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GRAPHIC SCENES IN AFRICAN
STORY.

Morrison and Gibb, Edinburgh,
Printers to Iler Majesty's Stationery Office.

GRAPHIC SCENES

IX

AFRICAN STORY.

SETTLERS— SLAVERY-
MISSIONS AND MISSIONARIES-
BATTLE-FIELDS.

BY

CHAELES BRUCE,

AUTHOK OF 'THE BOOK OF ADVENTURE AND PERIL,' ETC. ETC.

EDINBURGH:
W. P. NIMMO, HAY, & MITCHELL,

1888.

LOAN STACK

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER I.

3)7

j/Wfr,

SETTLERS.

Discovery of the Cape of "Good Hope — First Settlers at Cape
Colony — French Refugees — Life' at Cape Colony — Dutch
East India Company's Rule — Discontent — Boers and
Natives — Extension of Territory — Kafirs — "Warfare —
Becomes a British Colony — Fringle — A Sabbath Scene —
Lion and Giraffe — The Great 'Trek' — The Journey —
Land of Promise — Rest — Zulu King's Treachery —
Massacre — War — A Great Battle — Results — Annexation —
Rebellion — A Fruitless Errand — On the Borders of the
Vaal — The Boer at Home — The Trader— Ostrich Farm-
ing— Diamond Fields, ' .

13-36

CHAPTER II.

THE SLAVE TRADE.

A Curse to Africa — Slavery still exists — Livingstone — Scenes
in the Shire* Valley — Desolation — ' That Monster
Iniquity ' — A Dead Woman — Starved to Death — Arab
Traders— How Slaves are obtained— Slave Gangs — March
to the Coast — At Zanzibar— On the Congo— Stanley's

654

Contents.

PAGES

Account — Slave-hunter's Deeds — A Ruined Town — Heart-
rending Scene — A Ghastly Sight — A Slave-hunter's Camp
— Condition of Captives — Slave Children — Mothers and
Children — Disgusting Scenes — Attempts to suppress the
Trade — The Slave Dhow — Cruisers — Boat Expedition —
Attacking a Slave Station — Dhow-chasing — Running on
Shore — Dangerous Surf — Sad Sight — Slaves in a Dhow —
A Brutal Action — A Captured Dhow — The Vulture's
YrizQ — Trade still carried on — ■ Open Sore of the World,' 37-53

CHAPTER III.

SOUTH AFRICAN MISSIONS.

Early Missionaries — Moravians — George Schmidt — London
Missionary Society — Dr. Vanderkemp— Robert Moffat —
Preaching at a Boer's—' May your Servants come in?'
— Africaner — Moffat and Makala — The Dead must not
rise — Fasting Girdle — Escape from Tiger and Serpent—
Rain-makers — A Critical Moment — A Striking Scene —
Mrs. Moffat — Lot of a Missionary's Wife — Unwelcome
Intruders— A Memorable Conversation — A Difficult Task
done — Livingstone — A Missionary's Domestic Life —
House-building — Bread-making — Daily Work — Belief in
Missions — The Heathen Makololo — Missionary Zeal-
Rev. John Mackenzie — A Singular Patient — African
Gratitude — ' Give me a Knife ' — - Shadow of Death —
Mrs*. Helmore— Not Laboured in Vain, . . . .51-70

CHAPTER IV.

LIVINGSTONIA AND UNIVERSITIES MISSIONS.

The Spirit of Missions — Scottish Mission— Bandawe* Mission
— The Ilala Steamer — Nyassa navigated — Slaves drawn
from the Nyassa Coast — James Stewart's Journey— A

Contents. 7

PAGES

New Eoad— Eoute to the Heart of Africa— Li vie gstonia
Trading Company — Work of Translation — Industries
taught — Clothing made — Blantyre Mission — Univer-
sities Mission founded — The Missionary Band — The
Ajawas — Chigunda — Tete Slavers — Punishing Slavers — A
Warlike Expedition— The Fight — Another Expedition —
A Warlike Bishop — A Second Fight — The Effects of
Gun-shots — Victory — A Captive — Peace — Give me your
War Medicine — A Wonderful Instrument — The English
are here ! — A Severe Blow for Slavery — Sad News — A
Narrow Escape — Dark Days — Fever and Death— Death of
the Bishop — Death of Mrs. Livingstone — A Good Wife's
Epitaph — Removal to Zanzibar, 71-S7

CHAPTER V.

CENTRAL AFRICAN MISSION.

Enthusiasm for Missions — Mission at Lake Tanganyika —
Mirambo's Desire — Mr. Dodgshun — A Perilous Journey
— A Hostile Country — Three Stations — Captain Hore
and Dr. Southon — Well established — A Missionary's
" Difficulties — Uguha Natives — A Barbarous Execution —
Woman's Position — Plurality of Wives — Mode of Saluta-
tion— Beliefs and Customs— Arabs of Ujiji — A Brave
Man — A Palaver with Arab Slavers — A Threatened Attack
— Success — A Sad Accident — Unconscious Heroism— A
Sad Journey — Mirambo's Visit — Not afraid to die — Mr.
Copplestone — A Painful Operation — Intense Suffering —
Dr. Southon's Death — Mrs. Hore's Journey — Prepara-
tions for a Start— A Bath Chair — A Midnight Deluge —
Little Jack — The Luiche River Valley — A Dreadful
Swamp — Ujiji reached — Kavala Island — A Dangerous
Wife— Mrs. Hore's School— Kavala Station— Hard Work
— The Missionary's Position, , , , , . • 88-112

8 Contents,

CHAPTER VI.

BISHOP HANNINGTON.

PACKS

First Band for Central Africa— Fate of — Mr. Hannington offers
himself as Missionary — First Bishop — Last Letter —
Bishop's Letters — Dangers of Night Marching — Sufferings
from want of Water — Character of Water — Crossing a
Stream — A Swampy Camping-place — Mamboia — A
Missionary Station — Escape from a Puff-adder — Fall
into a Pitfall — Mpwapwa— Ugogo — A Disordered Camp
— Down with Fever — Native Curiosity — The Traveller's
Feet— The Magic Watch— Uyui District— King Mirambo

— Summary Justice — The Lake District — Danger of
Shooting a Cub — Enraged Lioness — Presence of Mind

— A Christmas Pudding — Old Man of the Sea — A
Troublesome Customer — The Bishop a Prisoner — Diary
— Cruel Treatment — A Wretched Prison — Massacre of
Followers— A Martyr's Death, 113-131

CHAPTER VII.

INCIDENTS IN KAFIR WARFARE.

When Kafir Wars break out— A Volunteer Patrol — A Skir-
mish — The Farrier — Gaily-dressed Kafirs — Waggons
captured — A Chase — Dangerous Position — A Deserted
Post — Expedition to Kafirland — A Bold Auctioneer —
Success — A Brave Daughter — Storming of Murray's
Kraantz— A Difficult Pass — Shooting round the Corner
— Kafirs outflanked — A Herd of Cattle — Hintza — A
Grand Sight — An Attempted Escape — A Hot Chase —
Death of Hintza — ■ War of the Axe ' — Origin of a War
— Bravery of the Kafirs — Severe Fighting — Medicine
Charms— Capturing a Chief — Always unpropared — A
Bold Tailor— A Ride for Life— Heroism, , . .132-149

Contents. g

CHAPTER VIII.

. ABYSSINIAN WAE.

PAGES

Origin of the "War — An Old Tradition — The Promised Messiah
— An Ambitious Youth — Kussai — A Successful Career —
Theodorus — A Proclamation — Emperor Theodorus — Cha-
racter of Theodore — Consul Plowden — Missionaries —
Cruelties of Theodore — Captain Cameron imprisoned —
Beaten to Death — Condition of the Captives — Beaten with
many Stripes — Efforts on behalf of the Captives — War
declared — English Army — Annesley Bay — The Sooroo
Pass — Sir Robert Napier and the Prince — An Imposing
Interview — An Abyssinian Prince — Presents — An Amus-
ing Incident— Panther or Hysen a— Elephants at Work-
First Blood — Theodore's Condition — Cruelties — Still in
Chains — Magdala in Sight — Merriment in the Camp —
A Memorable Good Friday — Hostilities commenced —
Appearance of the Enemy— Naval Brigade— 'Fire ! ' —
The ■ King's Own '—Effect of the Rockets— Retreat-
Bell's Battery — Shell-firing — Abyssinian and Punjaubee
— A Grim Fight — A Thunderstorm — Theodore's Despair
— A Dreadful Scene — Magdala stormed — Theodore's
Suicide, . . . . . . . ... 150-168

CHAPTER IX.

. THE ASHANTEE WAR.

The Ashantees — Invade the Coast Districts— Ashan tees defeated
— Cession of the Dutch Possessions — Ashantee Claim —
Fantees defeated — Sir Garnet Wolseley's Mission — King
Coffee — Coomassie — Palace of the King— Bantammah —
The Treasury — A Skull Cup — King's Harem — Great Mini-
sters— Different Orders of Society — The Umbrella— King
and Army — State Umbrella — King'sDress — On the March
— Accroful — Oppressive Scenery — A Heroic Deed — The
Forest — A Released Missionary — Singular Excuses — The

i o Contents.

PAGES

Gatling Gun — Warlike Council — Through the Jungle
— Lord Gifford — Contact with the Enemy — Adubiassu
captured — Borborassi taken— Death of Captain Nicol —
' Loot ' — Naval Brigade — Battle . of Amoaful — High-
landers — Fighting begins — The Concealed Enemy —
Ashantee Bravery — Bravery of the Highlanders — Amoa-
ful captured — A Critical Time — Fighting in the Rear —
End of a Long Battle — Becquar captured — Onto Coomas-
sie — Battle of Ordahsu— The Brave Highlanders again —
Coomassie entered — The Golgotha— Coomassie destroyed/ 169-191

CHAPTER X.

THE ZULTJ WAR.

Character of the "War — Zulu Nation — Military Character —
Discipline — Weapons — Mode of Attack — First Brush —
Direful News — Massacre at Isandula — Skirmishers seen
— Zulus' Onslaught — Fighting to the Death — Exciting
Chase — Young's Escape — Camp spoiled — A Scene of Con-
fusion— Smith- Dorrien's Narrative — Crossing the River.
— ' Save the Colours ! ' — Colours recovered — Defence of .
Rorke's Drift — Desperate Fighting— Safe ! Safe ! — Zulus'
Loss — Disaster at Intombi — Storming the Inhlobane
Mountain — Battle of Gingihlovo — Bravery of the Enemy
— A Gallant Charge— Defeat of the Enemy — Buttle of
. Ulundi — Dr. Russell's Account — Narrow Escape — Forbes'
Ride — Capture of Cetewayo — Death of the Prince Im-
perial, 192-213

CHAPTER XI.

TUB TRANSVAAL WAR.

Annexation of tho Transvaal— Discontent of the Boers— A
Republic proclaimed— Affair at Bronker's Spruit— Mas-

Contents. 1 1

PACfES

sacre of Soldiers — Treacherous Conduct — Boers' Method

of fighting — Battle of Laing's Neck — A Strong Position

— March to the Neck — Action commenced — Major

Brownlow's Bravery — A Severe Check — A Hard Climb —

A Brave Charge — Retreat — Battle of Ingogo — Crossing

the River — Fighting — A Telling Fire — Retreat— Battle

of Majuba Hill— A Silent Night Climb— The Hill-top

— Commencement of the Battle — Hesitation of the Men

— Standing firm — Confusion — An Awful Fire — A Hot

Five Minutes— Right Flank attacked — The Knoll —

Flight — Death of General Colley — A Trying Experience ■

—A Brave Doctor— End of the War, . . . .214-230

CHAPTER XII.

WAR IN THE SOTJDAN.

The Soudan — Mehemet Ali and the Soudan — A Tragic Death
— A New Prophet — Mahomet Achmet — The Mahdi —
Followers of the Mahdi — The Person of the Mahdi —
Early Victories — An Enthusiast — Hicks Pasha — Battle
with the Mahdi's Forces — A Fatal March — Forebodings
of Evil — O'Donovan's Last Letter — Last Telegram — Fate
of Hicks Pasha's Army — General Gordon's Mission — Nile
Expedition — Passing the Second Cataract— New Soldiers
wanted — Shagghieh Arabs — Fight at Kirbekan — Battle
of Abu Klea — A Brave Old Sheikh — Square broken —
Feigning Death — A Terrible Encounter — Colonel Burnaby
killed — Bad Cartridges — Officers of the Guards — Losses
— "Wells secured— A Night March— Correspondents shot
— A Fight for the Nile — A Charge — Too late for Gordon
— Treachery — Last "Words about Gordon, -, , . 231-255

GRAPHIC SCENES IN AFRICAN STORY.

CHAPTER I.

SETTLERS.

A late Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, writing of the
Boers and Zulus, says : — ' Everybody knows that the
great Portuguese navigator, Vasco da Gama, discovered
the Cape in 1497, and that his countrymen, attracted by
the superior advantages of the East, passed on, making
no settlement there. Subsequently, after having been
visited by English and Spaniards, the country round
the Table Mountain was taken possession of by the
Dutch East- India Company, who formed there a small
settlement under Van Riebah. These early colonists
were not all Dutch ; some of them were Germans and
some Flemish, with a few Poles and Portuguese.

'About 1686 the small colony received a very import-
ant accession to its numbers by the arrival of a body of
French refugees, driven from France by the Revocation
of the Edict of Nantes. These settlers were the best
the colony had received. The original colonists were

13

14 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

mostly all of one class, and that not the highest social
grade. The French were of various ranks; some had
held high position in their own country, some were
manufacturers, some vine - dressers and gardeners.
Although these people landed penniless, they soon, by
their industry, acquired a competence. From their
arrival dates the extensive making of wine ; and there
is little doubt that to them is due the beginning of the
beautiful gardens and plantations of trees which now
adorn the neighbourhood of Cape Town, and also many
other places in the colony. These refugees brought
swith them the earnestness of religious feeling which
had caused their expulsion from the land of their birth.
This temper of mind they imparted to the older colonists,
so that to them is mainly due the religious, but narrow,
enthusiasm which has characterized the so-called Dutch
of the Cape ever since, and which, though it has proved
the source of much social benefit to themselves, has not
been unmingled with error so far as their dealings with
the native races are concerned, — error arising from a
mistaken interpretation of the Holy Scriptures.'

So much for the origin of the settlement of Cape
Colony. The lives of these men were spent for the
most part in severe physical labour, and their chief
relaxations, not to say pleasures, consisted in hunting,
and in the exercise of their religious duties. Their
.knowledge of affairs outside the colony was but small ;
it then took months for a vessel to arrive from Europe.

Settlers. 1 5

But they were apparently contented to remain in this
ignorance, their own surroundings were sufficiently
interesting to claim their entire attention. The rule of
the Dutch East India Company was purely arbitrary
and very tyrannical. It not only compelled the com-
munity to solely use the Dutch language to the ex-
clusion of the French, not only in legal proceedings, but
also in religious services ; but in addition, it prescribed
to the colonists the kind of crops they were to plant,
and compelled them to sell their produce to none but
the Company. Other very oppressive regulations were
enacted. These measures produced much discontent,
discontent which broke out in violent speech and equally
violent action. Soon many of the early settlers moved
beyond the limits of the colony, so as to be out of the
reach of the Company's authority. This really was the
origin of the unsettled habits and impatience of con-
trol which has marked the history of the Dutch Boers
ever since.

By these movements on the part of the colonists they
came more directly in contact with the natives, more
especially the Hottentots and Bushmen. Gradually
these people, or large numbers of them, were reduced to
slavery. This was comparatively easy to accomplish,
for the above peoples were not of a warlike nature, and
the high hand of authority soon made them servilely
submissive. But in due time the colonists came in
contact with a race composed of different materials, and

1 6 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

had not things so much their own way as had hitherto
been the case. By 1740, or thereabouts, their territory
had extended to the Gautvor Eiver, and forty years
later to the Great Fish Eiver. This latter stream
formed the boundary between the Hottentots and
Kafirs; and it was not long before the colonists and
Kafirs came into collision, and from that time until the
present the contest of races has continued.

The Kafirs, like the Dutch, were in a measure aliens
to the soil ; they are supposed to be the descendants of
certain superior races of negroes, and to have advanced
from the interior of Africa, subduing all the tribes that
opposed their progress, and even exterminating some,
especially many of the Hottentots and Bushmen.
Finally, they settled on the south-eastern part of the
continent. Thus both Boers and Kafirs were con-
quering and aggressive races ; neither having an original
claim to the land they occupied ; and it is not surprising
that when they came into contact, the result should be
open hostility.

From the period of their contact, the Dutch and
Kafirs were continually at war. The Kafirs appear to
have been the first to give rise to hostilities by
encroaching on the Dutch side of the river, and, settling
there, began to steal the cattle of the settlers; this
provoked a kind of guerilla warfare, which continued for
several years, during which both sides suffered. In
1795 the British .Government took possession of the

Settlers.

*7

colony, holding it until the year 1802 ; and during this
time the Kafirs, incited by white renegades, ravaged
the country far and near, firing homesteads, driving off
cattle, and putting to death numbers of both men,
women, and children. Again, in 1806, the colony
became a British possession by conquest, and in 1815
was formally ceded to England.

During this period the Dutch inhabitants of the
colony had been increased by many English and Scotch
emigrants ; yet still the Dutch were the predominant
people in numbers. Turn we aside for a moment to a
quiet scene of settler's life.

In the year 1820, Thomas Pringle landed at Cape
Colony with a band of Scottish emigrants ; and, in his
African Sketches, he gives a very sweet and touching
picture of how they spent their Sabbath in the land of
their exile, — for the associations of their old home, so
far away, still clung to them. He says his party reached
the promised land, which was to be the place of their
rest, after six months, during which they had been
pilgrims and sojourners ; and after pitching their little
camp, ' the next day was our first Sunday on our own
grounds.

'Feeling deeply the importance of maintaining the
suitable observance of this day of sacred rest, it was
unanimously resolved that we should strictly abstain
from all secular employment not sanctioned by absolute
necessity, and at the same time commence such a

1 8 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

system of religious services as might be with propriety
maintained in the absence of a clergyman or minister.
The whole party were accordingly assembled after
breakfast, under a venerable acacia tree on the margin
of a little stream which murmured round our camp ;
the river appeared shaded here and there by the graceful
willow of Babylon, which grows abundantly along the
banks of many of the African streams, and which, with
the other peculiar features of the scenery, vividly
reminded us of the features of the pathetic lament of
the Hebrew exiles, " By the rivers of Babylon, where we
sat down, yea, we wept, when we remembered Zion.
We hanged our harps upon the willows in the midst
thereof." '

And then Pringle goes on to enumerate some of the
portraits of the little band of Scotch emigrants who had
sought a home in this wild African glen. The patriarch
of the party, with his silvery locks, his Bible on his
knee, a high-principled, grave, Scottish husbandman,
his respectable family seated round him ; the widow
with her meek, kind, quiet look, who had seen better
days, but in adversity had found pious resignation, her
three stalwart sons, and her young maiden daughter,
beside her on the grass; the younger brother of a
Scottish laird, rich in blood, but poor in fortune, who
had preferred a farm in South Africa to dependence
on aristocratic connections at home. There the little
company gathered,

Settlers, 1 9

1 The day,' says Pringle, * was bright and still ; the
voice of psalms rose with a sweet and touching
solemnity amidst those wild mountains, where the
praise of the true God, in all human probability, had
never been sung before.' The words of that sweet
hymn were selected as appropriate to their situation,
and we do not wonder to read that they affected some
of the congregation very sensibly :

1 0 God of Bethel ! by whose hand

Thy people still are fed ;
Who through this weary pilgrimage

Hast all our fathers led ;
Through each perplexing path of life,

Our wandering footsteps guide ;
Give us each day our daily bread,

And raiment fit provide.'

They held a similar service in the afternoon, and our
author says : 'A thousand objects in the scenery of the
country reminded us in a forcible manner of the imagery
of the Hebrew Scriptures, — the green pastures and the
quiet waters ; the shadow of the great rock in a weary
land ; the parched ground, and not inhabited ; the
heath in the desert, the lion's den, the mountain of
the leopards, the roes, and the young hart.' And a
beautiful touch closes this description of the day:
1 While we were singing our last psalm in the afternoon,
an antelope, which appeared to have wandered down
the valley without observing us, stood for a little while
on the opposite side of the rivulet, gazing at us in

20 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

innocent amazement, as if yet unacquainted with man,
the great destroyer. On this day of peace it was, of
course, permitted to depart unmolested.'

This same Pringle was the poet of South Africa, and
many of his lyrics are truly descriptive and stirring.
Moffat told him how the lordly lion would spring upon
the hack of the tall giraffe, and cling there till the poor
beast dropped from exhaustion and pain ; he turned it
into such verse as the following : —

' Would st thou view the lion's den ?
Search afar from haunts of men —
Where the reed-encircled rill
Oozes from the rocky hill,
By its verdure far descried
'Mid the desert brown and wide.

' Close beside the sedgy brim
Couchant lurks the lion grim ;
Watching till the close of day
Brings the death-devoted prey.
Heedless, at the ambush'd brink,
The tall giraffe stoops down to drink :
Upon him straight the savage springs
With cruel joy. The desert rings
With clanging sound of desp'rate strife —
The prey is strong, and strives for life.
Plunging oft with frantic bound,
To shake the tyrant to the ground,
He shrieks— he rushes through the waste —
With glaring eye and headlong haste.
In vain ! the spoiler on his prize
Rides proudly, tearing as he flies.

Settlers. 2 1

1 For life — the victim's utmost speed
Is muster'd in the hour of need :
For life — for life — his giant might
He strains, and pours his soul in flight ;
And, mad with terror, thirst, and pain,
Spurs with wild hoof the thundering plain.

' Tis vain ; the thirsty plains are drinking
His streaming blood, — his strength is sinking ;
The victor's fangs are in his veins,
His flanks are streak'd with sanguined stains —
His panting breast in foam and gore
Is bathed — he reels— his race is o'er :
He falls, and, with convulsive throe,
Resigns his throat to th' ravening foe !
And lo ! ere quivering life has fled,
The vultures wheeling overhead,
Swoop down, to watch, in gaunt array,
Till the gorged tyrant quits his prey. '

There began a movement among the Dutch inhabit-
ants of Cape Colony in the years 1835-36. ' It was the
emigration or " trek " of a very large number of Dutch
farmers over the then recognised boundary of British
dominion into the vast unoccupied tract of high-lying
land which spread north from the Orange Eiver into
unexplored regions. The men who thus voluntarily
expatriated themselves from country and kinsmen were
no lawless, restless race of beings ; they were, on the
contrary, staid, sober, God-fearing people. Even their
enemies could not allege against them greater crimes
than stupidity, sentiment, and love of freedom.

' They had disposed of their farms and homes in the

22 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

old colony for whatever sum could be realized, and,
converting all property into oxen, horses, sheep, and
waggons, they moved off from the older-settled districts,
as well as from the frontier provinces, in long lines of
waggons, to come together in still larger numbers on
the borders of the wilderness. Arrived at the boundary,
the leaders of the movement issued a parting address,
setting forth the reasons that had induced the emigra-
tion and the objects of the emigrants. This document,
though plain and straightforward, is not without the
dignity and eloquence that lie in determination strongly
held, and in a firm conviction of motives resting upon
truth. They were dissatisfied with the British Govern-
ment, and hoped to get far beyond its influence, and
establish new homes where its power could not reach.'

These people passed away over the Orange Eiver in
long lines of lumbering waggons. On and on they
went; two years passed away, — 'the slow -moving
columns had been exposed to many hardships, their
flocks and herds had suffered from the ravages of lions,
the fierce Matabele tribe had frequently carried death
into the laagers, and drought and exposure had lessened
their worldly possessions ; but all had failed to change
the resolution of the wanderers. Ever filled with the
idea that they would be rewarded by the possession of
a fair and fertile land, where want and hardship would
disappear in peace and pastoral plenty, they held
steadily and doggedly on their course, the Bible their

Settlers. 23

only study, the " roer - gun, the hardy Cape horse, the
laagered waggon their sole protection.

1 At length, the long and slowly ascending plateau, over
which they travelled towards the sunrise, rose before
them in a stronger-defined outline. The mounted men of
the columns had pushed to the front of the lumbering
waggons, and now they stood on the vantage-point of
this crest, while beneath them, to the east, lay a vast
and striking landscape. It was yet the winter season
in the country over which they had travelled, and
which now lay behind them to the west ; but it was
mid-spring in the region that stretched beneath the
lofty standpoint of the Drakensberg, until it faded into
the blue boundaries of the horizon. On one side a
wilderness, destitute of trees, spread into bare brown
distance ; on the other, the soft green of young grapes,
the leaves of the protea, the tree fern, and the yellow
wood ; the alternations of vale, hill, and meadow ; the
sheen of rivers and streams seen along reaches, or faintly
caught at the curves and shallows of their courses, — all
carried the eye through a long succession of pastoral
beauty, until it rested upon the soft vapours of the
distant Indian Sea.

* As the eyes of the wanderers gazed upon the glorious
country, it was little wonder that they believed they
beheld in it the termination of their pilgrimage, the
home where their toil and travail was to cease, or that
the long-pent enthusiasm of their strong but simple

24 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

faith should find expression in a loud burst of prayer
to God, who had led them thus to the verge of their
Promised Land. In the southern summer of 1838, the
long line of waggons moved down the steep face of the
Drakensberg, and took possession of this green and
silent country, for with all its beauty it was tenantless.
Here and there the mouldering remains of native habi-
tations were to be seen. Great herds of wild animals
and troops of ostriches gambolled upon the plains, or
craned their heads over the ridge-tops, but man was
only visible at long intervals, and in feeble and scattered
numbers. But the emigrants were not to obtain this
fertile region as their home without long and severe
struggles/

Into this land of promise the travel-weary Boers
entered, and were welcomed by a few Englishmen who
had already settled there. To make their claim to the
country have a legal aspect, Eetief, the Boer leader,
with a number of followers, visited the Zulu king,
Dingaan, to obtain a cession of part of this territory.
The king was willing to grant it, but on condition that
Eetief would recover for him a number of cattle which
had been stolen by a chief beyond the Drakensberg.
This task accomplished, the Boer leader, with about
sixty followers, in spite of many warnings, proceeded to
the residence of the king, where he was apparently
well received.

' With the aid of an English missionary, who was in

Settlers. 2 5

the neighbourhood, a treaty was drawn up. By it the
king agreed to cede to Eetief and his people the whole
of the country extending from the Tugela to the St.
John's Eiver. So completely did the wily chief succeed
in gaining the confidence of his guests, that on the third
day after their arrival he induced them to lay aside
their firearms, and to present themselves without
weapons before him, while he was surrounded by his
most trusted regiments. Dingaan ordered his people to
dance and sing the war-song in honour of their guests-
By and by, the king himself joined in the song, in the
course of which he uttered the fatal words, " Kill the
scoundrels ! " In a moment the savage troops closed
in upon the Boers, and rapidly killed them all in cold
blood. The particulars of this atrocity were recounted
by the missionary, who, in spite of Dingaan's request
that he would stay, immediately fled from the country.
Dingaan then despatched an army to attack a party of
Boers encamped at a place afterwards called A\ eening,
or Weeping, where they murdered men, women, and
children alike.'

The tidings of these atrocities reaching the Boers and
English settlers, aroused a fierce desire for vengeance.
Two armed parties marched against Dingaan, but were
both defeated, one indeed being almost annihilated.
Then a large Zulu army marched to Port Natal. The
English settlers, warned of its approach, took refuge on
board a vessel that chanced to be in harbour. Then

26 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

came a lull for a few months ; but at the close of the
year 1838, the Boers again took the field, under the
leadership of Mr. Pretorius; they marched into Din-
gaan's country, and during the campaign occurred a very
memorable battle, which materially altered the fortunes
of the Boers.

'On Sunday morning/ says Sir Benjamin Pine,
' the 16th of December, while encamped in a barricade
or laager, formed by waggons lashed together, this
handful of farmers, numbering not more than 400
men, was attacked by Dingaan's forces, amounting to
12,000 warriors. A terrible conflict ensued. The
Zulus strove for several hours in vain to force the
camp, their dense battalions being shattered by the
terrible fire of the gallant descendants of the Huguenots
and Hollanders. At last the Zulu force began to
waver. Then the Boers mounted their horses and
charged them ; they broke and fled, and the Boers pur-
sued them for many a mile. The Zulu army is said to
have lost 2000 men on this day ; the loss of the Boers
was but trifling. The victors immediately marched to
Diogaan's chief village. They found it deserted, but
they there discovered the remains of their murdered
friends, Betief and his party. They then advanced
farther into the country, and eventually had the ill-
fortune to fall into an ambuscade, being surrounded by
hosts of Zulus. After a severe struggle, they were
forced to retreat with loss.'

Settlers. 27

Tins great victory of the Boers was not without last-
ing benefit to them ; it gave them confidence in all the
subsequent meetings with their savage foes, so that
when the struggle ended, Dingaan murdered and his
brother Panda reigning in his stead, they declared that
their territory extended from the Black or Umfolas
Eiver to the St. John's ; thus not only securing Natal,
but assuming a sovereignty over the Zulu king and his
people.

When all was ended, the Governor of Cape Colony
stepped in and annexed Natal to the British posses-
sions ; an officer with 1000 troops was sent to take
possession ; after a time they withdrew, but in 1842 a
body of regular troops appeared and took possession in
the Queen's name. The Boers rose in arms and be-
sieged the troops; but reinforcements coming to their
relief, the Boers gave up the contest as useless, and
•once more set their faces towards the bleak wilderness.
But before leaving their Goshen, the ablest man among
them all, Mr. Pretorius, took a ride of 900 miles to* the
Cape Colony to appeal to the sense of justice of the
High Commissioner. He was not allowed an interview,
and had to ride back again to his countrymen without
anything having been gained. Once more the Boers
began to ' trek ' into the bleak wilds of the Vaal and
Orange Bivers, and there set up their homesteads, soon
only to be again disturbed ; for in 1848 it was declared
that all land lying between the Orange and Vaal Kivers

28 Graphic Scsnes in African Story.

was henceforth to be British territory. The Boers rose
in insurrection; they could bear no more. 'During
eleven years they had undergone terrible sufferings ;
they had carried their waggons across deserts and over
mountains ; they had fought with savage beasts, and
men more savage still ; they had subdued their enemies,
tasted the sweets of rest and comfort, and now, after
eleven years, they were back again in the wilderness
only to find it British territory.' But the rebellion
was hopeless from the beginning, — one skirmish, severe
indeed, sufficed to end it, and the Boers fled over the
Vaal Kiver.

1 Another three years passed. In the country north
of the Vaal Biver the Boers had found partial rest.
Little settlements began to spring up in these remote
wilds, bearing names that told plainly enough the
temper of the men by whom they were founded. All
prominent characters in the late revolt had towns ano>
settlements named after them.' Now a British procla-
mation was issued, declaring that all territory lying
south of the 25th parallel of south latitude was British
territory. It was shortly annulled, but it had the effect
of driving another wave of Boers into regions still more
remote. It seemed there was to be no rest for these
freedom-loving people; what with British annexation on
the one hand, and war with the natives on the other,
there was to be no place where they could settle down
in peace. But in 1852 a convention was signed, giving

Settlers. 29

such powers to the Boers that henceforth they hoped to
be entirely free from British influence.

Thus far we have followed the Boers in their
chequered career; now let us see them in their home
relations. And in doing this we will quote from one
writer who knew them intimately. i Let us/ he says,
1 visit one of the many homesteads in the gardens. The
white -walled house, although but one-storied, is well
elevated, and its roof is iron. Outside shutters of a
pleasant green flank the two windows, and the door
between them is green and panelled. There is, indeed,
some pretence to architecture, and the whole is well
kept and substantial. The stoep is high and approached
by steps. The watercourse beneath it is masoned out
with solid stone and bridged with the same material.
Leafy trees of divers sorts shade the place, and the
stables and outhouses in its rear. We enter a voorhuis,
or front room, very lofty and but slightly furnished.
Its walls are lined by benches, and a table stands in the
middle. There are pictures, it may be, very quaint and
old-worlcl ; scenes in the life of the Prodigal Son, or
limnings of the Manger at Bethlehem, or the Cross on
Calvary. A new piano may be noted, and a good har-
monium, and pious books with Dutch titles lie scattered
about. And there are flowers on table and on mantel-
piece, photographs and albums ; for there are daughters
in the house. In some place of honour lies a great old
Bible — a massive folio bound in leather and with brass

30 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

clasps ; it is printed in foreign-looking type on ancient-
looking paper, and full of the strangest pictures that
ever delighted the antiquary or mystified the 'child. A
companionable book upon a dull occasion, but dis-
appointing, inasmuch as its date discovers it to have
been printed but the other day. Spittoons stud this
chamber floor; for it is the great reception-room, and
visitors sit round it and smoke their pipes at times and
seasons of conference and waiting ; and many such
times there be.

'At the back of this worlinis is the dining-room,
entered by large and even handsome folding-doors. In
both apartments the walls are painted light blue, or
green, or mauve; in both the ceiling is raftered and
wooden, varnished and dark. The great feature of the
dining-room, apart from the usual furnishings, is a
small table near the window, with a chair on either
side. Upon this table stands a coffee-urn with chafing-
dish beneath it ; and the day has scarcely turned before
this urn begins to steam and bubble. On its dexter
side is seated the lady of the house, who pours out
coffee for all comers, and, with feet well planted on a
box -like footstool, rules and manages her household.
Children play around her, a coloured girl sits watchful
at her feet, and at favourable moments her lord and
master occupies the corresponding chair, utters familiar
maxims and remarks, and his friend, sitting hard by,
carries on an intermittent conversation between wary

Settlers. 3 1

mouthfuls of the scalding beverage. He is a well-built
man, not unlike the English farmer of our early days,
but more sallow and less cheery, more puritanical and
staid. We converse in Dutch, the only language he
cares to speak, although his children are apt scholars in
the English tongue.

' The poorer Boer lives in a humbler dwelling, with
floors of hardened mud consolidated by frequent wash-
ings of liquid cow-dung. His rooms are ceiled with
reeds laid cunningly on rough beams of yellow- wood.
The attic beneath his comfortable thatch is a very store-
house of vegetable products, dried and housed for winter
use. His furniture is ruder and of home construction.
His walls are whitewashed, and in shelved recesses
stand favourite pieces of crockery, mysterious bottles,
and well-thumbed books of devotion. He spends his
leisure in making boots of untanned leather, which he
sews together with the sinews of animals which he has
previously prepared for the purpose; and in mending
the bottoms of his chairs and benches with leathern
thongs he has also manufactured to that end.'

A very interesting and important industry of Cape
Colony is that of ostrich - farming, and from a valu-
able manual on South Africa, recently published, we
gather the following highly interesting facts concern-
ing it : —

' For some time before domestication was attempted,
the ostrich was a rare bird in the colony, except pro-

32 Graphic Scenes i7t African Story.

bably in the arid wastes of ISTamaqualand and Clan*
william, and the chief sources of the feather supply
were hid away in the far interior, to the north and
north-west of the Free State and the Transvaal. The
hunter, whether white or black, pursued his murderous
calling during the proper season for the sport, which was
also a business; and, also, at the proper season for
barter, the trader appeared at some established outspan
with his creaking waggons, laden with guns, powder,
blankets, wire, beads, brandy, and other attractions for
the native eye and appetite, and a brisk exchange took
place, — ivory, karosses, rhinoceros horns, and hippo-
potami teeth, as well as ostrich feathers, being gladly
accepted for Western merchandise. The traffic still
goes on, for ostrich-farming has not yet made interior
smarsing unprofitable.

'The departure of a great trader, with his train of
perhaps half-a-dozen waggons, all of them gaily painted
and cosily covered in with snow-white canvas, is an
event in some Cape towns. As the drivers "clap"
their long whips, and the teams — eight pairs of oxen
labouring at each wain — move briskly over the way, all
eyes are upon them with the look which is given to far-
voyaging ships when they leave port. But the return
excites more attention, as then every waggon is full of
precious and various wealth, the result of a long and
risky venture. Not infrequently the costly wares are
sold by auction on the morning market, and the tusks,

Settlers. 33

teeth, skins, horns, and feathers are spread out upon the
ground as if they were no better than field-stuff or
garden produce. It is no uncommon thing to see
waggon cargoes worth £10,000 exhibited for sale in this
unceremonious way, amidst a crowd of onlookers, some
of whom are as wild as the animals which produced the
barbaric spoils, and as black as a coal. It will take
many years of feather-growing to put a stop to the rude
traffic of the interior trader. Indeed, as long as the
wild ostrich is to be found anywhere south of the
Zambesi, the hunting and barter system will continue,
as ivory will be sought after, and the feathers will be
taken by tusk buyers as part of the bargain.. No
attempt has as yet been made by Cape Colonists to
domesticate the elephant for the sake of his tusks ; and
as the waggons go up for one commodity, they may as
well bring down another. How long it will take to
complete the work of extermination it is impossible to
say, as the rapid increase of the produce of the farms
will no doubt tend to lessen the inducements to
hunting.'

One of the requirements of domestication is that the
birds should have plenty of space in which to move
about, and that the fields or paddocks in which they
are confined should be strongly fenced in. ' The birds
begin to feather at eight months from hatching, but the
yield is then poor and of little value. In another eight
months there is a fresh and improved crop, and the

34 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

plumes become better with each season. The art of
separating the feathers is one which requires practice.
Plucking is not looked upon with favour, as it irritates
and produces fever. Nipping or cutting is considered
to be safer, The feathers are severed close to the point
of insertion, and the stumps are allowed to remain until
they can be easily removed.'

Ostrich feathers vary very much in value. Chicken
plumes are worth £5, and blood feathers from £35 to
£45, or even £60 a lb.

Another recent feature in South African industry is
the famous diamond fields; and the following extract
from a recent article gives a very graphic account of life
at the diamond-mining district : —

* The extension of the railway from Cape Town to
Kimberley has made a visit to the ' famous diamond
fields so easy that it may be undertaken without fear
by even the most delicate and fastidious of travellers.
Twenty days in a fast, well-appointed mail steamer land
you in Cape Town, and the journey to Kimberley
occupies only thirty-one hours in trains supplied with
travelling kitchens, sleeping compartments, dressing-
rooms, and every possible convenience.

1 Kimberley is 4050 feet above the sea-level, and is
remarkable for the dryness and purity of its atmo-
sphere. The air is said to be too dry for anything but
lungs. There are certainly many recorded cases of
recovery from pulmonary complaints deemed hopeless

Settlers. 35

in England. The surrounding country is flat and of a
prairie character, with low purple hills on the eastern
side, some twenty miles away, in the Orange Free State.
Just now it is covered with luxuriant grass of freshest
green, on which are grazing vast herds of huge fat
bullocks, innocent of mangold and oil-cake ; and it is .
delightful to drive a few miles out and lie under the
shade of the fragrant mimosas and listen to the champ-
ing of the great' sleek and soft-eyed creatures. This,
however, is an exceptional time of year, and it may be
an exceptional season. The trees which once covered
the plains have long been cut down for fuel, and the
grass is soon bleached by winter frost and summer
sun.

• The Kimberley diamond market presents a curious
and unique sight, with the busy brokers running about
with their parcels, and the buyers sitting quietly at the
open windows of their little offices sorting piles of glitter-
ing gems. The magnitude of the trade may be gathered
from the following figures, showing the value of the
diamonds exported from Kimberley during the last
three years: — 1883, £2,742,521; 1884, £2,807,288;
1885, £2,492,755.

'Such, briefly, is the history of the production of
diamonds at Kimberley, which is well worth seeing.
The town itself is gay and full of life. The markets are
well supplied ; fresh fish is brought by rail from the
coast j ice is always to be had. There is a good club,

36 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

where a visitor well introduced is always made wel-
come. Excellent cabs ply for hire, and the streets are
well lit at night by electricity.'

Thus we bid farewell to the South African settler.
Elsewhere on the great continent have settlements been
effected. On various parts of the coast trading stations
have appeared. Much has been done to improve the
sable inhabitants of the land, but there is still an
immense field open for the earnest worker.

CHAPTER II.

THE SLAVE TRADE.

No one can think of Africa without connecting with it
one of the greatest evils that ever afflicted a country or
a continent — the slave trade. From time immemorial
it has supplied annually its many thousands of victims
to meet the requirements of more civilised nations.
The horrors associated with the trade have been such as
almost to pass belief; and the amount of pain and
anguish endured, the passionate and heart-rending cries
which must have incessantly ascended to the ears of the
Great Father of mankind, must be beyond all concep-
tion. Many benevolent souls, now that slavery is
abolished in English colonies and 'the United States of
America, complacently believe that it is almost, if not
totally, extinct. But one has only to read the words of
even the most recent of African travellers to learn that
it still exits in most gigantic proportions ; that the land
is still wasted and made desolate by the heartless
trafficker in human flesh, in spite of treaties, the efforts
of missionaries, and the armed interference of rulers.

37

38 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

We can only just touch upon the subject here. The
author of the Lost Continent quotes Livingstone's own
words in describing the evil effects of the slave trade in
the ' once pleasant Shire* valley.'

' When endeavouring to give some account of the
slave trade of East Africa, it was necessary to keep far
within the truth, in order not to be thought guilty of
exaggeration; but, in sober seriousness, the subject
does not admit of exaggeration. To overdraw its evils
is a simple impossibility. The sights I have seen,
though common incidents of the traffic, are so nauseous
that I always try to drive them from my memory.
In the case of most disagreeable recollections I
can succeed, in time, in consigning them to oblivion ;
but the slaving scenes come back unbidden, and
make me start up at dead of night horrified by their
vividness.

