CHAPTER VII
A SLAUGHTER GRIM AND GREAT
Then there was a pause, and we stood there in the chilly silent
darkness waiting till the moment came to start. It was, perhaps,
the most trying time of all -- that slow, slow quarter of an
hour. The minutes seemed to drag along with leaden feet, and
the quiet, the solemn hush, that brooded over all -- big, as
it were, with a coming fate, was most oppressive to the spirits.
I once remember having to get up before dawn to see a man hanged,
and I then went through a very similar set of sensations, only
in the present instance my feelings were animated by that more
vivid and personal element which naturally appertains rather
to the person to be operated on than to the most sympathetic
spectator. The solemn faces of the men, well aware that the
short passage of an hour would mean for some, and perhaps all
of them, the last great passage to the unknown or oblivion; the
bated whispers in which they spoke; even Sir Henry's continuous
and thoughtful examination of his woodcutter's axe and the fidgety
way in which Good kept polishing his eyeglass, all told the same
tale of nerves stretched pretty nigh to breaking-point. Only
Umslopogaas, leaning as usual upon Inkosi-kaas and taking an
occasional pinch of snuff, was to all appearance perfectly and
completely unmoved. Nothing could touch his iron nerves.
The moon went down. For a long while she had been getting nearer
and nearer to the horizon. Now she finally sank and left the
world in darkness save for a faint grey tinge in the eastern
sky that palely heralded the dawn.
Mr Mackenzie stood, watch in hand, his wife clinging to his arm
and striving to stifle her sobs.
'Twenty minutes to four,' he said, 'it ought to be light enough
to attack at twenty minutes past four. Captain Good had better
be moving, he will want three or four minutes' start.'
Good gave one final polish to his eyeglass, nodded to us in a
jocular sort of way -- which I could not help feeling it must
have cost him something to muster up -- and, ever polite, took
off his steel-lined cap to Mrs Mackenzie and started for his
position at the head of the kraal, to reach which he had to make
a detour by some paths known to the natives.
Just then one of the boys came in and reported that everybody
in the Masai camp, with the exception of the two sentries who
were walking up and down in front of the respective entrances,
appeared to be fast asleep. Then the rest of us took the road.
First came the guide, then Sir Henry, Umslopogaas, the Wakwafi
Askari, and Mr Mackenzie's two mission natives armed with long
spears and shields. I followed immediately after with Alphonse
and five natives all armed with guns, and Mr Mackenzie brought
up the rear with the six remaining natives.
The cattle kraal where the Masai were camped lay at the foot
of the hill on which the house stood, or, roughly speaking, about
eight hundred yards from the Mission buildings. The first five
hundred yards of this distance we traversed quietly indeed, but
at a good pace; after that we crept forward as silently as a
leopard on his prey, gliding like ghosts from bush to bush and
stone to stone. When I had gone a little way I chanced to look
behind me, and saw the redoubtable Alphonse staggering along
with white face and trembling knees, and his rifle, which was
at full cock, pointed directly at the small of my back. Having
halted and carefully put the rifle at 'safety', we started again,
and all went well till we were within one hundred yards or so
of the kraal, when his teeth began to chatter in the most aggressive way.
'If you don't stop that I will kill you,' I whispered savagely;
for the idea of having all our lives sacrificed to a tooth-chattering
cook was too much for me. I began to fear that he would betray
us, and heartily wished we had left him behind.
'But, monsieur, I cannot help it,' he answered, 'it is the cold.'
Here was a dilemma, but fortunately I devised a plan. In the
pocket of the coat I had on was a small piece of dirty rag that
I had used some time before to clean a gun with. 'Put this in
your mouth,' I whispered again, giving him the rag; 'and if I
hear another sound you are a dead man.' I knew that that would
stifle the clatter of his teeth. I must have looked as if I
meant what I said, for he instantly obeyed me, and continued
his journey in silence.
Then we crept on again.
At last we were within fifty yards of the kraal. Between us
and it was an open space of sloping grass with only one mimosa
bush and a couple of tussocks of a sort of thistle for cover.
