A Holiday in South AfricaS. Low, Marston, Searle and Rivington, 1882 - 362 pages |
Other editions - View all
Common terms and phrases
afternoon afterwards amongst annexation appearance Arab arrived bank Basutoland Basutos birds Blamey boat Boers brought Buffalo River bush camp Cape Colony Cape Town carriage Cetshwayo chief coach Colenso Colonel Durnford crossed dark Diamond Fields distance Durban enemy farm feet fire garden going Government Graaf-Reinet hill horses indunas inhabitants Isandhlwana John Dunn journey Kafir Ketchwayo killed Kimberley king kraal land looked Maritzburg mealies miles morning mountain Natal native neighbourhood Newcastle night November o'clock Orange Free ostrich Paddon passed passengers Port Elizabeth post-cart present Pretoria proceeded rain Regiment reply road Rorke's Drift round running rush seat seen sent Shortly side Sikukuni South Africa spruit Stanger stay steamer steep stone stream tion Transvaal travelling trees tribe Tugela Tugela River Vaal Vaal River waggon walked wall yards Zulu Zulu War Zululand
Popular passages
Page 218 - NNC, greatly distinguishing himself by his conspicuous gallantry. The fire from the rocks behind us, though badly directed, took us completely in reverse, and was so heavy that we suffered very severely, and about 6 pm were forced to retire behind the retrenchment of biscuit boxes. All this time the enemy had been attempting to force the hospital, and shortly after set fire to its roof. The garrison of the hospital defended it room by room, bringing out all the sick who could be moved before they...
Page 228 - Insandhlwana mountain, entirely unapproachable from the three sides nearest to us, but on the further — viz., that to the north — it slopes more gradually down, and it is there connected with the large range of hills on our left by another broad neck of land. We just crossed over the bend, then turned sharp to the left, and placed our camp facing the valley, with the eastern precipitous side of the mountain behind us, leaving about a mile of open country between our left flank and the hills on...
Page 219 - AM on the 23d the firing ceased, and at daybreak the enemy were out of sight over the hill to the south-west. We patrolled the grounds, collecting the arms of the dead Zulus, and strengthened our defences as much as possible. We were removing the thatch from the roof of the stores when, about 7 AM, a large body of the enemy appeared on the hills to the south-west.
Page 215 - I gave the order to inspan, strike tents, put all stores, &c., into the waggon, and at once rode up to the Commissariat Store, and found that a note had been received from the third Column to state that the enemy were advancing in force against our post, which we were to strengthen and hold at all costs.
Page 218 - ... on our east. The position we then had we retained throughout. A desultory fire was kept up all night, and several assaults were attempted and repulsed — the vigour of the attack continuing until after midnight ; our men firing with the greatest coolness did not waste a single shot, the light afforded by the burning hospital being of great help to us. About 4 AM...
Page 218 - ... sorrow I regret we could not save these poor fellows from their terrible fate. Seeing the hospital burning, and the desperate attempts of the enemy to fire the roof of the stores, we converted two mealie bag heaps into a sort of redoubt, which gave a second line of fire all round ; Assistant- Commissary Dunne working hard at this, though much exposed, and rendering valuable assistance. As darkness came on we were completely surrounded, and after several attempts had been gallantly repulsed were...
Page 217 - ... yards to our south, from where they kept up a constant fire, and advancing somewhat more to their left than the first attack, occupied the garden, hollow road, and bush in great force. Taking advantage of the bush, which we had not time to cut down, the enemy were able to advance under cover close to our wall, and in this part soon held one side of the wall, while we held the other. A series of desperate assaults were made, extending from the hospital along the wall as far as the bush reached;...
Page 216 - Durnford's returned, reporting the enemy close upon us, and that his men would not obey his orders, but were going off to Helpmakaar, and I saw them, apparently about 100 in number, going off in that direction. About the same time Captain Stephenson's detachment of Natal Native Contingent left us, as did that officer himself. I saw that our line of defence was too extended for the small number of men now left us, and at once commenced a retrenchment of biscuit boxes. We had not completed a wall two...
Page 217 - The main body of the enemy were close behind, and had lined the ledge of rock and caves overlooking us, about 400 yards to our south, from where they kept up a constant fire, and advancing somewhat more to their left than the first attack, occupied the garden, hollow road, and bush in great force. Taking advantage of the bush, which we had not...