THE END OF THE FIRST WAR. 725 So the warended sadly enough for both the parties to the struggle. The spirit of the Matabele warriors seemed quite broken. So complete was their submission that within a few weeksof the last fight, white men could ride unarmed through the wildest parts of the country, and it was decided to raise and arm a force of native police from the remnant of Lobengula'sarmies as part of tlae scheme for the reorganisationof the country. But as we shall see, the conquest of Matabeleland had onlybegun. The victory of the Company's forces had been ifanything too rapid andeasy. The fightingpower of theMatabele wasnot reallybroken, and the disaster to Wilson's party at the close of the campaign hadprovedthat, brave soldiers though they might be, the white menwere not invincible COLONEL GOOLD