y returned to Zlobani.

A few days passed and the boys learnt that two regiments from Ulundi
were expected shortly to reinforce Umbelleni's men. The chief himself,
with the majority of his followers, was now at his kraal, four miles
distant, but the boys remained in the village on the Zlobani plateau.
Several times they saw parties of British horse riding over the plains
and from a distance reconnoitring the position, and they wondered
whether there could be any intention on the part of Colonel Wood to
attack it. There was on the plateau a large number of cattle, part the
property of Umbelleni's men, but the great majority spoil taken in
raids. It seemed to the boys that an attack could scarcely be
successful. The sides of the mountains were extremely precipitous,
covered with bush, and contained large numbers of caves. There was but
one path up which mounted men could ride; this was about hallway along
the west side, the hill being a much greater length from north to south
than from east to west. Up the southern extremity of the plateau was a
path by which footmen could descend to the plain, but it was exceedingly
steep and altogether impracticable for cavalry; a handful of men should
have been able to hold the position against an army.

Colonel Wood having heard of the large quantity of cattle concealed on
the Zlobani Mountain had determined to attack it, and at three o'clock
in the morning of the 27th of March a cavalry party started. It
consisted of 150 mounted infantry; the Frontier Light Horse, 125;
Raaff's Troop, 50; Piet-Uys' Boer Contingent, 50; Wetherby's Horse, 80;
Schermbrucker's Horse, 40;--a total of 495 men. They were commanded by
Colonel Russell, and Colonel Wood was himself to join them in the
evening. The party was a picked one, all being well mounted and good
rifle-shots.

The track led across a rough sandy country with deep nullahs, and
thickly covered with trees and bush. At five o'clock they halted for
half an hour, and then again advanced. After five miles' travelling
across a very rough country they came out into a large cultivated flat,
which terminated in a long, dark, winding gorge, black with bush and
skirted by precipices of sandstone and granite. They turned into this
and followed a rivulet until they came to the end of the gorge, where
they discovered a steep path which seemed cut out of the solid rock, and
was only wide enough for one horseman to pass. After three quarters