"I looked down the long lines of waving black plumes and stern faces beneath them, and sighed to think that within one short hour most, if not all, of those magnificent veteran warriors, not a man of whom was under forty years of age, would be laid dead or dying in the dust. It could not be otherwise; they were being condemned, with that wise recklessness of human life which marks the great general, and often saves his forces and attains his ends, to certain slaughter, in order to give their cause and the remainder of the army a chance of success. They were foredoomed to die, and they knew the truth. It was to be their task to engage regiment after regiment of Twala’s army on the narrow strip of green beneath us, till they were exterminated or till the wings found a favourable opportunity for their onslaught. And yet they never hesitated, nor could I detect a sign of fear upon the face of a single warrior. There they were—going to certain death, about to quit the blessed light of day for ever, and yet able to contemplate their doom without a tremor. Even at that moment I could not help contrasting their state of mind with my own, which was far from comfortable, and breathing a sigh of envy and admiration. Never before had I seen such an absolute devotion to the idea of duty, and such a complete indifference to its bitter fruits."

H. Rider Haggard Literature See all quotes by H. Rider Haggard →

React to this quote

More by H. Rider Haggard

“I am not a nervous man in a general way, and very little troubled with superstitions, of which I have lived to see the folly.”

“It is easier to destroy knowledge, Ignosi, than to gather it.”

“I do not believe in violence; it is the last resort of fools.”

“We white people think that we know everything.”

“There is no loneliness like the loneliness of crowds, especially to those who are unaccustomed to them.”

“Love counts not its labour nor can it weigh its tenderness in the scale of purchase. That which it has it gives, and craves for more to give and give, till the soul's infinity be drained.”

Resonant Thoughts

"It would explain, says Mr. Darwin, the unity of type which runs through the whole organic world, and why there is sometimes a fundamental agreement in structure in the same class of beings which is qu…"

— Charles Lyell

Philosophy1767–1849

#life

"Actually, for some time now I have given some thought to opening a film school. But if I did start one up you would only be allowed to fill out an application form after you have walked alone on foot,…"

— Werner Herzog

Entertainment1962

#knowledge

"Though the gifts of the mind are infinite, they can, it seems to me, be thus classified. There are some so beautiful that everyone can see and feel their beauty. There are some lovely, it is true, but…"

— François de La Rochefoucauld

Military1521–1572

#beauty

"Maitreya appears now, actually ahead of schedule, as the Agent of Divine Intervention, to mitigate the effects of earthquakes which have been mounting in frequency and intensity throughout the world o…"

— Benjamin Creme

Art1922–2016

#time