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To and fro swayed the mass of struggling warriors, men falling fast as
leaves in an autumn wind; but before long the superior weight of the
attacking force began to tell, and our first line of defence was
slowly pressed back till it merged into the second. Here the struggle
was very fierce, but again our people were driven back and up, till at
length, within twenty minutes of the commencement of the fight, our
third line came into action.
But by this time the assailants were much exhausted, and besides had
lost many men killed and wounded, and to break through that third
impenetrable hedge of spears proved beyond their powers. For a while
the seething lines of savages swung backwards and forwards, in the
fierce ebb and flow of battle, and the issue was doubtful. Sir Henry
watched the desperate struggle with a kindling eye, and then without a
word he rushed off, followed by Good, and flung himself into the
hottest of the fray. As for myself, I stopped where I was.
The soldiers caught sight of his tall form as he plunged into battle,
and there rose a cry of--
"Nanzia Incubu! Nanzia Unkungunklovo!" (Here is the Elephant!)
"Chiele! Chiele!"
From that moment the end was no longer in doubt. Inch by inch,
fighting with splendid gallantry, the attacking force was pressed back
down the hillside, till at last it retreated upon its reserves in
something like confusion. At that instant, too, a messenger arrived to
say that the left attack had been repulsed; and I was just beginning
to congratulate myself, believing that the affair was over for the
present, when, to our horror, we perceived our men who had been
engaged in the right defence being driven towards us across the plain,
followed by swarms of the enemy, who had evidently succeeded at this
point.
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