' No words can convey an adequate idea of the scene
of wide-spread desolation which the once pleasant Shire
valley now presented. Instead *of smiling villages and
crowds of people coming with things for sale, scarcely
a soul was to be seen. Large masses of the people had
11 ed down to the Shire\ only anxious to get the river
between them and their enemies. Most of the food had
been left behind, and famine and starvation had cut off
so many that the remainder were too few to bury the
dead. The corpses we saw floating down the river were
only a remnant of those that had perished, whom their

The Slave Trade. 39

friends, from weakness, could not bury, nor over-gorged
crocodiles devour.

1 The sight of this desert, but eighteen months ago a
well-peopled valley, now literally strewn with human
bones, forced the conviction upon us, that the destruc-
tion of human life in the middle passage, however great,
constitutes but a small portion of the waste, and made
us feel that unless the slave trade — that monster
iniquity, which has so long brooded over Africa — is put
down, lawful commerce cannot be established.

' We passed a woman tied by the neck to a tree, and
dead. The people of the country explained that she'
had been unable to keep up with the other slaves in a
gang, and her master had determined that she should
not become the property of any one else if she recovered
after resting for a time.- I may mention here that we
saw others tied up in a similar manner, and one lying
in the path shot or stabbed, for she was in a pool of
blood. The explanation we got invariably was that the
Arab who owned these victims was enraged at losing
his money by the slaves becoming unable to march, and
vented his spleen by murdering them.

■ To-day we came upon a man dead from starvation,
as he was very thin. One of our men wandered and
found a number of slaves with slave-sticks on, aban-
doned by their master from want of food ; they were too
weak to be able to speak or say where they had come
from — some were quite young.

40 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

1 The persons by whom this traffic is carried on are for
the most part Arabs, subjects of the Sultan of Zanzibar.
These slave-dealers start for the interior, well armed,
and provided with articles for the barter of slaves, such
as beads and cotton cloth. On arriving at the scene of
their operations, they incite and sometimes help the
natives of one tribe to make war upon another. Their
assistance almost invariably secures victory to the side
which they support, and the captives become their
property, either by right or by purchase, the price in
the latter case being only a few yards of cotton cloth.
In the course of these operations, thousands are killed,
or die subsequently of their wounds or of starvation,
villages are burnt, and the women and children carried
away as slaves. The complete depopulation of the
country between the coast and the present field of the
slave-dealers' operations attests the fearful character of
these raids.

1 Having by these and other means obtained a suffi-
cient number of slaves to allow for the heavy losses on
the road, the slave-dealer starts with them for the
coast. The slaves are marched in gangs, the males with
their necks yoked in heavy forked sticks, wrhich at night
are fastened to the ground, or lashed together so as to
make escape impossible. The women and children are
bound with thongs. Any attempt at escape or to untie
their bonds, or any wavering or lagging on the journey
lias but one punishment — immediate death, The sick

The Slave Trade. 41

are left behind, and the route of a slave caravan can be
tracked by the dying and the dead. The Arabs only
value these poor creatures at the price which they will
fetch in the market ; and if they are not likely to pay the
cost of their conveyance, they are got rid of. The result
is, that a large number of the slaves die or are murdered
on the journey, and the survivors arrive at their destina-
tion in a state of the greatest misery and emaciation.

' From Kilwa the main body of the slaves are shipped
to Zanzibar, but some are carried direct from Kilwa to
the northern ports. At Zanzibar the slaves are sold
either in open market or direct to the dealer, and they
are then shipped in Arab dhows for Arabia and Persia ;
the numbers of each cargo vary from one to two slaves
to between three and four hundred.'

While making his way to Stanley Falls, in 1883,
Stanley was eye-witness to the desolating effects of the
slave-hunter's raids, and gives us some vivid pictures of
what he saw. The banks of the river seemed one con-
tinuous wall of forest trees, but by and by a break was
seen, and consulting his old map he found that here
stood a populous village named Mawembe, strongly
palisaded. Now, however, there was no sign of hut or
palisade. ' As we advanced we could see poor remnants
of banana groves; we could also trace the whitened
paths from the river's edge leading up the steep bank,
but not a house or living thing could be seen anywhere.
The exact extent, position, and nature of the village site

42 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

was unchanged, but the close, bristling palisade, and the
cones of fowl-huts, and the low ridge-roofed huts just
visible above it — all had vanished. We perceived that
there had been a late fire. The heat had scorched the
foliage of the tallest trees, and their silver stems had
been browned by it. The banana plants looked meagre ; •
their rugged fronds waved mournfully their tatters, <as
if imploring pity.' All this was the work of the slave-
hunters.

Farther up the river, and on the same bank, he came
in contact with another scene of desolation, where a
whole town had been burnt, 'the palms cut down,
bananas scorched, many acres laid level with the
ground. In front of the black ruin there were a couple
of hundred people crouched down on the verge of the
bank, looking wofully forlorn ancl cheerless, some with
their hands supporting their chins, regarding us with a
stupid indifference, as though they were beyond further
harm.' The guide was told to question them, when an
old man stood out from the crowd and told his tale.
1 He told of a sudden and unexpected invasion of their
village by a host of leaping, yelling men, in the dark-
ness, who dinned their ears with fusilades, slaughtering
their people as they sprang out of their burning huts
into the light of the flames. Not a third of the men
had escaped ; the larger number of the women and
children had been captured and taken away, they knew
not whither.

The Slave Trade. 43

' " And where are these people ? " we asked.
1 <r- They are gone up river, about eight days ago."
' " And have these people burnt up all the villages ? "
* " All ; everywhere, on both sides of the river."
' " What are they like, these strange people ? "
* ' M They are like your people in your boats, and wear
white clothes."

' " Ah ! and who are all those people we saw yester-
day in hundreds of canoes near the islands ? "

' " They are our people, from our side and the other,
who have gathered together for protection. At night
they go to their fields to get food, but in the day-time
they live on the islands, with their canoes ready, lest
the wicked and fierce people come back. But go away,
go away ; strangers are all bad. Go to them if you
want ivory ; go and fight them. We have nothing —
nothing." And the old man's gesture, with open palms,
was painfully expressive.'

Everywhere, as they voyaged up the river, where
villages and towns had once stood, nothing but heaps
of ashes and scorched trees remained, sad witnesses
of ' man's inhumanity to man.' Once a slaty- coloured
looking object was seen floating down the stream, and
when it was examined it was found to be the bodies of
two women bound together with cord. Still farther up
the river they came to the slave-hunters' camp, where
Stanley saw the results of the many raids.

' The first general impressions are that the camp is

44 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

much too densely peopled for comfort. There are rows
upon rows of dark nakedness, relieved here and there
by the white dresses of the captors. There are lines or
groups of naked forms upright, standing, or moving
listlessly ; naked bodied are stretched under the sheds
in all positions; naked legs innumerable are seen in
the perspective of prostrate sleepers ; there are countless
naked children, many mere infants, forms of boyhood and
girlhood, and occasionally a drove of absolutely naked
old women bending under a basket of fuel, or cassava
tubers, or bananas, who are driven through the moving
groups by two or three musketeers. On paying more
attention to details, I observe that mostly all are
fettered; youths with iron rings around their necks,
through which a chain, like one of our boat -anchor
chains, is rove, securing the captives by twenties. The
children over ten are secured by three copper rings,
each ringed leg brought together by the central ring,
which accounts for the apparent listlessness of move-
ment I observed on first coming in presence of the
curious scene. The mothers are secured by shorter
chains, around whom their respective progeny of infants
are grouped, hiding the cruel iron links that fall in
loops or festoons over their mammas' breasts. There is
not one adult man captive amongst them.

1 My eyes catch sight of that continual lifting of the
hand to ease the neck in the collar, or as it displays a
manacle exposed through a muscle being irritated by

The Slave Trade. 45

its weight or want of fitness. My nerves are offended
with the rancid effluvium of the unwashed herds within
this human kennel. The smell of other abominations
annoy me in that vitiated atmosphere. For -how
could poor people, bound and* riveted together by
twenties, do otherwise than wallow in filth ! Only the
old women are taken out to forage. They dig out the
cassava tuber, and search for the banana, while the
guard, with musket ready, keenly watches for the
coming of the vengeful native. Not much food can be
procured in this manner, and what is obtained is flung
down in a heap before each gang, to at once cause an
unseemly scramble. Many of these poor things have
been already months fettered in this manner, and their
bones stand out in bold relief in the attenuated skin,
which hangs down in thin wrinkles and puckers. And
yet, who can withstand the feeling of pity so power-
fully pleaded for by those large eyes and sunken
cheeks ? '

Tor many years it has cost England large sums of
money in her endeavour to stop the export of slaves
from the coast of Africa. For this purpose fast steamers
are constantly cruising off the coast to capture and
destroy the slave dhows employed in this detestable
trade. These dhows are swift sailing vessels with a
large spread of canvas, low in the bows and high in the
stern, and generally owned and commanded by Arabs.
The unfortunate slaves are stowed sometimes in two,

46 Graphic Scenes in African Story,

sometimes in three tiers on bamboo decks, and not
sufficiently distant from each other to allow them to sit
upright. Their food and drink is of the scantiest, and
the sanitary arrangements defective to the last degree.
The condition of the poor creatures is pitiable in the
extreme ; cramped for room, ill from the motion of the
vessel and the foul smells in which they have to exist,
many die ere the end of the voyage, when their bodies
are cast into the sea and become food for the voracious
sharks that constantly follow in the vessel's wake.

The cruiser's work is one of vigilant activity, abound-
ing in incident and adventure; for not unfrequently
her boats are away for days at a time searching the
creeks and coasts and attacking slave stations. The
work is one of danger, too, for often the men meet with
an obstinate resistance, and lives are sacrificed ; but an
adventure spiced with danger only makes the British
sailor more eager to undertake it, and he joins with
alacrity any boat expedition, whether to cut out a
slaver or storm a barracoon.

The boats of H.B.M. ships Castor and Dee entered
the river Angoxa to ascertain if there were any slave
vessels anchored under the protection of a fort of the
same name ; the barracoons there were always well filled
with slaves ready for embarkation at any favourable
moment ; but with the small force under the command
of the officers of the above boats, it was impossible to
storm these, The navigation of the river was difficult,

The Slave Trade. 47

and the boats had not proceeded far before some of
them grounded on a sandbank, and were there hard and
fast until the tide again floated them. At night they
anchored inside Monkey Island, and the following
morning proceeded farther up the river towards the
town of the same name as the fort and river ; but their
approach had already become known to the Arabs, who
were actively engaged making preparations for resist-
ance. By noon the boats were in sight of the fort,
near to which a vessel was close hauled, which immedi-
ately displayed a red flag, while ' tom-toms ' commenced
sounding and drums beating, and continued until,
advancing with the rising tide, the boats approached
near enough to the fort. The stockade then opened fire
with round shot and grape, severely wounding two men.
The boats, still advancing, returned the fire with shell,
grape, and canister.

The principal object the officers had in view was to
cut out the vessel — a large dhow of 100 tons — or to
destroy her. In a quarter of an hour the fort was
silenced, the shells falling beautifully into the stockade
drove the Arabs into the wood or behind the vessel,
from whence they kept up a galling and incessant fire of
musketry, returned by the boats' crews with such effect
as soon to drive them farther away. One of the Dee's
boats was now able to get under the stern of the dhow,
boarded, and set her on fire. This was not done with
impunity, for the Arabs, rushing out of the wood, dis-

48 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

charged their muskets, wounding several of the crew.
The vessel being destroyed, and the stockade and woods
silenced, the boats retreated to their former night's
anchorage, the crew congratulating themselves on the
success of the expedition, resulting in so few casualties,
only one man being considered dangerously wounded,
having his ribs smashed in by a grape-shot.

Work like this is constantly going on along the east
and west African coast, with an activity that has called
forth a corresponding liveliness on the part of the Arabs,
who resort to every expedient to elude the vigilance of
the British.

The chasing of dhows at sea is perhaps more exciting
work still; for often, after hours and hours spent in
pursuit, and at the very moment when capture seems
inevitable, the Arab captain will run his vessel on
shore, and with the majority of his cargo escape safely
to shore, the slaves willingly seeking the shelter of the
woods as their unprincipled masters spread among* them
the report that the English only seek to capture them
for the purpose of eating them, so that the poor
creatures regard their would-be saviours with the utmost
horror and dread.

While cruising in the Zanzibar waters some few
years ago, the Daphne gave chase to a large dhow that
appeared coming from the southward. On nearing the
dhow, which was close in shore, she up with her helm
and ran through the breakers on to the beach, where

The Slave Trade. 42

she soon became a complete wreck. The unfortunate
slaves were seen struggling through the water from the
ship to the shore, many being drowned in the attempt,
while others disappeared in the woods. The boats of
the Daphne were immediately launched, but the danger
from the surf was too great to attempt rescuing any.
The life-boat was then lowered and shoved off, the men
gave way with a will, for many of the slaves were still
seen in the water and on the beach. The boat was soon
in the breakers, when a sea striking her abaft went
clean over from stem to stern, and it was only by
throwing a weight on the yoke-line that she was saved
from broaching to ; but sea after sea poured into her,
deluging the crew, and it was only the excellent way
in which she was constructed that saved the boat from
destruction. Once over the bar they found themselves
in comparatively smooth water, but when they gained
the shore they found themselves too late to rescue many
of the slaves ; only seven little wretched children were
they able to seize, and these they discovered were too
weak to crawl away into the bush. Several of these
were doubled up, with their knees against their faces,
and in this position they had been on board for a
week, and during all that time were unable to
stretch their legs. The dhow had been crowded with
slaves, but on seeing the smoke from the funnel of
the Daphne the Arabs had said to them, ' White man
is lighting a fire to cook nigger with ! ' This had

50 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

induced the poor creatures to risk drowning rather than
be captured.

A few days later a dhow was captured, close to the
Daphne, by one of her boats. ' She was brought along-
side/ says the writer * * with 156 slaves in her, — forty-
eight men, fifty-three women, and fifty-five children.
The deplorable condition of some of these poor wretches,
crammed into a small dhow, surpasses all description ;
on the bottom of the dhow was a pile of stones as
ballast, and on these stones, without even a mat, were
twenty-three women huddled together — one or two with
infants in their arms. These women were literally
doubled up, there being no room to sit erect. On a
bamboo deck, about three feet above the keel, were
forty-eight men, crowded together in the same way, and
on another deck above this were fifty-three children.
Some of the slaves were in the last stages of starvation
and dysentery. On getting the vessel alongside and
clearing her out, a woman came up, having an infant
about a month or six weeks old in her arms, with one
side of its forehead crushed in. On asking how it was
done, she told us that just before our boat came along-
side the dhow, the child began to cry, and one of the
Arabs, fearing the English would hear it, took up a
stone, and struck it. A few hours after this the poor
thing died, and the woman was too weak and ill to be

* Dhow -Chasing in Zanzibar Waters, etc., by Captain G. E.
Sullivan, R.N.

The Slave Trade, 5 1

able to point out the monster who had done it, from
amongst the ten or dozen Arabs on board.'

The Indian Times, for October 1872, gives a graphic
description of the fearful condition of one of these
dhows captured by the boats of Her Majesty's ship
Vulture. The crew and passengers, including slave-
merchants, comprised thirty-six Arabs, all well-armed.
' The number of slaves it was impossible at the time to
estimate. So crowded on deck, and in the 'hold below,
was the dhow, that it seemed, but for the aspect of
misery, a very nest of ants. The hold, from which an
intolerable stench proceeded, was several inches deep in
the foulest bilge-water and refuse. Down below, there
were numbers of children and wretched beings in the
most loathsome stages of small-pox and scrofula of every
description. A more disgusting and degrading spectacle
of humanity could hardly be seen, whilst the foulness of
the dhow was such that sailors could hardly endure it.

' When the slaves were transferred to the Vulture, the
poor wretched creatures were so . dreadfully emaciated
and wTeak, that many had to be carried on board, and
lifted for every movement. How it was that so many
had survived such hardships was a source of wonder to
all that belonged to the Vulture. On examination by
the surgeon, it was found that there were no less than
thirty-five cases of small-pox in various stages; and
from the time of the capture of the dhow to their landing
at Butcher's Island, Bombay, fifteen died out of the

52 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

whole number of 169, and since then there have been
more deaths amongst them. But perhaps the most
atrocious piece of cruelty of the Arabs was heard after-
wards from the slaves themselves — viz. that at the first
discovery of small-pox amongst them by the Arabs, all
the infected slaves were at once thrown overboard ; and
this was continued day by day, until, they said, forty
had perished in this manner. When they found the
disease could not be checked, they simply left them to
take their chance and to die. Many of the children
were of the tenderest years, scarcely more than three
years old, and most of them bearing marks of the
brutality of the Arabs in half-healed scars, and bruises
inflicted from the lash and stick.'

Still the evil trade is carried on with an amazing
vigour, and annually countless thousands of poor
creatures are seized to supply the market. Mrs. Hore,
in her interesting work,* only just published, writes :
1 It is known that drastic measures have more or less
successfully been applied to stop the outflow of slaves,
and that missionaries and others are penetrating into
the country ; but I would emphatically declare that the
slave trade of Africa exists to-day in all the terror and
shame described by Livingstone and others, only spread
wider and farther ; that the "open sore of the world,"
although partially healed over outwardly, is still fester-
ing and preying upon the vitals of the continent, and
* To Lake Tanganyika in a Bath Chair.

The Slave Trade. 53

unless strong measures are applied, there will by and by
be nothing left to heal. Even if all the outside slave-
markets were closed, Africa, left untouched, ivould
consume itself with slavery.

' During the year I spent on the shores of Lake
Tanganyika, a constant stream of slaves passed, which
required the existence of no outside market for its
continuance; they are absorbed very much along the
road, where any one who looks may see their carcases ;
and otherwise among well-to-do tribes, where every
family has one or two, the result of murder or pillage
at some distant place.

1 1 write concerning what I have seen, and. do not
dilate upon the endless tales of horror I have heard.
The foreign adventurers have sown the seeds of the
strife, and are now vigorously maintaining it. "With
plausible bait of trade, and apparent local prosperity,
they seek to hide the murder and rapine which is going
on all around; just as the clean, well-matted, hospitable
verandah but veneers the scenes of torture and misery
often enacted in the back premises of their houses.'

CHAPTER III.

SOUTH AFRICAN MISSIONS.

The early missionaries to South Africa had a difficult
task to perform, and the men who set themselves to the
work were not ordinary men. Their lives read like
romances. Knight-errants they were indeed, but with a
far more loftier purpose in view than those of the Middle
Ages, while the dangers to which they were exposed
were infinitely more. They did not trust to obtain con-
quest by means of carnal weapons, — -no lance, no sword,
no battle-axe did they carry or wield ; their dependence
was in the power of the Unseen who rules men's hearts ;
their weapons were the word of God and prayer, and
with these they have accomplished marvels, with these
they have made the • solitary places to rejoice, and the
wilderness to blossom as the rose.'

The Moravians were the first to enter the South
African field. \ It is nearly a century and a half since
they began work there, and not only did their efforts
direct the attention of Christians to that field of labour,
but the success which wns granted to them gave an

54

South African Missions. 55

impulse to the whole mission cause, and prepared the
way for the more general movement in this direction
which marked the close of the last century.'

One of the earliest and ablest men this mission sent
out was George Schmidt. He suffered much opposition,
and even persecution, before he succeeded in establishing
a station at Genaden thai, where he laboured for nine years.
But the Boers were extremely adverse to his teaching
the black population to read, and in fact to their receiv-
ing any education whatever, and procured his recall to
Holland ; and once there, he was never able to return.

In 1799 the London Missionary Society began its
work in South Africa by sending out four ministers, and
afterwards adding to the number Dr. Vanderkemp, a
man of considerable power and ability, cavalry officer,
scholar, and physician; and for many years he laboured
zealously both among the Kafirs and Hottentots, to the
latter of whom he was a faithful friend, ever maintaining
their rights against their oppressors.

The well-known and universally respected Dr. Moffat
landed at the Cape in 1816, to commence his fifty years
of labour among the tribes of the interior. His story is
so familiar, that it seems almost superfluous to recount
it, and we will content ourselves with merely narrating
several incidents which illustrate both it and the man.

He was but twenty-one when he commenced his
work, but he soon gave evidence of possessing a rare
spirit and ready wit, qualities which afterwards stood

56 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

him in good stead. He had solicited a night's lodging
at the house of a rough Boer, and had been asked by
the wife to preach. But at the appointed time, Moffat
was both surprised and disappointed to find his congre-
gation to consist solely of the Boer and his wife and
their five children. Knowing that his host employed
more than a hundred Hottentots, he said, quietly and
modestly, —

' May not your servants come in ? '

1 Eh V roared the Boer. ' Hottentots ! Are you come
to preach to Hottentots? Go to the mountains and
preach to the baboons; or, if you like, I'll fetch my
dogs, and you may preach to them/

To this rebuff Moffat answered nothing, but simply
proceeded to give out his text : ' Truth, Lord ; yet the
dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master's
table.' No impression appeared to be made, and it was
repeated a second time.

'Hold on !' cried the Boer, rising from his seat. ' I'll
have no more of that. I'll bring you all the Hottentots
in the place!' This he did, and the place was filled
with an eager and attentive crowd, who listened in-
tently to the message of the young preacher.

1 Who/ said the Boer at the close of the service, ■ who
hardened your hammer to deal such a blow on the head
as that ? I will never again object to the gospel being
preached to the Hottentots.'

Appointed to labour among the Beo.huana tribes, he

South African Missions. 57

was the man that tamed the fiery and much dreaded
Africaner. He was not afraid to beard him in his strong-
hold, to make him hear reason, to urge him to discon-
tinue being a source of terror, and finally to bring his
proud neck beneath the gospel yoke. ' Often/ he wrote
later, ' have I seen him under the shadow of a great rock
nearly the livelong day, eagerly perusing the pages of
Divine inspiration ; or in his hut he would sit, uncon-
scious of the affairs of a family around or of the en-
trance of a stranger, with his eye gazing on the blessed
book and his mind wrapt up in things Divine. Many
were the nights he sat with me conversing till the dawn
of another day, on creation, providence, redemption, and
the glories of the heavenly world.'

What a striking and impressive scene that must have
been which occurred between Moffat and Makala, chief
of the Bawangketse ; the former had been endeavouring
to force home the doctrine of the resurrection of man
from the dead, to which the chief replied, —

1 Father, I love you much ; the words of your mouth
are sweet as honey, but the words of a resurrection are
too great to *be heard. I do not wish to hear again
about the dead rising ! The dead cann6t arise ! The
dead must not arise ! '

' Why/ inquired Moffat, ' can so great a man refuse
knowledge, and turn away from wisdom ? Tell me, my
friend, why I must not " add to words," and speak of a
resurrection ? '

58 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

The chief, raising and uncovering his arm, which had
been. strong in battle, and shaking his hand as if quiver-
ing a spear, replied, ' I have slain my thousands, and
shall they arise ? '

His great work was not done easily ; there was much
endurance, much self-denial, many dangers to face and
overcome. 'I had frequently pretty long fasts/ he
writes, ' and have had recourse to the " fasting girdle,"
as it is called. On more than one occasion, after the
morning service, I have shouldered my gun and gone
to the plain or the mountain brow in search of some-
thing to eat; and, when unsuccessful, have returned,
laid down my piece, taken the Word of Life, and
addressed my congregation. I never liked begging, and
have frequently been hard put to it; but many a time
has an unknown friend placed in my hut a portion of
food, on which I have looked with feelings better con-
ceived than described.'

He was frequently in peril of beasts as well as men.
1 In one of my early journeys/ he writes, ■ I had a pro-
vidential escape from an African tiger and serpent. I
had left the waggons and wandered to a distance among
the coppice and grassy openings in quest of game. I
had a small double-barrelled gun on my shoulder, which
was loaded with a ball and small shot; an antelope
passed, at which I fired, and slowly followed the course
it took. After advancing a short distance, I saw a
tiger-cat staring at me between the forked branches of

South African Missions, 59

a tree, behind which his long spotted body was con-
cealed, twisting and turning his tail like a cat just
going to spring on its prey. This, I knew, was a critical
moment, not having a shot or ball in my gun. I moved
about as if in search of something in the grass, taking
care to retreat at the same time. After getting, as I
thought, a suitable distance to turn my back, I moved
somewhat more quickly, but in my anxiety to escape
what was behind I did not see what was before, until
startled by treading upon a large cobra di capello ser-
pent, asleep on the grass. It instantly twisted its body
round my leg, on which I had nothing but a thin pair
of trousers, when I leaped from the spot, dragging the
venomous and enraged reptile after me ; and while in
the act of throwing itself in a position to bite, without
turning round I threw my piece over my shoulder and
shot it. Taking it by the tail, I brought it to my
people at the waggons, who, on examining the bags of
poison, asserted that had the creature bitten me I could
never have reached the waggons.'

There had been a severe drought of long continuance;
the rain-makers had tried all the resources of their art
and cunning to bring the desired rain, but all in vain.
They said it was the presence of the missionaries which
rendered their power of no avail. A secret council was
held, and a chief with a dozen followers was appointed
to wait upon Moffat and inform him of the result. The
chief informed the missionary that it was the deter-

60 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

mination of the chiefs of the people that they should
leave the country ; and referring to their disregard of
threatenings, added, that if they did not go, measures of
violence would be used to carry their resolution into
effect.

'While the chief was speaking/ says Moffat, 'he
stood in a rather imposing, I could not say threatening,
attitude, quivering his spear in his right hand. Mrs.
M. was at the door of our cottage with a babe in he*
arms, watching the crisis, for such it was. I replied, —

' We have indeed felt most reluctant to leave, and are
now more than ever resolved to abide by our post. We
pity you, for you know not what you do. We have
suffered, it is true, and He whose servants we are has
directed us in His word, " when they persecute you in
one city, flee ye to another ; " but although we have
suffered, we do not consider all that has been done to
us by the people amounts to persecution ; we are pre-
pared to expect it from such as know no better. If you
are resolved to rid yourselves of us, you must resort to
stronger measures, for our hearts are with you. You
may shed our blood or burn us out. We know you will
not touch our wives and children. Then shall they
who sent us know, and God who now sees and hears
what we do shall know, that we have been persecuted
indeed.'

The chief man looked at his companions, and with a
significant shake of the head, said — ' These men must

South African Missions. 61

have ten lives when they are so fearless of death ; there
must be something in immortality.'

Such was Moffat, a man that could face any danger.
He was most ably supported by his devoted wife,
although the position of a woman in the midst of such
people was anything but pleasant or safe. On one
occasion Mrs. Moffat, with a babe in her arms, politely
asked a native woman to be kind enough to move out
of her kitchen, that she might shut it as usual before
going into the place of worship. Instead of answering,
the woman seized a large piece of wood to hurl at her,
and would doubtless have done so had not Mrs. Moffat
quickly escaped, leaving the intruder in undisturbed
possession of the kitchen, the contents of which she
would unhesitatingly pilfer.

' It required/ says Mr. Moffat, ' no little fortitude and
forbearance in the wife of the missionary, who had to
keep at home, and attend to the cares and duties of a
family, to have the house crowded with those who
would seize a stone, and dare interference on her part.
As many men and women as pleased might come into
our hut, leaving us not room even to turn ourselves, and
making everything they touched the colour of their own
greasy red attire. While some were talking, others would
be sleeping, and some pilfering whatever they could lay
their hands upon. This would keep the housewife a
perfect prisoner in a suffocating atmosphere, almost
intolerable; and when they departed they left ten

62 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

times more than their number behind, — company more
offensive.'

Perhaps Moffat would not have accomplished what
he did had it not been for his wife. For five years he
laboured among the Bechuanas, apparently without any
good effect. Said he to his wife one day, —

1 This is hard work, Mary ! '

' It is hard work,' she replied ; ' but you must re-
member, the gospel has never yet been preached to
them in their own tongue wherein they were born !
They have heard it only through interpreters, and
interpreters who have no just understanding, no real
love of the truth. We must not expect the blessing
till you are able, from your own lips and in their own
language, to bring it through their ears into their
hearts/

' From that hour,' says Moffat, ' I gave myself with
untiring diligence to the acquisition of the language.'

This was no easy task ; it was little short of stupen-
dous, that which he undertook after having acquired
the language — the translation of the Scriptures. It
was a labour of years, demanding constant thought and
study, to be prosecuted night and day. Yet he heroic-
ally chained himself to it, determined to succeed ; and
succeed he did. The Old Testament was first translated
and printed, and then the New ; and at length, after long
years, he was able to write, —

' I could hardly believe that I was in the world, so

South African Missions. 63

difficult was it for me to realize the fact that my work
of so many years was completed. Whether it was from
weakness, or over-strained mental exertion, I cannot
tell ; but a feeling came over me as if I should die, and
I felt perfectly resigned. To overcome this, I went
back to my manuscript, still to be printed, read it over,
and re-examined it, till at length I got back again to my
right mind^ This was the most remarkable time of my
life — a period which I shall never forget. My feelings
found vent by my falling on my knees and thanking
God for His grace and goodness in giving me strength
to accomplish my task.'

It was here, in this busy field of labour, that in 1840
Moffat was joined by Dr.* Livingstone, who after four
years married his daughter Mary. She was, he says,
expert in household matters ; she was always the best
spoke in the wheel at home. He found her a very
helpful wife, such an one as was essentially necessary
to the comfort of the South African missionary; for
much depended upon her skill as housewife.

1 The entire absence of shops,' he says, ' obliged us to
make everything from the raw materials. If you want
bricks to build a house, you must proceed to the field,
cut down a tree, and saw it into planks to make the
brick-moulds. The people cannot assist you much ; for,
though willing to labour for wages, the Backwains have
a curious inability to make things square. As with all
Bechuanas, their own dwellings are round. I erected

64 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

three large houses at different times, and every brick
and stick had to be pnt square by my own hand. A
house of decent dimensions, costing an immense amount
of manual labour, is necessary to secure the respect of
the natives.

'Bread is often baked* in an extempore oven con-
structed by scooping out a large hole in an ant-hill, and
using a slab of stone for a door. Another plan is to
make a good fire on the ground, and when it is
thoroughly heated, to place the dough in a short-
handled frying-pan, or simply on the hot ashes. A
metal pot is then put over it, and a small fire is kindled
on the top.

1 We made our own candles, and soap was procured
from the ashes of the plant salsola, or else from wood-
ashes, which in Africa contains so little alkaline matter
that the boiling of successive leys has to be continued
for a month or six weeks before the fat is saponified.
There was not much hardship in being thus dependent
on our own ingenuity, and married life is all the sweeter
when so many comforts emanate directly from the
thrifty housewife's hands.'

The following is a vivid picture of the missionary's
daily routine of work : • We rose early, because however
hot the day, the evening, night, and morning at Kolobeng
were deliciously refreshing. You can sit out till mid-
night with no fear of coughs or rheumatism. After
family worship and breakfast between six and seven,

South African Missions. 65

we kept school, men, women, and children* being all
invited. This lasted till eleven o'clock. The mission-
ary's wife then betook herself to her domestic affairs,
and the missionary engaged in some manual labour, as
that of a smith, carpenter, or gardener. If he did jobs
for the people, they worked for him in turn, and ex-
changed their unskilled labour for his skilled. Dinner
and an hour's rest succeeded, when the wife attended her
infant-school, which the young liked amazingly, and
generally mustered a hundred strong ; or she varied it
with sewing-classes for the girls, which were equally
well relished. After sunset the husband went into the
town to converse, either on general subjects or on
religion. We had a public service on three nights of
the week, and on another instruction in secular subjects
aided by pictures and specimens. In addition to these
duties, we prescribed for the sick and furnished food for
the poor. The smallest acts of friendship, even an
obliging word and civil look, are, as St. Xavier thought,
no despicable part of the missionary armour. Nor
ought the good opinion of the most abject to be
neglected when politeness may secure it. Their good
word in the aggregate forms a reputation which pro-
cures favour for the gospel. Show kindness to the
reckless opponents of Christianity on the bed of sick-
ness, and they never can become your personal enemies.
Here, if anywhere, love begets love.'

His heart was in his work, and no amount of dis-

66 Graphic Scenes in African Stoiy.

couragement could daunt him. He keenly felt the
miserable condition of the heathen around him, and
had a thorough conviction that missions must have
a beneficial effect in humanizing them. Of the Mako-
lolo he says : ( I had been, during a nine weeks' tour,
in closer contact with heathenism than I had ever been
before ; and though all were as kind and attentive to me
as possible, yet to endure the dancing, roaring, and
singing, the jesting, quarrelling, and murdering of these
children of nature, seemed more like a severe penance
than anything I had before met with in the course of
my missionary duties. I took thence a more intense
disgust at heathenism than I had before, and formed a
greatly elevated opinion of the latent efforts of missions
in the South, among tribes which are reported to have
been as savage as the Makololo.'

For the last sixteen years of his life Livingstons
ceased to be connected with the London Missionary
Society, but he carried with him to the very end of
his life the true missionary spirit; and wherever he
travelled, he never failed to speak of himself as the
servant of Christ, and His messenger to the heathen.
When travelling down the west coast, he says : ' Amidst
all the beauty and loveliness with which we are sur-
rounded, there is still a feeling of want in the soul in
viewing one's poor companions, and hearing bitter,
impure words jarring on the ear, and a longing that
both their hearts and ours might be brought into har-

Graphic Scenes in African Story.— Page C7.

South African Missions. 67

mony with the great Father of Spirits. I pointed out
in, as usual, the simplest words I could employ, the
remedy which God has presented to us in the inexpres-
sibly precious gift of His own Son, on whom the Lord
" laid the iniquity of us all." '

Men are ever found to carry on the missionary work,
and as fast as one disappears from the field another
steps into his place. At one time the Eev. John
Mackenzie was in charge of the station where Moffat
laboured. The time he could spare from the study of
the native tongue was given to the acquirement of
medical knowledge; this fact became known, and his
fame spread. So, no sooner h*ad he made good his
settlement in his new quarters, when all sorts of cases
were brought to him to cure. One cure he effected is
worthy of notice, from the singular way in which the
man showed his gratitude.

Two men from a town twelve miles distant went out
for a day's hunting, and while passing through a dense
bush were assailed by a tiger-cat. It sprang on one of
them, seizing him by the cheek with its teeth, and
scratching his body with its claws. Having inflicted
these wounds, the animal retreated to the bush. The
injured man's friend carried him home, and walked
twelve miles to ask Mr. Mackenzie to attend him and
make him well, although he added he did not believe
he could live, for his face was in a dreadful state, the
jaw being damaged, the cheek torn and perforated, and

68 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

even the tongue injured. Medicine was sent to support
the wounded man, and materials for making a poultice
for the injured face. Many times the faithful friend
walked the twelve miles to report the progress of the
cure. At length his visits ceased, and the missionary
wondered what had become of him.

•'But one day,' says Mr. Mackenzie, ' a stranger walked
into the mission -house where I was living. It was my
patient come to exhibit the cure, and, I thought, to
make at least a touching speech expressing his in-
debtedness to me. He sat down, and narrated the
whole thing over again, mentioning the various medi-
cines which had been given, etc. He then said, —

'"My mouth is not exactly where it used to be"
(which was quite true, the damaged cheek having
shrunk), "but the wound is quite whole. Everybody
said I should die, but your herbs cured me. You are
now my white man. Please to give me a knife."

* I could not believe my own ears, and asked, " What
do you say ? "

1 " I haven't got a knife ; please to give me a knife.
You see," he added, as I wondered what reply I should
make, "you are now my own white man, and I shall
always come and beg of you." This seemed to me a
most wonderful transposition of relationship; and I
began to think the man's mouth was not the only
oblique thing about him. I mildly suggested that he
might at least thank me for my medicine.

South African Missions. 69

1 He interrupted ine : » Why, am I not doing so ?
Have I not said that you are my white man ? and do I
not now beg a knife from you ? "

' 1 gave the man up as a very wonderful specimen of
jumbled ideas.'

How often the shadow of death darkens the mission-
ary's lot, and what touching death-bed scenes have been
witnessed in African wilds ! Mr. and Mrs. Helmore
with their family were at Linyante, a place thoroughly
unhealthy for Europeans, whose English constitutions
could not withstand the deadly attacks cf fever. Two
of their children had fallen victims within a few days
of their arrival; then the angel of death visited the
mother. 'She had striven long and hard; she could
strive no more. In her last conscious moments she said
to her husband she had no wish to live ; she desired to
go home to Jesus. In the wanderings of her fevered
brain she had again seen the parched wilderness, and
heard her little ones calling to her for water ; and once
more she fancied she was denying herself everything
for the sake of those she loved. In her dreams she
recalled the crossing of broad rivers, and the standing
of strangers on the distant bank. Her mother's heart
could not forget distant loved ones in those half-con-
scious days and nights. She dreamt of her house as it
had been in Africa — of the new home she had hoped to
see established on the Zambesi; and in the midst of
dreamings and troubled feverish musings, her trustful

jo Graphic Scenes in African Story.

and enduring spirit passed into the light and joy of the
true home of heaven/

Yet in spite of illness and death, in spite of discour-
agement and opposition, in spite of wars and rumours
of wars, and in spite of persecution and martyrdom, the
missionary still continues his work, not in his own
strength, but as ' seeing Him who is invisible/ And he
has not laboured in vain ; the High God is worshipped
where once He was unknown; horrible customs have
disappeared, and given place to the amenities of Christian
life ; and from thousands of African hearts comes the
song of praise and thanksgiving that white men have
brought to them the message of glad tidings and peace.

CHAPTEE IV.

LIVINGSTONIA AND UNIVERSITIES MISSIONS.

' The spirit of our missions is the spirit of our Master,
the very genius of His religion. A diffusive philan-
thropy is Christianity itself. It requires perpetual
propagation to attest its genuineness. I shall make this
beautiful land better known, which is the essential part
of the process by which it will become the pleasant
haunts of men.'

So said Dr. Livingstone, and when in England, acting
in the very spirit of these words, he everywhere stirred
up the hearts of men to undertake mission work. When
in Scotland he urged the Free Church to found a mis-
sion on the shores of Lake Nyassa, which he himself
had discovered. In response to his appeal, that, with
other Churches of Scotland, have established the
1 Livingstonia ' on the promontory of Cape Clea*, and
the little mission steamer Ilala was launched upon the
lake. This was in 1875, and three years later a second
station was founded at Bandawd, on the west coast of
JSTyassa. Soon the little steamer was busily at work ;

71

72 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

twice it explored and circumnavigated the lake for the
purpose of checking the slave trade; for from the Nyassa
region alone no less than from 15,000 to 20,000 slaves
were annually drawn to feed the Arab slave markets,
without counting the many who perished of wounds,
famine, and disease. This was not all, for in 1879
James Stewart, the mission engineer, travelled across
the two hundred and ten miles of land, which lay
between the north end of Nyassa and the south end of
Tanganyika. The journey over, he constructed a road
to the London Missionary Society station. The sister
mission of the Livingstonia, the Blantyre, has made a
good road of nearly seventy miles to the south of Nyassa,
in the Shire' district. All this was effected for the
purpose of opening up a new route into -the country.
And at the completion of the roads, Mr. Stewart could
report to the Eoyal Geographical Society : —

1 The Livingstonia Mission possesses the best, perhaps
the only available route by water into the heart of
Africa. The whole of the distance from Quilimane to
Malisaka, at the north end of Nyassa, about eight
hundred miles, can now be accomplished by steam
power, with the exception of two small breaks. I have
traversed the distance in twenty-two days, including
five days of stoppages, and letters sent from that point
can be delivered in Edinburgh in fifty-five days. From
this it is evident that Lake Nyassa may now be con-
sidered as a convenient starting-point from which to

Livingstonia and Universities Missions. 73

reach the tribes in the regions beyond. Tanganyika is
almost as near the sea at Quilimane as Ujiji is to Zanzibar.'

The Livingstonia Mission, in conjunction with so
good a route into the interior, led to the formation of
the ' Livingstonia Trading Company,' a kind of mercan-
tile mission for the suppression of the slave trade. A
steamer is maintained below the Shire' rapids, and this
works in conjunction with the Bala on the lake. Thus,
in the track of missionary enterprise, follows that of
trade, and both the spiritual and material interests of
the natives are touched ; and the more this is done, the
sooner will slavery cease; for directly the chiefs find
out an easier and better way to supply themselves with
goods than selling men, they will readily embrace it.

The missions have also set themselves vigorously to
work at translation. The language of the people of
Manganja has been reduced to writing, and the Gospels
of Matthew and Mark translated. Hymns have also
been translated .and printed, while a grammar and
vocabulary have been issued from the press. Thus the
press, it is hoped, will prove a powerful lever in raising
the people. To all this is added the industrial arts, and
it is testified that —

'The young men have been remarkably quick in
learning the industrial arts of house-building, canoe-
building, furniture-making, timber-sawing, brick- making,
brick-laying, and engine-driving. The girls have been
trained in various duties pertaining to home manage-

74 Graphic Scenes in African Story

rnent, and have made garments sufficient to clothe the
women on the station, so that they may attend the
public services, dressed in a decorous fashion. Indeed,
so great is the demand for clothing, that some of the
young women can already support themselves by their
needles. Native evangelists, trained at Lovedale, South
Africa, have ministered to them with much acceptance,
while the medical missionary sent out from Scotland
has grown in favour year by year/

The good work is still going on in all the departments
of the mission. The translating and printing proceeds
daily ; while in one year no less than three hundred
articles of clothing were made by the female scholars ;
schools well attended ; houses have been built ; doors,
benches, and windows made by workmen who a few
years ago never saw. such things. One report says: —

1 We receive children from the tribes all round to be
our children, to be taught as we like. Wherever we go
we are welcomed, and when we speak to the people
about God and heaven, they at once become reverential
and silent, and with almost bated breath they ask
questions as to what He is, where He is, and what His
relation to us. At the north end of the lake we have
received children; they have come to learn in our
schools. We have travelled over the district mentioned,
and have had no collision at all with the natives.
We are most hopeful in our work. Englishmen soon
learn to like the African character, and this feeling

Livingsto7iia and Universities Missions. *75

is reciprocated. We have a strong hold upon their
affection.'

