by G. A. Henty
corpswho had fallen in the action, ordering that the horses should be enteredas bought for the Queen's service, and the value paid to the relativesof their late owners.
Three days' march took the convoy to Utrecht, and the next morning theboys rode home, the distance from there to Newcastle being about fortymiles. They were received as if they had risen from the dead, for theirletters had not arrived before them, and their parents had of courseassumed that they had been killed at Isandula. Both the mothers were inmourning, and their joy at the restoration of their sons was unbounded.
Mrs Jackson fainted from surprise and delight, as Tom rode up; butDick, remembering the effect which the news of his being alive in thesnow had produced upon his mother, was careful to save her the shock.Accordingly, instead of riding direct to the house, he made a devour androde across the farm until he met Bill Harrison. The man was delightedat the sight of his young master, and could hardly believe his eyes, ashe saw him riding towards him.
After the first warm greeting was over, Dick learned that his mother hadbeen seriously ill, and was now recovering, and that his father had beenmuch shaken. Dick told Harrison to go to the house, and, under theexcuse of some question about his work, to call Mr Humphreys out, andto tell him of his return, leaving it to him to break the news to hiswife.
This Mr Humphreys, after recovering from his own emotion at the joyfulintelligence, did so gradually and quietly, that the tale produced noinjurious effect upon the mother.
He began by saying that he had heard that a rumour was afloat that someof those that were supposed to have been killed at Isandula had beenkept captives by the Zulus.
Mrs Humphreys for a time doubted the news, but, upon her husband'sassurance that the intelligence was well founded, a faint feeling ofhope began to spring up; then gradually, step by step, he told her thatit was reported that these captives consisted chiefly of non-combatants,men who had taken refuge among the rocks and bushes when the fight wasseen to be going against the troops. This still further raised MrsHumphreys' hopes; for, from the presence of mind and shrewdness whichDick had shown on the occasion of the snow-storm, it seemed probablethat he would be quick to avail himself of any chance of escape theremight be. Then Mr Humphreys said that the report affirmed that amongthe prisoners were two or three quite young lads, and so step by step hewent on, until the delighted mother learned that her son was alreadyupon the farm, and was only waiting until he knew she would be strongenough to see him.
Mr Humphreys now went to the door and gave a loud shout, and Dick, whohad been waiting the signal agreed on at a short distance from thehouse, ran up and was soon in his parents' arms. A minute or two laterhis younger brother ran in, having just heard the news from Harrison,and it was indeed a happy party which that night assembled in thesitting-room of the farmhouse, and listened to Dick's account of theadventures he had gone through. Not a little proud were the father andmother, as they read Colonel Wood's testimony to the gallant conduct oftheir son.
The next day Mr and Mrs Jackson drove over with Tom, and the warmestcongratulations were exchanged.
"Have you been paid for the waggons, father?" Dick asked.
"Yes, my boy, for there was a notice that the owners of all waggons andteams destroyed at Isandula would be paid at once. As there was arecord kept of the ownership of those which accompanied the column,there was of course no difficulty in proving the loss, and both MrJackson and myself received orders on the public treasury for theirvalue last week. You see more transports were required, and there wassuch a panic after Isandula, that if government had not promptly paidfor their losses there, they would have got no more waggons from farmersfor their work. We have already four more building for us atNewcastle."
"I suppose there was a great fright in the colony after the defeat?"
"Terrible!" Mr Humphreys answered. "Everyone imagined that the Zuluswould at once cross the frontier, and carry fire and sword throughoutthe colony. The rest of the 4th Regiment instantly went forward toColonel Glyn's column, and this restored it to something like itsstrength before the fight. The rivers were high, which may haveaccounted partly for the Zulus not taking the offensive. Probably toothe great loss which they themselves must have suffered had some effect;while they might not have liked to have advanced in force across thefrontier, being, as they were, threatened on the one side by the columnof Colonel Wood at Kambula, and on the other by that of Colonel Pearsonat Ekowe."
"I have not heard about that column, father. What are they doing?"
