. South Africa. wasunder the sway of a branch of the Zulu nation, one ofthe most destructive powers the earth has ever known,comparable only to the Mongol hordes that swept overEastern Europe in the Middle Ages. The farmers whohad spread over the veld in fancied security sooncame in contact with this terrible power. Many weremurdered and a large part of their cattle stolen beforethey could defend themselves. And then began sucha war as had never before been seen in Africa. TheBoers were few, the Matabele many. Moselekatse, thegreat chief, had, after the custom of his people, organ-ised all his
. South Africa. wasunder the sway of a branch of the Zulu nation, one ofthe most destructive powers the earth has ever known,comparable only to the Mongol hordes that swept overEastern Europe in the Middle Ages. The farmers whohad spread over the veld in fancied security sooncame in contact with this terrible power. Many weremurdered and a large part of their cattle stolen beforethey could defend themselves. And then began sucha war as had never before been seen in Africa. TheBoers were few, the Matabele many. Moselekatse, thegreat chief, had, after the custom of his people, organ-ised all his fighting men into regiments of a thousandor so strong. They were magnificent fighters, strong,athletic, brave. With their long oxhide shields andheavy iron-headed assegais, they charged in close order 1 Those who would like to know something of the kind of country these gioneers went through, and the hardships they must have suffered, should readir Percy Fitzpatricks fascinating book, Jock of the Bushveld. 266. The Women Loaded the Empty Gnna THE GREAT TREK like a Roman phalanx, and hitherto they had sweptdown all their enemies like grass. But the Boers had three advantages: their guns,their horses, and their wagons. When they met theMatebele in the open, they rode up to within range,fired a volley, and rode away again to reload, and thenrepeated their tactics. The savages yelled and hurledtheir spears, but never could get near the enemy, andwere as helpless as a flock of sheep. On the otherhand, if they attacked a Boer encampment, they foundthe wagons lashed together in a circle with branches ofthorny mimosa twisted through the wheels. As theycharged the Boers fired at them from their wagons,every shot taking effect in the dense masses, while thewomen loaded the empty guns behind their if the warriors reached the wagons, it was only tobe shot down while making a vain attempt to breakthrough, and their only chance of doing mischief was tothrow their assegais blin
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