*..*...••'••.,.■■ «x:*:> h '^ ''f^' '^...tK THE LIBRARY OF THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LOS ANGELES ■. :-:f.. ?k ?f-. .•i-.- ?m TT. 7R .?»=:.. .■^. . .?^-. . .?t%. ..??•.. y ■^ i:{i 7i^ ^ i^ t ^ w. w. w. '^. i^. M .^: ?*^ ^. ^ ?^. ?i:: .^. .-*•. Jfe rfe ?»^ ^ ^ :*: ^ ^ $1^ .^ ^;..^...i*i...^..X..^..^..> LIEUTENANT-GENERAL SIR HARRY SMITH BAR^C.C.B.&c GOVERNOR * C Oia^ANHSIt -IJT-CSJSF JW THE CJiPE OF &OOD BOPE. EXCURSIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA, INCLUDING A HISTOEY OF THE CAPE COLONY, AN ACCOUNT Of THE NATIVE TRIIiEi;, ETC. LT.-COLONEL E. ELERS NAPIEK, LATELY EMPLOYED ON SPECIAL SERVICE IN KAFf IKLANB IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. TT. LONDON: WILLIAM SHOBERL, PUBLISHER, '20, GREAT MARLBOROUGH STREET. 1850. r Shoberl, Jun , Printi'i to II.H.II. Priucw Albert, Uiiperl Slicet, llayni»rket Df ^.1 CONTENTS OF THE SECOND VOLUME. PAGE Chapter I. First Day's "Trek" in Lower Albany 1 Chapter IL A Waggon jMarch to the Frontier . 25 Chapter II L Graham's Town, and its attack by the Pro- phet Makanna ....... 44 Chapter IV. A gallop to Waterloo Bay and Fort Beau- fort 66 Chapter V. The Camp of the first division . . 88 Chapter VI. The Amakosaj . . . . .123 Chapter VII. ]\Iacomo, the Gaika Chief . . . 147 Chapter VIII. Life in the Bush . . . .165 Chapter IX. Fort Cox and the Amatola . .187 Chapter X. The Burghers under Sir Andreas Stocken- stroni ........ 200 Chapter XI. Post Victoria ..... 213 Chapter XII. The Bivouac ..... 226 Chapter XIII. The Battle-field of the Gwanga . . 254 Chapter XI"\'. y\ Foray amongst the T' Slambies . 272 Chapter XV. Xonube, the Anglo-Katiir Queen; with extracts from Van Ileenen's Journal . . . 303 Chapter XVI. Cattle-lifting in Kaffirland . . 323 Chapter XVII. Journal of a Patrole beyond the Kyc, in January, 1847 : by an officer engaged in that expe- dition ........ 339 Chapter XVIII. The Emigrant Boer . . .351 Chapter XIX. The Tarka Rangers . . . 367 Chapter XX. The Great T' Somtseu . . . 383 J.057C77 IV CONTENTS. PAGE CHArxEii XXI. Extracts from letters and journal . 397 Chapter XXII. Return from the Eastern Frontier . 413 APPENDIX. Fort Hare 449 Outline of the Services of the 91st Regment in Kaffirland in 1 846, with the Official Report of the engagement in the Amatola . . . . . . . ib. EXCUKSIONS IN SOUTHERN AFRICA. CHAPTER I. FIRST day's "trek"' IN LOWER ALBANY. Departure from Port Elizabeth — Bullock Waggons — Hotten- tots and Fingocs — i\Ialays — The 90th Light Infantry — The Stair Officers — A Soldier's Wife -The Zout-Pamis— An out-Spann — Hottentots in bivouac — Colonists on their tra- vels — The Trek Boer and his waggon — The Valley of the Zwartkops — Passage of the river — The South African Bush — Prospect from the Zwartkops heights — Massacre of Stock- enstroni's party in 1SV2 — Arrival at the Camp. Atiter nearly a week"'s delay at Port Elizabeth, a sufficient number of waggons were at last assembled i<»r the transport of our baggage, together with the numerous commis.sariat stores, ammunition, and trea- sure, destined for the use of the army, then supposed to be carrying on active operations against the Kaffirs. ' A Dutch term, generally pronounced '-track," meaning a journey. VOL. II. B 2 FIRST DAY S " TREK The IStli of October was the day fixed on for our departure to Grahanfs Town ; but althougli so early as daybreak, we were awakened by the deep lowing of oxen, the loud cracking of huge whips, the jabber of Hottentot drivers, and expressive expletives of the waofron owners — the sun had reached the meridian, ere any symptoms of a start were at all discover- able. At last, by dint of incredible exertion of whips and lungs — of blows and oaths — the cumbersome waggons gradually got under weigh, and then moved off in slow and sleepy succession. As the vehicles were some twenty in number, each dragged by from twelve to sixteen oxen, yoked in couples ; and as, moreover, these conveyances progressed in " single file," and did not care to tread too closely on each other's heels, it is not surprising that, when the whole convoy was fairly in motion, it should have extended the entire length of the straofrlinji- lane of houses of which Port Eliza- beth is composed — in other words, have covered a space of ground nearly a mile long ! But it is matter of surprise, that such a slow, incon- venient mode of transit should still continue in use for military operations, more especially in a country — like the present seat of war — broken by hills and dells, watercourses and i-ivers — covered in many places with dense jungle, through which, as these sluggish convoys drag their long and weary length, they are at every stop in danger of being cut off by an active, unseen, and lurking foe ; and it is still more to be wondered at, that, during this and former campaigns against the Kaffirs, a single waggon, with its contents, should IN LOWER ALRAXV. li have escaped tliat fate wliicli befel those at ]Jurn\s Hill and Tronipetter's Drift. But such is the force of prejudice and habit ! Be- cause Van lliebeck's followers travelled, in days of yore, with these unwieldy conveyances, not only do they continue to be used by their descendants, at the present daj', but the English Settlers must also needs follow their example. Still more strange to tell, the same mode of carriage is likewise adopted in military operations, for the removal of the stores, baggage, camp equipage, and commissariat of an army — a system entirely subversive of everything like punc- tuality, certainty, or celerity, in the movements of a force. We have, during the course of our wanderings, been driven to many strange modes of transport and loco- motion, from a donkey to an elephant — from a dooly to an express-train. We have moreover given each a fair trial; but, Avhether with the caravan of the desert, the nmleteer of Spain ; or knapsack on back, plodding solitarily on foot, along some wild and dreary waste; never, in all our peregrinations, did it fall to our lot to meet with such " slow coaches'" as the aforesaid bullock waggons of Southern Africa. Though celerity was therefore by no means the characteristic of our convoy, it possessed — at least, in our eyes — the attraction of novelty ; and as, slowly emerging from the dirty, straggling, and unpaved pre- cincts of " Little Elizabeth,""' it crept along the plainly defined track — showing like a white thread cast on a green carpet — which traversed the grassy, tliough otherwise bare and undulating plain before us, the B 2 FIRST DAY S " TREK lengthened train certainly presented not only a novel l)ut picturesque object to the sight. Tlie Colonists gazed from their thresholds with a vacant look of desponding apathy at our departure; as much as to say, that on this, as on many similar occa- sions, little good was likely to accrue therefrom to them, their blasted hopes, and ruined fortunes. But the Hottentot population gladly availed themselves of the opportunity to have a jubilee on the event ; and the exhilarating effects of " a parting glass" were ob- vious not only in the men, but likewise on many of their gentle partners, who, surrounded by swarms of nearly naked young Totties, and in all their drunken and picturesque array of tattered, dirty, and gaudy finery; as they preceded the waggons, shrilly sang and wildly danced, with fantastic attitudes, often— thanks to a o-ood ear and pliant limbs — not whollv devoid of a certain degree of elegance and softness. Whilst the jovial, reckless Hottentots thus gave way to unbridled mirth, the more sedate Fingoe women, under the heavy burdens they gracefully bore on their woolly heads, halted for a moment, to regard us as we passed ; drawing meanwhile the only gar- j„ent — a leathern kaross — more closely around their finely-formed, statue-like shapes. Grinning from ear to ear, they displayed magnificent sets of teeth white as purest ivory ; and which, glistening in the wide opening rents of their black, hideous faces, resembled bright rows of orient pearls, skilfully encased on some dark, grotesque, and barbaric idol. In addition to the above specimens of the two great distinctive races of Southern Africa, of the Quaiqua* IN LOWER ALBANY. ;) and l^oclmana genus, our troop on this occasion was composed of the most varied and motley set ; to contri- bute to which, the farthest extremities of the ohl world appeared to have been ransacked in succession. The escort consisted of a body of Malays, a portion of one of the native levies from Cape Town, and heaJed by a quondam naval officer. Moreover, for the espe- cial protection of the ammunition and treasure, forminir part of our investment, a sergeant's party of the 9()th Light Infantry was ordered to accompany us to Gra- ham's Town. This gallant corps, while on its way home, after a lengthened service in the East, had been unexpectedly stopped at the Cape; and, having undergone years of exile — when on the eve of re- visiting their country, their friends, and all that man holds dearest on earth — these poor fellows' hopes were suddenly dashed to the ground, by being called upon to participate in the toils and hardships of a most harassing war; where no laurels were to be culled, no honour to be gained — and which might only tend to prolong their already protracted banishment, to a most indefinite extent ! Such is the lot of the English soldier. Such is the common fate of men, who are too often repaid for their lieroic fortitude and devotion, by coldness and neglect, by calumny and detraction ! I have seen many British regiments, but nevtr beheld a finer corps than the gallant 90th ; — the bold, soldier-like bearino; — the veteran look — the bronzed and bearded' countenances of these noble specimens of ' In this harassing warfare, as there was not often time for the pipe-clay observances of the " regulations," the beard atul 6 FIRST day's " trek" our troops, arrayed in a plain, war-worn military garb, and boldly grasping their glittering arms — offered the strongest contrast to the slight Asiatic forms, and sharp, tawny features of their Malay companions. The difference was not less marked between the latter and tbe swarthy, thick-lipped African ; or the gigantic, unwieldy Dutch Boer, who passively sate in front of his waggon, enveloped in the mantle of national phlegm, and the dense smoke of his pipe — with him an insepa- rable companion. Nor — may be — were the " seven field-officers"''' be- fore alluded to the less picturesque part of the array ; some in wao'oons, some on foot — others mounted on sorry jades, and in every variety of colonial costume — they would verily have cut a curious military figure at a review in the Phoenix Park or on Hounslow Heath ! As a specimen of the whole party on this occasion, we shall beg to introduce ourselves to the reader, in our aforesaid burgher dress and equipments. To commence with the charger we had brought round from Cape Town. He was a strong, active, wiry beast, though certainly no beauty ; and, more- over, bearing such evident affinity to Pharaoh''s lean kine, that this, our Bucephalus, had already been dubbed " Nagpore" (nag-poor) by the acknowledged wit of the party, who — as may thence be inferred — was iin old East Indian campaigner. moustache were — at least, in one division of the army — suffered to grow ; and formed useful appendages as a protection to the face, against the blistering effects of a burning sun, and dry, cutting wind — two serious inconveniences often combined in this part of the world. IN LOWER ALBANY. 7 A pair of holsters in front of tlie sadtllc, one of them containing- a douhlc-harrelled pistol for offensive — the second, a well-filled brandy-llask for defensive nieasnres — the former, in case of need against the Kaffirs ; the latter, for the purpose of guarding against cold, colic, or other disagreeables, incident to tlio roughing we were likely to encounter during the ensuing campaign. The above, together with a tourniquet, some bandages, and a few medicines, condensed in a small compass, constituted a sort of portable commissariat, arsenal, and dispensary. ]3ehind the saddle, compactly rolled up, was strapped a good patent waterproof great- coat, of the latest and most approved manufactur(^ ; which often, on subse- quent occasions, proved a staunch and warm friend ; one possessing also an infinite quantity of drt/ humour ; and by whom our feelings were never doomed to be damped. The saddle itself was well furnished, after the usual colonial fashion, with chose semicircular rings, which are here called "Ds." This circumstance elicited from our inveterate pun- ster the observation, that by coming out on this ex- pedition we were all fairly D D ; that we must, moreover, not only now be on our Ps and Qs, but look well to our " Ds," as much depended on (from) them. From these said "Ds," hung on one side, a huge Indian scimitar, too heavy to be with comfort suspended from the waist, and once the property of a renowned Decoitee, or river-pirate ; but, divested of its Asiatic attributes, this roving blade now appeared in the civilized garb of a regulation hilt and brass scabbard ; whilst, to counterbalance it on the otlier side, was hooked a 8 FIRST day's " trek" Spanish " Botta," or leathern flask, which often had carried a supply of water ; and perhaps more fre- quently of good "vino seco," amidst the Sierras of Andalusia, or across the wild heatlis of Estremadura. So much for the means of transport, &c. Now come we to the personal part of our equipment : a broad-brimmed beaver, witli a bit of ostrich feather, " a-la-Charles the First;" a shooting-jacket, containing capacious pockets ; a pair of (pardon, fair reader, the vulgar term !) brown corduroy breeches ; terminated by the lately invented " Antigropelos," or — as our " punnicular" comrade termed them — " Antiscrofulous" boots ; (which, by the by, I found on all occasions most invaluable ; and, there- fore, take this opportunity of making honourable men- tion of their inventor, Mr. \Varne) ; a long Indian bamboo hog-spear in liand ; a grisly unshorn beard and moustache, which, "like stubble field at harvest-home," was certainly no adornment to a weather-beaten phiz; but wliich time subsequently rather improved in ap- pearance, and lengthened to respectable Mahomedan dimensions. Such were the outward man and horse of one of the " seven ;" and — always excepting the hog-spear — we did not (whatever they might aver to the contrary) see much difference as to a similar brigand-like appearance in the rest of our companions ; although from them we occasionally heard certain vague and distant allusions to Don Quixote and Robinson Crusoe. However, whatever our resemblance might liave been to either of those worthies, we were certainly not better provided with an esquire, or attendant ; for nii/ Sancho Panza was a drunken, unwieldy, discharged Irish soldier ; whilst the man " Friday" was per- IX LOWER ALBANY. i) sonified by a young Hottentot, rejoicing in the name of Jacob ; who was as fond of " Cape Smoke,'" sleep, and idleness, as any of his tribe. Such was the general appearance of the party, who, on the 18th of October, 1846, left Algoa Bay to " trek" towards the frontier. The hour of departure had, as I observed before, been fixed early in the morning ; but, owing to innumerable delays, it was late in the afternoon ere the last waggon cleared the " turnpike-gate," which marks the entrance of that unprepossessing-looking assemblage of colonial habi- tations, known as Port EHzabeth. Let not the word " turnpike" deceive the unsophis- ticated reader, or lead him to imagine a smooth, even progress over level Macadamized roads ; for the public thoroughfare, from the only sea-port in the eastern province, to its capital — a distance of one hundred miles — to the disgrace of the colonial government be it said — deserves about as much the name of a road as the mule-tracks and dry water-courses in Spain are entitled to the high-sounding appellations of " Caminos reales." Over stones, rocks, and deep fissures, foi'mcd by rain and sun, did the ponderous vehicles, like dis- masted vessels in a storm, painfully toil along; whilst the vehement cries and execrations of the drivers, the twisting of tails, and " knout"-like application of the long whips, could not urge the dull, lean teams into a quicker pace than about two miles and a half per hour ! One of the officers of our party had been accom- panied from England by his wife ; but all efforts ' A sort of coarse, cheap brandy, made in the Colony. B 5 10 FIRST day's " trek" having proved unsuccessful at Algoa Bay in procuring a horse to carry this lady, the waggon became there- fore the only alternative left to enable her to reach Graham's Town ; and the hardships and privations she endured (without a murmur) might — had they but witnessed them — have proved a wholesome warn- ing to all young misses, however desirous of matri- mony ; to eschew — with that intent — a red coat, as they would avoid a scarlet-fever, or any other fatal disease. Beware, therefore, oh ! most amiable, fair, and be- loved country-women, how you sprinkle with laurels the nuptial-couch ; for, instead of your finding it a bed of rest and roses, it may, alas ! prove but one of thorns, toil, and trouble ! But return we to our caravan. Owing to the late- ness of our departure — combined with the above-men- tioned delays — scarcely had we progressed three or four miles towards our destination, ere the setting sun Avarned us of the necessity of a halt for the night. The spot fixed upon was in a classical neighbourhood ; for we " out-spanned" near the residence of Mr. Chase, the talented author of the " History of the Cape of Good Hope and the Eastern Province." Neverthe- less, preferring a comfortable bed in the very comfort- able hotel of Mr. Diyars, at Port Elizabeth, to an uncomfortable one in the waggon — albeit on such his- toric ground — two or three of us returned for the night to our aforesaid old quarters, with the intention of next day overtaking the convoy. After emerging fii^om that slip of land — running be- tween the bare and barren rid«e of hills and the shores IN LOWER ALBANY. 11 of Algoa Bay — on which standi Port Elizabeth, the country suddenly expands into a succession of open, undulatino- downs, liere and there dotted with low brushwood ; but, generally speaking, covered solely with jxrass ; which, though o-vowin"' in small detached clumps — like the wool on a Hottentot's head — had, thanks to the recent rain, now assumed a tolerable ap- pearance of verdure. Under the exhilarating inllu- ence of the bright sun, cloudless sky, and clear atmo- sphere of a beautiful spring day of these southern regions, we gave our horses their heads, and galloped gaily onwards, over ground formerly covered with tall forests — once the abode of the elephant, the rhino- ceros, and hippopotamus ; of the lordly lion, and the stealthy panther — but now aftbrding excellent pasturage for sheep and cattle ; that is to say, when the latter are not swept away by those wild beasts, which so often prowl over this fated district, in the shape of savage Kaffirs ! We pulled up, to breathe our horses, on the banks of a small, clear, inland lake, reflecting with pictorial dis- tinctness on its smooth bosom the undulations of the irreen knolls and hillocks around. Its waters were bright and pellucid, but our thirsty nags refused the inviting draught, which proved to be salt as brine. This sheet of water was, in fact, what the Dutch term a •' Zout-pann;" a feature of common occurrence in this part of the world, and by means of which, the inhabitants are abundantly supplied with the finest and whitest of salt. As this phenomenon has been variously accounted for and explained by different learned authors wlio have written on the Colonv of 12 FIRST day's " trek" the Cape of Good Hope, the reader is referred to their works for a full descriptiou of the same." We overtook the waggons on the banks of the Zwartkops River, about twelve or fourteen miles from " the Bay," as Port Elizabeth is always, in colonial phraseology, called "par excellence." The convoy had " outspanned" for the mid-day meal of both man and beast; and this said " out-spanning" and "in-spann- ing" were so incessantly dinned with sickening fre- quency into our ears during the ensuing " treck," that I shall endeavour to initiate the reader into the mysteries of their signification. A " spann" means, I believe, in Dutch, a team of oxen, or other draught animals ; hence the terms " in- spanning" and " out-spanning," or yoking and un- yoking. Another term of Colonial import is that of " saddling-?■) IS FIRST day's " TREK sometimes the entire convoy was brought to a com- plete stand-still ; and the whole progressing so slowly, that we began to speculate on the chance of their all reaching the opposite shore, ere night should have cast its dark shadows around. Nor could we cease to wonder at the negligence and apathy of a Government, which had suffered the only communication between the coast and the capital of the eastern province to remain for so many years in such a shamefully neg- lected state ; and without a single bridge to span the numerous rivers that so frequently intersect its course — rivers, or rather mountain streams, which — without an}' warning, and at the most uncertain times — are fre- quently so suddenly swollen by a single thunder-storm amidst the neighbouring hills, that in ten minutes they sometimes become impassable torrents, and occasion- ally remain so for days and weeks together. Havino- "off-saddled" and "knee-haltered" our panting steeds — which, ere commencing to graze, first rolled luxuriantly on the still young and tender herbage under foot — a preliminary, I may remark, en passant, universally practised on a journey by the horses of the Cape — we next produced fi'om our holsters a brandy- flask and a few sandwiches. The leathern " botta," with its supply of water, was also put in requisition (for that of the stream was found to be rather "brack") ; and havins: attached a handkerchief to the long hog- spear, and planted it on the elevated bank of the river, as a signal to the stragglers left behind, we — after a plunge into the Zwartkops — sat down to our simple repast, whilst watching the convoy, which, like some huge reptile, now laboriously dragged its slow length IN LOWKR ALHANY. 19 along the white, shining track, so distinctly chisollud out on the steep side of yon opposite dark and thickly wooded lieights ; over which many a licrd of colonial cattle had, erewhile, been driven by plundering Kaffirs ; and had been as often hotly pursued by the plundered and exasperated Colonists. Time thus imperceptibly glided by ; till, casting our eyes on the waters beneath, we were not a little sur- prised to observe that they had suddenly and most unaccountably increased. In fact the river here, from its vicinity to the sea, was evidently within the in- fluence of the tides. We, therefore, lost not a mo- ment in saddling up, but just saved our distance, and avoided a swim ; for the water, as we crossed, reached to the very flaps of our saddles. On arriving at the further bank, after bestowing a hearty " blessing" on the want of a bridge, Ave can- tered on smartly in pursuit of the waggons ; for the slanting rays of the sun warned us that a single hour more would see him close on the verge of the western horizon. We had to traverse the thickly- wooded heights before us. It was known that parti(\s of Kaffirs who had evaded our troops were thcu in the Colony ; and, in our situation, an encounterwiththesegentry might have been attended with most unpleasant consequences. As may therefore be imagined, on entering the Zwartkops"" bush, we were tolerably on the qui rire ; but neither this circumstance, nor the celerity of our pace, as we clattered up the rugged pass, could prevent us from noticing and admirino- the — to us — new and varied specimens of wild vegetation wliich now, at every step, met our wondering gaze. 20 . FIRST day's " TREK "" The character of the South African " Bush" has fea- tures quite peculiar to itself, and sometimes strangely unites — while strongly contrasting — the grand and the sublime with the grotesque and ridiculous. When seen afar from a commanding elevation — the undulating sea of verdure extending for miles and miles, with a bright sun shining on a green, compact, unbroken sur- face — it conveys to the mind of the spectator naught save images of repose, peace, and tranquillity. He forgets that, like the hectic bloom of a fatal malady, those smiling seas of verdure, oft in their entangled depths, conceal treacherous, death-dealing reptiles ; ferocious beasts of prey ; and the still more dangerous, though no less crafty, and more cruel Kaffir. On a nearer approach, dark glens and gloomy "kloofs"' are found to furrow the mountain sides. These often merge downwards into deep ravines, form- ing, at their base, sometimes the bed of a clear, gurgling brook, or that of a turbid, raging torrent ; generally shadowed and overhung by abundant vege- tation, in all the luxuriance of tropical growth and profusion. Noble forest-trees, entwined with creepers, encircled by parasitical plants, and with long gray masses of lichen, loosely and beard-like floating from their spreading limbs, throw the " brown horrors " of a shadowy gloom, o'er these dark, secluded, druidical- looking dells. Jiut jabbering apes, or large, satyr-like baboons, performing grotesque antics and uttering un- ' A Colonial term, implying the re-entering elbow or fissure in a range of hills ; and, whatever be the character of the ad- joining country, the "kloof" is generally clothed in dense bush. IX LOWKR ALBANY. 21 earthly yells, f^rate strangely on the ear, and sadly mar the solemnity of the scene; whilst lofty, leafless, and fantastic euphorbia — like huge candelabra — shoot up in bare profusion from the gray, rocky cliflfs ; pointing, as it were in mockery, their skeleton arms at the dark and luxuriant foliage around. Other plants of the cactus and milky tribes — of thorny, rugged, or smooth and fleshy kinds — stretch forth in every way their " bizarre," misshapen forms ; waving them to the breeze, from yon high, beetling crags, so thickly clothed to their very base with graceful nojebooms, and drooping, palm-like aloes;' whose tall, slender, and naked stems spring up from amidst the dense verdure of gay and flowering mimosas.^ Emerging from such darksome glens, to the more sunny side of the mountain's brow, there we still find an impenetrable Bush, but differing in character from what we have just described — a sort of high, thorny underwood, composed chiefly of the mimosa and portu- lacaria tribes ; taller, thicker, more impenetrable, and of more rigid texture than even the tiger's accustomed lair, in the for depths of an Indian jungle ; but withal, so mixed and mingled with luxuriant, turgid, succulent ]>lants and parasites, as — even during the driest wea- ther — to be totally impervious to the destroying in- fluence of fire. The Bush is, therefore, from its impassable cha- ' The aloe arborescent, strongly contrasting, in form and appearance, with the more common and stiuitcd kinds, called by botanists the aloe ferox and aloe lineata. - Named, by Barrow, " the mimosa nilotica," and which the author of this work has often seen growing on the banks of the Nile. 22 FIRST day's " TREK '' racter, the Kaffir's never-failing place of refuge, both in peace and war : in his naked hardihood, he either — snake-like — twines through, and creeps be- neath its densest mazes ; or, shielded with the kaross, securely defies their most thorny and abrading oppo- sition. Under cover of the Bush, in war, he — panther- like — steals upon his foe ; in peace, upon the farmers' flock. Secure, in both instances, from pursuit, he can in the Bush set European power, European skill, and European discipline, at naught ; and hitherto, vain has been every effort to destroy by fire this, his impregnable — for it is to all, save himself, an impene- trable — stronghold . Of this last description was the general nature of the country through which now lay our route ; but the beauties of its details might baffle all attempts at delineation of a far abler pen ; and the gems of plant, shrub, and flower, which everywhere meet the eye, would require a practised botanist not only to de- scribe, but merely to enumerate. Geraniums of every colour ; jessamines, redolent of perfume ; and numberless other sweet-scented, flowering shrubs and plants, thickly o'ershadowed the thorny, twisted, or gnarled stems, peculiar to those sterner and more rigid denizens of this verdant waste; which, car- peted at so genial a season of the year with innume- rable bulbs and flowers, now looked the very temple of that gay and prolific goddess — the South African Flora. " For, under foot, the violet, Crocus, and hyacinth, with rich inlay, 'Broidcred the ground, more coloured than wdth stone Of costliest emblem." IN LOWER ALBANY. 23 On crowning- the pass of the Zwartkops"" heights, and emerging from the thick bush whicli clothed its sides, a novel and splendid view burst suddenly upon our sight. We found ourselves on — what is a com- mon characteristic of South African scenery — an ele- vated table-land, commanding the whole of Alo-oa Bay ; whose widely- extended shores, now gilded by the evening sun, were spread out beneath us in all the richly-burnished and detailed distinctness of a liio-hly- coloured pictorial plan. At one extremity of the Bay, near the perilous rocks of Cape Receif, faintly rose to the sight a small " forestry of masts ;" whilst, on the adjacent shore, might indistinctly be descried a few white specks, de- noting the locality of Port Elizabeth — that lasting me- mento of J British industry in this distant part of the world. In an opposite, easterly direction, along the dim outline of the far watery horizon, we discerned the small cluster of the Chaon Isles ; on one of which the adven- turous Bartholomew Diaz — the first discoverer of this remote part of Africa — erected, in 1486, the sign of the cross ; hence bestowing on the spot the appellation of Santa Cruz. Since that period, how many various passino- events have intervened ! How often has Southern Africa changed its different possessors ! Churches, edifices, towns, and harbours, have in many parts sprung up of late ; civilization is advancing through its wilds, with slow, yet — it is to be hoped — unerring steps. But the locality first consecrated by the symbol of our Holy Creed, that ground first trodden by the great Lusi- tanian navigator of old still continues — as when first 24 FIRST day's "trek" in lower ALBANY. discovered — a barren, deserted, and nearly unknown rock ; frequented only by the seal, the cormorant, or the penguin ! Long did we here gaze and moralize on the wide- spread landscape at our feet. Turning in an opposite direction, as we beheld the sun fast sinking behind the dark mountains in the far west, now clad in a mantle of deepest blue ; that sight reminding us of the lateness of the hour, as it hastened our unwill- ing departure from this fairy spot, recalled to the memory of the old Dutch Colonist who accompanied us the cruel massacre most treacherously perpetrated .amidst those very hills, during the war of 1812. He related how the father of the present Sir Andreas Stockenstrom, (whilst heading a Colonial force) having been invited by the Kaffirs there to hold a friendly conference, was by these savages mercilessly butchered, with nearly all his train. As our informant entered into all the details of this sanguinary event — describing the wild demon-yell, the quivering assegai, the pale, bleeding victim, and strip- ped, mutilated corpse — we involuntarily looked around ; and pressing our jaded horses' flanks, quickened their pace, instinctively feeling if our weapons were in readiness for defence. Nor did we — it must be con- fessed — repine, when a sight of the waggons, and of the white, bell-shaped tents — standing out in strong relief against the deep obscurity of the surrounding jungle, together with the britjht, flickerinof radiance of the bivouac fires — announced a near approach to the camp, together with the termination of our toils for the dav. A WAGGON MARCH TO THE FRONTIER. 25 CHAPTER II. A WAGGON MARCH TO THE FRONTIER. Arrival at the camp — Discomforts — AVant of water — A night in a waggon — Pugnacious companions — Not in India — Beating for game — Its scarcity — Plicasants, pauws, and duikers — An encounter in the bush — A refresliing draught — The Kougah — Mourderaars Ilooghte — Death of Lieu- tenant Chuniney — The Addo bush — (^uagga flats — Ant- hills — Elephants and ostriches — Description of Albany — Arrival at Graham's Town — A soaking day. " the patient ' Spann,' Toiling all daj- along the arid plain, And thirsty, hungry, to the loaded wain Tied fast at night ; their sides with bleeding gash, Scored thickly over by the heavy lash ; The lolling tongue, parch'd mouth, and plamtivc eye Of torture, telling the extremity." Graham's Town Journal. Darkness had already followed the short twilight of this southern latitude, when — guided by the numerous camp-fires, which, fed with a plentiful supply of dry, thorny underwood collected around, now cheerly sent up their flickering flames — we reached, as I before said, our halting-ground for the night. The spot fixed on for this purpose was situated on that wide extent of high table-land, which goes by the name of " Aloe-way flats ;"" an appellation derived, probably, VOL. II. c 26 A WAGGON MARCH irom the number of those grotesque-looking trees, with which this elevated plain is here so thickly studded. On our arrival at the Camp, we found culinary pre- parations in forward progress — cooking and eating ap- pearing to he, with all hands, the order of the day, or rather of the uijrht. The w\ao;o-ons had been drawn up so as to form a sort of hollow square, though not exactly according to the most approved method of either Torrens, or Dundas. The horses and oxen were already secured ; camp-kettles were beginning to bubble; steaks to crackle on the gridirons of those who were so fortunate as to possess such a luxury — in short, every one seemed intent on recruiting from the fatigues of the da}'^, and on laying in his share of provisions to enable him to bear those of tlie morrow. Notwithstanding all I had heard in favour of this sort of gipsy life in Southern Africa, I soon felt con- vinced that its numerous unnecessaiy discomforts much more than counterbalanced the pleasures of a waggon " trecking" expedition — I say unnecessary discom- forts, because, in any other civilized or more reasonable part of the world, such discomforts might easily be avoided. Had our present party, with all their " ap- pliances and means to boot,"" been on a march in India, how differently would things have been there con- ducted ! In that quarter of the globe;, if the weary campaigner does not, on reaching the halting-ground, find a tent ready for his reception, it is, at latest, securely pitched a quarter of an liour after his arrival. The neighbour- ing tank supplies him clear water, wherewith to assuage TO THE FRONTIER. 