This was not quite the last we had of them that night, for a party
went down with an escort to get water at the bog, but there they met
with a pretty warm reception, and soon came back to camp swearing,
with water-bottles empty, but luckily with no one killed. Then we
coiled down to sleep, and did pretty well till midnight, when a storm
of wind arose, accompanied by thunder and a sprinkling of rain, and we
got the full benefit of it in our exposed position. Personally, I was
very comfortable in my bed of broom-bush and grass, with my saddle as
a protection against the wind, so that I did not feel the cold to the
extent that some poor fellows did.
_10th August._--We hoped to be attacked at daybreak, but it never came,
and as we marched back during the day, we never saw another nigger.
They had cleared out altogether, and we got back to our standing camp
outside the hills about midday.
And then I rode thirty miles into Buluwayo during the night, in order
to report to the General that the enemy in the Matopos were now
completely broken up, and probably willing to surrender if we gave them
a chance.
_12th August._--Instead of starting for grouse-shooting or any other
form of shooting, I am, on the contrary, settling down to office work
to-day, but I find it more irksome than usual, as I have a slight
touch of fever and dysentery, and a certain feeling of over-tiredness
which keeps me lying up during my spare moments, and yet I don't feel
inclined to sleep at all; and I find my temper a little short to-day,
as the following extract of a letter which I have sent to one of the
patrolling column will show:--
"If you want to catch the niggers, you will have to move more quickly
and more secretly, that is, by night. It is no time now to save horses,
but to make use of their condition; do not think that because you
cannot see an enemy, there is no enemy there. We had our laager fired
into three times the other night when there was not an enemy to be
seen, so take care that your laager is guarded, and do not leave it to
chance. If you let the men smoke on a night march, you might as well
let the band play too."
CHAPTER X
THE SITUATION IN MATABELELAND AND MASHONALAND
_16th June to 28th August_
We open Communication with the Rebels in the Matopos regarding their
Surrender--Rhodes commences the Peace Indabas--Imperial Troops arrive
in Matabeleland--The State of Affairs in Matabeleland--I am on the
Sick-List--Stout-Heartedness of the Rebels--Opinions on the Peace
Negotiations--Our Supply Difficulties--The Origin of the Outbreak in
Mashonaland--Difficulties of Supply in that Country--Early Defence
Measures--The Relief of Salisbury by the Imperial Troops--Sir Frederick
Carrington's Task--What kit to take: I. On yourself; II. On your horse.
I said that when I left camp to come into Buluwayo, on the 10th, it
seemed a good opportunity for accepting the surrender of the rebels,
if they liked to come in. They had suffered a succession of severe
blows, and, while still in a state of disruption consequent upon them,
would probably be only to glad to surrender. But if they were left to
themselves for a short time, they might reorganise their forces and
continue to give endless trouble in the Matopos, which might mean a
great deal more expense to us of time and men.
So, before leaving camp, I had made a few preliminary arrangements, in
order that no time should be lost in opening communication with the
rebels. We had, as a prisoner, Inyanda's mother, and I sent her with a
few men to the site of his kraal, which was close under the mountain
where his people still hung out. There the men built a small hut for
her, gave her a supply of corn and meat, and an old half-witted woman
to grind the corn for her, and, hoisting a big white flag on the tree
above her hut, they left her to be called for. As they came away, they
shouted to the rebels up on the hill, telling them that if they wanted
peace, they might come down and talk to the old lady, as she would give
them all information about it.
It was necessary to do something of this kind to induce the natives
to believe anything we said on the subject of peace; they were too
suspicious of a trap if we went and tried to talk to them ourselves.
This plan eventually succeeded; her people came down to talk to the old
woman, took her away with them to consult with the chief, and finally
sent messengers, carrying the white flag, to our camp, to say that they
were ready to talk.
[Illustration: THE PEACE INDABA WITH THE MATOPO REBELS
Mr. Cecil Rhodes carried out the peace negotiations with the
Matabele chiefs. He was assisted by Dr. Sauer (on his left) and
Capt. Colenbrander (on his right), and accompanied by Mr. Stent (war
correspondent of the _Cape Times_). These officers went unarmed among
the rebels, in order to show their peaceful intent. After five weeks,
the negotiations resulted in the surrender of the chiefs.]
Unfortunately, I was not able to have any further say in the matter
myself, as I was now down with dysentery, and on the sick-list. But,
eventually, on the 22nd August, Cecil Rhodes, with Dr. Sauer and
Captain Colenbrander, went into the Matopos to meet the rebel leaders,
near the koppie where Kershaw was killed on the 5th.
Jan Grootboom, the native scout, was sent on into the hills to summon
the indunas, and presently they appeared, following Grootboom,
who carried the white flag at their head, with an air of immense
importance. Among the chiefs were Umlugulu, Sikombo, Somabulana, Hliso,
Manyoba, Malevu, Inyanda, Babyan, and over thirty other indunas. Rhodes
sat on an ant-heap, with Dr. Sauer on his left, Colenbrander on his
right, and Stent, of the _Cape Times_, just behind him.
