Part 28 (1/2)
As they marched past, a quick, keen flash darted down froht was stricken--yet not; for in the sudden silence that followed, and theruhter of a race of kings--her eyes still turned skyward, her forainst the livid blue of the storing or noise of any kind being allowed But as we held on swiftly through the night, this great array of arht, fell course, the echo of that wonderful song was still in every ear, its burden in every heart; and it seeth of ten; for the Song of the shi+eld was surely the song of victory
To us cawali No move forward had been ain, far below upon the plain, our outpost, which had taken the place of that of Mhlangana, could discern a point of white, which was the swift signal of those who had been posted at intervals to watch, and pass along word to Dingane's leaders
”_Whau_! We will give theained our position along the ridges of Inkuht, the Great Great One and I had crept carefully up to Mgwali's outlook ”See, now, I desire not to hurry the battle, yet the sun will not be very high before we shall whisper theood, Untuswa, yet perchance they will remember the pass in the Kwahlamba and fear to enter this Ah! would that we could roll down the mountain itself upon them here as there It would save us ht cliffs shooting up from, the defile were smooth and firm No loose rocks were here, hardly a few small stones, so firm were the iron crests of thefro out that in the event of our destruction he could, on receiving tidings thereof, safely fall back upon Kalipe's _i up the nation afresh But hed at
”What, Untuswa? Shall I show ?”
had said Umzilikazi ”Have the horns of the Bull been cut off that he can no longer gore? _Whau_! thou art brave, son of Ntelani--braver there is none--but young The generalshi+p that rolled back the _iane, or--_Whau_! I would rather die with a great nation than live to reign over a small one”
Thus spake Umzilikazi, and I think, _Nkose_, he knew that the life of our nation was an uncertain thing that day, for he took in all the lay of the ground, every stone, every rock, every place or point that could offer us the sreat leader he was Yet with hly approving it
Beneath us lay the entrance to the pass, where I had beheld the huge ghost-ani, and this widened out into a broad hollow, opening on the outer side, as it were, through great gates between slanting ridges or spurs, rocky and steep; and on the nearer side of these ridges ran up the two great rifts: one on the right hand, the other on the left
Our force was divided into three Under cover of the darkness, as the moon sank loe disposed companies of warriors in each of these side rifts, while, some little way back, within the pass, and where the rocks narrowed, so that but a few hters, including a section of e against the invaders, while ooping down upon them from either side, would have them in a trap
The party within the pass was under one Gasibona, a brother of that Gungana who had held the cohter The bulk of The Scorpions were under the second chief, Xulawayo, for the King had orderedthe earlier part of the battle
”The white shi+eld will be needed later, son of Ntelani,” he said And I understood
The sun rose in a ball of flaht Faraway over the plain beneath us we could see the dewdrops sparkling on the grass and in the bush sprays; but there was no gaht, not even a s presence of the Zulu host Fair and bright now seehostly Time went by Our warriors, rank upon rank, squatted behind their shi+elds eager for the th NoBarutsi these, but hty Zulu-land
Now the as given to show the signal Three times it waved--the white blanket--and, i far away on the plain beneath; then another beyond this The as being passed along the line of sentinels that the _i, with Mcumbete and two or three hest point overlooking the pass, hence he nal, which we then and there arranged My plan was siana into the hollow formed by the Place of the Three Rifts, and, at the moment they were about to enter the pass, to fall upon them flank and rear By thisthem, so completely would they be taken by surprise I reckoned that we should slay a great nu the odds against us, could, without difficulty, defeat theeneralshi+p of Silwane
”They come, Great Great One,” I whispered
Noe could see the sheen of spears, as the _i like an immense mass of black ants, appeared in the far distance We watched it draw near, and it see in loose order, having no fear or thought of surprise, as indeed why should it have, seeing that its own outpost had signalled the road clear? Ah, they little knew, those warriors of Dingane, that ours was the outpost--ours the signal--luring the ofas atched the _impi_ draw near ”Yet had we but Kalipe's force not one of theane of the strength or weakness of the Aana?”
”I see hiers in rear of theno attack”
”Ha! It s of Dingane draw very near They shall soon feel the horns of the Bull”
As I started off to join reat rift beneath, which ran up fro as he faced it, I could see that the _impi_ was still quite unsuspicious I saw, too, that in nuainst that, our force coiether be depended upon, even to save the the fearriors left to guard the pass, our entire force waseach other, awaiting the signal of the King
But the strategy of Silwane baffled us Instead of approaching in the same loose and open order to thread the defile, he sent forward an advance guard of about four hundred -place, for we lay securely concealed But when they came opposite the mouth of the other rift, they so Then Xulawayo, as in co to fall on these men and slay them before they could convey the alarht, however, for these soldiers of Dingane, so far fro the attack
Further conceal into the hollow, fearless, but widely alert
Kept well in hand by their sub-chiefs, they fought splendidly at first
Directly they caht _Whau_! We had not reckoned upon this, and soon our regi us back in confusion
Ha! Then followed a wild din The holloas awildly hither and thither, and the rocks rang with the clash of wood and hard hide; the thunder of the war-shout, the wild death-yell, and the choking groans of the wounded, sht was--blood--blood--ah! and it flowed--yes, it flowed! _Hau_! that fight was short and sharp Nearly half our strength lay slain or sorely wounded, and the ane had lost nearly as many Yet we had been sta our ene to cut thean to retreat, yet not hurriedly and in rout, but facing us and fighting their way