27 his thirst, and perform his required ablutions; whilst well-trained servants attend to his every want. After a comfortable meal, he retires to his camp-cot, and gets up ere dawn of day, rested and refreshed. In the dewy coolness of the young morn, he resumes his march ; and, long before the sun attains its meridian height, again finds himself under cover ; wliere he — if wise- remains during the sultry heat of the day, surrounded in his canvass — or rather cotton mansion — Avith all the comforts of a home. What a contrast to our present mode of life ! Though the whole of our party consisted of old cam- paigners, still "griffins" in this part of the world, we had trusted to our Hottentot, or INIalay servants ; and these appeared, according to their wont, to have trusted entirely to chance. The consequence was at- tended by every possible discomfort, when there was not — under existing circumstances — the least necessity for such roughing ; which is all very well in its way, and where it cannot be avoided. It is true, that from the scanty number of attendants and camp-followers, a man can never, whilst travellino- in this part of the world, enjoy the luxuries he does in India ; yet things might be greatly improved ; more particularly if the old beaten track (or rather "trek'') so long trodden by the primitive Dutch Settlers, were abandoned for a more modern and more " macada- mized" course. But any innovation appears, in this Colony, to be looked upon with as much aversion as it could liave been in the land of Egypt during the time of the Pharaohs ! A\'e here first experienced that feaiful bane of c 2 28 A WAGGON MARCH Southei'n Africa — the want of water. To remedy this deficiency, the only thing requisite is — as in India — to form '•'■ bunds," or embankments, across the valleys and hollows, where, during the rains, a sufficient quan- tity of water could be collected to last through the whole year ; but such industry and foresight would but ill tally with Cape Colonial apathy and neglect ! The spot of our encampment was fixed by the vici- nity of a muddy " Vlei." This, after the oxen had partaken of its waters — coffee-coloured in their purest state — was stirred into such a muddy consistence, that, ere it became fit to drink, an infusion of alum was necessary to precipitate the earthly particles to the bot- tom of the vessel used for that purpose. Jiy this expe- dient, we managed to manufacture a cup of coffee, with the helpof which, having washed down a certain quan- tity of singed beef — I for one — without unharnessing, crept into my waggon-shell, in hopes, after the fatigues of the day, of obtaining a good night's rest. In this flattering expectation, I was, however, doomed to be sadly disappointed ; for, having two pugnacious horses attached to the wheels of my dor- mitory, what with a constant succession of kicking (for heel-ropes are here unknown in camp), squealing, fight- ing, and pulling, " the honey heavy dew of slumber" rested not for a single hour on my weary lids ; and, at dawn of day, as 1 dragged myself out of my lair, I registered a vow, never again willingly to pass a night in a waggon, more especially with unsociable quadru- peds for companions ! Having passed so uncomfortable a night, 1 felt re- joiced when the first streak of dawn led to the hope TO TITR FRONTIER. 2!) that we should shortly be on the move, and thereby avoid the heat of a mid-day march ; but, as an old stai^er in the Colony sifjnilicantly observed, " You are not now in India ;'"'' we were, therefore, obliged to conform in every respect to the usual slow, tortoiso- liko "Africander""' movements of treking; and the morning was far advanced ere both bipeds and quadru- peds, having first duly breakfasted, began to move off the ground. As keeping pace with the slow advance of the convoy was tedious in the extreme, some of us, shouldering our fowling-pieces, extended right and left on its flanks, beating up — in hopes of meeting with game — the patches of brushwood encircling the low, stunted, and grotesque-looking aloe trees, with which the sur- rounding plain was thickly and fimtastically studdeart of the forces. Ilis right was, however, disputed by a junior Lieutenant Colonel connnanding a regi- ment. The matter was referred for decision to the General ; and, strange to say, left in abeyance until Colonel Somerset's return put an end to the discussion. E 2 76 A GALI>OI' TO WATERLOO BAY sonal interview would effect in tlie matter. The General being about to start, to hold a conference with some of the Kaffir Chiefs — his tent had been struck, and he had ensconced himself in his usual travellinjr and campaigning abode — a long hearse-like omnibus, I had to dig the old gentleman out of the furthermost recesses of this snuggery, when a long colloquy took place at the entrance of his den — he being inside and I out ; and never had I a more difficult task than to draw from his Excellency on this occasion only a verbal decision as to the point in ques- tion ; which was, that I should assume, with the portion of the force to which I was attached, that position I was entitled to by my standing in the service. " There appear to be several opinions here as to the particular qualifications possessed by * * * * , for this desultory and harassing warfare. Some say that he is too good and pious a man to deal with such a set of ruthless savages ; others, that he has not half enough fire and activity in him for this sort of campaigning ; whilst all appear to agree, that he is too old for his work. However, as yet, I am of course not competent to pronounce on the matter — but time will show how far the above opinions are correct. " I gave my horses a day's rest at Waterloo Bay, which I left yesterday morning, in company with an artillery officer who was returning to Graham's Town ; but, instead of fog, wet, and rain, we had now, during our journey, a cold wind and burning sun ; from the combined eftects of which I this mornina' found both AND FORT BEAUFORT. 77 hands and nose well covered with hlisters ; and, spite of tallow grease, the skin of my face much of the same consistency as the ' crackling'' of a roasted pig ! " The news came in this morning, that yesterday, a few hours after we had passed Roby's farm — where we gave our horses a feed — fifty head of cattle had been stolen by the Kaffirs, who, at the moment we passed the ' Blauw Krantz,'' were possibly concealed amongst its rocks and thickets ; but the object of the rascals appears to be chiefly stealing ; for which reason they probably did not molest us. " Colonel Nicolls, Colonel Montresor, and myself, start for lieaufort — which lies about forty-iive miles to the nortliward of this — as soon as we can get wag- gons for our bao'irao'e — the former to remain at Fort Beaufort, whilst we join the head-quarters of the first division, which are now established about fifteen miles from thence." " 31^^ October^ Grahanis Toicn. The post leaves this afternoon ; I shall therefore close this long epistle. I have just sent in a requisition for a waggon to take my heavy baggage to the head-quarters of the first division; for, being allowed tliis conveyance, I may as well make use of it, as leave my traps to rot here in store, although one led horse will carry all I want for the campaign. If possible, I will got the waggon off next Monday, and follow, myself, the day after ; as my ' native levies"' — consisting, I am told, of a strange medley of Hottentots, liberated Africans, Fingoes, and ' friendly"' Kaffirs, are — I understand, scattered over the whole country, and it will re(|uire some time for me 78 A GALLOP TO WATERLOO BAY to inspect them all. Our duty will probably be se- vere, as I suppose, in the ensuing movements, we shall have to hunt out the Kaffirs from the Amatola Moun- tains. I only trust the scoundrels will prove game ; but this is not likely, as Macomo, the principal chief — who is now negociating for his own surrender — says they will lie down, and be bayonetted rather than fight any more, as they wish now to plant their gardens and sow their lands ! However, I hope they may yet make some sort of a stand-up fight, as it would be a pity if they did not give us an opportunity of punishing them for all the atrocities they have committed. It is enough to make one's blood boil to see the desolation that is spread around, even within a couple of miles of this. The beautiful valley through which runs the Kovvie River, just outside the town — disfigured Avith the blackened walls of unroofed cottages, neglected irardens, and fallow fields — bears witness to what it must have been in peaceful times, contrasted with its deserted and abandoned state at this moment. In fact, this part of Southern Africa is one of the finest portions of the globe I ever visited, and capable of the greatest improvements. The climate is probably the most salubrious in the world ; for, though warm during the day, and often chilly at night, colds are unknown, and you can sleep with impunity almost at any time in the open air. The greatest annoyance one experiences, consists in the sharp winds which almost constantly prevail, and which, together with the sun, gave me such a benefit in my ride from Waterloo Bay. The skin is however now beginning AND FORT BEAUFORT. 79 to peel off my face ; and, in a day or two, I shall bo like a snake casting his old coat, and coming out in fresh bloom and splendour ! These winds, I think, are the cause of people looking more wrinkled here than tlioir age would otherwise warrant, and I fancy I begin already to see a few crows'' feet about the corner of my eyes, but never felt in more robust health in my life, and equal to any work." ♦ * * * Having at last been provided with waggons to carry our heavy baggage, in company with Colonels Nicolls and Montresor, I took my departure from Graham's Town. The former officer was going to assume his command at Fort Beaufort — the latter and myself to join the first division of the army encamped at Block Drift, on the banks of the Chumie, about fifteen miles further to the eastward. With an escort of mounted Graham"'s Town volun- teers — who called themselves " Tiralloos"'"' — (meaning probably " Tirailleurs'") of most unique costume and appearance, we cantered for eight or ten miles along ;in open grassy country, when we entered the " Fish River Busli" — that renowned stronghold of tlie Kaffirs; and from whence, for upwards of half a century, they have ever sallied out to plunder and devastate the colony. This belt of dense thicket varying nuich in breadth, but covering an immense tract of impenetrable coun- try, may be said to extend from the mouth of tlie Great Fish River to the foot of the Great Winterberg Mountains. In appearance it somewhat resembles the Addo Bush, though apparently more plentifully in- 80 A GALLOP TO WATERLOO BAY tfirspersed than tlie latter with the " speck Loom,"' the graceful tree aloe, and tall skeleton euphorbium ; the two latter of which thickly lino the edges of the ravine, along the downward slope of one of whose steep sides is scarped the " Queen^s Road," leading from Graham's Town to Fort Beaufort, through the " Eccali ;" for so is called tliis dense portion of the Fish lliver jungle, which, from the pass above, might for miles and miles be seen extending itself in all directions around and below us. Our brave "^'Tiralloos" represented this as a dangerous part of the road ; and certainly nothing could have been more favourable for tlie designs of an ambushed foe, particularly against a force like our own, consisting W'holly of cavalry. For whilst on one side the road looked down on the yawning depths of a deep ravine, clothed in all the tangled mazes of grotesque African foliage and dark impeneti-able brushwood, on the other, the precipitous and overhanging rocks left us completely at the mercy of any foe who might have chosen to assail us from that quarter. No enemy however appeared. We issued unmolested from the " Eccah" pass; and, leaving Fort Jh-own on the left, pursued our course for some miles over level ground, tliickly covered with low jungle. Though, from the shelter it affords, this part of the country appears well adapted to harbour game of every ' Sometimes called the Elephant Bush, because those animals are said to be very partial to it. It is a shrub, with small fleshy leaves, the taste of whicli is pleasantly acid ; and when boiled forms a very palatable dish. Its botanical name is, I believe, " Tortukcaria Afra." AND FORT BHAUFORT. 81 description, not a living creature of any kind did we see, excepting several land tortoises, huge centipedes, scorpions, and tarantulas, which I frecjuently observed crawling across that portion of the road lying between the Eccali pass and the ford at the Great Fish River. ]?ut game is proverbially scanty wherever the Kaffirs have approached, and the sportsman now in vain looks for those noble objects of his pursuit, de- scribed in such glowing terms by Sparmann, Le Vail- lant, Bari'ow, and other travellers of old, as being in their time so plentiful in this part of Southern Africa. But instead of cantering, as we now did through the Fish River Rush, along the "Queen's Road," the ad- venturous explorer of these woodland regions had in those good old times to force his way through the narrow thorny paths, fi*ayed by the elephant and the rhinoceros. His passage was moreover often disputed by the wild buffalo ; and, whilst resting at night by the fire of liis bivouac, he would not unfrequ(;ntly be aroused from his slumbers, by the heavy footstep of the. hippopotamus, or the subdued roar of some prowl- ing lion. Those palmy days for the hunter are now for ever gone by. Towards the close of the last, and at the begin- ning of the present century, the Dutch lioers. fornirrly scattered over these then abandoned tracts of the Hot- tentots of old, were by the encroaching Kaffirs forced back to the westward, and driven entirely from the Zuureveldt. The latter people — adopting their usual destructive manner of hunting, by " battues" — in the course of a few years eft'ectually cleared this part of the country of nearly every vestige of game, which, E 5 82 A GALLOP TO WATERLOO BAY from the subsequent increase of a white population — ■ more particularly since the arrival of the British Settlers of 1820 — has never been allowed to recover its former abundance. The Kaffir mode of hunting consists in surrounding with a great number of beaters a large space of ground, towards the centre of which the game is gradually driven. As the hunters close in upon a given point, and whilst the larger sort — even the lion and the elephant — fall under showers of assegais, the " knob keerie," (a sort of small club) hurled with unerring aim, brings the smaller animals to the ground ; and, so great is the skill which the Kaffir displays in the use of this missile, that birds are said to be often brought down with it in their most rapid flight. By such destructive means has this extensive pre- sei-ve been gradually but effectually cleared of nearly all its former sylvan denizens, which now — like angel's visits — are only to be met with few and far between, and at distant and uncertain intervals. I may here remark that, until the late introduction of fire-arms, the " umk' honto" (or, as we term it, the assegai) and the " keerie" were the only weapons used by the Kaffirs. The former is a long iron-headed javelin — the latter, a stick of very hard wood, with a large knob at one end, is either used as a missile for destroying game, or as a club to brain a wounded or captured foe. On reaching the banks of the Great Fish River, we in vain looked out for the accommodation of a bridge. The " Queen's Road," meant for a military communi- cation between the capital of the eastern province and AND FORT BEAUFORT. 83 the important frontier post of Fort Beaufort, has now been several years completed j it was constructed with infinite hibour, and at an enormous outlay; but with- out means of crossiu": the rivers wliich often here are swollen into raging and impassable torrents, its purpose, of course, remains unaccomplished. There does exist, it is true, an unjinished bridge, intended to have spanned the course of the Great Fish River ; but this, instead of being in the direct line between Graham's Town and Fort Beaufort, is completely off the road, near a military post called Fort Brown — which, for some unaccountable reason, has been erected in such an out-of-the-way spot ! The Great Fish Eiver had — fortunately for our progress — considerably subsided since the late violent rains. But a wide and deep bed of mud on each side of the turbid stream — with the " water line" distinctly marked along the bushes, some twenty or thirty feet above its bed — clearly showed the nature of the ob- stacle, wliich would, a few days previously, have brought us to an unavoidable halt. It was nearly dark by the time we forded a second river, called the '' Koonap," and arrived at the small military post bearing that name. Here we found capital accommodation at an inn kept by an old Life-Guardsman named Tomlinson, long settled in this part of the world ; and who — in more than one in- stance — proved that he had not quite forgotten his for- mer liabits, by bravely defending his habitation against troops of marauding Kaffirs ; many of whom on these occasions are said to have fallen beneath his double- barrelled gun. The inn itself was still, at the time of our 84 A GALLOP TO WATERLOO BAY visit, in a perfect state of defence, beins; looplioled, and barricadoed in the most scientific manner. Our horses here suffered from a defective commis- sariat ; and, after a gallop of twenty -live miles, were obliged to be satisfied with a roll in the sand, and a couple of handsfull of corn for the night. But, like the old woman's eels, the Cape horses appear to get accustomed to this sort of treatment ; and manage, somehow or other, to go through a deal of work, with very little food. The bipeds of the party however, thanks to Mr. Tomlinson's well-stored larder and his celebrated " cutlets," had no reason to complain of their fare. We were accommodated with excellent beds ; and, after a good night's rest, and a morning cup of coffee, we took our departure soon after day- light. The " Queen's Eoad," in leaving Koonap, ascends for a few miles along the side of a picturesquely- wooded ravine — similar, in many respects, to the Eccah pass — shortly after reaching the summit of which, a road brandies off to the right, leading through a small military station called ]3otlia's Post, to Post Victoria ; whilst keeping to the left, in a more northerly direction, the Beaufort track passes tlirough another station, called " Leuwe Fonteyn," or the Lion's Fountain. Anxious to reach Fort Beaufort in time to push on to Block Drift the same day, I left the rest of the party at this place; and, accompanied by my Hotten- tot servant, cantered forward to niy destination. We soon arrived at a pass scarped out of the side of a wooded hill, called, by my attendant, " Dan's Hock," AND FORT BEAUFORT. 8n overlooking tlio waters of the Kat River, wliich mean- dered in its tortuous course amidst the briiilit oreen thiekcts below. This spot seemed peculiarly adapted for a Kaffir ambu.sh ; and, when Mr. Jacob hinted as nmch, and informed me we were near the very place where the cruel murder was perpetrated by them, which proved the immediate cause of the present war, 1 instinctively gathered up the reins, and put my hungry and jaded horse on liis best mettle. AVhilst alluding to this loca- lity, I shall avail myself of the opportunity of saying a few words concerning the barbarous deed to which I have just adverted. Although s^'mptoms of discontent had, long before the last outbreak, been manifested by the Gaikas — although occasional acts of plunder, as usual, took place on the Colony ; and a war at some future period was looked upon as inevitable, in consequence of the scarcely disguised inimical sentiments of Sandilla, backed as he was by the whole of " Young Kaffirland" — and further encouraged by most injudicious conduct on our part' — still, ncjthing had occurred to warrant a belief of the inmiediate commencement of hostilities. Macomo, the brother of Sandilla, with his wives and concubines, frequented as usual the canteen of Fort JJeaufort; and there he was as usual in a constant state of intoxication. However, on the occasion of one of these bacchanalian visits, a follower of his committed a theft, of which no further notice was taken than causing the restitution of the stolen property, and ' Alluding to the " Survey" business at Block Drift, wliich will bo furtlior noticed in another portion of the work . 86 A GALLOP TO WATERLOO BAY driving the offender out of Fort Beaufort. But the thief shortly returned ; aud, liaving been again detected purloining a hatchet from one of the commissariat stores, he was made prisoner, and despatched, under an escort, with other malefactors, to Graham's Town, to be there tried by the civil power for his offence ; which havino- been committed within the bounds of the Colony, was, of course, amenable to its laws. The prisoners thus sent to take their trial were : the above-mentioned Kaffir, a Hottentot — to whom, for the sake of security he had been manacled — an English soldier, aud a Fingoe, (the two latter also ironed together) and the whole guarded by a small escort. They had not proceeded many miles from Fort Beaufort, when, at the pass above described, they were suddenly attacked by a strong body of Kaffirs, who liberated their countryman, dreadfully mutilat- ing, in so doing, the poor Hottentot ; whose wrist, bear- ing the handcuff, was first severed from his body, after which he was deliberately pierced to death with assegais. Meanwhile the English soldier and the Fingoe, taking advantage of the confusion, managed to creep into the Bush ; and, in their endeavours to conceal themselves under the bank of the Kat River, were, owing to their fettered condition, nearly drowned in the stream. Such was the event which at last caused the final out- break of the long-smouldering Kaffir War of 1846-7. On Sandilla's refusal to deliver up the perpetrators of this daring and unprovoked outrage, hostile operations were immediately undertaken on our part ; and it was decreed, that this " war of the axe" should be pro- AND FORT BEAUFORT. 87 tracted — we will not inquire how or wherefore — during the space of nearly two years, and at an enormous ex- pense to the British public, until the appearance of Sir Harry Smith instantly put an end to the squabble. * » * * Rapidly cantering along the pass which had wit- nessed this scene of Kaffir aggression, I shortly after- wards crossed the Kat lliver over a handsome bridge, (the foundation of which wa^, I believe, laid by Sir (leorge Napier, during his governorship of the Cape) entered the straggling town of Fort Beaufort, and gladly pulled up at the door of Mr. Berry's snug little hotel ; where a substantial breakfast, and a good supply of oat-straw forage, soon recruited both man and horse, after a sharp morning's ride of some five- and-twenty miles. 88 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. CHAPTER V. THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. The encampment — Appearance of the troops — Extracts from letters — Macomo — The Chumie River — Excessive heat — Kaffir women — A narrow Escape — Fort Cox — Campaigning establishment — A missionary — Fort Ilare — A view of the camp — Picture of a Kaffir — The kaross — Kaffir women and children — The " Wacht-een-Beetje" — Mr. George — Sandilla and the Commander-in-Chief — Ilead quarters — Variations of temperature — Salubrity of climate — Occupations in camp — IMacomo's family — Steeple chases — The " Irregular Horse" — Field days — Captain Hogg's levy. " On the banks of Chumie water, when summer time did fall, Was Macomo's lovely daughter — darkest of them all. For his bride a soldier sought her — a winning tongue had he ; On the banks of Chumie water, none so dark as she." It was during the still quiet of evening, succeeding a day of intense boat, about tlie beginning of No- vember, 1846, that, after a wearisome ride of some forty or fifty miles, Colonel M and myself at last reached our destination — the Camp of the -first division of the army in Kaffirland, which lay about fifteen miles to the eastward of Fort IJeaufort, in a picturesque nook, on the wooded banks of a small •stream called the Cliumie, near the missionary station, and former residence of the political agent at Block Drift. TllK CAMP 01' THE FIHST DIVISION". 89 My appoiiitiiieiit as superintendent of the Native Levies attached to the first Division promised to be rather more satisfactory than that of my fellow-tra- veller, whose position on joining this portion of the force appeared to be most undefined. The tact is, that the General was extremely at a loss to find employment for seven staff officers of our standing in the service, thus suddenly thrust upon him unawares ; and, after the unaccountable proceeding of prematurely dismissing the Burgher forces, (whom we had been especially sent out to organize and command) now that our services were no longer required for this purpose, his Excel- lency would not take upon himself the responsibility of ordering us liome — a measure ardently wished for by many of the party, who, generally speaking, found themselves awkwardly placed, and in a most false and embarrassing situation. The spot selected for this permanent encampment stood on what — in colonial phraseology — is usually termed a " Hoek," or basin, formed by the re-entering gorge in a branch of the ^V"interberg range of hills, through which gently meandered the clear waters of the Chumie ; the opposite banks being crowned bv a spur from the Amatola Mountains, whose darklv- woodod heights l)oldly towered in the tJir distance above the eastern horizon. Block Drift had, in the previous month of April, been the field of a hard-fought engagement with the Kaffirs ; when, after the loss of our waggons at Burn's Hill, we retreated here with a quantity of captured cattle, but closely followed by our barbarous foe. It had however now for some time been left undisturbed 90 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. by the war-ciy of the savcage ; and, as we approached over a neighbouring height, on surveying the well- ordered regularity of the canvass city beneath us, ap- parently — as viewed from a distance — ensconced amidst the bright verdure of a wilderness of mimosas, backed by the commanding hills in its rear, partly encircled by the gleaming waters of the Chumie, and the whole scene glowing under the last rays of the evening summer sun — it required but little stretch of imagina- tion to identify the Camp with the reposing image of Bellona, overshadowed by emblems of peace, and quietly slumbering in the arms of the African Dryads and Naiads of this sylvan scene ! Nor did a closer approach belie its distant warlike appearance ; but only tended more clearly to show the military master-spirit which pervaded throughout, and to evince that regularity, attendant on the strictest order and discipline. But, though the British soldier stood here as erect on his post — though his arms glit- tered as brightly, and though he trod as proudly as if pacing in front of St. James's Palace — in person, dress, and general appearance, he evinced unequivocal tokens of the many hardships and privations of a pro- tracted and harassing campaign. His grim visage — now shadowed by moustache and beard, weather- beaten by rain and wind, by sun and dew — had as- sumed the appearance, and apparently the consistence, of old and well-seasoned oak. The once bright scarlet of Britain"'s blood-red garb was sadly sobered down to a dark and dingy maroon — whilst the nether gar- ments, well patched and strapped with leather, bore evidence to tlie hard service they had undergone, and THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. 91 showed but few siccus of the materials of which they had been originally fiishioned. Beneath all this disguise, amidst all the privations of this unsatisfactory warfare, their bold bearing and undaunted look stamped these hardy veterans as of that same fearless race which had fought and conquered at Cressy and Agincourt — at Victoria,^ and Waterloo ; who more recently, on the banks of the Sutlej and Indus — whilst led on by a Hardinge, and a Gough — a Napier, and a Harry Smith — had caused the far East to resound with the loud fame of their gallant and immortal deeds. * « * ♦ The insertion of the following extracts, from letters written at Block Drift during different periods of my residence there, may not perhaps here be deemed quite out of place : — " After the toils of a burning day, the Camp, in the calm coolness of the evening, presented a beautiful sight, as it suddenly appeared to our view, on sur- mounting one of the undulating grassy slopes, thickly dotted with the flowering mimosa, so characteristic of this part of Katlirland. Notwithstanding the excessive heat, the country, from the effect of the late rains, is now of a bright emerald green, strongly contrasted with the white canvass city spread at our feet. " Colonel Slade, who connnands the first division, has the name of being a first-rate officer ; and, on approach- ing his camp, every thing which met our sight appeared fully to corroborate this statement; for all was in the liighest state of military order and regularity. The ' Not Post Victoria, in KafRrland, 92 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. force at present under liis orders consists of a party of Royal Artillery with Sappers and Miners ; some of the 7th Dragoon Guards; the 27th, 45th, and 90th Regi- ments; part of the Cape INIounted Rifles — besides the Native Levies which are under my own superintend- ence ; the latter amounting, when assembled, to be- tween sixteen hundred and two thousand men, of every colour, form, and complexion. "The first person I recognised, on entering the Camp, was Sir Peregrine Maitland, who had lately arrived from Waterloo Bay : he kindly invited me to dinner, and presented me to my immediate commandant, Colonel Slade, whose frank, soldier-like manner was highly prepossessing. The General had come to Block Drift for the purpose of having a conference with some of the Kaffir chiefs, the result of which is that they have been required to give up twenty thousand head of (plundered) cattle, two thousand five hundred mus- kets, and to evacuate entirely this side of the Chumie : fourteen days' truce has been granted them, to con- sider of these terms ; and at the end of that period, if they be not complied with, hostilities are to be renewed. " Macomo, Sandilla's half-brother, says he has had enough fighting ; and is so anxious to resume his old habits of daily getting drunk at the canteen of Fort Beaufort, that he is delivering up as many arms and cattle as (so he says) he can possibly collect. Yester- day evening he made his appearance in Camp, having brought in a few dozen rusty firelocks ; and I seized the opportunity of being introduced to this renowned warrior, who, during the last war of 18.84, committed such depredations on the Colony. To my surprise, TllK CAMP or Till-: FIRST DIVISION. 93 instead of finding- him in all the beauty of unadorned nature.^ or merely enveloped in lii.s leopard-skin kaross, I beheld a mean-looking old man, evidently the worse for liquor, with a bare and closely-shaved head, a most villanous expression of countenance, as black as my boot, and rigged out in a blue diplomatic uniform, plentifully bedizened with gold lace, and said to have been a present from Lord Glenelg ! " I commenced the conversation by telling Iiim, through an interpreter, that his fame having reached the remotest limits of the world, I had come from ]'higland purposely to behold so celebrated a hero, and hoped I saw him in the full enjoyment of health. His swarthy majesty, after listening with royal conde- scension to this eloquent and appropriate address, widely opened an enormous mouth, and displayed a most capital set of teeth, but remained so long in this unaccountable and ludicrous attitude, that at last, losing all patience, I in a most uncourticr-like manner turned on my heel, and proceeded to examine his brother ' Ned,"" and a chief counsellor, or Pakati, whose name has escaped my memory. ]Joth these illustrious individuals were in the primitive Kaffir costume, consisting merely of a sort of Etruscan mantle of ox-hide, cast over the shoulder, nnich in the same fashion as Hercules is depicted with the Xo'inean spoils. Hosvever, the ' Illustrated London News'* has so faithfully portrayed these 'gentlemen in black,^ that I shall waste no more time on the subject. •' On the arrival of my baggage- waggon, with tent, &:c., this will be my head-quarters, from whence I shall be able successively to visit the diflercut posts 94 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. occupied by the various Native Levies under my charge, and widely scattered over ever\^ part of the country. Nothing in the fighting way however can be done until the expiration of the present truce ; and, although Sandilla shows some disposition to be saucy, it is generally imagined that the war is at an end ; in which case, we shall have had the trouble of coming here for nothing. " This morning, at dayhght, I had a delightful bathe in the Chumie, enjoying, under a beautiful clear cascade, all the luxury of a shower-bath, canopied with dark foliage, from whence was suspended the oblong matted nests of a pretty little bird, resembling the baya of India, whicli there builds its aerial habitation, in the same manner, over the tanks and bowries. "After breakfasting at the mess-tent of the 90th, I paraded one of my Fingoe corps ; and a more disrepu- table-looking set of vagabonds I never set eyes on. Some of these sable warriors were armed with assegais, others with clubs ; a few with rusty firelocks, of most approved ' Brummagem ' pattern — some classically habited in check shirts of uncommonly scanty dimen- sions, enjoying ' al fresco ^ the absence of inexpres- sibles ; whilst others, who possessed such superfluous articles of dress, were innocent of shirt, jacket, or any other covering. Their manoeuvring ftilly corresponded with so soldier-like an appearance ; and I would give a trifle to have them paraded, for Cockney edification, in Hyde Park, alongside of the Household troops ! " The heat in the small canvass bell-tents, with which Government considerately, provides the troops in this Colony, and in one of which I am now writing, passes THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. 95 all belief. The thermometer, at this early hour of the forenoon, is standing at 113°.* Yet, spite of all this grilling — with the exception of my eyes being aftected by the glare — I never felt better in my life. But the tents are complete furnaces, enough to frv a salamander ; and, after concluding my epistle, I shall stroll down to the banks of the Chumie, in hopes of finding shade, and some degree of coolness beneath the thick foliafje of its overhanf;in2: trees. " November 7th, ] 846. After concocting the above, I was fairly driven out, by the suffocating heat of the tent ; and, taking my old double-barrelled gun, I wandered along the edge of the river, in hopes of getting a few shots at quail, which at this season are very plentiful, or falling in with some of the numerous little black-faced monkeys often seen gambolling here, amidst the branches overhead. But coolness was the chief object of my search ; and, wearied with the pursuit of this phantom, I at last lay do\n\ under a shady bush; next, what with the excessive sultriness of the atmosphere, and the gentle murmur of the stream, soon found myself in the land of Nod. I was aroused from my slumbers by a rustling in the thick under- wood on the opposite side of the brook; when, mv attention being drawn to the spot, I saw an animal in the act of drinking — then down crept another, and a thiril. There was something peculiar in the move- ments of these unknown creatures, as indistinctly seen through the matted foliage, which caused me to pause before T let fly both barrels amongst them, when — ere ' As the suinnicr advanced, tlie average height of the glass, in these tents, was l-20° and upwards. 9G THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISIOX. jtulling the trigf^ei*' — 'One of them, after drinking, sud- denly rose on its hind legs ; and, to my astonishment, they proved to be neither more nor less than KafHr women, who, closely wrapped in their garments of hairy skins, looked so like the beasts of the chase, that I was within an ace of being guilty of womanslaughter ! Had such an accident occurred, and Mr. Pringle' been still in the world, to record it, what a strong case would he not have made out of so barbarous a transaction!" " Camp, Block Drift, November 9th. I cannot allow this day to pass without sending you a few lines. I rather think the game is quite up — the Kaffirs will not fight at any price. Yesterday, I went to visit one of my posts at Fort Cox, about fifteen miles off' ; passing through a beautiful grass country, where herds of Kaffir cattle were grazing, as if in times of profound peace. The women were also digging their fields ; and I passed on the road several Kaffirs, neither party attempting the least act of molestation. This is a curious state of things to happen close to Burn"'s Hill, where the Kaffirs captured our waggons and killed Captain Bam brick, of the 7tli Dragoons, only a few weeks ago. Colonel Campbell, of the 9Lst regiment, who was present in all those affairs, pointed out to me the identical spot, from a commanding point near Fort Cox. This said Fort Cox, which derives its name ' This poetic adventurer (originally a broken-down school- master) is, in his writings, one of the greatest detractors of his fellow-countrymen ; and shooting Kaffir women and children is a charge he frequently brings, not only against the Colonists, but even against British troops. THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. 