The sister mission, called after Livingstone's . birth-
place, works in harmony with the Livingstonia, and is
situated in the Shire* district, some seventy miles from
the Shire river. It is of an evangelical and industrial
character, and was also intended to act as a check to the
infamous slave trade ; and through its agency many
slaves have been redeemed and rescued from their
cruel fate ; while children have been received into its
schools, and trained for future usefulness. Thus the
two missions work harmoniously together, and are
producing an effect which cannot fail to prove beneficial
in its results to the poor African.

The Universities' Mission, in Eastern Central Africa,
is the result of a direct appeal made by Dr. Livingstone
to the Universities of Oxford and Cambridge to send
out agents to occupy one part of the country. ■ The
object intended,' says the author of the history of
the mission, * was to establish stations in Central Africa
which should serve as centres of Christianity and civiliza-
tion, for the promotion of true religion, the encourage-
ment of agriculture and lawful commerce, and ultimate
extinction of the slave trade.'

It was resolved that the mission should make its first
effort in the Shire* highlands. These highlands were
spoken of as a magnificent healthy country, and above
the sea- level some three or four thousand feet ; that it

76 Graphic Scenes in ^African Story.

was well watered and wooded, well adapted for cattle
and sheep ; the soil also was rich. The natives were
characterized as brave, industrious, ingenious, and
friendly.

The members of the mission, consisting of clergy and
laity and Christianized Africans, was headed by Mr.
Mackenzie as bishop. Dr. Livingstone himself accom-
panied the party up the Zambesi and Shire' Eivers to the
spot fixed upon for their first station. This was formed
at Mangomero, among the Manganja tribe, upon the
invitation of the chief Chigunda. But near the station
lived a tribe of Ajawas, famous for their slave- trading
propensities ; and it was not long before the missionaries
became involved in a quarrel in which blood was shed.
The chief, Chigunda, informed them that the Ajawa
were close by, and that they were burning, and destroy-
ing, and making captives on all sides, and that he would
guide them to the camp.

So the whole party left for the Ajawa encampment,
and on the way heard that some Tete slavers were in
villages near. * They started in pursuit, and during the
day released forty-four captives. Several others were
afterwards found in the bush, to which they had fled
from fear ; but their fears were soon allayed when they
discovered what the intentions of the English were.
With the exception of two, the slavers escaped. These
two were insolent, and so they were put into the slave
forks that had been taken from the necks of the

Livingstonia and Universities Missions. 77

captives, and .on their- necks they remained until they
came down to Dakanamoio. The slave fork is a terrible
tamer.

1 The next day was an eventful one. Dr. Livingstone,
the bishop, and all the rest of the party, with the
exception of one or two wTho were left in charge of the
freed people, started and took the road towards the
Ajawa encampment. A number of the Manganja went
with them. Everywhere they saw sad signs of the war :
villages burnt, gardens uncared for, the beautiful land
about them rapidly becoming a desert. About mid-day
they came upon a large party of Ajawa, who were just
returning from a successful raid. The smoke of burning
villages was seen in the distance. A long train of
captives carried the plunder, and their bitter cry was
heard, even above the triumphant utterances of the
Ajawa women, who came out, as did the Israelitish
women of old, to welcome back the victors.

' The camp was built on the slope of a hill, and so
securely flanked by other hills as to be all but un-
assailable by native enemies. Our friends w7ent on
very cautiously, and were quite close to the camp before
they were perceived. As soon as the Ajawa perceived
them, they came forward defiant, dancing and shouting
like savages intoxicated with previous success. Dr.
Livingstone called out to them that he came to talk to
them, and that it was peace. They disbelieved him,
and shouted out that it was not peace but war ; and,

78 . Graphic Scenes in African Slory.

according to their custom, dispersed themselves in the
bush, or hid behind the trees and rocks. Johnson, our
black cook, seeing a man aiming apparently at Dr.
Livingstone, elevated his gun and fired. Then a fight
commenced. The arrows flew fast and furious ; and
perceiving how few in number the party was to which
they were opposed, the Ajawa evidently thought they
would make an easy conquest ; their shouts of derision
rent the air, and they at last came charging down like
demons. They were met with a few well-directed shots
from the rifles; they halted, and returned to cover.
But at last they were forced from their stronghold, and
their camp destroyed and burnt. The captives escaped
during the fight ; they threw down their burdens, and
fled into the bush. JSTone of the English were hurt;
one Manganja was killed, and another had an arrow
through his wrist. The bishop was in the midst of the
fight, but did not use his gun ; he made it over to
Mr. C. Livingstone/

This affair, however worthy the object, was not done
without danger of imperilling the success of the mission ;
for though peace seemed to have been gained for a time,
ill-feeling was prevalent among the adjoining tribes.
Yet peace was only apparent, the Ajawa were still
troublesome, and Chigunda solicited the help of the
bishop and his companions to make a determined attack
upon them. To this the bishop consented, on condition
that henceforth they would neither capture nor sell

Livingstonia and Universities Missions. 79'

slaves ; that all the captives found among the Ajawa
should be free ; that all chiefs should combine to punish
one that sold his own people ; and that if foreign slavers
came into the land, they should be driven away. These
conditions were agreed to.

A large party well equipped set out, and in due time'
came in sight of the enemy. Before hostilities com-
menced, the bishop, with two companions, made his
way unarmed to the Ajawa camp, demanding to speak
to the chiefs, saying that he wished to have a peaceable
talk ; but the chiefs, from their quarters, cried, ' Shoot
them; don't listen to them!' Thereupon the bishop
returned to his friends, and one of those that were with
him exclaimed, ' It is war ! they will not have peace !
they will have nothing but war with us ! ' The order
was given to advance, and instantly the Manganja set
up their war-cry, a truly hideous noise, but nothing
compared with that of the Ajawa.

* Going down the hill was exciting work/ says the
author, who was present. * ■ I fully expected to be shot
at from behind, but the Ajawa had not seized the
only good opportunity they had of doing us much
harm, and we reached the valley without molestation.
We who were in front — and the Manganja adopted the
motto of ""After you, sirs" — turned to the right to-
wards a small village, and before we arrived at it were
shot at with guns by men secreted in the grass. When
we replied, they retreated. The village was deserted,

80 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

and it was at once fired. The way to the hill, which
seemed to be the key of the whole position, was by the
left, and the bishop, myself, and others struck into a
path in that direction, and were fired at from either
side, and several bullets whizzed by rather closer to us
than was agreeable. Those who fired, however, did not
long maintain their ground ; a few shots and they re-
treated. We scarcely caught a glimpse of them, for they
slunk through the long grass like snakes. "We went
some distance, but finding no Manganja following us,
the bishop desired me to go back and bring on a large
body of men who were in our rear, shouting in a very
warlike way, but only shouting.'

The men were sent on, when the author met some of
his white companions, who, having routed the enemy
opposed to them, were on their way to join the bishop.
Knowing it was his intention to attack the strongest
position, a hill some 500 yards' distance, which appeared
crowded with men, shots were fired in that direction,
but over the heads of the Ajawa, whose astonishment
was so great that they ran about and crouched down on
the ground, not thinking the white men's guns could
carry so far. A few more shots lower down completed
their dismay, and away they all went helter-skelter, each
one eager to get as soon as possible out of sight. In a
few seconds not a man remained on the hill ; all took
their way towards Lake Shirwa. Soon all were in full
retreat, and the bishop and his men in hot pursuit.

Livingstonia and Universities Missions. Si

But soon the fire from the first village spread to the
bush, and other villages caught. 'The air was black
with smoke, for the fire had spread all over the plain
and surrounded us. Such a sight I had never seen
before, and trust may never see again. It was only by
remembering the atrocious conduct of the Ajawa, which
for the time being had placed them almost beyond the
pale of pity, that I could keep myself from feeling soul-
sick at the scene before me.'

This victory was gained without the loss of one of
the English. At night they all assembled at the station,
congratulating each other on the successful termination
of the expedition. In the midst of the felicitations the
bishop appeared in their midst, carrying a little boy
about six years of age in his arms. He had found him
at the door of a hut ; he was so ill that the Manganja
shook their heads when the bishop desired them to
bring him along, saying it was no good, for death had
laid hold of him. However, he was conveyed to the
victor's home, though evidently near his end. He was,
they thought, a captive, who when taken ill had been
left to starve and die, for he was fearfully emaciated.
A little brandy was forced down his throat, but it failed
to produce any but a momentary effect. The bishop
then said he would baptize him ; this he did, giving him
the name of Charles Henry, and soon after the little
fellow died. He was laid in a grave outside the village,
and the burial service read over him.

82 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

This decisive victory left the mission in peace, and
the usual work went on day after day. But the natives
had been much struck by the ease with which the
white men had beaten the enemy, and could only put
it down to their strong medicine. One day a chief
went up to one of them, and after seating himself by
his side, and putting his arm affectionately round his
neck, said, pointing to the medical man of the mission, —

1 Is that your medicine man ? '

* Yes/ was the reply.

' Ask him to give me your war medicine.'

' We have no war medicine. We never use any.'

1 That is not true ; you have, you must have,* and you
do not like to give it me. But do ask him for it/

'I speak the truth,' was the laughing reply; 'we
English have no other war medicine than a brave heart'

'No, that is not true; it cannot be. I have brave
heart too ; but what is the good of a brave heart ? a
brave heart alone is no good. Listen. The Manganja
have brave hearts ; the Ajawa come into their country ;
they go to fight the Ajawa, but directly they see them
they run away. Why? Not because they have not
brave hearts, but because the Ajawa have stronger war
medicine than they. Now you have stronger war medi-
cine than the Ajawa; so strong, that if only one
Englishman went against the whole of the Ajawa, they
would all run awayi Do give me your war medicine.'
And the chief could not be persuaded.

Livings tonia and Universities Missions. 83

The natives regarded the Englishmen as an altogether
superior race of beings, possessing the most wonderful
powers ; even the simple scientific instruments they
had with them were deemed supernatural. Said one
man to a chief, —

'Do ! there "is nothing but what they can do ! Look
here, chief; suppose a man wished to get away from
them, and they were not willing that he should go —
well, he could not go away, do what he would/

1 Why, what would they do ? Tie him up to a tree ? '
said the old chief.

1 Tie him up to a tree ! No, not they ; they would
not take" that trouble. For supposing he had got away,
and was gone so far off that in the distance he looked
no bigger than a fly, they would only have to put that
thing up to their eye (a telescope), and it would bring
him back again quite close to their feet. He could
never get away from them/

Not once, but several times, was the bishop and his
friends solicited to aid the Manganja to make war upon
the Ajawa, and at last again yielded. More than
2000 of the natives accompanied the little party ; but
this time it did not require a shot to be fired, for no
sooner did they hear the cry, ' The English are here ! '
than they retreated, making no resistance whatever.
Every hut proved to be deserted, save here and there
by a child that in the hurry had been left behind. So
rapidly did they move off,. that had it not been for the

84 . Graphic Scenes in African Story.

many signs that they had been surprised, one might
fancy they had been warned and decamped the night
before. The camp was full of plunder, and nearly
500 women and children were captured. The women
were in a wretched condition, having been used by the
Ajawa chief to carry plunder, and insufficiently fed. By
these decisive proceedings, slavery for the time being
received a severe blow.

Two of the missionaries set off on an exploring ex-
pedition to Euo. Some time after, a servant, named
Charles, returned to the station alone, haggard and
worn, his feet lacerated and swollen, looking the very
picture of a man who had been hunted for his life.

'All are gone,' he said, 'I alone am left, — not one
besides myself has escaped ! ' and bursting into tears he
sank down on the ground. After the poor fellow had
somewhat recovered, he was able to inform them of the
facts of the disaster. All for a time had gone well with
the party ; they found a good road and friendly people,
until, arriving at a village about eight miles off, they
were attacked and plundered, and all but himself made
prisoners or killed.

1 Twice/ said he, ' was I surrounded. I hardly know
how I broke away from them. And when I was about
a hundred yards off I heard two shots tired. I fear this
was all Mr. Procter and Mr. Scudamore could do before
they were overpowered. The natives were all around
them, firing at them with their bows and arrows.'

Livings tonia and Universities Missions. 85

This was sad news. But the bishop determined to
set out to rescue his friends if in captivity. This action,
however, was not necessary ; for while those at the
mission station were still grieving for the absent ones,
they had succeeded, though narrowly, in escaping. Three
men had attempted to wrest Procter's gun from him,
and in the struggle he fell on his back, but still retain-
ing his hold of the gun. He tried hard to get it into a
position to fire at his assailants, and when he had suc-
ceeded pulled the trigger, but the ball passed under a
man's arm without injuring any one. His companion
now fired, at which the aggressors all fled, but while
running contrived to discharge a poisoned arrow, which
fortunately struck the butt of Mr. Procter's gun. After
this the two friends were no more molested, and
hastened back to the station.

But dark days were in store for the mission ; food
became scarce and the bishop, with Mr. Burrup, were
compelled to make their way to a point down the river
where they expected to find stores in abundance. In
this they were sadly disappointed, for when the place
was gained none were there. It was the unhealthy
season too, fever was raging, and things looked black
indeed. As they went down the Shire*, the canoe con-
taining the medicine was upset, so that there was no
relief in case of sickness. And the African fever seized
the good bishop, and five days after he was dead. His
companion had also sickened, and was unable to be

86 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

present at his leader's death ; but as soon as the grave
was dug, and before the body was lowered into it, he
staggered out to read the burial service. It was too
dark to'do this, so he repeated all he could remember.
1 And there, on the banks .of the Shire*, away from all
but the heathen to whom he devoted his life, in " sure
and certain hope of a joyful resurrection," rests
what was the soul's tabernacle of Charles Frederick
Mackenzie, the first bishop of the Central African
Mission.'

Mr. Burrup returned to the station at Mangomero,
and told the mournful tale of the bishop's death, and
then himself died. Soon after three others of the party
died, and were buried by Dr. Livingstone, who happened
to be there at the time. Then the great explorer him-
self suffered a great loss in the death of his wife, who
was on her way to join him. It was at Shupanga she
died, and under a large baobab tree her remains were
laid at rest, over which the Doctor set up the following
epitaph : —

'Those who are not aware how this good, brave
English wife made a delightful home at Kolobeng, a
thousand miles inland from the Cape, and, as the
daughter of Moffat, and a Christian lady, exerted a most
beneficial influence over the rude tribes of the interior,
may wonder that she should have braved the dangers
and toils of this down-trodden land. She knew them
all, and in the disinterested and dutiful attempt to

Livings toni a and Universities Missions. &J

renew her labours, was called to her rest instead.
Fiat Domine voluntas tua.'

Some of the remaining members were now sent home
to England to recruit their shattered health, and other's
sent out to fill their places, and Bishop Tozer selected
to superintend the operations of the party. After
which, finding Mangomero too unhealthy a situation,
the headquarters of the mission were removed to the
island of Zanzibar; and in its new position has
done good and true work, with some amount of success.
When opportunity offered, stations were planted in the
interior, and agents of other Societies assisted in their
progress inland ; added to which" a settlement for freed
slaves has been established on the mainland, where
they are trained to read and study the Swahili tongue,
for the purpose of fitting them for future work among
the natives speaking that language.

CHAPTEB V.

CENTRAL AFRICAN MISSION.

The various accounts given by some of our most
successful explorers of the condition of Central Africa,
with its teeming populations, created great enthusiasm
in England, which ultimately resolved itself into direct
and well-planned missionary effort. Among others that
of the London Missionary Society, which set about
taking up the region around Lake Tanganyika, and in
1877 the first band started for Ujiji. Many different
chiefs were visited on the way, the great Mirambo
among the number, — who earnestly desired that handi-
craftsmen should settle in his kingdom, — from whom
much kindness was received. But these pioneer
missionaries had no sooner reached their destination
than one of their number, a Mr. Thomson, died. He
occupied the first grave on the Tanganyika shore, while
the survivors, sad, yet hopeful, set about founding the
station.

Meanwhile Mr. Dodgshun, who had returned to
Zanzibar for the purpose of securing stores left behind

Central African Mission. 89

there, was passing through a country of enemies. The
people on his route had already killed one missionary,
and seemed bent upon the murder of a second. ■ It is
a daily dodging of fate,' he writes, • and it is not a com-
fortable state of things. In Ugogo, we were within an
ace of being attacked by over a hundred of the natives,
fully armed, and thirsting for the blood of the white
men. We have had to go round by Utaturu and
Ukimbo, to avoid the murderers of Mr. Penrose, and on
the way we had the painful task of burying the remains
of Mr. Wautier, of the Belgian expedition/ Then his
goods were seized by a number of Mirambo's men, and
when he did finally succeed in reaching Ujiji, it was
only to experience the same fate as Mr. Thomson, and
be buried by his side.

It had been decided to found three stations, — viz.
Ujiji, Uguha, and Urambo. This was done ; premises
were built at each place, to which other missionaries
were appointed besides those already in the field, among
whom were ' Captain ' Hore and Dr. Southon. Eighteen
months after, Mr. Hore writes : ' A residence of eighteen
months here, although no preaching or teaching has
been undertaken, has made its mark upon the Wajiji.
The first strangeness has worn off, our uprightness is
recognised, our medicine sought for and gratefully
received,, our Sunday respected, and our habits and
customs no longer regarded with suspicion. We are,
in fact, established as respected sojourners, if not

90 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

citizens in the land. A considerable outlay of fnoney,
some work, and quiet persistence, have, with God's
blessing, overcome very great difficulties here, — such,
indeed, as will probably be equalled in the establish-
ment of no other station on the lake. XJjiji is a strong-
hold of the enemy ; but we have secured the little field
therein. We meet them face to face j here we are a
thorn in their side, and a restraint upon them.'

At a new station missionaries have always to contend
with difficulties arising from circumstances natural to
a savage state of society, and those stationed at Uguha
were not exempt. There they found they had to con-
tend with slavery, belief in magic and witchcraft,
idolatry, spirit-houses, and continual outbreaks of war.
The only thing was perseverance, and this they had.
In spite of frequent depression they still continued to
teach the precepts of the gospel of peace, and at the
same time the arts of civilised life. Their intentions
were sometimes falsely reported, the ire of the natives
aroused, and bands of armed savages would intrude
upon them demanding explanations, threatening them
with instant death did their answers not prove satis-
factory. But on all such occasions, the calm, cool,
pleasant, and unsuspicious bearing of the members of
the mission would conquer their would-be assailants.

' The people/ says one who knew them well, ' like
most other African tribes, follow agriculture, fishing,
hunting, and petty warfare. -The clothing worn, both

Central African Mission. 9 1

by men and women, is very scanty, consisting of a belt
of cloth around the loins, and monkey or other skins.
The houses are of the ordinary beehive shape, and the
villages contain from fifty to five hundred of these
houses. Each village has its own chief, who rules
there with supreme authority. They have the power of
life and death over their people, and generally use
barbarous sentences for little crimes. One missionary
saw the remains of two women still hanging from the
tree to which they had been tied up by their feet, and
slowly roasted alive over a fire. Their offence was
stealing. A person accused of witchcraft would be
beheaded.

* The girls marry when very young, to men old enough
to be their fathers. The boys amuse themselves with
fishing, or dancing, or shooting with bows and arrows.
Each household keeps two sets of kitchen utensils for
cooking and fetching water, — one for the females, the
other for the males of the family, who must, in all
cases, be considered first. "When water or cooking is
required, one of the chief's wives is appointed to per-
form the duty, in strict silence ; and custom does not
permit her to speak until the task is ended. When the
cooking is finished, the wife places the meal in one
part of the chiefs house kept sacred for this purpose.
When the chief has finished eating, he calls to his wife,
who waits patiently outside for the call. She then
goes in, clears away the dinner-mat, and comes out to

92 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

make her own dinner; her silence being over until
cooking-time returns again. They practise tattooing,
and sniff up tobacco-water into the nostrils, in place of
smoking it in European fashion. In the case of the
meeting of two friends, one would clap his hands twice,
while the other would lay his hand on his breast. In
saluting a chief, a native would stoop very low, pick up
some dust, rub it first on one arm, then on another, and
lastly on his breast. Some of the chiefs have fifty
or sixty wives ; one had as many as four hundred.
In all cases these wives are slaves and drudges, and
only minister to their lord's pleasure and vanity.
Sometimes a wife will have a house to herself;
at other times, five or six will live together in one
house.'

Such a state of society, one imagines, would take some
time ere it could be modified for the better,' let the
missionaries be never so zealous in their work. Then,
too, the prevalent belief in evil spirits, and the -efficacy
of certain charms to avert their power ; the faint belief
in a heaven, where brave men will dwell after death,
while the cowardly are shut out; and the worship of
idols in human or brute shape, — must all weigh against
the missionary's influence.

That missionaries need be brave men can very well
be conceived. Frequently they are placed in eminent
peril of life ; and at this mission on the shores of Lake
Tanganyika, Mr. Hore gives a good illustration of how

Central African Mission. 93

they meet such danger : — ■ The way that our mere
presence has worked upon the guilty fears of the Arab
colonists of XJjiji is indeed wonderful. The day we
arrived here, the Ujiji slave-market was closed. They
have hindered and opposed us in every conceivable
way, but have been baffled on every hand. First they
tried to frighten us, — it was no use. Thomson said to
them in full council : " Kill us you may ; for every one
you kill, two more will step in to fill up the gap. If I
die, remember it will only give fresh impulse to our
mission.''

1 On one occasion they armed all their principal
slaves, and with a body of two hundred armed men
approached our house. According to custom, I received
the Arabs in a friendly way, and asked them to sit down
inside. I had then about twenty of these Arabs filling
my principal room. This was a critical moment. There
was Mr. Hutley and myself quite alone and apparently
helpless, in the hands of this lawless crowd; they
completely filled and surrounded our house. There
were three large windows in our principal room, just a
yard or two from where we stood, and through the bars
of the windows the slaves and followers of the Arabs .
pointed their guns. With their fingers on the triggers,
they shouted to their masters to give the word of com-
mand, but they could not; some wonderful power
restrained them, and they could only talk excitedly
among themselves. At length one of the Arabs, securing

94 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

the attention of the others, said these words: "The
house is full of goods, let us empty it now, and destroy
these men by one stroke." The excited m'ob were now
yelling and dancing in our verandah and hall, flourishing
spears and guns, and begging their masters to give the
word for the onslaught to commence. The Arabs only
saw two calm faces, and only heard a quiet request to
state their business and talk it ^over quietly. But, One
all-powerful to save heard two earnest prayers for help,
and the next moment those Arabs were literally crush-
ing one another in the doorway, in their anxiety to get
out. One of their leaders had risen from his seat, and
said, " Let us get out," when that rush was made and we
were left alone.' Such men deserve to succeed.

After this followed a season of sickness and depres-
sion, and one after another had to seek rest and change.
Still the work went on, for men were found willing and
daring enough to face death in order to carry the l glad
tidings • to the native dwellers on the lake. And the
labour has not been in vain, for one could write : ' By
our daily intercourse, by fair dealing, and by medical
aid, we have won the hearts of these natives, and they
are ready to hear the gospel message. Alphabet sheets
are issued from our printing-press in Uguha, sheets
which are nothing less than the first leaves of the Bible
itself/

Later on, before the chief station was removed to
Kavala Island, the mission lost a valuable servant in

Central African Mission, 95

the accidental death of Dr. Southern. The story of his
accident he has told himself, in a letter to a brother ;
and the letter is full of the spirit of unconscious
heroism, and well deserves a place here.

On July 3rd, 1882, he writes from Urambo : ' Three
weeks ago I determined on a walk, where I had not been
for seven months, and, not feeling strong enough to go
and return in one day, I took some men, who carried my
tent, bed, food, etc. I had for two or three days been
feeling queer, and had taken fever medicine as a tonic,
and hoped a day's holiday would render me strong and
healthy.

1 Well, we got to the river, and I was not feeling a bit
tired ; so, after a nice breakfast, I did some fishing, and
then had a quiet walk along the river-bank, where I
shot some birds, — a duck, guinea-fowl, etc. In the
afternoon I fished and lazily employed myself. Towards
evening I took another little walk nearly a mile from
the tent, and had just begun to return, when suddenly I
felt a sharp pain in my left arm, and the gun I was
carrying in the left hand was thrown out of it, and a
gun report was at the same time heard behind me. I
turned round and said, " Why, Uledi, did you fire the
gun ? " for the shock had numbed my senses, and I was
not at first conscious I had been shot. The man was
about eight yards behind me, and was hurrying towards
me with great distress visible in his face. I did not
notice how he was carrying the gun, but just then I felt

96 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

warm blood running over my hand, and a strange
numbing pain all up my arm. I then saw a great
ragged wound in my forearm, and found it broken. I
quickly seized the hand and tried to lift it up, but it
hurt so, that I let it drop again. Uledi then came up
crying loudly, and in a dreadful way, saying, " Oh, master,
I didn't mean to do it," and a lot more, but I bade him
hold up my arm, as I found I was not able to raise it
myself. This he did, and, being in my shirt-sleeves,* I
saw the bullet had passed through the arm near the
elbow. I quickly saw that I must make a tourniquet of
my handkerchief, so I told Uledi to take it out of my
pocket, and then, with my right hand, I put it over the
biceps muscle, as I thought, if drawn tightly, it might
compress the brachial artery just below against the
bone, and then stop the flow of blood below the elbow.
I then made Uledi draw on one end of the handkerchief
whilst I pulled the other; but I had to speak quite
sharply to him before I could get it drawn tight enough,
as the poor fellow was hardly able to stand firm, being
so cut up. I then gave him both ends to tie, and made
him pull with all his might, so as to knot it securely.
By taking the left wrist in the right hand, I found I
could support the arm myself. All this was done
quickly, though it takes long to write of it. Without
heeding Uledi, who was crying bitterly, I began to walk
quickly towards the tent, hoping to get to it before my
strength should be spent. But it was terrible work, and

Central African Mission. 97

the perspiration rolled off my face in large drops. Once
or twice I felt faint, but I only pushed on the faster,
till at last the tent was reached.

I Well, it was now Thursday morning, and I decided
to be carried back home as soon as possible, so the men
were ordered to make a litter, and get ready for a start.
By 7 a.m. all was ready, and the bed and bedding
placed on the litter, myself on the top of all. The tent
was then taken down, and one of the poles used with the
litter, the slings of the latter passing over the pole, the
ends of which, projecting, enabled two men to carry me.
By frequent relays, we got along at a very good pace.

I experienced but little inconvenience at the jolting.
One effect, however, was to make me vomit occasion-
ally, but this was not violent. We reached home at

II A.M., having been three hours on the road.

I I had an uneasy, restless night, Tuesday, and in the
morning I felt very stiff and sore; but I managed to
remove to another bed, and kept a stream of carbolic
water over the" arm, which lay on the macintosh, with
the wound just covered with gauze.

'Mirambo came about twelve noon and expressed
great sorrow at the accident, and asked if there was
anything he could do for me. Whilst I was thanking
him, Hames suggested that some of Mirambo's runners
should be sent to meet Mr. Copplestone, who ought to
have left Uyui on Monday. Mirambo instantly called
two men, and told them to be ready directly to start for

98 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Uyui, and then, turning to me, he asked if \ could write
a note to give to Mr. Copplestone. By putting my knees
up, and Hames holding my pocket-book against them,
I managed to write a few lines telling of the accident,
and asking him to come as quickly as possible. This
Hames put in an envelope, and Mirambo told the men
they were to reach Uyui on the morrow, and be careful
not to miss Mr. Copplestone on the way. They then
started.

'I must mention I had arranged with Mr. Copple-
stone to come over here and help me put on a new
roof, and he should have started as above said. I
showed Mirambo the wound, and asked him what he
thought of it, but he would express no opinion. Four
of his head-men had got well of greater injuries than
mine, " Why not you ? " I called upon him to witness
that I was not afraid to die, and told him if it was
God's will, I should be glad to go at once. He said,
" Oh, brother, don't say that ; I would give almost any-
thing rather than you should die." I asked him if I
died before my new brethren came, would he receive
them kindly, and trust them as he had trusted me. He
said, " I don't know whether I shall like them as well
as I like you, but I will do all I can for them." A
little while after he asked what I thought of the arm,
so I told him the bones were so shattered that I
thought it would have to be cut off above the elbo\v
lie asked to look at it again, and remarked that my

Central African Mission, 99

fingers were all drawn up, and that one long bone
seemed intact. He said, "Don't cut the arm off, but
extend it on a board and bandage it up." I said I was
not afraid of doing as he said, but I did not expect the
lacerated parts would keep alive until Mr. Copplestone
came, and my only chance was to keep them under a
constant stream of- lotion ; but, if the arm did not swell,
when Mr. Copplestone came, then we should try and
save#the arm. "Well," he says, "send for me as soon
as he comes, and I will try and come over again. I
must go now. Good-bye."

'Thursday morning saw me a little better, having
slept a little under a sleeping draught. During the day
I had great numbers call to see me, and inquire
how I was. I only saw a few of the chiefs, one of whom
had been sent by Mirambo.

'Mr. Copplestone came in about 7 p.m., having
met Mirambo's men in the morning, and had travelled
all day so as to be with me that day. We had much to
talk of, and I assured him that my arm must be ampu-
tated in the early morning. He said he was willing to
do his best, and leave the rest in God's hands. I took
a considerable quantity of morphia during the night, as
the agony was intense. Friday morning early Copple-
stone and I had a quick consultation as to operating
immediately. I felt that every moment was hastening
on the gangrene, and the fact that I was even then
getting more and more "dazed" and unable to think

ioo Graphic Scenes in African Story.

correctly, was proof that something should be done at
once. Copplestone, with praiseworthy devotion, was
ready to do his best, and so we immediately went into
the details of the work to be done. Hames could give
chloroform on the screen we always used, so I had every
confidence in that department, relying on God that no
accident should occur. I then gave Copplestone all the
details I could think of, but, in my half-unconscious
state, I missed many items of value ; but we honed a
reading of Erichsen's Surgery would help him materi-
ally. We then went into the other room, where I got
upon the table, and Hames commenced giving me
chloroform. It took a long time to chloroform me,
though I was insensible very soon. Copplestone says
it was two hours before he could begin. However,
thank God, at last he got through, and, considering he
never did anything of the kind before, he made an
excellent job of it. Well, every day after Saturday and
until now the swelling grew less, but, owing to the very
exposed state of the bone and the nerves, there is a
great deal of pain, and I am constantly under the
influence of morphia. My men are most kind and
tender, and Mr. Copplestone is assiduous in attending
to my wants.

' I am writing this in fits and starts on a board held
against my knees ; but it is hard work, as the morphia
prevents anything like thought, and my hand, eyes, and
head are heavy ; therefore pardon all my irregularities.'

Central African Mission. i o i

Nearly twenty days afterwards lie contrived to pen
another letter to his brother. ' I feel/ he writes, ' as if
I can't last much longer ; my sufferings during the past
five weeks have been simply awful, and nothing short
of Divine grace and a good constitution could have
pulled me through up till now. I cannot tell you how
gladly I should welcome death ; but, oh ! I must con-
fess I do most earnestly pray for it. It is not the
future after the arm is healed I dread, but the fearful
sufferings I must go through before ease can possibly be
had — in fact, months must elapse before I can get this.

'My morphia is nearly finished; I have about two
doses left, which I am reserving for extreme agony.
Whilst I could get a dose every three hours, I was
moderately easy, but for days I have only had an
occasional dose. My chloral has been the means of
procuring three or four hours' sleep every night, but
alas ! I have the last dose now standing ready for me
to take. It is 1 A.M., the 23rd, and Mr. Copplestone
has promised to do an operation to-day, which, if suc-
cessful, will ease my sufferings and enable me to get
well quickly ; but I am of opinion that, if not success-
ful, it will cause my death. I therefore thought it best
to write you a few lines in case such should happen,
and I shall write on the envelope "to be sent after
death." Tell everybody {i.e. if I die) that my most
earnest wish was to die at my post, and nothing short
of death could make me leave it. But if I do not die

102 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

I shall not leave the work, but shall be more efficient to
aid it, better adapted to deal with its difficulties, and,
please God, I shall have greater success in it.

'You will be very glad to hear that Mirambo is
deeply touche'd by my sufferings, and he almost cried
when he entreated me to get well. I asked him to pray
to God for me, and he said he had been doing so and
would continue to ask for a restoration, to health. I
told him how glad I should be to be gone, and asked
him to meet me " over yonder." He said he would try,
but he feared he did not yet understand it. I told him
to ask God constantly to show him the way, and to give
him more light and knowledge. I am confident he will
be brought to Christ, and my prayers lately have been
more and more earnest on his behalf. Don't give him
up, nor yet the Wanyamwezi, who will, some day, be
the most active Christian people of all Africa. Don't
grieve for me. I would you could be glad : yes, posi-
tively glad, and rejoice most unmistakably about the
event. I expressly desire no one to go into mourning
on my account, but get your most beautiful garments
out and have a feast, inviting all kindred souls. I shall
be with father, and mother, and dear Steve ere you get
this, and how we shall rejoice you can't think. Oh, I
long to be there if it is His will, and, since there is
nothing for you to grieve about, I ask you all not to be
selfish and mourn because I am taken so quickly.'

Thus this brave man died, another martyr to the

Central African Mission. " 103

cause of Christ in the African field. A man whose
heart was in his work, and whose example will stimu-
late others to labour in the same great cause, ' with a
heart for any fate,' not daunted by difficulties nor afraid
to meet death with boldness.

A very interesting contribution to African missionary
literature has recently been given us by Mrs. Annie
Hore. Her husband, Mr. C. Edward Hore, had for
some time been attached to the Tanganyika mission
as naval 'captain' and general explorer, and in this
capacity had distinguished himself by carrying out in
1881 the first complete survey of the great inland basin.
The natural desire to join him, and take her share in
the general work of the mission, induced her to under-
take the perilous journey to the lake ; and as it was her
husband's earnest conviction that Europeans might
safely enter and dwell in Central Africa, there would
be no objection on his part. But that the journey
would be a trying one, especially when burdened with a
little one only three months old, was generally under-
stood. • The captain ingeniously Contrived a vehicle
which should convey his wife over the ground with the
least possible amount of discomfort. It was a wicker
bath-chair, so arranged with head-cover, wheels, and
poles for lifting it over difficult places, like a palanquin,
that the whole distance, 830 miles, was accomplished in
safety, and this, too, in the shortest time on record,
having taken ninety days from their start at the coast

104 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

till reaching Ujiji. After an abortive attempt made in
1882, this expedition of three was again attempted —
this time, with success — in 1884. To give a char
notion of the mode of conveyance, and the details of
transport, we will give Mrs. Hore's own words : —

1 " Now," said my husband, " we are on our own
ground and can get to work." I had thought it was all
done. The fact was, the packages and cases containing
our goods had somewhat suffered from their numerous
transhipments and adventures, and nearly all had to be
repaired, — stuff that we had procured in Zanzibar had
been bundled together any way, so as to "get away,"
and Edward declared that he could do as much work of
preparation here in a day as in Zanzibar in a week.
Four days were occupied altogether in collecting our
men, repairing loads, and generally fitting up our
expedition, of which this, our own portion, consisted
of over two hundred porters, and the rear party shortly
to follow, under the leadership of Ulaya, of other two
hundred men.

* On the night before the start Edward sat up Working
alone till midnight, rigging up the bath-chair and Jack's
little palanquin. They were both rigged alike in this
way. From a very long, stout bamboo the chair was
suspended or slung by stout coir ropes ; along the top
of the bamboo was stretched a waterproof canvao
awning, lined with white cotton and thick matting, and
impervious alike to sun and rain ; the cover extended

Central African Mission. 105

down behind, and movable sides could be secured up or
down at pleasure; an apron of the same material
covered the front of the chair. Sixteen picked men
were told off for carrying the bath-chair, and four in
like manner for Jack's chair. The nature of the road
permits only the passage of two men at a time, and
in line ; the others all kept close at hand, and each pair
of men had only a short spell of the carrying at a time.
The combination of the bamboo and the coir rope gave
a pleasant springiness to the whole, and in this way I
was carried right through to Ujiji in a less number of
days, I believe, than achieved before by any European.'

The journey for the most part was accomplished
during the dry season — October — and great difficulty
was experienced in obtaining a sufficiency of water.
The pools and rivers which were expected to be full,
were only too frequently found quite dry. But, on the
other hand, the long grasses were burnt down so that a
comparatively free passage was easy. At one point,
after escaping the perils of an arid waste, the little
party came in for a little too much water, being nearly
swept away by a sudden deluge coming on at midnight.

* Looking over the side of the bed I saw nothing but
water, in which my bed formed a sort of island, and was
just in time to catch my shoes as they floated by. The
indefatigable Juma, and two or three faithful ones,
whose services he managed to secure, were already
removing the boxes; and above all I heard the rain,

106 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

now increasing to a heavy downfall, playing a fitting
accompaniment upon the top of the tent. As soon as
we were ready, Edward ran off with Jack to our com-
panions' tent, and came back for me. Sitting on the
clasped hands of Juma and Edward, I was carried off
high and dry just. as the water reached my bed, and the
remainder of our effects at once followed us to a place
of safety. . . . Just as I left the tent door, a tremendous
rush of water was heard in the rear of the tent. We
found afterwards that one of the huge pits had filled,
and the water was overflowing into the other. The
darkness was intense, and the .glimpses of the scene
obtained during the flashes of lightning revealed
nothing but water, apparently all over the plain, leaving
our camping-place only above the level. Just then,
fortunately, the rain left off and we felt fairly secure on
our island.'

On one occasion provisions ran very short, the native
porters suffered from hunger, for they had not sufficient
foresight to husband their allowance of food, but usually
despatched it in a comparatively short time, and then
had to experience the miseries of journeying when
weary and faint from fasting. Some of the natives
even died, while others deserted. Then, too, little Jack
became an invalid from a sudden and serious attack of
fever, and for days the little fellow had to lie upon his
mother's lap, enduring the distress of constant move-
ment. Still the party pushed on ; Ujiji must be reached.

Central African Mission. 107

Mrs. Hore's account of the last clay's tramp is very
graphically told : —

'The valley of the Luiche Eiver, which we had to
cross, spread out in a delta, some miles wide, covered
with a dense jungle of reeds, grass, and bush, all in a
tangle, some of it being sharp crooked thorns, and worst
of all a bush bearing pods, covered with hairs and
prickles, which at the slightest disturbance drop, off,
and irritate the skin fearfully.

1 In the dry season there is a proper path and crossing-
•place, but at the time we were travelling all was over-
grown and overflowec] ; and we had to penetrate the
jungle, assisted only by the tracks of hippopotami, who
had trodden the vegetation down here and there. To
make it worse, we had to make a wide detour to the
north, so as to come upon the river where it was of
fordable depth.

'About seven o'clock we entered the mazes of this
dreadful swamp, and nothing could be seen beyond a
few feet distant, except now and then by myself, when
the carriers lifted the chair above their heads. They
were all knee-deep and finally thigh-deep in a slimy
black mud ; and strive as they might and did, I got
some heavy lurches, which threatened to .give me a
closer acquaintance with the mud. We could only
proceed very slowly, sometimes standing still, while a
few of our best men in front beat down the obstructions.
Three hours were occupied in struggling through this

108 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

swamp, and we then suddenly emerged upon the bank
of the river itself, a swift, muddy stream.

1 It seemed impossible that my chair could be passed
over, and operations on the bank were most difficult,
for every one stood knee-deep in the mud. My party
having been all mustered together, Uledi volunteered
to pilot us across ; and first he went by himself, that my
men might see his fortune, before they ventured in
with their precious load. I watched the man most
anxiously, for it seemed impossible that he could stem
the current; but after trying in various directions,*
sometimes up to his neck, he decided on the best path,
and returned to pilot the party over.

1 All my bearers gathered round the chair, holding it
at about the level of their heads, and thus entered the
river. For a good part of the passage, I could see
nothing but the men's heads and hands, and wondered
why they were not carried away by the stream ; but I
suppose the weight of Jack and myself in the chair
— hard work as its carriage might have been — aided to
bear up the whole party. We all got across in safety,
and being carried beyond the mud, my men took a rest,
while we watched the men and loads in their perilous
passage across the river.'

Ujiji at last reached, the weary party found rest and
peace, but only for a short time, as the missions on the
mainland were abandoned, and Mrs. Hore took up her
abode on Kavala Island, a kind of health resort, which

Central African Mission. 109

has now become the chief centre of Protestant mission-
ary work in this region. Its growing importance is
due to this fact, and also that in 1883 Captain Hore
had made it the head-quarters of the ' marine depart-
ment ' of the Tanganyika mission. Ujiji had ceased to
be a place of importance ; trade had to a large extent
deserted it, and the population was greatly diminished.
On the inner side of Kavala Island was an extensive
and beautiful harbour. There are also three or four
villages on the island of friendly and pleasant people,
who cordially welcomed the missionaries. The local
chief, Kavala, also showed himself friendly, but encum-
bered with forty wives, one of whom ' lately drank too
much pombe, and burnt down six of the huts. Kavala
wanted to kill her, and would certainly have done so
but for our influence over him.'

Here Mrs. Hore settled down to work, her husband
showing great ingenuity in the construction of house,
furniture, school material, and so forth. And the wife
tells us that the ' black-board for her school was made
out of two leaves of a dining-table, and the crayons for
writing on it are composed of magnesia, rice, and sugar ;
while the legs of the forms were made from some of the
boat- cart frames.'

' With regard to the station itself,' writes Captain
Hore, ' I have enclosed with a . low stone wall about
four acres of ground, including sites for premises,
shore for all marine purposes, with approaches to the

1 10 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

houses, and certain garden ground. Having all the
advantages of elevation close to the lake-side, we have
consequently to put up , graciously with some steep
ascents. These I have made as easy as possible by
broad beaten roads, ending in a terrace along the
hillside to the house. The roads have afforded much
satisfaction to the people, who now have a clear way
to their gardens, between which and the chief village
your establishment lies. I have now 150 banana trees
symmetrically placed, and the like number of sugar-
canes to absorb a swampy spot on the beach, and
some English garden and flower seeds are already
coming up. The whole place excites the admiration
of all beholders, who compare it with Zanzibar or
Muscat, according as they have travelled.

