ng to get
hold of him. The final decision was for this latter.

'So we set off and walked along the vlei back to the King's wagons. It
was quite light now and they saw us from the scherms all the way, but
they just looked at us and we at them, and so we went along. We walked
because the horses hadn't a canter in them, and there was no hurry
anyway.

'At the wagons we halted and shouted out again about not wanting to kill
anyone. There was a pause, and then came shouts and a volley. Afterwards
it was said that somebody answered, "If you don't want to kill, we do."
My horse jumped away to the right at the volley, and took me almost into
the arms of some natives who came running from that side. A big induna
blazed at me, missed me, and then fumbled at his belt for another
cartridge. It was not a proper bandolier he had on, and I saw him trying
to pluck out the cartridge instead of easing it up from below with
his finger. As I got my horse steady and threw my rifle down to cover
him, he suddenly let the cartridge be and lifted an assegai. Waiting to
make sure of my aim, just as his arm was poised I fired and hit him in
the chest; he dropped. All happened in a moment. Then we retreated.
Seeing two horses down, Wilson shouted to somebody to cut off the saddle
pockets which carried extra ammunition. Ingram picked up one of the
dismounted men behind him, Captain Fitzgerald the other. The most
ammunition anyone had, by the way, was a hundred and ten rounds. There
was some very stiff fighting for a few minutes, the natives having the
best of the position; indeed they might have wiped us out but for their
stupid habit of firing on the run, as they charged. Wilson ordered us to
retire down the vlei; some hundred yards further on we came to an
ant-heap and took our second position on that, and held it for some
time. Wilson jumped on the top of the ant-heap and shouted--"Every man
pick his nigger." There was no random firing, I would be covering a man
when he dropped to somebody's rifle, and I had to choose another.

'Now _we_ had the best of the position. The Matabele came on furiously
down the open. Soon we were firing at two hundred yards and less; and
the turned-up shields began to lie pretty thick over the ground. It got
too hot for them; they broke and took cover in the bush. We fired about
twenty rounds per man at this ant-heap. Then the position was flanked by
heavy reinforcements from among the timbers; several more horses