97 from an officer engaged in the Kaffir war of 1834, is a wretched station, in the heart of Sandilla''s country, amongst the Amatola Mountains ; where part of the 91st and of the Native Levies, have hecn buried alive for some months past, in want of everything ; and, until the last few days, (since the truce) not able to venture one hundred Awards from the fort ; whilst their horses were actually dying of starvation. Colonel Campbell told me, he had himself lost several horses fi'om this cause. " I assembled my Burgher Forces on the parade- ground, to the number of two hundred, (and a nmch more respectable body than the Fingoes I last paraded) formed them into square, made them an 'appropriate' speech, and, after listening to their wants and com- plaints, dismissed them. We afterwards went to look at the Kaffir women, who could scarcely be kept out of the Fort, and who crowded around, in hopes of picking up something to eat. The Kaffirs themselves are (their faces excepted) fine-looking fellows, and step as if they were lords of the creation. IJut their women are the most wretched creatures I ever beheld. If you only saw them, you would not be surprised at my having, the other day, nearly shot them for monkeys. On my way to Fort Cox and back, I crossed several romantic-looking streams, and amongst others the Keiskamma ; returned in time to have a bathe in the Chumio, and to dine at the mess of the 90th, of which I am an honorary member. I had just recovered the blistering of the Waterloo Bay trip, but my face is again nearly as bad as ever, the eftects of a dry, sharp wind and hot sun. In VOL. II. F 98 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. fact, this constant wind appears to be the curse of the Colony. " My official occupations have now fairly begun ; I am to-day up to my eyes in pa])ers, answering complaints, requisitions, &c., from my ' Forces,"" and to-morrow I start off again, to visit a post twenty-five miles dis- tant ; so that you see I do not live a life of idleness. I have got my baggage and waggon in camp ; the tent I brought out with me is pitched, and, I am glad to say, much cooler than the small bell-tents — the ther- mometer standing at this moment, (eleven, a.m.) only 1 04°. ! However, 1 never was better in my life ; and having now fixed head-quarters, I am very comfort- able ; as, when I go on my expeditions, I start off in light marching order, with an orderly of the mounted Cape Corps Rifles, and one of my servants leading a pony, carrying forage, provisions, &c. My establishment consists of a man of the 90th, a most excellent servant, and my general factotum ; of a discharged soldier of the 75th, a drunken, but rough and ready sort of fel- low, and useful enough in his way, as he has the ex- clusive care of my horses, watches over them whilst grazing in the daytime, and sleeps in the open air amongst them during the night ; lastly, of Mr. Jacob, a Hottentot lad, and light weight, who acts as ' esquire"* on my distant expeditions ; performing, at the same time, the various duties of cook, groom, and valet-de-chambre ; whilst my stud is composed of six or seven horses and ponies of one sort or another, for which I find constant employment. " 18th November. In Camp all day. Sandilla sends in some old firelocks and a few head of cattle. One THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. 00 of the present rumours is (for all here is rumour and mystery) that a Mr, , a missionary who lias been employed to negociate by the General, has como to some arrangement about fixing the boundary, which, it is said, will be the Keiskamma and Chumie Rivers, up to the Chumie Hills j and that all Kaffirs within this space are to be looked upon and treated as British sub- jects ; that moreover the said Mr. is to be ap- pointed political agent, with a salary of ' irregular cavalry," and accordingly mounted a portion of the Fingoe Levy, on the horses, or rather half-starved ponies, above alluded to, which had been captured from, or surrendered by the enemy. In order to iden- tify them if stolen from the Camp kraal, or being other- wise not forthcominix, thev were all neatlv " hojrired" and '• docked." The General however would take upon himself to grant neither saddles nor bridles for the use of my embryo corps ; and as the gallant horsemen were likewise mostly unprovided with trowsers — that very requisite part of ecjuestrian ecjuipment — and in some cases equally guiltless of shirts and jackets, it must be acknowledged — though with pain I make the ad- mission — that they scarcely equalled in appearance the 7th Dragiions ; and that my " Blacks," if brigaded with the Household troops, might possibly have been 118 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. thrown somewhat iu the shade by the better appointed " Blues." Still, though I say it who should not, the " Irregular Horse" was certainly a most striking and imposing looking corps; and those African " sans culotte" " Black Guards," thus served up au naturel, always reminded me — such is the force of early associations — of what I had in schoolboy days read of the Numi- dian cavalry of Hannibal, or Jugurtha! These ebony " death and glory boys" were headed by an ensign of the 90th Light Infantry, who became thereby suddenly exalted (though without the pay) into a lieutenant-colonel of cavalry, whose staff con- sisted of — for adjutant — of a late serjeant-major of dra- goons, a drunken old fellow, long since discharged from the service ; whilst the post of quarter-master was filled by an ancient pensioner of infantry. With such tools, and such materials to work on, it will not be matter of surprise if the Fingoe Irregulars — spite of bare backs (both in men and horses) — soon by their brilliant performances elicited universal admiration, and " witched the wondering Camp with noble horse- manship." So proud did I feel of this noble corps, that, on being refiised a supply of saddles and bridles, I mag- nanimously resolved to equip them at my ov\ti ex- pense, and accordingly went to Graham's Town for that purpose. But whilst negociating a saddle con- tract, I learned that, although my application for equipments was disregarded, that of Colonel Somerset, relative to a company of the Rifles which he had like- wise mounted on captured horses, had been readily THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. 119 acceded to — saddles and bridles for which purpose beino- iu course of preparation at Graham's Town. This so completely disgusted and cured me of my " esprit do corps" — when it appeared to be so little appreciated — that I returned instantly to camp; and " Napier's Irregular Horse" remained henceforth " saddleless," as well as breechless and shirtless, after my " bootless" expedition in their behalf! Although, as I have remarked, the first division was little troubled with unnecessary drills, brigade field days and other — in this case — useless exhibitions of pipe-clay and martinetism ; the gallant Native Levies were occasionally called upon to display their own peculiar mode of bush-fighting; and used to initiate their European companions in the elaborate mysteries of African warfare, and the levying of " black mail."" For this purpose, the services of the cattle kraal were greatly iu requisition, the oxen being taken to some neighbouring pasture under the guardianship of one portion of the Native Troops, whilst another body enacted the part of assailants, and endeavoured for- cibly to carry off the herd. This attack and defence of what is held most precious in life, by the natives of Southern Africa, soon brought into play all their cha- racteristic attributes of savage warfare ; the plunder of cattle being ever the chief object of hostilities in this part of the world ; and both parties, forgcttini; the mimic nature of the contest, and carried away by the impulse of the moment, frequently engaged in this guerilla fight with such earnestness and good will, as to render the whole scene one of considerable interest and excitement. 120 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. The wily ambush, the sudden rush on their prey, the savage war-cry, the shrill whistle with which, as if by a charmed power, the Kaffir urges forward and controls the most numerous and refractory herd — all was enacted to the very life, amidst a well-sustained fire of musketry ; and, if no lives were lost during this animated rehearsal, it was certainly not owing to any spirit of forbearance displayed by the respective combatants, but rather thanks to the blank cartridges with which their pouches were filled. The cliief sufferers in the fray were the unfortunate oxen, which, in the course of these sham fights, under- went all the painful vicissitudes of actual and real warfare. They were captured and re-captured — seized, and liberated — a dozen times during the day ; and what with firing, shouting, whistling, and blows, the poor animals were, on the conclusion of the fight, well nigh scared out of their seven senses, driven nearly to mad- ness, and completely so oS" their legs. That part of my " brave army," consisting of Cap- tain Hogg's Native Levy, was particularly well trained in such cattle-lifting warfare. It consisted of about six hundred Hottentots, whom this active and able officer had brouo-ht into an admirable state of effi- ciency ; and they had, during the course of the cam- paign, rendered the most valuable services ; a great portion of the roughest work (where there was so much roughing) having devolved on them and the Cape Mounted Rifles. Whenever a hard day's fag was required, either to escort convoys, to take charge of captured cattle, or to dislodge a formidable body of Kaffirs from the fastnesses THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION'. 121 of the Bush, Captain HoIrg^s Corps was sure to be called upon ; and l)()tli eoininander and men were admi- rably adapted tor enduring the liardships of this sort of rough guerilla warfare. Active, enduring, and wiry — iniimpeded by aught save their musket and car- touch belt ; without the encumbrance of tents or com- missariat ; equipped in the easy and serviceable dress of a broad-brimmed " Jem Crow" hat, a fustian jacket, leather " crackers," and shod with light " veldt- schoonen" — these hardy, willing fellows would, at a monient''s notice, at any time of the day or night, at any season or in any weather, start oft" wherever re- quired ; and with their indefatigable leader somewhat similarly' attired, and " footing" it along at their head, (for he made a point of sharing all their fatigues and privations) frequently accomplished the most asto- nishing marches, both as to time and distance — marches which would have utterly crippled any European troops of the army. Such had been, since nearly the commencement of the campaign, the life led by this active partisan leader and his tawny guerillas. From that period they had l)een constantly engaged with the enemy ; had cap- tured and conveyed back to the Colony great numbers of cattle ; ever acted as skirmishers and pioneers to the army ; in short, in every way rendering the most efficient services, which were however seldom noticed or in any way acknowledged ; for praise and encou- ragement — those great stimulants to military exer- tion — were ever most charily dealt forth throughout this harassing campaign. It was certainly far from cheering either to men, or officers, in such a warfare, VOL. II. G 122 THE CAMP OF THE FIRST DIVISION. to work liarcl without ever receivins; thanks or com- niendation ; and with no other prospect before them — save hard knocks, hard fare, and hard fagging of every description — to reward them for all their trouble ; for not even the usual stimulant of expected prize-money was here in view. The zeal of the most zealous, will, and must, under these circumstances, finally sink under such cold chilling neglect ; and, during the course of the memorable KafRr campaign of 1846, a leaf should most assuredly have been taken out of the military field-book of Sir Charles Napier of Sciude, in which the services of the smallest drummer — if found de- serving of record — were as surely mentioned and brought prominently forward to public notice* as those of a general on the staff. Scinde, defended by the warlike Beloochees, was — under such a leader — conquered in six weeks. Kaffir- land, and its hordes of naked savages, remained still unsubdued, until the appearance of a soldier " stamped patent" like the conqueror at Meanee. But no sooner did the hero of Aliwal cross the frontier, than Kaffirland quailed beneath his glance. He ordered its chiefs, in token of submission, to kiss his foot, and they with fear and trembling instantly obeyed [^ ^ " For the first time in English despatches, the name of private soldiers •who had distinguished themselves were made known to their countrymen." — SeeMajor-General W.Napier's *' Conquest of Scinde," p. 323. ■'' See Mrs. Ward's " Five Years in Kaffirland," vol. ii., p. 334. THE AMAKOSiE. 12o CHAPTER VI. THE AMAKOS^. Extent of the Becluiana race — Common language — The Ania- tombiu — The Amapondie — The Amakosiu — The T' Slanibie and Gaikas — Ama])akati, or Councillors — Religious belief — Circumcision — Propensity to " cattle lifting" — Encroach- ments of the Kaffirs — Kaffir women — Cruel treatment of them — Appearance and dress — Superstitions —Rain-makers and Witch Doctors — A Witch dance — Cruelty and torture — Cannibalism — M.staken humanity — Sir Harry Smith. " The tribe that occupies the country on the Eastern Frontier of the Colony is called Amakosai, and their country is called by them Amakosina. These words are formed I'rom ' kosie,' which is used to designate a single individual, and the plural, by prefixing the article ' ama.' — From Rose s '■'■Four Years in Southern Jfrica" p. 78. From what lias been said iu the preceding chapter, relative to the Kaffirs, the reader may perhaps wish to be made acquainted with further details respectinu' this remarkable people; I shall therefore proceed to recapitulate all I have learned on the subject, partly from personal observation, but chiefly on the authority of those authors whose accounts are most to be relied upon ; on the present occasion, however, confining these particulars to that portion of the Kaffir race, known as the Amakosro, who were principally our opponents during the last war. G 2 124 THE AMAKOS^. Of all the various ramifications into which the human species is divided, probably few exceed in number, and the wide extent of tei-ritory they occupy, those of the Bechuaua race, of which the Kaffir nation is a widely- spreading branch. And if similarity of language, cus- toms, and appearance, be proofs of a common origin, the course of this people may be traced as flowing south of the equator, from the furthest discovered limits of the interior of Africa, along its eastern shores — thence skirting the vast sandy deserts which divide this little-known continent — across the peninsula, to the western coast, through the country of the Damaras, and extending to the Portuouese settlements of Ben- guela and Angola. " The Bechuana, or, as some term it, the Sichuana dialect, prevails universally among the interior tribes, so far as they have yet been visited, and varies but slightly from that of the Damaras and Delagoans, on the opposite coasts."^ Captain Owen, whose labours in surveying the eastern shores of Africa are so well known, states that the language at Delagoa Bay is the same as that spoken to the eastward, as far as the Bazaneto Islands, and that both Kaffirs and Zoolahs can communicate readily with the Delagoans. ]\Iajor Denham, who succeeded in penetrating from the western coast, further into the interior of Central Africa than pro- bably any other European, describes the Fellatahs — inhabiting the portion of this immense and nearly un- kno^vn continent, which is situated about 10° north ^ From Thompson's " Travels in Southern Africa," vol. i., p. 332. THK AMAKOS^E. 125 and 5° cast — as clothed in the " spoils of the chase," and possessing characteristics which are recognised as common to the Kaffirs and other hordes of the liccli- uana race. The many theories advanced as to the origin of the Kaffirs have already heen adverted to ; hut although Barrow and other writers boldly affirm them to be the descendants of Ishmael, there appears — on many accounts — more reason to consider them analo- gous with the neoroes of Central Africa, or that their derivation may be traced from Abyssinia; an hypotliesis which might perhaps be greatly elucidated by Sir Cornwallis Harris, who, from his mission to that part of the world, and former travels in Southern Africa, would no doubt be well qualified for such a task. Of the three Bechuana nations, viz., the Ama- tombw, (or Tamboukies) the Amapond;e, and tlie Amakosjp, (indiscriminately known to us, under the extraneous appellation of Kaffirs) with the latter — from their geographical position, and constant depre- dations during the last half century, on the eastern province of the Cape of Good Hope — we have had more intimate relations, and are better acquainted, than with any other tribe of the whole race ; and, as part of this knowledge has been acquired at a cost of several millions sterling to the British nation, it may not at this moment — when hostilities with them havt- so lately been brought to a close — be deemed out of place, to give a short description of these restless barbarians. The nominal territory of the Amakoste now extends 126 THE AMAKOS^. from the Umtata to the Keiskamma; and though Kreili, whose residence is beyond the Kye, be ac- knowledged as their paramount sovereign, the Nation is divided into several Tribes, independent of each other, and governed by hereditary chiefs, who possess the power of life and death over their subjects. The principal Amakosse Tribes, besides those of Kreili, are the T' Slambies and the Gaikas. But these are subdivided into several minor chieftainships, whose aggregate amount of population is supposed to exceed 170,000 souls, amongst whom may be reckoned, at the very least, between forty and fifty tliousand Avarriors ; though some aver that they can bring even a larger number into the field. It says little in favour of the prudence or precautionary mea- sures adopted by the British government for the pro- tection of its Colonial subjects, that, in the face of such a host of treacherous and warlike barbarians, united by the strongest and most tempting motives to plun- der, the eastern frontier has so often been left nearly denuded of troops. The whole amount of force for its defence, in 1834, and for several years previously, was — " 400 British infantry and 200 Hottentot cavalry, to protect one hundred miles of a fertile and tempting frontier, in the face of 80,000 savages on the opposite border, of habits innately predatory; a frontier, too, without fortified works, or cannon — a weakness which invited tlio spoiler, who was a close observer, and knew it well.'"^ 1 have, in a former chapter, described the principle ^ From Sir B. d'Urban's Despatch to Lord Glenelg, dated 9th June, 1836. THE AMAKOS/E. 127 of succession amongst the Kaffirs as hereditary. ]5ut though the powers of the cliict's are great — being both legislators as well as judges of their respective tribes — the " Ainapakati," or councillors, composed of the most experienced of their subjects, are always con- sulted in affairs of importance. Their laws are few ; and, having no written documents of any kind, are transmitted by tradition. The decisions of their courts of justice are founded on precedents handed down from father to son, and which the elders of the tribe take care to inculcate in the minds of the younger warriors. The crimes chiefly prevalent amongst the Kaffirs are murder, theft, adultery, and witchcraft ; the latter is considered by fjir the most heinous offence of all, and often made, by the chief, a pretext for extortion, com- mitted under circumstances of the most revolting bar- barity. As to the former delinquencies, they are rarely punished Avith death, a proportionate fine of cattle being generally deemed an equivalent, even for the shedding of blood. Their belief in a Supreme Being, or knowledge of a future state, is extremely doubtful ; and tlie celebrated missionary. Van der Kemp — who probably possessed more information relative to the Kaffirs than has ever been since attained by any other European — states that he could never perceive they had any religion at all, or any idea of the existence of God. Like most of the savage nations of Africa, they appear however to entertain some indefinite sort of veneration for the moon, the full of which is generally with them a sea- sou of gladness and rejoicing ; and they will then 128 THE AMAKOSiE. often pass wliole nights in song and dance, under tlie mild influence of her silvery liglit. This custom, or, possibly, vague species of worship, was likewise prevalent, if we may believe Kolben, with the Hottentots of old. It is still observed by the modern Bushmen. The Finooes and other Bechuaua Tribes, as already adverted to, practise it to the pre- sent day, and it also prevails — according to Mungo Park and Lander — even amongst the Negro nations on the banks of the Niger and the Gambia. The Kaffirs still adhere to certain customs, which lead to the supposition of having reference to previous religious institutions, now sunk in oblivion, and to a former much higher state of civilization than that which they at present enjoy. Amongst these may be reckoned the rigid manner in which they abstain from anything approaching to incestuous intercourse — an observance carried to such an extent, that if a Kaffir happens to meet the wife of his brother, she instantly steps aside, and endeavours to screen herself from his view. Nor are persons coming within this, and certain other degrees of relationship, allowed to sit together in the same hut, mix in the same company, or hold any sort of communication, though for years inhabitino; a common neighbourhood. The universal practice of circumcision amongst the Kaffirs, has, by some authors, been adduced as a cer- tain proof of a Jewish or Arabic extraction. But a like custom prevails amongst some of the Negro Tribes to the north of the equator, ^ and affords no more grounds for such an hypothesis, than the habit ^ See " Mungo Parke's Travels," p. 226. THE AMAKOSiE. 129 of exposing their dead to be devoured by wild ani- mals, would lead to the conclusion of a common origin with the ancient Guebres, or fire-worshippers of Persia ; who adopted — and wliose descendants in India to this day adopt — a similar mode of disposing of the remains of humanity. The Kaffirs liave other striking peculiarities, to which an imaginary importance has been attached by writers wishing to establish some favourite theor}- — such as an aversion to the flesh of swine, and to cer- tain kinds of fish. Nothing, either in their appearance or language, (the latter the strongest of all evidence in such cases) seems however to justify the supposition of the Kaffirs, or, in short, any of the liechuaua race, being of Caucasian origin. Though tall, well made, and in body and limbs a model of symmetry, the Kaffir head — wdiatever some authors may aver to the contrary — bears too evidently the African stamp, ever to be mistaken. The crisp, woolly hair, thick hps, and depressed nose, are cer- tainly no proof of Asiatic derivation. Nor could T, even in the most extensive vocabulary of thoir lan- guage — spite of Barrow's surmises founded on the Oriental sound of ^'- Eliang"' (the sun) — discover more than a single word having any atKnity to the Arabic, and that is the affirmative " Eywali," (yes) which is common to both languages. Notwithstanding the Kaffirs possess a knowledge of cultivating the ground, even make bread, and also ' Which certainly boars little resemblance to " El Shums," the Arabic appellation for the sun. Sec Barrow, vol. i., p. 219. G 5 130 THE AMAKOSiE. brew a sort of beer, they may be considered as almost exclusively a nomadic race, living cliiefly by the pro- duce of their herds ; and cattle being by them regarded as specie — the current coin of the country — a pro- portionate value is therefore set on what this people look upon with real veneration, nearly approaching the symbolical worship evinced by the ancient Egyp- tian for his god Apis, or that homage paid by the modern Hindoo to the sacred cow. Cattle may therefore be said to constitute the whole " capital" of the Kaffirs. Every commercial or bar- tering transaction is, generally speaking, carried on amongst themselves through this medium, and — as with other savages — woman is likewise considered by them merely as an article of trade, adapted to pur- poses of labour and servitude. The Kaffir who wishes to enjoy the domestic felicity of a wife, or rather the useful commodity of a female slave, has to consult — not the taste or inclination of the latter — but the cu- pidity of her relations. The price of the bride is fixed at a certain number of oxen ; which amount he cal- culates on realizing (as if purchasing a cow or a mare) by the service she may be supposed capable of render- ing, and in the amount of " stock" she is likely to produce, in the shape of female children ; to be, at some future period, with interest, converted into cattle currency ! Now, although the candidate for matrimony may not possess the requisite " funds" to conclude the pur- chase, and make such an investment, he knows they can be readily procured in the Colony ; and therefore associating with other youths in the same predicament THE AMAKOS.li:. lol as himself, the party unhesitatingly cross the frontier ; rob the Colonists of the re unclouded heavens. The Hottentots look anxiously around for the well-known " vlei."' 13ut, alas ! on reaching tlie long-expected spot, instead of the wished- for water, rippling under the breeze, nought presents itself to our aching sight save a brown, cracked surface of dry and hardened mud ! The panting steeds have already gone over some twenty or thirty miles of ground ; heaving flanks and drooping heads now boar witness to their toil. Mr. Jacob (for our faithful esquire still rejoiceth in that patriarchal name) looks anxiously about, scratches his woolly head, and appears fairly at his wits' end. " Farley," the Cape corps Orderly, above alluded to, proposes to off-saddle, and try on our nags the eftect of half an hour's graze. Although they refuse to feed, they instantly roll on the grass, and appear thence to imbibe renewed spirit and vigour. " Saddle-up !" is now the word. We are again on horseback ; but, ere we can raise a canter, the spur is sadly in request ; and Mr. Jacob's horse begins to show increasing and unequivocal symptoms of distress ; he is, in fact, dead beat ; and, stumbling at every step, at last falls upon his nose. Jacob shoots over his head, but is on his legs again in a second. " Is the double barrel smashed P " No, sar ; but horse never can carry me more far ; and pack-horse getting ' shut up,' too." "• You must, then, just walk, and drive them on before you. Farley, how far are we still from any water V The facility with which the Hottentot can track his way over the wildest wastes, throufjli the intri- * A pool of water, generally speaking, formed by the rain. 180 LIFE IN THE BUSH. cacies of the deepest bush, by the light of day, or during the darkness of night, is quite proverbial, and amounts to a sort of natural instinct, which they ap- pear to possess in common with some of the brute creation. Endowed with the most acute powers of vision, the faintest landmark serves him as an unerring guide. With like facility, he will for miles and miles trace the "spoor," or footsteps of either man or beast. Place him once on the " trail," and no bloodhound can follow it up more accurately by scent, than the Totty will do by sight. A single blade of grass removed from its original direction — the slightest appear- ance of moisture left by the displacement of even a small pebble — a ruffled leaf on the bush — are all sufficient evidences to direct him in discovering the spoor : by the appearance of which, he will not only be able to tell whether the object of his pursuit has passed within three minutes or three days, but like- wise whether his flight has been precipitate or slow — whether he has moved with the confidence of strength, or that dread of detection inseparable from fear, weak- ness, or guilt, 1 It is this wonderful and peculiar faculty which ren- ders the services of the Cape Mounted Rifles — com- posed nearly exclusively of Hottentots — so invaluable on the frontier, in tracing Kaffirs and stolen cattle across the border ; and to Captain , of that corps, ^ Long practice lias made some of the border Colonists great adepts at following up a spoor. But they can seldom or never, in this respect, approach to Hottentot perfection, which, as before remarked, is with them a perfect mstinct. LIFE IX THE BUSH. 181 I was indebted for a permanent Orderly, endowed, to an extraordinary degree, with this inherent quahfieation of his race, and possessing, moreover, the useful ac- complisliment of speaking very tolerable English.' Farley — the man in question — appeared acquainted with every inch of ground w^e traversed together, I'rom Oraham's Town to the Buffalo, from the Fish River mouth to the Winterberg Mountains. He knew every path through the Bush, every " drift"^ across the rivers ; every " vlei," or pool of water ; could distinguish the spoor of a KafHr from that of a Fingoe; could point out tiie haunts of the former, and how to discover or avoid them. In short, he was always, during a most erratic career in Kaffirland, my right-hand man, the very guiding-staff of my footsteps ; until drunkenness — the besetting sin of the Hottentot — dashed that staff to the fjround. " Farley, how flir are we still from water ?" asked I, whilst Mr. Jacob was wiping the dust off his horse's knees. " Perhaps, sar, we find in two hours, or two hours and a half, if horses don't ' shut up f but vleis all dry : must go to river, through the Bush." Through the Great Fish River Bush, along an apparently little frequented track, with which Farley, however, seemed quite familiar, we accordingly wend our weary way. But the dense jungle, which on each side borders the path, whilst depriving us of the re- freshing breeze, affords no protection against the fierce * The Hottentots have entirely forgotten the language of their forefathers, and Dutch is now their vernacular idiom. • The Colonial term for " ford." 182 LIFE IN THE BUSH. rays of the African summer sun, now pouring all its vertical beat on our devoted heads. There is something unearthly in the total absence of animal life ; in the bushed, dreamy, and death-like silence which generally pervades the verdant wilderness of the South African " Bush j" where even the whisper- ing breeze finds no responsive echo amidst the unbend- ing rigidity of its thorny and lichen covered shrubs, thickly intermingled as they are with turgid, succulent, and fantastic foliage ; the stunted aloe and skeleton euphorbium ever contending for dominion with the favourite food of the elephant : the pink-blossomed " speck boom,"" oft covered with ivy geranium, and, like shining waxwork, brightly glistening — immoveable and undrooping — under the fiery influence of the noon-day sun. The plaintive note of a dove sometimes — but rarely — interrupts the stillness around ; serving but to add to the melancholy of this unbroken, silent, and solitary waste. Oft, painfully and slowly, did we thus toil along amidst such scenes ; time apparently keeping pace with our jaded animals. In this defenceless state, incapable of either resistance or flio-ht, would we then ever and anon glance apprehensively around ; the slightest rust- ling in the Bush leading us next second to expect the war-cry of the savage, or the whizzing of an assegai. The sun's slanting rays, and a less fiery heat, now betoken the decline of day. We next enter a deep and darksome defile, whose abrupt and rugged sides — thickly clotlied with euphorbia, red blossomed aloes — with prickly cactus, and milky, snake-like, creeping plants of various kinds — throw a grateful shadow LIFE IN THE BUSH. 183 around us. Our wearied horses suddenly and in- stinctively prick their ears, and simultaneously ([uicken their pace. " The river," says Farley, in a whisper, " runs under yon ' krantz ;"*' but Kaffirs may be near, so must keep quiet." We silently, but with redoubled speed, again push forward on our course, and at last reach, as we hope, the banks of the stream, Alas ! it has ceased to How ; and, dried up from long want of rain, its bed presents nought save a barren and rocky ravine. Sickened at this dishearteninij si<'ht, I turn to my guide in the silence of despair. His brow, how- ever, is unruffled. With an encouraging sign, he fol- lows the former course of the river ; and, oh ! joyful sight ! in its rugged depths, a few dark, densely shaded pools are shortly discovered, slumbering, as it were, through this season of universal drought. Gladdened by the welcome sight, we rush on in eager haste to- wards the spot, and disturb, by our approach, numbers of fresh water turtle, which instantly creep for shelter beneath those deep, still, and sullen waters ; whilst a large guano glides off yon overhanging withered branch, from which lie appeared to be contemplating his reflected image in the liquid mirror below. With difficulty we restrain our horses from rushing into the gulf. Jiut their heads are at once impatiently im- mersed nearly to the eyes in the refreshing element. Long and deeply do they drink — breathe for a second, and agjtin repeat the draught. Having " off saddled" on the grassy margin of the pool, they instantly roll, are next " knee-haltered," and soon contentedly brows- ' Wooded crag, or clitF. 184 LIFE IN THE BUSH, ing the green herbage around — fortunately plentiful near this favoured spot, which is thickly shadowed by drooping willows and feathery acacias, from whose pendent branches the little bayah bird hangs its aerial nest, which waves aloft, o"'er the gorgeous arum, the crown lily, and beds of miniature palm-like reeds. The horses being thus provided for, we have now leisure to attend to our own immediate wants. Cook- ing is out of the question ; for the light of a fire might betray us to any straggling party of Kaffirs. How- ever, our wallets contain abundance of biscuit and cold meat. These, seasoned with a little salt, and a keen appetite, form a most luxurious meal, which is washed down with the contents of the brandy-flask, properly diluted with water from the pool. Fat alder- men and luxurious cits ! such a repast in the " Bush," earned by a long day of toil and travel, is, to the weary wanderer, worth all your costly banquets and civic feasts. But, hark ! what strange unearthly yells suddenly burst forth from yon covert of fantastic plants, crowning the tall, grey " krantz," now casting its darkening shadows o*'er the scene ! Under the impression of being beset either by a legion of fiends or a host of Kaffirs, the ready rifle is instantly grasped ; yet the " Totties" show no symptoms of alarm, and, to an inquiring look, Jacob answers, with a smile : — " Only bavians : them play on de krantz. Look, sar ! there go de bass, de vrouw, and all piccaniuni" (man, wife, and children), adds he, pointing to some enormous baboons, gambolling, satyr-like, along a bare precipitous ledge of overhanging rock. The barrel is raised — a finger itches to press the trigger ; but pru- LIFE IX TIIK BUSH. 185 dence, and a sign of disapprobation from Farley, avert the tempting shot. The brief twiUglit of this southern dime has already waxed into complete darkness. Tlie horses are secured for the night ; and now, rolled up in our sheepskins or boat-cloaks, the unerring rifles placed in readiness by our side, with our saddles for a pillow, and protected by the friendly shelter of a thick bush, we gladly consign ourselves to rest.' Slumber, after a hard day's toil, seldom requires either courtship or cushions of down. Hours have perchance fled unheeded in uninterrupted repose, when a snort and a shufiling noise amongst the horses startle us from our rest, and proclaim some invisible, but, though unseen, yet evident cause of alarm. In breath- less suspense we listen for awhile, when suddenly the cry of the hy;ena bursts, as it were in mockery, on the solemn silence of the surrounding wastes. Now approaching, now receding, but finally lost in those hushed, nameless, and indescribable sounds which oft float on the dreamy stillness of night, amidst the other- wise unbroken quietude of the wilderness — sounds not to be described, and only understood by such as may have experienced their sad, mournful, yet soothing melody. The period of sleep has now passed away ; for as we watch the stars fflidinj; throufjh the blue firmament of heaven, one by one, they gradually melt into the * The patrole tent before alluded to, was seldom pitched, ex- cept during heavy rain ; and even tlien — owing to the noise attending the driving in of the pegs — sometimes dispensed witli ; but a night passed "al fresco" in tliis fine climate is a common occurrence, and considered no hardship. 