Note 37 — Chapter VIII

Paragraphs such as the following would frequently recur. A correspondent at the Lower Tugela writes, in May, "Knowing that the reinforcements have arrived, looking at and counting the forces now in the field, seeing the waggon road full of starving oxen which will very soon be unable to work, while the grass grows dry and scarce, and no sign is seen of the troops being ready to move, the talk in the papers of months being likely to pass before any operation can begin again, etc., really makes you sad and despairing, and causes you to fear that the whole Zulu war will be a failure. If any of the successes the English troops have had could have been followed up by speedy advances, the war would have been finished long ago; but as it is, it gives the enemy plenty of time to collect and reorganize, thinking that the English, checked by some unknown difficulties, must give it up at last altogether. If the campaign is to be directed from home it will be a failure, without doubt. Had the troops been able to advance a fortnight ago, we might now have seen something of the end of the war. This lingering cannot but have a bad effect upon the enemy, keeping up their hopes of an ultimate success.

"Transport is more and more the bugbear. As we point out elsewhere, the simple fact is that the resources of the country are overstrained. Young and untrained cattle are, in many cases, being employed, at a very serious risk of loss. We are glad to learn, indirectly, that the proceedings of the commission of enquiry go to show that cost and difficulties of transport are at the bottom of the high charges complained of, and that the question is really one of supply and demand. The commissariat are now employing 1800 waggons, and want 200 more very urgently. There is, we believe, much exaggeration in the statements put forth as to the exorbitant charges made upon the commissariat. However, we await the report of the commission with much interest."