Baylen. "The worst of it isthat I am afraid it will prevent me from joining the other fellows whenthey march. They tell me I shan't be able to stir for three weeks tocome."
"Well, we had better start now, and lose no time," said Rivers."Matamo, you have got the prisoner safe, I see. Why, I declare it isVan Ryk! a good job too!"
CHAPTER TWELVE.
"Up and bestir yourself, Redgy!" cried George, entering the tent, whichMargetts shared with Wilhelm Baylen, a few days afterwards. "Cetewayo'stime was up last night, and he has made no sign. The order to march hasbeen given, and every one is already on the move. The mountedvolunteers are to cross first, and our horses must be taken down to theDrift at once."
"I am sorry to say Wilhelm and I are to be left behind," said Margetts."It's an awful nuisance, but there's no help for it."
"Left behind!" repeated George. "Why, what is that for?"
"I don't know, I'm sure; but last night, after you had left, there camean order that half a dozen of us would be required to stay on servicehere. Green didn't know how to settle it to any one's satisfaction, andit was determined at last to ballot for it. You are always in luck,George, and so are Ernest and Hardy, and the Dutchman Moritz. ButWilhelm and myself, and Vander Heyden--"
"Vander Heyden, eh?" interrupted George. "Has _he_ got to stay behind?How did he take that?"
"Rather worse than we did," answered Margetts. "And we took it badenough. Here we shall have to kick our heels, while you are having allthe fun. By the way, what is to be done with Van Ryk? His trial tookplace yesterday, but I haven't heard the result."
"He is to be hanged," said George. "Not only you and I, but VanderHeyden and Moritz also swore positively to him. You'll have thepleasure of being his executioners after we are gone."
"I am not sure of that," said Redgy. "They allow a fellow three weeksnow,--at least I suppose so,--and I should think you would have chawedup Cetewayo before three weeks are past."
"Hardly that," said George, "though I daresay it won't be very long.Well, I'm sorry for you, Redgy, but I can't stop here. You had betterget up and see us off."
The banks of the Buffalo presented a busy and animated scene thatmorning. This river and the Tugela are often, in the later months ofthe year, so reduced in volume that a horse may cross them without thewater rising higher than his knees. But in January, February, and Marchthey are generally in deep and rapid flood, and difficult, and, exceptto experienced riders, impossible to ford. The mounted soldiers didcontrive to cross, and so did one battalion of the Native Contingent, ata shallow spot a quarter of a mile or so up stream, and the 24thregiment was got over on ponts. When these were in position to repelany attack that might be made by the Zulus, the rest of the force wasconveyed across, and lastly the waggons.
This was the heaviest part of the work, and occupied a long time. Thewaggons were dragged by the oxen to the edge of the bank; then thecattle were outspanned, and driven into the river to swim across, whilethe waggons were dragged on to the ponts by hand. This occupied theentire day; but by nightfall they had nearly all been got across, and onthe following morning the march began.
"We are to move first on Sirayo's kraal," said George to Hardy, as theygrasped hands. "He is the fellow, you know, that made the foray intoNatal and carried off the women, whom he afterwards murdered. Cetewayowouldn't give him up. He is in a strong position, I am told, by theIngutu hill, about four miles from here."
"And he probably has a pretty large force with him," observed Hardy."Cetewayo is said to have sent his prime troops against our column.Well, now, George, you'll see what these fellows fight like."
The order to move was presently given. The advance was necessarily slowthrough the broken and perfectly wild country on the north side of theTugela; through which there was not so much as a path to be traced,except where the waggon of some trader had passed, and deep ruts hadbeen left by the wheels. The ground was for the most part woodland,broken, however, continually by ravines, with deep and high fissuresintersecting them--as difficult a country for a hostile force totraverse as could well be imagined.
After an hour or two of tedious advance, they came on the banks of theBashee, a small mountain stream, running at the foot of the Ingutumountain. Presently Sirayo's kraal came in sight.
