d,
set up a queer whistling noise, which ended in a chant. Then some shots
were fired, for the Matuku had a few guns, but without effect, though
one bullet passed just by a man's head.

"'Now they are going to begin,' I thought to myself, and I was not
far wrong, for in another minute the body of men divided into three
companies, each about five hundred strong, and, heralded by a running
fire, charged at us on three sides. Our men were now all well under
cover, and the fire did us no harm. I mounted on a rock so as to command
a view of as much of the koppie and plain as possible, and yelled to our
men to reserve their fire till I gave the word, and then to shoot low
and load as quickly as possible. I knew that, like all natives, they
were sure to be execrable shots, and that they were armed with weapons
made out of old gas-pipes, so the only chance of doing execution was to
let the enemy get right on to us.

"On they came with a rush; they were within eighty yards now, and as
they drew near the point of attack, I observed that they closed their
ranks, which was so much the better for us.

"'Shall we not fire, my father?' sung out the captain.

"'No, confound you!' I answered.

"'Sixty yards--fifty--forty--thirty. Fire, you scoundrels!' I yelled,
setting the example by letting off both barrels of my elephant gun into
the thickest part of the company opposite to me.

"Instantly the place rang out with the discharge of two hundred and odd
guns, while the air was torn by the passage of every sort of missile,
from iron pot legs down to slugs and pebbles coated with lead. The
result was very prompt. The Matukus were so near that we could not miss
them, and at thirty yards a lead-coated stone out of a gas-pipe is as
effective as a Martini rifle, or more so. Over rolled the attacking
soldiers by the dozen, while the survivors, fairly frightened, took to
their heels. We plied them with shot till they were out of range--I made
it very warm for them with the elephant gun, by the way--and then we
loaded up in quite a cheerful frame of mind, for we had not lost a man,
whereas I could count more than fifty dead and wounded Matukus. The only
thing that damped my ardour was that, stare as I would, I could see no
column of smoke upon the mountain crest.

"Half an hour elapsed before any further steps were taken against us.
Then the attacking force adopted different tactics. Seeing that it
was very risky to try to rush us in dens