b'Frederick Burnham of the Tonto Rim mining endeavors which kept his family solvent until themass attacks on the converging British forces, but his opportunity to live his dream of an African adventuretribesmen were decimated by the concentrated and deadly became a reality.Blanche was extremely supportive of herfire of the British Maxim machine guns. On October 24, husband\'s desire to relocate and seek adventure and fortuneForbes and his force crossed the Shangani River, a river that in darkest Africa and as Burnham wrote: would soon play a pivotal and controversial role in the lifeof Frederick Burnham. Still advancing towards Bulawayo, "After my marriage in 1884, I believed that the beckoningthe Colonial forces took the burning town on November spirits of Africa would fade away and no longer haunt me,4, but Lobengula and most of his battered army had gotten but softly as the falling dew, they kept returning. In theaway, moving north towards another bend of the Shangani end, I allowed myself to share with my wife the music theyand away from the killing Maxims of the British forces.poured into my ears by night and often by day. Their magicwon my wife completely, until in January 1893 togetherAs Forbes column advanced deeper into Matabeleland, we set out to make our dreams come true" (Kemper, "ABurnham began to get nervous, strongly believing, (and he Splendid Savage", p. 117). was right) that the British forces were getting overextended.Away from their supply lines they could be easily So the Burnham family crossed the Atlantic, first visitingoverwhelmed by Lobengula\'s warriors, still full of fight, London where Burnham met with Colonial authoritiesbefore the other columns could come to their aid. Hell-bent and made the acquaintance of a man who would playon seizing Lobengula, and finding his wagons along a bend a very important role in Burnham\'s immediate futureof the Shangani, Forbes refused to stop the pursuit. Instead, years, the British financier and chief point man in Africa,Frederick and Blanche( above )brieflyhe sent his second-in-command, Major Alan Wilson, with a the legendary Cecil Rhodes. Acquiring a plot of land inpatrol of 19 men, no Maxims, including Burnham, to cross the territory soon to be known as Rhodesia and wherereturned to Arizona where he became involvedthe Shangani and see if they could capture the Ndebele the current country of Zimbabwe now stands, Frederickin trying to develop a town just south ofking. Burnham obeyed the order but let Wilson know of his Burnham went off seeking new mines to develop whilePhoenix by the name of Mesa but that townconcernsas he was already suspicious that the patrol was he and his wife hoped for a peaceful life on the plains oftoo small and would easily be overwhelmed. Wilson was Africa. But it was not meant to be. For as in the Americanneeded water, and that didnt pan out either. hopeful a relief force with Maxim guns would reach him, westward expansion at the expense of Native Americans,but Burnham, as experienced as he was, bent his ears to the Cecil Rhodes and his associates, backed by the might of theground, detected mass movement of thousands of warriors British Army, were now alternately cajoling and pressuringmobilized three columns of about 2,000 men each, whitearound Wilson\'s encampment, and let him know he was the local Ndebele tribe out of their Matabeleland preserve.colonials, militia, and friendly tribesmen, augmented bysurrounded. Wilson immediately sent for help, but Forbes At first, the imposing over 6 feet tall, 300 pound chief ofanother 1,000 British regular forces. Burnham, possiblyrefused to move on fast, instead of sending Captain Henry the Ndebele, Lobengula Khumalo, sought to seek commonenticed by the Rhodes Company\'s (British South AfricaBarrow with 22 men to cross the river and help Wilson. By ground with Rhodes and accommodate the white desireCompany) offer of land and mining rights once the war wasdoing this, Forbes did little to increase the odds in favor of for expansion, but it was fairly clear to see that the Britishover, also enlisted as a scout, one of 20 that supplementedWilson but instead added 22 more dead to the casualty rolls wanted to secure that section of Southern Africa, keepingthe British Colonial forces which ultimately would beof the British force. Burnham would later write, "All of us out both the native tribes and the Boers. It was the formerfacing over 20,000 Ndebele warriors led by Lobengula. Onwho had ridden through the great camps (of the Ndebele) that finally took offense, first starting a series of raidsOctober 6, 1893, Burnham and several other scouts joinedand spent the night in the brush knew that the end had against other tribes, then spilling out the violence on tothe command of British Army Major Patrick Forbes as theycome" (Kemper, "A Splendid Savage", p.158). Wilson the new British settlements.Rhodes\' chief associate, themoved into Matabeleland, advancing northwards towardssummoned Burnham, fellow American Scout Pete Ingram, Jingoist and violence-prone Dr. Leander Starr JamesonChief Lobengula\'s capital at Bulawayo. Lobengula launchedcontinued on page 32ArizonaRealCountry.com January 2020 31'