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to him, and much suffering and grumbling were occasioned in his two forts by the want, not only of luxuries, but too often of necessaries. In fact, the supply department, as usual, broke down. Everybody was more or less discontented. The inhabitants of Lydenberg district complained of the long and exposed border-line being left, by the removal of the provisional police to Fort Weeber, utterly undefended; while the field force was kept in an out-of-the-way corner, irritating and pinching Secocoeni.1 The volunteers complained because their horses died and they were not provided with remounts, whilst having to pay out of their scanty wages for 80 per cent of the steeds they brought with them to the front. The merchants complained that trade was languishing, and property had lost all value; whilst the inhabitants of Lydenberg objected to doing eternal guards-Pretoria, where there was no war, being full of soldiers. This was, to a certain extent, remedied by the despatch to Lydenberg and Middleburg of several companies of her Majesty's 13th P.A. Light Infantry. More volunteers were summoned from the Diamond Fields; and 100, after some difficulty and delay, reached Pretoria by the 2d of June 1878.

1 The Kafirs said "Clarke was pinching their ears to make them fight."

CHAPTER XVIII.

FIGHTS AND FAILURE S.

Fatal affray at Magnet Heights-Mutiny of Zulu police-Advance of her Majesty's troops.

EXERTIONS were made all over the country to get together mounted volunteer forces sufficient to end the campaign during the winter months, the only healthy season. It is not for me to inquire why the 13th, with a powerful artillery train, were not advanced from the towns to the enemy. I only know that this brave and excellent regiment was most eager to have its share in the fighting; and it was pointed out to Government that infantry forces, however spirited or highly disciplined, could not be made available for the protection of houses, stock, or other property at any distance from their camp, and that their great value was for direct attack and the holding of advanced positions, so as to leave the country clear behind. That this view was correct, has since been proved by the Kafirs having, on June 13th, and many subsequent occasions, successfully raided on the main road between Lydenberg and the Gold Fields. The war has outlasted the winter. Captain Clarke intended to effect a forward movement over the Magnet Heights towards the Waterfall, where he expected to co-operate with Mr Eckersley's force, increased by the addition of some tame Kafirs. In doing so, he met with a check in which more men were lost than fell in almost any fight during the late war in the Cape Colony, where vastly superior forces were employed on both sides. In the Cape Colony war, which lasted ten months, and engaged, on our side, an average of not less

than 3000 men per month, but fifty Europeans lost their lives. In this present petty war, concerning which there is almost no information, nearly as many have already perished.

The mismanagement of the volunteer movement began by June (1878) to attract attention and provoke comment. Numbers of men were hurried to the front on ill-defined agreements; whilst the Diamond Field Horse were nearly driven to mutiny by neglect and the noticeable want of provision for their equipment. Some men were the happy recipients of one spur each; others had to toss up for belts, of which but one for every two volunteers had been supplied. At the forts, things were as bad. The want of fresh provisions, vegetables, soap, candles, and other necessaries, was a constant cause of complaint. The men were often threatened with scarcity of more important things. Meal was not plentiful; and the incredible folly of sending waggons to buy from farmers who had none to sell was committed. The local authorities, who alone knew how to cope with such difficulties, were either ignored or got rid of. Even in the matter of officers Government blundered. From the Diamond Fields they had got, as I said before, 100 men; but the officers, although possessing a certain amount of technical knowledge, were entirely unacquainted with frontier work. Lieutenant Lloyd, who had come up raw from Natal, had been, on his arrival in February, put over the head of Mr Eckersley, a really competent man; and as the same course was followed out with other appointments, disaster could not be far off. By degrees, however, Captain Clarke got into a position to assume the offensive. He evidently desired to do something great; for, excepting the "immovable infantry" at Lydenberg, he stripped the border-line of every man available for service, gathering them all together about the south and south-west of the Lulus, of course exposing hundreds of miles of country to raids and reprisals. In fact he fought on strategic principles, which, being utterly unknown to his enemy, had no bearing on the war at all. He was, perhaps, too long in one branch, and had got wedded to certain professional notions of which he could not divest himself. Staff and engineer officers are the best for separate

LOSSES AND ERRORS.