"I will tell you about it this evening, Dick, as it is rather a longstory."
After the Jacksons had driven off in the evening, Dick again asked hisfather about the doings of Colonel Pearson's column.
"Well, my boy, they have neither suffered a great defeat, like thatunder Lord Chelmsford, nor obtained a decisive victory, like the columnof Colonel Wood; they have beaten the enemy in a fight, and are atpresent besieged in a place called Ekowe, or, as it is sometimes spelt,Etckowi. The column consisted of eight companies of the 3rd Buffs underColonel Parnell; six companies of the 99th, under Colonel Welman; onecompany of Royal Engineers and two 7-pounder guns; they had, besides anaval brigade consisting of 270 bluejackets and marines of her Majesty'sships _Active_ and _Tenedos_, with three gatling-guns, 200 mountedinfantry; 200 colonial mounted riflemen also formed part of the column,with about 2000 men of the native contingent. They had great difficultyin crossing the Tugela, which was nearly 400 yards wide. But, thanks tothe exertions of the sailors, a flying bridge was constructed--that is,a boat with ropes attached to both shores, so that it can be pulledbackwards and forwards, or, as is sometimes done, taken backwards andforwards by the force of the stream itself.
"It was the 13th before the crossing was effected. The enemy were inconsiderable force near the river. A small earthwork, called FortTenedos, was thrown up on the Zulu bank of the river. On the 18th theleading division started on its march into the enemy's country, followedthe next day by the second division, a small detachment being left togarrison the fort. Every precaution was taken in the advance, and thecavalry scouted the country in front of the column. At the end of thefirst day's march the Inyoni, a small stream ten miles north of theTugela, was reached.
"The second day they encamped on the Umsindusi. The third day's marchbrought the column to the Amatikulu; beyond this the country becamecovered with bush, and great care was then taken, as it was known that alarge force was marching from Ulundi to oppose their farther advance.Early on the morning of the 22nd, the day which proved so fatal toColonel Glyn's column, the first division had just crossed the InyezaneRiver and was halted for breakfast, when they were attacked by a largeforce of the enemy, who, having chosen this position, were lying in waitfor them. The ground chosen for the halt was not a favourable one, asit was surrounded by bush. But as no other place could be found byMajor Barrow, who commanded the horse, near water, the halt had beenmade here. Scarcely had they begun their preparations for breakfast,when Captain Hart, who was out scouting in front with the advancecompany of the native contingent, discovered the enemy advancing rapidlyover the ridge in his front and attempting to gain the bush on bothflanks of the halting-place. The Zulus at once opened a heavy fire uponthe native contingent, and of these one officer and fournon-commissioned officers and three men fell almost immediately.
"The native contingent was called in, and the naval brigade and twoguns, under Lieutenant Lloyd, and two companies of the Buffs wereordered to take up a position upon a knoll close to the road, on whichthey were halted. The sailors at once opened fire on the enemy with two7-pounders and two 24-pounder rocket-tubes, while the Buffs poured aheavy fire with their rifles upon them. The waggons were still comingup, and these were parked as they reached the ground; and two companiesof the Buffs, who were guarding them on the march, being now free toact, were ordered to move out in skirmishing order, and draw the enemyout of the bush, when, as they retired, they were exposed to the firefrom the knoll.
"The engineers and mounted troops moved forward, with the infantryskirmishers, supported by a half-company of the Buffs and a half-companyof the 99th. The enemy tried to outflank their left, and CaptainCampbell with a portion of the naval brigade and some of the nativecontingent went out and drove them from a kraal of which they had takenpossession. A still farther advance was now made, and the Zulus took toflight, leaving 300 dead upon the ground. The attacking party were 5000strong, and against these some 500 or 600 of our troops were engaged.We had only eight Europeans killed and four natives, and about twentywounded. The next day Colonel Pearson reached Ekowe. The position wasa strong one, as the place stood upon rising ground; it had been amissionary station, and there was a church which could at the worst beconverted into a citadel.
"Colonel Pearson at once set to work to fortify the position. The