the
cracks between the waggons we could see Moselikatse's Zulus, six or
seven thousand of them, forming themselves into three bodies to rush
upon us and murder us, and that was a dreadful sight for fifty or sixty
people, of whom some were little children.

When we had finished praying, husbands and wives and parents and
children kissed each other, and then the little ones and some of the
women who were sick or aged were put behind the seven waggons in the
centre of the laager, round which were tied the horses, while the rest
of us went to our stations, men and women together. I stood behind Jan
and Ralph, who fought side by side, and, assisted by a girl of fourteen
years of age, loaded their spare guns. Now there was a great silence in
the camp, and suddenly in the silence, Jan, who was looking through his
loophole, whispered:

"Allemachter! here they come."

And come they did, with a rush and a roar from three sides at once,
while men drew in their breath and set their faces for the struggle.
Still no one fired, for the order was that we were to save our powder
until Celliers let off his gun. Already the savages were within thirty
paces of us, a countless mass of men packed like sheep in a kraal, their
fierce eyes shewing white as ivory in the sunlight, their cruel spears
quivering in their hands, when the signal was given and every gun, some
loaded with slugs and some with bullets, was discharged point-blank into
the thick of them.

Over they rolled by dozens, but that did not stop the rest, who, in
spite of our pitiless fire, rushed up to the waggons and gripped them
with their hands, striving to drag them apart, till the whole line of
them rocked and surged and creaked like boats upon the sea, while
the air grew thick with smoke rising straight up towards the sky, and
through the smoke assegais flashed as thick as rain.

But although some of the heavy laden waggons were dragged a foot or
more outward they held together, and the storm of spears flying over
our heads did little harm. Heavens! what a fight was that, the fight of
fifty against six thousand.

Not more than seven feet of space divided us from that shrieking sea of
foes into which we poured bullets at hazard, for there was no need to
aim, as fast as the guns could be loaded. Suddenly I heard the girl call
out:

"_Kek, tante, da is een swartzel!_" (Look, aunt, there is a black man.)

I looked, and just at my side I saw a great savage who had forc