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commands over men not regular soldiers. Engineers, as a rule, have to meet every day artisans, architects, and professional men of various stamps. They must not only understand work, but workmen. Hence their adaptability to new men, strange ways, and perhaps unusual circumstances. But there was no adaptability shown in the getting up of the volunteers. Their wishes were mostly ignored; and they were forced, in a pestilential climate, to pay for their own horses, so that they risked their lives for nothing. The whole reliance of the Commissioner seemed to be placed on native levies. He was, if not jealous of, at least averse to, white talent. In fact he tried (see Blue-book No. 2079 C) to secure that none but strangers to the Transvaal should have command of the so-called "Zulu police," or native army, on the ground that Zulus must be led by gentlemen; as they were very discriminating, they must be led only by "gentlemen" at salaries of £350 each per annum. As there are but few Zulus in the Transvaal, and the people do not speak that language, this proposition was clever; for it provided for Natal officers only with a Zulu army being in the service of the Government.

I have little hesitation in saying that this was a most dangerous precedent, and looked like a threat. I have less in saying that all colonists disapprove of drilling the still pagan races.

The forces gathered together at four stations about July 25th would seem to have been sufficient for any reasonable work. There were about 250 Europeans, at least six pieces of artillery, 100 Zulu police, 408 Kafirs, under Tainton, and a body of men, 110, under Mr Eckersley. The stations were Forts Weeber, Mamalube, and Faugh-a-ballagh, and a camp of Diamond Field Horse at Dwars River. These finally rested on a base secured by infantry at Lydenberg and Middleburg.

Dreadful mismanagement seems to have provoked disaster. On Friday, July 26th, so far as newspaper correspondents can be trusted, the Kafirs cut off from the cattle-guard at Fort Faugh-a-ballagh seventeen head of cattle and six horses. These had been sent to water under an insufficient escort, dismounted. One fine young fellow-Fourie, late Lyden

R

berg Volunteer Corps-was found alone, dead, shot through from back to front, his rifle and a cartridge still in his hands, where he had fallen in the act of loading. One of his comrades, almost a child, was found, days afterwards, mad from

terror.

The officer in charge seems to have been blamed for want of pluck, instead of for want of precaution in not having the environs of his fort patrolled before sending out his stock to graze.

The next affair seems to have been still more unfortunate. The Kafirs actually seized the whole of the cattle and horses of a troop of cavalry-fifty-two horses, forty oxen, and a number of sheep being carried off, proving the utter unfitness of the commander for his post. In the whole history of South African wars, so disgraceful an incident has never occurred to a border force. Signs of mutiny began to be observable amongst the native forces. The 'Mercury' correspondent, under date July 30th, says, "The 408 Kafirs under Mr Tainton have been sent back again to their kraals."

The Zulu police next began to make themselves conspicuous. It will be remembered that I have elsewhere stated that the Zulus are incorrigible and "utterly impracticable pagans." But Captain Clarke seems to have thought they would make a nice army to prop up a military despotism. Now for the result. The Zulus said they would not fight; that there was too much fight;" that they were police, &c.; and finally, they began to grow insolent, and burst into open mutiny on August 9th. The cannon had to be turned on them; and, had it not been for the opportune arrival of a small body of her Majesty's troops, detached from Carrington's Mounted Infantry, serious mischief might have occurred. The Zulus were determined enough, and matters were looking very grave. When the gun was pointed at them they fixed bayonets, and said, "We can fight as well as you." Being deprived of their rations, they left their huts in a body to go into the veld and look for food; while absent, their huts were entered and all their arms secured, with the ammunition. On their return they roundly rated the whites as cowards, saying, "Ye white

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