lus, rushing on, were but
eighty yards away.

On reaching the side of the young officer, the boys laid their stretcher
on the ground, rolled him upon it, and, lifting it, turned towards the
camp. A ringing cheer from the men had greeted this action, mingled
with shouts of "Run! run!" for by this time the Zulus were but twenty
yards behind.

A stream of fire broke out from the top of the breastworks; an assegai
whizzed over Dick's shoulder, and another grazed Tom's arm, but they
hurried on until they reached the ditch, and then threw themselves and
their burden down. There for five or six minutes they lay, while the
fight raged above them. Then the British cheer rose, and the boys knew
that the Zulus had fallen back.

A minute later a dozen men leapt from the intrenchment into the ditch
outside, and lifted the wounded lieutenant over it into the arms of
those behind.

"Bravo! boys, bravo!" a hundred voices shouted, as the boys scrambled
back into the works, while the men crowded round to pat them on the
shoulder and shake their hands.

It was evident now that the Zulu fire was slackening, and three
companies of the 13th went out, and, taking posts by the edge of the
slope of the cattle-laager, opened fire upon them, as they retired.
Every gun was brought to bear upon them, and as, disheartened and
beaten, they fell back, Buller and Russell, with every mounted man in
camp, sallied out and fell upon them, and, burning with the desire to
wipe out their misfortune of the preceding day, chased them for seven
miles, like a flock of sheep, cutting down immense numbers.

It was ascertained afterwards from prisoners that the Zulu force which
attacked was composed of 25,000 men. It was commanded by Tyangwaiyo,
with Umbelleni as his second. Many of the leading chiefs of Zululand
and 3000 of the king's bravest and best troops fell in the attack on
Kambula, and this battle was by far the hottest and best-contested which
took place during the war.

Upon our side two officers and twenty-one men were killed. The
difference between the result of the action at Kambula and that at
Isandula was due entirely to the fact that in one case every precaution
was taken, every means of defence utilised; while in the other no more
attention was paid to any of these points than if the troops had been
encamped at Aldershot.

Upon the day following the battle Colonel Wood set his men to work to
erect further defences at the points whic