Rhodes got up to salute the chiefs in their own language, and stood out
in the centre to do so; all were in silence awaiting his opening word.
He stood, and paused, and, smiling, had to turn and ask, "What _is_
that word?"
[It was "Umhlope," which is the usual salutation of peace after war.]
Somabulana then opened the indaba (conference), and, as spokesman for
the Matabele, said that they had been driven to rebellion chiefly by
the official bullying on the part of the Native Police. When he had
done, Sikombo went on to charge five of the Native Commissioners with
abuse of their powers. The chiefs wound up by saying they merely wanted
justice, and would be glad to end the war. Rhodes promised there should
be an alteration as regards the Native Police, and said that if they
intended now to lay down their arms, their complaints would all be
taken into consideration. Sikombo laid down his gun and assegai at
Rhodes' feet, and said that this indaba represented the nation "as its
eyes and ears," and that all they wanted was to live at peace with the
whites. Then he was asked why it was that the Matabele, in breaking
out, had exceeded the usual rules of war, and had murdered women and
children? And he said it was because white men had been reported to
be doing the same thing. It was then pointed out to the chiefs that
nothing could be done unless they and all their people laid down their
arms; and the chiefs agreed to bring all their people out of the hills
within the next few days, and so that conference ended.
[_P.S._--It was not till 13th October, after many further conferences,
that a final settlement was come to.]
A squadron of the 7th Hussars now arrived at Buluwayo, under Major
Ridley, having completed a long patrol through the Guai district,
finally breaking up such small parties of rebels as remained there, and
bringing about their general surrender.
The situation in Matabeleland now is as follows:--
The whole of the north of the country is clear and peaceful; in the
south the rebels are treating for peace in the Matopos; but, in the
east and north-east, bodies of them are still massed in the outlying
districts. In the east, in the Belingwe district, about a hundred miles
from Buluwayo, Wedza still remains in active rebellion, supported by
various small chiefs occupying mountain strongholds. In the Selukwe
district, just south of Gwelo, two chiefs, Monogola and Indema, still
resist all efforts to reduce them. To the north-east of Gwelo, in
the Maven district, at least one strong impi is collected; and the
Somabula forest, north-west of Gwelo, and a hundred miles north-east
of Buluwayo, is reported to be full of rebels. On the borders of this
forest is the great grain district belonging to Uwini, who has several
different tribes dependent on him for their supply and direction.
Moreover, M'tini, who had been defeated in July at Taba-si-ka-Mamba,
has retreated on to the Shangani, and now has his impi in full work
there, under the orders of M'qwati, the local M'limo, and it maintains
small posts on all the chief paths to prevent well-disposed natives
from coming in to surrender or to take refuge with us.
Colonel Paget, with a column of Imperial troops (7th Hussars and
Mounted Infantry), is moving through South Matabeleland, _via_ Tuli and
Victoria, to Gwelo.
Such is the situation to-day (22nd August); and Ridley's column of 7th
Hussars and Mounted Infantry, having completed their work in the Guai
district, are at Buluwayo, and will now be sent against the Somabula.
And, were I well enough, it is probable that I should be sent in
command; but here I am on my back, limp and washed-out, and really thin
this time! And only a short time ago I was thinking that I had never
been so fit in my life, and certainly never burnt so brown a colour! I
am having a poor time of it, but it is not so bad as it might be; Sir
Frederick is more than kind to me, and spends all his leisure alongside
my bed, at all times of the day and at odd hours of the night, telling
me how things are going on, and soothing my disappointment at not being
able to get out into the field. Then, I am wonderfully lucky in having
an excellent doctor, Dr. Strong, and a most excellent cook--not that I
require much, but that little has to be of the right kind. This is not
a very large world, and the lady who runs the neighbouring restaurant,
being told to supply me with invalid food, came in to see me, to
inquire into my symptoms herself, as she had formerly been a hospital
nurse, and therefore thoroughly understood what one ought to take; but
before becoming a hospital nurse, she had learned the art of cooking in
the kitchen of the Powells of Dorking, our cousins. Having made this
discovery, and having thereby gained a personal interest in me, she has
exerted herself to the utmost, and has fully succeeded in supplying me
with the most appetising food possible under the circumstances.
_26th August._--Ridley's column started to-day for the Shangani, and
though I am now feeling quite well, the doctor would not allow me even
to think of going with it. I have seldom felt so down about my luck
before.
Meantime, in the Matopos, negotiations are still going on about the
surrender, but the rebels do not seem over anxious to give in. At an
indaba to-day, a hundred young warriors, with two chiefs, met Cecil
Rhodes and party, and talked to them pretty cheekily. They said that
unless they had their rights they had no desire to come in. All these
men carried rifles and bandoliers full of cartridges.