We were still hidden in fairly thick bush. It was beginning
to grow light. The stars had paled and a sickly gleam played
about the east and was reflected on the earth. We could see
the outline of the kraal clearly enough, and could also make
out the faint glimmer of the dying embers of the Masai camp-fires.
We halted and watched, for the sentry we knew was posted at
the opening. Presently he appeared, a fine tall fellow, walking
idly up and down within five paces of the thorn-stopped entrance.
We had hoped to catch him napping, but it was not to be. He
seemed particularly wide awake. If we could not kill that man,
and kill him silently, we were lost. There we crouched and watched
him. Presently Umslopogaas, who was a few paces ahead of me,
turned and made a sign, and next second I saw him go down on
his stomach like a snake, and, taking an opportunity when the
sentry's head was turned, begin to work his way through the grass
without a sound.
The unconscious sentry commenced to hum a little tune, and Umslopogaas
crept on. He reached the shelter of the mimosa bush unperceived
and there waited. Still the sentry walked up and down. Presently
he turned and looked over the wall into the camp. Instantly
the human snake who was stalking him glided on ten yards and
got behind one of the tussocks of the thistle-like plant, reaching
it as the Elmoran turned again. As he did so his eye fell upon
this patch of thistles, and it seemed to strike him that it did
not look quite right. He advanced a pace towards it -- halted,
yawned, stooped down, picked up a little pebble and threw it
at it. It hit Umslopogaas upon the head, luckily not upon the
armour shirt. Had it done so the clink would have betrayed us.
Luckily, too, the shirt was browned and not bright steel, which
would certainly have been detected. Apparently satisfied that
there was nothing wrong, he then gave over his investigations
and contented himself with leaning on his spear and standing
gazing idly at the tuft. For at least three minutes did he stand
thus, plunged apparently in a gentle reverie, and there we lay
in the last extremity of anxiety, expecting every moment that
we should be discovered or that some untoward accident would
happen. I could hear Alphonse's teeth going like anything on
the oiled rag, and turning my head round made an awful face at
him. But I am bound to state that my own heart was at much the
same game as the Frenchman's castanets, while the perspiration
was pouring from my body, causing the wash-leather-lined shirt
to stick to me unpleasantly, and altogether I was in the pitiable
state known by schoolboys as a 'blue fright'.
At last the ordeal came to an end. The sentry glanced at the
east, and appeared to note with satisfaction that his period
of duty was coming to an end -- as indeed it was, once and for
all -- for he rubbed his hands and began to walk again briskly
to warm himself.
The moment his back was turned the long black snake glided on
again, and reached the other thistle tuft, which was within a
couple of paces of his return beat.
Back came the sentry and strolled right past the tuft, utterly
unconscious of the presence that was crouching behind it. Had
he looked down he could scarcely have failed to see, but he did
not do so.
He passed, and then his hidden enemy erected himself,
and with outstretched hand followed in his tracks.
A moment more, and, just as the Elmoran was about to turn, the
great Zulu made a spring, and in the growing light we could see
his long lean hands close round the Masai's throat. Then followed
a convulsive twining of the two dark bodies, and in another second
I saw the Masai's head bent back, and heard a sharp crack, something
like that of a dry twig snapping, and he fell down upon the ground,
his limbs moving spasmodically.
Umslopogaas had put out all his iron strength and broken the
warrior's neck.
For a moment he knelt upon his victim, still gripping his throat
till he was sure that there was nothing more to fear from him,
and then he rose and beckoned to us to advance, which we did
on all fours, like a colony of huge apes. On reaching the kraal
we saw that the Masai had still further choked this entrance,
which was about ten feet wide -- no doubt in order to guard against
attack -- by dragging four or five tops of mimosa trees up to
it. So much the better for us, I reflected; the more obstruction
there was the slower would they be able to come through. Here
we separated; Mackenzie and his party creeping up under the shadow
of the wall to the left, while Sir Henry and Umslopogaas took
their stations one on each side of the thorn fence, the two spearmen
and the Askari lying down in front of it. I and my men crept
on up the right side of the kraal, which was about fifty paces
long.
