DA TAPO THE BRAVE 
277 
knowing this, made a determined stand here against the 
Matabele, and slew many of them while struggling in the 
water in the attempt to cross after them. This stand of Da 
Tapo’s gave the flying women and children time to follow on 
the track of their lords and masters, who had gone ahead with 
the large troops of cattle to secrete them in the islands lying 
in the reeds of the Cubango higher up. 
The way this flight was conducted, and the heartrending 
scenes enacted during this terrible stampede were graphically 
described to us by Tschukooroo. The men had passed ahead 
with the larger cattle in great troops, leaving the care of 
children, sheep, and goats to the women following on behind. 
The whole tribe took part in the flight, many women so 
overburdened with goods and children that other little toddlers 
of three and four years old had to look after themselves. It 
was surprising to see those youngsters without a cry or scream 
determinedly hurry on in the wake of their parents, no one 
assisting or sustaining them except at the deeper crossings 
in the swamps, where a few men stationed themselves to help 
them over. Tschukooroo related with a great deal of feeling 
how man} 7, of those plucky youngsters were drowned in the 
swamps, or quite exhausted, and, not able to carry their fat 
little bodies any farther, were overtaken and slit open by the 
Matabele warriors with a cruel thrust of their assegais that 
let their entrails drop on to the ground, and left to die in 
great agony. It was then that the brave Da Tapo, hearing 
of the distress in the rear, left his cattle in charge of a friend 
and rushed back with a handful of self-sacrificing men to 
check the advancing Matabele horde, that they had not until 
now realised was actually so close on their heels. It was 
late in the afternoon when Da Tapo met that part of the 
Matabele army which had passed Moremi and his seventy 
horsemen employed at the extreme rear in checking the 
advance of the main body of Matabele. Ireful at seeing the 
cruelties perpetrated on the children, Da Tapo and his men 
ambushed the crossing spoken of, and when the enemy were 