One of them, named Karl Kamarlo, had been captured by us in the early
days of the outbreak, had been tried and been sentenced to be shot;
he was taken outside the town by two troopers, and was there shot by
them. One shot struck him in the forehead and apparently came out at
the back of his head, and the other struck him through the shoulder
and he was left lying on the ground. When the burying party came out
for him, they could not find him. It appears that the bullet which
struck him on the head was not strong enough for his skull, and merely
glanced round under his scalp without breaking the bone, and came out
through the skin at the back, giving the appearance of a shot clean
through his head. By this wound the man was merely stunned, and when
his executioners had retired, having, as they thought, carried out the
penalty of the law, he got up and walked off in the other direction.
It is now said that he intends to sue the Company for assault and
personal injury! Another man present at the indaba asked if our doctor
could do anything for him, as in the fight of the 5th he had been
standing almost in the line of fire of the Maxim, and in one instant
had received nine wounds in his side and leg, most of them very slight;
he had been practically crimped as if with an iron rake.
There seem to be various opinions here as regards the surrender.
One says that the rebels should be made to surrender entirely
unconditionally, and should only be allowed to do so on condition of
their giving up their arms, and such of their number as are guilty of
murder. Others say that that is right enough in theory, but if the
rebels refuse, as they very probably would, it means part of the force
trying to fight them during the rainy season, while the other part will
have to be withdrawn from the country owing to inability to supply
them. Sickness and reverses will probably result, and in the end the
murderers will not have been caught; whereas, if told that they can now
surrender and reoccupy their kraals and sow their crops, the capture of
the murderers and the thorough armament can afterwards be effectually
carried out by the police. And the police, by occupying fortified posts
in all the grain-growing districts, will thus have the whip hand of the
natives, as they can prevent them from sowing or from reaping any crops
at will.
This question of supply and transport is very pressing. We are using
all the transport we can lay our hands on, and yet we can only manage
to keep our present wants fairly well supplied; while the reserve which
we want to lay down, ready for the rainy season, is only being formed
at a very slow rate. Towards the end of November the rains will set in,
the roads then become impassable, and the mules die of horse-sickness.
We therefore want to lay down a sufficient reserve of food in the
meantime to carry us through the four months at least of rains; but
we cannot get contractors to tender for the transport, and it is very
difficult to purchase even in Cape Colony. The oxen up here are all
dead, and ox waggons coming up from the Cape are not allowed to return
thither, for fear of spreading the rinderpest. The Transvaal border
touches ours near Tuli, and we might get supplies in that way but the
Boer Government will not allow the export of food stuffs from their
country, fearing famine for themselves.
[Illustration: ROUTES TO MATABELELAND AND MASHONALAND
The above sketch shows the approximate distances that supplies had
to travel from Cape Town in order to reach the respective centres at
Buluwayo and Salisbury--Cape Town to Buluwayo, 1487 miles; Cape Town to
Salisbury, 2050 miles.]
Meanwhile, great events have been going on in Mashonaland. Rebellion,
as I said before, broke out there on the 16th June. Bands of Matabele
rebels had made their way to Mashonaland after the first defeats near
Buluwayo. They spread reports among Mashonas that the whites had all
been killed in Matabeleland, and that now was the time to rise and
similarly put an end to their rule in Mashonaland; and they threatened
that, in the event of the Mashonas not rising, the whole of the
Matabele nation under Lobengula _redivivus_ would shortly be down on
them. A few Native Commissioners in touch with their people might have
counteracted these reports, but none did so, and consequently rebellion
broke out, as it had done in Matabeleland, with the sudden and brutal
murders of whites--men, women, and little children--in all parts of the
country.
Townships went into laager, local defence forces were organised to the
number of eight hundred men, Judge Vintcent being Commandant-General.
Rescue patrols went out to bring in outlying settlers and miners. But
here again arose the insurmountable difficulty of transport. There was
only one road, namely, that _via_ Umtali to the coast at Beira, by
which food could come. This road extended for over 200 miles across the
veldt, and then met the railway in Portuguese territory which partially
connected it with the coast; thus the whole distance for Mashonaland
supplies to come was: Cape Town to Beira, 1700 miles; by river, 50
miles; by rail, 100 miles; by road, 200 miles; total, 2050. This road
was intercepted near Umtali, and held by a powerful tribe of rebels
under Makoni.
Reserve supplies in the country did not amount to anything dependable,
and could only last the defenders for a few weeks at most.
The rebels in Mashonaland occupied chiefly the districts round
Salisbury and the Salisbury-Umtali road, and the district east and
south-east of Charter. They are by nature far less warlike than the
Matabele, and are not given to attacking in the open, but content
themselves with murdering helpless farmers, waggon and other small
parties, and then retire to their fortified kraals and cave strongholds
if attacked.
On the 18th June, Captain Turner, who was on his way through
Mashonaland with a troop of fifty Natal volunteers for Matabeleland
when the Mashonas broke out, went to the rescue of White at the
Beatrice Mine, but was attacked in some narrow gorges by masses of
rebels, and compelled to retire with a loss of three killed and three
wounded.
