put nine or
ten of them out of action.

Now I hoped that they would give the business up. But this was not so,
for being brave fellows, after a pause of perhaps five minutes, once
more they charged in a body, hoping to overwhelm us. Again we greeted
them with bullets and knocked out several, whereon the rest threw
a volley of their long spears at us. I was glad to see them do this
although one of the Zulus got his death from it, while two more were
wounded. I myself had a very narrow escape, for a spear passed between
my neck and shoulder. Each of them carried but one of these weapons
and I knew that if they used them up in throwing, only their big knives
would remain to them with which to attack us.

After this discharge of spears which was kept up for some time, they
rushed at us and there followed a great fight. The Zulus, throwing down
their guns, rose to their feet and holding their little fighting shields
which had been carried in their mats, in the left hand, wielded their
axes with the right. Umslopogaas, who stood in the centre of them,
however, had no shield and swung his great axe with both arms. This was
the first time that I had seen him fight and the spectacle was in a way
magnificent. Again and again the axe crashed down and every time it
fell it left one dead beneath the stroke, till at length those Amahagger
shrank back out of his reach.

Meanwhile Robertson, Hans and I, standing on some stones at the back,
kept up a continual fire upon them, shooting over the heads of the
Zulus, who were playing their part like men. Yes, they shrank back,
leaving many dead behind them. Then a captain tried to gather them for
another rush, and once more they moved forward. I killed that captain
with a revolver shot, for my rifle had become too hot to hold, and at
the sight of his fall, they broke and ran back into the little hollow
where our bullets could not reach them.

So far we had held our own, but at a price, for three of the Zulus were
now dead and three more wounded, one of them severely, the other two but
enough to cripple them. In fact, now there were left of them but three
untouched men, and Umslopogaas, so that in all for fighting purposes
we were but seven. What availed it that we had killed a great number of
these Amahagger, when we were but seven? How could seven men withstand
such another onslaught?

There in the pale light of the dawn we looked at each other dismayed.

"Now," said Umslopogaas, le