186 LIFE IN THE BUSH. grey mists of early dawn. We spring up from our grassy couch, shake the dew-drops oif our cloaks, give the horses a scanty feed of corn, " then saddle- up," and start again in quest of new scenes and fresh adventures. The ahove is a specimen of " life in the Bush f^ nor is it surprising if, amidst the comforts — though rather monotonous state of civilization — we ever recall its recollections with pleasure, not unmingled with regret, that such a stirring existence may perchance never again fall to our lot. Alas ! when was man ever phi- losopher enough to enjoy with gratitude the blessings of the present, and not wish for a change 1 When will he be satisfied with his actual fate, nor sigh for that which is beyond his grasp 2 FORT COX AM) THE AMATOLA. 187 CHAPTER IX. FORT COX AND TUE AMATOLA. Expedition to the Amatola Mountains — Fort Cox — Kaffirs and their herds — Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell — Native Levies — Description of the Fort — Kaffir women — Narrative rela- tive to the commencement of the Campaign — Defeat of the enemy — Coolness and judgment of Colonel Somerset — Disasters of the British. " It will not escape your honour's consideration, that, under present circumstances, the most likely way to counteract the Kaffir disposition for war, and to prevent hostilities altogether, is to have a strong force at hand in face of the Kaffirs, and manifestly ready and sufficient to crush the first hostile move- ment made by them." — (From Sir Peregrine Mditland's De- spatch to Colonel Hare, dated February 9lh, 18-lG.) Pursuant to the intention of endeavouring to visit all my different posts, ere the termination of the truce with Sandilla might possibly bring about a renewal of hostilities, I lost no time in carrying that plan into effect ; and my friend, Colonel M , kindly volun- teering to accompany me in my first expedition, we mounted our horses and cantered off in an easterly direc- tion towards the Amatola Mountains, amongst whose rocky and wooded fastnesses stands " Fort Cox" — a post of considerable importance, situated about fifteen miles from Block Drift, and garrisoned by a large de- 188 FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. tachniont of the 91st Regiment, and one of my Burglier Levies. The country we traversed on our way thither con- sisted of a succession of undulating grassy downs, but the kloofs and valleys separating them were, generally speaking, covered with dense bush. On approaching the Aniatola, the scenery gradually assumed an appear- ance of mountain grandeur ; and we shortly saw numer- ous herds of Kaffir cattle, which, recently concealed amongst their natural strongholds, were now allowed to graze in the pastures below, as if in times of profound peace. We likewise met a few Kaffirs, who offered us no molestation, but with a gruff salutation of " morrow" proceeded quietly on their road; whilst some of the Vv'omen were even, according to their usual custom, en- gaged in tilling the ground, and carrying on the labours of the field. All this looked very pacific ; apparently not merely in consequence of the late temporary truce, but as if the final conclusion of the war were fully deter- mined on by the Kaffirs. In fact, they had of late openly declared, on more than one occasion, that, having got all they wanted — plundered the Colony, driven away the Colonial cattle beyond the Kye, and de- voured the Colonial sheep — they wished now to be at peace, to cultivate their fields and gardens, and would therefore for the present fight no more ! This was, no doubt, on their part, a most wise and prudent resolve; and events subsequently proved how closely they were suffered to adhere to it. But to return to our excursion to Fort Cox. Shortly after crossing the Keiskamma, (which has on so many previous occasions proved the llubicon of Kaffirland) FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. 189 a long- and tedious ascent up a steep wooded acclivity led us at last to the Fort, where we were welcomed by Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell of the 91st, then com- manding the post. I was duly introduced to Ensign Macpherson, an officer of his own regiment, but who had charge of the Native Levy stationed here, which consisted of a couple of hundred of the " Cape Town Burghers ;" yellow, dingy-looking fellows, half Hotten- tot, half Dutch ; but who were — spite of their ill looks — in a state of efficiency which did great credit to the officer under whose charge they had been placed, and appeared better drilhid and appointed than most of the L"regulars I had hitherto had an opportunity of in- specting. I take this opportunity of remarking the great difference I always observed between the condition of such Levies as happened to be placed under the orders of military men, and those commanded by civi- lians. Nor was it, generally speaking, to be expected that the latter could possibly possess that know- ledge of the management of soldiers — particularly undiscij)lined ones — only to be acquired by long prac- tice and experience ; added to which, lack of zeal as well as ability was too often observable in the conduct of these temporary heroes. There were, of course, bright exceptions to this as a general rule. For instance, no man, whether civil or military, could have rendered more efficient services throughout this campaign than Field-Commandant Melville, who had charge of a Native Levy attached to the 2nd Division, and who distinguished himself on so many occasions during the whole war. 190 FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. However, as regimental officers could not always be spared — more especially from so many being engaged on the General Stall" of the army — several of the Native Levies were thus necessarily placed under civilians, who, with the imposing titles of " Field Captains" and " Field Commandants,"" as far as military movements were concerned, scarcely knew their right hand from the left, and, generally speaking, were most trouble- some fellows to deal with. Were adequate induce- ments offered to half-pay officers to settle on the eastern frontier, their services, in the event of any future disturbances, might here ever prove of the greatest use in organizing and commanding the Native Levies, without whose aid (unless the Cape Corps be most considerably increased, and our regular infantry be very differently equipped) no Kaffir war can ever be carried on, or brought to a successful termination. Having put the gallant Cape Town Burghers through a few military movements, very smartly performed — though perhaps not exactly in accordance with either Torrens or Dundas — listened to their several wants, (chiefly with respect to a deficiency in articles of clothing) and made them, through the medium of an interpreter, a parting complimentary speech, we re- paired to the tent of Colonel Campbell, and freely partook of the rough hospitality he was enabled to offer us. Our host — who had greatly distinguished himself in forcing, at the head of a small party of his regi- ment — a most difficult pass defended by overwhelming swarms of Kaffirs, during the memorable " three days of the Amatola" (the 16th, 17th, and 18th April, FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. 1J)1 1846) — and for which, by-the-bye, a.s^vcll as formally other services performed during the war, he continues to this day unrewarded — possessed all the frank, open manner of a real soldier. He was moreover an enthu- siastic sportsman ; and the sylvan trophies which adorned his humble abode bore evidence to the nature of his avocations during more peaceable and less stirring times ; whilst numerous karosses, Fingoe belts of monkey tails, cranes' wings, (the former head- dress of the Kaffir chiefs) assegais and clubs, mingled with articles of ornament, or dress, of Afric's ebon daughters ; mystic charms consisting of the claws and teeth of various animals, curiously strung together; necklaces of glass or stone; leathern "stomachers" and waistbands, strongly redolent of smoke and glit- tering with many-coloured beads — reminded us forcibly of beinij in the land of the savaoe, in the midst of his favourite haunts and most formidable stronffholds. After a hearty repast of hard biscuit and tough beef, our kind entertainer took upon himself the office of cicerone^ and led us over the precincts of his limited domain. Fort Cox — which derives its appellation from an officer of that name, who was engaged in the war of 1834 — consisted of a rude breastwork on which were mounted a few guns, and affording no other ac- commodation for its garrison, save the common small bell-shaped tents, furnished by the commissariat, and which tottered under the storm of wind and dust by which the fortress was then as usual assailed. It was altogether a most miserable place, replete with incon- venience and discomfort of every kind, and from whence, when once shut up within its confined pre- 192 FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. cincts, tliero appeared no visible means of escape. Surrounded on all sides by overhanging bills covered with dense bush, the constant resort of the Kaffirs, no one could with impunity — during the continuance of hostilities — venture a quarter of a mile from the post ; which, situated amidst the very strongholds of the enemy, it was consequently considered as of the utmost importance to maintain. In consequence of the difficulty of conveying stores to this almost inaccessible spot, its garrison had ft'e- quently, during their occupation, been exposed to the severest privations of hunger and want. The horses, at times entirely destitute of forage, had often been reduced to the last extremities ; several dying of sheer starvation, and others being destroyed, to avoid a similar fate ; whilst the garrison itself had occasionally fared nearly equally ill. Such may be mentioned as a few specimens of the pleasures of an isolated outpost station, during a Kaffir campaign ! After inspecting the fort, we strolled out to a neigh- bouring spot, from whence we might obtain a glimpse of the now celebrated locality of Burns'' Hill. Our progress was often impeded by the importunities of wretched, half-starved looking Kaffir women, who, though not admitted into the fort, beset its approaches, and in the most piteous accents implored for food, of which the poor creatures appeared to stand most sadly in need. We were informed that even during actual hostilities they thus continued to infest every entrance to the post : than which nothing can more clearly prove the falsehood of the accusations laid at our door, of ill-treating and even putting to death women FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. ID'.i and cliiklren, during the course of our frequent Kaflir wars, A contest with the Kaffirs may be truly con- sidered as one of life and death, for they never eitlier take or give quarter. JJut that Kaffir women liave ever been designedly shot, or ill-used, by British sol- diers, is a vile and calumnious falsehood, worthy only of those infamous authors who have been the means of propagating such a groundless accusation. No further refutation is requinnl to this, than the readiness and confidence with which they at all times presented themselves at the British outposts'; where, under pretext of demanding food, they often came to play the part of spies ; which character they generally enacted to perfection. We strolled on to a projecting spur of the moun- tain, from whence the scene of the Burns'" Hill affair, and of the death of Captain JJaimbrick of the 7th Dragoon Guards, could be distinctly seen. Although it be not my purpose to give in these pages any connected account of the late Kaffir war, I gladly avail myself of permission to lay before the reader the following account (written by one who took an active part in what he describes) of the first steps in this long- protracted and ruinous campaign, together with an out- line of those occurrences that happened in the vicinity of Fort Cox, during the month of April, 184(); to whicli the writer has added a brief epitome of the general ser- vices performed in the course of the war, (up to the close of tliat year) by the gallant 91st Regiment, which I may remark, eti passant, consisted during this busi- ness of two separate battalions, under the respective VOL. II. K 194 FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. commands of Liciitonant-Colonel Lindsay and Lieu- tenant-Colonel Campbell : " Li the early part of the year 1846, the Kaffirs began to manifest symptoms of a restless and aggres- sive spirit ; their marauding incursions into the Colony becoming daily more frequent and daring. A meeting of the Gaika Chiefs was convened by his Honour Colonel Hare, to meet him at Block Drift on the 29th of January, at which one hundred and twenty of the reserve battalion 91st Regiment, three troops of the 7th Dragoon Guards, one hundred of the Cape Corps, and one gun were present. " The demonstrations of the Kaffirs, who had as- sembled to the number of several thousands, armed mostly with guns, showed clearly their hostile inten- tions, and occasioned oreat excitement in the Colony. The following incident soon brought matters to a crisis. About the middle of March, a Kaffir, who had been convicted of theft within the Colonial Boundary, was rescued near Fort Beaufort, when on the road to Gra- ham's Town in charge of the constables, by an armed party of his tribe, who rushed into the Colony in open day, attacked and drove away the escort, and consummated the outrage by the murder of a Hot- tentot prisoner, who, for the better security of both, had been liandcufted to the Kaffir. The surrender of the ollenders was demanded by the Government in vain ; and on the 11th April, 1846, the troops took the field. " One division, under Colonel Somerset, K.H., moved from Post Victoria, and consisted of a troop of 7th Dragoon Guards, four officers and one hundred and fifty-four men of the reserve battalion 91st Regi- FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. 11).") nient, one officer and tliirty men of tlie first battiilion 91st llegiinent, tliree companies of Cape Mounted Riflemen, and two guns. Another division marched fi'om Fort Beaufort, under the connnand of Lieu- tenant-Colonel Richardson, 7th Dragoon Guards, and was composed of three troops of that regiment, sixty of the Cape Corps, seven officers and one liunih-ed and thirt^'-two men of the R. B. 91st Regiment, and one officer and forty-seven men of the first battahon 91st Regiment, and two guns. " On the 15th April, the two divisions encamped with their united forces at the Burns'" Hill missionary sta- tion ; and, on the following morning, dispositions were made for attacking the enemy, who had assembled in force in the Amatola Mountains. The infantry, two hundred and nine of the 91st Regiment, and one hun- dred and eighty Kat River Burghers, who had joined the previous day, were placed under the command of Major (now Lieutenant-Colonel) Campbell, 91st Regi- ment, who was directed to scour the valley of the Amatola, starting at daybreak for that purpose. The cavalry, upwards of three hundred strong, with two guns, making a detour to the left, searched the kloofs, and swept away the cattle from the open grounds at the foot of the mountains. "In the mean time, Major Campbcirs force, to- wards evening, came in contact with the enemy, who appeared determined to cut ofl" all retreat, and prevent the egress of the troops from the valley. With this view, they had occupied the only outlet, with a body of more than two thousand men, armed with jjuns. In this intent however they were foiled, by the spirited K 2 i96 FORT cox AND THE AMATOLA. attack of tlie infantry ; and, after a smart action of an hour and a lialf, the steep ascent was forced with great loss to the enemy, and the party gained the hill, leaving boliind only three men of the 91st Regiment killed, and bringing with them three men of that corps, and one bugler, wounded. " At this juncture. Colonel Somerset arrived with the Cavalry and guns, and now silenced the fire of the enemy. The whole force then moved down to the fiats at the base of the hills, and bivouaced, that night, around one thousand eight hundred head of cattle. During these operations, the Camp at Burns' Hill was attacked by a superior force, which however was spiritedly repelled, with the loss on our side of Captain Bainibrick, 7th Dragoon Guards, killed, one private killed, and another wounded of the 91st Regi- ment. On the morning of the 17th, the infantry marched down to assist in escorting the baggage from Burns' Hill ; but before their arrival, sixty-three wag- gons had fallen into the hands of tlie foe. " During the return of the troops to their camp- ground, with about sixty waggons that had been saved, containing mostly ammunition and commissariat sup- plies, the Kaffirs, emboldened by their previous success, renewed the attack, and a harassing and desultory fight Avas maintained for seven miles, through a broken and difficult country, during which one private of the 91st was killed, and another wounded. On the 18th of April, the force retired on Block Drift, and was engaged against tlie whole power of the Gaikas for several hours; the 91st Regiment maintaining the Bush bordering the Drift over the Chumie River, till FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. If) 7 the transit of the captured cattle and waggons \va.s secured, and severe chastisen)ent had been inflicted on the enemy. In this action, Lieutenant Cochrane and Captain Rawstorne, 91st llegiment, were wounded — tlu; former severely — one corporal killed, and a private wounded of the 91st Regiment, who died the follow- ing morning."' To revert to the Amatola business — there can be no doubt, as far as regards the last KafBr war — of the necessity, on our part, of having taken such a step. It was likewise probably judicious to advance at once, on what the Kaffirs have ever considered their impreg- nable fastnesses. The great fault however consisted in making this movement on the Amatola with a force totally inadequate to the object in view, if resistance were anticipated on the part of the Kaffirs ; and more- over encumbered by a large train of baggage, drawn in waggons, through a broken, wooded, mountainous, and intricate country. ^ IJut apparently it was never dreamt that the Kaffirs really meant to " show flght," or so small a force as ' Here follows an epitome of the general services of the 91st regiment during 1846, for which see Appendix. ■ The extract heading this chapter will show that this was the opinion entertained by the authorities at the Cape; hut the question is, if there were, at the time, sufficient available means on the frontier to carry this theory into practice ? (see Appendix, from p. 29 of the '' Blue Book" for 1847.) And, if so, why were not positive orders issued on the subject, instead of surmises and suggestions. (See p. 46 of document above referred to.) In other cases, little delicacy appears to have been manifested in interfering with the measures of the Lieutenant-Governor of the Eastern Province. ] 98 FORT COX AND THE AMATOLA. fifteen or sixteen hundred men (part of which consisted of heavy cavalry, perfectly useless on such ground) would scarcely have been sent on this expedition — encumbered as they were with no less than one hun- dred and twenty-three waggons, loaded — not only with requisites — but, in some instances, with the most use- less luxuries and superfluities. In short, the opening of the campaign was apparently looked on, by many, more in the light of a " pic-nic," or excursion of plea- sure, than anything else. Great was howevertheir mistake ; for now the Kaffirs, on what they always considered their own ground, fought, on the 16th, with the utmost determination. The brunt of the action fell on the 91st, which, gal- lantly led up a steep wooded ravine by Lieutenant- Colonel Campbell, was surrounded on all sides by over- whelming numbers of the enemy. " This jungle," said an eye-witness, " was actually red with Kaffirs, in all the hideousness of their war-paint — who, mostly armed with firelocks, and yelling forth their war-cry, taunted our men with their usual term of defiance: " Izapa ! Izapa!" (come on ! come on !) Whilst toiling up this steep and wooded ascent, our small column was resolutely assailed by numberless hordes of savages, who boldly advanced to a hand and hand encounter with the troops, discharging their muskets within a few yards of our men. Luckily, the Kaffirs were not first-rate shots ; and, in consequence of overcharging their firelocks, they generally carried too high. Whilst the enemy suffered severely from the fire of the 91st, Colonel Campbell — with infinite labour and fatigue, though with comparatively little FORT COX AND THE AMATOL A. 199 loss — at last succectlod in forcing tlio pass ; on attaining tlie summit of which — as ah-eady described — ho was joined by Colonel Somerset, who by the judgment, coolness, and the thorough knowledge of country which he displayed, successfully conducted the retrograde movement of the 18th ; when he safely led back the force to Block Drift, saved the remainder of the wag- gons, with the captured cattle, and gallantly repulsed every attack of the exulting Kaffirs, swarms of whom then beset the line of march, and endeavoured by every means to cut off his reti-eat. Though, during this most unpropitious opening of the campaign, our actual loss in killed and wounded was very trifling, its moral effects were, to us, most disastrous. The Kaffir — like every uncivilized race— is easily depressed by reverses, and as readily stimulated by success ; and, as the savages plundered the waggons at Burns' Hill — scattered abroad their contents — arraved themselves in the garments of our troops — ate and drank not only our supplies, but the very contents of the medicine chests, (devouring the blistering ointment and drinking the laudanum) their ferocious passions were roused to the highest pitch. Gruel tortures awaited such of our people as unfortunately fell iuto their power. Their bodies were mangled afler death ;' parts of their clothes and accoutrements were de- spatched, in sign of triumph, throughout the length and breadth of the land; and the Amakosae rose en masse, to drive the " white man"" into the sea, ' See " Five Years in Kaffirland," vol. i., chap. vii. For the oflScial accounts of the occurrences whicli took place in the Amatola, vide Appendix. 200 THE BURGHERS UNDER CHAPTER X. THE BURGHERS UNDER SIR ANDREAS STOCKEKSTROM. Coalition of the Kaffirs — Panic in the Colony — Sir Andreas Stockenstrom appointed to command the Burgher Forces — Expulsion of the Enemy from the Cradock and Somerset Districts — Commandant Bowker — Positions of the dif- ferent Levies — Demonstration against the Gaika Tribes — Death of Commandant Nourse — Hostilities of the Tam- bookies — Rapacity of Mapassa — Proposed grand combined movement — A Council of war — Alarm ofKreili — Operations of the Burgher force. The follovvin^y " notes respecting the origin and operations of the Division of the Burgher Forces under the orders of Commandant General Stocken- strom, during the hostilities of 1846," furnished by an officer belonging to that force, may serve to throw some light on the manner in which the late Kaffir war was carried on. " Immediately after the collision between our troops and the enemy at Burns' Hill, all the tribes of Kaffirs between the frontier and Kei united against us, and there can be little doubt of the accession of the Galekas, under Kreili, to this coalition, liefore the end of April, thousands of the barbarians had entered the Colony, and carried on devastation and slaughter from the Winterberg to the sea, with little opposition. " A general panic prevailed. As far westward as SIR ANDREAS STOCKENSTROM. 201 the Koonap, the Kaga, and the Kowie, the enemy was in possession of the forests, the open country, and even of the high roads, and the inhabitants cons-idered themselves only safe in what they called ' laoers'' and camps. A great proportion of their flocks however were carried ofl". Many of their houses were burned, several of themselves were killed ; and, to such an ex- tent had the enemy become elated, that even several of the camps were attacked, and not always without success ; so that, as far to the rear as the town of Somerset, several families began to prepare for a re- treat to GraafF Reinet, in the expectation that a few days would see the whole country as far as the "• Bruintjes Hoogte'' at least, in the] same predicament as that beyond the Kat River below the ' Baviaans/ " At this crisis, the Governor took upon himself the direction of the military operations, and appointed Sir Andreas Stockenstrom, Commandant-General, to com- mand the ]3urgher Forces of the eastern districts, which originated a third, or left division. " This division however had yet to be organized ; as the men residing near the frontier, M'ho were capable of bearing arms, had quite enough to do to protect themselves and their families. The Somerset com- mando had obtained leave of absence, and those of Graaft" Keinet and C'radock were attached to the first and second divisions. " The country bordering on and beyond the Fish River below the Tarka was entirely at the mercy of a barbarous foe ; when, on the first of May, a small fresh levy, of about twenty-five or thirty Graafi* Reinet Burghers, reached the Kaga ; and, by the suddenness K o 202 THE BURGHERS UNDER of their advance upon the forest of that name, made the Kaffirs believe that they constituted a strong force ; and, under that impression, retreat from a stronghold, whence they had prepared an attack upon the premises of Maastrora that same night ; having succeeded in carrying off the cattle the even- ing before. " By next morning, the same small party showed it- self as advancing upon the Cowie forest, from another quarter ; so that the enemy, believing themselves as- sailed by Boers on all sides, abandoned one of its best positions, for the annoyance of a great part of the Somerset district, and left the upper valley of the Cowie, with two valuable estates, which the owners had been obliged to abandon, to be re-possessed by a handful of men. These estates had been left unburnt, evidently destined as residences for some of the higher of the Kaffir Chiefs. " In the mean time, another small detachment of Graaff lleinet Burghers arrived ; and the Colesberg Division, under Commandant Joubert, having reached the Cradock frontier — reinforced by detachments from the latter district — Joubert (thus in command of the left wing of the third division) was called with one hundred and fifty men to the assistance of the ex- posed right ; and, with his usual zeal and activity, crossed the Winterberg by night, in company with the Chief of the Division, reached the Upper Koonap on the morning of the 9th of May, was there reinforced by fifty of the Winterberg ]Jurghers ; and, in a few days, cleared the Karoom, Kaga, and Cowie moun- tains and forests, of the enemy. SIR ANDREAS STOCKEXSTROM. 203 " About the 15th, the Civil Commissioner of Somer- set joined the Division with a detacliment of the Burghers of liis district, wlio, together with tlie Graaff' Reineters ah*eadj mentioned, scoured the Fish Kiver road as far down as tlie mouth of East Riat River. The Cradock District and the greater part of Somerset had thus been secured ; and the IJeaufort Contingent, under Commandants Du Toit and Moltano, having reached Ma3 tlieir heels. Exliaustcd by liis protracted struggle, whilst niaddeneJ at the thought of falling into the power of his cruel foe, the poor fellow makes a despe- rate ert'ort at escape. In so doing, the ill-onicncd chako is left to its fate ; the wacht-eeu-bcetje retains in tri- umph part of his dress. As he " breaks covert,"' the Kaffirs, with insulting yells, blaze away at him from the Jiush ; and, scudding across the plain, towards his party, with the ill-adjusted pouch banging against his hinder parts, the poor devil — in addition to the balls whistling around him — is also exposed, as he approaches, to the jeers and laughter of his more for- tunate comrades ! Far be it to attempt here to detract from the effi- ciency and merits of our gallant troops, whose ser- vices — spite of every obstacle raised in their way — liave been so conspicuous in every part of the globe ; 1 merely wish to point out how very much that effi- ciency might be increased, by a little attention to the dictates of reason and common sense. * * * * Though some of the Native Levies — such as the Fingoes and " friendly" Kaffirs, enrolled as part of the force — were composed of a sad, half naked, dis- orderly rabble. Captain Hogg''s corps, which formed the greater part of the present expedition, was a marked exception to this rule. This last consisted entirely of Hottentots, who, through the skilful and indefatigable exertions of their chief, had attained a degree of efficacy that could scarcely be believed, and would have done credit to the smartest light infantry corps in the service. 23-4 THE BIVOUAC. Whenever any rough work had to be done, Hogg's Corps — as remarked — was sure to bo in re(juest ; and nothing could be better suited than the hardy little fellows of which it was composed, to the cattle-lifting, Rush-fighting warfore, in which they played so con- spicuous a part. Unlike the regular portion of the force, their well adapted dress and unimpeded move- ments enabled them to follow up the foe, and suc- cessfully engage him in his very strongholds ; in his most impervious and steepest fastnesses ; for, amidst the densest part of the most thorny bush, thus armed and accoutred, the little Totty ever proved more than a match for the gigantic and ferocious Kaffir. * * * * As usual, on these expeditions, light marching trim was now the order of the day ; that is to say, every man carried a blanket and a small supply of biscuit ; whilst a few head of cattle were driven along for slaughter. Unencumbered, therefore, with commis- sariat, or camp equipage, we got rapidly over the o-round ; the Europeans of the party with difficulty keeping pace with the active little Totties, who, fol- lowino- the example of their untiring leader, footed it along at the rate of four miles an hour. Our course lay along the high open ridge running midway between the Keiskamma and Great Fish Kiver; overlooking, in many places, the dense Bush, enshrouding a deep valley, now darkly immersed in shadow, through which tortuously meanders the latter stream. This " Fish Eiver Bush" is an immense tract of thorny jungle, extending from the Winterberg Mountains to the sea-coast. It is still the constant THE mvouAC. 235 resort of the predatory Kaffir, as it was some years past that of all the nobler animals of tlie chase. The elephant, the rhinoceros, the buffalo, and the hippopo- tamus, with innumerable other sylvan denizens, were, some fifty or sixty years back, the sole, undisputed occupants of this vast and verdant wilderness. They were the original pioneers who frayed the paths amidst its otherwise impenetrable recesses, through which intricate tracks the hunter first followed them up to their lairs. This was in the good old times of the occupation of the Zuurcveldt by the Dutch Boers, and ere Kaffir in- trusion had disturbed both man and beast, amidst its undulating grassy plains and dense boundless thickets. Since those patriarchal times, mighty changes have flitted o'er the scene ; and the brand of the savage having scared alike the thrifty occupants of the prairie, and the wild population of the jungle; the Zuurcveldt was next tenanted by the encroaching Kaffir, and con- tinued for years the favourite hunting-ground of the ferocious tribes of Congo and T' Slambie. After a long period of unauthorized and forcible occupation, the gallant Graham drove these barbarians from their usurped possessions, and shortly afterwards this part of the country became peopled by a new race ; for in 1820, several thousands of English Settlers, sent out by (government, landed at Algoa Bay, and soon wrought great changes in the land of their adop- tion. A few fortunes were rapidly realized by some ; but many, and by far the greater part of the emi- grants, were entirely ruined by the successive failures of their crops. British energy however was not to be 236 TOE BIVOUAC. daunted. Numbers embarked in a channel of fresh enterpri.xe, and became now deeply engaged in all the venturous vicissitudes and dangers of a contraband trade with the Kaffirs, then, under the severest pe- nalties, prohibited by law ; whilst others, converting their ploughshares into rifles, turned "mighty hunters" amidst the dense jungles of the Kowie and Fish River Bush ; still at that period thickly tenanted by every species of the larger game, but chiefly by elephants, the sale of whose ivory amply repaid the dangers in- curred by the many adventurous Nimrods who then sprang up on the eastern frontier. AVhilst looking down, during our onward progress, on those densely-wooded kloofs, assuming every mo- ment a darker and more sombre hue as night enveloped them in her gloomy mantle, many a tale passed round, referring to bold deeds of woodcraft performed in their mazy depths — of hair-breadth 'scapes from the ponder- ous rhinoceros, the headstrong buffalo, or lordly ele- phant ; for amongst our party were two or three old sportsmen, who had oft trodden the mazes below us, ere they were, as at present, nearly denuded of their savage denizens ; who since then had followed up their track beyond the far Orange River, even to the verge of the Southern Tropic ; for to such remote limits, is the daring votary of the chase now fain to proceed in quest of what, a few short years back, was so plen- tiful in those deep masses of jungle, which — save, may be, by lurking Kaffirs — then lay so silent and tenantless at our feet. The tedium of our now darksome march was thus whiled pleasantly away. One of the party — a man THK BIVOUAC. 2.37 from infancy devoted to the chase, whose youtli and manhood were passed in its pursuit, who liad marked down the last elephants in those their once favourite haunts — entered most enthusiastically on the themo. Striking on an elephant " spoor," he soon eloquently led away his audience through deep and rocky valleys, dense thorny jungles; threaded the narrow elephant path amidst all the intricacies of wooded kloofs; tracked the noble animals to where the}'^ fed; pointed out their gigantic forms, looming like dark ocean rocks above a green glittering sea of bright " speck-boom,"' aloes, euphorbias, and other strange and fantastic shrubs. Next would he tell of the stealthy, snake-like approach, the moment of breathless suspense, the sharp crack of the rifle, the fall of the huge patriarch of tlie flock, the wild crashing charge of the survivors, ar- rested in mid career by the ignited bush blazing up into a secure rampart of smoke and flame. The life- less prostrate victim is next approached ; then would follow the process of " marking" the tusks, to be car- ried away at some future time ; the tail docked in token of triumjdi; the amputation of the trunk, of a toot, or extraction of the heart ; part of which, wrapped in a flap cut from one of the fallen monster''s ears, would form, at the bivouac, the evening repast of the tired and famished hunter. Then w'ould he speak of the huge rhinoceros, tear- ing up with its nasal horn, during wild paroxysms of fiiry, the very ground it trod upon; of the mad, head- long charge of the buffalo, blinded in its raoe ; of ' Tlic favourite food of the elephant. Its small fleshy leaves, Avhcu boiled down and seasoned, form a very palatable dish. 238 THE BIVOUAC. the prancing " gnu" and stately " gemsbok" (the fabled unicorn of old). JSIany a hair-breadth 'scape did he then relate, mingled occasionally with a tale of woe, for accidents sometimes inevitably occurred amongst the followers of so adventurous a mode of life. This old hunter had associated with, and well re- membered, the famed and intrepid Thwackray,' who, after slaying I forget how many hundred elephants, was, as our friend related, at last trampled to death by one he had unfortunately wounded, without dis- ablino-. Amonost other casualties which had then occurred in this sylvan warfare, he mentioned Colonel F ^"s melancholy death : pursued by a wounded buffalo, he had taken refuge amidst the branches of a low, stunted tree. The infuriated animal, though unable to reach him with its horns, effectually used its tongue as a weapon of offence, with whose rough, grating surface — by licking the legs and thighs of the unfortunate sufferer — it so completely denuded them of flesh, that, although at last rescued from so dreadful a position by some Hottentot attendants, who shot his tormentor, the poor fellow only lingered on for a few days, when death put an end to his most excruciating ao;onies. Our friend's inexhaustible supply of sporting anec- dote still continued for miles and miles to flow rapidly ^ The daring sporting exploits of this young man (one of the Settlers of 1820) are still the theme of conversation on the frontier. The elephant-hunter was generally accompanied by a few Hottentot followers, M'ith whose assistance some have been known to kill between three and four hundred elephants dur- ing the year. No wonder, therefore, that these animals should now have entirely disappeared from this part of the country. THE BIVOUAC. 