The meetings of foe!

Posts : 2558 Join date : 2009-04-06 Age : 62 Location : UK

I would be very interested in reading accounts, where those on the British side met those on the Zulu side after the Zulu war.

Barry posted one on another thread. Which has spurred by curiosity!

Barry wrote:: "Rorke's Drift was to have an interesting sequel some twenty three years later, when in 1902 Henry was carrying out inspections of war graves at RD and Isandlwana, where by chance he met an old Zulu warrior bearing a number of obvious war scars. A bullet had seared his scalp another through his shoulder and two through his calf, all received at Rorke's Drift.
Being anxious to hear the old mans version of the affair Henry got him to tell his story , being careful not to disclose his own participation in the affair. And what a story. Told as it could only by am old Zulu in a language rich in allegory and metaphor.
Soon, the old scene came back to life as the old fellow recounted the sound of rifle fire, the shouts of the Zulu war cry, "Usuthi, Usuthu. InKoma ka baba" as they rushed into the attack determined to prove their worth as worthy sons of a worthy sire., for this is what the cry implied: the crackling of the flames from the burning building , the groans of the wounded, and the din of battle generally. How often have I been privileged to hear such stories, and told in such a vivid way.
Another one of the stories Henry used to recall was of a Zulu who during the height of the RD fight , availed himself of the semidarkness to creep into the kitchen of the laager to light his smoking horn or gudu, from the glowing embers , and was promptly shot by Henry Lugg in the kitchen. When the old Zulu came to the end of this story, Henry casually asked him who the man was who had met his death inside the kitchen. Greatly taken aback the old Zulu exclaimed "kanti nawe wawukena? Wafa uMngumle! Sizinja ngaphansi kwezinyao zenu" . Translated this means "and you were there also?. and so perished uMngamule. We were merely dogs under your feet".
This was the material our men were up against, and as an example of Zulu pluck and endurance it should be known that when Isandlwana was attacked the Zulu army had only arrived there the night before after a march from Ulundi some 70 miles away"

Guest

Hiya, there are many!, Zulu in the day,
after hostility's ceased, ( and
some might say ( hostility's,never did!. )
who were quick to ' bend the knee ' and the
' conquerors could roam the country at
will, and meet with smiles and open
compliance '. unfortunately the ' effect '
of the AZW were to have far reaching
consequences for the south african people,
through the following century and up to date!.
the people!.for the people!.by the people!.
peace!.

» Cetewayo didn’t attend any of the meetings with the British