. Battles of the nineteenth century . ordinaryexpedients of war, while materials never beforeemployed in fortification were pressed intoservice. The store and hospital were loop-holed and barricaded, the windows and doorsblocked with mattresses ; but it was necessaryto connect the defence of the two buildingsby a piirapet. There were no stones at handwith whicli to build a wall, and if there hadbeen, there was no time to make use of them ;the hard rocky soil could not be dug andformed into ditch and breastwork ; but therewas a great store of bags of mealies, orthe grain of Indian corn, which h
. Battles of the nineteenth century . ordinaryexpedients of war, while materials never beforeemployed in fortification were pressed intoservice. The store and hospital were loop-holed and barricaded, the windows and doorsblocked with mattresses ; but it was necessaryto connect the defence of the two buildingsby a piirapet. There were no stones at handwith whicli to build a wall, and if there hadbeen, there was no time to make use of them ;the hard rocky soil could not be dug andformed into ditch and breastwork ; but therewas a great store of bags of mealies, orthe grain of Indian corn, which had beencollected as horse provender for the Dalton suggested thatthese should be used in the fashion of sand-bags for the construction of the required laboured with the energy of menwho know that their safety depends oh their 2 ?2 BATTLES OF THE NINETEENTH CENTURY. exertions. Chard and Bromhead, Reynolds,Dunne, and Dalton not merely directed, butengage-.] most energetically in the work of. LIEUTENANT CHARD.{Photo, J. Hazfke, Plymcuth.) preparation. When the alarm was first given itwas intended to remove the worst cases from thehospital to a place of safety, and two wagonswere prepared for the purpose; but it was foundthat the attempt to move the patients at theslow pace of ox-teams when the Zulus were soclose at hand would only result in offering themas easy victims to the murderous assegai. Thetwo wagons were therefore used as part of thedefences, and mealie bags were piled underneathand upon them, so that each formed a strongpost of vantage. The ferry-guard had joined the rest of theforce at , and a few minutes later anofficer of Durnfords Natal Native Horse, witha hundred of his men who had been heavilyengaged at Insandhlwana, rode up and asked fororders. Chard directed him to watch for theapproach of the enemy, sending out vedettes,and when he was pressed, to fall back and assistin the defence of the post. So far it seeme
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Keywords: ., bookcentury1900, bookdecade1900, bookpublisherlondo, bookyear1901