' I am now able to report to you (London Missionary
Society), without the least exaggeration, that you have
here a most flourishing and respectable station (although
the actual buildings are yet only of the kind we term
temporary), with all your agents in good health and
civilised manners (for the mud-table era is now passed),
and living on friendly terms with the natives ; at which
is held a daily school for girls, a daily school for boys,
weekly worship of God, and class for religious instruc-
tion,— all instituted, not by any strained effort, but at
the direct request of the chief and people.

' I may say I have worked from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. for
months past, and it is certainly as master of works that

Central African Mission. 1 1 1

I have gained Kavala's admiration • but the centre and
strength of our powerful influence doubtless lies in the
arrival and presence of my wife and child, and its
resulting details in Mrs.* Hore's girls' school.'

And now with a closing word from Mrs. Hore herself
as to the missionary's position, we may bid farewell to
this prosperous mission station of the London Missionary
Society at Lake Tanganyika, where so much is being
done to civilise and humanize the natives of Central
Africa.

* I was realizing,' she writes, ' if not in my own person,
at least in what was going on all around me, that
missionary life in Central Africa was by no means one
of dull monotony, but capable of affording scope for
every energy and accomplishment, in all the various
auxiliary works of house-building, social economy, con-
veyance, preservation and maintenance of people, goods,
and mails, and the problem of existence apart from the
aids of civilisation; to say nothing of the many-sided
questions and difficulties arising from our contact and
connection with various native tribes, and the Arab
colonists and adventurers, a peculiar position' requiring
all the tact of a political agent, without his freedom of
action or authority. All these affairs have to be dealt
with, and successfully accomplished, before a missionary
in Central Africa can hope to commence the direct and
actual work of his mission, upon a basis giving hope
of life, success, and permanency; and, moreover, to be

I t 2 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

accomplished with the very wise and necessary restric-
tions as to getting involved in native politics, or
assuming any position of authority, placed upon our
actions by instructions from head-quarters.

1 The ultimate object of the missionary is to preach
and to teach, but his first necessity is the accomplish-
ment of those matters I have referred to ; and unless
they are already effected by local government, by
Consul, Commissioner, or by some special department
in his own mission, the individual missionary must be
qualified himself to deal effectually with them before
he can effect the object of his mission. It is in this
part of the work where so many have failed and died
before getting at the work which they were specially
fitted for carrying on.'

CHAPTEE VI.

BISHOP HANNINGTON.

One of the most recent and noticeable men in the
African mission field was the late Bishop Hannington,
a man of a cheerful and genial nature, kindly, brave,
and of devoted zeal. He loved his work, despised all
troubles and dangers in its prosecution, and ended a
brave, unselfish life in a martyr's death. It was on
hearing Stanley's account of the kingdom of Uganda,
and of his intercourse with King Mtesa, that the Church
Missionary Society resolved to send a mission to Lake
Victoria ISTyanza and its neighbourhood ; and in the
year 1876, a band of eight went forth, but in the course
of a year and a half four out of the eight had fallen,
and two more were obliged to return home ; the rest
struggled on and were kindly received by the king, and
Christian services begun in the palace. Later on, how-
ever, in a native quarrel Lieutenant Smith and Mr.
O'Neil were murdered, and Mr. Wilson, the clergyman,
was left alone in the very heart of the dark continent.
Then it was that Mr. Hannington offered himself to the

ii4 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Society to go out, and with five other missionaries
sailed for the east coast of Africa in May 1882; but
stricken down with fever, he was soon obliged to return
to England to recruit his health. Health and strength
restored, he again, in November 1884, set forth, this
time as the first missionary bishop of Equatorial Africa.
In 1885 he started for Uganda, and in his last letter
to the Church Missionary.Society, after speaking of his
difficulties and trials, he adds: 'Yet I feel in capital
spirits, and feel sure of results, though perhaps they
may not come in the way that we expect. In the
midst of the storm I can say

"Peace, perfect peace, the future all unknown !
Jesus we know, and He is on the throne."

You must uphold my hands in prayer lest they fall.
If this is the last chapter of earthly history, then the
next will be the first page of the heavenly : no blots
and smudges, no incoherence, but sweet converse in the
presence of the Lamb.'

The Bishop's letters home to his family are marvels
of cheerfulness, even though all written under circum-
stances sufficiently trying to make them the reverse.
He had a quick eye for the ludicrous, and could invest
the incidents' of his journey with such a halo of
geniality as almost to hide their grimness, and could
describe his trials and discomforts with so much
humour as to make the reader believe he almost
enjoyed them. We will follow him in his long journey

Bishop Hannington. 115

to the great Victoria Nyanza with his friends and 500
porters, head-men, and tent-boys, and in so doing will
make free use of his letters home, for our own words
would only mar the vividness of his pictures.

' If,' he writes, ' you want to learn a little about the
hardships of the missionary life, you must think of him
as compelled to march day after day under the rays
of a tropical sun. I leave you, therefore, to imagine
what we had to put up with. Night-marching, which
many suggest, is .quite out of the question. The roads
are too narrow and rough; the men with their bare
feet tread on the thorns and stones, and get maimed,
nor can one see them if they linger behind, or even
desert us altogether. Once or twice we were compelled
to march through the night in order to reach water,
and we found it more trying and dangerous than even
tramping at mid-day. On one of these occasions, after
arriving at camp, and calling over our men, we found
that one was missing. A search-party was sent back,
and presently they spied a pool of blood in the footpath,
which told the dismal tale that he had straggled from
us and been set upon by robbers, who had speared him
to death, dragged his body into the jungle, and stolen
the valuable load that he was carrying.

'Another great cause of suffering was the frequent
absence of water, or,- when not absent altogether, it was
often so thick and black that it is scarce an exaggera-
tion to say that one looked at it and wondered whether

1 1 6 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

it came under the category of meat or drink ; at
times it was lively, so much so, that if you did not
watch the movements of your "boy" with fatherly
anxiety, you always stood a chance of an odd tadpole
or two finding their way into the tea-kettle ; occasion-
ally it showed a bright green tinge. I had previously
seen green tea, and had been taught studiously to avoid
it ; but green coffee was a new and at times unavoid-
able delicacy, only known among the luxuries of African
travel. But I cannot say that I minded very much
about finding the pools lively with toads, or even
crocodiles, and I soon grew tired of grumbling because
dogs and men would bathe in our drinking-water ; but
I did not like to find dead toads and other animal and
vegetable putrefaction. Afterwards, when weak and
ill, I used to avoid drinking any liquid. I have been
three and even four days at a stretch without drinking
anything at all. But while we are talking about water,
I must tell you about my river experience.

'On the 8th of July 1882, we reached our first
stream. Loud had been the warnings that we should
not wade through or bathe while on the march, lest we
should catch fever, for it was here that one man nearly
died because of his imprudence. I was exceedingly hot
when I arrived at its banks, and needed no advice.
Well, just at that moment there were no head-men up,
and I was going to wait patiently, when my boys volun-
teered to carry me across, a feat they could very well

Bishop Hannington. 117

have accomplished. But the ambitious Johar must
needs have all the honour and glory to himself; he
seized me and bore me off in triumph. I felt an omin-
ous totter, and yelled to him to return. But I shouted
in vain ; he refused to heed. More tottering, more
entreaty to go back; but all to no purpose; on he
pressed. Swaying to and fro like a bulrush in a gale
of wind, I clenched my teeth and held my breath.
They shout from the bank for Johar to retrace his
steps, but it has not the slightest effect ; he feels his
only chance is to dash right on. Mid-stream is now
gained, and my hopes revive ; I think, perhaps — but
the water deepens, the rocks become more slippery, a
huge struggle, and down we go flat, Johar collapsing
like an india-rubber ball punctured by a pin. Far better
to have walked through' with all my clothes on, for I
should then only have got wet to the knees ; but now no
part of me could claim to be dry. Luckily, however, I
did not get an attack of fever as I expected.'

Sometimes the Bishop found it unnecessary to cross
fordable streams and rivers, by such uncertain means ;
occasionally a canoe could be obtained, and now and
again the crossing was effected by means of a very
primitive bridge, consisting of the trunk of a gigantic
tree which had either been felled or blown down ; or it
would be one or more trees bound together by living
parasitical creepers. One district was found to be very
swampy, but 'it was a memorable sight to see the

1 1 8 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

swamps at night literally blazing with fireflies darting
about like millions of miniature meteors ; here, too, we
met with another accompaniment of marshes, which did
not amuse us in the least — namely, mosquitoes, in equal
myriads/ Our next scene gives the reader a very
pleasing picture of an African mission station : —

'July 21st, we reached our first mission station,
Mamboia, about 150 miles from the coast. Here our
good missionary and his wife, Mr. and Mrs. Last, met
and welcomed us, and instantly carried me off. to their
comfortable quarters.

■ The house, or perhaps the word bungalow describes
it better, is prettily situated on the mountain-side, about
3000 feet above sea-level, and commands most exten-
sive and beautiful views. Immediately on the left side
rises a precipitous cliff, in which a grand old eagle lias
its eyrie ; to the east the mountains form an amphi-
theatre, and bold jutting crags add wildness to the
scene ; all that it lacks to make it surpassingly beauti-
ful is water.

1 The soil is most productive, and the climate sub-
Alpine, so that our English vegetables grow to great
perfection. The flower garden in front of the house
was one mass of geraniums, nasturtiums, petunias, and
other denizens of our home gardens. We had not had
enough of the wild-flowers of Africa to care much for
these. Next the house was the church, a very original
structure. Circular mud walls had been built to the

Bishop Hannington. 1 1 9

height of about six feet, which were covered by a deep
sloping roof open in the centre, from which rose wooden
stanchions, which in their turn supported a cap roof;
thus open space was left between the two roofs for
ventilation. The luxury of pews was not needed, the
natives preferring to sit on the ground, and two chairs
served for the ordinary European portion of the con-
gregation.

1 The Sunday we were there of course was an excep-
tion. On this occasion the church was quite full. Part
of our prayers were read in the Kiswahili tongue, as
well as the Lessons for the day. Two or three hymns
were sung ; and by giving them out a verse at a time,
the natives were able to join. Then followed the
sermon, which always takes the form of catechising, or
is even more conversational still. Although, in these
early days, no definite results in the way of conversions
are known, yet it is most encouraging to see the natives
listening attentively and sending their children to be
educated.'

After leaving this pleasant spot our missionary
bishop came to a country abounding in game, and it
was here that he had two very narrow escapes from
death. It was during a walk in search of game. Com-
ing to a 'belt of jungle so dense that the only way to
get through it was to creep on all-fours along the tracks
made by hyaenas and smaller game; and as I was
crawling along I saw close in front of me -a deadly

1 20 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

puff-adder; in another second I should have been on
it.' During the same walk, he saw in one of these same
tracks signs of a pitfall; he had advanced too far to
retreat, and down he fell with a tremendous crash, with
his gun full-cocked in his hand. ' I had the presence
of mind to let myself go and look out only for my gun,
which fortunately never exploded. On arriving at the
bottom I called out to my terrified boy, Mikuke
Hapana, "There are no spears," a most merciful pro-
vidence ; for they often stake these pitfalls in order to
ensure the death of the animals that fall into them.
The pitfall could not have been less than ten feet deep,
for when I proceeded to extricate myself I found that I
could not reach the top with my uplifted hands.'

Lingering but a short time at Mpwapwa, the second
Church Missionary station, as small-pox was raging in
the neighbourhood,, the Bishop and his party pushed on
to Kisokwe, ' a delightful spot among the mountains
and highlands of the Usagara district ; ' they pushed on
through a mountain pass into the desert tracts and
plains of Ugogo. Here, wherever there is water, the
neighbourhood is densely populated.

1 Our first experience of this region was not a pleasant
one. We had sent our men on before while we dallied
with our friends at Mpwapwa. When we reached the
summit of the pass, we could see various villages with
their fires in the plains below, but nowhere was the
camp to be discerned. It was a weary time before we

Bishop Hannington. 1 2 1

could alight on it, and when we did, what a scene pre-
sented itself to our gaze ! The wind was so high that
the camp fires were extinguished, and the men had
betaken themselves to a deep trench cut through the
sandy plain by a mountain torrent, but now perfectly
dry ; hence our difficulty in making out where the
camp was. Two of the tents were in a prostrate condi-
tion, while the others were fast getting adrift. Volumes
of dust were swamping beds, blankets, boxes, buckets,
and in fact everything ; and a more pitiable scene could
scarcely be beheld by a party of benighted pilgrims.
It was no use staring at it. I seized a hammer and
tent-pegs, forgot I was tired, and before very long had
things fairly to rights ; but I slept that night in a dust-
heap. Nor did the morning mend matters. It is bad
enough in a hot climate to have dust in your hair and
down your neck, and filling your boxes ; but when it
comes to food, and every mouthful you take grates your
teeth, I leave you to imagine the pleasures of tent-] if e
in a sandy plain.'

Farther on the brave man had a severe attack of
fever ; indeed, he was so bad that the party were com-
pelled to come to a halt, as he was unable to be moved.
For three days his life hung in the balance, and so
weak ' that the mere fact of a head-man in kindness
coming in and speaking a few words to me, brought on
a fainting fit, and on another occasion I nearly suc-
cumbed from moving across the tent from one bed to

122 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

another.' When at last able to stir, after the fever had
left him, he was yet unable to walk, and was obliged to
be carried forward in a hammock.

The curiosity of the natives was found to be exceed-
ingly troublesome ; they would swarm round the tents
from morning till night, asking to see everything. ' In
some of the places I passed through they had never
seen a white man before. They would gather round
me in dozens, and gaze upon me in the utmost astonish-
ment. One would suggest that I was not beautiful —
in plainer language, that I was amazingly ugly. Fancy
a set of hideous savages regarding a white man as a
strange outlandish creature frightful to behold.

1 As with other travellers, my boots hardly ever failed
to attract attention. "Are those your feet, Whiteman?"
u No, gentlemen, they are not. They are my sandals."
"But do they grow to your feet?" "'No, gentlemen,
they do not. I will show you." So forthwith I would
proceed to unlace a boot. A roar of astonishment fol-
lowed when they beheld my blue sock, as they generally
surmised that my feet were blue and toeless. Greater
astonishment still followed the withdrawal of the sock,
and the revelation of a white five-toed foot. I fre-
quently found that they considered that only the
visible parts of me were white, namely, my face and
my hands, and that the rest of me was as black as
they were. An almost endless source of amusement
was the immense amount of clothing, according to their

Bishop Hannington. 123

calculation, that I possessed. That I should have
waistcoat and shirt and jersey underneath a coat seemed
almost incredible, and the .more so when I told them
that it was chiefly on account of the sun that I wore so
much.

' My watch, too, was an unfailing attraction : * There's
a man in it." " It is Lubari ; it is witchcraft," they
would cry. " He talks ; he says, Teek, teek, teek." My
nose they would compare to a spear ; it struck them as
so sharp and thin compared to the African production,
and ofttimes one bolder than the rest would give my hair
and my beard a sharp pull, imagining them to be wigs worn
for ornaments. Many of them had a potent horror of
this white ghost, and a snap of the fingers or a stamp of
the foot was enough to send them flying helter-skelter
from my tent, which they generally crowded round in
five ranks deep. For once in the way this was amusing
enough ; but wheii it came to be repeated every day and
all day, one had really a little too much of a good thing.'

In September another mission station was reached,
that of Uyui, in the country of Unyamwezi, the Land of
the Moon. ■ The district consists of a high .plateau,
between 3000 and 4000 feet above sea-level, studded
with little out-cropping ridges of granite, between which
are fertile valleys densely populated. I estimated that
in. one valley I passed through there were as many as
eighty villages, the smallest containing from two to three
hundred inhabitants.'

124 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

The king or emperor over this populous country was
a far-famed warrior named Mirambo, who by his per-
sonal bravery had raised himself to such a position.
In a personal interview he made a most favourable
impression upon the Bishop, who tells an anecdote of
the monarch illustrative of his mode of governing his
vassals : ' A short time before my arrival he had ordered
a levy of men to be made in the surrounding villages,
as he was wishing to build a new palace. Three men
in a distant village made an excuse ; they were ill or
absent. The next day or so, Mirambo, without any
intimation of the fact, arrived in that village, and found
them busily engaged with their own work, so he immedi-
ately ordered their heads to be struck off.' He was
remonstrated with by a missionary, who told him that
our Queen never did such things. * Yes,' he replied,
1 that is very good for your Queen ; she is surrounded
by clever gentlemen ; but it would not do for me. My
people are so foolish, I can only govern them in this
way/

At length our Bishop reached what is called the Lake
District, which nurses in its bosom the mighty Victoria
Nyanza, one of the, if not the, largest lake in existence.
Here on the banks of the lake he met with an adven-
ture which might, but for his presence of mind, have
.terminated fatally. He had gone out with his butterfly
net, attended by his boy carrying his gun. ' Presently/
he says, 'while hunting for insects in short mimosa

Bishop Hanningtoh. . 125

tangle up to the knee, I disturbed a strange-looking
animal, about the size of a sheep, brownish colour, long
tail, short legs, feline in aspect and movement, but quite
strange to me. I took my gun and shot it dead — yes,
quite dead. Away tore my boy as fast as his legs would
carry him, terrified beyond measure at what I had done !
What, indeed ? you may well ask. I had killed the cub
of a lioness ! Terror was written on every line and
feature of the lad, and dank beads of perspiration stood
on his face. I saw it as he passed me in his flight, and
his fear for the moment communicated itself to me. I
turned to flee, and had gone a few paces, when I heard
a savage growl, and a tremendous lioness — I say
advisedly a tremendous one — bounded straight for me.
1 In spite of the loaded gun- in my hand, it seemed to
me that I was lost. The boy knew more about lions
than I did, and his fear knew no bounds. I began to
realize that I was in a dangerous situation, for a lioness
robbed of her whelp is not the most gentle creature to
deal with. I retreated hastily. No ; I will out with
it, children, in plain language. I ran five or six steps ;
every step she gained on me, and the growls grew fiercer
and louder. Do I say she gained ? — they gained, for the
lion was close behind her, and both were making straight
for me. They will pause at the dead cub ? No ! They
take no notice of it ; they come at me. What is to be
done ? It now struck me that retreat was altogether
wrong. Like a cat with a mouse, it induced them to

126 Graphic Scenes in African Story,

follow. Escape in this manner was impossible. I
halted, and just at that moment came a parting yell
from my boy, " Hakuna ! Kimbia ! " I thought he had
seen and heard the lion and lioness, and that, speaking
as he does, bad Kiswahili, he had said, "Hakuna
Kimbia ! " which might be roughly, though wrongly,
translated, " Don't run away ! " instead of which he
meant to say — in fact, did Bay — " No ! Eun away ! " I
have no hesitation in saying that a stop wrongly read
but rightly made saved my life. I had in the second or
two that had elapsed determined to face it out ; and now,
strengthened as I thought by his advice, I made a full
stop and turned sharply on them. . This new policy on
my part caused them to check instantly. They now
stood lashing their tails and growling, and displaying
unfeigned wrath, but a few paces from me.

' I then had time to inspect them. They were a right
royal pair of the pale sandy variety, a species which is
noted for its fierceness, the knowledge of which by no
means made my situation more pleasant. There we
stood, both parties feeling that there was no direct solu-
tion to the matter in hand. I cannot tell you exactly
what passed through their minds, but they evidently
thought that it was unsafe to advance upon this strange
and new being, the like of which they had never seen
before. I cannot tell you either how long a time we
stood face to face. Minutes seemed hours, and per-
haps the minutes were only seconds ; but this I know,

Bishop Hanningtojt. 127

my boy was out of hearing when the drama was con-
cluded.

'And this is how it ended: — After an interval I
decided not to fire at them, but to try instead what a
little noise would do. So I suddenly threw up my arms
in the air, set up a yell, and danced and shouted like a
madman. Do you know, the lions were so astonished to
see your sober old uncle acting in such a strange way
that they both bounded into the bushes as if they had
been shot, and I saw them no more! As the coast was
now clear, I thought I might as well secure my prize, a
real little beauty. So I seized it by its hind leg and
dragged it as quickly as I could along the ground, the
bushes quite keeping it out of sight. When I had gone
what I deemed a sufficient distance I took it up and
swung it over my back, and beat a hasty retreat, keep-
ing a sharp eye open in case the parents should lay claim
to the body, for I should not have been dishonest enough
not to let them have it had they really come to ask
for it.'

When Christmas day arrived, the Bishop and his
friends were determined to celebrate the day by making
a plum-pudding. 'That pudding had its drawbacks;
for when we went to the flour-box the flour was full of
beetles and their larva}, and we could not get them all
out ; the raisins were fermented j the suet could easily
have been compressed into an egg-cup. Then the pud-
ding was underboiled, and yet boiled enough to stick to

128 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

the bottom of the saucepan, whereby not only was a big
hole burnt clean out of the cloth in which it was neatly
tied, but also its lower vitals had suffered considerably
— in fact, were burnt black — and yet a musty, fermented,
underdone, burnt plum -pudding was such a treat to
African wanderers, that I, for one, ate three slices, and
enjoyed it more than ever I remember enjoying a
pudding in my life. My only regret was that I could
not send you each a slice ; you would have liked it so
much.'

The mode of travelling was now for a time changed,
the endless tramping gave place to canoeing, but the
worries and troubles seemed rather to increase than
diminish ; for the head canoe man proved to be a most
vexatious and intractable creature to deal with ; him they
called, in the language of the country, the * old man ' or
'elder,! which the Bishop freely translated as ■ Old Man
of the Sea.' He had been in the employ of King Mtesa,
and therefore thought himself of some consequence.
Sometimes he refused to advance, at another he insisted
upon most of the packages being left behind ; then he
would encamp in the most unfavourable places. It was
while on his way to Komwa's land, that the Bishop had
almost to resort to violent measures with the fellow,
lie said he would go no farther, but leave his passen-
gers on shore to shift for themselves, and go about his
own affairs. ' Give me my gun/ said the Bishop, and he
proceeded deliberately to load it; then levelling it at

Bishop Hannington, 129

the ruffian, he cried — ' Now will you go on ? ' • Yes,
Bwana, yes ; don't fire.' And round went the head of
the canoe.

It was in this brave, cheery spirit the noble Bishop
prosecuted his journey, and it is sad to think that so
bright a life should have been extinguished by the
jealousy of the Uganda king, but the monarch had been
alarmed by rumours of invasion and German annexation ;
and when he heard the Europeans had entered his
dominions by the north side, which he said was the
1 back door/ he sent to forbid them ; but the Bishop
had already proceeded on his way ; he was pursued and
taken prisoner.

How graphic is the account of his treatment when
first ruthlessly seized by the emissaries of Mwanga : —

'They violently threw me to the ground, and pro-
ceeded to strip me of all valuables. Thinking they were
robbers, I shouted for help, when they forced me up
and hurried me away, as I thought, to throw me down
a precipice close at hand. I shouted again, in spite of
one threatening to kill me with a club. Twice I nearly
broke away from them, and then grew faint with
struggling, and was dragged by the legs over the ground.
I said, " Lord, I put myself in Thy hands. I look to
Thee alone." Then another struggle, and I got to my
feet, and was thus dashed along. More than once I
was violently brought into contact with banana trees,
some trying, in their haste, to force me one way, others

1 30 Gi'ctphic Scenes in African Story.

the other ; and the exertion and struggling strained me
in the most agonizing manner. In spite of all, and
feeling that I was being dragged along to be murdered
at a distance, I sang " Safe in the arms of Jesus," and
then laughed at the very agony of my situation. My
clothes, torn to pieces, so that I was exposed; wet
through with being dragged along the ground ; strained
in every limb, and for a whole hour expecting instant
death ; hurried along, dragged, pushed at the rate of five
miles an hour, until we came to a hut, into the court
of which I was forced. Now, I thought, I am to be
murdered. As they released one hand, I drew my
finger across my throat, and understood them to say
decidedly, " No." We then made out that I had been
seized by order of the Sultan.'

In this wretched hut, amid heat, dirt, and stench
unutterable, the brave Bishop lay for a week ; and so
bruised and shaken was he, that it was with difficulty
he could stand upright. Yet during all the suffering and
awful uncertainty of these days, his fervent trust in
God did not abate, his mind was at peace, and he could
regard the possible tragic end with calmness and without
fear. He still had his Bible, — that had not been taken,
— and the inspired pages, his last diary records, espe-
cially the sweet words of the Tsalms, gave him daily
support and comfort.

On the eighth day he was removed from the hut, and
when outside found himself once more surrounded by

Bishop Hannington. 131

the men of his caravan, who had been taken prisoners
at the same time as himself. They had all been brought
out to die ; for almost directly there was a wild, savage
shout, and from all sides sprung out armed men from
the thicket, and fell upon the helpless, unarmed captives.
The glittering spears rose and fell among the unfortunate
crowd, loud cries for mercy were unheeded, and soon
the ground was covered with the dead and dying.

The Bishop witnessed this merciless slaughter bravely
and calmly ; he knew his turn must come, but his high
courage was proof against all craven fear. Possible
death had faced him too often to make him tremble
now, and death had no terrors for him ; his unalterable
faith in a glorious future only made death appear as a
friend. When his followers had been butchered, their
savage murderers pressed around him, and for a moment
his unquailing glance held them in check, mad though
they were with the thirst for blood. He bade them tell
their king that he wras about to die for the people of
Uganda, and that he had purchased the road to them
with his life ; and then, seeing one of them with his
own gun, he pointed to it; taking the gesture as an
intimation of how he should like to die, it was raised
and levelled, the fatal contents poured forth, and the
brave man fell. A heroic life ended in a martyr's
death. ' They never die who perish in a great cause.'

CHAPTEE VII.

INCIDENTS IN KAFIR WARFARE.

General Bisset, in his work, Sport and War, gives us
many interesting accounts of Kafir outbreaks, and many
startling incidents which took place during their sup-
pression. His first contact with the enemy dates as far
back as the year 1834 The war broke out a few days
before Christmas. ' Kafir wars/ he says, ' generally do
break out about that time of the year, because the crops
are then standing and advancing towards maturity;
and as the Kafirs carry no commissariat with them,
they are thus enabled to find food everywhere ; and
another reason is, that the weather is then warm, the
days long, and the nights short.

'I was at the time but a boy of fifteen years old;
nevertheless, as martial law was proclaimed, all civilians
had to serve under arms, and I joined the Bathurst
Volunteers, under Commandant Bowker. The Kafirs
had already entered Lower Albany in the colony, and
a patrol was sent to warn the farmers, and to give
assistance where they could. The patrol consisted of
about twenty civilians, of which I was one.

132

Incidents in Kafir Warfare. 133

1 We proceeded first to the Kereiga Eiver ; and on
reaching Bothas Farm we saw the Dutch mothers
snatching up their children and running in all direc-
tions. This was occasioned by some native leaders and
drivers of waggons having run home from the " Cowie
Bush," a distance of six or seven miles, reporting that
their masters were attacked and surrounded by Kafirs.
They had left the farm that morning with two ox-
waggons to fetch thatch (rushes), and while returning
from the Cowie Eiver were attacked by the Kafirs.
The native servants fled, and the three Dutchmen
were surrounded and left to fight it out ; two only of
them had guns. They retired, but when out. of the
main bush had to take "cover" in a small round clump
of bush in the open. This small bush was surrounded
by the Kafirs, who were afraid to enter, but kept throw-
ing their assegais into it. The Dutchmen loaded and
fired as rapidly as they could, and we could hear this
firing at a great distance, and raced as fast as our horses
could carry us to their assistance. On our approach,
the Kafirs fled into the forest, and we found two of the
Dutchmen in a most exhausted and deplorable- condi-
tion— one had nineteen and the other had twenty-three
wounds ; and, strange to say, the man without the gun
was untouched.

' There was no doctor with our party, so Paddy
M'Grath, the farrier, had to attend to the wounded.
One poor fellow had a bad spear-wound in the stomach,

134 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

through which a portion of the entrails were protruding,
and I had to hold this wound open while M'Grath put
back what was outside. It was a nasty beginning of
war, and three men actually fainted from the sight —
no, I am glad to say they were not men, but only three-
ninths of the species, as one was a tailor and the other
two were his apprentices. M'Grath was sufficiently a
doctor to know that the wounded man could not live,
for he found one of the intestines cut in two. The
poor fellow died within a few days afterwards, while
the one with twenty-three wounds recovered. It was
impossible to follow up the Kafirs into the forest, so
we returned with the wounded to the farm, and escorted
the whole family into Graham's Town as a place of
safety/

This was the general's first taste of Kafir warfare,
but in the following year he had another experience,
and not much to his liking. He was sent, with eleven
other volunteers, to escort a dozen waggons to a frontier
post called Kafir Drift. Beaching the outskirts of
Cowie Forest, they saw a number of people dressed in
the orthodox European clothes, and took them for
fa uiiers who had assembled for mutual protection, but
to their surprise they turned out to be Kafirs decked
out in the clothes they had plundered from the home-
steadfl they had wrecked and burnt. Sighting the
waggons, they at once rushed to the attack, and the
escort being so small could only cover the retreat of

Incidents in Kafir Warfare* 135

the waggon-drivers, and leave the waggons, with their
supplies of stores, to the enemy, who soon captured
them with shouts of rejoicing.

1 The next day,' says the general, ' a strong patrol
was sent down without waggons to reinforce Kafir
Drift ; and while en route near Windy Flat, we saw
numbers of Kafirs driving herds of cattle from the
colony towards Kafirland. They were at the time
crossing Kap Eiver, and ascending the steep hills on
the other side, after passing which they would still
have an open country to go over, between the Kap
Eiver Bush and the Coombs Bush, adjoining the Fish
Kiver. The patrol made chase after these Kafirs and
cattle ; it was a regular hurry-skurry ; and the long
run, added to the steep hill on the other side, took so
much out of the horses, that mine " knocked up " on
the flat midway between the Kap and Coombs Bush.
It was a regular case of " Devil take the hindermost,"
and I was left to shift for myself.

' The Kafirs left in the Kap Eiver Bush were still
streaming across this open, not knowing that any of
the patrol were there, and several of them with assegais
passed within a few yards of me. I was enabled to
keep them off by pointing my gun at them ; but had I
fired at any one of them, the Kafir with his bundle of
seven assegais would have had the advantage before
I could reload. The scattered patrol, however, soon
returned from the Coombs Bush unsuccessful ; and as

136 Graphic Scenes in African Story,

one of them had a spare horse, it was given to me,
and the patrol proceeded on to Kafir Drift, which we
reached just as it was getting dark.

1 This patrol was sent down to reinforce the post.
The post was there, but the troops were gone; the
officer commanding had fallen back the day before on
Bathurst. Very little transport had been available for
this service, and, I am sorry to say, there must have
been some degree of panic, for on our arrival at the
post on the evening of Christmas day, we found dinner
and all sorts of good things prepared; the larder was
full of good beef, turkeys, fowls, etc.; in the pantries
were ready-made puddings, and wine actually cooling
in the cellars, besides which the " yards " were full of
poultry of all descriptions, and there was plenty of
forage for our horses. As may readily be supposed,
the patrol revelled that night upon " good things."
The next day we patrolled the country, and returned
vid Bathurst to Graham's Town.'

To make a diversion and astonish and puzzle the
enemy, an expedition was organized to enter Kafirland ;
it consisted of Cape Mounted Kiflemen and Volunteers,
farmers, and town inhabitants. Commetty's Drift, on
the Fish River, was safely reached ; but the river was
turbulent and swollen, and the crossing proved any-
thing but easy, some of the men and horses being
washed down the stream, though all were rescued and
no life lost

Graphic Scenes in African Story.— Page 187.

Incidents in Kafir Warfare. 137

1 One of the volunteers from Graham's Town was a
celebrated auctioneer, a plucky little fellow, hut of so
light a weight that he was being washed off his horse's
back while crossing. Immediately below him in the
ford was a great big fellow of the name of Tom Baillie.
The little man had already left his saddle, and as he
was gliding by degrees towards his horse's tail, his
auctioneering parlance came to his. aid, for you heard,
"Going, going, gone, by Jove!" And with that he
vanished from Iris horse ; but as the stream was taking
him down, Baillie caught him by the collar of his
coat and held him up by one hand, bringing him safe
to shore.'

This little force proved perfectly successful, attacking
and burning many kraals, most of their fighting-men
having entered the colony, what few remained after a
little skirmishing escaping into the bush. One chief,
named Eno, being too old to take the field, had
remained in his kraal with a few warriors to protect
the women and cattle. The attack upon his village
was so sudden that there was no chance of his escaping
except in disguise. His daughter, a brave girl, seeing
this, insisted on her father changing robes with her.
The exchange was made, and the old chief escaped
unhurt into the bush, while his brave daughter was
shot in two places while ' drawing off ' the fire from
her father, and would no doubt have been killed, for
she could not be induced to put aside the chiefs

138 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

tiger-skin kaross and reveal herself. It was with ex-
treme difficulty that she was saved, for 'there were
men present smarting from the ruin of hearths and
homes, who had no idea of taking prisoners/

During this war of 1834-5, the storming of Murray's
Kraantz — the most eastern point of the Amatola
Mountains — was a sharp little affair. . A noted rebel,
named Louis Arnoldus, with a number of Kafirs, was
holding this particular place, and doing no end of
mischief. It was determined to attack him in his
mountain fastnesses at several points. Daylight broke
as the troops reached the edge of the rocky glen.
Before the solid cliff itself could be reached, the men
had to pass between high masses of perpendicular rocks,
towering more than 100 feet above their heads on
either side, the passage not being 10 feet wide between
them, and strewed with large boulders and other
obstacles.

The enemy were quite prepared, for they at once
began throwing down large pieces of rock, stones, and
spears from the precipices above. A way, however, was
forced, until a bluff of the cliff itself was reached,
where only one man could pass at a time, and who-
ever made the attempt was either shot or assegaied.
In making the attempt, Captain Murray and several
men were killed and wounded. Some companies, in
the meanwhile, had been detached to outflank the
position ; but before this could be effected, ' a dis-

Incidents in Kafir Warfare, 139

charged soldier, named O'Toole, had got in such a
position at the point that he could fire round the
corner as fast as the men could hand loaded muskets
to him ; and .it was supposed that he was doing great
execution, as we could see such an amount of the
wooden shafts of assegais, that it looked like a waving
field of corn.

The rattle of musketry was now heard on the other
side of the Kafirs defending the point ; ' and they were
taken so unawares by the outflanking party, that they
had very little chance of escape ; many, however, did
get away by leaping and throwing themselves down
the declivities of the rocks. Louis Arnoldus himself
had got so jammed into the cleft of a rock that he
could not extricate himself ; and although his gun was
shot to pieces, he himself was untouched, and he was
taken prisoner in that helpless condition.

'When the stronghold at the point was carried, it
appeared that O'Toole's zeal had been thrown away, as
every ball had struck a rock in the line of fire immedi-
ately round the corner. A little farther on, where our
men met those coming from the north, there was a good
deal of slaughter, but the greater number escaped down
the precipice, many of them no doubt being killed in
the descent. The number of cattle on the plateau
above was something incredible. A little way to the
west there was a cattle track leading down to the
governor's camp, and a stream of cattle came pouring

1 40 Graphic Scenes in African Story,

down this during the whole day. No less than 22,000
head of cattle were captured on this occasion/

Later on, during this same Kafir war, the para-
mount chief of all Kafirland, Hintza, with some of his
principal men, surrendered himself to the governor ; a
heavy fine in cattle was imposed upon him, which he
readily agreed to pay, but said that he must go himself
to collect them. This was not allowed, so the chief had
to communicate with his people by messengers. Week
after week glided away, and no cattle made their
appearance; the governor grew impatient. The wily
chief then proposed that he should leave his son as
hostage, and go with a small force into the heart of his
country, where the cattle were being collected, and
hasten proceedings. The arrangement was agreed to,
and the expedition, under the command of Sir Harry
Smith, set out. On the second day's march, the table-
land of a mountain was reached, and there on the plains
below the troops saw a grand sight, — as far as the eye
could reach, thousands upon thousands of cattle were
being driven, not towards the camp, but in the opposite
direction.

While Sir Harry Smith was gazing through his glass
at this novel sight, the prisoner kept edging his horse
to the right. Presently there was a shout, ■ Hintza has
bolted ! ' ' And indeed,' says Bisset, ' he had got a
start of at least fifty yards before any one saw him.
Sir Harry threw down lus glass, and we one and all

Incidents in Kafir Warfare. 1 4 1

dashed after the fugitive ; but no horse except Sir
Harry's was equal to that of the chief. After about
half a mile's race, Sir Harry overtook Hintza, and
ordered him to pull up; but instead of doing so, the
chief — who had always been allowed to carry his arms,
consisting of the usual bundle of seven assegais — made
a stab at the general. It was well that it was a bundle
and not a single assegai ; for although parried with his
right arm, the points of the seven assegais penetrated
his coat over the right breast, and slightly entered the
skin. In self-defence Sir Harry drew a pistol, and
again closed with the chief, directing him to pull up,
when he again attempted to stab him. Sir Harry then
snapped the pistol at his head.

' Hintza was making direct for his people, who to the
number of 10,000 could be seen crowning the hills in
all directions, and there was no time to be lost. Sir
Harry once more closed with the chief, and this time
seized him by the collar of his tiger- skin robe, and,
slightly dividing the space between the two horses,
hurled the chief headlong to the ground. Hintza was
on his feet in an instant, and drawing one of his
assegais, threw it after Sir Harry; but his horse had
bolted from fright at the chief's fall, and the assegai
fell short, but under the horse's legs. Hintza was by
this time at the edge of the table-land, and running
down the steep face of the mountain. Sir Harry,
standing in his stirrups, shouted to us not to let

142 Graphic Scenes in African Sto?y.

the chief escape ; as we of the chase arrived at the
brink of the table-land, we had to dismount and pursue
the chief on foot, the ground being too precipitous for
horsemen to follow. I fired two shots at the chief, but
he gained the bush at the bottom of the hill and dis-
appeared. But one of the pursuers, named Southey,
soon came with him again— he was half in the water ;
he had an assegai drawn and poised, and was in the
act of throwing at Southey, when he put up his gun
and blew the chiefs brains out. I was the first to
reach the dead chief. The ball had entered the fore-
head and completely smashed the skull.'

The war ended, as most wars with natives end, by the
Kafirs being driven over the frontier back into their
own territory, and afterwards losing a considerable
portion of their country which was annexed to the
colony.

In 1846, the so-called ' War of the Axe ' broke out.
The origin of this outbreak arose from a very trivial
cause. In the town of Beaufort, situated on the very'
border of Kafirland, two Kafirs, men of some import-
ance among the tribe, stole an axe from a shopkeeper ;
they were caught in the very act and secured. They
were sent for trial to Graham's Town, some fifty miles'
distance, the road running almost parallel with the
Kafir border. As the prisoners were proceeding on
their journey, guarded by a body of constables, the
escort was attacked by a number of Kafirs from across

Incidents in Kafir 'Warfare. 143

the border ; and although the guard fought well, they
were overcome. It unfortunately happened that the
two prisoners were handcuffed to two other prisoners,
who were British subjects ; and as time was precious,
the Kafirs, in order to escape with their countrymen,
murdered the two men to whom they were secured,
and cut off their arms and freed the culprits. Hence
the ' War of the Axe.'

In this war the Kafirs proved themselves no despic-
able foes ; they harassed the march of the troops in
every conceivable way, taking advantage of every avail-
able shelter for an ambush, attacking the waggons with
almost incredible daring. Often the British forces had
to fight to save themselves from sheer annihilation, for
the Kafirs seemed bent upon being victorious. As the
first invading column approached a place called Block
Drift, the Kafirs made desperate efforts to break the
line of waggons, but were kept in check by the artillery
playing on them.

' About two miles from Block Drift there is a conical
bush hill, which the Kafirs held in great force. As the
waggon track passed at its base, and thence on to
Chumie ford, through a thicket of mimosa and other
bush, there was a good deal of close fighting all along
this space ; and the rear was so hardly pressed that the
guns had to be repeatedly brought into action, and the
Kafirs driven back by canister and shell. Two men of
the 91st were shot close to the road while defending

i4i Graphic Scenes in African Story.

the waggons ; and the Kafirs were so daring that they
rushed in and were stripping the bodies when they were
shot down and fell over the dead.

' One waggon had to be abandoned between the
conical hill and the ford, owing to the oxen having
been shot. This happened to be the hospital store
waggon, and the Kafirs at once fell to plundering it,
and not a few of them died on the spot from drinking
bottles of poison. One Kafir was shot with a quantity
of blister ointment in and about his mouth, their notion
being that English medicine makes you strong.'

At the battle of the Guanga, our hero Bisset, who
served through several Kafir wars, had a severe struggle
for life with a chief whom he wished to capture. 'After
a while,' he says, ' I came up with a chief, recognisable
by his tiger-skin kaross ; he had only assegais ; he drew
one and hurled it at me, and in return I missed him
with both barrels. Eunning a little way, he turned and
threw another assegai at me, which I parried with my
bridle-arm, but it nevertheless passed through my jacket
and underclothes, and gave me a severe cut in the arm.
I again missed him, and he turned and ran. Without
reloading, I charged him. Now, my horse was a high-
actioned old brute, and his knees struck the chief
between the shoulders, bringing him down on to his
hands and knees with great force. Before he could rise
I was off my horse, and had seized him by the bundle
of assegais. Unfortunately I got hold of them in the

Incidents in Kafir Warfare. 145

middle, and he held theni by one of his hands on the
outside of each of mine, thereby having the leverage.
My horse was standing panting by my side ; my gun
was unloaded and upon the ground ; other Kafirs were
passing me in all directions. The chief was bleeding
from the hands and knees, but kept up the struggle
for life. At this moment Armstrong came to my
assistance, and threatened to blow the chiefs brains
out, whereupon he relinquished his hold and fell back
in a faint.'

