At length the attacks slackened, the firing dwindled and died, and the
dawn broke, that same dawn which showed to General Lord Chelmsford and
those with him all the horror of Isandhlwana's field. Here also at
Rorke's Drift it revealed death and to spare, but for the most part the
corpses were those of the foe, some four hundred of whom lay lost in
their last sleep around the burning hospital, in the bush, and beneath
the walls of corn-sacks; four hundred killed by one hundred and
thirty-nine white men all told, of whom thirty-five were sick when the
defence began. The little band had suffered, indeed, for fifteen of
them were dead, and twelve wounded, some mortally, but seeing what had
been done the loss was small. Had the Zulus once won an entrance over
the last entrenchment of biscuit boxes not a man would have remained
alive. Surely biscuits were never put to a nobler or a stranger use.
The daylight had come and the enemy vanished with the night, retreating
over a hill to the south-west. But, as the defenders of Rorke's Drift
guessed, he had no intention of abandoning his attack. Therefore they
knew that this was no time to be idle. Sallying out of their defences
they collected the arms of the dead Zulus, then returned, and began to
strip the roof of the store of its thatch, which was a constant source
of danger to them, seeing that fire is a deadlier foe even than the
assegai. They were thus engaged when again the Zulus appeared to make an
end of them. Once more the weary soldiers took up their positions, and a
while passed. Now they perceived that the Undi, which had been
advancing, slowly commenced to fall back, a movement that they were at a
loss to understand, till a shout from those who were engaged in
stripping the roof told the glad news that English troops were advancing
to their relief.
These were the remains of No. 3 column, moving down from Isandhlwana.
Little did the general and those with him expect to find a soul living
at Rorke's Drift, for they also had seen the sullen masses of the Undi
retreating from the post, and the columns of smoke rising from the
burning hospital confirmed their worst fears. What then was their joy
when they perceived a Union Jack flying amidst the smoke, and heard the
ring of a British cheer rising from the shattered walls and the defences
of sacks of corn! Forward galloped Col. Russell and his mounted men, and
in five minutes more those who remained of the garrison were safe, and
the defence of Rorke's Drift was a thing of the past; another glorious
page ready to be bound into that great book which is called 'The Deeds
of Englishmen.'
* * * * *
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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