In this comfortable frame of mind Lord Chelmsford passes from the scene.
Sir Garnet Wolseley completed the chain of forts across Zululand, commencing with St. Paul’s, an English mission station on the coast road a little north of where it crosses the Umlatusi. Fifteen miles west of this is Kwamagwasa. Twenty miles a little south of west lies Fort Evelyn, on the road from Rorke’s Drift to Ulundi. Fort Marshall about twenty miles west-south-west of Fort Evelyn, Fort Newdigate, twelve miles north-west of Fort Evelyn, and a fort on Itelezi Hill completes the chain to the Blood River. Some of these forts were constructed on the upward march of the 2nd Division and Flying Column, to keep open their communications. In addition to these, Fort Cambridge was built near where the road from Conference Hill crosses the White Umvolosi; and a little later an entrenched post (Fort George) was thrown up near Enhlongana mission station, thus thoroughly, by these detached posts, commanding the country.
Patrols were pushed out in various directions, by one of which the two guns lost at Isandhlwana were found between Ulundi and Maizekanye. They had not been spiked, but the Zulus had screwed rifle-nipples into the vents, and had also apparently tried to load the guns by ramming home shells, but without cartridges.
The Cavalry Brigade was broken up, and a fresh disposition of the troops made. Sir Garnet visited various posts, interviewing the Zulu chiefs who had surrendered themselves. Some of the most important, however, of those who came in, and were supposed to have submitted and deserted their king, had, in point of fact, no such intention, appearing merely to make their often and vainly repeated attempt at procuring “terms” for Cetshwayo and themselves. It had always been prophesied that the Zulu nation would desert their king. Before the war began, some of those who professed to understand the people best, declared that they would be thankful to throw off the yoke of one whom, it was alleged, they regarded with fear and hatred, and would side with the English as soon as the latter crossed their border.
The fallacy of this idea was discovered to our cost.
It was then asserted that the Zulu army had given a temporary strength to the authority of their king, which would last until we had beaten his troops and proved our superiority, and this assertion was used by those who insisted that no peace must be made, however earnestly desired by the Zulus, until we had beaten them and shown them that we were their masters.
After Ulundi, it was argued that the people would be glad to procure peace by giving up their king, whose unconditional submission, or capture, was announced by us to be the only possible conclusion to the war.
The Zulus had ceased to struggle with their powerful conquerors, and it now only remained to find Cetshwayo, who was said to be north of the Black Umvolosi River, with a very small following. A flying column, under Lieut.-Colonel Baker Russell, was sent out from Fort Newdigate early in August, but his patrols were not successful.
On August 14th, a cavalry force under Major Barrow, with Lord Gifford, started from Ulundi to try and find Cetshwayo, who had hitherto eluded all attempts to capture him. Day after day it was reported that the pursuers were close upon the fugitive: they had come to a kraal where he had slept the previous night, they reached another where he had been that very morning, and then they lost “the scent,” and for some time could trace him no farther. They tried in vain to persuade his people to betray him, but this “hated tyrant,” although beaten and powerless, flying through the land now in the possession of his conquerors, had still such a hold over the loyalty and affection of his people, that they were true to him in his adversity, and refused to give him up or to set his enemies on his track.
Severe measures were taken to procure by force the information which could not otherwise be obtained. Orders were given to one party of the pursuers that at each kraal they reached, if the inhabitants refused to speak, so many huts should be burnt, so many principal men and women taken prisoners, and all cattle confiscated. Many kraals were thus treated, and so many prisoners collected in this manner, that the number to be taken at each kraal had to be reduced from eight to four, then to two, and at last to one of each sex; thus proving how steadfast were the people generally in their loyalty to their king. On approaching some of these kraals, the headmen came out and offered the passes or papers promising protection, given them on surrendering their arms; but the unhappy people received another lesson on the text, “When we give a promise we will perform it,” and were told that their papers were worthless now; they must tell where the king was, or suffer like the rest. One of the officers concerned in carrying out these orders, exclaimed at the time with natural indignation: “I don’t care what may be said of the necessity of catching Cetshwayo; necessary or not, we are committing a crime in what we are doing now!”