On the 19th June, Captain Nesbit made a very plucky dash with thirteen
men to rescue some white settlers, including two women, at Mazoe,
thirty miles north of Salisbury. He had to fight his way through the
rebels to get there, and the party had a running fight of it for
nearly the whole way back against heavy odds, the enemy rushing up
to within a few yards at the time. Gallant work was done on this
occasion by Messrs. Ogilvy and Harbord, who acted as advanced guard to
the party. The waggonette in which the women were conveyed had been
"armour-plated" with sheets of corrugated iron, but nearly all the
mules were killed or wounded. Five men were killed and five wounded,
and eight horses killed. But in the end the gallant little band got
into Salisbury.
Captain Bremner, 20th Hussars, whose services had been placed at the
General's disposal, was, in accordance with Sir Frederick's directions,
making his way to Salisbury to act as staff officer there. He was
caught by the rebels _en route_ and killed, together with one or two
settlers at whose house he was resting. The loss of this useful officer
was a great blow to us, especially at this juncture, when things wanted
organising in Mashonaland.
Towards the end of June the following relief parties arrived in
Mashonaland from Matabeleland:--namely, Beal with 133 men, Watts 100,
White 65 (Grey's and Gifford's Scouts); the latter column especially
made a wonderfully rapid march, and did some dashing work. And from the
Cape there arrived, _via_ Beira, 500 Imperial troops under Colonel
Alderson. These consisted of 240 mounted infantry, 100 R.E. and R.A.
and M.S.C., 150 West Riding Regiment, 50 York and Lancaster Regiment.
Their disembarkation and transport by rail was effected under great
difficulties, owing to want of proper tugs, lighters, wharves,
rolling stock, etc. One lot stuck in the mud in the Pungwe River for
twenty-four hours; a train ran off the line and killed several of the
horses, another train collided with the wreckage, and Colonel Alderson
and others on the engine had to jump for their lives. But in spite
of all obstacles the force made its way rapidly into Mashonaland. It
turned and attacked Makoni's position, defeating him and taking his
fortified kraal; 200 of the enemy were killed, 350 head of cattle and
a number of prisoners taken, our losses being 4 killed and 5 wounded.
Among the killed was Captain Haynes, shot while escalading the wall
of Makoni's head kraal. The force then went on attacking various
other tribes along the road, establishing frequent fortified posts as
it went, and in this way secured the safety of the supply route to
Salisbury, and brought much-needed supplies into that place.
Alderson is now in local command of all the forces in Mashonaland,
receiving his instructions from the General here by telegraph. By
means of strong columns he is now breaking up the rebels in various
directions, and forcing them out of their strongholds. But this latter
is a particularly dangerous and unpleasant work, since the strongholds
in Mashonaland consist, as a rule, of koppies undermined in all
directions with caves and crannies, in which a very few determined
men can hold their own against almost any number. But Tommy Atkins is
reported to be quite equal to the occasion, and apparently delights in
the novel form of getting killed. Alderson's total force amounts to
2200 men and 580 horses.
Sir Frederick Carrington's management of this extended force operating
in a country which is equal in size to Spain, France, and Italy put
together, is like a man playing on a small piano to a large room full
of people. Our room is over 600 miles in length, and the piano a very
small one, because the doorway (the transport and supply) is too small
to admit a larger one. The piano's notes are eight small field columns,
seven laagered towns, and twenty-four fortified posts. He plays them by
telegraph from his music-stool at Buluwayo, and has to make them reach
every corner of the room. He burns to be out himself with one or other
of the columns, but it cannot be; he has to sit here to read the music
and to play the notes accordingly, to pull the ropes, to consult with
the other heads who have to be consulted, and to be at the end of the
wire for communication with the High Commissioner at the Cape.
EXTRACT FROM A LETTER HOME
_"28th August._--.... Your two letters of 17th and 24th July just
received. Yes, you are quite right. We would do much better here if we
had three times the number of men. BUT--we could not by any possibility
feed them if they _were_ here. Even to feed our present force through
the approaching wet season, when roads will become impassable, requires
four million pounds of food extra to what we have got here and on the
road--_i.e._ 600 extra waggons; and we cannot get anybody to tender for
the job. There are so few oxen left in South Africa. That is why we have
to go on as best we can with this little force.
* * * * *
"You ask about our climate here. Well, what is your ideal of a perfect
climate? Because that would about express it. Bright sun always, breeze
all day, thermometer 70° in the shade at midday, cool nights. Doors
and windows _always_ open. In town the dust is the only drawback to it
all. In camp there is not a tent or any shelter, except a few branches
to keep off the wind. We all live entirely in the open, and it is
delightful.
* * * * *
"I am keeping an illustrated diary for you."
It may be of use, in case of future expeditions of this kind, to jot
down what kit I have found best for the work.
