Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/114

 94 History of the Cape Colony. [1878 The morning of the 7th seemed specially favourable for the purpose. A thick mist, in which nothing was visible at a distance, shrouded the land, so at early dawn Kreli assembled his warriors, and in three columns of over a thousand men in each, led respectively by Xito, Sigcawu, and Kiva, they marched towards the camp. The Gaikas, two or three thousand strong, followed close behind. They thought to get close to their object unperceived, and then to make a sudden rush in, but they were disappointed. Captain Upcher had Fingo scouts far advanced, and at half past four in the morning some of them came in almost breathless, and announced that an army which seemed to them beyond number was approaching. There was just time to strike the tents, and to send a message to Tutura — once the mission station of' the reverend Tiyo Soga, — where a body of troops on the way from Ibeka, under Captain Eobinson of the royal engineers, was known to be halting for the night, urging them to hurry on, when the mist cleared a little, and one of the Galeka columns was seen at a distance of about eighteen hundred metres. Fire was at once opened upon it from the nine- pounder, and as soon as it came within range from the rocket tube. The three columns pressed on, however, till they were within three or four hundred metres of the camp, when so many of their men fell from the rifle fire that was poured into them that they seemed to be wavering. A company of the twenty-fourth and some of the mounted police and Carrington's horse were then sent out to pretend to attack, really to draw them on, and upon the Galekas making a stand to receive them, they turned and fled back again. With a great shout the enemy pursued, and the Gaikas, believing the Europeans to be beaten, joined in the mel6e. A desperate fight then took place, the black warriors doing their best to overpower the httle band of Europeans, with the Fingos