The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1879-06-07
ISandlwhana.
JANUARY %, 1879.

(From the Narratice Of an Eye Witness)
"Over the storm of the battle;-
The roar, and rumble, and rattle;
The cannons' sullen growing;
The cheers, the shrieks and the bowling;
The voice of our brave Commander,
Rose clear as trumpet's, and grander,
Save the colors lads!-and-then-
A tempest of Zulu men,
Out from the flame and smoke,
With shrek of triumph broke,
And swept us down like grass"
"Then, out from the surging mass
The living, the dead and the dying;
The wounded, moaning and crying;
The teams and the struggling cattle;-
The wrath and the wrack of battle;
Two youths with faces beaming.-
Our colors about them streaming
Into saddles sprang,-and, then
Right amidst the Zulu men,
Swift as flash did leap,
With the rowels gashing deep.
And sturdy British cheer.''
'Down the hooves fell sharp and sheer
In the Zulu's wondering faces,
Like hail which the tempest chases;
And they broke and scattered bowling;
While onward the lads went bowling;-
Ger pillows of shields upheaying;-
A terrible pathway cleaving;-
Cleaving with swords which sung,
Rut like lissome adders stuno
While round them like wasps, which flash
Did the assegais dash,
And sting, and seattle, and slay;"
''Saint George! But the Zulus lay
Twenty thousand right before them,
Like bullocks to bruise and gore them;
But they spurred and slashed disdainful
Of perils or gashes painful;
Till before them, the sands were cleaning,
And, behind, the zu1us screaming,
Yet they Stacked not spur nor rein,
But stretched on across the plain;
Leaving the mountains gray,
And the Kraals far away,
On the sunsets smoky marge."
'Down the valley long and large,
Where reposed the RANT river,
Like an arrow in its quiver;
Over dreary cactus levels,
Where cicadas hold their revels;
And the pasterns torn and bleeding
Falter,-on, and onward speeding
Adown to the Drift where lay
The English camp, that day,
Where assuaged may be the pain
Of their wounds, and they may gain
Sorely needed rest and cheer"
''But stay! What is that they hear?
'Tis surely the din of battle
Blown up from the Drift,-the rattle
And rumble, like far away thunder.
But brief was the time to wonder.
For, sudden, the valley was teeming
With Zulus shouting and screaming.
And, again, their sabrcs bright
Left and right did swing and smite,
AS down to the river wide
They galloped side by side,
With faces like the dead"
'Down to the river they sped,
And over the banks went flying
Into the water, dyeing
The waves with their blood:-Ah! never
Made mortals grander endeavor.
For the coiling waters round them,
Like cobras hampered and bound them.
Yet they reached the hither side,
In their saddles swaying wide;-
All so weak, that ashen lipt
Coghill from his saddle slipt,
And fell upon the plain
Then, dazed and faint with pain,
Melville got him down to render
Needed help and solace tender;
While the night fell chill and dreary
On the world, and 'miserere'',
Moaned the frogs in shadowy places;
And, upon the ashen faces
Of the youths, so brave and fair,
The stars did sadly stare
Thorough wells of smoke and mist,
Which subdued their joyous glist,
And dimmed them as with gricf.''
"Thither, after time but brief
Came we-'twas in calmful weather.
Found them lying dead together;
Sleeping sweetly, calmly, Whitley,
With our colors cleaning brightly,
Wrapped about them.-THAT WAS GLORY!
Aye! and long shall ring the story
OF these English youths, who bore
Their colors through score
Of thousand savage men;
And, having saved them, then
Wrapped them round their bodies, proud
Thus to wear them for shroud"
LAUNcELoI