I. _On yourself._
_Hat._--A "cowboy" broad-brimmed felt hat with ventilating holes punched
in the crown, and a brown silk puggree. The hat is better than a helmet,
because it shades the whole of the face, and so prevents the awful
infliction, veldt sores on the face, cracked lips, and burned nose; and
it protects the nape of the neck and temples from the sun; can be slept
in, and suffers no damage from rough usage, and does not interfere with
the aim when shooting; it is light, and so does not cause weariness or
headache as the helmet often does; it protects the face and ears better
than the helmet does in going through thick bush, the brim turning down
with the pressure of the branches.
_Neckerchief._--A grey-coloured handkerchief loosely tied round the neck
prevents sunburn, and can be tightened up at night as a comforter.
[Illustration: OUR WORKING KIT]
_Shirt._--Brown or light-grey flannel.
_Cummerbund._--Grey or brown flannel cummerbund saves dysentery, chills,
etc., especially at night.
_Breeches._--Kharki cord, with back pocket to hold notebook and field
bandage.
_Gaiters._--Brown soft leather (some men prefer putties, but I think
gaiters best for coolness, ease in taking on and off, and for
circulation of the blood). Instead of breeches and gaiters, many men
wear trousers of moleskin or other strong material.
_Boots._--Shooting boots, strong, well-dubbed. In wet weather indiarubber
soles are very slippery, but in dry weather, on rocks, they are perfect.
Rubber-soled shoes should be carried on the wallets.
_Spurs._--The Colonial fashion of wearing one spur only is not a bad
one where mounted infantry work is to be done. The spur should be very
short, so as not to trip you when on foot.
_Coat._--Burberry kharki gabardine, carried by day rolled up on the
pommel of the saddle. Nightcap in one of the pockets, also a warm
muffler.
_Waistcoat._--A Cardigan waistcoat or a sweater (grey or brown) is a very
great comfort--can be carried rolled inside the coat during the heat of
the day.
_Watch._--Wrist-watch, with very thick hands, and lever action, as made
by Dent (Charing Cross).
_Belt._--Brown leather, with rings or dees to hang things on. These
include--
_Revolver._--Service pattern in an open "cowboy" holster, with cord
lanyard round your neck.
_Whistle._--Secured to the belt (or round the neck) by a cord
sufficiently long to allow it to reach your mouth.
_Knife._--Comprising tin-opener, turnscrew, corkscrew, skinning blade,
borer, tweezers, etc.
_Flint and Steel._ }
_Compass._ } In a pouch on the belt.
_Revolver Cartridges._ }
_Pipe and Tobacco._--Ditto.
II. _On your horse._
_Saddle._--The Colonial military saddle.
_Wallets._--Slung across the cantle, where they are far more handy than
in front (see photo).
_In near Wallet._
Spare flannel shirt.
Socks.
Spat Gaiters.
Toothbrush } wrapped
Tooth-powder } in a
Soap } towel.
Hair-brush }
_In off Wallet._
Sketchbook.
Map.
Quinine.
Camera.
Housewife.
Tin of cocoa.
Tin of bovril or potted meat.
Bread.
Knife, fork, and spoon.
Much of the above can be carried in the pockets of the coat if more room
is wanted in the wallets for rations.
_Cooking "Billy"_ in leathern case on the cantle. The Bechuanaland
Border Police pattern of "billy" is very good, and carries its own
drinking-cup. Your ration of meat can be carried in the "billy."
_Water-bottle_ }
_Telescope_ } On near side of saddle.
_Nosebag_ }
_Field-glasses_ }
_Axe_ } On off-side of saddle.
_Carbine Bucket_ }
_Shoes with indiarubber soles_ strapped on outside the wallets.
_Carbine._--Lee-Metford Sporting Magazine Rifle, or the cavalry L.-M.
carbine are very good, but involve carrying a bandolier. A Colt's
repeater carries its own fourteen rounds, but if it jams or gets out of
order, is difficult to repair on the veldt. The carbine bucket is merely
a shoe in which the butt of the rifle rests, while the barrel is kept
near the side under your arm or attached to the arm by a loop of cord.
The carbine should be fitted with a brown leather sling by which it can
be carried across the back when climbing or when riding (where there is
no possibility of meeting an enemy or a buck), or it can be hung from
the point of the shoulder, ready for immediate use.
_Blanket_ is worn under the saddle, with a numnah between it and the
horse's back to prevent its becoming wet and sour with sweat.
_Bridle._--Ordinary military head-collar with a "9th Lancer" or "Pelham"
bit, and a "reim" (thong) for tying up or knee-haltering the horse.
CHAPTER XI
THE DOWNFALL OF UWINI
_8th September to 14th September_
Start for the Somabula Forest to find Ridley's Column--Native
Pantomimic Description of a Battle--The British
Subaltern--Taba-si-ka-Mamba--Bread-Making--Difficulty in Finding the
Column--A Vision Fulfilled--A Man's Toys--Meeting with Vyvyan--Join, and
assume Command of the Column--The Wounded Men--How Uwini was captured--Why
he was tried--Cutting off the Enemy's Water-Supply--The Somabula
Forest--Execution of Uwini--A Soldier Missing--A Fruitless Night March--A
Battle between Friends--Start for the Somabula--We raid Lozan's District.