2oI) on, till at last the bright flickering blaze, which illu- mined the darkness in front of the column of march, announced our arrival at the halting-ground for the remaining portion of the night. The surroundino- ob- scurity precluded however all possibility of ascertain- ing the nature of the spot of our proposed bivouac; for all that could be discerned were the dark forms of the Hottentots as they intercepted the bright reflec- tion of the blazing camp-fires, around which they appeared to move with the restlessness of condemned spirits at some pandemoniac feast ; whilst an occa- sional lurid glare was thrown on dark masses of tall underwood, which here and there were scattered over the high, level, table-land around. Meanwhile, the group, who had been spinning such tough sporting yarns during the march, were soon snugly ensconced to leeward of, and beneath one of the dense clumps of foliage above alluded to. A fire was kindled : our Hottentot attendants, in ten minutes, had, al fresco, prepared coffee and a " carbonadje;' and we all huddled up together, to spend the night as we best could, under the sheltering boughs which inter- vened between ourselves and the canopy of heaven ; across which, murky clouds, driven by the night-wind, mournfully siirhing tlirough our leafy bower, appeared in the surrounding pitchy darkness to be chasiu"- each other in rapid succession, and threatened to bedew our slumbers with their watery burthen. But sleep, gentle sleep, scared by the " figures and the fantasies" of so many a stirring tale of sylvan ' Small pieces of meat spitted on a branch or wooden skewer, and thus hastily roasted before a camp tire. 240 THE BIVOUAC. war, had, affrighteil, flod this group of determined sportsmen ; for in that wihl and appropriate resting- place to such staunch votaries of the chase, were now assembkul those, who, in every portion of tlie globe, liad long and sedulously plied the " merrie woodland craft;' The bold fox-hunter, who in old England so oft had followed sly reynard's rapid flight; ne''er "craned"" at ox-fence, bull-finch hedge, stone wall, or double ditch ; who — spite of break-neck " aard-vark" holes, ant-hills, and deep ravines — had here joyously "yoik'd""' the grim wolf and wily jackall of these southern wilds ;' the daring elephant " shekaree"* of the forests of Ceylon ; the slayer of the tiger and wild boar in the thorny jungles, and arid plains of Hindostan; the ad- venturous buflialo-hunter of the depths of the Kowie, the Keiskamma, and Fish River Bush ; he who had boldly crossed the " Great Orange" in quest of the lion, the gemsbok, and giraff"e — were here all grouped together, in the hitherto vain attempt — after the fa- tigues of the day, and in anticipation of those of the morrow — of perseveringly courting the embrace of sleep. Like other coquettes, the more she was fol- lowed the faster did she fly, till at last one of the party impatiently exclaimed: " 'Tis no go; the jade has evidently broke covert and stole away. Let us there- fore," added he, heaping more brushwood on the fire, ' Previous to the last Kaffir war, a capital pack of fox, or rather, "jackall" hounds, was kept up at Fort Beaufort by the 7th Dragoon Guards, under the superintendence of Captain Hogg, who shortly after so successfully hunted down the Kaffirs with his gallant pack of "Tottics." THE BIVOUAC. 2 n and placing thereon a can freshly replenished with muddy water, " let us, at any rate, keep out this con- founded cold and damp wind with liot grog. And, since we cannot sleep, T further propose that each of us spin some yarn or other for the benefit of the rest; to set the first example, I shall begin with the buffalo adventure of mj- opposite friend tliere, who is so assi- duously keeping his eyes closed, that he does not see our roaring watch-fire will in a few minutes singe the toes off his boots. Come, rouse up, old fellow ; give me a cigar, with the brandy-flask, and listen to the recital of your own immortal deeds in the Bush." The required supplies thus demanded, were tendered with the gruff remark of — " 'Tis devilish hard you can't let a fellow sleep, who does not know when he may have another chance." " Never mind, old grumpy ; sleep aw^ay if you can, and ril tell as how you were treated by the last ' buff* we tracked together, just before the breaking out of this confounded war, which, bad luck to it, has put a stop to all our sport, for these rascally Kaffirs are positively now not worth either powder or shot. " Well, gentlemen, you must know that old dozv there and myself got a fortnight's leave, to have a little 'gunning,' andstoleaway quietly with a couple of Totties to a favourite sporting haunt of his, where we bivouacked for the night. The next morning, be- fore dawn, my friend took me to a ' vlev"" — occasion- ally, as he said, at that time of the year frequented by a stray herd of buffaloes, and, judging from the VOL. II. M 242 THE BIVOUAC. footmarks, some had evidently been drinking there during the preceding night. AV^e put the Totties on their trail, and ' spoored' them up rapidly, as long as the dew was on the grass, till we tracked them into the thick bush. Here the spoor continued clear enough, it was all plain sailing; and Mr. Claas, our head Totty lurcher, confidently pronounced the herd to con- sist of five head, and that one of the lot was a large bull. The trail, which we had now followed some three or four hours with scarcely a check, took us at last over a bare, rocky, dry, and open space of ground, where we soon became completely at fault. However, leaving a handkerchief on the spot, up to which we fancied we had brought the spoor, we made several broad casts to the riglit and left, when at last, Claas succeeded in hitting it off again ; and, from its ap- pearance, thought the herd must have passed fully an hour before. Well, to make short of a long business, we toiled on, under a broiling sun, the greater part of the day ; till, emerging from a kloof near some wooded clumps, on a marshy rise covered with grass, the foot- marks became mixed — a sure sign, as you know, of the animals being in search of a place of rest. We therefore dismounted, secured our horses amongst the bushes in the kloof; and, taking every necessary pre- caution as to the direction of tlie wind, crept cau- tiously forward, at some distance apart. I had taken a sweep to the right ; and, whilst passing behind a cluster of tall underwood, which for a moment hid my companion, I lieard the sharp report of his double- barrelled rifle. " At this instant, on clearing the intervening TlIK IJIVOUAC. 243 space, as the smoke drifted away, I belidd him crouching on one knee, his rifle half raised, with tlie blade of a long hunting knife firmly clenclied be- tween his teeth. Whilst charging down upon him, and then witliin twenty yards, furiously ruslied an enormous bull-buffalo, tail on end, and his head — gar- nished witli at least six foot horns — close to the irround. Next second, as he appeared in the very act of being ground to atoms, and amalgamated with his mother earth (for the brute was now within a yard of tlie spot where he knelt) the second barrel was discharoed : his legs flew up with a summersault into the air, whilst the infuriated monster apparently missing his mark, passed over him, and dashed headlong through the op- posite thicket in the direction of our horses, which, breaking loose in their alarm, wildly scampered away across the open slope of the hill. " All this, which happened within a few yards of where I stood, was apparently the work of a second. I immediately started out to see what part of our friend still remained attached to his exalted legs, when, to my infinite surprise, he got up unscathed, and staring around, asked whither the brute had vanished. ' For.' added he, ' I am sure that my last shot hit him between the eyes/ With regard to the latter assertion, I must confess I entertained many doubts on the subject. The first object was to recover our nags, which took us fully a couple of hours to eflect, when we returned to the scene of adventure, for the purpose of endeavour- ing, if possible, to obtain tidings of the buffaU). iS'or had we proceeded far on our search, when convincing proofs offered themselves, that one of his shots most M 2 244 THE BIVOUAC. cei-taiuly had told. The bush, which the enraged ani- mal so madly rushed into, was of the densest and most stubborn kind ; its turgid nature had however apparently bowed like a forest of waving reeds before the crushing impetus of the mighty mass. But, on the broken and disordered boughs, the quick eye of Claas readily detected evidence which induced him to pronounce tliat the buffalo had been wounded, and in such a manner as to preclude the possibility of escape. A mass of clotted gore, and what seemed a por- tion of the brain, adhering to a branch, had elicited this opinion from Mr. Claas. ' But,' added he, at- tentively examining the ground, ' other spoor here ; we must take care — I think KaflSrs come here be- fore us/ " As this adventure took place shortly before the breaking out of the war, we were then in a state of uncertainty as to the intentions of these gentry, which, under such circumstances, rendered prudence doubly requisite ; but whether it might be Kaffirs, Fingoes, Hottentots, or Colonists, who had got scent of the wounded buffalo, we determined, though with every precaution, to follow up the spoor, and, if possible, assert our rightful claim to the spoil. " Leaving, therefore, our horses under charge of one of the Totties, we cautiously pursued through the bush the bloody traces of the wounded animal, which at every step became more evident, and of more frequent recurrence. Thus silently following Claas, we had not proceeded a quarter of a mile, wlien the latter suddenly came to a stand-still, listened attentively for a second, and put his ear to the ground ; then, with THE BIVOUAC. 245 an expressive gesture, directing us to crouch down and remain where we were, he, without uttering a sound, crept forward hke a snake, amidst the entangled un- derwood of thorny briars. " We placed too much reliance on Claas not to pay implicit attention to all his directions ; though our patience was, in the interim, severely tested ; for some time elapsed ere he returned, with an expression of countenance which testified that he had sometliing of importance to communicate. In a scarcely audible whisper, he informed us that he had discovered the carcase of the buffalo, which was being cut up by ten or twelve Kaffii's, and concluded by recommending our immediate return to the horses. ' And leave mj- buffalo, head, horns, and all, to be carried away by these infei-nal niggers f mournfully whispered . ' But ril see them first !' ' Hush ; make no rash vows,' was my warning counsel. ' But Claas will take us where we may judge for ourselves.' " (Jlaas did not appear nmch to relish this plan. It was, however, carried into effect, but with precautions which might have excited the envy of a Cherokee Indian ; and at last, we took up a position from whence we could, unseen, behold what required all our friend's philosophy to bear with Christian resignation. In an open space, surrounded by thick jungle, lay the remains of the mighty slain, already disembowelled and partly cut up. Some of the naked savages, elbow deep in blood, were carving oft' with their assegais long strips of flesh, and others were busily preparing fires for the approaching feast : whilst a solitary vulture, soaring far above, and reduced in the immensity of 246 THE BIVOUAC. distance to a mere motionless speck, appeared also to be awaiting his share of the entertainment. " Anxious as was our friend here to carry off his well-earned trophy : the noble frontispiece of head and horns — which lay so temptingly on the bloody green- sward before us, and only a few yards distant — we clearly saw that the attempt must be attended with blows. The odds were fearfully against us ; and we, therefore, I think most discreetly, sneaked off undisco- vered, mounted our horses, and got away as quickly as possible from so uninviting a neighbourhood." " A very good yam, and very well spun," ex- claimed the apparently sleeping hero of the tale, suddenly sitting up in his sheepskin kaross ; "how- ever, as it is undoubtedly my story, I claim the pri- vilege of now callinn: on our friend, the Doctor, for a stave." " Come, Doctor, brighten up ! Pitch into some of ourbi vouac physic ; better than was ever brewed in your hospital. Pass round the can, put another handful of wood on the fire ; and tell us how you were, once upon a time, pilloried for a couple of hours in a speck-boom bush by an angry old sow, for I have heard such a tale whispered abroad." " You may call it an old sow, if you please," said the sporting Doctor, rather pettishly, and in a strong Caledonian accent, "but I know I thought it at the time a great ' bore."' " Though our eloquent friend was so mysterious as to where he fell in with the buffalo that made such a charge when minus his brains, I think I can guess, within a hundred miles, the spot on which the spoor THE BIVOUAC. 247 was first taken up. However, Fll tell no tales out of school, and just relate, in the best way I can, what happened with the wild hog which pinned rae in the speck-boom. Well then, when stationed at IJathurst, a couple of years ago, I was taking a solitary ride, accompanied by my usual pack of about a dozen dogs of every kind and description ; but instead of my rifle, I happened on that occasion to be only provided with a stout hunting-whip. " Whilst jogging quietly along the edge of the Kowie Bush, about five miles from Bathurst, the dogs suddenly gave tongue, and I ' yoiked' them forward through the covert, the increasing thickness of which soon compelled me to dismount ; whereupon, tying up my nag to the stump of a tree, I followed up the chase on foot. The dogs soon brought their quarry to bay ; and, fancying it must be a porcupine, I boldly ad- vanced, flourishing aloft the aforesaid hunting-whip. Scarcely had I approached the scene of action — a thick ' wacht-een-beetje'' bush, around which the dogs were loudly baying — than a canine yell of agony, then two or three grunts, and a heaxy crash amongst the under- wood, announced the presence of a wild hog. Before I had made up my mind what to do, an immense boar, with bristles like toothpicks, all standing on end, rushed at me throuf!;h the interveninij: scrub. ^ Of course, I turned tail, and never ran so quick in all the course of my life, clearing, at a single bound, the clumps of brambles and shrubs which came in my path. Spite of numerous tumbles, from my spurs catching in ' The low stunted bush is so called in Colonial phraseo- logy. '2iS THE BIVOUAC. the creepers and monkey ropes, » I still kept ahead ; but Piggy, pcrseveringly forcing his way through the un- derwood, which I ha The " vergcttc" waterproof cloth will be found of the greatest service to the traveller or campaigner in South Africa. THE BIVOUAC. 253 have been mistaken for a recent battle-field thickly strewed witli the slain — in sur-h strange, stark atti- tudes, were scattered the benumbed and recumbent groups, that grim Death himself appeared to have liovered o'er the spot, stamping with his cold touch additional hideousness on all around. The Hottentot countenance, at no time very pre- possessing, is, whilst under the influence of sleep, the most repulsive object in the world. Nay, I am here mistaken ; for a dead Hottentot is a still more for- bidding sight ; and one who is seen whilst dead-drunk (a not unusual occurrence) the most revolting of all. Though, on first waking and looking round, every thing appeared motionless and without life, five mi- nutes sufficed completely to alter the scene. All were by that time on the alert, and ready for a move. I proceeded to a muddy pool close by, dipped the corner of my handkerchief into its turbid waters, and passed it across my eyes. The business of the toilet being thus disposed of — a biscuit and cup of coffee hastily swal- lowed — I mounted my horse, now in every way pre- pared and ready for another start. 254 THE BATTLE-FIELD OF CHAPTER XIII. THE BATTLE-FIELD OF THE GWANGA. Party of Horse under Colonel Somerset — Battle-field of the Gwanga — Zeal and intrepidity of Colonel Somerset — Real causes of the Kaffir War of 1846 and 47 — "Wise measures of Sir B. d'Urban — Mistaken line of policy — Insolence of " Young Kaffirland " — Opening of the Campaign — Losses of the British — Designs of the Kaffirs — Narrative of an Officer — Brilliant charge — Noble conduct of the Troops — The Chiefs Umhala and Seyolo — A fiery steed — Gallant charge of Colonel Somerset — Flight and pursuit of the foe — Hatred of the Fingoes — Their demoniac proceedings — A bold feat — Death of a Rifleman — Bravery of Sir Harry Darell. " Colonel Somerset, lifting his cap from his head, gave three hearty cheers, and shouted — 'Major Gibsone, 7th Dragoon Guards, return carbines — draw swords — charge!'" — Five Years in Kaffirland, vol. i., p. 286. Shaking themselves, on rising, from their saturated lairs, like so many Newfoundland dogs, our hardy fel- lows were soon ready to resume their march ; when silently falling in, they moved off without beat of drum, and shortly found themselves far from the bivouac-ground of the preceding night. Still follow- ing the crest of the oft-before-mentioned ridge, after passing the wooded kloof on our right — formerly occupied by the kraal of the Kaffir chief, Eno, and more lately by that of his son. Stock — the high level THE GWANGA. 255 laud, along which lay our path, now expanded into a wider tract of open ground covered with grass ; across which, and towards our party, were seen ad- vancing a small body of horsemen, which soon proved to belong to the Cape Corps, headed by Colonel Somerset in person, who, at this early hour — with characteristic activity — had come the whole distance from his camp, at the IJeka, to look after the expected reinforcement to his Division. This was a most appropriate spot whereon to meet the gallant veteran, who, for the last quarter of a cen- tury — ever on tlie alert — may be said, during that period, to have been one of the staunchest guardians of the Colony against the depredations of its savage foes — who had, during that long space of time, borne a part in every war, in nearly every " commando" forced on us by these barbarians, amonfjst whom the name of "Somerset" has always been a watchword of fear and respect. No more fitting locality, I repeat, could have been chosen, for a first introduction to Colonel Somerset ; for it was on this very ground that, a few months before, he had jriven the Kaffirs a lesson thev will not speedily forget : he had taught them — although, as usual, they were then in overwhelming numbers — that, when out of the covert of the Bush, their savage ferocity stood no chance against British discipline and British valour. It was on the bnttle-field of the Gwanga we now- stood — that only bright oasis in the wilderness of our many reverses during this ill-starred war — the only cheering event to counterbalance such inau- spicious reminiscences as those connected with Bums' 256 THE BATTLE-FIELD OF Hill — the Aniatola — Post Victoria — Trompetters"' Drift — and Fort Peddie — of losses caused by starva- tion and drought, on the first expedition to the Kye, in July, 1846 — of those from exposure, short commons, and drowning, during the second one, in the months of December and January following. ^ The only weight to throw into the balance against this formidable catalogue of misfortunes is the afl'air of the " Gwanga;" and, if the balance then kick the beam, it is most assuredly no fault of Colonel Somerset ; who, during the whole campaign, did all that the most in- defatigable activity, combined with the most boundless zeal, could effect :^ and as he looked o'er the field, so well irrigated with the blood of our deadly foes, and even now strewed with their scattered and bleach- ing bones, well might he " stand a-tip-toe, and rouse him at the name of ' Gwanga/ " " Remember, mth advantages. What feats he did that day : then shall our names — Familiar in all mouths as household words — ' The first of these expeditions was undertaken at a period of the year when there were no means of subsistence for the cattle. In the second, no adequate provision was provided for the men ; and what little there was, together with the camp equipage, was of no avail, owing to the swollen state of the rivers, and from no measures having been taken to cross them. ^ "To you, Colonel Somerset, we are mainly indebted for the satisfactory close of this severe contest; you have been in the field throughout, and have there exhibited equal courage, patience, perseverance, and ability, in the discharge of the severe duties which have devolved upon you." — From Sir Harry Smith's address to the troops at King William's Town, on 23rd December, 1$47. THE G want; A. 257 * Sir ITarry Darcl],' 'Gibsonc,' aiul 'Donovan;' ' Napier," and 'Walpole;' 'Armstrong,' 'Bissett,' 'Brown,' — Be in their flowing cups freshly remembered !" To the reader unacquainted with the particulars of South African affairs, and to whom the name of the Crwanga may not be quite so fainihar as that of Agin- court, it will perhaps not be amiss to give a brief out- lino of the circumstances immediately preceding, and which gave rise to the " St. Crispin's"''' day of the Kaffir war. The ostensible cause of this — to us — most disastrous contest, was — as already shown — the murder of an English subject, and forcible liberation of a Kaffir pri- soner, who had rendered himself amenable to Britisii law by the conmiission of an offence within the Co- lonial territory. These were the outward and ostensible reasons which brought about what the Kaffirs term, in derision, the " war of the axe •.'"^ the breeze which eventually fanned the long smouldering fire into a flame, that had well nigh consumed all our Eastern Province of the Colony of the Cape of (food Hope, and which has cost us be- tween two and three millions of pounds sterling ! To far remoter sources must however be traced the real cause of the Kaffir war of 1846 and 1847. It had its origin in the overthrow of Sir Benjamin d'Urban's wise measures — measures brought about ' Captain, now Lieutenant-Colonel George T." ConoUy Napier, of the Cape Mounted llifles. - From the circumstance of the theft of a hatchet having caused the apprehension of the Kaffir, who was liberated whilst on the way to take his trial at Graham's Town. 2.58 THE BATTLE-FIELD OF by the complete success of his own well-laid plans, seconded by the valour, activity, and perseverance of Colonel, now Sir Harry Smith ; measures which were upset — when their fulfilment was attended with com- plete success — in consequence of the most childish cre- dulity on the part of a British minister, in listening to the grossest tissue of falsehoods and misrepresenta- tions that were ever framed. The real cause of the late Kaffir war was, in fine, the adoption and enforcement of " treaties," which — by not only annulling all the ad- vantages gained by Sir Benjamin d'Urban, but by the cession of former acquisitions — gave the Kaffirs such an exalted opinion of their own power, and so contemptible a one of our weakness and imbecility — that they eagerly looked forward to another opportunity for plundering the Colony; which opportunity was ever — spite of repeated warnings — left fully open, by want of due pre- paration on our part; by maintaining a most inadequate force on the frontier ; aided and abetted moreover by a bungling course of policy, terminating in a gross mis- take, that afforded " Young Kaflfirland" the long wished for occasion, and with every appearance of having jus- tice on its own side. It may perhaps be observed, that the blunder here alluded to was the premature step of undertaking a military survey, and pitching a camp for that pur- pose,' without permission, on the acknowledged terri- tory of Sandilla, from whence the party so employed ^ " I entirely agree with your honour, that the proposition [position ?] was awkward, and the error which placed us in it unfortunate." {From Sir P. Maitland's Despatch to Colonel Hare, dated Cape Town, February 5th, 1846, at p. 42 of "Blue Book," 1847.) See Appendix. THE GWANGA. 2a9 was, by order of the Kaffir chief, most unwillingly forced to retire. On witnessing this humiliating step, the exultation of " Young Kaffirland" knew no bounds, and was displayed in every species of insolence to- wards the British Government ; in short, war had been resolved on by the Kaffirs, long ere they obtained so plausible an excuse for its commencement — or the " hatchet" business had taken place — which latter cir- cumstance, being completely fortuitous, merely caused it perhaps rather prematurely to burst forth. The opening of the campaign commenced with the unsuccessful attempt — backed by a most insufficient force — to " chastise" the savages in their rocky and wooded strongholds of the Amatola. The consequence of this was — as Paddy would say — they made us "lave that" in such a hurry, that we forgot our baggage, which was appropriated by the Kaffirs to their own use. They burned the waiiirons, tooether with — it is said — (nor did they ever attempt to deny it) an unfortunate English soldier, who had fallen into their power — captured a pet monkey which formed, with other " pets," one of this party of pleasure : they got hold of the medicine- chest ; drank the physic ; ate the blistering ointment ; and then — adorned in the spoils of the vanquished, and spreading far and wide through the land the news of their triumph — stirred up to action many still wavering tribes, who as yet had taken no part in the war, but who now hastened to assist in the attempt of driving the " Amagalezi" into the sea ! Such were the consequences and results of the first expedition to the Amatola. But not professing to give liere a history of the campaign, I shall not enter 260 THE BATTLE-FIELD OF into the particulars of the subsequent reverses above enumerated. Suffice it to say — after the daring attack on the 28th of May, 1846, on Fort Peddie, by eight or ten thousand Kaffirs of the Gaika and T' Slam- bie Tribes, or rather after their successful attempt on the cattle under its protection, four or five thousand of which they carried oj0f in spite of a strong garrison — that encouraged by this, as well as by the results of the affair at Trompetters'' Drift, where, on the 21st of May, they had seized part of a convoy carrying sup- plies to that fort, their next design was to intercept a second train of waggons,^ which had subsequently left Graham''s Town for the same destination ; with a similar object, to capture the Post itself of Trom- petters"' Drift ; and next — by occupying the Fish River Bush — to cut off all communication between Graham''s Town and Fort Peddie. Had they succeeded in this, it is difficult to surmise what might have been the consequences — Colonel Somerset however was luckily at hand. Shortly after the attack on Fort Peddie, he had safely brought con- siderable supplies to that Post ; and, having learned the ^ This was prevented by Colonel Somerset, who, although with a force of twelve hundred men, had great difficulty in frustrating the attempt of the Kaffirs; and yet, after all the obstacles and disasters attendant on this cumbersome mode of conveyance, and although the Commander-in-Chief frequently in his despatches adverted to the inconvenience resulting there- from, it is unaccountable that the system should have been so long and so perseveringly followed up. This, and the non- opening of the Buffaloe Mouth, were — as I have elsewhere remarked — a few of many other reasons which caused the last Kaffir war to be prolonged, at an enormous expense, to a period of nearly two years. THE GWANGA. 261 intention of the Kaffirs, and their design on tiie next convoy, which was expected on the 8th of June, ho had the previous evening " detaclied a force of three hundred Native Infantry under Captain Size, one hun- dred Fingoes under Field Captain Symmons, accom- panied by a body of the Fort Peddie Fingoes, under the Cliief Tanibu, into tlie Blue River, with orders to move at daylight up the valleys of the Tocka and the Mancazana streams — between Trompetters and Com- mittees."' Early on the morning of the 8th, they left Peddie '• with a couple of guns and a small force of cavalry, in hopes of intercepting the enemy on the eastern heights of the Fish River ]Jush, near the loca- lity of ' Stocks' kraal.'" For an official account of the smart aftair that ensued, the reader is referred to Colonel Somerset's Despatch, 2 which may be compared with the following narrative, kindly furnished by an officer who bore a part in the (Migagemcnt which he thus describes : " About five o'clock on the morninn- of the 8th of June, 1 846, Colonel Somerset left Fort Peddie with a patrole consisting of one hundred of the Cape Mfuinted Rifles under Captain Napier, one troop of the 7th Dragoon Guards, under Sir Harry Darell, two guns (6-pounders) under Captain Brown, R.A., and about six hundred of the George Boers, under Commandant MuUer ; Major Gibsone, 7th Dragoon Guards, being second in command, and Captain Walpole, Royal Engineers, and Lieutenant Stokes, R. E., going as » See. at p. lol of "Bhie Book," (1847) Colonel Somerset's Despatch, dated Fort Peddie, 8th June, 1846. '^ See Appcudi.x. 262 THE BATTLE-FIELD OF volunteers. They proceeded along the heights on the left bank of the Fish River, as far as ' Stocks' kraal, where he found a very considerable number of Kaffirs who had just pushed over the flats from the Keis- kama River. Captain Brown opened his guns upon them with effect, and the Cape Corps immediately attacked the enemy, who had taken up a strong position in a blind river surrounded with dense bush, from which they kept up a severe fire. After fighting for about two hours. Captain Donovan, C. M. R., with about eio-ht or ten men, made a rush at the Kaffirs, shooting about ten dead on the spot, and narrowly escaping from being killed himself, as lie was seized by several Kaffirs, who were on the point of shooting him, when the troops rescued him. Captain Walpole was hit with a spent ball in the thigh. In the mean time, about three hundred of the Native Infantry and a couple of hundred Fingoes, under Commandant Size, who had been sent round by Trompetters' Drift, came up in rear of the enemy, and killed a great many. " About noon, seeing that the Kaffirs were dis- persed, and that both men and horses were much fatio-ued, Colonel Somerset ordered the infantry to come out of the Rush to rest themselves ; and went with the guns and cavalry on the open flats near the Gvvanga stream, where he suddenly fell in with a body of Kaffirs, about seven hundred in number, who were crossin*'- over from the Keiskama to assist their friends. Not a moment was lost : Major Gibsone with Sir Harry Dareirs troop made a brilliant charge ; whilst the Cape Mounted Rifles took the enemy on their left flank, riding into the midst of them. The enemy THE GWANGA. 263 fired one volley, and threw a shower of assegais ; stood their ground tor about live minutes, and then fled in all directions, hotly pursued by the Dragoons and Cape Corps for more than three miles, when tJie ' recair was sounded. " Upwards of three hundred were slain on the field, besides many who were wounded and died afterwards. Sir II. Darell, Cornet Bunbury, and seven privates of the 7th Dragoon Guards, were severely wounded. One corporal, C. M. R., killed, and Captain Walpole, 11. E., severely wounded again. Several of the officers had very narrow escapes, and Captain Napier"'s life was saved by the cool presence of mind of his orderly, who shot a Kaffir when in the act of pullino- the trio-^er of the gun which he had placed against Captain Napier's breast. " Only six of the George Boers were present, and they behaved most nobly ; the remainder had off- saddled about five miles off. The infantry also were not present, except the Fingoes, who came up just as the action was over, and killed all the wounded Kaffirs. Colonel Lindsay sent Captain Hogg, 7th Dragoon G uards, with his troop, to the scene of action, and they arrived in time to turn a few of the enemy who were trying to escape. The troops behaved nobly. In the two fights the enemy lost nearly five hundred men. We took two prisoners, one hundred guns, and several hundred assegais. The prisoners said they belono-ed to Umhala and Seolo, and that the commando we had so totally routed was composed of the flower of their tribes, who had been selected in order to attack a convoy of waggons which was to pass from Trom- 264 THE BATTLE-FIELD OF petters to Peddie on the 8tli, but we luckily fell in with them first. They were about two thousand strong, and well armed. On the evening of the 7th, the two chiefs, Umhala and Seolo, had a dispute about cross- ing the open flats, the former saying it was safer to do so at night, and the latter preferring the daytime. Umhala crossed on the night of the 7th, and we fell in with him about two hours after he had done so. Seolo, hearing the firing, imagined that Umhala had attacked the waggons, and was crossing over to join, and assist him, when we met him on the open. Seolo was severely wounded, and five minor chiefs were slain." I must further try the reader's patience with another quotation, which however, being a most graphic de- scription of the casual manner in which the Kaffirs were first discovered on the open ground between the Keiskamma and the Fish River Bush, will not, it is hoped, be considered out of place : " Colonel Somerset then moved with his division to a place where wood and water offered the means of a pleasant bivouac, and the troops were about to open their havresacks and turn their horses, knee-haltered, out to grass, when Lieutenant Bissett, Cape IMounted Rifles, who had gone out with Lieutenant Armstrong, C. M. R., to reconnoitre, (the latter having observed a few Kaffirs skulking near the Bush, and surmised that more wei-c in the neighbourhood) rode back with the intelligence that, his horse having carried him up the slope of a hill, he had found himself just above a body of about six hundred Kaffirs. These savages, having had a long march, were halting on their way, prepa- THR nWANfJA. 