"There is the kraal, George," exclaimed Hardy, "and there are a lot ofZulus ready to defend it. Now you may have a good sight of thesefellows in fighting array."
George looked up at the crags above him, and saw a number ofdark-skinned warriors, whose appearance was in the highest degreestriking. On their heads they wore head-dresses, apparently ofleopards' skin, surmounted by feathers, the dark plumes waving after amost picturesque fashion against the sky. Round their wrists and anklesthey wore rings of ivory or burnished copper, while their waists wereencircled by the tails of wild animals bound together. On their leftarms they carried oval shields, large enough to protect the entire bodyfrom neck to ankle, proof against the sharp and dangerous assegay, butno protection from the rifle bullet. Their defensive weapons wererifles and assegays; the latter long spears cut from the wood of thetree which bears the same name, with an iron head and a barbed point,and which these savages hurl with great dexterity and force. As soon asthe English soldiers came within hearing distance, they began to tauntand jeer them after their barbaric fashion, inquiring, "What were thewhite men riding there for?"
"What did they want in the land of the Zulus?"
"Were they looking out for some place to build a kraal in?"
"Would they ascend the rocks, and receive the greeting they were readyto bestow upon them?" and the like.
Presently the order to advance was given, and the men of the 24th beganclimbing the westward side of the hill, on which Sirayo's kraal stood.A fire was instantly opened upon them by the Zulus, from behind thevarious points of vantage where they had stationed themselves, by whicha dozen men or so were struck down. But in a short time, in spite of anobstinate resistance, the enemy were driven out of the kraal, and fledin confusion along the hillside, followed, as soon as they reachedtolerably level ground, by the cavalry, who cut down a considerablenumber in the pursuit.
"So much for the first brush with these rascals!" exclaimed Hardy as hesheathed his sabre. "Certainly these are gallant fellows, verydifferent from either the Ashantees or the Abyssinians. But,nevertheless, savages, however brave, cannot stand against disciplinedtroops, and this is only one more proof of it. Well, I suppose we shallgo no farther to-day."
Hardy's words were fully verified. Not only was the march not resumedthat day, but more than a week passed before the troops were again inmotion. It was found to be impossible for the waggons to make theirway, without constructing for them what really was a new road; orrather, a road of some kind, the old waggon tracks being all butuseless. In some places the rains or the overflow of the brooks hadmade the ground swampy, and here the wheels would suddenly sink up tothe axles, and it was only after long and severe exertion that theycould be extricated, to fall into a similar pitfall, perhaps, beforeanother ten yards of the way had been surmounted. So slow was theprogress, that it was not until the 20th of January that the columnresumed its route, through a bare country, hardly exhibiting a tree orshrub, and reached on the evening of the same day, the base of the loftyeminence known as Isandhlwana, or "the Lion's Hill."
"This is to be our camping ground, then?" said Ernest Baylen as theorder to halt was given. "Well, I have often heard of Isandhlwana hill,and have seen it from a distance. It doesn't look a bad sort of a placeto pitch one's tent in."
"By no means," assented George, looking round him; "and it will be astrong position too, if it is properly secured from attack. What sayyou, Hardy?"
Hardy cast a scrutinising glance round him, and then expressed hisassent. It was indeed a striking scene. On the west side the rock rosesteep and rugged, and in some places precipitous, to a considerableheight, sloping downwards towards the east until it reached thewater-side. Ri
dges of rock and grassy mounds everywhere broke thisdescent, so that it was rendered very difficult to traverse. On thesouth there was a long platform of rock covered with grass overhangingan extensive valley. The whole ground chosen for the camp was a kind ofsloping plateau, overlooked by an inaccessible eminence. The scene soonbecame lively and picturesque, as the white bell-tents were pitched inlong rows, the fires lighted, and the men, in their scarlet jackets andwhite helmets, gathered in groups round them, or moved hither andthither on their various errands.
The companions, now reduced to four, for four had been left at Rorke'sDrift, sat down to