_6th September._--I am now back at work again in the office, but only
doing it indifferently well; Vyvyan is away with Ridley's column,
and meantime Nicholson is helping me in the office. He has been
marvellously quick at picking up the threads of the office work, and
consequently is of the greatest assistance.
_7th September._--Sir Frederick has to-day given me a better tonic than
any which the combined medical faculty of Buluwayo could devise.
He has told me that he is anxious for me to go and take charge of
the column which is now under Ridley in the Somabula Forest. He has
privately consulted Dr. Strong, who has been looking after me, and he
considers that I may now safely go. After hearing this, it did not
take long for me to get ready. Packing my kit on one horse and riding
another, I said good-bye to Buluwayo, and with my nigger Diamond riding
a third horse and leading a fourth, I started this afternoon, and am
now camped for the night on the Umguza River, where some of Plumer's
men are stationed.
_8th September._--Took with me three of Plumer's men as escort, viz.
Troopers Abrahamson, White, and Parkin, each with two horses and three
days' rations. We started at sunrise to follow up Ridley's column. I
could picture nothing more to my taste than a ride of from eighty to
one hundred miles in a wild country, with three good men, and plenty of
excitement in having to keep a good look-out for the enemy, enjoying
splendid weather, shirt-sleeves, and a reviving feeling of health and
freedom. Everything promised to make it one of the delightful times
of my life. But before we had gone ten miles, I found I wasn't very
fit; at sixteen miles we off-saddled, and a cup of tea refreshed me,
but I could not eat. I began to have thoughts of sending back for a
cart to bring me ignominiously home again. However, after an hour's
rest, I reflected that it was only a natural weakness after being so
long on the sick-list. So we went on for nine miles, to where Mr.
Fynn was camped on a farm belonging to Arthur Rhodes (better known
as "the M'limo"). Fynn is here collecting together native prisoners
and refugees, and giving them ground on which to sow their crops. My
thanks to you, Fynn, for that arm-chair where I slept most happily, and
then the excellent tea and boiled rice, followed by another spell in
the arm-chair! While resting here, three rebels came in to surrender,
and they told us how the white troops, meaning Ridley's column, were
several days on ahead, and that two days ago they had surrounded the
rebels and had kept firing on them for the whole of one day and part of
the next; one of the niggers went through a pantomime descriptive of
the battle, and showed us how, during the fight, he himself lay low in
a donga, and heard first the single shots of the white men replied to
by the deeper bang of the native muskets, then the increasing rattle
and roar of musketry, then the rapid tap, tap, tap of the Maxim,
mingled with the crack of volleys and the roar of 7-pounders. He
imitated all the sounds beautifully, as well as the crouching attack
of the skirmishers, the falling of the wounded rebels, and the flight
of the remainder. His action was perfect, but I eventually discovered
it was all a lie from beginning to end. No such fight had taken
place--he merely made it up, as he hoped to please us; but meantime I
was miserable at the thought that the action had come off and I was too
late for it. At the same time, it aroused my impatience, and we pressed
on that evening eight miles farther to the Bembezi River. There we
off-saddled and coiled down in the dark, taking turns to keep watch. It
was a lovely night, but was rather spoilt during my watch by a beastly
hyæna coming and sniffing around, and growling and snarling at us every
now and then.
_9th September._--Started at daybreak, and got to Inyati (fourteen
miles) by eight o'clock. Here we found Terry of the 7th Hussars with
six men occupying a small fort. Their life did not seem too cheery;
small fort, open flat, blazing sun, and flies innumerable. Rudyard
Kipling would well describe this young sprig, fresh from Charterhouse,
accepting the surrender of numbers of Lobengula's trusted old warriors.
He had under his charge in the fort stores of food and grain, for the
better protection of which he had drawn largely on the roof of the
mission church across the flat. After breakfasting here, we pressed on
again under a blazing sun, hoping for water, but finding none. On and
on over yellow, grassy, bush-grown flats for fourteen miles, till we
struck a river bed in which were a few pools of water. Here I lay down
utterly done up, but after a wash in a pool and some tea, I soon got
all right, and in the cool of the evening we went on another four miles
to the Longwe River. Like nearly all the so-called rivers here, it was
but a river bed of sand, in which one had to dig for water. We found
here a convoy of four waggons with supplies for Ridley's column, but
they could give us no information as to where he was camped, or how far
ahead he might be; they were merely following along on his track. They
had a strong escort, and were quite prepared to take care of themselves
in the event of an attack. Among the troopers on escort was one Madden,
an old Swaziland acquaintance. Our two days' journey had brought us
respectively thirty-three and thirty-two miles from Buluwayo,--a total
of sixty-five.
[Illustration: GIANTS' PLAYTHINGS
Specimens of fantastic granite rocks seen in Matabeleland and
Mashonaland.]
