Zulu Dawn

"Cetewayo's Zulu army to disband and the warriors permitted to return to their homes."

"Present military system to be abandoned."

"A new regulations concerning the defence of the realm worked out."

"All who do not submit will be dealt with as enemies of the Crown."

"We will not permit the arbitrary killing and... unjust depression..."

"...which the Zulu people have suffered from their own king, Cetewayo."

You'll see from the letter that this ultimatum is our decision alone.

Her Majesty's Government seems to prefer a negotiated settlement.

Does this do, um... What we both know to be right, Frederick?

It does, Sir Henry.

Excellently.

You moved!

You moved.

Go and tell the NCO of that black shambles if you love him more than you love me. Now!

You're not fit to be in the British Army, you different-coloured articles.

Straighten up! Melancholia bloody earth, boys.

I'm to tell you, Corporal, that I love you more than my colour sergeant.

That's frightening. Get out of my bloody sight!

Put your rifle over your head and double round this field till you drop bloody dead!

Now move! Get on with it! At the double! Shut up! Get back in the ranks, you shower of animals!

Company... shoulder arms!

Present arms!

Over here, boys! Over here, ye! Over here! Come on, come on, here we go. Come on, boys.

No, no, no! One at a time. What do you want? Here.

Heh, lemon juice. What do you need, eh? Candles?... Yes, on stable. The money, please. What about...

You passing through?

- We've come to fight the Zulu. - We aren't at war yet.

- Bit young, isn't he? - He's my nephew. He can shoot, track, speak Zulu.

And fight like a lion. He's got assegai marks to prove it.

- You! - Sir!

- Take them to the orderly officer. - Colour Sergeant!

This way.

Company... 'shun!

Move yourselves!

- Let I give the order, sir? - All right, Sergeant.

Sikali Horse, forward!

Get down foreigners. Hip, hip, hurrah.

- Company... 'shun! - Splendid horsemanship. Who are they?

Sikali Horse, my lord. Christians all. I know each man by name.

- They come well recommended, do they? - My lord, they rode for me at Bushman's Pass.

Oh... indeed. Crealock, you should see that Colonel Durnford has an officer for his hard riders,

perhaps the subaltern from the 24th.

I thought it might be more effective to find someone who speaks Zulu.

Yes... I see you issued each of them with a Martini-Henry carbine.

Our quota for natives continue insist. One rifle to ten men and only five rounds per rifle.

- Will they make good used them? - They're as good marksmen as horsemen.

Is no doubting their horsemanship, Colonel Durnford.

Crealock.

We'll think how to make best use of Colonel Durnford's African knowledge.

- Colonel Durnford. William Vereker. - Yes?

- I hear been seeking officers. - Good ones, yes, Mr. Vereker.

Gentlemen who can ride and shoot.

Private Williams! You've stopped.

Mr. Raw!

Take Mr. Vereker to the store and see he's issued the necessary equipment.

And then show him to the mess and explain to him how an officer's expected to behave.

Our good Colonel Durnford scored quite a clue with the Sikali Horse.

There're rumours is My Lord Chelmsford intense to make Durnford second-in-command.

That's typical of Her Majesty's Army!

- Appoint an engineer to do a soldier's work. - No, no, Mr. Melvill. Less of your spleen.

Stranger in the mess! Gentlemen, my lord.

Announce yourself.

- Good day, Frederick. - Good day, William.

- Pleased you could join us. - It was that or join the Zulu.

Join the Zulu? Oh, yes, you're right, in the thick of it, don't you.

Talk to your father before we sailed, he's said you'd taking the farming near Zululand.

Sent his regards, should I meet up with you.

That's nice of the old boy.

I think you'd better call out who you are.

William Vereker.

- Sergeant Murphy. - Sir.

Bring drinks for the stranger.

Allow me to introduce the mess.

Colonel Pulleine, Mr. Melvill, Coghill, Jackson, Milne.

- Major Russell, Stevenson. - How do you do?

Harford and Harford's best friend.

Don't leave your gin around, Vereker, or Harford will have it full of preserved butterflies.

The damn waste, if you ask me.

Oh, I doubt it if I leave much of that around, it's quite a shortage where I've been.

They fight with spears, don't they? I mean, it doesn't seem quite fair against a Martini-Henry?

Didn't really have to choosen to your country and the Zulu, did they?

- Hmm... A damn close thing it was, too. - Ah, well done, Murphy.

Stranger's cup. Down it in one and we share your mess bill for a week.

And if I don't?

Meant a bottle of good claret to each member of the mess is charge to your account.

If it's too much, we'll have the bill forward to dear father... in the House of Lords.

- Oh, no offence meant, Vereker. - No offence taken, Melvill.

To men who aren't afraid to speak their minds.

Good luck, sir.

Down, down, down, down, down!

Down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down, down!

Not quite.

- The bottles of claret are on me, gentlemen. - Yes.

- For the regiment! - The regiment!

The regiment!

- Not bad, very good! - Thank you!

Anthony. Anthony!

Hold this.

Well batted! Well batted!

- Joseph! How are the Colenso girls? - They're all in the garden, sir.

And they'll be glad to see you, I'm sure.