It is impossible for us to mention the many and
various Kafir outbreaks which in the history of Cape
Colony have been the cause of so much destruction of
property, misery, and bloodshed. Neither Government
nor settler learned wisdom from the past, and at every
fresh outbreak were as unprepared as at the one
previous. Such was the case at the outset of the Kafir
war of 1850, which lasted three years ; but it was at its
outset that an act of heroism was performed, an account
of which will well finish this chapter.

The news of the outbreak having reached Graham's
Town, the then military commander called for a volun-
teer to carry a despatch to Uitenhage. The clanger
would be great, and none seemed inclined to risk life
in the undertaking. An appeal was made to many,
but in each case proved fruitless, and the commander
began to despair. But just at the moment when all

hope was given up, a large-souled tailor living in the

K

146 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

town, learning the nature of the mission required, and
the large reward offered, which latter would enable him
to do what he had long desired — that is, marry — pre-
sented himself before the commanding officer, and
offered his services, on condition that he had one of
the colonel's best horses allowed him, as a great deal
would depend upon the swiftness of his steed.

1 But can you ride ? ' inquired the officer doubtfully.

\ Yes, I learnt that years since, and should not now
hesitate to mount any brute ; but in this case, to ensure
success, a good steed is necessary/

' You shall have the steed,' said the colonel, glad at
last to find a messenger. And leading him to his own
stables, told him to pick out which horse best suited his
fancy. The valiant tailor did so, and being furnished
with all necessary information and letters, in the words
of Scripture, ' girded up his loins,' and set forth.

1 Away I started,' he writes. * My horse was a noble
animal, and bore me gallantly. All the way down
through Howison's Poort, and out on the other side,
I met trains of waggons ; people were trekking into town
from all directions. They shouted out to me to tell
them the news, but I never stopped. On I dashed, my
horse reeking witli sweat, but showing no signs of
fatigue.

' By nightfall I reached Quagga's Flats, where I got
something to eat at a small farmhouse, but could not
get a lodging, as the place was already full with

Incidents in Kafir Warfare. 147

people trekking into laager, so I knee - haltered my
horse, and stretched myself on the ground under a tree.

'Early in the morning, just as I was starting, a man
rode up with two splendid horses he was taking to
Uitenhage to sell. I immediately pressed one, and left
mine to be taken care of at the farm. I made the
owner of the horse come along with me, much against
his will. Away I rode again at break-neck pace, my
companion following and shouting out, —

' " You'll kill my horse ! you'll ruin my horse ! and I
shall not be able to sell him ! "

1 " Come on, man," I called out ; " do you want the
Kafirs to catch us ? " No more was needed ; whip and
spur urged our horses forward, and at twelve o'clock
I reached Uitenhage, and handed the horse over to its
master, with directions to leave the saddle at the hotel.

' It was Sunday, and when I went up to the magis-
trate's house, I heard he was at church. Off I posted
there, and, beckoning to the doorkeeper, bade him tell
the magistrate I had a despatch for him. He came out,
and we proceeded up to his house, where he showed me
to a room, ordered refreshments, and advised me to
rest. The food I gladly partook of, but there could be
no rest for me till I reached home. The magistrate
would not hear of my returning, saying he had written
orders from the colonel not to let me return till the
commander went. I declared that nothing but death
would stop me; so the magistrate gave me a fresh

148 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

horse, and sent two constables to escort me as far as
Quagga's Flats again.

1 Nothing of any importance occurred on the way,
Quagga's Plats was safely reached, and I found my
horse fresh and well cared for, and stayed there again
that night. The next morning at daybreak, after dis-
missing the constables, I was once more on my way,
still meeting waggons and families trekking into laagers
and towns. I had got on as far as Assegai Bush, and
was walking my horse slowly to rest him, congratulat-
ing myself on the successful termination of my perilous
ride, when my attention was attracted by seeing my
horse prick up his ears and hear him neigh. I looked
round just in time to see two stalwart Kafirs, mounted
and armed with assegais, emerge from the bush and
bear down upon me.

'The rascals had no doubt been reconnoitring the
country, and, seeing me alone, thought to secure an
easy prey. But I clapped the spurs into my horse's
sides, and he bounded forward just in time to escape
the assegais hurled at us by the foe. And now ensued
a chase for life. Away I raced, not daring to look
round, only hearing the thud of their horses' hoofs and
their demoniacal shouts, now near, now a little farther
behind. My horse was equal to the emergency, and
seemed to strain every nerve to get ahead. Once he
stumbled, and the wretches gave a shout of triumph,
and I thought I should never see home again, as two

Incidents in Kafir Warfare. 149

more assegais whizzed past me; but he recovered
himself, and, snorting, panting, tore along. Up hill
and through kloofs we rode for sweet life, the pursuers
following and gradually gaining upon us, till I sighted
another train of waggons, the owners of which, attracted
by my shouts, came to my rescue, and soon were in
full chase after the Kafirs, who, however, got away, as
the people did not like to leave their waggons for any
great distance. When I reached their waggons I was
thoroughly exhausted, and begged to be allowed to rest
in one a little while, which was cheerfully permitted.
None but those who have experienced it can realize
how sweet and precious life is when there is every
prospect of losing it, and especially to lose it in such
an ignoble way.

' Well, to cut a long story short, I proceeded on my
way after an hour's rest, and reached Graham's Town
in safety by sundown, reported myself, and then went
home to rest.'

This is a piece of heroism beneath the dignity of
history to record, but heroism nevertheless — a nine
days' wonder, and then buried in oblivion. It is
pleasing to know that the valiant tailor gained the
reward, and with it the hand of the maiden he had
sought to win at such hazards.

CHAPTER VIII.

ABYSSINIAN WAR.

It is said that the original cause of the Abyssinian war
was a prophecy which had been handed down from
generation to generation, until the people had come to
believe that the fulness of time had arrived, and a
Messiah was to be expected. This was the prophecy : —

' And it shall come to pass that a king shall arise in
Ethiopia, of Solomon's lineage, who shall be acknow-
ledged the greatest on earth, and his powers shall extend
over all Ethiopia and Egypt. He shall scourge the
infidels out of Palestine, and shall purge Jerusalem clean
from the defilers ; he shall destroy all the inhabitants
thereof, and his name shall be Theodorus.'

This prophecy was by no one so thoroughly believed
as by a poor but ambitious young fellow named Kussai ;
it haunted him in his dreams and in his waking hours,
until he finally came to believe that he himself was to
be the mighty Messiah that should accomplish such
marvels. A generous kinsman, governor of Dembea,
gave him an education, and with the promise of speedy

160

Abyssinian War. 151

promotion enlisted him under his own banner. He
possessed great qualities, and as a soldier showed con-
spicuous bravery and generalship ; so much so, that his
kinsman speedily promoted him to be governor of a
province, and gave him his own daughter in marriage.
This gave him the desired prestige and power ; he
declared war against his benefactor, met and defeated
him in a pitched battle, slew* him with his own hand,
and compelled Gondar, the capital of Dembea, to capitu-
late. He now reigned in his kinsman's stead, and for
a time devoted himself to training soldiers for war.
The superstitious, who had watched his career with
amazement, said he possessed supernatural powers, and
believed he was to achieve yet more victories. This
belief he verified by marching his troops into the
Begemder country, the governor of whom he conquered
and sent to prison, and almost annihilated his army.
The news of this victory spreading abroad, alarmed the
governors of other provinces, who immediately prepared
to punish this upstart, whose successes made their own
position feel insecure.

Kussai prepared for war, augmenting his army, and
proclaiming his name to be ' Thepdorus, of the line of
Solomon, and declaring that he was the Messiah who
the prophecy foretold should come and destroy the
Mohammedan nations.' This immediately brought to
his standard crowds from the other provincial armies,
until the hostile governors found themselves in such a

152 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

deplorable plight that many of them were obliged to lay
down their arms and submit, while the others were
easily and speedily overcome ; so that in a very short
time the self-called Theodore had subjugated the whole
of Abyssinia, with the exception of Tigre, to his sway.
He now assumed the name and title of ' Emperor Theo-
dorus, by the power of God/

At this time Theodore was only thirty-five years
old, brave as a lion, and active as a panther, qualities
which endeared him to his war-loving soldiers. His
talents and military abilities enabled him to repress all
revolutions. Now he invited merchants to Abyssinia,
manufactures were encouraged, and European workmen
welcomed to the country. He strengthened his power
and government in every possible way, but he was
continually harassed by war and attempts at rebellion.
No sooner would one rebel province be conquered,
than he found himself compelled to overrun another.
Gradually his whole nature changed; he became
embittered at the ingratitude of the people whose
welfare he laboured to promote.

Theodore was very much attached to our British
Consul, Mr. Plowden, to whom he showed many proofs
of kindness and goodwill, and when he was killed by
the forces of some rebel chiefs he mourned greatly for
him, and inflicted dire punishment upon Iris murderers.
Captain Cameron was appointed to succeed Mr.
Plowden, and soon after his arrival in Abyssinia

Abyssinian War. 153

appeared the Rev. Messrs. Stern and Rosenthal. All
were well received.

Yet, about this time, Theodore's cruelties began to be .
notorious ; he also began to lead a very intemperate life,
and in his drunken fits his atrocities were absolutely
fiendish. Brands were impressed upon the foreheads of
deserters, and traitors were laid on the ground and
stakes driven through their hearts. The innocent as
well as the guilty suffered; people were crucified and
shot without mercy ; and soon his name began to be
hated and execrated by all his subjects.

Theodore grew suspicious of the motives which
influenced the conduct of Captain Cameron, especially
after the latter paid a visit to an Egyptian province, and
threw him into prison. Fancying he was slighted by
our Queen, who had failed to reply to a letter he had
addressed to her, he ordered Cameron's servant to be
beaten. ' At the same time, the missionary Stern's two
servants were beaten so cruelly that they both died the
following night. The poor missionary, horrified at the
spectacle, put his hand to his mouth to repress the
rising cry of horror. This simple movement was under-
stood by the suspicious emperor as a revengeful threat,
and he at once cried out to his men, " Beat that man,
beat him as you would a dog ; beat him, I say." The
soldiers at once fell upon him, threw him upon his face
on the ground, and they beat him with their sticks
until he fainted.' He was then thrown into prison.

154. Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Daily the condition of the captives grew worse in
their terrible imprisonment ; things went on with them
from bad to worse. They were fed on bread and water,
beaten, chained to a wall. Cameron was tortured.
1 Twenty Abyssinians/ he says, ' tugging lustily on ropes
tied to each limb until I faint. My shoulder-blades
were made to meet each other. T was doubled up
until my head appeared under my thighs, and while in
this painful posture I was beaten with a whip of
hippopotamus hide on my bare back, until I was
covered with weals, and while the blood dripped from
my reeking back, I was rolled in sand/

Many efforts were made to effect the release of the
captives, but all failed. Theodore thought the English
Government were only too anxious to get the prisoners,
and would do anything rather than have them kept in
captivity. This was true enough, but not in the way he
thought, which was that it would help him to keep the
throne he had disgraced; for he felt his power gliding
away. ' Neither his strength, his ability, the prestige
of his former prowess, nor his cruelties could keep his
provinces intact. One by one the governors rebelled/
For a time he bore up stoutly, but the many reverses
which he suffered encouraged his enemies, and dis-
couraged himself. And the crowning blow came when
the English Government declared war.

Sir Robert Napier was chosen commander-in-chief of
the invading army, which was to consist of 12,000 meik,

Abyssinian War. 155

and Annesley Bay chosen as the place of debarkation.
Though farthest from Magdala, its fine commodious
harbour made it the most desirable point from whence
to commence operations ; for bordering the bay was a
stretch of sandy beach, fourteen or fifteen miles wide,
extending from Massowah twenty miles above to far
below the southern extremity of Annesley Bay. Head-
quarters were pitched four miles from the village of
Zoulla, a most inhospitable-looking spot, but selected
because it bordered a fine deep bay, where the material
of war could be easily landed, and because a lengthy
chasm, splitting the Black Highlands in two, allowing
free access through its cavernous recesses to the summit
of the table-land, had been found.

It is impossible for us to follow. the invading force
step by step in its wonderful march to Magdala ; it is
only here and there we can linger and point out some
of its marvels of scenery. Not so very far from head-
quarters, the army, on its way to the camping-place of
Undel- Wells, passed through the Sooroo pass.

' For three miles/ says . one writer, * each side of the
Sooroo, the most difficult and dangerous positions of
the pass were seen. For six miles the traveller passes
through a very narrow defile, flanked by walls of sheet
granite soaring up in all the glorious majesty of a height
of 800 feet on each side. Between these seeming
infinities of stone we crawled on, not certain but that a
»ock might become displaced, or a branch of the pine

156 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

which crowned their lofty extremities might be swept
down into the yawning chasm. The least murmur of
the human voice sounded in this awful depth like
thunder, and the tread of the horses' feet like artillery
rumbling over a bridge. For a height of ten feet above
us were to be seen traces of the water which surged
down the pass during the rainy season. Its extreme
width was not more than twenty-five feet, while its
narrowest was barely fifteen. In some places it looked
as if Titans had been employed for centuries in -chiselling
and channelling the solid rocks to prevent another deluge
of the country. With all the thousands of ravines, and
gullies, and fissures emptying into the Sooroo defile, for
a distance of fifty miles, some idea of the vast body of
water thus collected may be had, and the terrible force
of the whirling torrent may be imagined.

' Out of the darkness, out of the gloomy depths of the
Sooroo, we emerged at last, "into a more extended and
much wider defile. Instead of the perpendicular walls
of stone, lately passed, a hundred fantastic-shaped hills
presented themselves, with their gently-sloping sides
covered by woody kolquall, groves of firs and pine,
with low brushwood, juniper, and furze. Then we
travelled between ridges of stupendous mountains, with
their crowns cut into shattered pinnacles, of dun-
coloured rock, until we came to masses of ribbed rock
and earth lying diagonally along the bottom of the
defile, looking as if they were cast down purposely by

Abyssinian War. 157

some mighty power. Now and then the eye was
attracted by the crystals, sparkling like diamonds when
the slanting sunbeam lit up the cyclopean masses of
granite and quartz ; and then again, the vision wandered
to the splintered peaks and sharp and ragged outlines
which they presented against the pure cerulean tints of
the sky.'

Farther on, at Ad-Abaga, Sir Robert Napier had an
interview with Kussai, prince of Tigre, who styled him-
self 'chief of the chiefs" of Ethiopia.' The general
went to the appointed place of meeting mounted on a
superbly-caparisoned elephant, surrounded by a brilliant
staff; the prince approached with 500 choice warriors
forming a wing on each side of him. ' Over his head
was held the State umbrella, of maroon-coloured plush
velvet, heavy with silver ornaments, by a very handsome
man. At.his right side was his spear and shield bearer ;
at his left his fusil bearer, son of a Tigrean grandee.
His generals preceded him on foot, being preceded in
their turn by two of the English officers who went to
meet him.' On the banks of a stream they met ; both
dismounted and lovingly embraced, the prince fervently,
Napier almost ungracefully, not apparently relishing
such an act of friendship. After some conversation,
presents were given to the prince, consisting of a double-
barrelled rifle, some Bohemian glass vases, and an Arab
charger. These were accepted with profuse thanks.
Then followed a review of the English troops, and an

158 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

inspection of the Abyssinian soldiers. The interview
closed by the prince doffing his own lion-skin cape
and throwing it over the general's shoulders. He also
presented him with his shield and spear, the first a
marvel of workmanship, its umbo being covered with
solid gold, and the edges decorated with tuberous masses
of filigree gold and silver; while from its shelter
drooped a strip of lion's mane. There was a general
embracing before the head dignitaries departed^ and
each chief vowed to do his best in behalf of the other.

Sometimes the way would be enlivened by a little
amusing incident ; such as when a captain and friend
journeyed side by side. A ravine or gully lay before
them, and in following the path they found themselves
compelled to make an arc, so as to avoid a deep hole close
by, which led under the shadow of a high rock. As
soon as the rock was neared, a sharp growl was heard ;
the captain hastily backed his horse :

' What is the matter ? ' said his companion:

' Did you not hear a panther growl ? ' was the reply.

' Are you sure it was a panther ? •

1 Quite positive,' asserts the captain.

1 Well, there he is, then, right close to your horse's

leg.'

' Where ? where ? ' is 'the hurried cry.

1 There he is in that bush, close to you on your right!
Look out with that gun ; you will shoot me if you don't
take care. Why, man alive, can't you see him ? He is

Abyssinian War. 159

going to spring. Shoot him now, or you'll be too
late ! '

Pop, bang went both barrels — ' Is he dead ? '

1 Yes, he is down ! ' is the laughing reply ; ' but what
sort of animal have you shot. ' Why, it's a hysena ! '
And so it was.

Meanwhile on and on march the army, by a route
few armies have had to travel. The elephants were at
once the terror and delight of the natives, who crowded
around them, and seemed never tired of watching their
uncouth and unwieldy forms ascending and descending
mountains. On moderate roads these gigantic animals
made excellent time with their 1800 lbs. loads. On
steep marches they toiled laboriously, and an ascent of
1500 feet told seriously upon them, and their hard purring
and loud trumpeting were eloquent of their sufferings.

The first blood drawn in the campaign was the result
of a mistake. The camp was at Sindhe, where Napier
was visited by an Abyssinian general, who went to
inform him that he had purchased 6000 lbs. of flour
and grain. As he was returning he accidentally came
upon an outpost of General Staveley's camp, consisting
of a corporal and four men. Seeing cavalry advancing,
they shouted to keep them off; but as they still advanced,
the corporal ordered his men to 'fire, and then gave the
word to charge. Sword in hand these five men boldly
charged upon nearly fifty Abyssinians, and fell upon the
rearmost, cutting and stabbing away like heroes ; and

160 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

after pursuing the rest 'for some distance, returned
satisfied with having dispersed the enemy, leaving two
killed and the like number wounded. Explanations
soon followed, and compensation made to the families of
the luckless ones;' and thus the little affair ended.

News kept continually pouring into the camp about
Theodore. His vast empire was dissolving before the
fierce light of revolution. ' The lurid fires of towns and
hamlets burning flashed their portentous blaze athwart
the midnight sky; the wails of widowed women and
fatherless children rent the air; the groans of dying
warriors, murdered by cruel hands, called loudly for
vengeance 1 It is said that' 30,000 men, women, and
children were destroyed by crucifixion, the relentless
courbach (a whip of hippopotamus hide), or by shooting,
stabbing, or decapitation, within three months. At such
times he appeared like a demon. He was crazed with
drunkenness and despair. He slew his best friends and
councillors, and condemned to death tried and trusted
warriors. Unhappy Theodore! None was more
wretched than he !

'The captives were still in chains. His hatred of
them was increasing. Three or four of them had been
condemned to death, but the sentence had been com-
muted to imprisonment. The batch of English and
German prisoners lived on, having but a precarious
tenure of life at the best, so long as they lay at the
mercy of the tyrant emperor. Theodore had retained

Abyssinian War, 161

them under the impression that his own ends were
attainable only through their safety.'

At length the gallant little army from the plateau of
Dalanta beheld the stronghold of Magdala ; on the plains
below were the tents of Theodore's army, and many
guns in position on the fortress. Many thousands of
people were also seen moving about, and smoke curling
upwards from the camp-fires. It looked a formidable
place to attack ; but all were happy ; ■ and such merry
laughter,' says one who was present, ' and ringing hearti-
ness was never heard in Abyssinia as was heard in the
English camp upon Dalanta.' The bands of the different
regiments played their most enlivening music, while
the lively Jack tars of the Naval Brigade danced to the
strains.

On that memorable Good Friday morning, April the
10th, 1868, after incredible exertions, the English force
got into position before Magdala. Eor a time the
enemy made no sign, all was still as death, and many
were loud in prophesying there would be no battle.
Presently Theodore shook off his sullenness and com-
menced hostilities ; from his cannon flashed the fire-
flames in quick succession, and the shot went hurtling
through the air, while the thundering reports seemed to
shake the very mountains themselves. Now the enemy
were seen pouring out from the fortress; nearer and
nearer they came, 3500 strong, all appearing confident
of victory; for their songs came pealing through the

1 62 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

air, and their horsemen bounded joyously along ; the
foot-soldiers leaped and brandished long spears and
swung their black shields, and with loud chorus all sang
the destruction of the invader. A clear open plain was
before them, over which they rolled like a huge wave.

Calmly Sir Eobert sat on his charger surrounded by
his officers, all intently watching the enemy's move-
ments. The ]S"aval Brigade arrives ; let Captain
Fellowes take position on that little knoll in front.
1 Action, Front ! ' is the order. Soon the active sailors
are in position, rocket tubes and carriages unstrapped,
rocket men ready with their pry poles.

Just as the opposing force were in the act of hurling
their spears, the sharp decisive word is heard, ' Fire ! '
and a stream of fire darts along the enemy's ranks,
ploughing its fiery way through their dense masses;
another and another follows ; and cheer after cheer issues
from the lips of the sailors and marines, echoed behind
by the 'King's Own' coming up at the double-quick.

It is said when this regiment first heard the booming
of Theodore's cannon, they were a mile in the rear,
reclining on a slope, tired, peevish, and fretful, ready to
quarrel with anything and anybody ; but no sooner were
their ears assailed by the cannon's welcome roar, than
they bounded to their feet eager for the fray. Ths order
to advance came. In an instant of time they were on
the double-quick like hounds in full cry, their faces lit
up with intense pleasurable excitement

Abyssinian War. 163

Meanwhile the enemy, astonished at the novel sound
caused by the rockets, halted and looked inquiringly at
each other. This was a new experience, and they could
not understand it. Urged by their chiefs, they make
another desperate attempt to advance. The rocket guns
still vomit their fiery darts at the on-coming foe, now
but fifty paces distant from the battery. The ' King's
Own ' keep on their way, forming line the while. The
head of the 4th Foot crests the slope and confronts the
enemy, a few of whom are on the rise on the opposite
side. ' Commence firing from both flanks,' is the order,
and two quick volleys of musketry are flashed in the
faces of the dusky foe. Such a raining storm of leaden
hail pours down upon them, that for the second time
they halt from sheer astonishment. Horrified they gaze
upon the dreadful results, comrades falling thick and
fast on every hand, struggling in grim death's embrace.
They retreat, but not fast enough ; they break and crouch
behind boulders to escape the whizzing bullets. One
runs for dear life for a copse ; suddenly he leaps in the
air and falls on* his face clutching savagely the ground.
In vain they rush for bush, boulder, or ravine, the
leaden messenger of death is swifter.

The chiefs endeavour to rally their flying men. One
succeeds in collecting about a thousand, and with these
rushes to capture Dell's Battery isolated on a little knoll.
They are within five hundred yards, already they make
sure of capturing the cannon ; when, suddenly, a strange

164 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

noise is heard over their heads, a succession of sharp
cracks follow, immediately succeeded by a thousand
pieces of iron flying amongst them, striking numbers to
the ground. Still on they go, mad rage in each heart,
leaping across knolls and curves, until they gain the
base of the hill whereon stands the battery. Now they
are sure of it ! Suddenly is heard the command, ' Com-
mence firing ! ' and from right and left of the cannon the
deadly volleys are poured into the black ranks ; a
moment's hesitation ensues, then turning round they
rush away faster than they came.

Now the baffled enemy determines to make a dash
for the baggage, and quickly they crawl along a ravine
overgrown with tangled brake and dense jungle ; only
to meet, as they emerge, a withering fire from Snider
rifle and breech-loader. Then the Punjaubees appear on
the scene, and look down from the summit of a knoll
upon the foe, and at the word of command commence a
fearful slaughter. The confused and terrified Abys-
sinians finding their hopes of plunder gone, with death
in front and rear, plunge once more into the thick jungle
from whence they came, followed by keen-eyed riflemen
bent upon their destruction. Quickly the Punjaubees
sweep back to their old position, to await the foe
emerging from the bushes. Soon the dark forms are
seen bounding out of the recesses, once more to find
themselves met by a deadly hail of bullets. They rush
across an open hollow to climb the slopes beyond. Down

Abyssinian War. 165

the slopes in their rear rush the Sepoys, bayonets fixed
to their guns, fresh for the fray. In despair the foe
turn and meet them face to face, and a fierce hand-to-
hand conflict ensues ; no puny blows are dealt, no mercy
is asked or received, it is a hand-to-hand fight in grim
earnest ; not long doubtful, for soon the Abyssinians,
broken and dispersed, hurriedly seek to escape ; and as
some hesitated and looked back, the battery they had
so vainly attempted to capture opens fire upon them,
and their last hope vanishes.

Now dark clouds gather in the sky, and for a time
heaven's artillery and vivid lightnings add to the horror
of the scene, then the rain pours down in torrents, but
through it the deadly work is carried on to its close.

During it all Theodore watches with ever-increasing
rage and despair in his heart. He threatens that the
captives shall pay for his defeat ; he weeps, gnashes his
teeth, stamps violently upon the ground ; and when night
comes and the battle is ended, he takes to drinking
arachi to drown his bitter agony of spirit. Thrice he
attempts suicide, and all night long he acts more like a
madman than the sane ruler of a kingdom. All this is
gathered from the envoys he sends in the morning to
Sir Eobert entreating him to leave the country upon the
release of the captives. The captives are released and
appear in the British camp. But Sir Eobert will be
satisfied with nothing but the surrender of Theodore
and Magdala ; this is the ultimatum. Not being

1 66 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

responded to, it is decided, to storm the strong
fortress.

On Easter Monday, April 13th, the work commences.
It is first of all necessary, to capture the two outlying
fortresses, Fahla and Selasse. Measures are taken to
prevent the escape of Theodore ; the 3rd Dragoon
Guards are sent to the rear of Magdala to prevent his
escape. The strongholds are successfully taken, and
as two officers with their men are manoeuvring at the
extremity of Selasse, on the road which encircled that
fortress leading to Magdala, a numher of horsemen are
discovered riding about on the plateau of Islamgee, one
among them on a white horse, and conspicuous for the
gorgeousness of his robes. Soon this is found to be the
emperor himself, who cries, \ Come on ; are ye women,
that ye hesitate to attack a few warriors ? '

The magnitude and strength of Magdala arc great ;
from one point only is it assailable, and that from the
plateau of Islamgee, where the troops are speedily
massed. The batteries are placed in position, and the
bombardment is commenced, with twenty guns thun-
dering against the gates of Magdala. An incentive to
the speedy termination of the work was found at the
bottom of a precipice, where lay the dead bodies of 308
people, piled one upon another, stripped naked, and
chains still upon their limbs. These were Theodore's
last victims. The released captives were present at the
execution, and said they were sabred and shot by

Abyssinian War. 167

Theodore and his men as they lay helpless on the
ground.

During the artillery fire, Theodore and his faithful
adherents had lain concealed ; but as soon as it ceased,
up he sprang, and sounding his war-cry, hurried to the
gates and defences, determined to give the assailants a
reception worthy of an emperor about to conquer or
die. Again, as on Good Friday, the lightning and
thunder of heaven played their part in the battle. In
spite of all this the stormers continued their work,
neither gate, nor fence, nor stone wall, nor brush heap,
nor even sheer rocks and strong barriers could stop
them, especially the Irish, and into the stronghold they
leaped with a wild ' huzza ! ' and fired volleys in the
very faces of the Abyssinians.

When all was won, and the British flag waved
proudly over all, the body of Theodore was found, clad
in coarse upper garments, dingy with wear, and ragged,
covering under garments of clean linen. The face, of
deep brown, was the most remarkable one in Abyssinia.
' It bore the appearance/ says one who saw it, ' of one
who had passed through many anxious hours. His
eyes, now overspread with a deathly film, gave evidence
yet of the piercing power for which they were cele-
brated. The lower lip seemed well adapted to express
scorn, and a trace of it was still visible. As he gasped
his last, two rows of whitest teeth were disclosed. Over
his mouth two strong lines arched to a high aquiline

1 68 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

nose. The nostrils expanded widely as he struggled to
retain breath, which was rapidly leaving him. The face
was broad, high cheek-boned, with a high, prominent
forehead, and overhanging eyebrows. The hair was
divided into three large plaits extending from the fore-
head to the back of the neck, which latter appeared to
be a tower of strength/ He was still alive when found
by some Irish soldiers, who took him by the legs and
roughly dragged him to a hammock, where he breathed
his last. He died by his own hand.

Thus Magdala was won, the object of the expedition
accomplished. When Sir Robert appeared before his
troops, the bands struck up, ' See the Conquering Hero
comes,' and gave rousing cheers to celebrate the vic-
tory. The British arms had been once more victorious.

. CHAPTER IX.

THE ASHANTEE WAR.

Now turn we to quite another quarter of Africa, that of
the West Coast, where dwell the Fantee and Ashantee ;
the latter had at all times possessed a comparatively-
powerful army, and had made incursions from time to
time on the coast districts, and invariably kept the
tribes around them in a state of awe, even when they
were not actually tributary. They invaded the coast
districts in 1807, and for seventeen years the king of
Ashantee was as much sovereign on the coast as in the
interior. The Fantees several times rose up in rebellion,
resulting only in fresh invasions, until at length the
country was nearly depopulated, and towns and villages
were in ruins. Then in 1824 the English took up the
cause of the Fantees, and put a stop to the above state
of things by defeating the Ashantees at Doondowah,
and thereby avenging the death of Sir Charles McCarthy
and his gallant force, which had taken place but a few
months previously. In 1831, the Ashantees, by treaty,
relinquished all claims to various districts on the coast

1 70 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

which were placed under British protection. But in
1863 they violated the treaty by again invading the
coast settlements and ravaging the country all around.
On the approach of the British troops they withdrew.

In January 1873, the Dutch possessions on the coast
were ceded to the British ; this gave umbrage to the
Ashantees, who put up a claim for protectorate, and
once more they were in the field successfully defeating
our Fantee allies in two engagements, but in their turn
were defeated before Elmina Castle, by the seamen and
marines of the fleet in conjunction with the colonial
forces. After this, the war languished until the British
Government took decisive steps, and sent out Sir Garnet
Wolseley with a numerous and distinguished staff and
several battalions of English troops, when the Ashantee
power was completely broken.

It was the intention of Sir Garnet to beard this
West African king in his capital, Coomassie. King
Coffee was then the reigning monarch, and his capital
had acquired a very evil reputation from the deeds of
cruelty there perpetrated. The monarch was represented
as an intelligent man, with the appearance of a mulatto,
slight but sinewy in figure, hospitable and gracious to
strangers. Coomassie was described as a populous and
well-regulated 'town. * The palace of the king/ writes
one, ' is a structure of stone, large and capacious, with
great squares, where reviews and assemblages are held.
The whole is walled round, having an outer and inner

The Ashantee War. 171

enclosure. The rooms are lofty and commodious, and
those occupied by his Majesty are furnished with
European and native articles. The presents he has been
continually receiving diplomatically have assisted in
supplying him with unusual luxuries. Pictures adorn
the walls ; sumptuous sofas are ranged round his walls ;
thick carpets cover his floors ; his tables are loaded with
a thousand costly knick-knacks.

' Next in importance to the palace among the public
buildings is the Bantammah, which is the Tower or
the Louvre of Coomassie, wherein are stored the more
precious gifts it has been the good pleasure of the kings
of Ashantee to receive from the British, the Dutch, and
the French Governments. It is the treasure-house, rilled
with the costly ware the kings have gathered from time
to time ; the bank, wherein lie the specie and the gold
dust, ingots and bars of solid gold, and many a chestful
of rings and chains of gold, gorgeous silks and satins,
and much else of wealth that goes to make up the
treasures of a rich and powerful despot like the Ashantee
king. In the Bantammah, side by side with the crown
of the kings, is laid the gold-decorated cup fashioned out
of the skull of the unfortunate Governor of Cape Coast
Castle, Sir Charles M'Carthy. It is only on days of
state and high festival that this ghastly cup is used.

* The king possesses a numerous harem, like the sable
monarch of Dahomey. He is privileged to marry as
many as he pleases ; for even in Ashantee the king can

172 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

do no wrong or trespass on any law. I should fear to
say how many wives he has married ; but he can take
his pick out of the noblest, the fairest, and best in the
land, after which it is certain death for any other man in
Ashantee to look on her face, for she is the king's. The
harem is jealously guarded in a quarter of the palace
overlooking the palace gardens.'

The king has his prime ministers, his commander-
in-chief and high officers of State, and palace officials.
In fact, the nation is composed of four classes, — the
monarch ; the nobles, or feudal chiefs ; the free Ashantee
yeomen, landed proprietors, small village chiefs, all
free-born Ashantees ; the slaves taken in war or bom in
bondage.

In the field the Ashantee army bear flags, but it is
no disgrace to lose one or many ; the chief's umbrella
represents in the Ashantee soldier's eye what a regi-
mental flag does to our army. ' The gorgeous sunshade
which an Ashantee chief holds over his head, ornate
with vari-coloured pieces of silk, rich with its append-
ages of silver and gold, embodies in an A shan tee's. eyes
the honour of his chief. The loss of one of these in
battle involves disgrace and defeat.'

*■ The k'ing appears in the field only in extremis, —
when his presence is necessary to inspire the flagging
enthusiasm or devotion of the army to his cause, when
discouragement has followed repeated reverses in battle.
Then every soul capable of bearing arms, every chief

The Ashantee War. 173

owing allegiance, every officer of his household, arms
himself for battle.

1 His State umbrella is borne over or before him by a
chief wherever he moves, the sight of which rouses the
interest and zeal of every member of his army. This
umbrella costs a small fortune. It is made of alternate
pieces of crimson and black velvet, while hundreds of
gold pendicles form a fringe around it, and a large boss •
of pure gold surmounts it above.

1 The dress of the king on such occasions is exceed-
ingly costly. A tunic of crimson velvet covers his
body, his loose Moorish pantaloons are made of the
same stuff, a broad band of gold encircles his waist, a cap
or turban of silk, richly embroided, covers his head ; his
weapons are decorated profusely with the precious metal.'

Such was the monarch against whom the British
were to pit their strength. And in January 1874 the
army set out from Cape Coast Castle j it was a broiling
hot day, and the road it took was about fifteen feet wide,
with a rise along the centre, and a furrow on each side
to drain off the water. On either hand stretched the
bush, covering hollows, hills, slopes, and summits
twenty feet high, and scores of miles in depth ; nothing
to be seen, only an innumerable variety of brushwood
and plants trying to overgrow one another. This for six
miles, then the road dipping down into hollows and
rising up short, abrupt steeps and brush- covered knolls,
rising sufficiently high to relieve the monotony.

1 74 • Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Accroful is their first station, situated on the crown
of a low hill, and in charge of a young officer only
recently out from an English military college, but
already tanned by the sun, and the victim of two or
three attacks of fever. Beyond Accroful, after crossing
a creek, they came to a perfect arbour, formed by the
stalks of two rows of bamboo clumps, where it was cool
and pleasant, — a beautiful relief from the glaring sun.
Now they find the road more sheltered by gigantic
trees, cotton-woods, and teak, ancLhere and there palms
with their graceful feathery leaves. Flowers are more
numerous, their rich colour delighting the eye, and their
fragrant aroma grateful to the nostril.

As they journey to Mansu, the forest grows denser
and loftier, the cotton-woods reaching to an extra-
ordinary height. It is all glade, for overhead the
branches have twisted and twined together so as to
form a mass of impenetrable leafage. There are steeps
and descents, up and down hills, and rivulets to
diversify the route. At -Mansu, Colonel Webber, of
the 2nd West India Eegiment, is found. There are
brave men commanded by him. It was necessary to
follow the retreating Ashantees on their way to the
Truli 1 liver, and ascertain whether any were lingering
behind. Two men of the regiment volunteered for the
service, one of considerable danger. They plunged into
the bush after the enemy, traced them to the river, and
having crossed it, wrote their names on a piece of paper,

The Askantee War. 175

and nailed the paper to a tree as proof that they had
performed their task faithfully.

' The march to Sutah, and thence to Yan Coomassie
(Assin),' writes one who accompanied the army, ' was
through a forest, where powers of description fail. In
density and wild luxuriance it eclipsed everything I have
ever seen in Africa. I do not suppose that anything in
Brazil even can give one a more thorough realization of
tropical luxuriance than a march through the district
that intervenes between Yan Coomassie (Assin) and
Mansu. Yet even through this forbidding region of
swamps and streams, shadowy forests and tangled
jungle, the engineers have laboured triumphantly to
our comfort, convenience, and health. Ay, what
languishing heaviness of soul fills a man, as he, a mere
mite in comparison, travels through the lofty and fearful
forest aisle ! If alone, there is an almost palpable silence
and his own heart - pulsations seem noisy. A night
darkness envelops him, and from above but the faintest
gleams of daylight can be seen. When he emerges out
of the depths of gloom and awesome shades, how like a
burst of dazzling glory appears the glaring daylight ! '

While the army was resting at Prahsu, a poor, sickly-
looking missionary made his appearance, Mr. Kuhne.
He had been forcibly detained in Coomassie since 1869,
as the king thought that both he and his brethren were
of value, and named a large sum for their ransom. He
had been treated with but little courtesy ; no permission

176 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

had been given him to preach, but he had done so
several times in the streets. The populace had treated
him at first with contempt; but when the king gave
permission to him to punish insolence with the whip,
more consideration was shown, and no little ingenuity dis-
played by some to exempt themselves from punishment.

•One would cry out, 'Know ye what ye do? I am
the king's shirt-washer ! I wash the king's robes ! I
ivash the king's feet ! '

While another would shout, ' My sister is one of the
king's wives ! '

He also informed Sir Garnet that the news of his
advance had created a great commotion in the capital,
and that his letter had been discussed in council, where
among other things the powers of the Gatling gun, as
described by those who had witnessed it, had excited
much wonder. ' It is a terrible gun,' they said, ' which
shoots all day. Nothing could stand before it; the
waters of the Prah ran back affrighted.' But even this
did not prevent the assembled chiefs from extolling
themselves and vaunting their courage. The tributary
king of Adansi sprang to his feet and shouted, ' Behold !
I am the king of the Adansis. Who can cross my
country without my permission ? ' Attifowah, a chief,
said, ' Lo ! I am strong, my warriors are brave, and
none can overcome me.' While another who had just
returned from the war, said, ' He who has seen no war
cannot show a scar.'

The Ashantee War. 1 77

Once again the army is on the move, the Prah is
crossed, and the soldiers find themselves involved in
the impenetrable shade of cotton - woods, teak, and
mighty tamarinds, with the dense jungle clustering
thickly around their trunks. The daylight was quite
eclipsed ; it was like marching through a kind of deep
monastic gloom. The atmosphere was heavy and
humid, only an occasional gust of wind cooled the
fevered cheek. 'Mile after mile was passed of this
forest. Sometimes the eye caught glimpses of broad-
fronded plantain stalks, or the tall feathery palm, or the
slender parasitical rattan, or a huge length — like a
monster serpent — of a gigantic liane, swinging in mid-
air, from tree to tree, which served to relieve somewhat
the dead monotony of the march.' It is forest every-
where ; it is constant marching in deep twilight.

Lord GifYord,. young, brave, and enterprising, while
struggling up the steep *cliff of Adansi, came in contact
with a detachment of the enemy under the king's head
scout, who warned him to turn back, saying, ' We have
no palaver with white men. Go back, we are not sent
to fight you. We may not fight until the king tells
us.' The Ashantees retreated before him, as he con-
tinued to advance, with reversed muskets. When he
gained the crest of the hill he found two white kids
impaled alive, and the head of a simiad on a stake ; and
at Quisah he saw the palpitating body of a woman just

beheaded. These cruelties were perpetrated in the name

M

178 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

of fetichism. At Fomannah, the capital of the Adansi
kingdom, he again came in contact with some Ashantees,
who once more warned him to turn back, saying, the
vengeance of the king would be most awful if the white
man angered him.

The intrepidity and daring of Lord Gifford was the
theme of general praise. Leading his scouts westerly
through the bush he came upon the king's road, down
which he marched, and reaching a village, he there gained
all the information he could concerning the various routes
to Coomassie. Information thus gained was immedi-
ately transmitted to head-quarters, and among other
items the fact that the village of Adubiassu was
occupied by a force under the king of Adansi, and
that three or four miles farther north was another
village still more strongly defended. A dash, by a
force under Major Kussell, was immediately made
upon it, and the place captured* without much trouble.
The attack was made with spirit, and was wonderfully
successful ; and although the enemy opened a brisk fire
as soon as they discovered the party advancing, not
a single casualty occurred. The village was soon in
flames.

The next village to be attacked was that of Borbor-
assi. The attacking force was under the command- of
Lieutenant-Colonel McLeod, and approached the doomed
village from three separate points. A two hours and a
half march through a forest, choked with jungly under-

The Ashantee War, 1 79

brush, brought them to the clearing. Fire was immedi-
ately opened upon the defenders ; but, taken by com-
plete surprise, they attempted only a feeble resistance,
breaking out from the village and taking shelter in trie
bush. Here, being as they thought safe, they attacked
the Naval Brigade on the left flank, but the gallant blue
jackets delivered so steady a fire into the bushes, that
the Ashantees' fire was soon silenced. Captain Nicol,
while gallantly leading his men to the attack, seeing a
group of the enemy, ran up to them, calling on them to
surrender ; but using the English language, he • was not
understood, and one of the Ashantees deliberately shot
him through the heart, which so infuriated his men,
that they opened a furious fire on the murderous
wretches, soon stretched many of them on the ground,
and pursued the rest far into the bush.

' The village of Borborassi was soon in possession of
the English. Some fo*wls, a couple of goats running
about the village, were especial objects of pursuit. Over
fifty Ashantee guns and twelve kegs of powder were
found and destroyed. Several objects of curiosity and
a small quantity of gold dust comprised the " loot " the
captors gained.'

While the forces were returning from this scene of
success, the Ashantees issued from the bush, where
they had remained concealed, and attempted to fall
upon the rear-guard ; but here they encountered the
Naval Brigade, and the men composing it, coolly

1 80 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

dropping on their knees, delivered such a fire that the
enemy were but too glad to beat a hasty retreat.