_10th September._--Again we started at daybreak, and passed by
Taba-si-ka-Mamba, a mass of jumbled-up koppies, six miles by three,
which had formed one of the chief rebel strongholds in this part of the
country, until Plumer's force had stormed the place, and driven the
enemy out, on the 6th July last. The rocks and koppies here, like those
in the Matopos, are piles of granite boulders, and in many cases assume
most fantastic forms. Here and there they look like castles on the top
of peaks; in other places, like gigantic loaves of bread, and in one
place there was a tower of five of them placed one on top of the other
for a height of nearly a hundred feet. We rode on until we came to
the next river, the Umsangwe, a distance of ten miles; it was blazing
hot, and I now began to feel a very poor creature. It was too far to
go back again, and we could only hope that the column was not very far
ahead, especially as we had not too much quantity or variety of food
with us. I lay up during the heat of the day with a waterproof sheet
spread over a thorn-bush as a shelter from the sun. The men dug water
in the sand, washed, and baked bread. To bake bread, lay your coat on
the ground, inside upwards, mix the flour and water in it (it doesn't
show when you put the coat on again); for yeast or baking powder use
the juice of the toddy palm or Eno's Fruit Salt to make a light dough;
scrape a circle in the ashes of the fire, flop your lump of dough down
on to it, flour the dough, spread fine sand all round and all over it,
then heap the embers of the fire on to it; in half an hour an excellent
flat loaf of bread results. It requires scrubbing with a horse-brush
before you eat it. At half-past three we saddled up and trekked on
to the Shangani River, which was only four miles farther on. It is a
mighty river on the map, but is nothing more in nature than the usual
sand river-bed with occasional pools, the sand being about a hundred
and fifty yards wide, with reed-grown banks on either side. To get
water, you have to scrape out a hole of two feet deep, and fairly good
water comes immediately. We had brought a nigger guide with us from
Inyati, and he said that Ridley's column would be found on the Uvunkwe
River, and that this was only a short distance on from the Shangani;
so we pressed on. But as night closed in, our nigger got frightened,
and he told us that there were Matabele about. We replied that that was
exactly the reason why we had come there. Then he said that the next
water was so far off, that if we trotted the whole night, we should not
get there till long after sunrise next day. We tried for a bit to get
on in the dark, but rain had fallen since Ridley's column had passed
along and had destroyed the spoor; we had no water, and only two days'
food; our nigger guide was evidently unreliable: so we turned back to
the Shangani, and there bivouacked for the night, taking it in turns,
as usual, to keep watch.
_11th September._--My anniversary of joining Her Majesty's Service,
1876-1896--twenty years. I always think more of this anniversary than
of that of my birth, and I could not picture a more enjoyable way of
spending it. I am here, out in the wilds, with three troopers. They
are all Afrikanders, that is, Colonial born, one an ex-policeman,
another a mining engineer (went to England with me in 1889 on board the
_Mexican_), the third an electrical engineer from Johannesburg,--all of
them good men on the veldt, and good fighting men. We are nearly eighty
miles from Buluwayo and thirty from the nearest troops. I have rigged
up a shelter from the sun with my blanket, a rock, and a thorn-bush;
thirteen thousand flies are unfortunately staying with me, and are
awfully attentive.
One of us is always on the look-out by night and by day. Our stock
of food, crockery, cooking utensils, and bedding does not amount to
anything much, as we carry it all on our saddles.
Once, not very long ago, at an afternoon "At Home," I was handing a cup
of tea to an old dowager, who bridled up in a mantle with bugles and
beads, and some one noticed that in doing so my face wore an absent
look, and I was afterwards asked where my thoughts were at that time.
I could only reply that "My mind was a blank, with a single vision in
it, lower half yellow, upper half blue," in other words, the yellow
veldt of South Africa, topped with the blue South African sky. Possibly
the scent of the tea had touched some memory chord which connected it
with my black tin billy, steaming among the embers of a wood fire; but
whatever it was then, my vision is to-day a reality. I am looking out
on the yellow veldt and the blue sky; the veldt with its grey, hazy
clumps of thorn bush is shimmering in the heat, and its vast expanse
is only broken by the gleaming white sand of the river bed and the
green reeds and bushes which fringe its banks. (Interruption: Stand to
the tent! a "Devil," with its roaring pillar of dust and leaves, comes
tearing by.) I used to think that the novelty of the thing would wear
off, that these visions of the veldt would fade away as civilised life
grew upon me. But they didn't. They came again at most inopportune
moments: just when I ought to be talking "The World," or "Truth," or
"Modern Society" (with the cover removed), and making my reputation as
a "sensible, well-informed man, my dear," with the lady in the mantle,
somebody in the next room has mentioned the word saddle, or rifle, or
billy, or some other attribute of camp life, and off goes my mind at a
tangent to play with its toys. Old Oliver Wendell Holmes is only too
true when he says that most of us are "boys all our lives"; we have our
toys, and will play with them with as much zest at eighty as at eight,
that in their company we can never grow old. I can't help it if my toys
take the form of all that has to do with veldt life, and if they remain
my toys till I drop--
"Then here's to our boyhood, its gold and its grey,
The stars of its winter, the dews of its May;
And when we have done with our life-lasting toys,
Dear Father, take care of Thy children, the boys."
