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OAPE COLONY AND BRITISH SOUTH AFRICA. 



battalion of the 60th Foot in all, nearly 7,500 

 men and officers. About the same time, on 

 the 24th, Colonel Wood's column, which started 

 from Utrecht in the Transvaal, engaged be- 

 tween 3,000 and 4,000 Zooloos in the Tambua 

 mountains, with little loss on his side; but 

 owing to the disaster at the Isandlana Camp 

 or Rorke's Drift, he took up a defensive posi- 

 tion to cover Utrecht, and to be able to move 

 if necessary in the direction of Colonel Glyn's 

 column. After the victory at Isandlana, which 

 Cetywayo failed to improve, most of the Zoo- 

 loo warriors were dismissed to secure the 

 crops. On February 17th two messengers 

 arrived in Colonel "Wood's camp from Oham, 

 half-brother of Cetywayo, stating that he had 

 escaped from the King's kraal, where he had 

 been kept a prisoner since the end of last De- 

 cember. Oham was at this time in his own 

 kraal, about twenty-five miles from the camp. 

 He stated that he was still anxious to come 

 over to the British, and suggested that Colonel 

 Wood should name a place of meeting, where 

 matters might be arranged. Oham had always 

 wavered in his allegiance to his brother, and 

 for this reason Cetywayo ordered him to Ulun- 

 di when war became inevitable. He finally 

 surrendered on March 4th, together with his son 

 and 300 men. Another serious reverse befell 

 the British troops on March 12th. At day- 

 break a convoy of 100 men of the 80th Regi- 

 ment, under Captain Moriarty, in charge of 

 20 wagons from Derby to Luneburg, was sur- 

 prised by a large body of the enemy. Captain 

 Moriarty fell in the action, and 60 of his men 

 were lost, killed and missing. Lieutenant 

 Harward, who escaped with 45 men, said that 

 he was encamped with his men on one side of 

 the river Intombi, and that Captain Moriarty 

 with the remainder of the men was on the 

 other side. Although some previous alarms had 

 been given, they were surprised at daybreak 

 by the irruption of a body of over 4,000 Zoo- 

 loos. The Zooloo loss was heavy, but seemed 

 to make no impression on them. The wagons 

 with the supplies were removed by the enemy, 

 but some rockets and ammunition were re- 

 covered. 



In March King Cetywayo sent messages to 

 Bishop Schroeder, of the Norwegian missions, 

 asking for peace. He begged that the Bishop 

 would explain to the Government that he nev- 

 er desired this war ; he had never refused the 

 terms proposed at the Lower Tugela ; he had 

 already collected 1,000 head of cattle to pay 

 the demand made on him. Sirayo's sons had 

 escaped, and he was looking for them when he 

 heard the English armies had crossed the Tu- 

 gela ; they attacked and killed many of Sirayo's 

 people, but even then he did not despair of 

 peace, for he then succeeded in arresting Si- 

 rayo's sons. He sent them bound with his 

 army under Mavumgwana's charge, to be de- 

 livered up to the General at Rorke's Drift; 

 three men were sent on to try and obtain a 

 hearing, but they were fired at, and returned. 



The fighting at Isandlana was brought about 

 accidentally ; the English horse attacked outly- 

 ing parties of Zooloos, who returned their fire ; 

 more came up and joined in the fray, till the 

 battle became general. The King protested 

 that he never ordered his army to attack the 

 English column, and Mavumgwana was in dis- 

 grace for having permitted it. Cetywayo also 

 said that Colonel Pearson provoked the attack 

 made on him by burning kraals and commit- 

 ting other acts of hostility along the line of 

 march. He now asked that both sides should 

 put aside their arms and resume the negotia- 

 tions with a view to a permanent settlement 

 of all questions between himself and the Gov- 

 ernment. The King further stated that he 

 would have sent in a message before, but was 

 afraid; because the last time he sent eight 

 messengers to the Lower Tugela they were de- 

 tained, and he now begged they might be sent 

 back. 



Colonel Pearson, who had advanced as far as 

 Ekowe in February, and had there fortified 

 himself, had been cut off completely from his 

 friends. Communication had, however, been 

 kept up with him by means of the heliograph, 

 an instrument composed of mirrors, which by 

 reflecting the sun's rays transmitted messages 

 to a distance of eighty or a hundred miles. In 

 this way the British were kept advised of the 

 condition of Colonel Pearson's column. In the 

 middle of March Colonel Pearson signaled that 

 his supplies were almost at an end, and that he 

 had a large number of sick persons in his hos- 

 pital. A relief column was at once fitted out, 

 and on March 29th set out under the personal 

 command of Lord Chelmsford. The column 

 consisted of 2,600 infantry, 640 naval brigade, 

 and 50 mounted Europeans, 150 mounted na- 

 tives, two 9-pounder guns, four 24-pounder 

 rockets, two Gatlings, and 2,150 native con- 

 tingent. The plan of relief was to force a 

 passage through to Ekowe with all possible 

 speed; to exchange the garrison and provision 

 the fort for a fresh period of thirty days ; to 

 form another post on the Ingingzuni heights, 

 leaving it supplied for a similar period, and 

 perhaps establish a third at the Inyoni. The 

 relieving column formed in laager at Ginglelova 

 on the afternoon of April 1st. There were 

 heavy rains throughout the evening, and the 

 Zooloos were hovering about the camp. At 

 6 in the morning of the 2d the Zooloos at- 

 tacked the laager on each side in succession, 

 two distinct forces being employed. At 7.30 

 the attack was repulsed, and the enemy re- 

 treated, followed by Barrow's mounted infan- 

 try and the native contingent. On the 3d 

 Lord Chelmsford with the greater part of the 

 relief column started for Ekowe, leaving the 

 remainder to guard the baggage. After a suc- 

 cessful march of fifteen miles, Colonel Pearson, 

 with a few companies of the 99th and the sea- 

 men of the Active, were met. The force 

 reached Ekowe at 9.30 in the evening. On 

 the 4th the garrison marched for the Tugela, 