2Go mtorv, perhaps, to attacking the waggons, ^vhi(•ll tliey did not know had passed tiirough Connnatjes Bush ; or, it may be, they had been stayed in tlieir progress by the sound of the shells thrown into the kloof, to rout the 'breakfast-party,' two hours before. There they were, however — a regular ' clump of Kaffirs." Down the slope flew the fiery steed, which could only be guided, not stopped, in its career, and right past the dark mass was borne the rider, while tliey, bewildered at the unexpected sight of the wild horseman in that sequestered valley, never moved, but gazed in silence at him as he sped past them. ' AV^earing round,' in sailor's phrase, his impetuous and hard-mouthed horse, lie managed to bring it up at the halting-place of the division, where he reported the near proximity of the enemy to Colonel Somerset, who, lifting his cap from his head, gave three hearty cheers, and shouted. ' Major Gibsone, (7th Dragoon Guards) return car- bines, draw swords, and charge !"" "" This brief " Charge ! Chester, charo;e V address of the gallant veteran, was nobly responded to by his hearers. Dragoons and Kiflemen, stalwart IJritons and diminutive Hottentots — thus stranaelv brouoht to- gether from opposite extremities of the globe, and united in the brotherhood of a common cause — as they nish< d headlong on the dark barbaric mass before them, eagerly strove to surpass each other in inflicting well- merited chastisement on the treacherous and skulking- foe ; whom, for the first (and last) time, they had now an opportunity of encountering face to face, in the open field, and without any intervening screen of busby covert. The result was as already described, and so VOT-. II, N 266 THE BATTLE-FIELD OF damped their courage, that from henceforth the Kaffirs never again dared the attempt of a regular " stand-up" fight. Colonel Somerset, as we rode over the field, pointed out the spot where the enemy had for a moment shown a front ; detailed how their serried masses were broken through, and trampled to the dust by our gallant horse- men ; and, as he described the scene which ensued, we could picture before us the savages flying in wild terror across that plain, already so thickly strewed with the prostrate forms of their slain comrades ; whilst the flashing swords of the Dragoons were in deep and bloody characters marking " retribution" on the re- creant backs of the surviving oftenders ! Though thus hotly pursued and hewed down at every step — still showers of assegais flew rapidly and not harmlessly around ; and, such was the activity of the flj-ing Kaffirs, that a large number appeared in a fair way of regaining the shelter of the Keiskamma Bush. At this moment, the opportune appearance in that di- rection of Captain Hogg, with a troop of the 7th Dra- ed, killed two of their number, taken their horses and arms, and secured the cattle, which they were in the act of driving oft'. "As this was reported to liave happened some miles distant, in the country belonging to Sevolo (one of the sons of the late Dushani), a chief renowned for his ferocity and courage — it was deemed more than probable that he would ' get up a fight ;' and Colonel Somerset accordingly sent back to the ijeneral ren- dezvous for a reinforcement of forty or fifty men and a gun. " Meanwhile, after planting a few scouts, we oft'- saddled in an open grassy plain — for our horses beo-an to show symptoms of distress ; and, whilst they were 2 292 A FORAY AMONGST feeding, some of us sheltered ourselves from tlie burning rays of the sun, by lying down under the shade of our saddles, and even indulged in a short snooze; for — telescope in hand — Colonel Somerset was on the qui xite, and we therefore knew we were perfectly safe. " The expected reinforcement at length arrived, but our movements were much delayed by the gun, which, thouo-h dragged by eight horses, was sometimes with difficulty got over the dry beds of the numerous watercourses, which frequently crossed our path as we approached some branches of the Amatola hills, on the summits of which might now be seen large bodies of mounted Kaffirs, quickly congregating above us. The gun was, therefore, unlimbered ; and, whilst the artillery-men gave them the taste of a few shot, I pushed on ahead, with some of the party, to the spot where the two men of the Cape Corps were said to have been killed in the morning. " Cautiously descending into the picturesque valley where the skirmish had taken place, and near which stood the kraal of Nonube, the great wife of the late Dushani, (a lady of European descent, and mother to Siwana, the actual paramount chief of the T'Slaiiibies) the first thing we beheld, lying on the green bank of a o-uro-lino^ brook, was the dead body of a Kaffir, whom one of the luckless riflemen had killed, after having been himself shot through the breast. " The savage lay extended on his back, his satyr- like countenance now doubly repulsive in death ; the eyes starting from their sockets, tlie half open mouth displaying a magnificent set of white and regular THE t'slambies. 29.S teeth, and, even then, wearing a most sardonic grin of combined hatred and defiance. His right hand, firmly clenched, still grasped an assegai ; whilst the left one, dangling over the flowery bank into the stream, was gently moved to and fro by the clear rippling waters, so peacefully nmrmuring past that verdant, though now blood-stained scene. " After a short search, we discovered the bodies of the two Cape Corps men, named Tieman and Dra- gooner; the latter was noted for the courage he had ever displayed during the war ; and in the action at the Gwanga saved George Napier's life, by shooting a KaflSr at the moment the latter had placed the muzzle of a firelock against his breast. It appeared that he and his fellow-sufferer, after the rest of the party drove the cattle from the neighhouring kraal, had — lured by a few Kaffir women — been induced to return ; that next — whilst in the act of drinking: some milk — a large number of the enemy rushing out of the Bush, had overpowered and put them to death. This was witnessed from a distance by their comrades, who, being too few in number to afford any assistance, con- sidered themselves fortunate to escape with their lives. " jNleanwhile, we could see large numbers of Kaffirs assembling on the outskirts of the Bush, with which the neighbouring mountains were partly covered ; but from the nature of the ground it was impossible to get at them ; and we tried in vain, by setting fire to Nonube"'s kraal, to incite them to come down. As they, liow- ever, showed no disposition to oblige us in this respect, after ungallantly reducing to ashes the Carthage of this modern Dido, we proceeded to bury the slain Hotten- 294 A FORAY AMONGST tots ; a race — even during life — seldom distinguished by personal attractions ; but I never recollect seeing any thing so hideous as their appearance after death. The only way you could form an idea of Avhat they then resemble would be by tightly drawing an old discoloured, dingy, black silk handkerchief over a lleshless human skull ! " We now retraced our steps to the first rendezvous of the morning, ten or twelve miles distant, which we Avere not sorry to reach, after having — under a broil- ing sun — been upwards of twelve hours in the saddle; our gallant old chief, Colonel Somerset, looking as fresh as when he first started in the mornino;. " On our arrival, we found that the rest of the division, which we had parted from the evening before, had come up, and it was ascertained that the result of the day*'s work was the capture of 1,500 head of cattle, and twelve or fourteen Kaffirs killed ; our loss amount- ing to the two men of the Cape Corps before alluded to, with their arms and horses. " The camp of the Second Division, forming a large hollow square, with the parade ground in the centre, and the waggons, as usual in this part of the world, composing a sort of rampart around, was pitched near the Chalumna, a small stream running between the Keiskamma and Buffalo Rivers. But as no accom- modation was apparently provided for the ' amateurs,"" and as we received no hospitable invite from any one belonging to the force, I was obliged to set up, in the centre of the square, a small patrole tent, which I had fortunately brought with me on the occasion. " This little gipsy tent, weighing about twenty THE t'slambies. 295 pounds, wliich I always carry on my sumpter-horse, and often find useful at a pinch, is about three feet high, covers a piece of gjround six feet long hy two and a, half wide, and, being made of waterproof painted canvass, is — as may be imagined — not very well adapted for a summer residence during the day, under the scorcliing influence of an African sun. Having therefore piled our saddles and saddle-bags around, as a sort of rampart, should the Kaflirs — according to their common practice — fire at night into the camp. Colonel M and myself managed to secure a few slices off a recently slaughtered ox, and carried our prize to the shelter of some trees bordering the stream. Here, with the assistance of a small gridiron, the culi- nary talents of Mr. Jacob, (my Hottentot ' Sam W'eller") and some hard biscuit, still left in our saddle-bags, we concocted a meal, which — thougli it said but little for the hospitality of this portion of the force — was, never- theless, devoured with all the zest imparted by star- vation; and then both of us creeping into our confined domicile, we slept soundly and undisturbed after all the fatigues of the day. " This morning we were aroused at an early hour — though we could otherwise have slept nmch longer — by the sun striking on the painted canvass of our tents, from whence we were soon driven by the excessive heat. We next presented, the rather — I should ima- gine — unusual sight, of two field-officers performing their ti»ilet in the open air, for tlie benefit of every spectator, and then eating their ))reakfhst on a table of saddles, under — even at this early hour — a scorch- ing sun, in the midst of a square formed of waggons 296 A FORAY AMONGST contaiuing every requisite, and by numerous commo- dious tents occupied by their l)rotlier officers in the same service ! " Unprecedented as such a circumstance may perhaps be, it nevertheless befell us unfortunate " amateurs." Driven from our rest by the stilling heat of the tent, we were next obliged to seek refuge from the unbear- able rays of the sun, by retreating under cover of the thick bush, clothing a ravine through which flows the Chalumna. Here (for I am now scribbling under its hospitable shelter) we have at least the benefit of shade, and a greater degree of coolness than we could possible enjoy in the best tent of the camp. We have had a bathe in one of those deep shadowy pools, so often found here, in the otherwise dry beds of the rivers ; this has refreshed us much, but, having been campaigning with nearly all our wardrobe on our backs, you may well imagine that our linen by this time stood much in need of a little cleansinsr. We therefore thought we could not do better than follow the laudable example set to us by the Hot- tentot women and other camp-followers, who, nearly divested of all clothing, (for one cannot well have a shirt or petticoat at the wash, and also wear it at the same time) were busily engaged in puri- fying the same. Ingratiating ourselves, therefore, into the good graces of the nearest sable nymph, we borrowed a bit of soap, and were soon engaged in rather a novel species of ' special service."' " Though novices in the art, we flatter ourselves with having made a capital ' wash,' and are now sitting, ' al fresco,' anxiously watching the process of drying ; TiiK t'slambies. 2.97 my friend in a brown study, with his rifle by his side, whilst I am scribbling away on the little portf«ili(» wliich I always carry about with nie."' " Head-Quarter Camp, Block Drift. " Here 1 am once more safely returned to head- quarters, but must now ' hark back,' and endeavour to fill up the hiatus in my journal from the 24th, when I left off, as we sat — all but puris naturallhus — awaiting the drying of our newly- washed garments, which we had not yet donned, when a terrible hubbub suddenly occurred amongst the camp-followers along the bank of the rivulet. A report had spread of the Kaffirs being upon us; and the most ludicrous scene took place, as the Hottentot women, with piercing screams — and in the unadorned beauty of their prominent and nearly naked charms — now rushed towards the camp, carrying bundles of wet clothes under their arms. It proved, however, after all, to be a ftilse alarm, and we therefore had now time to dress ourselves ; but M was so heartily di.sgusted, that he pro- posed we should apph' at once for a tent. " ' ni see Jack2 Somerset d — d before / ask him !" was my wrathful reply ; ' but if you can manage to ^et one for yt)urself, I shall be very glad to pay you a visit.' " My friend accordingly went, and in half an hour Mr. Jacob came to announce that a marquee had been pitched, which, to confess the truth, I was not sorry for. * * * * "^ • The above was written in tlie situation described, during the course of a long and grilling South African sunnncr's day. ■ Colonel Somerset often went by this sobriquet. o 5 298 A FORAY AMONGST " I feel convinced that this inhospitable treatment proceeded not from the gallant chief himself — a gruff, though fine, warm-hearted old soldier — who pro- bably knew nothing of our ' amateur' discomforts, but from some kind friend, who, thinking us de trop, took this means of disgusting, and driving us away from the second division. Were this — as I imagine — the intention of the individual in question, it fully succeeded ; for we resolved, on the very first oppor- tunity, to leave a scene where our merits appeared to be so little appreciated, and where we had experienced so poor a welcome ; though from this charge of in- hospitality I must in justice exempt my friend Colonel Maekinnon, and some officers of the 73rd, who showed us whatever attention lay in their power. " On the 25th, at daybreak — taking advantage of the protection afforded by an escort carrying de- spatches — we left the second division at the Chalumna ; and to prove to you what sharp fellows are these Kaffirs, a few miles from the camp we counted no less than five hundred head of cattle, which had been driven back by them since the passage of the troops. Shortly afterwards, just as we were about to enter the Keis- kamma Bush, a couple of Kaffir scouts were seen diving into the jungle, to carry, as we feared, intelli- gence of our approach. " These prognostications were soon verified ; for we had not proceeded above half way down the wooded descent, when, at a part of the road lined on each side by dense bush, and commanded by an eminence close above it, a large party of Kaffirs suddenly showed themselves on the latter. From the nature of the THE t'slambies. 299 ground, we ajipcared to be completely at their mercy ; and in expectation of seeing half the party next minute out of their saddles, I gave orders to the escort to trot quickly by, without firing ; and thus, enveloped in a cloud of dust, we passed close under their noses without molestation ; they having probably taken us for the advance of a large party, and being perhaps unable to distinguish the smallness of our numbers. We continued to advance rapidly through the Bush, until we had crossed the ford of the Keiskamma, and reached the comparatively open country on the other side ; shortly after which, the escort turned off to the left, towards Fort Peddie ; whilst, together with Farley (my Cape Corps orderly) and our two ser- vants, we pushed along the direct road to Block Drift, leadinsr across the battle-field of the Gwaniia, from which I have brought, as a memento, a Kaffir skull. * * » * " A ride of fifty miles, under the influence of a powerful sun and sharp, drying wind — both of which combined peeled the skin off our weather-beaten counte- nances — brought us, after one or two ' oft-saddlings,*' to the camp at Plioonah's Kloof. Here we luckily got comfortable tents for the night, which was bitterly cold, and also met with the greatest hospitality (strono;ly contrasting with our late treatment) at the hands of Lieutenant Fitzgerald, of the 91st, then commanding at this post, and wlio had greatly distinguished him- self by his gallantry during the war. " Ere starting early on the 26th, (yesterday) our kind host supplied us with a cup of hot cofiee, which thawed us sufficiently to enable us to 2:et into the oOO A FORAY AMONGST saddle ; and we reached Block Drift just in time for the mess breakfast of the 90th, after nearly a week's absence, during which time we have been enabled to form, from experience, a tolerably correct idea of the hardships undergone by our troops, during this unsatis- factory campaign : the more unsatisfactory, as little is to be hoped from its results, either in the shape of credit, or advantage. " We indeed sadly want, in this desultory warfare, such a man as Sir Harry Smith, or Sir Charles Napier, of Scinde — a chief full of energy and activity, void of selfishness, and of all fear of responsibilty — a man who would inspire zeal and enthusiasm into all under his command, by being always himself in the front — by noticing, without favouritism, or distinction of rank, all such as trod closest in his footsteps ; and ensuring rewards to their well-earned deserts, by manly representations of the same, to the authorities at home. Such is the stamp of leader particularly needed in this discouragino- and harassiuo- warfare — who, like Scott"'s hero — " Although with men of high degree The proudest of the proud would be, Yet, trained in camps, who knew the art To win the soldier's hardy heart. Such buxom chief might lead his host From India's fires to Zembla's frost." With such a chief, the Kaffir war would probably have been brought to a close in six weeks :' now * * * ' Sir Harry Smith, in the opinion he expressed on the sub- ject, limited the period to " two or three weeks :" (p. Ill of THE T SLA.MBIKS. 301 " After a good breakfast and athorouirli cleansing, I went to the General, and respectfully representing that I considered myself hardly used, in having — without any notification to that effect — had my own people taken from me, and placed under the command of another officer ; I next beijged to be allowed to rejoin the second Division, and assume that charge; but, on meeting with a refusal, I instantly tendered my re- signation of the superintendence of the Native Levies attached to this part of the force, which was however not accepted; and I retired, in — as you may well imagine — none of the best of humours, from an inter- view, during which his Excellency had not even the civility to ask me to be seated, nor to discontinue the occupation of writing, in which lie was at the time encased V * * * * To compare great things to small — a similar inter- ference with his duties had similarly caused Colonel Hare to tender his resignation of the government of the Eastern Province; "in consequence," as he said, " of there being nothing left for the office of Lieutenant- Governor." " A system," continues Colonel Hare, in his official despatch, " under which 1 could not consent to hold office; and I consequently at once for- warded my recjuest for permission to relinquish it."' Like Colonel Hare, I continued in the execution of my unsatisfactory and thankless duties: he, poor fellow, " Blue Book " for 1848, relating to affairs of the Cape of Good Hope.) ' See Colonel Hare's Despatch, Xo. 21, to Sir Perenrine Maitland: p. GG of "Blue Book," 1847. * 302 THE T'SLAMBIES. died, it is said of a broken heart.' But, although the treatment I experienced did not affect me to quite such an extent — not a few additional grey hairs, at the age of forty — when this was written — together with an impaired eyesight, still bear witness to, and are all I have — as yet — to show for my services in Kaffirland, under his Excellency, Lieutenant-General Sir Pere- grine Maitland. ' See "Five Years in Kaffirland," vol. ii., p. 212. NONl'BE, THE ANGLO-KArriR QIEEN. .30*3 CHAPTER XV. NONUBE, THE ANGLO-KAFFIR QUEEN ; WITH EXTRACTS FROM VAN REENEN'S journal. Nonube, the Widow of the Chief Dushani, said to be of European descent — Shii)wrecked Mariners — Wreck of the Grosvenor East Indianmn — Assertion respecting the Daugh- ters of General Campbell — Expedition of Van Rcencn — Ex- tracts from his Diary — Ilis entry into Kaffirland — Vast Plain — ISleeting with Kaffirs — Curious Birds — Bosjesmans' Land — Field Sports — The lliver Somoe — Tambookie Guides ^ — Sea-Cow Shooting — The River Bosjie — A Wild Horse — The River Dombie — Ilamboona Villages — Village of Baas- tard Christians — The Mogasaj Rivers — Meeting with an Englishman — Traffic with the Natives — Remains of the Wreck of the Grosvenor — Mixed Population — Peaceable Policy of Sutu and Nonube. I made mention, in the former chapter, of Nonube, the o-reat wife — or rather widow — of the Late T''Slanibio chief Dushani, as being a " Lady of European de- scent." However, since this may possibly prove an enigma to many of my readers, some explanation on the subject may perhaps be necessary. In consequence of the great loss of shipping which has — ever since the passage round the Cape of Good Hope was first known — constantly occurred on the south-eastern coast of Africa, between Algoa Bay and Natal, many Europeans have, at different periods, 304 NONUBE, been cast upon tliesc inhospitable shores. Their fate, in earher times, was, generally speaking, to be plun- dered, and then murdered, by the inhabitants. In a few instances, however, some of these shipwrecked mariners manaoed to avert the wrath of the savages into whose power they had fallen ; and, despairing of ever again beholding their native land, appear to have become completely nationalized amongst them — learned the language, adopted the manners and customs of the barbarians amidst whom they had been cast — and finally, taking unto themselves mates selected from the swarthy daughters of the soil, infused into the dark current of African blood a small portion of that of a European source. So far back as under the immediate successors of Van Riebeck — a period when the Dutch were indefati- gable in prosecuting their voyages of discovery, chiefly along the Eastern coast — constant notices were re- ceived at the Cape, of various white stragglers having been frequently discovered by such small coasting ves- sels, as the Dutch usually sent on these exploring expe- ditions ; and mention is particularly made of a num- ber of Englishmen who had been found in such a state, by a party despatched, towards the latter end of the seventeenth century, by the Governor of the Cape of Good Hope, in quest of the survivors of the " Sta- venisse," a Dutch vessel, which had, about that period, foundered somewhere off the Hambona coast, to the south-west of Port Natal. But of all the accidents of such a nature which have so repeatedly occurred along these dangerous shores, the one which in this country long caused the greatest THE ANOLO-KAFFIR QUEEN. S05 sensation, was the wreck, in 1782, of the "Grosvenor," a large English vessel belonging to the East India Company. Le Vaillant, who visited the borders of Kafllrland a very short time after the occurrence of this event, makes the following mention of it in his Travels : — " I was told that, six weeks prior to that period, an English vessel had been shipwrecked on the coast ; that, being driven on shore, a part of the crew had fallen into the hands of the Caffers, who had put them all to death, except the women, whom they had cruelly reserved ; and that all those who had escaped led a wandering life on the coast, or in the forests, where they must soon perish, in misery. Among these un- fortunate people there were said to be several French officers, prisoners of war, who had been put on board, in order to return to Europe." Amongst the female passengers here alluded to, were two daughters of a General Campbell, who, it is said, became the wives of a Kaffir chief; and from one of the latter, her T' Slambie majesty. Queen Nonube — w'hose " capital" we so ungallantly destroyed — is said to be able to trace a lineal descent. A few of the survivors of the Grosvenor succeeded, after encountering numberless dangers, hardships, and difficulties, in reaching the Cape ; but the fate of their companions, whom they had left on this distant part of the coast, remained for many years a matter of un- certainty and speculation. They were however sup- posed to have been all murdered by the natives, starved to death, or devoured by wild beasts ; and, although an unsuccessful endeavour was made, the S06 NOXUBE, following year, (1 783) to obtain positive information on the subject — this attempt liavino; failed, nothing further appears to have been done until the year 1 790, when it was rumoured that several Englishwomen — amongst others the daughters of General Campbell — were said to be still in existence, about the neighbour- hood of the spot where the wTeck had taken place ; and that these unfortunate creatures had been spared for a fate worse than death, by being forcibly converted into "great wives" of some of the native chiefs.^ On hearing these reports, an enterprising and hu- mane individual, of the name of Yan Reenen, (a rela- tive, probably, of the present worthy owner of the celebrated Constantia Estate, in the immediate vicinity of Cape Town) a Dutch Settler in the district of Swel- lendam, organized an expedition to go in quest of our unfortunate countrywomen, and lost no time in setting forth on this chivalrous undertaking. Van Reenen kept a diary, in which were recorded all the perilous adventures encountered, together with the daily progress made by his party, during the whole period of their absence, which extended to neai'ly four months and a half; and our gallant and distinguished countryman. Captain Riou, of the Royal Navy, who happened at that time to hold a conmiand in those seas, translated Van Reenen''s account of his adven- tures, and published it in England in the year 1792. ' The Kaffirs show a great predilection for the fair-haired daughters of the North. An anecdote is related of a Kaffir Chief having offisred, aa he thought, a very fair price (in oxen) for the wife or daughter of an officer at Fort Peddie. How- ever, as the lady herself did not approve of the match, the bar- gain was not struck. THE ANGLO-KAFFIR QUEEN. 307 As the book in question is now, I believe, quite out of print, perhaps a few extracts will here be doemeJ adniissable from " A Journal kept by Jacob Van Reenen, on a journey to the place where the English ship, the Grosvonor, commanded by Captain Jolm Coxon, was wrecked, on the 4th of August, in the year 1782, to discover if any of the unfortunate crew were still living." After detailing, day by day, the progress of his party (which consisted of twelve persons besides him- self) through the Western and Eastern Provinces of the Cape of Good Hope, he thus, on passing the Great Fish River, describes his entrance into Kaffirland, which — it may be observed by the way — was then considered within the Colonial boundary : — " Saturday, September 25th, 1790, 3 hours. Four hours elapsed in getting the baggage, boat, and wag- gons, over the river ; whence we proceeded in three hours to the Great Fish River. " Sunday, 26th, 4 hours. It was with great danger we crossed this last-mentioned river ; after which, we arrived, in four hours, at the spring called Kruyer"'s Kraal, the boundary of the Christians and Kaffirs. "• Monday, 27tli, 5 hours. We this day got on five hours, to a little brook, to which we gave the name of Punch, as, the weather being exceedingly cold, our punch, for that reason, was made rather strong. Tuesday, 28th, 8 hours. Saw a great quantity of game, and shot two male eelauds. We travelled hence eight hours farther ; and passing over a small brook called Caaga, came to a vast plain, extending as far as 308 EXTRACTS FROM a river called Caapna,' or fine meadows ; which name it highly merits, from its delightful situation. The whole country is intersected with rivulets, capable of overflowing the adjacent meadows, and possesses every requisite for becoming a most convenient and charming Settlement. It is well adapted for cattle, as it is covered with an abundance of long, broken- down grass. We here met with a great quantity of different sorts of game. Shot two buffaloes, " Wednesday, 29th, 6 hours. Proceeded six hours farther ; but were under the necessity of halting, to unharness, as old Holtshausen was taken exceedingly ill, with the gravel. " Thursday, 80th, 7 hours. This day we travelled seven hours, to the Kat River, or Kaffir's, or Hotten- tot's Hunca River, and arrived at the first Kaffir's kraal, where we were visited by several of those people. In the evening we posted a night-watch. " Friday, 1st, 8 hours. Passed another brook, at the beginning of the Keiskamma, where several Kaffirs came to us from their chief, Captain Sambee. We sent two of our people (Kaffirs) to him, to ask permis- sion to travel through his country, and that he would supply us with interpreters. Passed another small brook, and arrived at the Keiskamma, where we shot ' The Mancazana is probably here alluded to. The track of Van lleenen's party is laid down in the chart appended to Captain Riou's work much too near the coast ; our adventurous travellers evidently crossed the Kat River considerably to the nortiiward of the spot where Fort Beaufort now stands; their course would thus be a direct line, avoiding the windings of the coast, from the point of their departure to that of their destination. — Authou. VAN UEKNEN's JOLUNAL. 309 two birds, unknown to u.s : the Kaffir's name for thcin was heemoe. which !?iiiiiilies ' I see soniethinf;/ It is a bird about the size of a large blue heron, but perches in woods and trees ; has a tuft of hair on its head, in the shape of a paint-brush, of a yellowish colour, with black stripes ; the head, or crown, like black velvet; a blue neck, like a heron; black and white wings, and long feet. We had travelled this day eight hours. " Saturday, 2nd, 7 hours. Proceeded, and this day travelled seven hours ; durinj? which we saw several Kaffirs. We came to the determination of leavinjj this country, and getting over the Kaffir mountains [the Amatola ?J as soon as possible, dreading, other- wise, the encountering delays, or worse consequences, as these people were at war with each other, Captain Sambee [T'Slambie ?] being opposed to Captain Jaccaa, who, with considerable loss, had been already twice beaten. The two Kaffirs that we had sent to Captain Sambee returned to us, with a message from the Cap- tain, expressing his sorrow that he could not come himself, owinn was his master, he then asked if it was a son of old Jacob van Reenen, or Cootje, as my father was com- monly called : the Hottentot answered. Yes. He then 318 EXTRACTS FROM told liim he M'as well known at the Cape, and had a wife there and two children. The fear that we should lay hold of him and carry him with us most prohably prevented his ever returninj^ to us ao;ain. "Thursday, lltli. We remained the whole of this day by the side of the river, it being too high to pass. "Friday, 12th, 8 hours. Having passed the river, and travelled three hours, we arrived at a wood, through which we were to cut our way. " Saturday, 13th, 2 hours. We got through this last mentioned wood, and were obliged soon after to cut through another, having proceeded only two hours. " Sunday, 14th, 3 hours. We this day proceeded three hours, and crossed a river called Bogasie, at the mouth of which, in the sea, we shot two sea-cows. Here the natives brought us potatoes, sugar-canes, corn, and beans, likewise gold and silver ; for which we exchano-ed with them beads. "Monday, 15th, 4 hours. Travelling onward, we passed a little brook near the seaside. Here Jan Andries Holtshausen had the misfortune to fall into a pit of burnt stakes, (an elephant pit) by which he was terribly wounded in the palm of his left hand. We now came to a height that we could not pass without great danger and difficulty, and where we learnt that the wreck was not far off. We therefore determined to halt, and to go on horseback to the spot, to see what could be discovered. Jan Andries Holt- shausen, Tjaart van der Waldt, Cornells Mulder, Hil- gert Mulder, and myself, with Ignatius Mulder, mounted our horses, and rode the distance of one hour and a half, when Jan Andries Holtshausen and VAN reenen's journal. 319 myself were oWifjcd to return to our waijgons, owinij to the necessity there was of dismounting and leading our horses through a river, in order to proceed, the bed of which was full of holes and rocks ; and, as I was exceedingly troubled with great pain all over my limbs, and old Holtshausen, who had regarded his wound as a trifle, not having even applied a bandage to it, found his hand very painful, we neither of us dared venture on such an undertaking. At our return to the waggons, wo administered sweet oil to Holt- shausen's wound, and made use of every other means in our power to assuage the pain ; but it still con- tinued, and did not in the least abate. At night our companions returned to us, and told us they had been at the spot where the ship was wrecked, but had then found nothing of it remaining, except some cannon, iron ballast, and lead. They brought with them two pieces of spermaceti candle, and some fragments of English china. The wreck lay four hours from this spot, in which distance there were seven rivers to pass, for which we had no name. We this day shot a sea-cow. " Thursday, 16th, Some of our companions went again to the spot where the wreck lay, but saw no- thing more than what has been already mentioned. Hilfert Mulder broufrht with him a piece of red sa^ panna wood. We this day shot two sea-cows. " Wednesday, 17th. On this day, with some others of the party, I rode to the above-mentioned spot, but saw nothing but five cannons and a great quantity of iron ballast. It was plainly perceived, on a spot of ground between two woods, that people had made 320 EXTRACTS FROM fires and sheltered themselves ; likewise, on a rising ground between the two woods, was a pit, where things had been buried and dug out again ; this confirming to us what the runaway slave had told us, tliat every thing had been dug up and dispersed very far into the country. We also understood from the natives, that the greatest part of the goods had been conveyed to Rio de la Goa, to be there sold ; which place, as well as we could learn, was from tliis spot a journey of four days, or of forty or fifty hours. " Thursday, 18th. Tjaart van der Waldt, Hilgert Mulder, and Jacob Joubert rode along the seaside, about two hours farther to the northward than where the remains of the wreck lay, but could find nothing more than what has been already mentioned. It was now determined that we should return home ; as, in the first place, several of our drauiiiit oxen had died, and many of those that remained were in a very sickly condition ; besides, that old Holtshausen, from the excessive pain he suffered by the wound in his hand, became very impatient to get back. The natives hereabouts expressed very great astonishment at our taking such great pains to come in search of the un- fortunate crew. And the chiefs, and indeed the whole of them in general, promised that if any similar dis- aster should ever happen in future, they would protect and take care of the crew that might come on shore, and conduct them to us, if they could only be assured of obtaining beads, copper, and iron, for so doing, which we promised. It is to be observed, that to, this place we had travelled three hundred and seventy- seven hours, which was two hundred and twenty-six VAN REENEN's JOIRNAL. 321 hours beyond tlie limits of the Cliristian possessions, or rather so much beyond any Christian liabitation. The distance from the Cape to the Great Fisli River is two hundred and twenty-one hours ; thus we com- puted that we were now distant from the Cape four hundred and forty-seven hours." # * # lit Captain Riou, by calculations drawn from the above account, fixes the wreck of the Grosvenor as havin"' occurred between the 27th and 28tli defi;rees of south latitude, or about a hundred miles south of Dela<;oa Bay, whereas, in Wylde's last map of this part of the world, itivS — apparently with more reason, if the time and distances marked in Van Reenen's Journal be attentively considered — placed about as far to the south of Port Natal. This appears however to be, at the present date, a point of little moment — but, as far as regards Van Reenen''s expedition, although it failed in the chief object for which it had been undertaken, it neverthe- less established the fact of European women having on some previous occasion fallen into the power of. -and been forced into alliances with the natives ; the result of which was, so far back as sixty years ago, a mixed population to a considerable extent ; and from one of tlie "old women" mentioned in the Journal, it is more than probable that Queen Nonube — the heroine of our tale — derived lior claims to European descent ; for I never could discover proofs of lior havin<: anv legitimate pretensions to consanguinity with the ii()l)le house of Argyle, or of being, as has been asserted. " a female descendant of General Campbell, who with P 5 n-^-7 NONUBE. his family was wrecked in the last century off the east coast of Africa, in the Grosveuor East Indiaman," nor that " Nonube''s mother was the dauohter of a Miss Campbell, one of the General's unhappy daughters, who had been seized and retained by a Kaffir Chief as his great wife." Both Sutu, the "great" widow of Gaika, and Nonube, who bears the same relation to Dushani, the late head of the T' Slambies, have ever exerted all their influence to maintain friendly relations with the Colony, and have always endeavoured — at great per- sonal risk — to inculcate this mode of conduct on their respective sons, Sandilla and Siwana ; but Macomo long succeeded in thwarting Sutu''s peaceable endea- vours — whilst the T' Slambie Chief Seyolo, justly de- scribed by Sir Henry Pottinger as " a violent and morose savage," enacted the same part, in opposing Nonube's endeavours with the T' Slambies. Nonube has always declared her peaceable intentions, but says that — " Seyolo"'s hand is on her shoulder, and keeps her down." In endeavouring to carry out this amicable line of policy, Sutu and Nonube have both had narrow escapes of being roasted alive as witches by their dutiful sons, instigated to such an act, by the then predominant war faction of " Young Kaffirland." I have described how, in the "razzia" made during the month of November, 1846, against the country of the T"" Slambies, poor Nonube's abode had shared a common fate with the kraals of other chieftains far more blameable than herself. Would that, in this world, retribution fell alone upon the guilty ! CATTLE-LIFTIXG IN KAFFIRLAND. 