When I was two-thirds up I halted, and placed my men at distances
of four paces from one another, keeping Alphonse close to me,
however. Then I peeped for the first time over the wall. It
was getting fairly light now, and the first thing I saw was the
white donkey, exactly opposite to me, and close by it I could
make out the pale face of little Flossie, who was sitting as
the lad had described, some ten paces from the wall. Round her
lay many warriors, sleeping. At distances all over the surface
of the kraal were the remains of fires, round each of which slept
some five-and-twenty Masai, for the most part gorged with food.
Now and then a man would raise himself, yawn, and look at the
east, which was turning primrose; but none got up. I determined
to wait another five minutes, both to allow the light to increase,
so that we could make better shooting, and to give Good and his
party -- of whom we could see or hear nothing -- every opportunity
to make ready.
The quiet dawn began to throw her ever-widening mantle over plain
and forest and river -- mighty Kenia, wrapped in the silence
of eternal snows, looked out across the earth -- till presently
a beam from the unrisen sun lit upon his heaven-kissing crest
and purpled it with blood; the sky above grew blue, and tender
as a mother's smile; a bird began to pipe his morning song, and
a little breeze passing through the bush shook down the dewdrops
in millions to refresh the waking world. Everywhere was peace
and the happiness of arising strength, everywhere save in the
heart of cruel man!
Suddenly, just as I was nerving myself for the signal, having
already selected my man on whom I meant to open fire -- a great
fellow sprawling on the ground within three feet of little Flossie
-- Alphonse's teeth began to chatter again like the hoofs of
a galloping giraffe, making a great noise in the silence. The
rag had dropped out in the agitation of his mind. Instantly
a Masai within three paces of us woke, and, sitting up, gazed
about him, looking for the cause of the sound. Moved beyond
myself, I brought the butt-end of my rifle down on to the pit
of the Frenchman's stomach. This stopped his chattering; but,
as he doubled up, he managed to let off his gun in such a manner
that the bullet passed within an inch of my head.
There was no need for a signal now. From both sides of the kraal
broke out a waving line of fire, in which I myself joined, managing
with a snap shot to knock over my Masai by Flossie, just as he
was jumping up. Then from the top end of the kraal there rang
an awful yell, in which I rejoiced to recognize Good's piercing
notes rising clear and shrill above the din, and in another second
followed such a scene as I have never seen before nor shall again.
With an universal howl of terror and fury the brawny crowd of
savages within the kraal sprang to their feet, many of them to
fall again beneath our well-directed hail of lead before they
had moved a yard. For a moment they stood undecided, and then
hearing the cries and curses that rose unceasingly from the top
end of the kraal, and bewildered by the storm of bullets, they
as by one impulse rushed down towards the thorn-stopped entrance.
As they went we kept pouring our fire with terrible effect into
the thickening mob as fast as we could load. I had emptied my
repeater of the ten shots it contained and was just beginning
to slip in some more when I bethought me of little Flossie.
Looking up, I saw that the white donkey was lying kicking, having
been knocked over either by one of our bullets or a Masai spear-thrust.
There were no living Masai near, but the black nurse was on
her feet and with a spear cutting the rope that bound Flossie's
feet. Next second she ran to the wall of the kraal and began
to climb over it, an example which the little girl followed.
But Flossie was evidently very stiff and cramped, and could
only go slowly, and as she went two Masai flying down the kraal
caught sight of her and rushed towards her to kill her. The
first fellow came up just as the poor little girl, after a desperate
effort to climb the wall, fell back into the kraal. Up flashed
the great spear, and as it did so a bullet from my rifle found
its home in the holder's ribs, and over he went like a shot rabbit.
But behind him was the other man, and, alas, I had only that
one cartridge in the magazine! Flossie had scrambled to her
feet and was facing the second man, who was advancing with raised
spear. I turned my head aside and felt sick as death. I could
not bear to see him stab her. Glancing up again, to my surprise
I saw the Masai's spear lying on the ground, while the man himself
was staggering about with both hands to his head. Suddenly I
saw a puff of smoke proceeding apparently from Flossie, and the
man fell down headlong. Then I remembered the Derringer pistol
she carried, and saw that she had fired both barrels of it at
him, thereby saving her life. In another instant she had made
an effort, and assisted by the nurse, who was lying on the top,
had scrambled over the wall, and I knew that she was, comparatively
speaking, safe.
