembled Zulus: "Here is your king. You have recognized him as such, and I now do also, in the name of the Queen of England. Your kings have often met violent deaths at the hands of their people, but if you kill this one, we shall surely require his blood of you." He then went on to say, "that as the English had recognized him as king, they would expect him to give all men a fair trial before condemnation. Even a witch should be let off, and merely sent away to another district." To this the Zulus returned that they would kill any man who went with the king's women, any man who ran away with another's wife, any thief of cattle, royal or otherwise; that a witch should not be put to death on a first accusation, but should any persist in witchcraft, he should be killed. And to this Shepstone signified his assent. The chiefs then rose in a body and said, "We will so govern the country under our King Cetywayo, and we look to England to support him as the king of the Zulu nation." Shepstone replied that he hoped the Zulus would live peaceably under the new king, whom England would expect to adhere to the terms to which he had just assented.

But these promises were broken on more than one occasion. Cetywayo having called up his army, and finding them tardy in response, and many absentees on the plea of illness, forthwith sent a regiment to slay all those thus absent, saying, "Sick men are no good; I will save the doctors the trouble of attending them." Again, one of the divisions of females being ordered to marry a certain regiment, objected that they were too few. Another regiment was named, and further objections raised. Then an impi was sent to punish these women, and a great number were killed. Great abuses in the practice of "smelling out" by witch-doctors also prevailed, though in this respect Cetywayo appears slightly better than his predecessors.

It is now time to turn attention to what is called the Boundary Question.

It has been previously stated that in Panda's time the Boers had settled in the Utrecht district. From time to time cattle undoubtedly was passed between the Boers and the Zulu king. The former assert that it was the price for the absolute ownership of the land they occupied, whilst on behalf of Cetywayo it is urged that it was merely a tribute from the Boers, whose outside limit had been fixed at Utrecht. Be this as it may, there kept occurring at frequent intervals outrages, robberies, and reprisals on either side, Sirayo, whose kraal was nearest the border, being the most prominent actor in these scenes.

Umbelini also now appeared, to further complicate matters. Originally a Swazi, he had fled from his native land, and settled in Zululand, together with his uncle Umbeliani and his people. This uncle joined the Boers, taking his cattle with him. Land was assigned to Umbeliani by the Boers close to where Umbelini was dwelling. No sooner, therefore, had the former built himself a kraal than the latter attacked and destroyed it. Thus ensued a contest between the Boers and Umbelini. The Boers drove Umbelini from his stronghold, but failed to capture him. He, retreating, erected a new kraal on the Dumbe range, north of the Zlobani, whence he continued to make raids into Swaziland and the Transvaal, which had now become British soil.

At Cetywayo's coronation this vexed question of the boundary had been referred to Mr. Shepstone, and he, in accordance with a promise then given, subsequently met the Zulu envoys at Conference Hill to hear their claims in this matter. They then claimed the Buffalo river as their original and proper boundary. In reply, Mr. Shepstone said that he considered this was asking too much; but that a fair line would be the Blood river and the old hunting road running close by the Kambula Kop to the Pongola or Zulu side of Luneberg. He would, however, examine the question more closely before coming to a final decision, which, when arrived at, would be communicated to them.

During all this time the Zulu army had been growing more and more restless, and the younger men especially were clamorous for an opportunity of "washing" their spears. For this sole purpose they contemplated a raid on the Swazis, then in alliance with England. But on Cetywayo's applying to the British Government for its sanction to this project, it naturally declined to allow its allies to be thus wantonly attacked.

There also existed amongst the Zulu an intense antipathy to the Boers; and Cetywayo, after his capture, himself admitted that had the Transvaal not been annexed, it was a mere question of time how soon a war broke out between his people and the Dutch settlers; nor can this afford much ground for wonder, when the characteristics of a Boer are had well in mind. The typical Boer is doubtless a pattern of hospitality, simplicity of heart, fondness for his home and family, and of those general domestic attributes which are so dear to an Englishman. But in his relations and contact with the native races and real owners of the soil, the Dutch Boer seems to lose all sense of reason and justice, and to remember only those early and blood-stained annals of pioneering, when the white man and the black neither gave nor asked for quarter in their struggle for supremacy in the land. Indeed his intolerance of a native is so intense that he cannot be induced to look upon him as a human being, but he regards the unfortunate aboriginal as a wild beast to be hunted and shot down. But the Boer has his fairer side, although his type has as yet been unchangeable. As he existed when he ruled in Cape Colony in 1808, so he now exists in the present day in his settlements in the interior. He is uneducated, uncultivated, unprogressive, and obstinate; but he developes qualities under adverse circumstances which must command English respect. He is certainly domestic as far as his own family circle is concerned, but, at the same time, the reverse of gregarious in regard to the world in general. When he first commences to farm and settle he likes to possess not less than 6000 and not more than 20,000 acres of good undulating "veldt." When he has obtained this, he starts in his waggon with his wife, his children, his scanty supply of goods and chattels, his cattle and sheep, and his only literature, the family Bible. He selects a good spring of water, being careful that no neighbour is located within at least ten miles. He builds his house with one large central hall, with the kitchen in rear, and four or five bedrooms opening out of the hall, all on the ground floor, and sometimes with a wide verandah outside. Kraals for his cattle, fences to his garden, and enclosures of 50 or 100 acres, are quickly run up; and so fertile is the soil and so favourable the climate, that in four or five years his garden will be full of oranges, lemons, citrons, peaches, apricots, figs, apples, pears, and vines. His herds and flocks multiply, his wheat and Indian corn thrive, and thus he lives in a rude but grateful abundance. His sons arrive at manhood and marry; his daughters are sought as wives, and if the land is good and plenty they remain and farm near, and for each generation and new family a new house is built a few hundred yards from the original. More acres with each generation are brought under the plough, and the man who is a good farmer, good father, and good husband cannot be brought to see that he must not covet his neighbour's land when that neighbour happens to be a black man! Without sentiment, without

Don Torribio raised himself up, supporting himself on one elbow, and passed his hand across his forehead, as if to recall his thoughts.

"Who are you?" he said in a feeble tone.

"Friends, se?or; fear nothing."

"I am killed; my limbs are all broken."

"It is nothing to signify, se?or; it is only fatigue: you are as well as we are?"

Don Torribio sat up and looked attentively at the men who surrounded him.

"How is that?" asked Don Torribio, whose voice grew stronger every moment, and who had already managed to stand up.

"The case is very simple. We were skirting the forest, on our road to the place you had pointed out to us, when suddenly a horse passed across us at a giddy speed, a pack of wolves at his heels. We soon relieved him from his incarnate foes. Then, as we thought it unlikely for a saddled horse to be all alone in a forest into which none dare venture, we set out in search of his rider. Your cry was our pilot."

"Thanks!" replied Don Torribio; "I shall know how to repay the debt I have contracted with you."

"Nonsense! That is not worth speaking of. Come! here is your horse; we can go as soon as you like."

Don Torribio held up his hand.

"Stay here," said he; "we shall find no more suitable place than this to discuss what we have got to say to each other."

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