第14部分(第4/7 頁)

；　and　the　vast；　rolling　high　veld　of　the　Transvaal　territory。　Still　I　can　see　the　fearful　sweeping　thunderstorms　that　overtook　us；　to　be　followed　by　moonlit　nights　of　surpassing　brilliancy　which　we　watched　from　beside　the　fires　of　our　camp。　Those　camps　were　very　pleasant；　and　in　them；　as　we　smoked　and　drank　our　“square　face”　after　a　day’s　trek；　I　heard　many　a　story　of　savage　Africa　from　Sir　Theophilus　himself；　from　Osborn　and　from　Fynney；　who　next　to　him；　perhaps；　knew　as　much　of　the　Zulus　and　their　history　as　any　living　in　Natal。

For　instance；　Osborn　actually　saw　the　battle　of　the　Tugela；　which　took　place　between　the　rival　princes　Cetewayo　and　Umbelazi　in　1856。　With　the　temerity　of　a　young　man　he　swam　his　horse　across　the　river　and　hid　himself　in　a　wooded　kopje　in　the　middle　of　the　battlefield。　He　saw　Umbelazi’s　host　driven　back　and　the　veteran　regiment；　nearly　three　thousand　strong；　that　Panda　had　sent　to　aid　his　favourite　son；　move　up　to　its　support。　He　described　to　me　the　frightful　fray　that　followed。　Cetewayo　sent　out　a　regiment　against　it。　They　met；　and　he　said　that　the　roll　of　the　shields　as　they　came　together　was　like　to　that　of　the　deepest　thunder。　Then　the　Greys　passed　over　Cetewayo’s　regiment　as　a　wave　passes　over　a　sunken　ridge　of　rock；　and　left　it　dead。　Another　regiment　came　against　them　and　the　scene　repeated　itself；　only　more　slowly；　for　many　of　the　veterans　were　down。　Now　the　six　hundred　of　them　who　remained　formed　themselves　in　a　ring　upon　a　hillock　and　fought　on　till　they　were　buried　beneath　the　heaps　of　the　slain。

I　have　described　this　battle；　in　which　and　the　subsequent　rout　tens　of　thousands　of　people　perished；　in　a　romance　as　yet　unpublished5　that　I　have　written　under　the　title　of　“Child　of　Storm。”　It　is　wonderful　that　Osborn　should　h