THIRTY AGAINST A THOUSAND.

Waikato Argus, Volume V, Issue 357, 22 October 1898, Page 1 (Supplement)

THIRTY AGAINST A THOUSAND.

The heroic deeds of brave Englishmen will always linger in the miuds of their countrymen, and any additional particulars that can be obtained in connection with such deeds are always welcome. A representative of the Matabele Times, a paper published in Buluwayo, recently succeeded in obtaining a narrative from M'Kotchwana, one of the warriors of the Jnguba regiment which attacked and annihilated Wilson's force, some time getting M'Kotchwana to speak «f the affair. He was quite ready to talk about the crops, locusts, eta., but it was not until he was twitted as to whether he had eve: - done anything but till the laud like a woman that he spoke. "Yes, my father," he answered, "I have fought in battle,'' and then he related the following account of that grand stand of 34 Englishmen against overwhelming hordes of an infuriated savage enemv :

" When, the white incos Wilson came across the big River Shangani," said the native, "we watched him, and although he knew it not, he was surrounded on all sides by the remnants of regiments which had fought at the Bembesi, the Imbexu, the Insugameni, the Nyama, Indhlovo, and others. At nightf ill we missed the white majakiu, but toward the rising of the sun, Umjaau, the great chief, came to us and said—' I have heard the white warriors in the bush ; come, let us go and kill '.hem.' We were about 1000 in number, and without noise we went, aud surrounded the place where the white men had their fire. Two of them were standing up looking into the bush. Some of us made a little noise. One of the white men standing awake went aud awoke another man. I think it was their ineo'. He came aud looked all around iuto the bush and then aroused all the other atnakiwa. 1 hey got up, and 1 saw they were busy getting their ammunition ready and saddling their horses. As it drew near the time for the sun to peep over the edge of the world, we started firing at. the white men. They mounted their horses and tried to proceed in the direction of the great Shangani. But our men shot well, and their horses dropped dead. It was a cloudy morning, and the rain fell fine and swiftly. There were as many atnakiwa as three times the fingers on my two hands. Most of them had on black covers over their shoulders (capes). When the white warriors found they could not go on they shot the living horses and stood behind them waiting for us. We fired our jjuns at the white men, but at first they did not do us much harm, as we were well protected by the trees and bushes. As the sun rose we noticed several of the white warriors lying dead. Umjaan gave orders to rush up to the enemy. We issued from behind the projeotimr trees and tried to run up to kill all I'Wilson and his party, but they killed many of us with the little guns in their hands and wounded more."

" How many were killed and wounded in that first rush, M'Kotchwana ?" " As many as six times the fingers on my two hands—so many,'" and the old warrior waved his hands six times. •' But how many were killed outright ?" '• So many," nud M'Kotchwana signified -10. " Then we went back to tbe trees and fired often, till many of tbe amakiwa fell and few remained Again Urajaau said—" Let us kill all that are left," but some of them said, " No : they are brave warriors ; let us leave the life in those who ara not yet dead." But the men of the imbeza said—" No; let us kill all the white men."

" Again we rushed against the few who remained standing. When they saw us coming they made a big singing noise and then shouted thrse times. They killed more of us. I was struck near the temple and remembered no more. My brother told me afterwards that all the white men fell fighting to the end. They were brave men, ray father. The next day at sunrise wo took all their clothes and skinned the biggest white majaka and took it to Lobengula, who was away one day's journey. The great chief Slid that was not the skin of the leader. We returned and took yet another skin off the face of a white *hief. When Lobengula saw it he was satisfied. He asked whether his Imbezu regiment had done all the killing. When ho heard that he had not done more than others, he said—" Have I then all this time put my trust in a lump of dirt P l ' I had two sons killed that day my father," said M'Kotchwana, " aud my brother was shot in the stomach. The amakiwa wore brave men; they were warriors."

Asked how he obtained possession of the cape, M'Kotchwana said it was on a white soldier who was killed before tho first rush. He fell outside the ring of dead horses, they thought that he was not dead and kept on shooting at his body. When the natives rau up M'Kotchwana seized this cape off the white man's body.—Chicago Inter-Ocean.