England -- Fiction; Magic -- Fiction; South Africa -- Fiction
Three hundred had come to attack Alston’s Horse; not more than one
hundred departed from that attack. The overpowered white men had
rendered a good account of their foes.
The three left alive on the summit of the little hill were, as Fate
would have it, Ernest, Jeremy, and the ex-sailor, who had complained of
the “sargustic” companion, who, it happened, had just died by his side.
Their revolvers were empty; Ernest’s sword had broken off short in the
body of a Zulu; Jeremy still had his sword, and the sailor a clubbed
carbine.
Presently one of the six Zulus dodged in under the carbine and ran the
sailor through. Glancing round, Ernest saw his face turn grey. The
honest fellow died as he had lived, swearing hard.
“Ah, you —— black mate,” he sang out, “take that, and be damned to
you!” The clubbed rifle came down upon the Zulu’s skull and cracked it
to bits, and both fell dead together.
Now there were five Zulus left, and only Ernest and Jeremy to meet
them. But stay; suddenly from under a corpse uprises another foe. No,
it is not a foe, it is Mazooku, who has been shamming dead, but
suddenly and most opportunely shows himself to be very much alive.
Advancing from behind, he stabs one of the attacking party, and kills
him. That leaves four. Then he engages another, and after a long
struggle kills him too, which leaves three. And still the two white men
stand back to back with flashing eyes and gasping breath, and hold
their own. Soaked with blood, desperate, and expecting death, they were
yet a gallant sight to see. Two of the remaining Zulus rush at the
giant Jeremy, one at Ernest. Ernest, having no effective weapon left,
dodges the assegai thrust, and then closes with his antagonist, and
they roll, over and over, down the hill together, struggling for the
assegai the Zulu holds. It snaps in two, but the blade and about eight
inches of the shaft remain with Ernest. He drives it through his
enemy’s throat, and he dies. Then he struggles up to see the closing
scene of the drama, but not in time to help in it. Mazooku has wounded
his man badly, and is following to kill him. And Jeremy? He has struck
at one of the Kafirs, with his sword. The blow is received on the edge
of the cowhide shield, and sinks half-way through it, so that the hide
holds the steel fast. With a sharp twist of the shield the weapon is
jerked out of his hand, and he is left defenceless, with nothing to
trust to except his native strength. Surely he is lost! But no—with a
sudden rush he seizes both Zulus by the throat, one in each hand, and,
strong men as they are, swings them wide apart. Then with a tremendous
effort he jerks their heads together with such awful force that they
fall senseless, and Mazooku comes up and spears them.
Thus was the fight ended.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account