CROSSING THE TUGELA.

Taranaki Daily News, Volume LIII, Issue 212, 16 December 1910, Page 8

CROSSING THE TUGELA.

ZULU CHIEF'S CLAIM. "The modest claim of Malaga, of Nkandhhi-, for winning the TugeTa fight for .British is not nearly as amusing as would I appear at first sight," remaked a Sydney (citizen to the Sun. The speaker has spent many years in Natal, and was referring to a cable which had been published, stating that Maliga, ■ a Zulu chief, was claiming through the , Natal courts a reward of £4O and 80 head of cattle for services rendered to General Buller during the Boer war. Maliga asserted that it was through his instrumentality that the final attack on the Tugela position was successful. He .claimed also to have originated the plan jof operations. "It is comparatively well known to (military men, if not to the general pubj lie," continued the informant, "that the | unsuccessful attempts to cross the Tugela river were the result of faulty intelligence. A casual-observation revealed nothing further than the crude maps of the district. That is to say, apparently for a 'hundred mdlea the mountainous kopjes were on the Boer side of the' river. Thus the advantage was always against the British. From comparatively flat country they had always to cross a diffir: cult river under a merciless fire from an enemy strongly entrenched upon hills. "From the commencement of his efforts General Buller took the most direct route to his foe—with disastrous results. Af- j ter each failure he tried at some supposed weakening of the Boer lines even further to the westward. It was after the ' memorable episode of Spion Kop that Maliga took a hand. Maliga was highly interested in the struggle, as were, for that matter, all of the Zulus. In conversation one day with a more than usually intelligent 'in-: telligence' officer, Maliga mentioned that not many miles away to the eastward the range of mountains came across the river. 'Thus, Umlungju,' said he, 'that which was easy to the Amaburen should be easy to you.' j "Not long after this Maliga guided Lord Dundonald's troops to an easy ford not 20 miles away. As it happened, there was practically no opposition until the Boer flank was assailed. "And," concluded the gentleman from Natal, "it is easy to see, from the modesty of the claim, that there is no white adventurer at the back of Maliga." '!