Zulu War, 1879; Zululand (South Africa) -- History -- To 1879
Corporal Grubb said the prince gave the order "Off saddle" at
the kraal, and "Prepare to mount." The prince mounted. After the
volley, he saw Carey putting spurs to his horse, and he did the
same. He saw Abel fall, and Rogers trying to get a shot at the
Zulus. Le Tocq passed him, and said, "Put spurs to your horse,
boy; the prince is down!" He looked round and saw the prince under
his horse. A short time after the prince's horse came up, and he
(Grubb) caught it. No orders were given to rally.
Le Tocq was called, and said: The prince told the natives to
search the kraals, and finding no one there they off saddled. At
the volley, he mounted, but, dropping his carbine, stopped to pick
it up. In remounting he could not get his leg over the saddle.
He passed the prince, and said in French, "Hasten to mount your
horse." The prince did not answer. He saw the prince's horse
treading on his leg. The prince was in command of the party. He
believed Carey and the prince would have passed on different sides
of a hut in fast flight, and it was possible that Carey might have
failed to see that the prince was in difficulty. It was 250 yards
from where he saw the prince down to the spot where he died.
Trooper Cochrane was called, and said: The prince was not in the
saddle at the time of mounting. He saw, about fifty yards off, the
prince running down the donga with fourteen Zulus in close pursuit.
Nothing was done to help him. He heard no orders given, and did not
tell Carey what he had seen until some time after. He was an old
soldier. He did not think any rally could have been made.
[Sidenote: _Examination of witnesses._]
The Court then adjourned to the next day. On reassembling, the
first witness called was—
Sergeant Willis, who stated that he had seen Trooper Rogers lying
on the ground by the side of his horse, close to the kraal, as he
left the spot. He thought he saw the prince wounded at the same
time that Trooper Abel threw up his arms. He thought the prince
might have been dragged to the place where he was found after
death, and that a rally might have been made twenty yards beyond
the donga.
Colonel Harrison being called, stated that Carey was senior
combatant officer, and must therefore have been in command of the
party. Carey volunteered to go on the reconnaissance to verify
certain points of his sketch. The prince was ordered to go to
report more fully on the ground. He had given the prince into
Carey's charge.
Examined by the Court, Colonel Harrison stated that when the prince
was attached to his department he was not told to treat him as a
royal personage in the matter of escort, but as any other officer,
taking due precaution against any possible danger.
Dr. Scott (the prince's medical attendant) was then called, and
stated that the prince was killed by eighteen assegai wounds, any
five of which would have been fatal. There were no bullet wounds.
The prince died where the body was found.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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