She and Allan
Page 29
I was awakened at the first grey dawn by Hans, who informed me thatBillali was waiting outside with litters, also that Goroko had alreadymade his incantations and doctored Umslopogaas and his two men for warafter the Zulu fashion when battle was expected. He added that theseZulus had refused to be left behind to guard and nurse their woundedcompanions, and said that rather than do so, they would kill them.
Somehow, he informed me, in what way he could not guess, this had cometo the ears of the White Lady who "hid her face from men because it wasso ugly," and she had sent women to attend to the sick ones, withword that they should be well cared for. All of this proved to be trueenough, but I need not enter into the details.
In the end off we went, I in my litter following Billali's, with anexpress and a repeating rifle and plenty of ammunition for both, andHans, also well armed, in that which had been sent for Umslopogaas, whopreferred to walk with Goroko and the two other Zulus.
For a little while Hans enjoyed the sensation of being carried bysomebody else, and lay upon the cushions smoking with a seraphic smileand addressing sarcastic remarks to the bearers, who fortunately did notunderstand them. Soon, however, he wearied of these novel delights andas he was still determined not to walk until he was obliged, climbed onto the roof of the litter, astride of which he sat as though it werea horse, looking for all the world like a toy monkey on a horizontalstick.
Our road ran across the level, fertile plain but a small portion ofwhich was cultivated, though I could see that at some time or other,when its population was greater, every inch of it had been under crop.Now it was largely covered by trees, many of them fruit-bearing,between which meandered streams of water which once, I think, had beenirrigation channels.
About ten o'clock we reached the foot of the encircling cliffs and beganthe climb of the escarpment, which was steep, tortuous and difficult.By noon we reached its crest and here found all our little army encampedand, except for the sentries, sleeping, as seemed to be the invariablecustom of these people in the daytime.
I caused the chief captains to be awakened and with them made a circuitof the camp, reckoning the numbers of the men which came to about 3,250and learning what I could concerning them and their way of fighting.Then, accompanied by Umslopogaas and Hans with the Zulus as a guard,also by three of the head-captains of the Amahagger, I walked forward tostudy the lie of the land.
Coming to the further edge of the escarpment, I found that at this placetwo broad-based ridges, shaped like those that spring from the boles ofcertain tropical forest trees, ran from its crest to the plain beneathat a gentle slope. Moreover I saw that on this plain between the endsof the ridges an army was encamped which, by the aid of my glasses, Iexamined and estimated to number at least ten thousand men.
This army, the Amahagger captains informed me, was that of Rezu, who,they said, intended to commence his attack at dawn on the followingmorning, since the People of Rezu, being sun-worshippers, would neverfight until their god appeared above the horizon. Having studied allthere was to see I asked the captains to set out their plan of battle,if they had a plan.
The chief of them answered that it was to advance halfway down theright-hand ridge to a spot where there was a narrow flat piece ofground, and there await attack, since at this place their smallernumbers would not so much matter, whereas these made it impossible forthem to assail the enemy.
"But suppose that Rezu should choose to come up to the other ridge andget behind you. What would happen then?" I inquired.
He replied that he did not know, his ideas of strategy being, it wasclear, of a primitive order.
"Do your people fight best at night or in the day?" I went on.
He said undoubtedly at night, indeed in all their history there was norecord of their having done so in the daytime.
"And yet you propose to let Rezu join battle with you when the sun ishigh, or in other words to court defeat," I remarked.
Then I went aside and discussed things for a while with Umslopogaas andHans, after which I returned and gave my orders, declining all argument.Briefly these were that in the dusk before the rising of the moon, ourAmahagger must advance down the right-hand ridge in complete silence,and hide themselves among the scrub which I saw grew thickly near itsroot. A small party, however, under the leadership of Goroko, whom Iknew to be a brave and clever captain, was to pass halfway down theleft-hand ridge and there light fires over a wide area, so as to makethe enemy think that our whole force had encamped there. Then at theproper moment which I had not yet decided upon, we would attack the armyof Rezu.
The Amahagger captains did not seem pleased with this plan which I thinkwas too bold for their fancy, and began to murmur together. Seeing thatI must assert my authority at once, I walked up to them and said totheir chief man,
"Hearken, my friend. By your own wish, not mine, I have been appointedyour general and I expect to be obeyed without question. From the momentthat the advance begins you will keep close to me and to the Black One,and if so much as one of your men hesitates or turns back, you willdie," and I nodded towards the axe of Umslopogaas. "Moreover, afterwardsShe-who-commands will see that others of you die, should you escape inthe fight."
Still they hesitated. Thereon without another word, I produced Zikali'sGreat Medicine and held it before their eyes, with the result that thesight of this ugly thing did what even the threat of death could not do.They went flat on the ground, every one of them, and swore by Lulalaand by She-who-commands, her priestess, that they would do all I said,however mad it seemed to them.
"Good," I answered. "Now go back and make ready, and for the rest, bythis time to-morrow we shall know who is or is not mad."
From that moment till the end I had no more trouble with theseAmahagger.