Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1879-03-28
The War in snnth Africa.

AhO VA an OVAeh AiAN1e
The character of the country in Zulu
land is thus described by the London
NelDs:
Mountain-sides are furrowed by dark
glens and gloomy "kloofs" or fissures.
These merge downward into deep ra-
vines, forming at their base sometimes
the beds. of small streams, sometimes
those Of roaring torrents. These are
generally overhung by luxuriant vege-
tation in tropical profusion. The woods
through which these rivers run are
formed frequently of tall and noble trees,
among which are met apes and balloons.
Here and there may be observed the
bare and leahess branches of tho Gu
phorbia, the cactus, the aloe and the
mimosa. On reaching the mountain
side, we ere still surrounded by i'm
penetrahle bush, though. of difforont
KIND from that just described. Here
the thicket is chiefly composed of the
mimosa and portulacca tribes, high and
thorny This kind of bush is even
more impenetrable than the ordinary
jungle of India, and cannot be fred,
owing to the number of succulent plants
and parasites which it contains Such
is the Caffre's never-falling place of
refuge in time of peace or war. "In
his naked hardihood 1--WE again quote
from Colonel Napier's excellent book,
she either, snake-lke, twines through
and creeps beneath its denest mazes,
or, shielded with the kaross, securely
defies their most thorny and abrading
| annnpifinn T1n1ar Ne ha h,,c
in war, he, panther like, steals upon his
foe; in peace, upon the farmers flock.
Secure in both instances from pursuit,
he can, in the bush, set European pow
er, European skill and European disci-
pline at naught; and hitherto vain has
been every effort to destroy this, his i'm
.pregnable stronghold" Happily for us,
the Caffre cannot permanently occupy
the bush. He can only betake himself
there occasionally and for short space
oftime. The bush supplies no means o.
support for single man, much less fol
number of men; and the Caffre is com
PEELED to spend most of his time on thos'
vast plains which support the staple
element of his wealth-his cattle.
AS to the military performances of tn
Zulus, this is said:
The Hnlus form in the impenetrabl
bush kind of semi-circle, with tn
tanks pushed forward, around the strag
Cling column; and if the unwary col
umn advances sufficiently far into thi
fatal circle its doom is sealed. 1t is at
tackled at once in front and on bot
TANKS, and the men from the rear ar
shot as they gradually come up, withou
any hope of resistance.
While in the bush, or forming an am
buscade, the Caffres ami Zulus ar
fed and supplied with all necessaries fo
war by their women, who perform a
the drudgery of the most harsh an
cruel servitude. These women, whe
possible, hover about the enemy, an
have frequently gained most importar
information for their masters-one ca
hardly say husbands. To such an ez
! tent was this system carried in the la'
Oafre war that Colonel Narier propose
: to capture all women found lurkin
! about the line of march and remov
, them into the interior of the countr,
/ where they could he apprenticed as d
l nestle servants to the farmers and othe
inhabitants until the end of the wa
To avoid falling into the ambuscad,
laid by these savages, there is one, al
. one only way-the constant and Garrett
t use of outposts, vedettes and spies.
is mere madness to engage naked sa,
age on his own chosen ground, the busl
( through which English soldiers, clothes
and with knapsacks. cannot clambe
He must be enticed by whatever mean
or driven though hunger (by the ca
ture of his women) to take to the opel
b and then his defeat is inevitable.