On the night of the 23rd, intelligence was received that Bambata was in the vicinity of Ntingwe; Mansel thereupon made a night march with the Police and Z.M.R. over the worst imaginable country, so steep as to be dangerous for man and beast. The sortie, however, proved unsuccessful. The convoy of waggons, escorted by the Natal Carbineers, under Mackay, consisting of the Left Wing, three squadrons of the Right Wing, and a section of B Battery, N.F.A.--400 all told, arrived at Empandhleni at mid-day on the 25th, having left Dundee on the 20th. They had travelled viâ Vant's Drift, Nqutu, Nondweni and Babanango.[179] By this time, the Government had resolved to adopt measures for driving the Nkandhla district from various directions, hence Mackay, on temporarily occupying Empandhleni, received instructions to desist from doing any more than seize stock and burn kraals belonging to rebels within the immediate vicinity of the magistracy; he was warned not to attempt to draw the enemy prior to the general converging movement shortly to take place. Attention was accordingly confined by him to the district lying within a radius of six or seven miles of the magistracy. This ground was completely cleared of rebels, stock, etc. Mansel, on being relieved by Mackay, was to have left with the Police and Zululand Native Police for Fort Yolland on the 26th, but owing to dense mists, was unable to do so until 10 a.m. on the 28th; he reached his destination by a somewhat circuitous route at 11 a.m. on the following morning. He had passed along the northern and north eastern edges of the forest, where numbers of rebels were seen; these, however, refrained from coming to close quarters. Vanderplank, too, left for Ntingwe--an important strategical position, six miles north of Macala--at 11 a.m. on the 28th, reaching camping ground near there on the following day. On the 28th, Mackay moved out in the direction of Nomangci, with a couple of squadrons. He came in touch with about twenty-eight of the enemy, when a few shots were exchanged. On the morning of the 1st May, a small patrol, including Native scouts, from Ntingwe, was fired on near Mfongozi. The fire was returned, when the enemy decamped, leaving four horses and two foals, which were captured. During the night, E. Titlestad's store at Ntingwe was looted by the rebels.