Jim had fought at 'Sandhlwana, and could tell of 

 an umfaan sent out to herd some cattle within sight 

 of the British camp to draw the troops out raiding 

 white the impis crept round by hill and bush and donga 

 behind them ; of the fight made by the red-coats as, 

 taken in detail, they were attacked hand to hand with 

 stabbing assegais, ten and twenty to one ; of one man 

 in blue a sailor who was the last to die, fighting 

 with his back to a waggon wheel against scores before 

 him, and how he fell at last, stabbed in the back 

 through the spokes of the wheel by one who had crept 

 up behind. 



Jim had fought at Rorke's Drift ! Wild with lust 

 of blood, he had gone on with the maddest of the 

 victory-maddened lot to invade Natal and eat up 

 the little garrison on the way. He could tell how 

 seventy or eighty white men behind a little rampart 

 of biscuit-tins and flour-bags had fought through 

 the long and terrible hours, beating off five thousand 

 of the Zulu best, fresh from a victory without parallel 

 or precedent ; how, from the burning hospital, Sergeant 

 Hook, V.C., and others carried sick and wounded 

 through the flames into the laager ; how a man in 

 black with a long beard, Father Walsh, moved about 

 with calm face, speaking to some, helping others, 

 carrying wounded back and cartridges 

 forward -- Father Walsh who said 

 " Don't swear, boys : fire low " ; how 

 I Lieutenants Chard and Bromhead 

 V.C.s too for that day's work 

 led and fought, and guided and 



I94 



