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A combination of British infantry and local conscripts of the Natal Native Contingent, or nnc, they headed out to attack some Zulu spotted hiding along in the ravine. Here in the camp, the mood is cheerful among the thousand or so men staying behind. Their command is to defend their position against a possible but highly unlikely Zulu assault. Despite the rising heat, Colonel Henry Pulain shrugs on his heavy red tunic and fixes his white belt around the waist. The bright scarlet wool of the British army coats stands in stark contrast to this otherwise neutral landscape. Temporarily in charge, Paine strolls through the tents, chatting to the men, enjoying their breakfasts, sharing jokes and bitter coffee. So far, this march into Zululand has been a walk in the park. For all the hype around Cetshwayo's defiant and formidable warrior army, it seems the Zulu haven't been up for the fight. Pulain squints up at the rocky outcrop towering some 300ft above the plain. Shaped like a crouching lion, it reminds him of the Sphinx on their regimental cap badge. The Zulu call this place Izan Dilwana. Pulain calls it purgatory. It's about 10:30 when he hears a strange humming sound rising across the arid countryside. A low buzz like a swarm of angry bees approaching. He turns to the distant cattle track, but there is nothing there. The humming gets louder now. A deep, ominous chant reaches his ears, and with it, a rhythmic thumping sound. With a sinking heart, Culein realizes it's the sound of assagai spears being slammed into hide shields. The Zulu are coming before his eyes, the green plateau fills with thousands of half clad Zulu warriors sweeping over the rim of the ravine. It's as though the river has burst its banks. Around 25,000 live young fighters bear down on the camp from all directions, their black and white shields touching side to side. They cover the rough ground at an incredible clip. A ferocious, unstoppable tidal wave. The impi, or battalion, attacks in a formation known as the Horns of the Buffalo. A mane driving head in the center and a horn on each side to encircle the enemy. Awe gives way to panic as Pulleyn realizes the camp will be surrounded in no time. Whistles sound, shouts go up. A call to arms. And quickly. So confident was he of their military superiority that Lord Chelmsford told them not to bother building any defenses here. Now, by God, Hulaine wishes they had. Scrambling into action, a squadron with awkward ground mounted rocket launchers is sent out left while a mounted troop canters forward to stem the advance on the right. The rocket battery is swamped instantly and the cavalry is forced to retreat and regroup. Pulleyn orders five infantry companies to charge forward along with two teams of field guns and a couple of hundred men of the nnc. But it's too late. The center of the buffalo's head overwhelms the forward defense, the horns close around the sides. Surging forward, the Zulu fire rifles and muskets and lunge expertly with their assegais, all while shrieking their famous war cries. The Isikoko. Terrified, the NNC infantry flees the field. With them goes any discipline in the British troops. It's every man for himself. Soon the track is blocked by panic stricken soldiers screaming for help. It takes the Zulu just a few hours to destroy the camp and at least half of Chelmsford's invading force. In all, only 30 of those who cheerfully breakfasted in the camp that morning survive the battle, and Pulain is not among them. Though the disaster deals a terrible blow to Britain's glorious dream of stretching her empire from the Cape to the Zambezi, it won't stop her or her European rivals from striking again. In late 19th century Europe, so little was known about the continent of Africa that most Europeans imagined it as a vacant no man's land. But then a period of new imperialism began. It resulted in a land grab of epic proportions which saw the entire continent of Africa sliced up like a pie, to be swallowed by five rival nations. Britain, France, Germany, Italy and Portugal. With Spain gathering up the crumbs. In the blink of an eye. Everything changed for the people of Africa. Within a decade, Europe controlled virtually the whole continent, with 10 million square miles of new territory to govern and 110 million dazed new subjects acquired by fair means or foul. But the passions generated by this colonial period poisoned the political climate in Europe, bringing it to the brink of war. Meanwhile, in Africa, the rampant empire building saw the continent stripped of its very soul. But what prompted this undignified rush by these foreign leaders to expand into Africa? What did colonialism do for Europe? Or for that matter, for the millions of subjugated new Europeans? And what legacy did this frenzy for new territory leave behind? I'm John Hopkins from the Noiser Network. This is a short history of the scramble for Africa. The term the Scramble for Africa is believed to have been coined in 1884, though historians disagree about its exact timescale. Largely, it's considered to cover the whole final phase of Africa's partition, beginning with a prelude in 1876 and ending in 1912. But ever since Roman times, Europe had been nibbling at the mysterious continent to the south. With the conquests of Carthage and the annexation of Egypt, the ancient Romans began venturing into the northern reaches of Africa. Despite these early incursions, by the mid-1870s, much of the land is still a mystery to Europeans. All that's known is that Africa straddles the equator with uncanny precision and that it is surrounded by a wonderful but dangerously rugged coastline. Though Europeans have established some coastal trading posts and a handful of settler colonies, no foreign explorer has penetrated very far into the interior. No one knows which is Africa's greatest river or where it leads, though many have already spent several decades trying to find out. Scottish explorer and missionary Dr. David Livingstone has established himself as one of the few famous figures in the exploration of Africa. He has been on a relentless quest to uncover the continent's mysteries since 1841, with a particular focus on finding navigable river routes. Aside from the prestige of geographical discovery, locating major rivers and mapping their sources and courses means opening up easier routes between coastal trading posts. So far, Livingstone and his fellow explorers have discovered that Africa is largely a fertile land with extensive mineral wealth. It is home to tribal and nomadic people who have thus far proved no match for the explorers and traders who've exploited them for slavery and labor. Inspired by Livingstone, by the mid-1870s, competition among explorers begins to heat up. A number of expeditions to Africa set out from all over Europe, funded by private geographical societies. All hope to discover new territory and more importantly, open up a network of trade routes for their home countries. Anthony Bogues is the Ursa Mesa professor of Humanities and Africana Studies at Brown University.
