Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1880-06-19
NoBANE..

As swayeth in the summer wind
The close and stalwart grain,
So moved the serted Zulu shields
That day on wild z.obane;
The whi,et shield of the husband,
Who hath twice need OF life,
The black shield OF the young chief.
Who hath not yet wife.
Unreckirg harm, the British lay,
Secure as it they slept,
While close in fro0t and ether flank
The live black crescent crept,
Then burst their wild and frightful cry
Upon the British ears.
With whir If bullets, glare of shields,
And fash OF Zulu SPEARS,
They gathered as cloud, swift rolled,
'IwiXt sun and summer scene,
They thickened down as the lOcusts
That leave no living green.
Uprose the British in the shock
Reeled but an instant then,
Shoulder to shoulder, faced the foe,
Aud met their doom like men
But enc was there whose heart WAS torn
In more awful strife;
He had the soldiers steady nerYe,
And calm diedain OF life;
Yet now, half turning from the fray.
Knee shifting sgainst knee,
He scanned the hills, if yet was LETT
An open chance ~ fee.
Not for himself His little son,
Scarce thirteen summers born,
With hair that shone upon his brows
Like tasseis OF The corn,
And lips yet curled in that sweet pout
Shaped by the mothers breast,
Stood by his side, and silently
20 his brave father pressed.
The horse stood nigh; the father kissed
Ard tossed the hoy astride.
Farewell !" he crie.l, land for thy life,
That wa my darling ride %
Scarce touched the saddle ere the boy
Leaped iightly to the ground,
And smote the horse upon his flank,
Thaewith q quiyeriag bound
1; sprang and gailoped for the hills,
With one sonOrous neigh
The fire flashed where its spurnirg feet
Changed DER the stony way
So, shod with fear, fed like ihe wind,
From where in ancient fray
Rome grsppled Tuseulum the slain
uIuA4ius Cliai ger gray,
Father, I'll die with your. The sire,
As this he saw and heard,
Turned and stood breathess in the Joy
and p9ng that knows no word.
Once, each, as do long knitted friends,
Upoa The other smiled,
And then-he had but tino to give
A weapon 10 the child
Ere, Ieaping DER the British dead,
The supple Zulus drew
The cruel asse- ais, and first
TIE younger hero slew.
Still grew the fathers heart, his eye
Bright witt unfliclering fame
Five Zuus hit the dust in death
By his unblcnchiHg aim.
Then, covered with amounted wounds,
He sank beside his child,
And they who found them say, in death
Each on the other smiled.
Zlobane is the name of the mountain which
en- by storm from the Zulus by the British fol
the morning of the 18th Of March, 1879. On
OF this mountain the victorious English troo
o had unsaddled their horses and cast themsel
vn to rest, were surprised and surrounded by
us. OF the whole British corps only one Capt
six men escaped.
Among the Zulus the married men carry wi
elds, the bachelors black
When the zuus rushed on the small deta
Mt of Colonel Wood, and while there was yet
N road in one direction, Colonel Weatherly,
slish cavalry officer, cIapped his son, bo.
rteen who was with him, on horseback. kis
I, aud told him to fly for his life. The
lped from the saddle, striking the horse i
ch sent it galoping of, and said, " Father
with you'll" The father handed his revolver
child just as the Zulus reached, over Brit
hes. the spot where they stood Weatherly s.
Zulus b,fore lie fell, but the son was killed
&. ~ p. Gustafson.