“‘Look at the mountain,’ they cried; ’there is an impi on the mountain side.’

“I glanced up, and there sure enough, about half-way down the mountain, nearing the first fortification, the long-plumed double line of Nala’s warriors was rushing down to battle, the bright light of the morning glancing on their spears.  Afterwards we discovered that the reason of their delay was that they had been stopped by a river in flood, and could not reach the mountain crest by dawn.  When they did reach it, however, they saw instantly that the fight was already going on, was ‘in flower,’ as they put it, and so advanced at once without waiting to light signal-fires.

“Meanwhile they had been observed from the town, and parties of soldiers were charging up the steep side of the hill, to occupy the schanses, and the second line of fortifications behind them.  The first line they did not now attempt to reach or defend; Nala pressed them too close.  But they got to the schanses or pits protected with stone walls, and constructed to hold from a dozen to twenty men, and soon began to open fire from them, and from isolated rocks.  I turned my eyes to the gates of the town, which were placed to the north and south.  Already they were crowded with hundreds of fugitive women and children flying to the rocks and caves for shelter from the foe.

“As for ourselves, the appearance of Nala’s impi produced a wonderful change for the better in our position.  The soldiers attacking us turned, realizing that the town was being assailed from the rear, and clambering down the koppie streamed off to protect their homes against this new enemy.  In five minutes there was not a man left except those who would move no more, or were too sorely wounded to escape.  I felt inclined to ejaculate ‘Saved!’ like the gentleman in the play, but did not because the occasion was too serious.  What I did do was to muster all the men and reckon up our losses.  They amounted to fifty-one killed and wounded, sixteen men having been killed outright.  Then I sent men with the cooking-pots to the stream of water, and we drank.  This done I set my bearers, being the most useless part of the community, from a fighting point of view, to the task of attending the injured, and turned to watch the fray.

“By this time Nala’s impi had climbed the first line of fortifications without opposition, and was advancing in a long line upon the schanses or pits which were scattered about between it and the second line, singing a war chant as it came.  Presently puffs of smoke began to start from the schanses, and with my glasses I could see several of our men falling over.  Then as they came opposite a schanse that portion of the long line of warriors would thicken up and charge it with a wild rush.  I could see them leap on to the walls and vanish into the depths beneath, some of their number falling backward on each occasion, shot or stabbed to death.