to have been the instant the troops arrived
there, and still more so when the major portion of the column marched
away, the force there, small as it was, would doubtless have made a
successful resistance. Even had the step been taken, when the Zulus
were first seen approaching, of forming a laager--that is, of drawing up
the waggons in the form of a hollow square--at the foot of the steep
mountain, the disaster might have been averted. It may be said that the
massacre of Isandula was due entirely to the over-confidence and
carelessness of the officers in command of the column.

The boys on waking crawled back cautiously to a spot where they could
obtain a view over the valley, and, to their surprise, the force which,
on the afternoon before, they had seen out there had entirely
disappeared. Many bodies of Zulus were seen moving about, but there was
no trace of the white troops. They made their way to the back of the
hill, and then, to their horror, saw the column moving away from them,
and already half-way on its road to Rorke's Drift.

Their first impulse was to get up and start off in a run in pursuit of
it, but this feeling lasted but a moment, for between the hill and the
column many scattered parties of Zulus were to be seen. The boys looked
blankly at each other. It was but too clear that they were cut off and
alone in the enemy's country.

"Whatever shall we do, Dick?"

"I have not the least idea, Tom. At any rate there is nothing to be
done at present. We should be assegaied in a moment if we were to go
down; let's go back to our old look-out."

After much talk they agreed that it would be hopeless to attempt to make
south and cross the Buffalo, as many of the fugitives had done. There
were sure to be strong bodies of Zulus along the river, and even if they
passed these without detection they would be unable to cross the river,
as they would find no ford, and neither of them was able to swim.

There were great numbers of Zulus in the camp below, and these seemed to
be pursuing the work of plundering more minutely than they had done on
the previous day. The stores scattered recklessly about were collected,
placed in empty barrels, and loaded up on the waggons. Presently a
number of cattle were brought down; these were harnessed to the waggons
and driven off, and by nightfall nothing save scattered remnants marked
the place where the British camp had stood. But from their post the
boys could see