I had doubts when I saw some of these fugitives disappear in the spruit bed, and these doubts became certainty when I heard Buller shout out to 'retire,' and almost at the same moment, before we could get our horses up and round, two lines of Zulus rose in the spruit bed and poured in a volley within 100 yards. If they had known how to shoot, which happily for us they do not, nearly every saddle ought to have been emptied; but only three men and half a dozen horses were over. Lord William Beresford took up a dismounted man, and Commandant D'Arcy one who was wounded. The former got his man out safely; the latter, I am sorry to say, was thrown by his horse bucking at the unaccustomed burden. The poor trooper was overtaken and killed, while the commandant was so severely bruised from falling on his revolver, that he was able to get back safe, but not able to take part in the next day's fight. It is hardly necessary to say that we galloped back at least as fast as we had come, perhaps even a little faster, for we were seen and pursued, Zulus springing up from the grass in all directions and firing continuously. We ran the gauntlet the whole way back, making only one rally on a crest sprinkled with small trees. The line in our rear was 500 yards off, and some of them were shot, but we were not able to stop very long, for we saw columns making for the drift to cut us off. Happily Colonel Buller had left Baker and his men on the stony kopje to cover our retreat, and his men peppered one of these intercepting columns so effectually as to stop their advance. Our peril was seen from the camp, and Major Le Grice's battery of 9-pounders took up a position on the high ground in front, from which they so astonished the other column of Zulus by a well-directed fire of shrapnel at long range, that they too were prevented from carrying out their philanthropic intention. We had only, therefore, the pursuing Zulus to deal with, but they followed up closely as far as the ford, where Captain Whalley, with the Natal Light Horse, drew up and covered our crossing. It is a marvel to me, considering the heavy fire that we were under, that we only lost three men killed, four wounded, and thirteen horses missing." [47] This Zulu prisoner also stated, "The white man who writes the king's letters is a trader. The king has his movements always watched." Speaking of the result of the battle of Ulundi, he said, "The army is now thoroughly beaten, and, as we were beaten in the open, it will not reassemble or fight again." [48] The Gatlings were not very successful. Firing had to cease six times during the action, as they got overheated.