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It was just after the king had built his great kraal on the south bank of the Umhlatuze. Then it was that the chief Zwide attacked his rival Chaka for the third time and Chaka moved out to meet him with ten full regiments, now for the first time armed with the short stabbing-spear. About 30,000 men.

When Zwide and his people, the Endwandwe, were driven back, my people, the Umpondwana, who were subject to Zwide, made peace with Chaka against my will. Therefore, because I would not live as a Zulu dog, I left them."

"I belong to the people of Zwide, whom Chaka drove from Zululand, and by birth I am a chieftainess of the Umpondwana, who live in the mountain Umpondwana, and who were the Children of Zwide, but are now the Children of Chaka." "Why then do you wander so far from home, Sihamba?" "For this reason.

"Where are the children of Zwide?" he shouted, and his voice was like the voice of a bull. "Yonder, father," answered the regiments. And every spear pointed across the valley. "They do not come," he shouted again. "Shall we then sit here till we grow old?" "No, father," they answered. "Begin! begin!"

The host of Zwide was no more. Then we mustered. Ten regiments had looked upon the morning sun; three regiments saw the sun sink; the rest had gone where no suns shine. Such were our battles in the days of Chaka! You ask of the Umkandhlu regiment which fled. I will tell you. When we reached our kraal once more, Chaka summoned that regiment and mustered it. He spoke to them gently, gently.

The ground lay this: On a long, low hill in front of our impi were massed the regiments of Zwide; there were seventeen of them; the earth was black with their number; their plumes filled the air like snow. We, too, were on a hill, and between us lay a valley down which there ran a little stream. All night our fires shone out across the valley; all night the songs of soldiers echoed down the hills.

"By my head! look, these come armed before me!" said Dingaan, frowning, "and to do this is death. Now say who is that man, great and fierce, who bears an axe aloft? Did I not know him dead I should say it was the Black One, my brother, as he was in the days of the smiting of Zwide: so was his head set on his shoulders and so he was wont to look round, like a lion."

Now they crossed the stream, and now Zwide awoke. A murmur went through his companies; lines of light played above his spears. Ou! they are coming! Ou! they have met! Hearken to the thunder of the shields! Hearken to the song of battle! To and fro they swing. The Umkandhlu gives way it flies! They pour back across the stream half of them; the rest are dead.

Then we meet Zwide rushing to greet us, as bull meets bull. Ou! my father, I know no more. Everything grows red. That fight! that fight! We swept them away. When it was done there was nothing to be seen, but the hillside was black and red. Few fled; few were left to fly. We passed over them like fire; we ate them up. Presently we paused, looking for the foe. All were dead.

They slay and are slain, but the men of Zwide are many and brave, and the battle turns against us. Then again Chaka speaks a word. The captains hear, the soldiers stretch out their necks to listen. It has come at last. "Charge! Children of the Zulu!"