These little affairs were but preliminary to the deci-
sive battle of Amoaful, fought and won on the 31st of
January. Here the Ashantees were met and defeated
with immense loss. ' The enemy's utmost strength on
his own selected position proved unable to withstand
the steady and determined advance of the British
troops ; the cunning designs he had laid, as well as the
hopes he had cherished of being able to drive back the
invaders, have been frustrated by the sagacity and
bravery of his opponents.'

The camp was at Quarman village, and early in the
morning the 42nd Highlanders, or Black Watch, were
ready for action; the other regiments were quickly
afoot and soon in fighting trim. All began to move
under their respective leaders. Sir Garnet Wolseley
is smiling and cordial in his salutations; he has faith
in his soldiers. He is mounted, high above all, on a
Madeira carie-chair, borne on the shoulders of four
burly and semi-nude Fantees. He looks a conspicuous
object for a larking enemy in the bush.

' As the line extended itself into greater length along
the road, the progress became very slow. It wound in
coils as it followed the sinuosity of the path, and
uncoiled itself slowly as a straight stretch of the road
permitted it. We seemed to be marching to every
alternate beat of the second hand of our watches, so

The A shan fee War. 181

slow the long procession moved on. The road was but
five feet wide, barely that, yet we were in double files.'

The 42nd Highlanders head the centre column, fol-
lowed by artillery ; on either flank is the Naval Brigade,
followed by artillery, and then other regiments. Half-
way between Quarman and Amoaful is the village of
Egginassie. The road leads through dense dark bush
both to left and right. The march is orderly and
slow. Suddenly a faint rumbling and detonating
sound pulsates through the thick curtains of woods.
' They have begun !' is the cry. ' Yes, the ball is
opened!' answers another. Yes, it was quite true.
Lord Gifford's scouts were feeling the enemy. The
firing begins to get warm ; the 42nd are engaged. This
in the rear. An officer of the 42nd now rides up to Sir
Garnet to communicate news ; all see he is wounded.
The news is told, and away he goes again.

The village of Egginassie is entered, Lord GifTord and
his scouts had carried it with a rush ; and here, right
at the entrance, the wounded and dying and dead sat
grouped or lay stretched out on the ground. Captain
Buckle is killed, shot through both heart and body.

' The front column, pushing on to occupy, the village
of Egginassie close after Gifford's scouts, had swept
across the open ground of the clearing and deployed
into position in the jungle. Eeserving its fire until
they encountered the enemy, the Highlanders had con-
tinued advancing until they had penetrated about 200

182 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

yards beyond the village, when the concealed enemy
suddenly revealed himself by firing into their faces from
cleverly contrived ambuscades. Henceforward the
Highlanders continue to sweep the bush in front of them
with steadily poured volleys, until they had silenced
the enemy's fire, during which pause the Engineer
labourers were pushed forward to cut the bush for a
further advance. When the labourers had succeeded
in clearing a space of ground in front, the Highlanders
moved forward until they discovered the enemy again.
The road to Amoaful from Egginassie served as a guide
to the wings spread out on each side of Rait's artillery,
which continued to move down in line with the infantry.
Whenever a favourable opportunity presented itself,
Captain Arthur Eait with his brave Houssas sent telling
shots. Thus Artillery and Highlanders slowly marched
down the sloping ground, driving the foe steadily out of
his numerous hiding-places, which he had constructed of
bush with a skill which almost defied detection by the
eye.

■ The best means of discovering his whereabouts were
found to be telling volleys from Sniders, and booming
rounds from the tiny 7-pounders, which sent their shots
with disastrous effect through the forest. At the bottom
of the slope ran a lazy stream, which coursed sluggishly
through expanses of morass, and over depths of black
slime. A hundred yards beyond this stream were seen
the sylvan huts which the Ashantees had constructed

The A shan tee War. 183

out of the boughs and plantain leaves. These huts
numbered hundreds, spread out far on each side of the
road.

' Such was the place the Ashantees chose to defend,
which they did with a pertinacity that won high praise
and admiration from the Highlanders. The soldiers
were put to their mettle, and the Houssas, as if catching
the fierce enthusiasm which animated the Scotch High-
landers, laboured with a vigour and energy not eclipsed
by any on the field. Captain Eait, halting at the same
altitude above the stream below, as the Ashantee camp
was on the other side of it, aimed his guns with such
good effect at the huts, that on passing them, the ghastly
heaps that met the sight, of rent bodies and disfigured
dead, bore a silent but significant testimony of the im-
portant service the Houssa artillery had contributed on
this day towards crushing the pride of the enemy.

' When the front column had dislodged the Ashantees
from their several positions, and finally driven them with
fearful loss from their camps, Sir Archibald Alison
pushed it forward ; and while bagpipes blew their most
strenuous notes, and the wild Highland cheers for victory
pealed through the forest, the whole line surged across
the stream, and swept up the opposite slope until the
outskirts of Amoaful were reached.

1 Here the Highlanders and Houssas, now animated
to the highest pitch of valour, rushed forward at the top
of their speed to the entrance of the broad avenue which

184 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

divides the town into two equal portions. As they ap-
peared within the town at the foot of this avenue, they
saw several excited groups of natives hurrying away
from it, some bearing away wounded chiefs, others
transporting their household property.

1 One group specially attracted the attention of Lieut.
Saunders, E.A., — that of four slaves carrying on their
shoulders the wounded body of their master, with two
others following closely behind. Aiming a shell at
them, the missile exploded but a few inches above their
heads and in the centre of the group, killing every soul
instantly. After a few more desultory shots, the capture
of the town of Amoaful was complete.'

This was only one aspect of the battle. The glorious
Scotch regiment had driven the foe from its front, and
elbowed him on against the right flank. This column
was speedily awakened from seeming inactivity into a
fierce blaze of excitement. The enemy soon crested the
forest-clad hill, on the slope of which the village of
Egginassie stood, and bore down on the right column
in force. Colonel Wood was taken to the rear with a
slug in his chest. The firing waxed terrific. The line
of the fighting right column, now hotly engaged with a
persistent foe, who crawls serpent-like closer and closer
to them, are not fifty yards away from Sir Garnet and
his staff, and the hail of slugs falls thickly around them.
Men of the right column feel this is the critical moment,
and that the tide of attack must be rolled back, or there

ThemAsJiantee War. 185

is nothing else left but an ignominious flight ; and so
the faithful Snider is plied with nervous rapidity. The
23rd Eoyal Welsh Fusiliers are ordered forward to the
support. There is not a break or pause in the firing ;
the sound is deafening. Two companies of the Rifle
Brigade are now ordered forward, with an emphatic
command to drive the stubborn enemy from his coverts ;
and soon the work is effectually done.

Then all at once brisk musketry firing is heard in the
rear along the road leading to Quarman. But this con-
tingency has been foreseen, and four companies of the
Rifle Brigade, hitherto unemployed, are quickly ordered
to the rear to defend the line of communication ; and
soon the cessation of musketry firing in that direction in-
forms the general his orders have been promptly executed.
But the battle is not yet over, for a fresh force of
Ashantees, under one of their cleverest leaders, appears
to the right and left of Quarman. There Captain Burnet
lies severely ill with fever, but hearing the loud firing,
rises from his sick-bed, assumes command of the detach-
ment, fights them for several hours, when the Rifles come
to his assistance and effective work is done. The raging
foe, baffled at this point, attempts to make an impression
at Insarfu, two and a half miles farther in the rear, and
there they fought till midnight, to meet with nothing but
reverses. At 3 A.M. in the morning they again attempt
to carry Quarman, but again are repulsed. And at day-
break the Ash an tee army, beaten at every point, finally

1 86 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

gives up the contest and retires, having maintained a
long continuous battle of almost twenty hours' duration.

Around the Ashantee camp the dead were thickly
lying, some with most frightful wounds ; a great many
more were killed around and in Amoaful ; and many
who had been wounded had hurried to the town, and there
breathed their last. Many, no doubt, had been borne
away by their retreating friends, as it is their custom to
bear away their dead and wounded ; others again, when
wounded, and were able, would crawl into the dark
bushes for shelter, fearful of being decapitated. No
true estimate of their losses could be ascertained ; it was
variously estimated from 800 to 1200 killed, with as
many more wounded.

Such was the battle of Amoaful.

Then followed the capture of the town of Becquar on
February 2nd. The force employed for the work moved
out of Amoaful about eleven o'clock ; the distance was
only about a mile and a half, so that our men were soon
creeping quietly towards the entrance of the town.
* Presently sharp firing was heard in advance, and as
company after company took up the fire, and as we
began to move at a quick pace, we were in time to
observe the rapidly retreating forms of the Ashantees
as they fled around an angle of the main street and
darted into the bushes. At first they seemed disposed
to resist vigorously after they had recovered from their
surprise ; but the volleys upon volleys shot into them

The Ashantce War. 187

from each company of the advance, soon silenced them,
so that the main body was not employed at all. The
advance continued its march through the town to its
other extremity, until the colonel in command became
satisfied that there was not a single armed foe remain-
ing.' Then followed the search for ' loot,' after which
the place was ordered to be fired, and speedily every
thatch was blazing away right merrily, and the destruc-
tion of the place was assured.

The army now moved on the road to Coomassie. The
jungle which stretched on either hand contained many
bodies of the dead, the odour of death filled the air. As
the army progressed, it was continually harassed by an
unseen but active foe, and musketry and artillery were
constantly called into requisition. Village after village
was occupied, and in each were found the dreadful spec-
tacle of headless corpses, women or men or both, evenly
laid out with their feet towards Coomassie. This was
a warning to the invaders of the fate which awaited
them farther on. At length the Eiver Ordah was
reached ; the advance bivouacked on the northern bank
of the river, a mile and a half of forest intervening be-
tween it and a force of 10,000 or 12,000 Ashantees lying
at the village of Ordahsu.

The night passed on the banks of the Ordah was
not a pleasant one, for about dusk the rain fell and
continued falling till the men were thoroughly wet ; for
all their blankets and rugs had been left in the rear.

1 88 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

But the next day such discomfort was soon forgotten ;
for on this day was fought the battle of Ordahsu, and
Coomassie entered.

The first shot was fired just before eight in the morn-
ing, for the village of Ordahsu was but a mile and a half
from the night's resting-place ; and after the first shot
there was a continual firing, for as each, company ad-
vanced they joined in the work. The Eifle Brigade
carried the village ; then the baggage was rushed im-
mediately after the Eifles, and safely secured from
surprise by the enemy. Numbers of dead Ashantees
were soon littered about the entrance of the village.
Here, too, died Lieutenant Eyre. He had made himself
very popular to all, and beloved by many. The word
1 mother ' was the last sound heard from his lips as he
breathed his last.

The Ashantees, driven from the front, had surged on
the right flank, and then hurled themselves on the road
expecting plunder. Disappointed in this, by the masterly
tactics of Sir Garnet in securing the safety of the luggage,
they flung round both flanks of their enemy and furi-
ously attacked the rear ; but here they were met by the
Naval Brigade. In the midst of the fighting the order
was given for the 42nd Highlanders to carry the position
in front and march straight into Coomassie !

And the gallant regiment did it. They marched out
of the village into the gloomy forest by a road ambus-
caded on either side, and soon the enemy opened on

The Ashantee War. 189

them from his coverts. Then was heard the loud, clear
voice of their leader — \ Company A, first rank fire to
the right, rear rank fire to the left. Forward I ' And
right and left the volleys were fired, the men never
halting in their march, and the bagpipes never ceasing
to play ; while ever and anon rose the wild Highland
cheer. Then came Bait's artillery, hurling shot and
rockets to the right and left of the road. This kind of
warfare staggered the Ashantees, they could not under-
stand it ; but the loud blast of horns to the right and
in the rear seemed to announce that they felt them-
selves beaten, that the battle was lost.

Coomassie was entered at last. As the general arrived
at the market-place, hundreds of wondering Ashantees,
with weapons in their hands, regarded him and his men
with surprise. These were treated kindly. In a wide
and noble street, half a mile long, stood the gallant 42nd
Highlanders drawn up quietly in line, awaiting the arrival
of the general ; and when he appeared before them, such
a victorious shout arose as must have thrilled his heart
with joy.

The capital of the Ashantee kingdom was taken.
The king had fled.

There was one dread spot which many of the victori-
ous army did not fail to visit; it was the Golgotha of
Coomassie. ' Passing down the main street/ says one,
' we came to the grove, whence a terrible effluvia issued,
which caused all men in Coomassie to describe the place

190 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

as a vast charnel-house. A narrow footpath led into
this grove, and now the foul smells became so suffocating
that we were glad to produce our handkerchiefs to pre-
vent the intolerable and almost palpable odour from
mounting into the brain and overpowering us. After
some thirty paces we arrived before the dreadful scene,
but it was almost impossible to stop longer than to take
a general view of the great Golgotha. We saw some
thirty or forty decapitated bodies in the last stages of
corruption, and countless skulls which lay piled in
heaps and scattered over a wide extent. The stoutest
heart and the most stoical mind might have been
appalled/

Strange reports had been heard of this death-grove by
the army, and one of the released captives said he had
seen some two or three hundred slaves slain at one time,
as customary after the death of the king's sister. And
during his long residence he had frequently seen as
many as a dozen slaves executed in the most barbarous
manner and dragged to the grove, now filled with the
relics of butcheries which had been going on year
after year. It was time such a kingdom should be
humbled to the dust.

And humbled it was, for the king's palace was
blown up, and the whole city of Coomassie given
to the flames. Then the conquering army marched
for the coast.

A treaty of peace was drawn up, and signed on behalf

The Ashantee War. 1 9 1

of Her Majesty by Sir Garnet Wolseley, and by Sahee
Enquie on behalf of the Ashantee king ; in which,
among other things, the king promised to pay 50,000
ounces of gold, and relinquish all claims of supremacy
over Elima or any other of the British forts and posses-
sions on the coast.

CHAPTER X.

THE ZULU WAR.

The Zulu war of 1879 presents many interesting features
and exciting incidents, from which we can only select
a few as illustrative of its character ; it was one that
carried grief and mourning to many a happy English
home. Men and officers alike fought well, but the
number of officers who met their death was so great as
to seem out of proportion to that of the soldiers. And
the foe proved no despicable one ; he met death fear-
lessly and bravely, and at last was only conquered by
the superior discipline and weapons of his adversaries.

First let us say something about the Zulus them-
selves. The nation is one of two great races of Kafirs
or South-east native Africans, inhabiting all the portion
oV that continent which looks towards the Indian
Ocean, from near the Great Kei Eiver to near Delagoa
Bay. The Zulus altogether may number (before the
war commenced) about 600,000 souls, half of which
resided within the province of Natal, the other half in

the independent kingdom of Cetewayo, situated to the

102

The Zulu War. 193

north of the Tugela, and extending almost to Delagoa
Bay.

Since the days of Chaka, the Zulus have been
regarded as the one military race of South Africa. At
the time of the outbreak of the war it possessed a force
of about 40,000 men, to some extent organized and
fairly well equipped. This army was divided into
several regiments, varying in strength from 400 to 2000,
and each commanded by a chief. Every male of the
nation became a soldier at the age of fifteen, and con-
tinued to serve all his life. As nearly as possible, the
regiments were composed of men of the same age, new
ones being formed from time to time by recruits, the
colour of their shields distinguishing them from the
more veteran corps. Years back their arms consisted of
a bundle of light assegais for throwing, a short heavy
one for the purpose of stabbing, a kind of knobstick
(knobkerrie), and a shield; but at the time of the
outbreak of the war many of the regiments were
furnished with breech-loading rifles, when the shield
was discarded but the stabbing assegai retained. In
1873, at the principal military kraal, a small powder
factory was established and a magazine built, the latter
being called ' Mainze-kauze,' which being interpreted
meant, ' Let the enemy come now/

In this army a soldier was strictly prohibited from
marrying without the king's consent. Every now and
again the monarch would order a whole regiment to

N

194 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

marry, himself selecting their wives, and these from the
daughters of men of some particular regiment. Every
year each regiment was called out for a month's train-
ing, wThich was said principally to consist in hunting
and dancing. There were twenty military kraals in the
kingdom, and during the month of training the troops
were quartered in these. Discipline was strictly en-
forced, cowardice on every occasion being punished by
death. The women took their share in the work of the
army, being entrusted with the commissariat ; and often
in carrying supplies to the army in the field, they would
walk as many as forty or fifty miles a day.

A love of fighting was, and is still, innate in a Zulu ;
he possessed a firm conviction in his own invincibility.
His tactics in the field were very simple. Advancing
in a line the light assegai was thrown, then seizing the
stabbing assegai he would rush in and maintain a
hand-to-hand fight with his enemy. This mode of
attack has now been modified by the use of firearms.
Such were the Zulus when war was declared against
them by the Imperial Government.

The British and Colonial forces crossed the Tugela
River on January 11th, and the following day had their
first brush with the enemy. The affair lasted for an
hour, when the Zulus broke and fled, leaving forty of
their number dead and many prisoners. But later on,
direful news reached England of a terrible reverse that
had befallen the invading army, which was fully con-

The Zulu War, 195

firmed by Lord Chelmsford's letter. This was 110 less
than the terrible struggle at .Isandula, a little relieved
by the heroic defence of Eorke's Drift.

It appears that on January 21st, Colonel Glyn, in
command of the third column, sent away the advance
guard under command of Major Dartnall ; very soon
news was received that it was engaged with the enemy ;
then Lord Chelmsford and Colonel Glyn pushed forward
the main body, leaving Colonel Pulleine in command of
the rear-guard. On the 22nd this rear-guard, stationed
about twelve miles from Eorke's Drift at Isandula, had
finished its usual morning march, and outspanned,
when Zulu skirmishers were observed on the surrounding
hills. These skirmishers advanced towards the camp,
keeping up a desultory fire. The camp was pitched in
a broken country in a sort of valley, with distant
surrounding hills. Colonel Pulleine sent skirmishers,
who responded to the fire of the Zulus. The enemy's
number was not estimated ; it was merely considered a
slight demonstration. But it was soon seen that their
scouts were joined by bodies of considerable strength.
The skirmishers were recalled, and the camp hastily put
upon the defensive. 'The Zulu army then came on
rapidly in regular battalions, eight deep, keeping up a
heavy steady fire, until well within assegai distance.
They then ceased their fire and hurled assegais. Our
men kept up a very steady, telling fire, and great
numbers of the enemy dropped, but without checking

196 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

their progress. The places of the men who fell were
constantly filled by comrades.

• While this attack was going on in the rear, a double
flank movement was executed, by which the horns of
the Zulu army surrounded the camp. The disadvantage
of the waggons not being packed in laager was now
evident, and it led to the disaster. Our men had
emptied their pouches, and found it impossible to
replenish them, as the enemy had obtained possession
of the ammunition waggons. The affair then became
one of absolute butchery. Our officers and men were
assegaied where they stood. They made no charges. The
Zulu host came down with the weight of its battalions, and
literally crushed the small body, which could only defend
itself with the bayonet, and very soon it had not even
room to use that. The Zulus picked up the dead bodies
of their comrades and hurled them on the bayonet points
of our soldiers, thus simply beating down all defence.

' The work of destruction was complete. Within two
hours from the time the Zulu skirmishers were seen,
there was not a living white man in the camp. The
ammunition, the guns, the commissariat supplies, the
waggons, the oxen, all the material of the column, fell
into the hands of the enemy. Fortunately two cannons
were spiked by Captain Smith, R.A., who was assegaied
whilst in the act of spiking. The Zulus earned away
all the ammunition and some waggons, and destroyed
whatever was left behind. -

The Zulu War. 197

1 Mr. Young, an officer belonging to Lonsdale's Con-
tingent, who had been wounded in a skirmish some
days previously, happened to be at the camp of Isan-
dula, where his brother was superintending the return
of the 23rd- to Pietermaritzburg. Being invalided and
not connected with any regiment, he fired a rifle from
a corner of the waggon until he had exhausted his
ammunition. Being unable to obtain a further supply,
and having no weapon whatever, he saw it was useless
for him to remain any longer. Happily for him he had
got a good horse, and a desperate dash carried him
thro.ugh a weak point in the enemy's cordon just in
time. He was chased by the Zulus, who were swift
runners, but could not get up with him. Looking back,
he saw our men, completely surrounded, firm as a rock,
falling rapidly, but fighting to the last. The loud yells
of the Zulus filled the air. There was no other noise
except their demoniac shrieks, as the awful work was
done with the short stabbing assegai.

'The place Young escaped through was, a minute
after he passed it, completely blocked. He saw it was
impossible to pierce the dense masses of Zulus between
him and the Drift, so he made for a point on the river
lower down, where he found no Zulus. He had, however,
to jump the cliff, happily only ten feet high. If it had
been a hundred he must have jumped it, as his pursuers
were not far behind. His horse, having swam a few
yards, was able to ford the rest of the river. He rode to

198 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Helpmakaar. A few of the Natal Native Contingent
and others were drowned in attempting to swim, but
some were saved.

1 Mr. Young says that the way in which the men
were surrounded and crushed down by weight of
numbers caused their utter annihilation. The great
wonder was that so few men — for there were only about
600 men in the camp, excluding natives who ran, and
not including Colonel Durnford's mounted men, under
Captain Barton, who did fight well — were able in the
open, and with no protection or cover, to keep off for
four or five hours the large number of Zulus that must
have attacked them. The line of Zulus which came
down the hills to the left was nearly three miles long,
and must have consisted of over 15,000 men ; while a
body of over five thousand remained on the top as a
reserve, and took no part in the action, but simply
drove off the captured cattle, waggons, and plunder.

'When they moved away, they took most of their
dead bodies with them in our waggons, the contents
of which — flour, sugar, tea, biscuits, mealies, and oats —
were scattered about and wasted in pure wantonness.
On the ground there were also dead horses, shot in
every position, oxen mutilated, mules stabbed ; while
lying thick upon the ground in clumps were the bodies
of the white men, with only their boots and shirts on,
or perhaps an old pair of trousers, or part of their coats,
with just enough showing to indicate to which branch

Graphic Scenes in African Story.— Page 199.

The Zulu War. 199

they belonged. In many cases they lay with sixty or
seventy rounds of empty cartridges alongside them
showing they had only died after doing their duty.'

After this terrible combat a scene of utter confusion
seems to have occurred, — horse and foot, black and
white, English and Zulu, all in a struggling mass,
making gradually through the camp towards the road,
where the Zulus already closed the way of escape. Of
what happened during that half-hour even those who
lived to tell could remember but little. Every man who
had a horse attempted to escape towards the river;
those who had none died where they stood. One of
the few saved was Lieutenant Smith- Don ien; he
describes his flight to the Buffalo, of which he

' The ground there down to the river was so broken
that the Zulus went as fast as the horses, and kept
killing all the way. There were very few white men.
They were nearly all mounted niggers of ours flying.
This lasted till we came to a kind of precipice down
to the River Buffalo. I jumped off and led my horse
down. There was a poor fellow of the mounted infantry
struck through the arm, who said as I passed that if I
could bind up his arm and stop the bleeding he would be
all right. I accordingly took out my handkerchief and
tied up his arm. Just as I had done it, Major Smith, of
the Artillery, came down by me, wounded, saying, " For
God's sake, get on, man ; the Zulus are on the top of

200 Graphic Scenes in African Story,

us ! " I had done all I could for the wounded man,
and so turned to jump on my horse. Just as I was
doing so the horse went with a bound to the bottom
of the precipice, being struck with an assegai. I gave
up all hope, as the Zulus were all round me finishing
off the wounded, the man I had helped and Major
Smith among the number. However, with the strong
hope that everybody clings to that some accident would
turn up, I rushed off on foot and plunged into the
river, which was little better than a roaring torrent.
I was being carried down the stream at a tremendous
pace, when a loose horse came by me, and I got hold
of his tail, and he landed me safely on the other bank,
but I was too tired to stick to him and get on his
back. t

1 1 got up again and rushed on, and was several times
knocked over by our mounted niggers, who would not
even get out of my way ; then up a tremendous hill,
with my wet clothes and boots full of water. About
twenty Zulus got over the water and followed us up
over the hill, but I am thankful to say that they had
not their firearms. Crossing the river, howrever, the
Zulus kept firing at us as we went up the hill, and
lulled several of the niggers all round me. I was the
only white man to be seen until I came to one who had
been kicked by his horse, and could not mount. I put
him on his horse and lent him my knife. He said he
would catch me a horse. Directly he was up he went

The Zulu War. 201

clear away. I struggled into Helpinakaar, about twenty
miles off, at nightfall.'

One of the bravest episodes in this memorable fight was
the attempt made by Lieutenants Melville and Coghill
to save the colours of the regiment. When all hope was
lost, the cry was raised, ' Save the colours ! ' They were
seized, and' the two officers fought desperately to get
clear of the enemy thronging around them on every
side. They succeeded in crossing the Buffalo, then
very swollen ; but while so doing, the colours were
washed from their grasp. Climbing the steep cliff
which forms the right bank of the river, the two heroes
were both shot. The poet has well described the gallant
exploit : —

• " Save the colours ! " shrieks a dying voice, and lo !
Two horsemen breast the raging ranks, and go—
(In thy sacred list, 0 Fame !
Keep each dear and noble name !)
See, they flash upon the foe,

Fierce as flame ;
And one undaunted form
Lifts a British banner, warm
With the blood-rain and the storm of Isandula I

' ' ' Save the colours ! " and amidst a flood of foes,
At gallop, sword in hand, each horseman goes —
Around the steeds they stride
Cling devils crimson-dyed,
But God ! through butchering blows,

How they ride !
Their horses' hoofs are red
With blood of dying and dead,
Trampled down beneath their tread at Isandula I

202 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

' " Save the colours ! " They art saved, and side Ly side
The horsemen swim a raging river's tide.
They are safe — they are alone —
But one, without a groan,
After tottering, filmy-eyed,

Drops like stone ;
And before his comrade true *

Can reach his side, he too
Falls, smitten through and through at Isandijla ! '

The colours, which had been so heroically fought for,
were afterwards recovered. A party, commanded by
Major Black, went out from the camp at Eorke's Drift,
and following the downward course of the Buffalo River
for some time, then crossed at a drift where fugi-
tives from Isandula had attempted to cross, but
perished in the attempt. Nearly half a mile from the
river lay the bodies of Melville and Coghill; about
500 yards below, the colours were found, with the pole
complete, injured by the action of the rapid stream,
but otherwise untouched, the gilt lion and crown sur-
mounting the poles ; and the colour case was found a
few yards lower down.

After the fatal fight of Isandula, in fact the same
evening, the gallant defence of Eorke's Drift occurred.
It was left in charge of Lieutenants Bromhead and
Chard, with but few men. Fortunately they had been
warned of the threatened danger by Lieutenant Coghill,
who had been despatched from Isandula for reinforce-
ments. Seeing an attack was imminent, a barricade
was hastily thrown up under Lieutenant Chard's direc-

The Zulu War. 203

tions. For this purpose everything available was
brought into requisition, bags full of meal, biscuit tins,
and other articles belonging to the commissariat stores.
Part of the time this was being done the men were under
fire, liut encouraged by the cheery voices and active
examples of their officers, they worked with a will.
Soon after darkness had enveloped the little camp, the
attack began by at least 3000 Zulus.

. For the greater part of the night the fight was main-
tained with a courage worthy of all praise. Six times
the Zulus got inside the barricade, and as often were
they driven out at the point of the bayonet. While
this was going on, another body of Zulu troops made
their way to the rear of the military hospital, which
they set on fire, killing and burning five patients, and
destroying all the medical stores. One man had a
narrow escape. He succeeded, by much adroitness,
aided by good fortune, in getting away from the burn-
ing hospital and crept into the bush ; there he lay all
night exposed to the fire of the enemy on both sides.

At the little barricade the Zulus fought with an
infuriated zeal; they were even daring enough to
advance right up to the loopholes and attempt to seize
the muzzles of the rifles, while they at the same time
made desperate thrusts at the defenders with their
assegais. But fight as they would, the heroic little
band were not to be defeated. The enemy were suc-
cessfully held at bay until dawn began to break, when

204 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

they withdrew, leaving many dead near the entrench-
ment. As they withdrew, Lord Chelmsford's column
was seen approaching, and was enthusiastically hailed
by the gallant defenders, who at first mistook them
for another Zulu force. Says Colonel Crenlock :
'About 6.30 a.m. we reached Eorke's Drift, and saw
the smoke rising from the post. Too late ! too late !
But no ; from amidst the smoke we saw some figures
gesticulating, then a flag waved. Glasses out ! They
are redcoats ! Bussell and the mounted men are sent
forward, plunge into the river, and, scrambling out on
the opposite side, gallop up. A moment's doubt if it
be not a Zulu ruse. But no ; the morning breeze now
brings across the frontier river the glad sound of a
British cheer. We are not too late. There were 351
dead bodies found lying around, and sixty around and
in the burning hospital.'

The resistance experienced by the Zulus at Eorke's
Drift was wholly unexpected. No one, indeed, who
knew the conditions beforehand could have expected
that the post would be held ; and had it not been held,
there is no doubt that the enemy's forces would have
passed over to the camp at Helpmakaar, which was
practically undefended, and from thence again would
have descended upon the neighbouring villages. As
it was, the check received at Eorke's Drift, with their
losses at Isandula, staggered them. They went to their
homes with their plunder, but at the same time with

The Zulu War. 205

great gaps in their ranks ; and the non-return of so
many thousands cannot but have had a very dishearten-
ing effect upon the nation.

The war went on with varying success ; now the
British meeting with reverses, such as that which befell,
on March 12th, a convoy of one hundred men under
Captain Moriarty, which , was surprised by the enemy
at Intombi, and sixty of the men killed. The scene of
the surprise was a spot down a hollow, with long grass
sluits, and weeds around, so that the movements of the
enemy were easily masked. The surprise was most
successful, for the Zulus were able to reach the little
force unnoticed, and then do their work most effectively.
At other times the British made their prowess felt
in a way which taught the Zulus that they were not
so invincible as they had always hitherto deemed
themselves.

On March 27th an expedition started from Colonel
Wood's fortified camp at Kambula Hill ; it consisted of
the Frontier Light Horse and two other volunteer corps,
altogether one thousand men, under the command of
Colonel Buller; Six hours later another column started
under Colonel Russell. The object of the expedition
was to storm the Inhlobane mountain, a great Zulu
stronghold, where they had collected all their cattle.
Colonel Buller with his men had to go round to the
back of the mountain coming up from Zululand, as this
was the only accessible place for mounted men. On the

206 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

side nearest the camp Colonel EusselL had to go up and
meet Buller on the top. On his arrival at a certain
height, it was found he could not go up the slope to the
top, as it was full of immense boulders and stones, and
there was a wall built across by the enemy.

Meanwhile Colonel Buller had reached the place at
which he aimed, and sent some troops to hold a small
hillock on the left, to keep the fire down and cover his
advance. The place was in the shape of a horse-shoe,
and there was a ridge running up the centre. The whole
of this horse-shoe shape was filled with Zulus, firing
away under the coyer of rocks. Buller and his force,
by keeping on the left side of the ridge, were protected
from the fire coming from the right of the horse- shoe ;
but there was the fire from the left-hand side to be put
down. This the little detachment proceeded to accom-
plish, when their commander was killed by a ball
through the head. Buller, however, reached the top,
captured the cattle, and was going back again, when
he encountered an immense number of the enemy,
who came up the same way, and there was a regular
scramble to get down to where it was expected to find
Russell. How any got down was a wonder, with the
horses plunging madly, and the Zulus assegaying the
men. The Zulus, rushing among the cattle, drove them
in all directions, and this added greatly to the confusion,
so that the battle resolved itself into rather a series of
isolated fights than a general engagement. After four

The Zulu War. 207

hours' fighting, the rest of the cavalry extricated them-
selves, and all fell back on the camp.

This was the prelude to the next day's fight, when
Colonel Wood's camp was attacked by four Zulu regi-
ments. The camp was in a strong position : on a high
narrow ridge on one side of the camp was a precipice,
the other side being very steep ; in front there was a
long narrow open stretch of ground \ and immediately
in the rear of the camp, about 250 yards off, perched on
a small isolated eminence, 100 feet above, was a fort
with a deep ditch, mounting two guns. The camp con-
sisted of two laagers, an outside square one composed
of about ninety waggons, end to end, and an inner circle
of about fifty waggons, where the oxen were kept at
night. In addition to all this, the camp was entrenched
on three sides.

Against this strongly entrenched camp the Zulus
commenced an attack about four o'clock in the after-
noon, of March 29th. Colonels Buller and Eussell were
soon engaged with them, on the north side of the camp.
The enemy, however, proved too strong and determined
to be resisted, and Colonel Buller was compelled to fall
back inside the laager. The Zulus came on in great
force until within 300 yards of the entrenchment, when
a heavy fire was opened upon them by the men of the
13th Eegiment. This checked their advance upon the
front. The enemy now threatened the rear of the cattle
laager by a flanking movement. This was successfully

2o8 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

resisted by two companies under Major Hackett : then
the Zulus made an attack round the whole circuit of
the camp, their efforts being mainly directed against the
right and front rear. The attack continued with great
fierceness and resolution until half-past five, when the
enemy, who had suffered terribly, began to fall back.
Once commenced, the retreat was converted into a rout
by the cavalry under Colonel Buller, which sallied out
and fell upon them. For seven miles the pursuit lasted,
numbers of the enemy being killed. Their loss was
estimated at 3000 men.

Then followed the battle of Gingihlovo and relief of
Ekowe, where Colonel Pearson had been shut up since
January. Lord Chelmsford had fought his way from
the Lower Tugela. An attack was expected, and at
daybreak on the 1st of April he broke up his camp on
the right bank of the Amatikulu, and marched to Gin-
gihlovo. 'Here/ says a correspondent, 'we formed a
laager, and threw up strong entrenchments round the
camp. Soon after we had encamped, Colonel Pearson
flashed some signals to us that a large force of the
enemy was on the march, and that it would not be safe
for us to let our cattle graze outside the laager.

1 The night passed without alarms ; but at half-past
five in the morning large masses of the enemy were
sighted coming down from the north-east. They crossed
the River Inyezane, and as they came on they seemed
to cover the hills all round. They formed for attack in

The Zulu War. 209

a sort of crescent shape. The 60th Eifles covered the
front of the camp, sheltered behind entrenchments. To
their right was the Naval Brigade of the Shah, with
Gatlings placed in the entrenchments. Next came the
52nd, under Clarke. At the second corner were two
9-pounders ; the 91st held the rear line. At the next
corner were again some Gatlings, then came two com-
panies of the 91st, the companies of the 3rd Buffs, and
the 99th. Placed near the left rear was the rocket
battery, under Lieutenant Cane of the Shah.

1 The enemy pressed forward to the front at a great
speed, but were received by a tremendous fire from the
60th Eifles. In half an hour the onward rush was
checked at this point, and by 6.30 the 60th ceased firing,
the enemy having been here beaten back.

' Sweeping round to our right, the enemy then made
a determined effort to force their way in on that side,
but were met and checked by a tremendous fire from
the 57th and 91st. Nothing could be finer than the
manner in which these masses of Zulus, with their white
shields, their head-dresses of leopard skin and feathers,
and the wild ox-tails hanging from their necks, advanced,
assegai in hand, against our entrenchments. A few
fired a shot now and then, but as a rule they advanced
at a steady rush, keeping a sort of dancing step with
each other, upon our line of entrenchments. Notwith-
standing the tremendous musketry fire that they en-
countered, they pressed forward in the most gallant

210 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

manner, right up to our entrenchments, and it looked
for some time as if, in spite of the hail of fire from
our breech-loaders, they would force their way to the
entrenchments, and bring the matter to a hand-to-hand
fight. After a few minutes, however, the fire proved too
much for them, and they wavered and began to fall
back.

' At 6.30 Barrow's cavalry sallied from the camp in
front, and most gallantly charged the enemy, who, hidden
in the bush, were keeping up a scattered fire upon the
entrenchments. At ten minutes past seven, thfe flank
attack being repulsed, the native contingent left the
laager and fell upon the rear of the enemy, who were
now flying in all directions. At half-past seven all was
over, and one of the fiercest little fights that has ever
been witnessed came to an end. The victory was a
complete one. The next "morning the relief of Eke > we
was effected.'

The last great battle was that of Ulundi, fought on
July 4th. At six o'clock in the morning, the 2nd
Division, under Major-General Newdigate, with the
flying column of General Wood, crossed the Umvolosi
and occupied a position between Inodwengu and Ulundi.
Here it was attacked by a large Zulu army, which it
resisted in the formation of a hollow squaro, with
cavalry in the centre. 'The battle began,' says Dr.
Russell, 'at ten minutes to nine o'clock, the Zulus
advancing silently and steadily from all sides. Our

The Zulu War. 211

•

men were four deep, with" the first rank kneeling, and
the rear rank in reserve. The 90th on the left flank
of the square were ordered to throw up shelter, which
they did under fire, though, not so effectively as was
wished. At nine the firing became general. The noise
was deafening ; and the men behaved admirably. The
artillery practice was excellent, and to this mainly is-
attributed the enemy's repulse. Gunner Morshead,
though wounded in the leg, crawled to the Gatling
battery, and insisted on helping the sergeant to fill the
cartridge drums.

• As an instance of the intrepid manner in which the
Zulus" came to the attack, we counted only twenty-eight
paces from the front square to the nearest dead. One
Zulu came within thirty yards of the Gatling gun, and
when retiring was shot. The king's regiment suffered
heavily. Four regiments of the Amatongas took part
in the action. The Zulus were commanded by Dabu-
lamanzi on our right, and by Sirayo on our left. Dabu-
lamanzi was under fire for a considerable time. Our
staff was much exposed during the action, which lasted
for forty minutes. The lancers, whilst pursuing the
enemy, did great execution with their lances. James,
of the lancers, had a narrow escape. He charged two
Zulus, and both turned upon him. One of his assailants
threw an assegai and struck James's cross-belt, pene-
trating it, and inflicting a slight wound. After the
pursuit the mounted men were sent to burn the kraals

2 1 2 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

at Ulundi. Lord William Beresford was the. first in,
and has been gazetted in the force as Ulundi Beresford.
The king's kraal consists of a round belt of hut's eight
deep. The house is a thatched building, consisting of
four rooms' and a verandah. Nothing was found but
some empty gin, beer, and champagne bottles, and four
prisoners. It is stated that the king was present on a
distant hill, with a regiment and a half. He believed
that our men could not meet the Zulus in the open
ground. The estimated Zulu loss is fifteen hundred.'

Then followed Archibald Forbes' famous ride of more
than a hundred miles to convey Lord Chelmsford's
despatch to the nearest telegraph station. It was per-
formed in fourteen hours and entirely alone, over a
rugged and mountainous country without any proper
roads, and with no small risk of being cut off by the
straggling bands of the enemy dispersed all over* Zulu-
land after the rout of their main army, or probably still
lurking about the British rear, and along the route of
communications, for the plunder of occasional convoys.
All through the night Mr. Forbes rode ; it was dark with
a thick fog, and he twice lost his way and had to retrace
his steps, but finally succeeded in the accomplishment
of his purpose.

The pursuit and capture of Cetewayo ended the Zulu
war. The king had been a fugitive since the defeat of
his army at Ulundi. A pursuit was at once organized
under the immediate command of Lord Giflbrd, who so

The Zulu War. 213

cleverly managed the affair that he ran his victim to
earth at a kraal on the Black Umvolosi. Major Marter
went straight to the hut in which the king was hiding,
and called on him to come forth and surrender. ' No,
you come in to me/ was the reply. The order was again
given for him to come forth ; then creeping out, he stood
up among the soldiers with stately composure. One
sought to lay his hands upon him, but he waved the man
back disdainfully, saying, ' White soldier, let me be ! '
He then asked to be shot. This was not done. He
seems to have suffered his capture partly through weari-
ness and exhaustion, partly because he felt himself
hemmed in, and partly through one of the fits of morose
and sullen resignation which at times seized him.

One of the saddest episodes in this sad war was the
death of the Prince Imperial. He went out both as
spectator of, and actor in the war ; and on the 1st of
June joined a small expedition sent on a reconnaissance.
The Prince dismounted to take some sketches, and while
thus engaged, and his escort already in the act of
mounting, the alarm was given that the enemy was at
hand ; he endeavoured to seize the bridle, but his horse,
startled by the sudden confusion, eluded his -grasp ; he
then attempted to escape on foot, but was speedily over-
taken and savagely slain. When found, the body
showed several gaping wounds, and was partly stripped.
The ex-Empress made a pilgrimage to the spot; a
monument now adorns the place where he fell.

CHAPTER XI.

THE THANSVAAL WAR.

Much to the discontent of the Boers, and in direct
opposition to the majority, the Transvaal Republic of
South Africa was annexed to the British Empire in
April 1877. Petitions against this annexation were
numerously signed, and two deputations were even
sent to England to protest against what was callecl an
act of injustice. But all in vain, the English Govern-
ment turned a deaf ear to all protestations and remon-
strances ; the act was done and could not be undone,
the Transvaal must remain an integral portion of the
British Empire. The Boers did not think this, they
remained unconvinced and dissatisfied ; and at last, in
the year 1880, rose in rebellion, threw off the hated
yoke, and proclaimed a Republic.

In the war which followed, the Boers proved them-
selves to be valiant and brave men, but not always
honourable in their conduct, resorting at times to
treachery to gain their end. Great discredit was
thrown on their cause, at the very commencement of

214

The Transvaal War. 215

hostilities, by the massacre of the 94th Eegiment at
Bronker's Spruit. The regiment was on the march,
with the band gaily playing, when several hundred
Boers were seen advancing towards them. A halt was
immediately made, and the music silenced. Three men
rode from the midst of the enemy, one of them carrying a
flag of truce, which the colonel advanced to meet. After
speaking to the bearer of the flag, he turned his horse,
and was returning slowly back to his own men, when
a shot was fired, followed immediately by volley after
volley. Although taken at a disadvantage, the English
made what defence they could; but officers and men
fell fast, and the order was given to cease firing. The
Boers directly rushed forward, and snatched the rifles
from the soldiers' hands, took their belts away, and
pulled the boots from off the dead and wounded. It
has been said that they even fired into the waggons
containing the women and children, — killing one of the
former, — who tried to save themselves by crouching
behind some boxes which a sergeant piled up for their
protection. It is supposed the leaders of the rebellion
disapproved of this violation of the rules of war, for
afterwards the soldiers taken prisoners were released
and sent to Pretoria. Not a good commencement of
the war.

