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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.
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.
"Let the Umkandhlu regiment come forward!" he shouted a third time, and as he spoke the black shields of the Umkandhlu leaped from the ranks of the impi. "Go, my children!" cried Chaka. "There is the foe. Go and return no more!" "We hear you, father!" they answered with one voice, and moved down the slope like a countless herd of game with horns of steel.
A howl of rage goes up from the host, only Chaka smiles. "Open up! open up!" he cries. "Make room for the Umkandhlu GIRLS!" And with hanging heads they pass us. Now he whispers a word to the indunas. The indunas run; they whisper to Menziwa the general and to the captains; then two regiments rush down the hill, two more run to the right, and yet another two to the left.
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