hospital walls were loopholed. The appearance of some 4,000 Zulu warriors approaching the station just after 16:00 caused the contingent of NNC troops to panic and flee, reducing the number of defenders to approximately 139 men. Armed primarily with assegais the Zulus charged at the garrison but were cut down by the British volley fire. Nevertheless, the Zulus pressed on with repeated charges, particularly along a weak point to the north of the hospital where Bromhead and his men became embroiled in fierce hand-to-hand combat with their opponents. At around 18:00, with the thinly manned perimeter becoming increasingly difficult to defend, Chard ordered the defenders to abandon the perimeter around the hospital and withdraw to a smaller second line of defence by the storehouse. Bromhead took up a position alongside Private Frederick Hitch at the corner of the barricade most exposed to Zulu sniper fire, and "[used] his rifle and revolver with deadly aim" while encouraging his men "not to waste one round". At this point Bromhead had a near miss when, unbeknownst to him, a Zulu warrior jumped the barrier intending to spear him. However, his attacker threw himself back over the wall when Hitch presented his unloaded rifle. Hitch was later shot through the shoulder and after he was bandaged up Bromhead gave him his revolver which enabled Hitch to continue shooting with one arm. Waves of Zulu attacks continued during the night but, by the early hours of the morning, their enthusiasm for battle waned and they departed from the area. British reinforcements arrived later that morning. Aftermath Bromhead and the other uninjured survivors remained at Rorke's Drift for several weeks after the battle. Wary of another Zulu attack, the garrison constructed crude stone walls around the perimeter and named the fortification "Fort Bromhead". During this time Bromhead became withdrawn and lethargic, possibly experiencing psychological trauma from the battle. Major Francis Clery, who was garrisoned at Rorke's Drift with Bromhead after the battle wrote, "the height of [Bromhead's] enjoyment seemed to be to sit all day on a stone on the ground smoking a most uninviting looking pipe. The only thing that seemed equal to moving him in any way was an allusion to the defence of Rorke's Drift. This used to have a sort of electrical effect upon him, for he would jump up and off he would go, not a word could be got out