The method of fighting adopted by the Boers of
South Africa is somewhat singular. 'They are,' says
one writer, 'to a man, bold and expert horsemen, as

2 1 6 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

well as good marksmen with the rifle ; and it is their
practice in war, just as in hunting lions or any other
fierce wild beasts, to ride up within shooting distance,
quickly dismount, fire deliberately at the approaching
foe, then at 'once remount and gallop off, but only far
enough to gain time for reloading, — as few of them
possess breech-loaders, — after which they return to the
charge, and deliver a second shot. But in the defence
of a position which affords some cover, they will lie
down or crouch behind the shelter, and take a most
careful aim ; still keeping their horses " knee-haltered "
by a thong attached to the reins, close at hand, ready to
ride away from pursuit.'

This method of fighting turned out to be one singularly
disastrous to the British troops, as was fully proved at
the battle of Laing's Neck, the first really serious affair
in which the opposing forces met in conflict; it was
called a repulse, but the loss in both men and officers
was serious indeed. • '

It was on Friday, January 28th, that General Sir
George Pomeroy Colley commenced his march against
the Boers on the Transvaal frontier. The Boers had
fixed on a strong position at a place called Laing's
Neck, six miles north of the Hatley's Hotel, on the road
that proceeds almost due north from Newcastle, in
Natal, to a point where several different roads branch
off into the Transvaal. It received its name from a
deserted farm on the heights above the upper stream of

The Transvaal War. 217

the Buffalo, which descends here from the Drakenberg
mountain range. It was in order to convey speedy-
relief to the beleaguered English garrisons — Standerton,
on the Vaal Kiver, and Pretoria — that Sir George
Colley moved from his camp and attacked the Boers'
position. And it was here the troops met with a severe
repulse.

' Leaving the main road about half a mile to our left/
wrote the General, ' and crossing a deep valley imme-
diately under our camp, the column moved towards the
enemy's position, along an open ridge out of shot of the
hills, and formed up on a rise directly opposite, and
from 2800 to 2500 yards distant from Table Hill,— the
guns in the centre, the 60th Eifles, Naval Brigade, and
Natal Mounted Police on. the left, the 58th Kegiment
and mounted squadron on the right. Prom near the
eastern end of the Table Hill a spur runs forward in a
southerly direction, falling steeply, almost to the level
of the ground occupied by us, and then rising again
with easy and open slopes to an isolated and conical
hill 1500 yards distant from the Table Hill, and over-
looking our right at about the same distance. This hill
was occupied by a picket of the enemy, probably from
100 to 200 strong. Had the force at my disposal been
sufficient, I would have commenced by taking this hill
with my infantry; but to have done so would have
entailed a wide turning movement, and would have too
much extended, my small force. I determined therefore

2i8 Graphic Scene's in African Story".

to attack the spur directly, covering the attack with
artillery fire, and protecting the right or exposed flank
of the infantry with the mounted corps. The face of
the spur was very steep, but hidden from view or fire,
except from the slopes of the isolated hill already
mentioned.

' At half-past nine o'clock I commenced the action by
shelling different parts of the enemy's position, and
pushing forward a company of the 60th Eifles and the
Naval Brigade, with their rockets, into some enclosed
ground on the road, about 1200 yards from the Neck.
From this point the Naval Brigade sent rockets with
good effect on the Neck, and among the Boer reserves
and horses collected behind. A sharp fire was soon
opened on this force from the wooden kloof beyond the
road ; but, as the men were well posted under cover of
a stone wall, our casualties here were few.

* When this force had become engaged, the 58th
Regiment, under Major Hingeston, moved forward to
attack the spur, covered on their right by the mounted
squadron under Major Brownlow, and by the fire of the
artillery, which was now concentrated on this side of
the enemy's position. Colonel Deane personally led
this attack. The mounted squadron, moving on the
right of the infantry, gradually drew up the slope of the
isolated hill and charged. This charge was splendidly
led by Major Brownlow, who, with Troop Sergeant-
Mnjor Lunny, was first on the ridge. Major Brownlow's

The Transvaal War, 219

horse was shot under him, as was that of Lieutenant
Lermitte, and Serge ant-Major Lunny was instantly
killed ; but Major Brownlow shot the Boer leader with
his revolver, and continued to lead his men, who now
crowned the ridge. Could he have been promptly
supported, the hill was won, for the Boers had already
begun to retire, and many had run to their horses. But
the fire was still heavy, and the hill was steep, while
many of the horses of the mounted troops were quite
untrained to fire. The support troop was checked ; the
leading troops, fatigued and broken by the charge, with
its leaders all down, could not push on, and the whole
gave way down the hill.

1 Meanwhile the 58th Eegiment had begun to climb
the steep ascent of the spur, when the Boers on the
isolated hill, having repulsed the cavalry attack, moved
down the ridge and opened fire on the right rear of the
infantry now exposed, the enemy on the Table Hill at the
same time collecting to resist them at the brow of the
hill. The 58th now pushed on eagerly, forming a few
men to the right flank to return the enemy's fire. But
the climb was a very trying one, and when the men got
near the top they were too fatigued and breathless for a
charge, while the fire from the ridge behind continued
to tell heavily, and the Boers on the brow shot down on
the men as they struggled up. The officers led nobly,
and Colonel Deane, with splendid gallantry, tried to
carry the hill by a rush. His horse was shot, but he

220 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

extricated himself, and dashed forward on foot, fell,
riddled with bullets, ten yards in front of the foremost
man. Major Poole, who joined him in the charge, with
two lieutenants were killed close by him; and Major
Hingeston, commanding the 58th Eegiment, and all the
mounted officers of the regiment, were shot down or
dismounted.

1 The men continued to hold their ground unflinchingly
for some time ; but the ground was too unfavourable and
the fire too severe, and ultimately the regiment was
compelled to retire, covered for some time by the fire
of two companies posted behind a slight ledge. Part of
the 60th pushed forward to cover the retirement, and
the 58th, which had fallen back leisurely, without haste
or confusion, re-formed at the foot of the hill, and
marched back into position in as good order and with as
erect and soldierly bearing as when it marched out.

' The main attack having failed, it became necessary
to withdraw the advanced parties on the left. This was
done without loss, though the Boers began to show in
increasing numbers on that flank, and the force was
re-formed on its ground. I remained on this ground for
some time, partly to direct the removal of the wounded,
and partly that the enemy might attempt to follow up
his success. But as the Boer commander would not
allow me to send succour to the wounded on the hill so
long as I maintained my advanced position, I withdrew
slowly to the camp in the afternoon. All the wounded,

The Transvaal War. 2 2 1

and the bodies of the dead officers, were brought into
camp that evening ; and the dead were buried under
a flag of truce, some of them that evening, and the
remainder next day.'

Such was the battle of Laing's Neck. The opposing
force was estimated to amount to 2000 ; their losses
could not be estimated, but were supposed to be com-
paratively small, as they fought mostly under cover in
well-sheltered positions. Sir G. Colley did his adversaries
the justice to say, that they fought with great courage
and determination. Some of the fighting was at short
ranges, but the Boers showed no fear of the troops, but
rather advanced to meet them.

After this repulse, General Colley awaited in his
camp near Hatley's Hotel for reinforcements; but while
waiting, he gained the unwelcome intelligence that
the enemy were threatening his rear on the road to
Newcastle, eighteen miles distant ; indeed, a large force
had already made its appearance there, intercepting,
the mails, waggon convoys, and ambulances conveying
the wounded to the hospital; and, as Newcastle was
practically undefended, and might fall into the enemy's
hands, Sir George determined to attack and disperse
them. The following is an account of this engagement on
the Ingogo, otherwise called that of Schain's Hoogte : —

' On Tuesday morning, February 8th, General Colley
moved out from the camp with five companies of the
GOth Eifles, numbering 500 men, two field and two

222 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

mounted guns, and a detachment of mounted men pat-
rolled the road. To cover the passage over the Eiver
Ingogo, a company of the 60th, with two mounted guns,
was left on a commanding height ; the rest of the column
crossed the river and passed on to a ridge of hills, from
which a large body of the enemy were seen about four
hundred yards off. The 60th Eifles extended in
skirmishing order,, and took up position along the ridge,
whilst the main body made for and obtained possession
of a plateau, — about four acres of flat land. In the
meantime the Boers, numbering about 100 horsemen,
extended along a ridge rather lower than that taken up
by the British.

' The nine-pounder field-pieces opened fire, but were
not of much use, the elevation being too high ; but the
fire had the effect of causing the Boers at once to
relinquish their position and rush to the nearest dongas
for shelter. The rifles then opened fire, and the nine-
j>ounders still continued in action. The Boers, having
gained the shelter of the dongas, replied with a heavy
fusillade, directing the principal part' of their fire upon
the artillerymen ; and both horses and men began to fall
rapidly. Captain Grier was killed early in the action,
and Lieutenant Tarsons, who thereupon took charge of
the guns, behaved with the greatest coolness.

'At first the Boers had only attacked from three
sides, but about two hours after the commencement of
the fight they gradually got to the remaining side and

The Transvaal War. 223

kept up a dropping fire. The General and his staff
were in the middle of the hill, where few shots reached.
The Boers kept up a hot fire during the afternoon,
receiving reinforcements from time to time, while our
men looked in vain for the remainder of their men, with
the two seven-pounders, to come to their assistance.
The artillery, being stationed within five hundred yards
of the Boers' position, suffered severely. Men dropped
very fast, although the limber and dead horses were
taken advantage of for the cover they afforded. At four
in the afternoon a heavy thunderstorm came on. The
sufferings of the wounded, who were lying out in the
open, and were sadly in want of water, were very great..

•'From four to six o'clock the Boers kept up a telling
fire, insomuch that it was dangerous to show above
ground, and men were shot in a recumbent position.
Lieutenant Parsons was wounded whilst walking towards
the guns for the purpose of giving an order, and the 60th
Rifles were obliged to supply the place of gunners, as
man after man was hit. For six hours this kind of
warfare was carried on, the British troops having no
chance against the Boers in the way of shooting, the aim
of the latter being particularly deadly.

' Darkness was now coming on, and as the ammunition
of the British was running short, whilst the Boers were
constantly receiving supplies from their camp, it was
determined to retreat. At 9 p.m. the retreat was com-
menced, and a terrible time it seems to have been. Seven

224 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

of the 60th Eifles are reported to have been drowned in
recrossing the Ingogo, and the survivors did not reach
camp until seven o'clock on the following morning.
About fifty wounded were brought in ; but three times
that number were left upon the field, and, as soon as
possible, assistance was sent forward under a flag of
truce. The British troops are reported to have behaved
with great gallantry ; but they were too few in number
to do anything more than hold their own, whilst their
fire was never at any moment so effective as that of the
enemy. It is estimated that about 1000 Boers were
engaged.'

The third and last battle, the most disastrous, in this
unfortunate war was that of Majuba Hill, where the
General himself was killed. He had observed that this
hill, which overlooked the right of the enemy's position,
although held during the day by a Boer picket, was left
unoccupied at night, and had determined to seize and hold
the point at once, fearing that if he delayed any longer
the enemy might also discover its value, and intrench it
as they had done with Laing's Neck. Boer working
parties had been seen in close proximity to the top
during the day of February 26th ; so, to make possession
a certainty, the order was given for 180 Highlanders of
the 92nd Kegiment, 148 men of the 58th, 150 Eifles, and
70 Bluejackets to assemble at nine in the evening. They
marched off in silence three miles and a half from the
British camp, and had a long and toilsome climb of three

The Transvaal War. 225

hours to the top. They got there between four and
five in the morning, before daylight. They found them-
selves on a spacious plateau, some thousand yards round,
sloping gently downwards from the summit, where was
an oblong hollow basin, about 200 yards long by 60
wide, the rocky ridges of which constituted a kind of
natural citadel where they might prove impregnable. It
was not more than 2000 yards from the nearest Boer
intrenchment on Laing's Neck, and at an elevation of
2000 feet above them.

As soon as the men had recovered from the fatigue of
the climb, — and some were so overcome that when they
gained the top they fell down with exhaustion, — they
were posted, at intervals of ten paces, leaving the Naval
Brigade and fifty men of the 58th Regiment as a reserve
in the central hollow. When daylight came they looked
down on the Boers' encampment, — laagers formed of
waggons with tents inside. It was about seven o'clock
when the Boers perceived that the British were on the
top of the hill above them. This discovery seemed at
first to excite great alarm and confusion among them ;
they began to drive in their horses and cattle, and even
prepared to move their wTaggons. This was only a brief
panic, for soon some of them began climbing the hill.
Firing commenced at nine o'clock, on a part of the
summit held by Lieutenant Hamilton and only twenty
Highlanders. The commander of the Naval Brigade

was killed early in the morning by a chance shot ;

p

226 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

but during the whole of the morning the casualties
were few.

* We had been exposed/ says Mr. Cameron, ' to five
hours of unceasing fire, and had become accustomed to
the constant humming of bullets, which at noon almost
ceased, when the General, wearied with the exertions of
the previous night, lay down to sleep. Communication
by heliograph had been established with the camp, and
confidence in our ability to hold our own had increased
rather than abated. Lieutenant Hamilton, however, who
with his few men had been opposing the enemy alone
throughout the morning, did not share in the general
assurance. A little after twelve he came back from
his position for a few minutes to tell us, that having
seen large numbers of the enemy pass to the hollow
underneath him, he feared that they were up to some
mischief. Reinforcements were promised him, and he
returned to his post, but these did not reach him until
it was almost too late.

1 Shortly afterwards Major Hay, Colonel Stewart, Major
Eraser, and myself were discussing the situation, when
we were startled by a loud and sustained rattle of
musketry, the bullets of which shrieked over our heads
in a perfect hail. • Lieutenant Wright, of the 92nd,
rushed back, shouting for immediate reinforcements.
The General, assisted by his staff, set about getting
these forward, and then for the first time it dawned upon
us that we might lose the hill, for the soldiers moved

The Transvaal War. 227

forward but slowly and hesitatingly. It was only too
evident they did not like the work before them. By
dint of some hard shouting, and even pushing, they were
most of them got over the ridge, where they lay down
some distance behind Hamilton and his thin line of
Highlanders, who, although opposed to about 500 men
at 120 yards, never budged an inch.

1 It seems that the advance of the enemy had been
thoroughly checked, when one of our people — an officer,
I believe — noticing the Boers for the first time, ejacu-
lated, "" Oh, there they are ! quite close ! " and the words
were hardly out of his lips, ere every man of the
newly arrived reinforcements bolted back panic-stricken.
This was more than flesh and blood could stand, and the
skirmishing line under Hamilton gave way also, — the
retreating troops being exposed, of course, to the Boer
fire with disastrous effect.

' I was on the left of the ridge when the men came
back on us, and was a witness of the wild confusion
which then prevailed. I saw Macdonald, of the 92nd,
revolver in hand, threaten to shoot any man who passed
him ; and, indeed, everybody was hard at work, rallying
the broken troops. Many, of course, got away and dis-
appeared over the side of the hill next the camp j but
some 150 good men, mostly Highlanders, Bluejackets,
and old soldiers of the 58th, remained to man the ridge
for a final stand.

' Some of the Boers appeared, and the fire that' was

228 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

interchanged was something awful. Three times they
showed themselves, and three times they as quickly
withdrew — our men, when that occurred, at once stopping
their fire. I could hear the soldiers ejaculate, "We'll
not budge from this ! We'll give them the bayonet if
they come closer !" and so on ; but all the time dropping
fast, for Boer marksmen had apparently got to work in
secure positions, and every shot told, the men falling
back hit mostly through the head.

1 It was a hot five minutes, but nevertheless I thought
at the time we should hold our own. I expected every
minute to hear the order given for a bayonet charge.
That order unfortunately never came; although I am
sure the men would have responded to it. But our
flanks were exposed, and the enemy, checked in front,
were stealing round them. Across the hollow on the
side of the hill facing the camp we had no one, and
as the men were evidently anxious about that point,
frequently looking over their shoulders, Colonel Stewart
sent me over to see how matters were going on. There
I reported all clear, and, indeed, if the enemy had
attempted to "storm the hill on that face lie would have
been decimated by the fire of his own people, aimed
from the other side.

' We were most anxious about our right flank. It was
evident that the enemy were stealing round it, so men
were taken to prolong the position there. They were
chiefly Bluejackets, led by a brave young officer; ami, as

Graphic Scenes in African Story.— Pngt Um

The Transvaal War. 229

I watched them follow him up, for the third time that
day the conviction flashed across me that we should lose
the hill. There was a knoll on the threatened point, up
which the reinforcements hesitated to climb. Some of
them went back over the top of the plateau to the further
ridge, others went round.

1 By and by there was confusion on the knoll itself.
Some of the men on it stood up, and were at once shot
down ; and at last the whole of those who were holding
it gave way. Helter-skelter they were at once followed
by the Boers, who were able then to pour a volley into
our flank in the main line, from which instant the Hill of
Majuba was theirs. It was sauve qui pent. Major Hay,
Captain Singleton, and some other officers, were the last
to leave, and these were immediately shot down and
taken prisoners.

1 The General had turned round the last of all to walk
after his retreating troops, when he also was shot
dead, through the head. A minute or two previously
Lieutenant Hamilton had asked for a charge, as the men
would not' stand the fire much longer. Sir George
replied, " Wait until they come on ; we will give them
a volley and then charge;" but before that moment
arrived it was too late.

' To move over about 100 yards of ground under the
fire of some 500 rifles at close range is not a pleasant
experience, but it is what all who remained of us on the
hill that day had to go through. On every side, men

230 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

were throwing up their arms, and, with sharp cries of
agony, were pitching forward on the ground. At last we
went over the side of the hill.

' The Boers were instantly on the ridge above, and for
about ten minutes kept up their terrible fire on our
soldiers, who plunged down every path. Many, exhausted
with the night's marching and the day's fighting, unable
to go further, lay down behind rocks and bushes, and
were afterwards taken prisoners; but of those wTho
remained on the hill, to the very last, probably not
one in six got clear away. The Boers were everywhere
assisting our disabled men. Dr. Landon, who, when the
hill was abandoned by our panic-stricken troops, had
steadily remained by his wounded, was lying on the
ground with a shot through his chest. The Boers, as-
they rushed on the plateau, not seeing, or not caring for,
the Geneva Cross, had fired into and knocked over both
him and his hospital assistant ; so there was only one —
Dr. Mahon — left to look after a great number of very
bad cases.'

This disastrous battle practically ended the war ; the
besieged in the several towns still held out, although no
help could now reach them. A cessation of hostilities
soon took place, and during its continuance Sir Evelyn
Wood arranged the terms of peace with the Boer leaders.
And peace was welcomed by both sides with heartfelt
thanks and blessings.

CHAPTER XII.

WAR IN THE SOUDAN..

The Soudan, the Nubia of the ancients, has been the
scene of innumerable wars. ' Since the date of the
Turkish conquest/ says Colonel Butler, ' Soudan history
can be easily told : war, that has always been extermina-
tion ; trade, that has ever been in slaves ; government,
that has always been cruel and corrupt, — a narrowing
area of cultivation, a wider wilderness of misery.' What
lengthened description can convey a more vivid picture
of that unhappy region, the name of which has been so
prominently before us for the last few years, and where
so much English blood has been shed, and so many
English lives sacrificed. Truly we may call it the land
of desolation and death. A sterile barren waste, — bare
gorges covered with sand and walled in by rocks, where
no water can be obtained, where there is no vegetation,
save here and there, in some deeper valley, a few palms
and mimosas, — all silence, desolation, and death.

Here is one tragic occurrence which shows the ruth-
less character of warfare carried on in this unhappy
country : —

231

232 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Mehemet Ali determined to conquer the Soudan ; and
in 1819 an Egyptian army under the command of his
son, Ismail Pasha, set out for that object. The familiar
scenes of a Turkish invasion occurred. 'Skies black
by day and red by night, with the smoke and flame
of home and harvest, — plunder, destruction, and outrage.'
Many provinces were conquered, and expeditions sent
in various directions ; then Ismail led his army back to
Shendy. And at Shendy dwelt a ruler who was called
the Tiger, and he determined to have a terrible revenge
upon the invader.

' Ismail and his principal officers were deep in sleep,
following a debauch, in the midst of the Turkish army,
as the shout and glow of fire broke upon the camp. The
Pasha's quarters were wrapt in flames. Great contribu-
tions of grain and forage had been levied upon the
inhabitants, these had been stored round the buildings
occupied by the Turkish commander, and it was this
straw which was now on fire. The straw or stalk of the
dhurra corn burns as no other straw can burn. In it
flame is the quickness of parched grass, and the strength
and heat of dry pine-wood. Great bundles of this stalk
had been placed quietly at every door and window of
the Pasha's dwelling, — each outlet had been stopped.
Caught in this flaming trap, Ismail and his chief officers
were roasted to death.'

The cause of all this recent bloodshed in the Soudan
arose from the fact that a new prophet had arisen, a

War in the Soudan. 233

prophet of Islam, who preached one religion, one law
one ownership, one equality. 'There was one God,'
he said, ' Mahomet was His prophet ; and he, Mahomet
Achmet, was the guide of Islam.' This was ' the
Mahdi,' a native of the province of Dongola, the son of
a carpenter. He had been apprenticed to an uncle,
a boatman by trade, from whom he ran away to become
the disciple of a faki (head dervish) who lived near
Khartoum. He applied himself diligently to the study
of religion, and in due time became a faki himself. In
1870 he took up his residence on the island of Abba,
near Kana, on the White Nile.

Here he soon acquired a reputation for great sanctity,
became wealthy, gathered disciples, and married freely,
selecting wives from the families of the most influential
sheikhs of the vicinity. In 1881 he first began to lay
claim to the title of the Mahdi, ' the long-expected
redeemer of Islam, whom Mahomet had foretold, and
claiming a divine mission to reform Islam.' He ad-
dressed himself to his brother fakis, hoping to win their
co-operation in the crusade he was planning. He soon
obtained a large following, as most religious fanatics
have ever done, especially in the Soudan, for there, one
writes, ' the Arabs and Dongolawis, negroes and others
settled within the Arab (the northern) zone of the Soudan,
all are Mohammedans of the Maliki school. This religion,
however, owing to the prevailing ignorance of the people,
partakes mostly of an emotional and superstitious nature.

234 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Hence the enormous influence of the fakis, or spiritual
leaders, who are credited with a supernatural power, and
are almost more venerated than the Prophet.' Added
to these, so easily persuaded to become the followers of
the Mahdi, were the chiefs and sheikhs, who had been,
or still were, great slave-owners, and who were willing
to engage in any enterprise against Egyptian rule.
These were the men the Mahdi gathered round him
with which to carry out his great undertaking.

* In person,' says Colonel Stewart, ' the Mahdi is tall
and slim, with a black beard, and a light brown com-
plexion. Like most Dongolawis, he reads and writes
with difficulty. Judging from his conduct of affairs and
policy, I should say he has considerable natural ability.
The manner in which he has managed to merge together
the usually discordant tribes denotes great tact.'

Information of the Mahdi's proceedings reached the
ears of the Government, and steps were taken by Raouf
Pasha, the then Governor of the Soudan, to capture and
bring him to punishment. But the detachment sent
was easily overpowered, and a far stronger force sent
to drive him out of Gabel Gadir was speedily defeated.
Yet these were petty victories compared with that the
Mahdi's followers obtained, in June 1882, over the
main Egyptian army of the Soudan, when but few of
the Egyptian soldiers escaped, and all their commanders
were slain. ' Thus early,' says one, * did the Arab
fanaticism display itself.' The attack was led by the

War in the Soudan. 235

dervishes, headed by an enthusiast of exceptional dash
and fury. After this victory at Gabel Geon the Mahdi
assumed the offensive, meeting with many successes and
reverses.

A retired Indian officer, Colonel Hicks, early in the
summer o£ 1883, conducted a short and successful cam-
paign in the Sennaar district, against a section of the
Mahdi's forces. While on the march for Gebel Ain,
on the morning of April 29th, he was most furiously
assailed. He had just time to form a square, and in
that attitude awaited the attack. The attack is well
described by a military correspondent, and is the first
account we have of that method of attack which our
soldiers had to encounter later on : —

.'We opened a tremendous fusillade from our front
face, apparently without effect, for still they came, on
gallantly, but at 500 yards they began to fall fast. Still
the chiefs led on their men with all the reckless and
romantic chivalry of the Saracen knights. One by one
they fell dismounted, two or three to rise again and dart
forward on foot, waving their standards, only to drop
and rise no more. After half an hour's continuous
rattle of musketry, seeing their chiefs fallen and their
banners in the dust, the advancing hordes waver, and
are treated with a tremendous yell from our troops, who
had stood firmly and unflinchingly, and I may say as
steadily as any troops could.

■ Now the enemy move off to the right among the

236 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

long grass, and our front is cleared. Shells burst among
them. Soon all were out of sight, except a few who
walked about unconcernedly, and actually singly came
up, after the rest had retreated, to within a few yards,
brandishing their spears in defiance. One after another
those fanatics were shot down. Sheikh after sheikh had
gone down with his banner, although the Mahdi had
assured each that he was invulnerable, and their faithful
but misguided followers had fallen in circles around the
chiefs they blindly followed. Twelve of the most
prominent leaders had left their bones to whiten on the
field amidst three hundred of their followers.'

But a terrible revenge was in store for the Mahdi,
which amply compensated for his late defeat. In
September, Hicks Pasha moved out from El Duem on
his fatal march to El Obeid. A general foreboding
of disaster seems to have been felt by all the Europeans
with him. One wrote, ' I have seen Egyptians in three
battles, and should be at a loss to find one hero among
them/ O'Donovan, of the Daily News, who had re-
ceived information of a friend's death, in his last letter
wrote : —

' It would be odd if the next intelligence from this
part of the world told that I too had gone the way of all
flesh. However, to die even out here, with a lance-head
as big as a shovel through me, will meet my views
better than the slow, gradual sinking into the grave,
which is the lot of so many. You know I am by this

War in the Soudan. 237

time, after an experience of many years, pretty well
accustomed to dangers of most kinds, yet I assure you I
feel it terrible to face deadly peril far away from civilized
ideas, and when no mercy is to be met with, in company
with fellows that you expect to see run at any moment,
and who will leave you behind to face the worst.'

His last telegram, with the last news of the ill-fated
army, contained these words : — ' "We are running a
terrible risk in abandoning our communications and
inarching 230 miles into an unknown country. But we
have burnt our ships. The enemy is still retiring and
sweeping the country bare of cattle. The water supply
is the cause of intense anxiety. The camels are dropping.'

The above were the last words ever received from
one of that ill-fated army. How it was destroyed still
remains a mystery : 12,000 men utterly disappeared
from all European knowledge. Their bleached bones
were supposed to have been discovered during subse-
quent campaigns, but no living soul survived to tell the
terrible story in all its awful details.

In January 1884 General Gordon left England on a
mission of peace to the Soudan, and was soon after
shut up in Khartoum. Then the English Government
bestirred itself, and a relief expedition was organized
under the general superintendence of Lord, then Sir
Garnet, Wolseley.

Sir Garnet was soon ready for active service. He had
already telegraphed to Colonel Butler to find out or con-

238 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

struct craft suitable to convey a strong brigade of troops
to Dongola by way of the Nile, and to supply lists of all
outfit, stores, food, and other supplies necessary for the*
equipment of the boats and their crews during the long
voyage into regions where the requisites of life were not
likely to be found. In due time the boats were built.
The men engaged were chiefly Canadian voyageurs, while
African Kroo boys were also secured as boatmen.
There was no question but what the voyage would be
one of great difficulty, and yet not so much so as an
adverse press prophesied. But if Gordon was to be
saved no time must be wasted, so in October the
expedition started. We use Colonel Butler's own words
in describing how the first boat passed the Big Gate of
the second cataract :* —

\ A letter to Hassan Effendi was forthwith despatched,
asking for the required assistance, a present of vaseline
to Koko for his injured leg closed the proceedings, and
I went back to my tent to await the result of the nego-
tiations. Before lying down for the night, I sent the
interpreter again to Koko to ascertain if all was right
for the morrow.

' The reply brought back was eminently satisfactory.
" He thought I was a Turk," said the Syrian, " and
therefore he spoke his mind to me, and this is what he
said : ' I will bring the boat safely up the Bab-el-Kebir
to-morrow morning if no Christian comes near me while

* Campaign of the Cataracts.

War in the Soudan, 239

I am at work ; ' lie added," continued the interpreter,
" that whenever a Christian came behind him he could
'do nothing right/' The die was now cast, and, sink or
swim, the boat must try the Big Gate.

' At daybreak I was up. JSTo figure could be seen on
the black rocks ; all was deserted and silent, save for
the roar of the pent waters pouring through the narrow
passages. Sunrise came, but still no figures showed
upon the rocks, which now glistened like newly mined
coal in the level rays of the morning sun. It was close
on seven o'clock when the first native appeared. Dots of
white began to show about the black rocks ; then, after
a pause, I saw the boat in the reach below the rapid
coming up towards the Bab. Many halts and delays
now took place to adjust lines ; and I could see that a
figure perched upon a commanding rock was gesticulat-
ing with great vehemence. It was Koko. So much
time had been lost, and the hour was now so late, that
I think if I could, I would have stopped the attempt ;
but my tent was pitched, as I have said, at the far side
of the smooth bay from the Bab, and while I could see
right down the torrent, I could only reach the spot by a
detour. And it was better that it should have been
so, for had not Koko pledged himself to succeed "if
no Christian came behind him " ?

' By this time the craft had reached the foot of the
rapid, where she was hidden from my view by the descent
of the cataract ; but I could tell by the shouting and

240 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

increased gesticulation among the figures upon the rocks,
that the tug-of-war had begun ; and with glasses fixed
on the rim of the descending flood, I watched anxiously
for the reappearance of the ascending bows. It was
only a short interval before the boat came in view, but
it seemed to me a very long time. Daoud Koko,
nephew to Koko the Great, stood in the bows, naked in
case of disaster, alternately waving his arms to incite
the men on the shore to fresh exertions, and using with
extraordinary dexterity and rapidity a long pole to keep
the boat from the rocks.

* The Big Gate had three very bad lifts in its total
distance of eighty yards. When the first of those jumps
had been passed, there came a brief pause to take breath
and rearrange the lines for the next ascent. Then came
a second series of shouts and waving of arms, and again
the white bows rode up the slanting flood, and Daoud's
black figure stood triumphant in the stem. At the foot
of the third and last step there was again a pause, ami
then the final struggle began. It was the steepest ledge
in all the Big Gate — so steep, indeed, that the boat and
Daoud's figure disappeared altogether from my sight,
and for a moment I thought all was over. But it was
not so. Up out of space came the bows again, showing
as though the boat was being lifted perpendicularly out
of the whirl of waters. In this position the little craft
hung for a moment, and then, with one great pull, her
centre passed the edge of the fall, and she struck down

War in the Soudan. 241

in her entire length upon the smooth surface of the bay,
safe and sound over the Bab-el-Kebir.'

In the vast Gataracts of the Nile this was about the
worst, and its successful accomplishment was a good
omen for the future. Yet the work was truly awful, out
in that burning desert and among the rocks, and it is
not surprising that a soldier lying in the sand with his
heavy burden beside him should have been overheard
to say — - If they are putting down for anything new,
they had better put down for new soldiers.'

On and on went the expedition, overcoming all
obstacles, and in due time arrived as far as the country
of the Shagghieh Arabs — one of the best and most
renowned tribes which had made their name famous on
the upper river.

' Will the Arabs fight ? ' asked Colonel Butler of one
who knew them well.

1 If there were only nine of them left, those nine
would still fight that column/ was the ready reply.

The sketch of these Arabs is peculiarly interest-
ing :—

1 They are far more Arab than their neighbours the
Dongolawis, and they speak no tongue but Arabic.
Before the conquest by Mehemet Ali, they could put
8000 spearmen and 2000 cavalry in the field, the latter
as expert in all the exercises of sword and lance as were
the Mamelukes with whom they had so often crossed
weapons'. They possessed one art in war which was

242 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

almost their own ; it was the power of swimming their
active little horses with perfect safety across the Nile in
every state of the water, by day or night. A couple
of lances, the long, straight, two-edged sword, and a
small oblong shield cut from the crocodile or hippopo-
tamus skin, formed their weapons of attack and defence.
" Peace be yours," was their strange war-cry, as gallop-
ing up to an enemy they launched their lances against
him.

' In their battles with the son of Mehemet at Korti,
which we have just left, and here by the foot of Gebel
Dager, which we are to-day passing, they showed to the
full all the old desert valour. Mowed down by the
grape of the Pasha's numerous cannon, and shot* into
by his trained Moggrebin and Albanian troops, the
Shagghieh came on time after time, making their little
horses spring like the antelope, to distract the aim of
their enemies. This curious manoeuvre in' galloping
is peculiar to the horses of the Dongola breed, and
although it would speedily unseat riders unaccustomed
to its rapid bucking motion, the Shagghieh threw their
lances, or dealt their sword-blows with perfect dexterity.
But neither trick of horse nor thrust of spear could
avail much against the bullets of the Turkish soldiers,
or the shells of the Turkish cannon. The " Dogs," as
the Shagghieh called their enemies, who had come
" from the North, from the East, and from the West,"
and who bad brought "the spirits of hell to fight

War in the Soudan. 243

against them," triumphed, and Ismail passed on to the
Fourth Cataract, to leave the bones of his fleet to bleach
upon the rocks of these famous rapids, and to meet his
own fate a year or two later in the flaming dhurra
straw at Shendy.

1 " I have come to make you a nation of fellahs instead
of a nation of warriors," the Pasha had said to the Arab
envoys at the beginning of his invasion. "You may
drive us to the gates of the world, but we will not be
slaves," was the Shagghieh answer. Since that day
sixty years have gone by, and Time has brought his
usual harvest of revenge — the grandson of Mehemet
Ali is to-day the exile, the Shagghieh are now free as
their deserts.'

The purpose for which the expedition was planned
and organised was never accomplished ; the time,
labour, and expense were all wasted, Gordon was not to
be rescued, and they resolved to return. But the white
tunics of the Mahdi's soldiers are seen at the red granite
groups near the river, and on the white -streaked crest
of Kirbekan. They make no attempt at concealment,
but shake their spears and shout their shrill war-cry
along the whole ridge. Then comes the fight, resulting
in the defeat of the Arabs, but the English lose their
commander, General Earle.

1 He had fallen at the wall of the small stone hut
which five days earlier the slave boy had shown me in
the centre of the granite rocks. A dozen desperate

244 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

Arabs, holding this rough building to the last, had sold
their lives very dearly. Their last cartridge had cost
the river column its best life.'

Sad at the loss of his commander, Colonel Butler rides
on to the camp to meet two other bodies coming in,
those of Colonels Eyre and Coveney. Altogether a
dozen lives, officers and men, had been lost among
these stubbornly-held boulders. And for what ? ' A
week ago/ writes the Colonel, ' this would have seemed
a trilling price to pay for any rock or ridge that brought
us- nearer Khartoum. Now there was no Khartoum/

Before this, the Nile expedition arriving at Korti,
Sir Garnet despatched General Stewart with a large
force across the- desert to Metammeh, to strike the
Nile there, and thus proceed to Gordon's relief. It is
impossible to follow the march, interesting though it
was, in all its detail, and can only join it at Abu Klea,
and there witness the fight near the Wells.

After a night spent in the zeribah, where they were
incessantly annoyed by shots from the enemy, who
must have kept a sharp look-out, ■ for as one of the
surgeons was performing an operation in the hospital,
the man holding the lantern incautiously turned it
towards the hill occupied by the riflemen ; a volley of
bullets was the immediate answer, succeeded by a
steady fire, which luckily did little harm,' — an attack
was expected, and all stood to their arms. "When day-
light did appear the enemy's fire became hotter, several

War in the Sotidan. 245

of them showing great daring, running down the hill
and creeping close to the zeribah. Finding no attack
was made, Sir H. Stewart determined to march out and
give battle, leaving a force behind to protect the zeribah.
The square was formed and marched down the valley
towards the row of flags which stretched across it. As
the men moved forward the firing continued, many men
and officers being hit, some badly.

' The square was halted,' says Sir C. W. Wilson, ' for
the rear to close up, and at this moment the enemy rose
from the ravine in which they were hidden, in the most
perfect order. It was a beautiful and striking sight,
such a one as Fitz- James must have seen when
Eoderick Dhu's men rose out of the heather. How
the^y managed to conceal their horses I know not, but
they did so very effectually. The formation was curious,
a sort of variety of the old phalanx. It was as if there
were portions of three phalanxes with rows of men
behind. At the head of each rode an emir or sheikh
with a banner, accompanied by personal attendants,
and then came the fighting men. They advanced at a
quick, even pace as if on parade, and our skirmishers
had only just time to get into the square before they
were upon us : one poor fellow who lagged behind was
caught and speared at once.

1 When the enemy advanced, I remember experienc-
ing a feeling of pity mixed with admiration for them,
as I thought they would all be shot down in a few

246 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

minutes. I could not have believed beforehand that
men in close formation would have been able to advance
for 200 to 400 yards over bare ground in the face of
Martini-Henrys. As they advanced, the feeling was
changed to wonder that the tremendous fire we were
keeping up had so little effect. When they got within
8-0 yards, the fire of the Guards and mounted infantry
began to take good effect, and a huge pile of dead rose
in front of them. Then to my astonishment the enemy
took ground to their right as if on parade, so as to
envelope the rear of the square. I remember thinking,
" By Jove, they will be into the square ! " And almost
the next moment I saw a fine old sheikh on horseback
plant his banner in the centre of the square, behind the
camels. He was at once shot down, falling on his
banner. He turned out to be Musa, Emir of .the
Duguain Arabs, from Kordofan. I had noticed him
in the advance, with his banner in one hand and a book
of prayers in the other, and never saw anything finer.
The old man never swerved to the right or left, and
never ceased chanting his prayers until he had planted
his banner in our square. If any man deserved a place
in the Moslem paradise, he did.

1 When I saw the old sheikh in the square, and heard
the wild uproar behind the camels, I drew my revolver;
for directly the sheikh fell, the Arabs began running in
under the camels to the front part of the square. Some
of the rear rank now faced about and began firing. By

War in the Soudan. 247

this fire Herbert Stewart's horse was shot, and as he fell
three Arabs ran at him. I was close to his horse's tail,
and disposed of the one nearest to me, about three paces
off; and the others were, I think, killed by the mounted
infantry officers close by. Almost immediately after-
wards the enemy retired, and loud and long cheering
broke out from the square.

'Our men had by this time got somewhat out of
hand, wild with excitement. It was for a few moments
difficult to get them into their places ; and if the enemy
had charged again, few of us would have escaped. At
one time this seemed likely, as they retired slowly, and
for a short time hesitated in the valley before they
made their final bolt. During this period of excitement,
groups of three to five Arabs, who had feigned death,
would start up from the slain and rush wildly at the
square. They were met by a heavy fire, but so badly
directed, that several of them got right up to the
bayonets. The men did not quiet down until the
square was re-formed on the gravel slope, about fifty
yards in advance of the spot where it had stood to meet
the attack.

• Many of the officers and men now went out to bring
in water-skins and ammunition boxes from the camels
which had been killed. Curious how one's feelings get
blunted by the sight of blood and horrors. There was
one strange incident. An unwounded Arab, armed
with a spear, jumped up and charged an officer. The

248 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

officer grasped the spear with his left hand, and with
his right ran his sword through the Arab's body ; «and
there for a 'few seconds they stood, the officer being
unable to withdraw his sword, until a man ran up and
shot the Arab. It was a living embodiment of one of
the old gladiatorial frescoes at Pompeii. It did not,
strange to say, seem horrible; rather, after what had
passed, an everyday occurrence. I used to wonder
before how the Eomans could look on at the gladiatorial
fights ; I do so no longer.'

Where the square had been broken presented a
horrible scene, too horrible for description. The men
were so excited that they fired wildly, and in the con-
fusion two officers were accidentally shot by their own
men, while others owed their preservation to the men,
in their excitement, firing up in the air. When all was
over, all felt how narrow had been their escape ; the
camels in the centre of the square alone saved them, as
they stopped the rush of the Arabs. Many who helped
to make the square were dismounted cavalry men, and
not being taught, as infantry men are, to stand in a rigid
line as they fired, they moved back, and thus got
wedged together. Colonel Burnaby tried all he could'
to open them out, so as to command a greater develop-
ment of fire, and allow the Gardner gun to come into
play ; but finding this impossible, he rode out and ' met
his death like a gallant English gentleman/ being killed
by a mere lad thrusting his spear in his throat.

War in the Soudan. 249

'Another cause of the disaster was the jamming of
the cartridges, which are made on economical principles,
and do not stand knocking about. I saw myself several
men throw their rifles down, with bitter curses, when
they found them jammed and useless ; and if infantry
did this, the cavalry using the long rifle for the first
time must have been worse. Can you imagine a more
dreadful position than that of being face to face with
an Arab, and your only arm a rifle that will not go off ?
The sailors were pressed back with the cavalry, and lost
heavily : they got very excited, and ' would storm a
work or do anything of that kind well ; but they are
trained to fight in ships, and you cannot expect them
to stand shoulder to shoulder in a square like
grenadiers. Their officers died disdaining to move
from their gun.'

