its from want of food and from disease, brought on
by living so long in confinement. During the siege 4 officers and 26
men had succumbed. Ekowe was evacuated, a force was left at Gingihlovo,
and the column then returned to the Tugela.

On the 28th of March, the day before the relief column started for
Ekowe, very heavy fighting had taken place in the north-west of
Zululand. Colonel Wood had, during the whole of the time of inactivity,
harassed the enemy with great success. A chief by the name of Umbelini,
however, had made repeated attacks, and it was now determined to punish
him by an attack on the strong plateau of Mhlobani, on which Umbelini
kept the greater part of his herds. On the morning of the 28th, Colonel
Buller, with all the mounted forces, started, gained the plateau without
much difficulty, collected great herds of cattle, and prepared for the
return.

When, however, they were on the point of leaving the plateau, vast
bodies of Zulus were seen approaching from the plains. These were an
army which had been sent by Cetewayo to the assistance of Umbelini. The
cavalry, scattered among the herds, and unable to act from the rocky
nature of the ground, were now in a bad position, and suffered most
heavily. Captain Barton's Volunteer Horse and Colonel Weatherley's
troop suffered most heavily, losing no less than 86 men and 12 officers.
Among these were Colonel Weatherley himself, Captain Hamilton of the
Connaught Rangers, and Captains Campbell and Burton of the Coldstream
Guards. The rest of the force succeeded in getting away, and, hotly
pursued, fell back upon the camp at Kambula.

The following day the Zulus were seen approaching in great force.
Colonels Buller and Russell, with the cavalry, went out and skirmished,
but were speedily driven in. The enemy came on in great force until
within 300 yards of the intrenchment, when a heavy fire was opened upon
them by the men of the 13th Regiment. This checked their advance upon
the front, and they then threatened the cattle laager, hard by, by a
flanking movement. Major Hackett of the 90th, with two companies, moved
to this, and for three hours a desperate fight raged round the whole
circuit of the camp. At the end of this time the Zulus, having suffered
terribly from the fire of our breechloaders, began to fall back, when
our cavalry under Colonel Buller at once sallied out and fell upon them,
and for seven miles pursued and cut them up. Our loss was