328 CHAPTER XVI. CATTLE-LIFTING IN KAFFIRLAND. Suspension of hostilities — Designs of the enemy — A vertical sun — Determination of the English General — Operations at the Mess Tent — Variable climate — Orders to the troops — A large Cattle kraal — Skirmish with the enemy — Amusing incident — Cattle captured — Exciting scene — Fiery charger — An awkward dilenima — Pursuit of a Kaffir — Surprise and disappointment — More cattle taken from the enemy — Cou- rage of the Kaffirs — Return to the Camp — Surrender of Botman, the Gaika chief. The first truce granted to Sandilla had long since ter- minated ; a second suspension of hostihties was at his urgent request acceded to, and this liad likewise nearly expired, without any signs of the promised conditions of peace having as yet been fulfilled. Day after day passed in anxious expectation of a forward movement; but naught save uegociations, missionary consultations, conferences, and embassies followed each other in rapid succession. The object on the part of these wily savages was (as I have already shown) evidently to procrastinate and gain time, whilst they drove ofl^" and secured their ill-gotten booty ; for the numerous fiocks and herds of which they had feloniously plundered the Colony were most probably, during all this delay, rapidly progressing towards Kreili's country. Meanwhile, the summer of these regions was fast ad- o24> CATTLE-LIFTING vancing, and the heat becoming more and more intense, whilst the herbage— on which all in this country depends for the sustenance of horses and cattle, in other words, for the practicability of military movements— was wither- ing, like our hopes, under the power of a vertical sun, whose scorching rays, darting on our frail canvass tenements, kept us, during the day, at the average com- fortable temperature of about 120 degrees; whilst at night, or after rain, the glass would not unfrequently, in the course of a few hours, suddenly fall some 50 or 60 degrees ! Thus passed away the sultry month of November, brinofinsr with it no other result save what has been alluded to in a former chapter, viz., the surrender of Macomo with his family, that of some bundles of asse- gais, a few useless firelocks, with a small number of poor cattle and raw-boned, sore-backed ponies.' At last, even the GeneraFs patience became fairly ex- hausted. He vowed — it is said, in spite of the mission- aries — that he would stand no more humbug ; where- upon Mr. Sandilla (who had hitherto remained very quietly bivouaced on a height overlooking our camp) took up his blanket, and limped^ oif into the Bush. It was now determined on — wlien too late — to ob- tain from the Kaffirs, by force, what diplomacy had failed to effect. But the savages, meanwhile, had not been asleep, and the greater part of the stolen Colonial herds were then, no doubt, " ruminating" on their cap- tive lot amidst the far distant pastures beyond the Kye. * In consequence of being ridden without a saddle, the Kaffir horses have mostly sore l)acks. ^ Sandilla has from his birth been a cripple, one of his legs being withered up. See "Past and Future Emigration," p. 25. IN KAFFIRLAXD. o2:) In consequence of tlio above resolution, instead of a simultaneous advance of three or four strong clicly to thank him for his share in the successful result of this expedition ; and, notwitiistanding the circumstance of the officer connnanding the Division having strongly urged that his name should be mentioned in general orders, no notice whatever was taken of such recommendation : true, he was pro- bably " under a cloud" from having, some time previously, ten- dered his resignation, but that resiguatiou had not been accepted. VOL. II. Q 338 CATTLE-LIFTING IN KAFFIRLAND. thoy now — save in the immediate defence of their herds — generally make but little resistance. " ' AVhy should we any longer fight V say they at present ; ' we have got all we want ; we have eaten the Colonial sheep, we have driven away the Colonial cattle — we wish now to cultivate our fields ; we wish for peace, and we will fight no more."" " This is most acute reasoning on the part of the Kaffirs, and there is no doubt, if they obtain their wish, that they will then leave the Colony at peace — until another opportunity of plundering shall present itself. Such, at least, for the last half century, has been their universal mode of proceeding : to rob, murder, devastate, tire out our troops, and then sue for a cessation of hostilities."'*' ***** This last " stirring up" was however attended with the result of causing the surrender of Botman, a gigantic Chief of the Gaikas — great only in person, for his tribe was insignificant and small ; but, spite of a continuation of the above petty warfare, Sandilla and Pato, with many other minor chiefs, continued to set our power and just claims at open defiance, till at last, a orand forward movement beyond the Kye was resolved upon, for the purpose of fairly " eating them up,"> The following Chapter, containing a memorandum, hastily written at the time, by an officer of rank, en- gaged in that expedition, may serve as a specimen of the hardships and privations our troops had usually to undergo during this very arduous and trying campaign. ' A Kaffir expression, signifying to ruin or destroy, but chiefly applicable to the seizure of cattle. PATROLE BEYOND THE KYE. 339 CHAPTER XVII. JOURNAL OF A PATROLE BEYOND THE KYE, IN JANUARY, 1847. BY AN OFFICER ENGAGED IN THAT EXPEDITION. Expedition under Sir Peregrine jNIaitland — Scenery of the Kye— Missionary Station of Butterworth — Fingoc kraals — Skirmish with the Kaffirs, and capture of cattle — Privations of the soldiers — Three British officers killed by thecnemy — Bivouac with cattle — A fusillade — Scarcity of provisions — Dangerous passage of the river — Bivouac in the Bush — Hardships incident to a Kaffir Campaign — Recall of Sir Peregrine Maitland. " On the last day of the year 1846, after a patrole of about five days, we arrived in Camp ; and, on the 2nd of January, a strong detachment of about two thousand men, under the immediate superintendence of the Governor, Sir Peregrine Maitland, again started on the same service. It is customary for each patrole (it being fatiguing work) to be relieved by another party ; but, as I take a ticket in every lottery, I started again in command of about one thousand five hundred infantry. Our object is to make a combined movement with Colonel Somerset, who, with some cavalry, is already across the Kye River. We marched at eleven, stopped for an hour at a place called "NV^arden's Fort, a burnt down post, estabhshed by Sir Benjamin d'Urban, and halted in a hailstorm ; pieces of ice falling, as large as a table-spoon. q2 340 JOURNAL OF A PATROLE '4 Q, Srtl. Marched at half-past four, A.M. ; scenery very beautiful ; on cither bank of the Kye, perpen- dicular rocks overhang the road, and one hundred Kaffirs, properly posted, might easily prevent our crossing at all. I never saw a more defensible ford. The water was not above two feet deep, but ran rapidly, and the stones at the bottom were very large. The consequence was, that vast numbers of men rolled over ; some lost their arms, and some, when down, had difficulty in sustaining themselves against the current. We have only a few commis- sariat waggons with us, and many of these upset at the wrono- side of the river. As we found that the waggons would be hours crossing the Kye, we mounted a tremendous ascent of about tliree miles and a half; here we halted, as the waggons could not get up. " 4th. Marched at six ; halted at top of the hill to breakfast; marched from twelve to five. A level country, perfectly open for about twelve miles. We halted at Butterworth, a missionary station, destroyed bv the Kaffirs. The country in its neighbourhood highly cultivated, and a very large population of Fin- goes surrounding it. I rode round many of the Fin- goe kraals in search of cheese and milk, but could get neither for money, nor for what is here much more esteemed — tobacco. This is surprising, considering that each village has about one hundred and fifty cattle. The fields of Indian corn were mixed with coarse kidney-beans, and a few unripe pumpkins. The commissariat was, as usual, so injudiciously managed, that this patrols was sent off with only two days' flour and rice, and only five days'" biscuit. I look BEYOND THE KYE. 34-1 upon our conduct throughout this war, in a military point of view, as more primitive even than that of the Kaffirs. Since leaving Graham's Town, I have not seen fowl, duck, pig, game, or vegetables of any kind, until to-day. " 5th. AVe halted, to enable the waggons and Colonel Somerset''s patrole to come up ; on one side might be seen B and F , with little bits of tobacco, baroaininir with Finh, officers already in want of provisions, men with no clothes but those on, no tents, and not above a dozen little sloping sheds, made of boughs, under which they crept for shelter ; some of the officers had already lost every thing but what was on their backs by Kaffir pillage. My little tent, which is about four feet high, holds F , self, raw meat, cooking utensils, &c., coffee, sugar, swords, and guns, all in a general heap, and we are more comfortable than our neighbours. It rains per- petually; nothing can exceed our filthy state ; strange however to relate, the doctor's list is nearly blank. « * * * " 7th. The Governor left us this morning. * # * * " 8th. This morning we marched at six, and having had a long ' out spann,' halted after about ten miles' march. The Kye had risen, and our supplies could not cross. We consequently sent back Captain F and one hundred and fiftj- men to hold the Kye ' drift." and cover the advance of all supplies. 342 JOURNAL OF A PATROLE " 9tli. Having heard that the Kaffirs were in great force at a drift twelve miles off, we marched at five, cavalry at four. Came up with them at eleven, took two thousand cattle, and killed a good many Kaffirs. There were thousands of cattle escaping, but the in- fantry were not up. The infantry halted for breakfast at about ten miles. Two miles further we met Somer- set ; the Kaffirs were not above six miles ahead. I wanted to pass on, but it was deemed more prudent to halt, as the cavalry had gone astray. " 10th. As we had nothing to eat but tough beef, we were forced to halt for supplies. The rain came do^vn in torrents. The Kye of course much swollen. "11th. This morning marched towards the Kye. Feeding so long on beef without bread, salt, or any thing else, had begun to tell on us, and the men were o-ettinof very weak. We had a very severe march of eighteen miles, every soldier up excepting the * * * " 12th. Rain, everlasting. We marched this morn- ing to the top of the Kye ridge, the cavalry and artil- lery descending to the bed of the river. The river is too high to cross, and the infantry are to stay at the top of the ridge. The Fingoes, our allies, are daily stealing our cattle, and we must get to some more open spot. The Kaffirs are all around us. The sad news has just reached us, that the Kaffirs have killed three of our officers, who had been sent out on a pa- trole to get some cattle ; as famine was staring them in the face. It appears that the party saw a Kaffir driving a few oxen away, and three officers with some burghers, leaving their party, galloped on ahead. These were suddenly attacked by Kaffirs; BEYOND THE KYE. 343 when Captain Gibson and Doctor Howell, with the Honourable Mr. Chetw3'nd, of the 7.3rd, fell victims to their rashness, as also two burghers. Serjeant Beech, of the 6th, heard several shots fired, and his party proceeded with all speed. On approaching the scene of action, they saw seven Kaffirs killed. Two mounted burghers escaping, reported that they were attacked by a very large body of Kaffirs, that the assegais were tlirown in great quantities, and that the Kaffirs were also well armed with muskets — the last they saw of the officers, was two who were fiirhtin<'- dismounted. We sent out a party of one hundred men to search for the bodies, I fear there is no hope of their being alive. The party returned this evening with the three bodies. It appears that these officers were inveigled into a defile by the sight of cattle, placed there as a decoy. They were pierced by a multitude of wounds, inflicted by assegais and musket-shots ; and their bodies were mutilated by beasts and birds of prey.i Strange to say, the dead Kaffirs were un- touched ; and it is, I understand, an invariable rule that no animal of prey will touch a Kaffir until his body becomes putrid. The pass where this tragedy occurred is described as being singularly dangerous, and would even, with a strong body, require the greatest caution in advancinij throuirh. "13th. The weather has cleared up. A partv of seven hundred Fingoes, who wish to emigrate into our ' From the circumstance of the bodies of the Kaffirs being untouched, it is more than probable that those of our poor countrymen had been mutihited by these barbarians, as it is their universal practice on such occasions. — Autuok. 344 JOURNAL OF A TATROLE Colony, and wliom I sent a party to meet last night, have arrived. They are a sort of slaves to the Kaffirs, but (if possible) a more degraded race. They belong to the Butterworth district, and were afraid of being intercepted by the Kaffirs. The river is falling, but no supplies can cross. Every soul is living on beef (nauseous to a degree without salt), and tea made of any thing that we can find in the grass ; the men are irrowino- weaker and weaker. To show the state of affairs, I received an official this morning com- mencing : — ' Sir, I am directed by Colonel Somerset,' &c. ; and, it continues, ' I send you a biscuit, and one for Captain Hogg."" This had been got across on a negro*'s head, by way of compliment to me as com- manding 1500 men. I keep this official for a future laugh. To-day, I have sent out 200 men in search of pumpkins and Indian corn, all of which is yet unripe. We this morning buried our unfortunate brother officers in a sort of arbour, which we after- wards burnt down, to prevent the Kaffirs digging them up, which they generally do for the sake of the arti- cles interred with them. "]4th. This morning, the river having fallen, we marched, but were intercepted when we had proceeded two-thirds of tlie way down the hill, by information that the water had again risen. The cavalry had crossed, losing a serjeant-major of Dragoons, and two of the Cape Corps. We counter-marched, to the utter disgust of the men, to a spot half way up the hill, too much surrounded with wood to be a good position against Kaffir attack, but we could get no further ; some of the men who had been sent to the BEYOND THE KYE. 34'^ bottom of the hill were utterly done up; one slept in the liush, and, strange to say, was not found by the Kaffirs. Numbers of our people seated themselves on the ascent, and were all day getting up, so great had been their exhaustion. ^V'e now slept in a circle, round 6000 cattle, with a strong line of sentries out- side, against Kaffirs, and inside airainst bullocks. " loth. The river has risen three feet. The body of a 78rd man brought in, who, having straggled into the Bush, had been killed by the Kaffirs. Yester- day evening at dark, saw Kaffirs carrying off" some * * * •, a few cavalry pursued, and on their return were attacked, one man wounded. At dark, B , myself, and two or three other officers, were seated laughing at our misfortunes, admiring the picturesque appearance of our bivouac. We were close to the men''s fires which illumined a thick bush, near which we were stretched at leno-tli, or sittino; tailor-fashion. a soldier lying asleep against the root of a tree, his face lit up by the sun's rays, arms and accoutre- ments hanging in the branches, intermingled with sundry tempting morselsof beef ; we looked more like savages than British soldiers, with lonir beards and unwashed faces ; for here even water had jjrown verv scarce, owing to the men bein^ too exhausted to fetch it. Well, we were lying thus, enjoying the spec- tacle, a leg of veal hanging near the fire, under the idea that it would be a dainty treat, such as we had seldom known, when pop, pop, pop ! and then bullets began to whistle through the tree. An answer was soon made by the Fingoes, and a regular fusillade commenced. ' The MS. is here quite illegible. Q 5 S46 JOPRNAL OF A PATROLE Some officer ordered the men to stand to their arms, and I ordered them to lie close down and kick out the fires. In one minute, all was confusion. Our pic- turesque group was broken up, my leg of veal was knocked over, and all was darkness. The firing slackened a little, and in five minutes B again returned. His story was carried on from the same point where he had left off, and we again attempted to enact the picturesque. Now and then, a shot told us that our friends were still amusing themselves, but we heeded them not. It is easy to know the Kaffir from the Fingoe shot — the former is heavy, dull, and loud ; the Fingoe's is lighter, and ours is the smart crack ; the following morning, two Kaffirs were found to have suffered. " 16th. This morning we endeavoured to get a rope across the river ; this was a vain attempt — the water rushed down as through a sluice. A punt was con- structed of the bottom of a waggon. Each day the beef, tougher than leather, nauseates more and more, and the men grow weaker every day. " 17th. From five o'clock this moniing until the evening, I worked with the Hottentots and Fingoes to pass a rope over, but all was vain. I crawled, with a guard and two or three officers, along the edge of the cliff, over ground interspersed with huge rocks, crowned with tano-led bush. We at length reached a more tranquil spot of the river, and here they contrived to pass over two bags of biscuit to the men. These were got up an almost inaccessible hill on bullocks. At this time, a piece of biscuit as big as your thumb would have sold for five shillings, as would also a spoonful of BEYOND THE KYE. 347 sugar, tea, or coffee, or one cheroot ; such was our state of destitution. "18th. This morning the cattle went down to the river, and commenced crossing at six ; such a scene I never witnessed ! Five hundred liead of cattle at the same time in the river, with one hundred drivers, lowing, kicking, and struggling. By dint of shouting and thumping, they rush into the water ; all goes well until they get to the rapid current, or out of their depth ; then commences the worst part of the affair; they now will not keep on straight ; round comes the head of the foremost bullock, and every succeeding one follows his example ; — sometimes they had got close to the opposite shore, when they thus wheeled suddenly round ; only four thousand were passed over by seven o'clock ; I however succeeded in getting across one of the iruns, which was for half an hour stuck in the middle of the river ; had the water risen, I was done for. " 19th. Last night there was a great deal of firing, whether it was from our rascally Fingoes, or Kaffirs firing into camp, I cannot say ; I suppose a little of both. We are so accustomed now to this st3-le of fusillade, that all we do is to lie close, and continue our little coteries. This morning some waggons were got, by great exertion, into the stream, and ropes were tied from the sliore to the waggons, and from waggon to waggon. The stream still runs most rapidly. At nine, we commenced our passage across ; but so power- ful was the current, that, notwithstanding the aid of the rope, every hundred English soldiers took at least an liour in crossing over. The cattle at the same 318 JOURNAL OF A PATROLE time were making their way about twenty yards lower down. Once they came up aoainst the stream, over the rope, and drowned one Rifleman. With the exception of this casualty, we sustained no loss, which I consider a most fortunate circumstance. It was altoo-ether a scene worth seeing, once in a way ; the noise, the confusion — the rushing of the water — the crowds perpetually in the stream — blacks washed away by dozens, but saving themselves by their ad- mirable swimming. From 5 a.m. till 7 p.m. I was on the bank, hallooing, abusing, ordering, and firing. I was for a time seated on a wajrjjon, in the middle of the stream, with a rifle, firing close by the noses of the Fingoes, who, with calves on their shoulders, were laying hold of the ropes, and endangering its safety and the lives of our soldiers. I fired at least a hun- dred shots in this manner. Then I had to prevent the Fingoe cattle from entering the water above the rope ; as in such case, most undoubtedly, a number of men would have been drowned. To eflect this, I was obliged to stand ready prepared to shoot any bullock which got in. At five, the majority of the cattle were over, and now commenced the crossing of the Fingoes, women and children, with their baggage on their heads. " The Irish may boast of their potatoes, but the Kaffir pumpkin appears quite as useful in the pro- duction of the animal creation. I never saw a larger population of children in any country. The Fingoes at this time worked so inefficiently, that I was obliged to employ some lliflemen to drive cattle, goats, and men, by dint of force and blows, all into the stream together : at dark I found tliat still there was six BEYOND THE KYE. 340 hours work. The infantry had crossed ; a rear-guard was on the other side, under a perpendicular rock. I was therefore forced to send back some cavalry, to pro- tect these rascally IJutterworth Fingoes, who had been breaking my heart and spoiling my temper all day. I now crossed ; but I had previously sent on the in- fantry to the top of the hill ; and with these, my little all, I consequently threw myself on the mercy of the rear-guard. We bivouacked in the bushes, under the rocks, all in a heap ; but who can tell the joy of eat- ing, after twelve days'" starvation ! A large box of things had arrived for the Ivitles ; and never sluill I forget our ecstasy at the taste of a large mouldy plum- pudding, which had been waiting for us a fortnight at this side. We sat comfortably by our fires, when sud- denly a cry was raised that ' The Kaffirs are upon us !' * * * * of the Rifles called to arms, and I desired the men to lie down. The women were shriekinir, the fires were extinguished, and all was dark as pitch. Tlie Fingoes and Kaffirs anmsed themselves firing for about ten minutes, and all again became tranquil. The fact was, that the Kaffirs had stolen up, and killed a Fin- goe sitting at our watch-fires, about five yards from our sentries, and fifteen yards from where Captain M and I were sitting. I slept in a waggon, with a waggon-conductor, who, having eaten too much hard beef, thumped me all night with his fists, thinkino- (I suppose) he was pitching into his ' nightmare.'' " 20th. Last night we had failed with our waggons, and four or five were left in the stream. This morn- ing, by dint of long ropes, &c., waggons, Fingoes, and every soul, were over by twelve o'clock. As we moved •350 PATROLE BEYOND THE KYE. along, a man exclaimed, ' Do you see the old brute V We turned round, and the men looked back to the other side of the Kye. " ' Who do you mean V said an officer. " ' Why, Hunger Hill, if you please, sir I' * ♦ # *■ " I have learned this much from patrolling, that animal food weakens the human frame, if taken alone, without other eatables. We had an unlimited supply of beef; and few men ate less than three pounds per diem. Men and officers, generally speaking, have now been twenty days without cover, raining more than half the time ; no change of clothing for the men, and even the officers seldom being able to effect this. The gene- rality never had their clothes off at all, during twelve days, living on bullocks"' flesh, without salt, many nauseating, (as I did) and eating nothing at all. The officers and men are shoeless, and demi-breechless, with beards like savages. It has been a severe war against ' les entrailles.' Few however were sick under the excitement ; but, when that had ceased, sickness immediately made its appearance." THE EMIGRANT BOER. 3ol CHAPTER XVIII. THE EMIGRANT BOER. The Winterberg Mountains — Fingoe Posts — Stolen Cattle — The Author surrounds a Fingoe encampment, and sends its inmates, under escort, to Block Drift — Meeting with an Emigrant Boer — Conflicting accounts respecting the Dutch Settlers — A communicative companion — Wild sports in Southern Africa — The old Hunter's Adventures — Idea of a true Sportsman — Hunting the Lion — Anecdotes relative to the " King of the Forest " — Hamlet of Blinkwater — Attack of the Kaffirs on that place — Gallantry of Sergeant Snod- grass. " Close beside the sedgy brim Couchant lurks the lion grim, Waiting till the close of day Brings agam the destined prey." Pringle. The great Winterberg range of mountains — itself a distant ramification of tlie lofty Stormbcrg — branches off, above Post lletief, into the Little Winterberg and the Chumie Hills ; which latter — circling round the sources of the stream bearing that name, and of the Mancazana River — form a continuous and elevated range, bounding northward, the road leading from Fort Beaufort to Block Drift. On this ridire — near the source of a rivulet called the Gaga, which here marks the boundary of the Colony — was established, during the last Kaffir wai-. OOZ THE EMIGRANT BOER. a post of about a hundred and fifty Fingoes, whilst another detachment of the same people occupied a spot in the valley of the Kat River, a little to the north of Fort Beaufort. Although these two positions were separated by a mountainous tract of some sixteen or eighteen miles in extent, there was nevertheless every reason to suspect, that availing themselves of the rugged nature of the country, our African auxiliaries carried on an extensive illicit traffic in stolen horses and cattle ; several animals of both descriptions having of late been most unaccountably absent, without leave, from the camp "kraal" at Block Drift. As they could scarcely have been carried away by the Kaffirs, it was supposed they had been appropriated by the aforesaid Fingoes, at the neighbouring post on the Gaga, and thence handed on to their brethren at the " New School" station, on the Kat River ; for these, our faithful " allies," never, during the whole course of the war, let slip an opportunity of plundering cattle, whether from friend or foe. To unravel, if possible, this mystery, I started from Block Drift one fine morning, long before daylight — roused up my friend. Colonel Nicolls, the Commandant at Fort Beaufort — and producing an order for an escort of the 7th Dragoon Guards, soon surrounded the afore- said Fingoe encampment ; and ere well aroused from their slumbers, our swarthy allies, with all the horses and cattle I could lay hands on, found themselves — under escort of the dragoons — on the line of march to Block Drift, there to render an account of their apparently ill-gotten property. Having thus far executed my mission, I next day THE EMIORAXT nOER. 8.'3 proceeded to visit a remote post situated amidst the little Winterberg Minintains, and happened to have, during the finst part of my trip, the company of" a venerable old Colonial Dutchman of the name of B , one of the numerous emigrant Boers, who some years before — abandoning the IJritish territories — had, to the number of eight or ten thousand, crossed the Colonial boundary to seek comfort, competence, and independ- ence ; and — as has since turned out — in the vain hope of being allowed to enjoy unmolested these blessings in the heart of the South African wilderness. Business had brought my new acquaintance from far beyond the Stormberg Mountains to Graham's Town, and he was now returning to the " tents of his tribe," in the remote regions between tiie M odder and Caledon rivers. Since my arrival in the Colony, I had had few opportunities of intercourse with the Dutch inhabit- ants, of whom I had read the most contradictory ac- counts ; some describing them as a coarse and brutal set of men, devoid of every virtue, and mercilessly tyrannizing over the whole of the coloured popula- tion ; whilst others gave quite another colouring to the picture, and held forth the Boers as an injured and oppressed race — a large portion of whom — though taxed by the British Government under whose sway they had been involuntarihj placed — never received from us adequate protection against the depredations of the Native Tribes beyond our boundary, whilst ex- posed at the same time, to be with impunity despoiled from within, by the vagrant Hottentots, emancipated slaves, and vagabonds of every sort and description. 354 THE EMIGRANT BOER. Tliej were moreover, in the latter statements, repre- sented as having been not only robbed by the pre- mature and unprepared measure of emancipating the slaves, but as victims of detraction and injustice in every shape — an oppressed people, who had been forced at length to abandon in despair the thresholds of their forefathers, and bury themselves in exile amidst the far wildernesses, and deserted wastes of the interior. Both these accounts may perchance be overdrawn ; but, at any rate, I was not sorry to have an oppor- tunity of questioning on the subject a man, who, from his advanced time of life, and apparently sound sense, appeared competent to afford good information on many points with which I wished to become acquainted relative to the emigrant Boers. I was also particularly anxious — from having recently perused several sporting works relating to that portion of the South African Continent now occupied by them — to ascertain from an eye-witness, if the almost incredible relations as to the immense quantities of game stated still to be found in those remote regions were or were not over-drawn ; and as Mynheer B was himself — even at his then very great age — a staunch sports- man, and spoke moreover very intelligible English, I deemed myself fortunate in having so opportunely hit upon such a companion. As we jogged along the picturesque Kat River valley, during the freshness of a South African sum- mer\s morn — the gurwlino; stream still flowing under the shadow of the neighbouring Chumie hills, and moreover darkly embowered amidst groves of weeping willow and feathery acacias — numbers of the small THE EMIGRANT BOER. 855 black-faced monkey mif^ht be seen playfully gambolling amid.st the branches overhanging the water — whil.'jt an unearthly yell, proceeding from the beetling rocks on our left, sometimes caused us to look up, when a string of hideous ursine baboons would tlien meet our gaze, as they chased each other with ungainly antics along some bare ledge of the grey wooded " krantz" above. Then, ever and anon, my aged companion interrupted the thread of his discourse, to direct my attention to the various localities which we passed by, at the same time reverting to events thus brought to his recollection, which in some instances appeared to extend beyond the usual span of life. He pointed out where lay the notorious Missionary Settlement of the " Kat Kiver Hottentots" — gave an account of the intrigues and machinations of which it is said to have been the focus, previously to the war of 1834 — showed the direction whence flowed the Man- cazana — related what are noic the traditions of the Achter Bruntjes Hooghte, the modern Glen Lynden, at present no longer the abode of his countrymen, but tenanted some years ago by a no less hardy race.' With all the garrulous loquacity of age, did the old man thus wander from subject to subject; but one- tenth part of his gossip would tire out the most patient fireside reader ; and I shall therefore only record, in an abbreviated form, such of his " sayings" as I can re- ' The Acliter Bruntjes Ilooghte is the locality of some of the fabulous inventions of Le Vaillant : it became a few years ago, under the appellation of Glen Ljnden, the location of a party of Scotch Settlers, and the residence of the well-known poet Pringle, whose prose partakes often of poetic fiction. 356 THE EMIGRANT BOER. collect, which may, from their tendency, be deemed suitable to the pages now before us. "Mynheer,'' remarked I, "you — who appear to talk of, and to recollect events of half a century's date, as if they were of yesterday's occurrence — can, I dare say, give me some account of one or two subjects about which I am very anxious to obtain information. In the first place, I should like to have an outline of the movements of your countrymen who have emi- grated beyond the Orange River, with the reasons for their having taken such a desperate step — and se- condly, as a sportsman, I am much interested on another subject, namely, the history of the many wild animals of this part of the world ; whether they were formerly really as numerous as stated, within the bounds of the Colony, and if or not the accounts be exafffferated, of the countless flocks still to be met with beyond the Orange River f " As to your first question," answered B , " I would rather be silent on the subject, for I do not think that all I might say could possibly be gratifying to an Englishman's ears.^ With regard to the wild animals, however, I shall be glad to give you what- ever information I possess on the matter." " We hear — nor do I see any reason to doubt the truth of the assertion — that when the Dutch first came to the Cape under old Van Riebeck, all sorts of wild animals were then as numerous there, as they are at this day on the banks of the Mori(pia and Limpopo, on ^ See Nicholson's " Cape and its Colonists ;" also an article which appeared in the " New Monthly Magazine" for January, 1849, entitled the "Rebel Boers." THE EMIGRANT BOER, ;j,o7 the verge of tlio tropic — or as they tcere along the \'aal and Modder Iviver.s, when, some ten or twelve years since, my countrynicu, the self-exiled Boers, ' treked'' towards Natal. " We read accounts of elands and buffaloes beinir pursued into Table ]3ay — of the rhinoceros and sea- cow' frequenting the marshes on the Cape Town Plaats — of elephants wandering about the margin of Hout Bay — of cattle — nay, even men, being occasion- ally carried away by lions from under the very walls of the Fort, in Cape Town itself; and, at a rather later period, we hear of powerful escorts being still required for protection against wild beasts, dui'ing so short an overland excursion as that between Saldanha and Table Bay. Such precautionary measures even failed sometimes to ensure the parties so engaged from serious loss by attacks from ferocious animals, whose very strongholds appear to have been invaded when the Dutch first settled at the Cape. " All this would scarcely be believed by the present occupiers of the gardens and villas of Constantia, Wynberg, and Rondebosch, as they drive out in their carriages over a hard, smooth road, to those delightful retreats, were the facts not attested by well authenti- cated documents. " Why, sir, my own memory, which can easily re- trace the events of the last fifty years, (fur I am now nearly seventy) recalls the time Avheu the elephant and buffalo, the eland and the koudou, still abounded in George and the eastern part of Swellendam ; when the rhee-bock, the steen-bock, and the bosch-bock were to be had for shooting, and were much easier obtained ^ The hippopotamus is so called by the Colonists. 