- Ready? Right! - Oh, you beast!

- Somebody! - Ah, that fooled you!

- Tipped it! Tipped it! Out! Out! - I did not!

- William. You cheat! You! - Me cheat? Same old Fanny!

Welcome! Welcome back!

Excuse me, ladies.

- Did you get your farm going? - Yes, I did.

- How was it? - I've never been so happy.

Sorry, I had to leave.

- You've met the Honorable William Vereker, I believe. - Yes, Anthony. We were childhood friends.

Your childhood friend shot a dead cow at the gallop the other day. Most impressive!

Isn't Mrs. Durnford, is there?

She exists, but I nothing's been heard of her the eight years Durnford's been in Africa.

Although much is spoken of her now, my lord.

I recommended him to you because he knows Africa so well.

Oh, indeed. His ability to recruit native contingents is proving invaluable to his lordship.

- How do you rate him as a soldier? - It is widely held he has courage...

- ...and he's an excellent engineer. - Shall we join the guests?

Do you think she might become interested in... someone?

- Which one? - That one, the one who keeps looking at.

Could be flatter yourself, Coghill, it's a odd eye.

They must've locked to the good ones up!

Ah, General!

Do you find our border country congenial, my lord?

Landscape most congenial, ma'am. As a border vulnerable.

Do you really think that Cetewayo will attack us?

With intention of the Zulu Impi and their king concern me deeply.

Cetewayo has no intention of attacking Natal, Mrs. Pretorius, unless he's given no option.

He has no quarrel with us.

How rare to meet a young lady interested in tactical matters, Miss Colenso!

Is it not, Sir Henry, most rare?

You are talking of a violent and murdering barbarian...

...who command an army of 30,000 warriors just across the river.

My father has known and lived with the Zulus for many years.

Cetewayo massacred 20,000 his own people to make himself king!

The English Tudor kings did no less...

...much later in our nation's history, I might add.

And the French, much more recently.

That may well be, your grace, but be that as it may, my duty is clear...

- ...to defence of all this, Natal. - Yes.

Well, it's difficult to stand against that position.

If you speak only of... defence.

- And what does our good Colonel Durnford think? - If the people of Natal wish to feel safe,

let them persuade their husbands and sons to come forward in volunteer.

- We need both, officers and men. - We do, Colonel. Good point.

I cannot be brought to believe that Cetewayo wants a war with Britain.

Every Zulu is raised to be a warrior. Without a war, there's be no Zulu nation.

Nobody is really safe, are they, your excellency?

Mrs. de Witt has four daughters, Henry, and I fear she feels for them all.

Your daughters may indeed be in some danger, Mrs. de Witt, but not the moment from the Zulus.

Ladies and gentlemen, your attention, please!

I think I should inform you... that I am obliged to issue a notification...

...declaring a state of war between Her Majesty's Government and the Zulu king, Cetewayo,

on his non-compliance with the ultimatum made on him,

urging reparation and redress for violations of British sovereignty.

Well. Well.

- Why? - Oh, yes.

Why do men think of nothing but killing?

This is a wonderful land, we're privileged to share.

Dear God...

There should be room for all of us!

There goes Number 2 Company.

- Quartermaster. - Quartermaster.

I'll see ya!

- My deal. - No, no, no!

Do I believe what me eyes see?

The whole bleedin' army moving off to meet the murdering heathen and what goes on in here?

- A game of brag! Brag! - Oh, I'm sorry, Quartermaster.

You'll be more sorry as still when the Zulu ask, "Lad, what if you got offer me not to slit your gut?".

And you'll say, "Ah, the knave of hearts, sir! The knave of hearts!".

Move!

For the savage, just for the child, chastisement is sometimes a kindness.

Let us hope, General... that this will be the final solution to the Zulu problem.

Come on, get it! Hurry up!

Quickly! Come on down! And again! Hurry up!

Come back here, you thief, little bugler!

They're ready, sir.

My lord...

- I've prepared a list of ideas for you to see. - Excellent, thank you! Give them to Crealock, would you!

My lord... This list was prepared for you. I don't think another can understand its true value.

Thank you, Colonel Durnford.

Gentlemen, within ten days we shall cross the Buffalo River and British soldiers will then be in Zululand.

Colonel Durnford will remain down-river where he responsible to defend the Natal border.

Will you hear Last Post, sir?

I listened back to Cavalry on Stand To this morning, boy. It was perfect.

Couldn't have done it better myself, not even when I was bugler to Duke Wellington.

- Eh, tell me, where did you get that black eye? - From the cook, sir.

When saw me dip your shaving tin in the table too this morning.

- My dad say ties of the life work wall-less like I said. - So you got it in the line of duty.

Point taken.

- Will we be fighting the Zulu soon, Quartermaster? - Could be.

Attas!

We cross the river into Zululand...

...might just be waiting there for us to show up and stabbing assegias pointing right at our bellies!

- You feary Zulu, they, Quartermaster? - One Zulu is only one man,

and I'm afraid of no one man!

But the Zulu there, they come in thousands, like a black wave of death, in their thousands.

Them assegias, stabbing!

- Your orders, Mr. Vereker? - I am to take the Sikali with the main column to the river.