The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1877-1885, 1879-04-24
[ROrke'S Drift cor. London Times !
SURROUNDED BY ZULU5.
The Story Of a Young English
Officers Escape at the Bat
tie Of Isandula.

At about 1:3O o'clock the Zulus were
seen coming over the hills in thousands.
They were IN most perfect order. and
seemed to be in about twenty rows Of
skirmishers one behind the other.
They were in a semlcircle round our
two TANKS and in front of us. and must
have covered several miles of ground.
Nobody knows how many here we're Of
them. but the general idea is at least
10000. Well, to IL the account short,
IN halt an hour they We're right up TO
the amp. | was out with the front
companies of the Twenty-fourth, hand
ing them spare ammunition. Bullets
were flying all over the place, but |
never seem to notice them. The Zulus
nearly all had firearms of some kind
and lots OF ammunition. Before we
knew where we were they came right
INTO the camp, assailing everybody right
and left. Everybody then who had a
house turned to fly. The enemy were
gong at a kind of very fast half-walk
and halt-run.
On looking round we saw that we
were completely surrounded and the
road to Borke's drift was cut off. The
place Where they seemed thinnest was
where they all made for. Everybody |
went pell-mell over ground covered
with huge boulders and rocks until we |
got to a deep sprint or gully. How the
horses got over | have no idea. was
riding a broken-kneed old crock which
dld not belong to ne. and which [ ex-
pected to go on its head every minute
we had to go bang through them at
the sprint. Lots of our men were killed
there. | had lots ofmarvelous escanes
and was firing away at them with my
revolver as | galloped along. The
ground there down to the river was -
broken that the Zulus went as fast as
the horses, and kept killing all the way
mere We're very few white men: they
were nearly all mounted ~nipeers of nnr
I1ylng. This lasted till we came to a
hihn OF Preciplce down to the river
down. 'o
There was a poor fellow of the mount
infantry "a priyate) struck through
he arm, who said as | passed that if
;iould bind up his arm and stop the
bleeding he would be all right. az
;ordingiy took out my handkerchief
tied up his arm. Just as had +;
lone It,, Major Smith of the artillery I
anne down by lie, wounded saving |
FOR God S sake get on man: the ZnIus ,
ire on the top of Is" | had done All
could for the wounded man. and - i
IIurled to jump on my horse. just ~ !
was doing 50 the horse Went with ! !
to the bottom of the precinice q
struck with an ~asseoa; paN :
Up all hope as the Zulus were all ronnj >
finishing off the wounded. the mann v
had helped, and Maj. Smith amona /.
ne number. However, with the stron5 Y
nope that everybody clings to that sone d
.ccident would turn up. / rushed on ON b
and plunged into the river. which i
'as little better than a roaring torrent a
was being carried down the stream At :,
tremendous pace, when a loose horse n
anne by me, and | got hold Of his tail
he landed me safely on the Other
ank but | was too tired to sticL - ;,
I'M and get on his back. oot mn -
gam and rushed on, and was -severaIj :
mes knocked over by our mounted =
lggers, who would not get out of NV =,
then up a tremendous hill. with r.