I will get on quickly with the story of this fight whereof thepreliminary details do not matter. At the proper time Goroko went offwith two hundred and fifty men and one of the two Zulus to light thefires and, at an agreed signal, namely the firing of two shots in rapidsuccession by myself, to begin shouting and generally make as much noiseas they could.
We also went off with the remaining three thousand, and before the moonrose, crept as quietly as ghosts down the right-hand ridge. Being sucha silent folk who were accustomed to move at night and could see inthe dark almost as well as cats, the Amahagger executed this manoeuvresplendidly, wrapping their spear-blades in bands of dry grass lest lightshould glint on them and betray our movements. So in due course we cameto the patch of bush where the ridge widened out about five hundredyards from the plain beneath, and there lay down in four companies orregiments, each of them about seven hundred and fifty strong.
Now the moon had risen, but because of the mist which covered thesurface of the plain, we could see nothing of the camp of Rezu which weknew must be within a thousand yards of us, unless indeed it had beenmoved, as the silence seemed to suggest.
This circumstance gave me much anxiety, since I feared lest abandoningtheir reputed habits, these Rezuites were also contemplating a nightattack. Umslopogaas, too, was disturbed on the subject, though becauseof Goroko and his men whose fires began to twinkle on the opposing ridgesomething over a mile away, they could not pass up there without ourknowledge.
Still, for aught I knew there might be other ways of scaling thismountain. I did not trust the Amahagger, who declared that none existed,since their local knowledge was slight as they never visited thesenorthern slopes because of their fear of Rezu. Supposing that the enemygained the crest and suddenly assaulted us in the rear! The thought ofit made me feel cold down the back.
While I was wondering how I could find out the truth, Hans, who wassquatted behind a bush, suddenly rose and gave the rifle he was carryingto the remaining Zulu.
"Baas," he said, "I am going to look and find out what those people aredoing, if they are still there, and then you will know how and when toattack them. Don't be afraid for me, Baas, it will be easy in that mistand you know I can move like a snake. Also if I should not come back, itdoes not matter and it will tell you that they _are_ there."
I hesitated who did not wish to expose the brave little Hottentot tosuch risks. But when he understood, Umslopogaas said,
"Let the man go. It is his gift and duty to spy, as it is mine to smitewith the axe, and yours to lead, Macumazahn. Let him go, I say."
I nodded my head, and having kissed my hand in his silly fashion intoken of much that he did not wish to say, Hans slipped out of sight,saying that he hoped to be back within an hour. Except for his greatknife, he went unarmed, who feared that if he took a pistol he might betempted to fire it and make a noise.
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