THE MATABELE WARS. 724 revenge for the deaths of Wilson and his comrades they would be massacred if they gave up their arms. Reassured on this point, they agreed to send in their surrender through their old friends the two white envoys.

From the Matabelechiefs Dawson and Riley learned the story of Allan Wilson's last fight. Outnumbered and cut off, and withmost of their horses shot, the white menhad fought in alittle group on and around a big ant-hill. One bv one they fell, but to the last they answered the all tlae more difficult. Nearly all the baggage and even the carriages of the Maxims had to be abandoned. The force was reduced to the utmost extremity when at last it met. the relief column near Inyati, forty miles north of Buluwayo.

InJanuary anotherpatrol of 180 menand two Maxims under Colonel Goold Adams started from Buluwayo for the Shangani, but they could go no further than Inyati, the heavyrains making a further advance impossible. An Wilson's last stand.

fire of the Matabele, even the wounded using their rifles and revolvers as they lay on the ground. Tlae story that they sang'"God Save the Queen " is a legend with no foundation in fact. The Matabele said that the white men jeered at them,challenging them tocome to close quarters, and calling them cowards, but there was no proposal to surrender, and the hundreds of wild warriors on the other hand made no attempt to rush the ant-hill till tlae last of the white men had fallen wounded. Even then this last survivor shot some of them withhis revolverbeforehe wasassegaied. All the Matabele chiefs spoke with admiration of tlae way this handful of men had fought. Itproved, they said, that oven without the Maxims the white men werebrave soldiers.

attempt was made to send native messengerstc the king, but no one could be induced to attempt tlaejourney;but early in February two whitetraders who hadlong resided withLobengula at Buluwayo— James Dawson,a Scotchman, and Patrick Riley, an Irishman— volunteered for the perilous duty. Travelling without escort in a small cart, they reached the Shangani in the middle of February. Their knowledge of the Matabele stood them in good stead. No attack was madeon them, and they learned that the king haddied, that numbers of his people had also perished, and that nearly all the survivors had been ill with fever during the rains and were short of food. Now that tlae king was dead they were willing enoughto come in and surrender, but they were afraid that in