As Colonel Weatherly's men
were engaged with several Zulus at close quarters, some little delay
occurred in their advance upon the cave, whence the fire was most
galling; and Ronald Campbell, calling on Lysons and some of the escort
to follow him, dashed at the opening, having first cleared a sort of
breastwork at the entrance. Poor Campbell fell, shot through the head;
and Lysons and a brave fellow, Corporal Fowler, following closely upon
the footsteps of the brave young guardsman, killed the two remaining
Zulus within the cave, while another, severely wounded, managed to crawl
away through a narrow crevice in the rock. Having ascertained that the
enemy were retreating before Buller on the summit, Colonel Weatherly was
sent to make a small circuit lower down the cliff, to endeavour to hit
off the path by which the former had so successfully ascended, and
which the others were unfortunate enough to miss. Buller, in the
meanwhile, was not only driving the Zulus' cattle before him, but was
able to assist his comrades by his fire from his vantage-ground above.
The enemy in front and flank retired, disputing every available spot,
while Weatherly was most skilfully working round to their left rear. His
disposition of his men was most judicious, and he rendered very material
help to Wood's portion of the force, intercepting and driving back a
strong party which were coming up to assist the body they were engaging.
These, however, eventually took up a formidable position in some caves
in a deep kloof, from which they kept up a constant and dropping fire.
Amongst Wood's party they had up to this time but few casualties, though
the loss of such splendid and noble-hearted soldiers as Campbell and
Lloyd was a terrible blow to their chief, whose right hand men they
were. Colonel Wood, in spite of the galling fire still maintained by the
entrenched Zulus, assisted the party told off to carry the bodies of the
dead to a place about half way down the first hill, where, in disregard
of the bullets which kept rattling round, these noble young heroes were
buried in a soldier's glorious grave, the funeral honours being
discharged over them by the rifles of friend and foe.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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