An incident of the attack was that not only Aston but his dog was killed, both almost on the same spot. Another feature was that not one of the enemy was killed, though, as was afterwards ascertained, ten or twelve were wounded. Such a result, as it happened, carried with it mysterious significance in so far as the Natives were concerned. To this attention must now be drawn.
Attached to Bambata's force, were three persons of importance, viz.: Cakijana, Moses, and Malaza. The first was commonly understood to be an emissary from Dinuzulu. He it was who had come specially to foment the Rebellion;[143] the second had, for some years, carried on Christian mission work within the tribe—during the Rebellion he acted as a kind of "chaplain to the forces"; Malaza was the war-doctor, quite indispensable, according to Native ideas, on such occasions.
By one or other of these, the belief was started that Bambata had secured drugs from Dinuzulu, whose effect would be to prevent European bullets from entering the body. This curious belief was destined to play a remarkable part during the rising. It seems to have originated from the Basutos.
The belief that the bodies of the "rightly disposed" would be impervious to bullets, would appear to have existed, not only before the attack on the police at Mpanza, but also before the one at the kraal of Mjongo.
If there was anything that went to confirm the belief in "bullets not entering," it must have been the comparative absence of casualties among the rebels: (a) at Mjongo's kraal; (b) when the Magistrate's party was attacked; and (c) when the police were ambuscaded at Mpanza. It may, however, be mentioned that Malaza was wounded at Mpanza, though not to such an extent as to oblige him to retire.
Immediately after their attack, the rebels cut the telegraph line between Greytown and Keate's drift.
FOOTNOTES:
[127] This name, in full, is uMpanza, not iMpanza or Impanza, as sometimes written.
[128] Cf. Wat Tyler's, Jack Cade's, and Monmouth's Rebellions in England.
[129] Zibebu's loyalty was never doubted for a moment. His name is mentioned here only because of his exceptionally fine qualities as a military commander.