At this time the force of the 1st division stood as follows:—General Crealock, Brigadiers Bray and Rowlands; two batteries of artillery and one ammunition column; Royal Engineers, 30th company and C troop; infantry, six battalions, viz.:—the Buffs, 57th, 60th, 88th, 91st, and 99th Regiments, two squadrons of mounted infantry, the Natal Horse, the native scouts; as pretty and compact a little division as any moderately ambitious general could wish to command, and it speaks well for the chief's admirable temper under difficulties that, chafed as he now was, and tied as it were by the leg, by want of transport, he kept working incessantly without a murmur at the forts, bridges, fords, roads, and other requisites.
In accordance with the above-mentioned arrangement, General Crealock, Commodore Richards, and Lord Gifford set forth on the 25th June for Port Durnford, taking with them the advance-guard of the 1st division.
At first the road was over a level and sandy plain, with numerous small granite hills in different directions, and although there was not much vegetation for the first two or three miles of the road, it opened on to a more picturesque-looking champaign country, where the soil appeared teeming with fertility, and the air was balmy and pure. The country here, however, is arid and parched during the dry season, but in the rains, which last from November till May, it is well watered, and large crops of maize are grown, which by the end of June are usually ripened and fit for cutting. Large crops of malama are also grown, and it is upon the stalks of this that the cattle are mostly fed in the drought, when they appear in good condition, notwithstanding its seeming want of nutriment.
Here a halt was made; vedettes were placed, and a meal was partaken of. Then, after half an hour's rest, they again pushed on, and soon came to an undulating and extremely romantic-looking valley, shut in on either side by some huge granite hills. Ascending the highest of these, they looked down upon the Indian Ocean, Port Durnford, and the "Forester," standing off about a mile from the shore, and evidently on the look-out. From this point to the outlet of the Umlalazi the country was fairly open, and the landscape fertile and partly cultivated. The only obstacle to progress was a rocky and rather narrow ridge, through which, however, ran a fairly open kloof, with a small and tributary stream winding its way to the Umlalazi. Here was the road, and another two hours saw them through the kloof without question or attack, and they cantered along the grassy slopes to the bright and shingly beach, upon which a couple of boat's crews, despatched when they were first sighted, were occupied in preparing a very excellent dinner of ship's rations for the tired and hungry men.
General Crealock highly approved of the position, and a fort and other works were at once traced out, thus rendering complete the cordon of posts that had been drawn all round the south of Zululand, right from the sea to the left attack (or 2nd column), and through which it was impossible for Cetywayo to force a way, and which rendered his capture or submission a mere question of time.
CHAPTER IX.
Death of the Prince Imperial—Lieutenant Carey's account—Discrepancies in and comments thereon—Feeling in the camp—Expedition under General Marshall to search for the body—Description of the spot—Recovery of the body—Court-martial on Carey.
We now come to an event which, though it in no way affected the course or result of this war, was nevertheless so deplorably sad in itself, as well as to the British army, and was, furthermore, of such world-wide interest, altering, as it undoubtedly did, the history of one of the mightiest nations of Europe, that no apology is required for a detailed narrative.