distraction,despair.
"Ride for it, George!" shouted Hardy. "The only hope is to reach LordChelmsford, if he is anywhere near at hand, as I hope he is, and bringhim to the rescue. Some of our fellows may hold out long enough for himto come up. Ay, that is right!" he exclaimed, turning on his saddle asthey galloped off; "there is Captain Younghusband retiring against thesteep side of the hill. He, at all events, will hold out a long timethere. All depends on how near Lord Chelmsford may be."
Urging their horses to the utmost speed, they broke their way throughsome scattered groups of combatants, and had got clear of the camp amongsome bushes, when they came upon two horsemen riding, at the top oftheir speed, in the opposite direction. George recognised them asErnest Baylen and Matamo.
"Stop, Ernest!" he shouted; "do not make for the camp. The Zulus havebroken in there. Where are our fellows? Where is Lord Chelmsford?"
Baylen reined in his horse. "Broken into the camp!" he exclaimed; "theZulus! Then all is lost! Dartnell's men are dispersed or killed.Moritz has been assegayed. I was riding to bring help."
"Where is Lord Chelmsford?" interposed Hardy. "Is he anywhere near athand?"
"No, miles off, I believe, but I can't say where."
"Then there is nothing for it but to make for Rorke's Drift. We maywarn them in time to prepare for attack."
He was just turning his horse when half a dozen Zulus came rushing up,hurling their assegays as they advanced. One of these grazed George'scheek. Another pierced Ernest in the chest, who fell on the instant;while a third mortally wounded Matamo's horse. The Bechuana leaped fromhis saddle, and was instantly struck down by a blow from a club. Georgecut down the man whose assegay had narrowly missed him, and Hardy shottwo more with his revolver. The others drew back for the moment; andthe two Englishmen, taking advantage of their hesitation, galloped off.
"To the left, to the left!" shouted Hardy; "make for the thicket there.I know a path through it that runs down to the Buffalo. The pursuit is,fortunately, in another direction."
In a few minutes they reached the cover of the trees, followed only bythe three or four Zulus from whom they had just escaped.
Once inside the wood they were tolerably secure. Elated by the signalsuccess they had obtained, the news of which spread like wildfire in alldirections, the Zulus were hurrying to witness the overthrow andslaughter of the white men, and get their share of the spoil, and thefugitives did not encounter a single enemy, while their pursuers were along way in the rear. Hurrying along a path, which Hardy had oftentraversed when a resident of the country, in half an hour's time theyfound themselves on the banks of the Buffalo, at a part which wasentirely out of sight of either friends or enemies.
"Will our horses carry us across?" asked Hardy as he looked at theswollen and roaring stream, which at that point ran with extraordinaryspeed.
"They must," said George. "Not our lives only, but those of our friendsat Rorke's Drift depend upon it."
"You are right. We must cross at once."
The horses, which had somewhat recovered their wind during the passagethrough the wood, were extremely unwilling to enter the stream; and itwas only by sharp use of the spur that they could be compelled to breastit. For about a third of the distance the water was comparativelysmooth, and they made their way, though with difficulty. But as theyapproached the mid-current they found its force quite irresistible.Both horses were swept down the stream, and soon lost all power ofresistance. George threw himself from the saddle, and, striking outwith all his force, broke clear of the current and slowly made his wayto the shore, while his horse, which had ceased to struggle, was carrieddown the torrent. George scrambled with difficulty up the bank, and,looking round for his companion, saw him a hundred yards lower down,clinging to the long, projecting branch of a large yellowwood. Hishorse too had disappeared, and he himself appeared to be quiteexhausted. Shouting to him to hold on to the branch, George hurried tothe spot, and, climbing into the tree, was able to approach him nearenough to throw one end of his belt to him, while he drew him upwards bythe other. After a quarter of an hour of great peril and exertion, theyboth stood safe on the farther shore of the Buffalo.
