Capt. Stafford and Lieut. Erskine along Fugitives' Trail

While reading back through the accounts of Lieut. Erskine and Capt. Stafford, I noted a rather peculiar discrepancy regarding the timing and nature of a certain rescue along Fugitives' Trail.

Lieut. Erskine writes...
"After running some distance, I saw my Captain with two horses, one of which he was riding and the other leading. I called out to him to give me a horse, which he did. I jumped on, and on looking round for him, he was gone... I found that the horse I was riding was nearly done up, and would not go out of a walk. After proceeding thus for about half a mile, I was watching a soldier who seemed at the end of his breath, when suddenly a Zulu appeared behind him, and calling out ‘U yong assi venlunga’ (where are you off to, white man?), he sent his assegai in between the soldier’s shoulders, and then finished him with a stab in the side. To my dismay, I saw him come after me, and all at once I saw him throw his assegai at me; it went into my leg. He then pulled out another, and let fly, and sent it into my horse, behind the flap of the saddle."

Capt. Stafford remembered the incident slightly differently...
" Shortly after we came across Lieutenant Erskine who was lying against a rock with an assegai wound through the calf of his leg quite exhausted and unable to proceed further.
Opportunely I was able to get Erskine up behind me just in the nick of time. The scene now baffles description. It was a perfect pandemonium. Loose mules and pack horses and oxen, some with ghastly gashes were galloping over the veld at will, some with saddles and others with blinker only. How sad to think what these noble animals are called upon to suffer in their masters’ wars. Fortune favoured us now as a large white horse with a rein round his neck came up alongside us. Evidently instinct prompted him to seek protection and we were able to catch the charger. The rein was twisted round the lower jaw, as all youngsters who are brought up on a farm learn to do, and Erskine was pleased to have his brave back."

Curious, isn't it?