May it not be that our toys are the various media adapted to individual
tastes through which men may know their God?
As Ramakrishna Paramahansa writes: "Many are the names of God and
infinite the forms that lead us to know of Him. In whatsoever name or
form you desire to know Him, in that very name and form you will know
Him."
In the afternoon I rode out with one of the men some ten miles down
the Shangani River, to see if we could find any spoor of the enemy
crossing the sandy bed or coming to get water there, but we only found
the separate tracks of three men at all fresh, though we found hundreds
of old tracks. As we came in sight of our bivouac on our return, my man
said, "There is a strange horse grazing with ours; someone has come to
the camp;" and it was true enough--we had a visitor. Vyvyan, who was
acting as staff officer to Ridley, had received my note which I had
sent on by runners, saying that I was coming out to take command of the
column, and that he was to return to Buluwayo to act as chief staff
officer. From him I ascertained that the column was only twenty-five
miles away, and had not yet had a big fight, although it had lost a few
men in taking some of the innumerable koppies in which the rebels of
that part had taken refuge. So towards evening we saddled up and moved
on, Vyvyan going on to Buluwayo with one man as escort, and I and my
little party continuing our way eastward. We went on for three hours
until the moon set, and then bivouacked for the night.
_12th September._--On again at daybreak, through thick bush country,
in which were numerous granite boulder koppies. Everywhere we found
more or less recent tracks of natives, and the wheel-marks of Ridley's
waggons once more became pretty well defined. Our horses were now
beginning to get done--indeed, one of mine was doing his best to die;
so, knowing that we must be near Ridley's camp, I pressed on ahead
of the party leaving them to follow more leisurely. Presently I came
across two niggers hiding in the bush, but evidently unarmed and afraid
to run away. From them I managed to elicit that the camp was not far
off, and they soon put me on the right path to it, and I got in in time
for a late breakfast. The laager was formed in an open spot, surrounded
on all sides at a short distance by eight koppies which formed the
strongholds of the enemy. One of these koppies had been attacked and
taken two days previously, and the chief of the tribe had been there
captured. But we had lost one man killed and four wounded, and there
still remained seven koppies to be taken. One of my first acts in camp,
after taking over command of the column, was to visit the hospital,
where I found one man with his hand amputated; he bore it very well,
and, being one of the best football players of the 7th Hussars, he
was in good training, and therefore but little affected by it. When I
said I hoped it would not spoil his football in the future, he laughed
and said that as he played the Association game, he would be all the
better without a hand. Another poor chap had a great double wound in
his thigh (all unbandaged for my edification); and another, who was
yesterday a particularly handsome young hussar, has to-day a horrible
caricature of a face, with the whole of his lower jaw shot away. And
with what object? Merely to get half a dozen frightened niggers out
of their holes in the rocks. Then I was shown the chief who had been
captured--Uwini by name. He was badly wounded in the shoulder, but,
enraged at being a prisoner, he would allow nothing to be done for
him; no sooner had the surgeon bandaged him than he tore the dressings
off again. He was a fine, truculent-looking savage, and boasted that
he had always been able to hold his own against any enemies in this
stronghold of his, but now that he was captured he only wished to die.
His capture had been most pluckily effected by Captain van Niekerk
and two of his men. When his kraal was taken by the troops, Uwini had
scrambled down into the labyrinth of caves which ran through the rocks
on which the kraal was built. Trooper Halifax and another crawled in
after him, and followed him from one point to another of his refuge,
often firing and being fired at by him. After some hours of this game
of hide-and-seek, Halifax had managed to wound the chief; they then
followed him up with a lighted candle, tracking him by his blood spoor,
until they finally cornered him in a cleft of the rocks from which he
could not escape. He was so disabled by his wound as to be unable to
fire on them, and they made him a prisoner.
It now rested with me to decide what should be our next step. We had
lost five men killed and wounded in taking one koppie, and there
still remained seven to be taken, which were just as strongly held as
the first one; consequently we must expect to lose a number of men
before we finally effected our purpose, and the probability was that
we should not do this before we had first killed a large number of
the rebels. The Native Commissioner of this part had been murdered by
the rebels and his police had joined them, so that civil power in the
district had ceased to exist. There was in camp, however, an acting
Native Commissioner, Mr. V. Gielgud, who was to assume the post of
Commissioner so soon as the rebels could be induced to surrender. This
officer was most anxious that I should try Uwini by court-martial,
for the following reasons:--Uwini was not only the leading chief of
that part of the country, but was one of the four chiefs of the whole
of Matabeleland who were supposed to be specially endowed by the
M'limo, the god of the people; he was therefore in their eyes sacred,
invulnerable, and infallible. He was well known to be the instigator of
rebellion, and of several specific murders of whites in the district.
His immediate punishment, then and there, would do more than anything
else to restore our prestige and bring about the surrender of rebels,
not only of his own tribe, but probably of the neighbouring tribes as well. |
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