"We are saved, Rivers," said Hardy as soon as he had recovered hisbreath sufficiently to thank his preserver; "but I am afraid not in timeto warn our friends at Rorke's Drift. We have come direct enough sofar, no doubt. But Rorke's Drift lies some considerable distance off,and I am so much exhausted that it would take me a long time to reach iton foot. I am afraid you are not much better."
"Hush!" said George; "I hear some one moving close at hand. We havelost our revolvers, but we still have our sabres. Can these Zulus havefollowed us?"
They drew cautiously back under the cover of the reeds and rushes, andlistened intently. Presently the tramp of horses' feet was distinctlyheard, and two mounted volunteers came riding by at an easy trot,attended by two or three natives.
"It is some of our own fellows," exclaimed George; "how fortunate! Byall that is lucky," he added a moment afterwards, "it is Redgy himself,and Wilhelm Baylen! Hullo, Redgy, what has brought you here? Stop amoment, and take us with you."
Margetts reined in his horse in great surprise. "I may return yourquestion, I think," he said. "What brings you here? And, good heavens!what a condition you are in. You have swam the river, and are coveredwith blood besides! What has happened?"
"It will take a long time to tell that," answered George, "and we mustnot stop here to tell it. Every moment is of incalculable importance.Give me your horse, Redgy. I think I can contrive to sit in the saddle,and Wilhelm must ride by me. You and Hardy must make your way as wellas you can on foot. He will tell you all about it."
He spurred the horse to its speed, and he and Baylen were soon lost tosight.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN.
The morning of the 22nd of January broke calm and clear on the valley ofthe Buffalo. At one end of this, as the reader has heard, was situatedthe ford of Rorke's Drift, to which the occurrence of that day has givena world-wide celebrity. But for the fact that there are shallows closeto it, by which cavalry may almost always cross, there is nothing thatcould cause it to be chosen as a military station. The valley indeed isopen for some considerable distance above the Drift; but below it thererise rocky hills, which would enable an enemy completely to command it.On the north bank again, which is in Zululand, the ground is level; buton the Natal side there is high land, sloping abruptly down to the riverat the point where the ford is shallowest. From this point, as well asfrom that before mentioned, the camp could be easily attacked, andprobably with disastrous effect. It could therefore only be from thatcontempt of the most obvious dangers, which seems to be an inevitablefeature in the English character, that a military storehouse andhospital could have been built in such a situation. It must have beenevident to every one that, if a Zulu invasion--a thing which had alreadytwice occurred, and which was now again apprehended with grave reason--were really to take place, and Cetewayo pour his dusky thousands acrossthe Buffalo, the stores and the sick men must be, at once and withouthope of deliverance, at his mercy.
In any case, one would have supposed that this consideration would causesome anxiety in the minds of the slender garrison left in it, when thethree British columns had passed the frontier of Zululand to attack itsrenowned and dreaded king. All over Natal, if not all over SouthernAfrica, it was considered as, at all events, very doubtful, whether hewould not prove too strong--not indeed for the power of England to copewith, but for the number of troops now sent against him. And if heobtained even a temporary triumph, and forced Glyn's column back overthe river, what would all their lives be worth? Did not common prudencerequire the throwing up defences of some kind, which might keep theenemy off, for some time at least, until succour might arrive. Thegrand feat of arms, which averted a second disaster, has induced theworld to disregard the strange imprudence exhibited here, as atIsandhlwana. But had the result been different, and had t
he garrisonexperienced the same fate as those who fell in the fatal battle on themorning of the same day, the outcry would in all likelihood have beenquite as loud and quite as justifiable.
But no thought of danger disturbed the equanimity of the slender forceleft to garrison their untenable post. The men, when the necessary campduties had been discharged, appeared to be sorely at a loss to know inwhat manner to employ their time. The day was warm and bright, andearly in the forenoon it became oppressively hot. Some amusedthemselves by fishing in the adjoining river. Some strolled up anddown, or sat smoking and chatting in the verandah, or under such shadeas could be found.
At a little distance, in front of the Swedish pastor's house, VanderHeyden and his sister