All this takes time to tell, but I do not suppose that it took
more than fifteen seconds to enact. I soon got the magazine
of the repeater filled again with cartridges, and once more opened
fire, not on the seething black mass which was gathering at the
end of the kraal, but on fugitives who bethought them to climb
the wall. I picked off several of these men, moving down towards
the end of the kraal as I did so, and arriving at the corner,
or rather the bend of the oval, in time to see, and by means
of my rifle to assist in, the mighty struggle that took place
there.
By this time some two hundred Masai -- allowing that we had up
to the present accounted for fifty -- had gathered together in
front of the thorn-stopped entrance, drive thither by the spears
of Good's men, whom they doubtless supposed were a large force
instead of being but ten strong. For some reason it never occurred
to them to try and rush the wall, which they could have scrambled
over with comparative ease; they all made for the fence, which
was really a strongly interwoven fortification. With a bound
the first warrior went at it, and even before he touched the
ground on the other side I saw Sir Henry's great axe swing up
and fall with awful force upon his feather head-piece, and he
sank into the middle of the thorns. Then with a yell and a crash
they began to break through as they might, and ever as they came
the great axe swung and Inkosi-kaas flashed and they fell dead
one by one, each man thus helping to build up a barrier against
his fellows. Those who escaped the axes of the pair fell at
the hands of the Askari and the two Mission Kaffirs, and those
who passed scatheless from them were brought low by my own and
Mackenzie's fire.
Faster and more furious grew the fighting. Single Masai would
spring upon the dead bodies of their comrades, and engage one
or other of the axemen with their long spears; but, thanks chiefly
to the mail shirts, the result was always the same. Presently
there was a great swing of the axe, a crashing sound, and another
dead Masai. That is, if the man was engaged with Sir Henry.
If it was Umslopogaas that he fought with the result indeed
would be the same, but it would be differently attained. It
was but rarely that the Zulu used the crashing double-handed
stroke; on the contrary, he did little more than tap continually
at his adversary's head, pecking at it with the pole-axe end
of the axe as a woodpecker {Endnote 7} pecks at rotten wood.
Presently a peck would go home, and his enemy would drop down
with a neat little circular hole in his forehead or skull, exactly
similar to that which a cheese-scoop makes in a cheese. He never
used the broad blade of the axe except when hard pressed, or
when striking at a shield. He told me afterwards that he did
not consider it sportsmanlike.
Good and his men were quite close by now, and our people had
to cease firing into the mass for fear of killing some of them
(as it was, one of them was slain in this way). Mad and desperate
with fear, the Masai by a frantic effort burst through the thorn
fence and piled-up dead, and, sweeping Curtis, Umslopogaas, and
the other three before them, into the open. And now it was that
we began to lose men fast. Down went our poor Askari who was
armed with the axe, a great spear standing out a foot behind
his back; and before long the two spearsmen who had stood with
him went down too, dying fighting like tigers; and others of
our party shared their fate. For a moment I feared the fight
was lost -- certainly it trembled in the balance. I shouted
to my men to cast down their rifles, and to take spears and throw
themselves into the melee. They obeyed, their blood being now
thoroughly up, and Mr Mackenzie's people followed their example.
This move had a momentary good result, but still the fight hung
in the balance.
Our people fought magnificently, hurling themselves upon the
dark mass of Elmoran, hewing, thrusting, slaying, and being slain.