The demeanour of the officers of the Guards appears
to have been that of men who not only knew their duty,
but were fully determined to carry it out. There was
no noise or fuss, every order was given as if on parade,
and to their men they spoke in a quiet manner, as if
nothing extraordinary was going on. One of the
officers seeing the Arabs had swept by him, handed his
company to the next in command, and rushed headlong
into the thick of the fight round Colonel Burnaby. The
heavies fought with the most determined bravery, not
a single Arab passed through the ranks of the Life
Guards and Blues.

250 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

1 It was only by degrees/ says Wilson, ' that we
realized how heavy our losses had been, not only in
men, but in camels. After we had drawn off from the
scene of the fight, we found several boxes of ammunition
for which there were no camels, and all the rifles of the
killed and wounded men. A lot of the ammunition
was burned, and many of the rifles broken, but several
rifles and boxes of ammunition were left on the ground.
The fire from the burning cartridges caught the pack-
saddles of the dead and wounded camels, and added to
the horrors.'

Soon after the fight was over, the square moved on to
secure the Abu Klea Wells, ' a series of pits in the sand
of the valley-bed, with little basins at the bottom into
which the water trickled.' The men were told off to the
different wells, and, although hot and thirsty after the
fight and march, behaved admirably, the officers having
no trouble in reserving the best well for the wounded.

Then followed a terrible night march, which none
who were in it will ever forget. The guide was a little
uncertain as to his way, and although he told Sir II.
Stewart the Nile would be reached by a certain hour,
the hour passed by long before there were any signs of
the river. Horses, camels, men, all got mixed up in the
utmost confusion. The high grass made it impossible for
the men to keep order. Had the enemy then attacked, all
would have been annihilated, and the expedition closed
iu disaster. •

War in the Soudan. 251

But although the enemy refrained from harassing
the night inarch, they tried to intercept the march to
the river. While the men were having breakfast, * the
enemy/ says Wilson, 'ran round our. front with great
rapidity, and soon began firing upon us from the long
grass on the right and left. By 8 A.M. they had got
well round us, and bullets began to drop pretty freely
into the square. Stewart then ordered the formation of
a zeribah of camel saddles and commissariat boxes to
protect the men. No one now thought of breakfast,
and I fear many of the men got nothing to eat, and
water was not at all plentiful.'

It was while the zeribah was being constructed that
Sir H. Stewart was wounded and taken to the hospital.
The fire became hotter and hotter, and many casualties
occurred. 'Cameron of the Standard was shot early.
He had had a presentiment of his coming end, and during
the night march had been full of forebodings. He had
seated himself near his camels, and was shot as he had
half risen to get a box of sardines from his servant.' St.
Leger Herbert was shot through the head as he was
going to get his water-bottle before joining the square,
and death must have been instantaneous.'

A square was formed with the object of forcing its
way through the enemy to the Nile ; all the men felt
they had their work cut out, and that if they did not
reach water that night it would go hard with the whole
force. But ' the men's faces were set in a determined

252 Graphic Scenes in African Story.

way which meant business, — they moved in a cool,
collected way, without noise or any appearance of
excitement. Yet many of them never expected to live
through the fight, but were fully resolved to sell their
lives dearly. The march was in zig-zag fashion, so as
to keep on the more open ground ; the enemy, well
concealed in the long grass, kept up a hot fire, and did
much mischief. At one time many thought they
should be compelled to turn back, and give up all hopes
of reaching the Nile that night.

1 All at once,' says Wilson, ' as suddenly as at Abu
Klea, the firing ceased, and the enemy's spearmen came
running down the hill at- a great pace, with several
horsemen in front. It was a relief to know the crisis
had come. The square was at once halted to receive
the charge, and the men gave vent to their feelings in a
wild, spontaneous cheer. Then they set to work, firing
as they would have done at an Aldershot field-day. At
first the fire had little effect, and the bugle sounded
" cease firing," the men, much to my surprise, answering
to the call. The momentary rest steadied them, and
when the enemy got within about 300 yards, they re-
sponded to the call "commence firing" with deadly effect.
All the leaders with their fluttering banners went down,
and no one got within 50 yards of the square. It only
lasted a few minutes : the whole of the front ranks were
swept away; and then we saw a backward movement,
followed by the rapid disappearance of the Arabs in

War in the Sotidan. 253

front of and all around us. We had won, and gave
three ringing cheers.'

In spite of all efforts, it was too late to save the
heroic Gordon. For when Sir Charles Wilson reached
Khartoum, with two of Gordon's steamers, he found that
the citadel as well as the town was completely occupied
by the Mahdi's forces. He tried to effect a landing, but-
found this to be impossible, and was compelled to return
to Gubat, and without being able definitely to discover
the fate of Gordon.

It is now known the place was lost by treachery.
The city gate was opened to the Mahdi's troops on the
morning of January 26, 1885, and that by the com-
mander of Gordon's Soudanese soldiers. And he died
during that black Monday, when, as an eye-witness
said, the scene was one of unequalled horror, — women
were murdered in cold blood, and children spitted on
Arab spears in pure wantonness.

And of the great, unselfish Christian hero, who died
in the midst of scenes so horrible, can we not say of
him what Wordsworth said of the Happier Warrior : —

[ Who, if he rise to station of command,
Rises by open means ; and there will stand
On honourable terms, or else retire,
And in himself possess his own desire ; .
Who comprehends his trust, and to the same
Keeps faithful with a singleness of aim ;
And therefore does not stoop, nor lie in wait
For wealth, or honours, or for worldly state ;

254 Graphic Scenes in African Story,

"Whom they must follow ; on whoso head must fall

Like showers of manna, if they come at all :

Whose powers shed round him in the common strife,

Or mild concerns of ordinary life,

A constant influence, a peculiar grace ;

But who, if he be called upon to face

Some awful moment to which Heaven has joined

Great issues, good or bad for human kind,

Is happy as a lover ; and attired

With sudden brightness, like a man inspired ;

And through the heat of conflict, keeps the law

In calmness made, and sees what he foresaw ;

Or if an unexpected call succeed,

Come when it will, is equal to the need.''

And what more appropriate words. can be said than
those so recently penned by Colonel Butler in his work
The Campaign of the Cataracts, words which will also
form a fitting close to this volume : —

'The man who on the vast horizons of Asia and
Africa blazed like a sun, had been scarce known in his
own land. Above the waste of yellow desert, near the
pyramids of Gizeh, a. great rock cut in the form of a
human head looks across all the wretchedness of modern
Egypt into the desert and the sunrise beyond. Men
have named it the Sphinx. The drift of the desert has
blown across it. This is all we know about it. Has it
been left to mark the ebb of life from some vaster
human ideal ? Is it a lonely relic of a world now
sunken beneath the sea of Time, still left looking into
the sunrise, waiting for some future resurrection ?

' So, when I think over the solitary figure of the great

War in the Soudan.

255

Celtic soldier, standing far out in the desert, waiting for
the end, it seems to me that he, too, has . been set there
to mark for ever the real height he held among the
children of his day.

' Better that thus it should have been, than that, brought
back by our little hands, he should have been lost to us
again in the babble of our streets.

1 The vastriess of this desert death fitted the lonely
grandeur of his life, and evermore he stands looking
across the centuries, the mark and measure of Christian
knighthood, alike to the children of Islam, who dimly
felt his power, and to the sons of modem unbelief, who
knew so little of his glory.'

THE END.

MORRISON AND OIBB, EDINBURGH,
PRINTERS TO. HER MAJESTY'S STATIONERY OEFICB.

A SELECTION

FROM THE

£atafo%m of QBooft*

PUBLISHED BY

I. P. NIMMO, HAY, & MITCHELL,

SUITABLE FOR

SCHOOL PRIZES

GENERAL PRESENTATION.

EDINBURGH.

1887.

Selections from

NIMMO'S 3s. 6d. UNIVERSAL GIFT BOOKS.

New and Enlarged Editions in Coloured Inks.
Full crown 8vo, gilt edges, Illustrated.

1. Wallace, the Hero of Scotland: A Biography. By James

Paterson.

2. Life of the Duke of Wellington. By W. H. Maxwell, Author

of ' Stories of Waterloo,' etc. Kevised and abridged from the
larger work.

3. Life of Napoleon Buonaparte. By John Gibson Lockhart,

Author of ' Life of Sir Walter Scott,' etc. Kevised and abridged
from the larger work.

4. The Life of Nelson. By Robert Southey, LL.D. With

Biography of the Author.

5. The Life of Peter the Great. By Sir John Barrow, F.R.S.,

etc. ; Author of 'The Mutiny of the Bounty,' etc.

6. Mungo Park's Life and Travels. With a Supplementary

Chapter, detailing the results of recent Discovery in Africa.

7. Almost Faultless : A Story of the Present Day. By the

Author of ' A Book for Governesses.'

8. Violet Rivers ; or, Loyal to Duty. A Tale for Girls. By

Winifred Taylor, Author of ' Story of Two Lives,' etc.

9. Men of History. By Eminent Writers.

\* Views of the world's great men, in the best words of the best
authors.

10. Women of History. By Eminent Writers.

11. Christian Osborne's Friends. By Mrs. Harriet Miller

Davidson, Author of 'Isobel Jardine's History,' and Daughter
of the late Hugh Miller.

12. Benjamin Franklin: A Biography. From the celebrated

'Life' by Jared SrARKS, and the more recent and extensive
1 Life and Times ' by James Parton.

13. My Schoolboy Friends. By Ascott R. Hope, Author of

' Stories of School Life,' etc.

14. Stories about Boys. By Ascott R. Hope, Author of 'Stories

of School Life,' 'My Schoolboy Friends,' etc.

15. Silverton Court. A Tale. By Winifred Taylor, Author of

'Violet Rivers, 'etc
1C. Stories of Whitminster. By Ascott R. Hope, Author of

* My Schoolboy Friends,' etc.
17. Wild Animals and Birds: Curious and Instructive Stories

about their Habits and Sagacity.

W, P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue. 3
NIMMO'S 33. REWARD BOOKS.

Crown 8vo, Illustrated, cloth extra, coloured inks.

1. Tales of Old English Life; or, Pictures of the Period. By

William Francis Collier, LL.D., Author of 'History of
English Literature,' etc.

2. Old World Worthies ; or, Classical Biography. Selected from

Plutarch's Lives.

3. Epoch Men, and the Kesnlts of their Lives. By Samuel Neil.

4. The Mirror of Character. Selected from the Writings of

Overbury, Earle, and Butler.
5 Gold -Foil, Hammered from Popular Proverbs. By Timothy
Titcomb (J. G. Holland).

6. The Highways of Literature ; or, What to Read and How to

Bead. By David Pryde, M.A., LL.D., F.E.S.E., F.S.A. Scot.

7. Round the Grange Farm ; or, Good Old Times. By Jean L.

Watson, Author of ' Bygone Days in our Village,' etc.

8. George's Enemies. A Sequel to ■ My Schoolboy Friends.'

By Ascott R. Hope, Author of 'Stories about Boys,' etc.

9. The Spanish Inquisition : Its Heroes and Martyrs. By Janet

Gordon, Author of ' Champions of the Reformation,' etc.

10. Wild Animals and Birds: Curious and Instructive Stories

about their Habits and Sagacity. With numerous Illustrations
by Wolf.

11. Rupert Rochester, the Banker's Son. A Tale. By Winifred

Taylor, Author of ' Story of Two Lives,' etc.

12. The Young Mountaineer; or, Frank Miller's Lot in Life.

The Story of a Swiss Boy. By Daryl Holme.

13. The Story of a Noble Life; or, Zurich and its Reformer,

Ulric Zwingle. By Mrs. Hardy (Janet Gordon), Author of
' The Spanish Inquisition,' etc.

14. The Tower on the Tor. By Richard Rowe.

15. A Holiday Book. Stories for the Young. By Richard Rowe,

Author of 'The Tower on the Tor,' 'A Child's Corner Book,'
'The Lucky Bag,' etc.

16. The Life of Peter the Great. By Sir John Barrow, F.R.S.,

etc. ; Author of ' The Mutiny of the Bounty,' etc.

17. The Twins of Saint-Marcel : A Tale of Paris Incendie. By

Mrs. A. S. Crr, Author of 'The Bosevale Family,' etc.

18. The Story of Two Lives ; or, The Trials of Wealth and Poverty.

By Winifred Taylor, Author of 'Rupert Rochester,' etc.

19. The Lost Father ; or, Cecilia's Triumph. A Story of our

own Day. By Daryl Holme.

20. Heroes of Ancient Greece : A Story of the Days of Socrates

the Athenian. By Ellen Palmer, Author of 'The Fishermen
of Galilee,' ' The Standard-Bearer,' etc.

21. The Farm on the Fjord. A Tale of Life in Norway. By

Catherine Rae.

Selections from

NIMMO'S HALF-CROWN REWARD BOOKS.

Small crown 8vo, cloth elegant, gilt edges, Illustrated, price 2s. 6d.
each. In two new designs, with gold, silver, and ink.

i. Memorable Wars of Scotland, By Patrick Praser Tytler,

F.R.8.E., Author of 'The History of Scotland,' etc.

2. Seeing the World : A Yonng Sailor's own Story. By

Charles Nordhoff, Author of ' The Young Man-of-WarV
Man.'

3. The Martyr Missionary : Five Years in Ohina. By

Rev. Charles P. Bush, M.A.

4. My New Home : A Woman's Diary.

5. Home Heroines: Tales for Girls. By T. S. Arthnr,

Author of ' Life's Crosses,' etc.

6. Lessons from Women's Lives. By Sarah J. Hale.

7. The Roseville Family. A Historical Tale of the

Eighteenth Century. By Mrs. A. S. Orr, Author of • Mountain
Patriots,' etc.

8. Leah. A Tale of Ancient Palestine. Illustrative of

the Story of Naaman the Syrian. By Mrs. A. S. Orr.

9. Champions of the Beformation : The Stories of their

Lives. By Janet Gordok.

10. The History of Two Wanderers; or, Oast Adrift.

11. The Vicar of Wakefield. By Oliver Goldsmith.

12. The Miner's Son, and Margaret Vernon. By M. M.

Pollard, Author of ' The Minister's Daughter,' etc. etc.

13. How Frank began to Olimb the Ladder. By Oharles

Bruce, Author of ' Lame Felix,' etc.

14. The Golden Country ; or, Oonrad and the Princess. A

Tale for the Young. By James Mason.

15. Aunt Ann's Stories. Edited by L. Loughborough.

1 6. The Snow- Sweepers ' Party , and the Tale of Old Tubbins .

By R. St. John Corbet, Author of 'Mince-Pie Island.'

17. The Story of Elise Maroel. A Tale for Girls.

18. A Child's Corner Book : Stories for Boys and Girls. By

Richard Rowk, Author of 'Episodes in an Obscure Life,'
'Jack Afloat and Ashore,' etc.

1 9. The Lucky Bag : Stories for the Young. By Bichard

Rowe, Author of ' The Tower on the Tor,' etc.

W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue, 5

NIMMO'S LIBRARY OF HISTORY,
TRAVEL, AND^ADVENTURE.

In crown 8vo, cloth extra, price 2s. each ; gilt edges, 2s. 6d.

1. Travels and Discoveries in Abyssinia by James Bruce.

2. The Life and Travels of Mungo Park. With Supplementary

Details of the Results of Eecent Discovery in Africa.

3. A Voyage Round the World by Sir Francis Drake and

William Dampier, according to the Text of the Original
Narratives. Edited, with Notes, by D. Laing Purves.

4. A Voyage Round the World in the Years 1740^44 by George

Anson. Edited, from the Original Narrative, with Notes, by
D. Laing Purves.

5. Voyages Round the World by Captain James Cook. Edited,

with Notes, etc., by D. Laing Purves.

6. The Story of the Good Ship 'Bounty' and her Mutineers.

Mutinies in Highland Regiments.

7. The Story of the Indian Mutiny (1857-58).

Uniform with the above in size and price, with Four Illustrations,
Feats on the Fiord. A Tale of Norway. By Harriet Martineau.

NIMMO'S LIBRARY OF BIOGRAPHY.

Uniform in size and price with above. Each Volume having a suitable
Portrait as Frontispiece.

1. Risen by Perseverance : Lives of Self-Made Men.

2. Heroes of Invention and Discovery.

3. Lives and Discoveries of Famous Travellers.

4. Great Achievements of Military Men, Statesmen, and others.

5. Eminent Philanthropists, Patriots, and Reformers.

6. Gallery of Notable Men and Women.

7. Earnest Lives : Biographies of Remarkable Men and Women.

8. Teachers and Preachers of Recent Times.

9. Great Orators, Statesmen, and Divines.

10. Kings without Crowns ; or, Lives of American Presidents.
With a Sketch of the American Constitution. By Charles H.
Evans.

The above Series of Books have been specially prepared in order to
meet the rapidly increasing demand for instructive and wholesome
literature of permanent value. They are admirably adapted for
School Prizes, Gift Books, etc. etc.

Selections from

NIMMO'S

'BLADE AND THE EAR' SERIES.

ENLARGED.

Crown Svo, Illustrated, elegantly bound in cloth extra, bevelled boards,
price 2s. each.

1. The Blade and the Ear. A Book for Young Men.

2. The Young Men of the Bible. A Series of Papers,

Biographical and Suggestive. By Bev. Joseph A. Collier.

3. The King's Highway; or, Illustrations of the

Commandments. By the Kev. Kichard Newton, D.D., Author
of ' The Best Things,' etc.

4. Nature's Wonders. By the Rev. Richard Newton,

D.D., Author of ' The King's Highway, etc.

5. Guiding Lights : Lives of the Great and Good.

By F. E. Cooke, Author of < Footprints.'

6. Heroes of Charity: Records from the Lives of

Merciful Men whose Bighteousness has not been Forgotten. By
James F. Cobb, F.R.G.S., Author of 'Stories of Success,' etc.

7. Mountain Patriots. A Tale of the Reformation

in Savoy. By Mrs. A. S. Orr.

8. Village Tales and Sketches. By Mary Russell

Mitford, Author of ' Our Village,' etc. etc.

9. The Standard-Bearer. A Tale of the Times of

Constantino the Great. By Ellen Palmer.

10. Stories told in a Fisherman's Cottage. By Ellen

Palmer, Author of ' The Standard-Bearer,' etc. etc.

11. Diversions of Hollycot; or, The Mother's Art of

Thinking. By Mrs. Johnstone, Author of 'Nights of the
Bound Table,' ' Clan Albin,' etc.

12. Philip Walton ; or, Light at Last. By the

Author of ' Meta Franz,' etc.

13. Picture Lessons by the Divine Teacher ; or, Illus-

trations of the Parables of our Lord. By Peter Grant, D.D.

14. Taken Up. A Tale for Boys and Girls. By Alfred

Whympkr.

15. Champions of the Reformation. Stories of their

Lives. By Janrt Gordon.

W, P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue, 7
NIM MO'S

BOYS' OWN LIBRARY.

ENLARGED SERIES.

Crown 8vo, Illustrated, elegantly bound in cloth extra, gold and colours,
bevelled boards, price 2s. each.

1. The Hermit's Apprentice. By Ascott R, Hope,

Author of ' Stories of Whitminster,' ' Stories of Young Adven-
turers,' 'The Men of the Backwoods,' etc.

2. The Far North : Explorations in the Arctic

Kegions. By Elisha Kent Kane, M.D.

3. Monarchs of Ocean : Columbus and Cook.

4. Noble Mottoes of Great Families. By Charles

Bruce, Author of 'Lame Felix,' etc.

5. The Castaway's Home ; or, The Story of the Sail-

ing and Sinking of the Good Ship 'Rose.' By Mrs. Hardy.

6. Great Men of European History, from the Chris-

tian Era till the Present Time. By David Pryde, LL.D.

7. Afloat and Ashore with Sir Walter Raleigh. By

Mrs. Hardy, Author of ' Champions of the Reformation,' etc.

8. Lame Felix. A Book for Boys. By Charles Bruce.

9. Life at Hartwell ; or, Frank and his Friends. By

Katharine E. May, Author of ' Alfred and his Mother,' etc. etc.

10. Max Wild, the Merchant's Son ; and other Stories

for the Young.

11. Up North ; or, Lost and Found in Russia and the

Arctic Wastes. By Mrs. Hardy.

12. Angelo and Stella. A Story of Italian Fisher

Life. By the Rev. Gerald S. Davies.

13. Seeing the World. A Young Sailor's own Story.

By Charles Nordhoff.

14. The Miner's Son and Margaret Vernon. By M.

M. Pollard, Author of 'The Minister's Daughter.'

15. How Frank began to Climb the Ladder. By

Charles Bruce, Author of 'Lame Felix,' etc.

Selections from

N I M M O' S

Two Shilling Library for Girls.

Small crown 8vo, Illustrated, elegantly bound in new style,
cloth extra, price 2s. each.

1. Life's Crosses, and How to Meet Them. Tales for Girls. By T.

S. Arthur.

2. A Father's Legacy to his Daughters, etc. A Book for Young

"Women. By Dr. Gregory.

3. Labours of Love : A Tale for the Young. By Winifred Taylor.

4. Mossdale : A Tale for the Young. By Anna M. De Iongh.

5. Jacqueline. A Story of the Reformation in Holland. By Mrs.

Hardy (Janet Gordon).

6. The Minister's Daughter, and Old Anthony's WilL Tales for

the Young. By M. M. Pollard.

7. The Two Sisters. By M. M. Pollard.

8. A Needle and Thread : A Tale for Girls. By Emma J. Barnes,

Author of ' Faithful and True ; or, The Mother's Legacy.'

9. Nonna : A Story of the Days of Julian the Apostate. By Ellen

Palmer.

10. An Earl's Daughter. A Story for the Young. By M. M. Pollard,

Author of ' The Two Sisters,' etc. etc.

11. Doing and Dreaming. A Tale for the Young. By Edward

Garreit.

12. Vain Ambition ; or, Only a GirL By Emma Davenport, Author

of ' Our Birthdays,' etc.

13. The Cottagers of Glenburnie. A Scottish Tale. By Elizabeth

Hamilton.

14. My New Home: A Woman's Diary.

15. Home Heroines. Tales for Girls. By T. S. Arthur.

16. The Roseville Family. By Mrs. A. S. Orr.

17. Leah. A Tale of Ancient Palestine. By Mrs. A. S. Orr.

W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue, 9

NIMMO'S

Sunday -School Reward Books.

Small crown 8vo, cloth extra, in an entirely new and elegant binding,
price Is. 6d. each volume, Illustrated.

1. One Hour a Week: Fifty-two

Bible Lessons for the
Young.

2. The Story of John Hey wood :

An Historical Tale of the
Time of Harry vm. By
Charles Bruce, Author
of ' How Frank began to
Climb,1 etc.

3. Lessons from Rose Hill ; and

Little Nannette.

4. Great and Good Women :

Biographies for Girls. By
Lydia H. Sigourney.

5. At Home and Abroad; or,

Uncle William's Adven-
tures.

6. Alfred and his Mother; or,

Seeking the Kingdom. By
Katharine E. May.

7. Asriel; or, The Crystal Cup.

A Tale for the Young. By
Mrs. Henderson.

8. The Kind Governess; or,

How to make Home Happy.

9. Percy and Ida. By Katha-
rine E. May.

10. Three Wet Sundays with the

Book of Joshua. By
Ellen Palmer, Author of
' Christmas at the Beacon,'
etc. etc.

11. The Fishermen of Galilee ;

or, Sunday Talks with
Papa. By Ellen Palmer.

12. From Cottage to Castle;

or, Faithful in Little. A
Tale founded on Fact. By
M. H., Author of ' The Red
Velvet Bible,' etc.

13. The Story of a Moss Rose ;

or, Buth and the Orphan
Family. By Chas. Bruce.

14. The Children's Hour : Talks

to Young People. By
Charles Bruce, Author
of 'Noble Mottoes,' 'The
Book of Noble English-
women,' etc. With a Pre-
face by Bev. E. Paxton
Hood.

WORKS OF THE

REV. RICHJ^RD_NEWTON, D.D.

In small crown 8vo, cloth extra, in an entirely new and elegant
binding, price Is. 6d. each volume, Illustrated.

1. Bible Blessings.

2. The Best Things.

3. Bible Wonders.

4. Bible Jewels.

5. Rills from the Fountain of

Life.

6. Leaves from the Tree of Life.

7. Pebbles from the Brook.

8. The Giants, and How to Fight

Them; and Wonderful Things.

9. The Safe Compass, and How

it Points.

By the same Author. Price 2s. each.
The King's Highway ; or, Illustrations of the Commandments.
Nature's Wonders.

10

Selections from

SUNDAY AND

N I M MO

WEEK - DAY

REWARD BOOKS.

Small crovm 8vo, cloth extra, new bindings, Illustrated, price Is. 6d. each.

1. The Sculptor of Bruges. By

Mrs. W. G. Hall.

2. Christmas at the Beacon : A

Tale for the Young. By
Ellen Palmer.

3. The Sea and the Savages :

A Story of Adventure.
By Harold Lincoln.

4. The Swedish Singer; or,

The Story of Vanda Rosen-
dahl. By Mrs. W. G.
Hall.

5. My Beautiful Home; or,

Lily's Search. By Chas.
Bkuce.

6. Summer Holidays at Silver-

sea. By E. Rosalie
Salmon.

7. Fred Graham's Resolve. By

the Author of 'Mat and
Sofie,' etc. etc.

8. Wilton School; or, Harry

Campbell's Revenge. A
Tale. ByF.E.WEATHERLY.
9. Grace Harvey and her
Cousins.

10. Blind Mercy; and other

Tales for the Young. By
Gertrude Crockford.

11. Evan Lindsay. By Margaret

Eraser Tytler, Author
of ' Tales of Good and Great
Kings,' ' Tales of the Great
and Brave,' etc.

12. Harvey Sinclair; or, ALesson

for Life. By the Author
of 'Mat and Sofie,' 'Fred
Graham's Reserve,' etc.

13. The Boys of Willoughby

School: A Tale. By
Robert Richardson, B. A.,
Author of 'The Cold
Shoulder,' ' Our Junior
Mathematical Master,' etc.

NEW SERIES OF ONE SHILLING

SUNDAY-SCHOOL PRIZE BOOKS.

V A SERIES OF SHORT STORIES, by Mrs. Sherwood,
Jane Taylor, Richard Rowe, James F. Cobb, F.R.G.S.,
Charles Bruce, and other popular and well-known Authors.

Demy ISmo, cloth extra, new and improved binding, with Titles in silver,
and Picture on side, price Is. each.

1. George and his Penny, by Mrs. Sherwood ; and other Tales.

2. The Young Apprentice, by Jane Taylor; and other Tales.

3. Faithful unto Death, by Charles Bruce ; and other Tales.

4. My Little Teachers, and other Tales.

5. Brave and True, and other Tales.

6. Emily's Temptation, and other Tales.

7. The Negro Servant, by Rev. Lkgh Richmond ; and other Tales.

8. The Orange Girl of St. Giles, and other Tales.

9. The Orange Grove, by Mrs. Sherwood; and other Tales.

10. Little Nat, and other Tales.

11. Learning by Experience, and other Tales.

12. The Orphan's Friend, by James F. Cobb ; and other Tales.

W. P, Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue, U

N I M MO'S

ONE SHILLING ILLUSTRATED JUVENILE BOOKS.

Small crown 8vo, Coloured Frontispieces, handsomely bound in cloth,
Illuminated, price Is. each.

1. Four Little People and their Friends.

2. Elizabeth; or, The Exiles of Siberia. A Tale from the French of

Madame Cottin.

3. Paul and Virginia. From the French of Bernardin Saint-Pierre.

4. Little Threads : Tangle Thread, Golden Thread, and Silver Thread.

5. Benjamin Franklin, the Printer Boy.

6. Barton Todd, and the Young Lawyer.

7. The Perils of Greatness : The Story of Alexander Menzikoff.

8. Little Crowns, and How to Win Them. By Rev. Joseph A. Collier.

9. Great Riches : Nelly Rivers' Story. By Aunt Fanny.

10. The Right Way, and the Contrast.

11. The Daisy's First Winter. And other Stories. By H. Beecher Stowe.

12. The Man of the Mountain. And other Stories.

13. The Two Brothers. And other Stories. With 13 Illustrations.

14. Simple Stories to Amuse and Instruct. With Illustrations.

15. The Old Farmhouse; or, Alice Morton's Home. And other Stories.

By M. M. Pollard.

16. Twyford Hall ; or, Rosa's Christmas Dinner, and what she did with it.

By Charles Bruce.

17. The Discontented Weathercock. And other Stories for Children. By

M. Jones.

18. Out at Sea. And other Stories. By Two Authors.

19. The Story of Waterloo ; or, The Fall of Napoleon.

20. Sister Jane's Little Stories. Edited by Louisa Loughborough.

21. Uncle John's First Shipwreck; or, The Loss of the Brig 'Nellie.' By

Charles Bruce, Author of 'Noble Mottoes,' 'The Book of Noble
Englishwomen,' etc.

22. The History of a Lifeboat. By Richard Rowe, Author of ' The Tower

on the Tor,' etc.

MEW SHILLING BOOKS BY POPULAR AUTHORS.

In attractive Bindings.

The Vulture's Nest. And other Stories. By Ascott R. Hope, Author of

'Stories of Whitminster,' 'Stories out of School-Time,' 'Stories of Long

Ago,' etc. With Frontispiece.
'Dumps.' And other Stories. By the same. With Frontispiece.
A Night in a Snowstorm. And other Stories. By Charles Bruce,

Author of ' How Frank began to Climb,' ' Noble Mottoes,' ' Lame Felix,'

etc. With Frontispiece.

12 Selections from

NIMMO'S

NINEPENNY SERIES FOR BOYS AND GIRLS.

Square foolscap 8vo, with Illustrations, elegantly bound in cloth,
price 9d. each.

This Series of Books will be found unequalled for genuine interest and
value, and it is believed they will be eagerly welcomed by thoughtful
children of both sexes. Parents may rest assured that each Volume
teaches some noble lesson, or enforces some valuable truth.

1. In the Brave Days of Old; or, The Story of the Spanish

Armada. Tor Boys and Girls.

2. The Lost Euby. By the Author of « The Basket of Flowers,'

etc.

3. Leslie Ross ; or, Fond of a Lark. By Charles Bruce.

4. My First and Last Voyage. By Benjamin Clarke.

5. Little Katie : A Fairy Story. By Charles Bruce.

6. Being Afraid. And other Stories for the Young. By Charles

Stuart.

7. The Toll-Keepers. And other Stories for the Young. By

Benjamin Clarke.

8. Dick Barford : A Boy who would go down Hill. By Charles

Bruce.

9. Joan of Arc ; or, The Story of a Noble Life. Written for

Girls.

10. Helen Siddal : A Story for Children. By Ellen Palmer.

11. Mat and Sofie : A Story for Boys and Girls.

12. Peace and War. By the Author of ' The Basket of Flowers,'

etc.

13. Perilous Adventures of a French Soldier in Algeria.

14. The Magic Glass ; or, The Secret of Happiness.

15. Hawk's Dene : A Tale for Children. By Katharine E. May.

16. Little Maggie. And other Stories. By the Author of ' The

Joy of Well-Doing,' etc. etc.

17. The Brother's Legacy; or, Better than Gold. By M. M.

Pollard.

18. The Little Sisters ; or, Jealousy. And other Stories for the

Young. By the Author of ' Little Tales for Tiny Tots,' etc.

19. Kate's New Home. By Cecil Scott, Author of 'Chryssie

Lyle,' etc.

%* The distinctive features are: The subjects of each Volume have
been selected with a due regard to Instruction and Entertainment ;
thoy are well printed on fine paper; they are Illustrated with Coloured
Frontispieces and beautiful Engravings; and they are elegantly bound.

W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue. 13

Ipmnur's Sispjeimjj Jutenile §00ks.

Small foolscap Svo, Illustrated, handsomely bound in cloth,
price 6d. each.

1. Pearls for Little People.

2. Great Lessons for Little

People.

3. Reason in Rhyme : A Poetry

Book for the Young.

4. jEsop's Little Fable BooTc.

5. Grapes from the Great Vine.

6. The Pot of Gold.

7. Story Pictures from the Bible.

8. The Tables of Stone: Illustra-

tions of the Commandments.

9. Ways of Doing Good.

10. Stories about our Dogs. By

Harriet Beecher Stowe.

11. The Red- Winged Goose.

12. The Hermit of the Hills.

13. Ejjie's Christmas, and other

Stories. By Adelaide Austen.

14. A Visit to Grandmother, and

other Stories for the Young.

15. Bible Stories for Young

People. By Adelaide Austen.

16. The Little Woodman and his

Dog Caesar. By Mrs. Sherwood.

17. Among the Mountains : Tales

for the Young. By Adelaide
Austen.

18. Little Gems for Little Readers.

19. Do your Duty, come what will,

and other Stories for the Young.

20. Noble Joe: A Tale for Chil-

dren. By Adelaide Austen.

21. Lucy Vernon, and other Stories

for the Young.

22. Anecdotes of Favourite Ani-

mals told for Children. By
Adelaide Austen.

23. Little Henry and his Bearer.

By Mrs. Sherwood.

24. The Holidays at Wilton, and

other Stories. By Adelaide
Austen.

25. Chryssie Lyle : A Tale for the

Young. By Cecil Scott.

26. Little Elsie among the Quarry-

men. By Ellen Palmer.

27. The Lesson of Obedience. By

the Rev. Richard Newton, D.D.

28. The Lesson of Diligence. By

the Rev.RiCHARD Newton, D.D.

29. Fergus: A Tale. By Jacob

Abbott.

30. Gilbert and his Mother. By

Jacob Abbott.

31. The Shepherd of Salisbury

Plain. By Hannah More.

32. Emily Barton, and other

Stories. By Charles and Mart
Lamb.

33. Elizabeth Villiers, and other

Stories. By Charles and Mary
Lamb.

34. The Grateful Negro. By

Maria Edgeworth.

35. Forgive and Forget. By

Maria Edgeworth.

36. Waste not, Want not. By

Maria Edgeworth.
37- The False Key. By Maria

Edgeworth.
38. The Bracelets. By Maria

Edgeworth.

The above Series of Books is also kept in embossed and illuminated
paper cover, beautifully printed in gold from entirely new designs,
price 4<£ each.

14

Selections from

NIMMO'S ONE SHILLING FAVOURITE REWARD BOOKS.

Demy 18mo, Illustrated, cloth extra, price Is. each;
price Is. 6d. each.

also in gilt side and edges,

1. iEsop's Fables, with Instruc-

tive Applications. By Dr.
Croxall.

2. Bunyan's Pilgrim's Progress.

3. The Young Man-of-War's-

Man. By Charles Nord-
hoff, Author of ' Seeing
the World.'

4. The Treasury of Anecdote:

Moral and Religious.

5. The Boy's Own Workshop;

or, The Young Carpenters.
By Jacob Abbott.

6. Evenings at Home ; or, The

Juvenile Budget Opened.

7. Unexpected Pleasures; or,

Left alone in the Holidays.
By Mrs. George Cupples,
Author of 'Norrie Seton,'
etc.

8. The Beauties of Shake-

speare. With a General
Index by the Rev. William
Dodd, LL.D.

9. Gems from « The Spectator.'

A Selection from the most
admired Writings of Addi-
son and Steele.
10. The Sketch Book. By
Washington Irving.

NIMMO'S EIGHTEENPEHKY BOYS' FAVOURITES.

Neio Editions, in small crown 8vo, cloth extra, elegant and
characteristic binding.

THE LIFE AND ADVENTURES OF ROBINSON CRUSOE.
THE HISTORY OF SANDFORD AND MERTON.
THE VICAR OF WAKEFIELD. Poems and Essays By Oliver
Goldsmith.

Uniform in style and price with the above.
POETICAL WORKS. With a complete Glossary and

BURNS

Portrait

MEW SERIES OF PENNY REWARD BOOKS.

In beautiful Coloured Covers, done in Chromo-Lithography. Six
different Designs, very pretty and attractive. Demy 18mo,
16 pp. Each with a Frontispiece.

1. Try to be Happy.

2. Eyes and Ears.

3. My Little Teachers.

4. The Fourth Commandment.

5. A Talk about Fighting.

6. Moffat's Lion Adventures.

7. The Little Factory Girl.

8. George and His Penny.

9. The Little Dog Trusty.

10. Faithful unto Death.

11. Abraham's Sacrifice.

12. Getting on in Life.

13. I can do without it.

14. The Little Busy Bee.

15. TheStoryofaDay'sPleasure.

16. The Lonely Lighthouse.

17. Little Sins.

18. It doesn't Matter.

These may be had either separately, or in three Packets at 6d. each.

W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue, 15
NIMMO'S BIRTH-DAY BOOKS.

In Foolscap 16mo.
Cloth extra, red edges, Is.; gilt edges, Is. 6d.; padded cloth, in boxes,
Is. 6d. ; paste grain, round corners, 2s. ; paste grain, padded,
2s. 6d. ; German calf, padded, 4s.; and imitation ivory, 2s. 6d.
1. Bible Words for Birth-Days ; Consisting of a Text of Scripture
and Verse of Hymn for Every Day in the Year.
Birth-Day Greetings; Consisting of Poetical Extracts and
Mottoes for Every Day in the Year.

3. The Birth-Day Book of Wit and Humour ; Consisting of Witty

and Humorous Extracts for Every Day in the Year.

4. The Birth-Day Oracle ; or, Whom shaU I Marry ? Guesses at

the Character and Appearance of your Future Husband or
Wife. Arranged for Every Day in the Year, with Extracts to
suit both Sexes.

5. The Little Folk's Birth-Day Book ; or, Something Good about

Children, Child-life, Flowers, etc., for Every Day in the Year.
Selected and Arranged by C. B., Compiler of the 'Birth-day
Book of Proverbs.'

6. A Cup of Blessing for Every Day in the Year. Being a Birth-

Day Book of Cheering and Consolatory Texts selected from
Scripture and other Sources. By C. B.

7. The Lyric Birth-Day Book. Snatches of Song gathered from the

Lyric Poets, and arranged for Every Day in the Year. By D. H.

8. Mrs. Hemans' Birth-Day Book. A Selection of Beautiful

Passages from the Poems of Felicia Hemans, arranged as a
Daily Text Book. By E. G. B.

9. Birth-Day Chimes from Longfellow. Six Hundred Quotations

from his Poems, arranged as a Daily Text Book. By S. P. L.

10. Birth-day Chimes from Shakespeare. A Text Book of Choice

Extracts from his Works.

11. Birth-day Chimes from Burns. Selections from the Poems,

Songs, and Ballads of Kobert Burns.

In Crown 16mo.
Limp cloth, 2s. ; cloth, gilt edges, 2s. 6d. ; paste grain, round corners,
3s. ; paste grain, padded, 3s. 6d. ; German calf, padded, 6s. ;
and imitation ivory, 3s. 6d.

1. Cupid's Birth-Day Book: 1000 Quotations from Shakespeare,

gathered and arranged for Every Day in the Year. By Geo.
Johnston.

2. The Birth-Day Book of Proverbs; Consisting of a Serious,

Satirical, or Humorous Sentence, Proverb, and Verse of Poetry
for Every Day in the Year. By C. B.

3. Auld Acquaintance : A Birth-Day Book of the Wise and Tender

Words of Robert Burns. Compiled by James B. Begg, a Grand-
nephew of the Poet.

4. The Household Birth-Day Book and Marriage and Obituary

Register. With the Dates of Births, Marriages, and Deaths of
over One Thousand Eminent Men and Women.

16 W. P. Nimmo, Hay, & Mitchell's Catalogue,
NIMMO'S SIXPENNY BIRTH-DAY BOOKS.

In crown 16mo, cloth extra, red edges, price Gd.; and in Persian

calf, gilt edges, Is.

HEAVENLY LIGHT. Cheering Texts from Scripture. A Birth-day

Book for Every Day in the Year.
BIRTH-DAY ECHOES FROM THE POETS. A Selection of Choice

Quotations, arranged for Every Day in the Year.
DAILY MAXIMS. A Birth-day Text Book of Proverbs and Wise
Sayings. Selected from Various Sources.

New Coloured Text Book for Young People, beautifully Illustrated.

In oblong Vomo, gilt edges, with chromo cover, and silk cord tie,

price 6d.,
CROWNING MERCIES. A Text Book for Every Day in the Month.

Arranged and Illustrated by J. Stanley, M.A. Containing

Scripture Texts in Pictorial Setting, and appropriate Hymns

printed in Chromo -Lithography.
*** The Full-page Illustrations (in eight printings) together with the Sepia
Designs and Coloured Borders combine to form an Exquisite Little Book.

NIMMO'S MINIATURE LIBRARY.

In crown 32mo, with carmine lines round each page, and neatly bound
in cloth and gold, price Gd. each.

RELIGIOUS.

1. SAINTLY WORDS. Being Devout Thoughts gathered from the

Writings of A'Kempis, Augustine, and Jkremy Taylor.

2. LIGHT FROM THE SACRED PAGE. Being a Religious Text

Book in the very Words of Scripture.

3. POETRY OF CHRISTIAN LIFE AND EXPERIENCE.

4. WATCHWORDS FOR CHRISTIAN LIVING. Being Good Thoughts

selected from the Best Religious Writers.

5. ACROSS THE RIVER. Scriptural Views of the Heavenly Home.

By Dr. Nokman Macleod, Dr. Candlish, etc. Miniature
Edition Abridged.

6. COUNSEL AND COMFORT FOR DAILY LIFE. Selected from

the Works of the Best Religious Writers.

GENERAL.

1. THOUGHTS FROM EMERSON. Selected by the Editor of

'Winnowing! from Wordsworth.1

2. FAVOURITE ESSAYS OF ELLA. (CHARLES LAMB).

3. WINNOWDNGS FROM WORDSWORTH. Edited by John

ROBKBXBOH.

4. PEEPS INTO PEPYS DIARY. Edited by J. R.

5. GOLDSMITH'S ' SHE STOOPS TO CONQUER.'

6. CHILD LORE. A Selection of Folk Legends and Rhymes.

Oify

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