And ever above the din rose Good's awful yell of encouragement
as he plunged to wherever the fight was thickest; and ever, with
an almost machine-like regularity, the two axes rose and fell,
carrying death and disablement at every stroke. But I could
see that the strain was beginning to tell upon Sir Henry, who
was bleeding from several flesh wounds: his breath was coming
in gasps, and the veins stood out on his forehead like blue and
knotted cords. Even Umslopogaas, man of iron that he was, was
hard pressed. I noticed that he had given up 'woodpecking',
and was now using the broad blade of Inkosi-kaas, 'browning'
his enemy wherever he could hit him, instead of drilling scientific
holes in his head. I myself did not go into the melee, but hovered
outside like the swift 'back' in a football scrimmage, putting
a bullet through a Masai whenever I got a chance. I was more
use so. I fired forty-nine cartridges that morning, and I did
not miss many shots.
Presently, do as we would, the beam of the balance began to rise
against us. We had not more than fifteen or sixteen effectives
left now, and the Masai had at least fifty. Of course if they
had kept their heads, and shaken themselves together, they could
soon have made an end of the matter; but that is just what they
did not do, not having yet recovered from their start, and some
of them having actually fled from their sleeping-places without
their weapons. Still by now many individuals were fighting with
their normal courage and discretion, and this alone was sufficient
to defeat us. To make matters worse just then, when Mackenzie's
rifle was empty, a brawny savage armed with a 'sime', or sword,
made a rush for him. The clergyman flung down his gun, and drawing
his huge carver from his elastic belt (his revolver had dropped
out in the fight), they closed in desperate struggle. Presently,
locked in a close embrace, missionary and Masai rolled on the
ground behind the wall, and for some time I, being amply occupied
with my own affairs, and in keeping my skin from being pricked,
remained in ignorance of his fate or how the duel had ended.
To and fro surged the fight, slowly turning round like the vortex
of a human whirlpool, and the matter began to look very bad for
us. Just then, however, a fortunate thing happened. Umslopogaas,
either by accident or design, broke out of the ring and engaged
a warrior at some few paces from it. As he did so, another man
ran up and struck him with all his force between his shoulders
with his great spear, which, falling on the tough steel shirt,
failed to pierce it and rebounded. For a moment the man stared
aghast -- protective armour being unknown among these tribes
-- and then he yelled out at the top of his voice --
'They are devils -- bewitched, bewitched!' And seized by a
sudden panic, he threw down his spear, and began to fly. I cut
short his career with a bullet, and Umslopogaas brained his man,
and then the panic spread to the others.
'Bewitched, bewitched!' they cried, and tried to escape in every
direction, utterly demoralized and broken-spirited, for the most
part even throwing down their shields and spears.
On the last scene of that dreadful fight I need not dwell. It
was a slaughter great and grim, in which no quarter was asked
or given. One incident, however, is worth detailing. Just as
I was hoping that it was all done with, suddenly from under a
heap of slain where he had been hiding, an unwounded warrior
sprang up, and, clearing the piles of dying dead like an antelope,
sped like the wind up the kraal towards the spot where I was
standing at the moment. But he was not alone, for Umslopogaas
came gliding on his tracks with the peculiar swallow-like motion
for which he was noted, and as they neared me I recognized in
the Masai the herald of the previous night. Finding that, run
as he would, his pursuer was gaining on him, the man halted and
turned round to give battle. Umslopogaas also pulled up.
'Ah, ah,' he cried, in mockery, to the Elmoran, 'it is thou whom
I talked with last night -- the Lygonani! the Herald! the capturer
of little girls -- he who would kill a little girl! And thou
didst hope to stand man to man and face to face with Umslopogaas,
an Induna of the tribe of the Maquilisini, of the people of the
Amazulu? Behold, thy prayer is granted! And I didst swear to
hew thee limb from limb, thou insolent dog. Behold, I will do
it even now!'
The Masai ground his teeth with fury, and charged at the Zulu
with his spear. As he came, Umslopogaas deftly stepped aside,
and swinging Inkosi-kaas high above his head with both hands,
brought the broad blade down with such fearful force from behind
upon the Masai's shoulder just where the neck is set into the
frame, that its razor edge shore right through bone and flesh
and muscle, almost severing the head and one arm from the body.
'Ou!'
ejaculated Umslopogaas, contemplating the corpse of his foe;
'I have kept my word. It was a good stroke.'