858 THE EMIGRANT BOER. than powder and shot ; when the lion (though rather scarce) still iuluibited the western districts, and the sea- cow fearlessly wallowed in the waters of the Camtoos ! " But all the animals of the chase, great and small, and especially the former, gradually retreated be- fore the footsteps of man. My old ' Roer' was getting rusty for want of use, and, as I found existence irk- some in the absence of the comrades of my youth (for I mostly lived in the Bush, amidst its sylvan denizens) — added to certain other reasons, which shall be name- less — I e'en followed, step by step, in their wake, to the Sunday, the Bushman''s River, the Kowie, and the Fish River Bush. The Kaffirs had already made a tolerable clearing in the thickets of the latter, when the swarms of your countrymen who lauded at Algoa Bay, some twenty-five years back, put a finishing- stroke to the work. The smaller game was, between them and the Kaffirs, nearly extirpated, whilst ele- phants were slain by hundreds for the sake of their ivory ; and the survivors, in common with every other larger sort of wild animals, gradually fell back beyond the Orange River. Thither also I followed, with a nume- rous body of my countrymen, and for years past have endured all the vicissitudes of a wandering, though to me, happy state of existence ; for," said he — pointing to a long gun, carefully encased in sheepskin, which hung at the bow of his saddle, and protruded nearly the length of the horse's neck — "the rust was kept off my friend there, whom in all my wanderings, with Pro- vidence for my guide, I have ever found my best ally and safest companion — though I must also include this my trusty little horse," added he, patting the THE EMIGRANT BOER. S-jO scraggy neck of the rough, wiry-looking galloway he bestrode. " But," next inquired I, " in those remote regions you allude to, are the wild animals described by some recent travellers still found in such immense numbers as they state? For instance, , in his amusing book, talks of riding amongst flocks of quaggas, os- triches, gnus, cameleopards, and all manner of ante- lopes, as if he had been blazing away right and left into so many flocks of sheep — is all this to be taken in the literal sense, or is it only figurative language on the part of the authorf " I understand you," replied the blunt old Dutch- man ; "you wish to know if told the truth, or if he lied. 1 have never read his book, but I met him when in that part of the country which he describes as then abounding so much in game ; and, having shot over it before he did, I can safely say that he tells the truth. Were the same stories told at the present day, I should say they were lies, for the large game continues yet to retire ; though in seasons of drought the spring-bock still passes in as great numbers as ever even the northern boundaries of the colony, com- mitting nearly equal havoc in their progress, with our old enemies the locusts, whose visits are likewise occasional. Elephants and giraflfes are now to be found only near the tropic ; whilst even the eland, the gems- bok, and quagga, are becoming daily more scarce on the other side of the Orange. " I have thus for half a century followed step by step, in their retreat, the wild animals of the chase; but if they fall back on the equator itself, I will, if I live, S60 THE EMIGRANT BOER. follow them even there," said the old sportsman, in a determined tone, "for I must not in my old age allow the roer to get either rusty or dim," Once on his favourite hobby, the chase, I found that old B — required but little urging to proceed. " I have heard much," observed I, " of the lion hunts in this part of the world, and of the different methods pursued by your countrymen and mine, in his pursuit — you have, no doubt, witnessed both, and what may be your opinion of their respective merits V "Ach, mynheer," said 13 — , "I see what you are driving at ; your countrymen, when we first became acquainted with them, were generally called by us ' domme EnglJinder' (stupid English), but I allow — in all things save as sportsmen — they have long since proved themselves undeserving of that name ; how- ever, in spite of their criticisms on our mode of liunt- ing, in that respect, at least, I do not think we have given them a misnomer." " As how ?" asked I, not a little anxious to hear the old Nimrod's reasons. "Answer me first one or two questions," rejoined he. " Do you consider it a proof of wisdom for any man wantonly to waste what he pays dearly for, and what is, moreover, often in this part of the world, not to be procured even for its weight in gold V " Perhaps not — what then V " Do you think it wise for a man to expose, without any palpable reason or adequate advantage, both his property and life? Is it not rather 'domme'' if a man neglects in any situation to guard against danger, when he can do so without dishonour V Till". KM lO RANT BOKR. SGI " Granted — but what tlieii f " Well," said old J3 — , cliuckling most lieartily at having, as he thought, completely " wired me"" — "well, then, do not your jagers (hunters) constantly waste more powder and lead on wretched little birds, sucli as quails and pheasants,^ than would bring down a whole herd of elephants, did they only take the trouble to go in quest of them ? Rely upon it, the single bullet and the long barrel is the true sportsman's legitimate weapon ; with these, a steady hand and quick eye, either on foot or horseback, he does not require the new fangled invention of small shot — for what is too small to be hit with a bullet is not worth hitting at all. " Then, when I see people going to the expense of keeping forty or fifty dogs, and running the risk of breakino; their own necks and their horses' leo;s — for what I ^^'hy," exultingly cried the old man, with a heai-ty laugh, " for the sake of catching a stinking jackall, or carrion wolf, which might be trapped, or shot with a spring gun — 1 then cannot help calling it a ' domme' thinfj. " Thirdly,"'"' continued ]\(\ " when your countrymen throw aside their shot-belts, and hunt the lion instead of quails, I again consider them little better than mad- men ; for, instead of making a shield of their horses' bodies, they recklessly, like " yonkers,'' unnecessarily expose their own persons to his teeth and claws. ^ "\Miat is here called, or rather miscalled, the pheasant, is a large species of partridge resembling the Indian "spur fowl." Quails — here' birds of passage, as on the northern coast of Africa — are at certain seasons very plentiful, and afford excel- lent sport. VOL. II. R 362 THE EMIGRANT BOER. " If you will not condescend to take a lesson from the Dutch, who have been so much longer in this part of the world, you might see how your friends the Kaffirs manage these matters. Do you know how V I shook my head. *' Well, then, when lions were a few years ago plentiful enough in the Amakosa coun- try, and the Kaffirs had no other weapons but their assegais — they would, armed with these and large shields, surround the Bush to which they might have tracked the lion ; their dogs were then sent in to worry him out of his lair. Wherever he showed himself, he was assailed by showers of assegais — if he singled out a Kaffir, the latter threw himself on the ground, crept under his large shield, and lay there, like a tortoise in its shell. Meanwhile, the other hunters lost no time in rushing on with their assegais to the rescue; the lion in his fury would turn on another foe, and again encounter nought save a tough buffalo, or sea cow-hide, on which to vent his rage ; till at last, bristling with assegais, and exhausted from loss of blood, he fell — and generally with few casualties on their part — an easy prey to his pur- suers. Now, the shields we make use of in hunting these animals, are — as I suppose you are aware — the hind-quarters of our horses, which I should think make as good a sheath for the lion''s teeth and claws, as an Englishman's shoulder." I saw it would be useless to oppose what / consi- dered the prejudices of tlie old South African hunter. Admitting therefore the justice of his argument, I begged he would detail to me the manner in which his countrymen generally hunt and destroy the lion. THE EMIGRANT BOER. 363 For this purpose, it appears that a number of mounted Hoers assemble at a given " rendezvous," ac- companied by their Hottentot attendants, and with dogs for the purpose of tracking the game. The usual resort of the lion is amongst the long grass, or sedges, growing on the brink of a spring, or along some marshy hollow. This shallow covert he is soon made to quit, on the approach of the " jagers," and he may next be seen lobbing up some open grassy ascent, to the nearest clump of mimosas, or other bushes, into which the dojrs are made to follow him. Meanwhile the main body of mounted sportsmen — after having detached scouts to the right and left, to observe the enemy's motions should he break covert in those directions — ride along the open ground on their well trained little shooting galloways, halting about a hun- dred 3'ards from the spot where the lion is now baited by the dogs. Here they dismount ; and the horses being kept in a compact body, with their heads turned to the rear, are given in charge of the Hottentots. Maddened at length by the continued attacks of his yelping foes, the lion bounds forth with a roar from his bushy shelter into the open space — whilst lashing at the same time his tawny flanks, he rushes towards the assembled group of hunters and horses ; then — halting for a second — he crouches to the ground, with ears drawn back and eyes glaring with revenge, and gathers him- self up to bound amongst his foes. This is the critical moment generally chosen by the hunters to open their fire — a volley is poured into the still crouching animal, which, in most cases, disables him from making the intended spring. If not, the Boers seek immediate r2 864) THE EMIGRANT BOER. refuge behind the hving rampart of horseflesh, which is instantly stormed by their mighty foe, who, fixing liiinself on one of the horses, generally sacrifices him to his rage, but, in so doing, is again exposed to the shots of such of the party who have kept their fire in reserve — and, as the Boers are all excellent marksmen, the lion seldom escapes. My informant next commented on the mode of attack pursued by the English, and strongly animad- verted on the fool-hardiness of engaging single-handed, — and without a reserve to fall back upon — an animal possessing such amazing strength as to be able to drag along the largest ox, to throw the carcase of a horse over his shoulder, and walk away with ease under his burden ; or, seizing a half grown calf in his mouth — as a cat would do a mouse — can, thus encumbered, clear at a single bound the highest enclosure of a cattle kraal. But though resistless in his fury, there are moments — according to old B , that the king of the forest can be approached with impunity, and in perfect safety ; when being fully gorged with food, he lies basking in sleep, after indulging in some bloody feast. At such times, he is not easily aroused, but if then suddenly disturbed, instantly takes to flight. When discovered in this state by the Bushmen, they unhesitatingly shoot their tiny poisoned arrows into ])is hide. He starts up, flies like a stricken deer, but carries death with him in his flight, and soon sinks under tlie venom infused and now rapidly circulating in liis veins; falling thus a helpless victim to a wretched •'iminutive creature, bearing more resemblance to the ape TIIR KMIORANT HOER. 305 species tliaii to mankind. The pigmy savage next tracks him up to the death, and, spite of the poison hy which it has been caused, greedily devours the tlesh, Nvhicii is said to resemble in taste and appearance coarse, light-coloured beef.' As with the royal tiger in India, the lion having once tasted human flesh, prefers it to that of all other animals, and will not touch the flock if he can seize upon the shepherd — preferring likewise a coloured to a white man. My informant assured me that instances had occurred of a Hottentot having been singled out, and carried oft' during sleep by a lion, whilst wrapped up in his sheep-skin kaross, and surrounded by a party of Boers in the same state of insensibility. To ac- count for this, he gave as a reason that the lion was probably guided in his choice by the smell ; but if this be the case, he cannot most assuredly be gifted with very refined olfactory nerves ; for, generally speak- ing, th.e " Totties'' are redolent of any thing save the perfumes of " Araby the blest,"" With such like discourse, interlarded with many an anecdote too long to repeat, did the old hunter while away the tedium of the road ; till, crossing the ro- mantic streamlet of the Intoka, we pulled up at the small hamlet of IJlinkwater ; oft'-saddled, and follow- ing my guide into the nearest cottage, were instantly invited to partake of whatever humble fare it could aflJbrd. Blinkwater is noted, in the annals of the last Kaffir war, as one of the first places attacked by the savages, after the disastrous aft'airat Burns'' Hill. It happened ' Kolben says it is like venison. 366 THE EMIGRANT BOER. to be at the time occupied by a small party of the 91st, under the command of a Serjeant. The Kaffirs rushed on, as usual, in overwhelming numbers, to the attack, but were steadily repulsed ; and, finding all their efforts useless against the gallant little band, who so resolutely held their own, were at last fain to retreat, with a considerable loss in killed and wounded, most of whom they however carried off. The brave man who headed this o:allant defence was Sergeant Snodgrass, of the 91st. Gladly do I record his name ; for, with truth has it been said,' " that the English soldier fights unnoticed under the cold shade of the aristocracy ;" and, spite of a few vivifying rays, cast by the high-minded conqueror of Scinde,^ through the gloomy shadow, on his noble deeds, that freezing shade is as yet far from being entirely dispelled. Even now, the humble name seldom figures in a de- spatch ; and the bright flash of the bayonet is — gene- rally speaking — only noticed by such as are driven before its glittering point I ' Somewhere in General Sir William Napier's History of the Peninsula War. - " For the first time, in English despatches, the names of private soldiers who had distinguished themselves were made known to their countrymen." — From General William Napier's " Conquest of Scinde" p. 323. THE TARKA RANGERS. ^(j7 CHAPTER XIX. THE TARKA RANGERS. Dutch hospitality — Substantial fare — Wrongs of the Dutch Settler — Picturesque Scenery of the Wintcrberg Mountains — Beautiful Table-Land — Location of Friendly Kaffirs — Mr. Kussell — Tremendous hail-storm — Description of the Tarka Rangers — Tlie Kaffir Chiefs, Ilermanus and Kama — Vocabulary of Kaffir words — Avocations of a Kaffir Wife — Interiorof a Kaffir Hut — Captain Ward, of the 91st — He de- scribes the privations of the troops— ]\Ir. Calderwood, the Mis- sionary — Field Commandants — Dismissal of the Commander of the Tarka Rangers — Description of a Boer's House — Good qualities of the Dutch Settlers. " Cedar, and pine, and fir, and branching palm — A sylvan scene ! — and as the ranks ascend, Shade above shade, a woody theatre Of stateliest view." Milton. The friend of Mynlieer B was, or rather luul been, a substantial fanner in the Hantani ; but obHged, like many others, to abandon his possessions during the late troubles, he had, for the sake of protection, taken up a temporary residence at Blinkwater. It was still early in the forenoon when we were so kindly invited to " oft-saddle," and welcomed to his present humble abode ; but, contrary to the usual Dutch custom in this country, our host, in the warmth of his hospitality, anticipated considerably the hour of o68 THE TARKA RANGERS. the principal repast, and we soon beheld most substan- tial fare, spread out before us on the roughly boarded trestle doing duty for " mahogany." Although myself able occasionally to play a tolerably good knife and fork game, I was not a little surprised on witnessing the gastronomic powers of my new Dutch acquaintances, at this early hour of the day. A hearty meal, followed by a few " soupjies," or drams — which usually terminate their repasts — had how- ever so far removed the old hunters cautious reserve, that, on again pressing him to give me some account of those reasons which had caused the emigration of so large a portion of his fellow-countrymen beyond the limits of the Colonial border, he entered into details of injustice and ill-treatment, such as, I confess, I thought, at the time, were greatly exaggerated, but which sub- sequent inquiries on the subject showed to be founded in fact. Having however elsewhere adverted to the wronii's of those descendants of the original Dutch Set- tiers in this part of the world, I shall not at present try the reader"'s patience, by recapitulating what Mynheer B related on the subject. As the old Dutchman proposed spending the re- mainder of the day with his friend, I wished him good- bye ; we shook hands, when, mounting my horse, I departed with a small escort of dragoons, and, in the windings of the narrow and thickly-wooded valley, soon lost sight of Blinkwater, togetlier with my kind, though recently formed acquaintances. " After" — says the journal which I always, when opportunity offered, sent home in an epistolary form, and from which I make the following extract — " after THK TAKIvA RANGERS. Sfj.') passing the villaoe of liliukwator, tlie valley throu^^li wliicli runs the Kat River gradually becomes more narrow and wooded for about four miles, when the pass ascendincr the ' Little Winterberg "" Mountains com- mences, whoso beauty is only excelled by that, during the first part of the ascent on the Italian side of the Simplon ; which — though on a much smaller scale — it greatly resembles. •' The road, as in the Simplon, runs along the right of a densely-wooded ravine ; the usual impenetrable Bush of this country being in this locality replaced with noble forest-trees, mostly connected together by various lianes and creepers — here called ' monkey ropes' — some of whose pendent branches reach the ground, in much the same manner as the young shoots of a mangoo tree ; whilst masses of lichen, and a blueish gray species of moss, hung down from their time-worn and decayed trunks and limbs, like the hoary matted locks of an old fakeer. The road, which, altliouah very steep, is practicable for waggons, was planned and formed, some years ago, by a civil engineer, of tiie name ofBlain; and continues for about four miles, with a precipitous ascent, to wind along through moun- tain scenery of the most picturesque description. On the right, were towering heights, crowned by lofty forest trees ; while to our left, lay a deep, dark chasm, over- looked by beetling cliffs, with an angry torrent raging at its base. In some places, fifty men could easily have stopped a whole army ; and, as we dismounted, to ascend the steepest parts, we were, as you may imagine, sufficiently on the qui vive ; though, in the event of a surprise, we should have been completely R 5 o70 THE TARKA RANGERS. iu the power of our assailants. We, however, reached the summit, without any interruption, and here quite a new scene disclosed itself, not unlike parts of the upper regions of the Alps, excepting always the snow. " We now stood on an open, undulating table- land, covered with the richest pasture ; and, as I looked down some of the green valleys, and saw herds of oxen securely grazing — with an eye to the speedy con- clusion of thetruce — I took out my telescope, and counted about five or six hundred head of cattle, looking little larger than beetles creeping along far below where we stood. I could also distinguish Kaffir huts, and people tilling the ground, all of which was a complete mystery only to be cleared up on reaching the post I was about to visit ; the force of which, I found to con- sist of a few Hottentots, and the rest of friendly Kaffirs belonging to the Tribes of Kama and Hermanns, whose families had been allowed to locate themselves here. This fully explained what I had just seen, which — as we were within the bounds of the Colony — would otherwise have been unaccountable. The Field-Com- mandant in command of the Post was reported to be absent on duty, and the camp (placed near some muddy springs and the remains of a ruined house, which, before the Kaffir irruption, had been an inn) was now in charge of a Mr. C , formerly of the Cape Corps Rifles, and a young Irishman, of the name of Russell, wlio had come out to see a little of the world, and had just stumbled on the present Kaffir war, in which he was enacting the part of a volunteer. Whilst a messenger was sent to the kraal I had seen in the valley, in order to summon some of THE TARKA RANGERS. 371 the friendly Kaffirs attached to tlic levy, I lav down in a small tent to have a little sleep, but was soon awoke by peals of thunder, wliich appeared to burst right over head, and were followed by the most tre- mendous hail-storm I ever witnessed. It seemed as if the teut were pelted with snow-balls ; and in five minutes the ground was white with hail- stones of the size of pigeons'' eggs. Shortly after the storm ceased, my troops had assembled. I had by this time been pretty well initiated into imitations of Falstafi'^s ragged regiment on the part of my gallant army — but the appearance of this portion of the troops beat every thing I could have imagined. Pic- ture to yourself one hundred and fifty large athletic fellows, stark naked, and as black as your shoe, or with only a ragged blanket, or ox-hide around them, some armed with assegais, and others with rusty firelocks of every shape and make, and you will have but a taint idea of the ruffianly appearance of these " Tarka Rangers," for by this name they have been dignified by their Commander ! I wished to examine their arms, but, finding them all loaded, I ordered the charges to be drawn ; as the shortest way of doing which they began to squib them off, and kept up a fire which lasted some minutes, the balls whistling about, along the sides of the hills, much to the risk of the peaceful cixttle thereon enjoying their mid-day meal ! " After the parade, I was introduced to one of the Kaffir chiefs, rt^oicing in the Dutch name of Hermanus — a thick-set, sturdy fellow, rigged out in a jacket and trowsers. On account of some previous dispute with Macomo, he had put himself under English protection ; o72 THE TARKA RANGERS. and, like Kama, had joined our party durini^ the war. He spoke Dutch, and a little English, in which lan- guage he very urgently expressed a hope that I would order trowsers for his men ; but, as I thought they would only be in the way, I limited my promise of clothing, to red nightcaps, check shirts, and jackets ; intendinc; to make Highlanders of them. Kama, the other chief, who was absent, is a converted Kaffir ; and the reason of his separating from his brothers, Pato and Congo, was — it is said — a point of conscience — he, as a Christian, refusing to have more than one wife ; and thereby quarrelling with some chief who wished him to many his daughter. " ]Mr. Hermanns and I soon became very great friends. He supplied me with a long vocabulary of Kaffir words, which I wrote down, and his remarks were most amusinsr. Amongst other things, I asked him what the other Kaffirs would do to him if they caught him during the war ? His reply was, by taking up a piece of paper, tearino; it into small shreds, and castino; them on the ground ! I next asked him what was the belief of the Kaffirs \ He said they believed in nothing — sup- posed every existing thing came from nothing, and would go to nothing. Hermanns has four wives, for each of whom he gave from ten to thirty oxen. On telling him that in England we were allowed only one, and had sometimes trouble enough to keep that one in order, he said he always heard Englislt women ' were d — d rogue, never work in the fields, and al- ways spend money,*" but that they knew better how to manage them in Kaffirland ; where the ' fair"* sex plough, sow, and reap, whilst their lords and masters TIIK TARKA RANGERS. 37-3 do nothiiiir but bask in the sun, and smoke their pipes. " In the evening, I went with Mr. Russell down the valley where I had seen the cattle and Kaflir huts in the morning ; and, by the help of my lately acquired learning, purchased a bowl of fresh milk for a piece of tobacco. Hermanus"' people were here very busy building their new abodes, which consist of huts about six feet in diameter, and nearly the same height, composed of bent twigs, covered either with straw and cow-dung, or with raw ox-hides, having only one open- ing for the admission of the inmates, of light, air, and the emission of smoke. " I looked into one of these huts, and saw about a dozen human beinjjs, consrrcfjated round a fire burn- er ? O O ing in the centre, on which was simmering a pot with their evening meal, but was by no means tempted to claim their hospitality ! It was now getting dark ; and, as we were a couple of miles from camp, the greatest part of which was up a steep ascent, we had to put our best foot foremost ; and by the time we reached the summit, Mr. Ri., myself, and a Kaffir who had accompanied us, were all pretty well blown. " This fatiguing walk however nowise deprived us of our appetite for supper ; and, having inflated my ' air mattress,"* and rolled myself up in a blanket, I was shortly afterwards fast asleep, but awoke bitterly cold in the early part of the morning. "Hearing that the Kaffirs had a fire in the ruined house below, I was glad to join their domestic circle. A Kaffir damsel, my next neighbour, as we all crowded round the glowing embers, was very busily engaged 37* THE TARKA RANGERS. in sewing with the sinews of the spring-buck, and ornamenting with beads a curious article of Kaffir dress. Desirous of possessing a specimen of the same, I promised her a roll of ' Couba,' if she would finish it for me before my departure. This was accoi-dingly done — but she begged for sixpence, instead of the ' baccky ;' an evident proof of the march of in- tellect, conversion, and civilization, amongst the Kaffirs !" Not over-satisfied with the result of my inspection of the " Tarka Rangers," I early took my departure ; and Hermanns accompanied us with some of his followers to the foot of the Blinkwater pass. From thence we pushed on at a canter to Beaufort, where I remained for a day's rest at the house of my friend Colonel Nicolls, the Connnandant — my eyes being greatly in- flamed from so much exposure to sun and wind ; ere returning however, to Block Drift, I took advantage of my kind host's cool quarters, and managed, in a par- tially darkened room, to concoct a long letter, of which the following are extracts : — " The news of to-day is that the 6th Regiment and the Rifles are on their way from Algoa Bay — that San- dilla has brought in arms, horses, and cattle, to the camp ; and, as this is the last day of the truce, I sup- pose he thereby means to show his pacific intentions — in short, I fear the game is up ! " During my brief absence from camp, they have had another sham-fight, or rather cattle-stealing field- day, as likewise a steeple-chase, in which occurred several tumbles and one broken head. I have become acquainted here with Captain Ward, of the 91st THE TARKA RANGERS. S75 Regiment, the husband of the hidy who has written 'the Scenes in Kaflirland"' in tlie United Service Magazine ; and he describes the three or four first days' fighting last April in the Amatola, when the war began, as very hard work. The Kaffirs had not then received the G wanga lesson ; considered themselves the better men, and were very ' cock-a-hoop."' Poor ]3ainibric'k'.s death, the burnino; of the waffg-ons, the plunder of their contents, and the retreat on Block Drift, nowise diminished this feeling, or the con- fidence they then felt in their own prowess. Cap- tain Ward says, in detailing this last business, that from the Thursday morning at three o'clock, when he had a biscuit and a cup of coffee, he did not taste food till late on the Saturday night. His men caught some goats ; but, as they had not time to cook them, he told me he could not eat the raw and quivering flesh, though he tried to season it, by covering it with wood ashes instead of salt ! I met this morning — at the breakfast mess of the 7th Dragoons — a ' lion' from the interior of Africa in the shape of a Mr. Ark- wright, who has just returned from a shooting excur- sion, on which he has been absent nine months. He heard of the Great Salt-water Lake, about which so much has been said, but did not reach it. A mis- sionary, of the name of Calderwood, left this to-day for camp, to be present at the conference of Sandilla, and, I suspect, to regulate the limits of the boundary to be taken up, as appears completely in the liands of these gentry, and quite led in every thing by what they say. I start for IJlock Drift in an hour or two, and shall close this letter in a few days, ere which. 876 THE TARKA RANGERS. I trust, the mail, which is expected to have been brought out by tlie ' Devastation,'' will also give me intelligence from home." * * * * I have alluded, in the above extracts, to my " Kaffir Vocabulary ;" and, as it may prove a useful liint to many, especially to military men, I may ob- serve, by the way, that in whatever part of the world I have travelled — and my wanderings have been far and wide — I invariably made it a rule, even when time did not admit of a grammatical study of the language, to enter in a small pocket-book — whenever an oc- casion occurred — the name of every object which presented itself — no matter from whom I could pick up such information. This list of words, graduallv swelling into a catalogue of sentences and dialogues, I always carried with me ; and, as I took every op- portunity, even when walking or riding, of referring thereto, and of applying my thus acquired learnino- by talking, right or wrong, to such of the natives as I might happen to fall in with ; the consequence was, that in a short time, I generally speaking — in a way — sufficiently mastered the lingo, to carry me through the country, without being annoyed by that usual incumbrance of the traveller — an ignorant and overreaching interpreter. It may perhaps be a novelty if I give the follow- ing list of Kaffir words, which I find put down to the account of the " Friendly Kaffir Chief, Hermanns ;"" and on the same principle, I likewise annex a few speci- mens of the now extinct Hottentot lansfuao-e, extracted THE TARKA RANOERS. 377 from some of the old authors who have written on the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope : — KAFFIR. HOTTENTOT. Lfingah . . The sun . . Sourrie (also the title lor a Chief.) Niangah . . The moon . Gounjah Moyah . . The wind . Toyah Amanzee . Water . ,, fa common termination of . Ivamma<^ ^, „ . I^the names oi nvers. Injah . . A dog . Lik'hanee Ilashi . . A horse . . Ilacqua Umfazi . . A woman . Quaishah Amufdzi . . ^\'omca From the above few specimens, it Avould appear that there never existed any relations betwixt the Hottentot and Kaffir languages ; although, in the latter, the " palatial" sound of the " click" is now very o^enerally used by the Kaffirs. Barrow — who was ap- parently not an Oriental scholar — endeavoured to prove the eastern derivation of the Kaffir language from the sound of " Eliang," (as he spells Lungrih) the sun — I know not if the Arabic prefix el be generally used with the Kaffirs, but the only other word that I could discover as common to both, is — as I have re- marked in a former portion of this work — the atlirnia- tion " Eywah" (yes.) In both the Kaffir and Hottentot languages, many words were no doubt derived from an extraneous source : such in the latter is the term " Hacqua," ex- tracted from Kolben, evidently from the Portuguese " Haca ;" as the horse was, previously to European intercourse, unknown in that part of the world. In like manner, it is not unreasonable to suppose that a few Oriental words might have been casual! v intro- 378 THE TARKA RANGERS. duced amongst the negro nations of tlie eastern coast, bordering the Mozambique channel, by those Arab traders, who, some hundred years back, are ascer- tained to have frequented this part of Africa, and may possibly have extended their slaving, bartering, or piratical expeditions, much ftirther to the south- ward than is now generally known. The KafEr Vocabulary given by Barrow varies greatly from the one which I formed during my resi- dence in Kaffirland — particularly his list of numerals — though the names given by him of Hottentot num- bers (which only extended to ten) corresponds nearly with Kolben"'s — from whose work Barrow may perhaps have extracted it — for, at the period of his visit to the Cape, the Quaiquaj language nmst have been nearly as much forgotten as it is at the present day. Should the reader, however, wish to acquire a grammatical knowledge of the Kaffir language, I beg to refer him (or her) to a clever work written on the subject by the Reverend Doctor Boyce, a missionary who long resided amongst that people. So much for the Kaffir language — a dissertation brought about by my acquaintance with Hermanns, whilst on my visit to the " Tarka Rangers," which corps was, by the bye, the worst commanded, most dis- orderly, and most ruffianly-looking of all that most ruffianly collection, composing my swarthy legions in Kaffirland ! Captain M , its commandant — most worthy of such a corps, and probably the cause of its being in so disorganized a state — had, it is said, been steward to a vessel wrecked some years previously on the THE TARKA RAXflERS. 379 coast ; and, when such injudicious selections were made in the choice of " Field-Commandants," it will not be matter of surprise that I found some of the native levies in rather a disorderly condition. It was, however, in palliation, alleged that half-pay officers were not to be found, and that those belonging to the regular forces could not be spared from their regimental duties ; yet, by a strange inconsistency, many of the latter were holding appointments on the statt". Meanwhile, of the several Field-officers sent out for the purpose of being actively engaged in this " special service," only two were employed, in a man- ner, at all analogous to the object of their mission, whilst the rest were long — much against their will — most unaccountably either left in a state of compara- tive inactivity at Graham's Town, Fort Beaufort, Waterloo Bay, and Bathurst ; or else idly hangino^ about the army without any definite object or employ- ment ! But I have digressed from the present hero of my tale : the brave Commander of the " Tarka Rangers." When I visited his force, I found him absent, as was stated, on duty ; which duty I afterwards discovered was to be perpetually drunk at Fort Beaufort, and I con- sequently reported him totally unfit for his situation. But Captain M awaited not the intimation of his dismissal ; for, having quietly walked oft", with- out distributing the arrears of pay due to his gallant troops, he contrived to make his way to Port Elizabeth, wiiere he was, however, apprehended ; and the last time I had the honour of seeing this worthy com- mander, he was securely haudcuffed in a bullock- 380 THE TARKA RANGERS. waggon, en route to Graham's Towu, in order there to be tried for his various peccadilloes ! I have, in the foregoing chapter, casually alluded to the mode of life of the Dutch J3oers ; and having had few opportunities of intercourse with these brave and hospitable, though much abused and unjustly vilified, race of people — I, therefore, make no apology for in- serting the following extracts from one or two authors, on the subject in question : — " The Boers' houses," says Bunbury, " in that part of the Colony which I saw, are always low, con- sisting merely of a ground-floor, with a terrace of brickwork, called the stoep, in front, on which the principal apartments open. The sitting-room is gene- rally in the middle, the bed-rooms on each side of it, and the kitchen behind. The apartments are sub- stantially, though not handsomely, furnished ; but what struck me most was, that almost all the windows have glass casements ; whereas, in the interior of Brazil, glass is not seen, except in houses of the highest class. I should have supposed that the safe carriage of it would be as difficult on the roads of tlie one country as of the other. The floors are in general of clay ; but, in the better sort of houses, they are partly covered with skins, especially of the springbok, which make very handsome carpeting. The beds are re- markably uncomfortable ; they are feather beds, so soft and unsubstantial, that you sink down in them lower and lower, till you wonder whither you are going ; and at last, when you can descend no farther, you find yourself almost buried in a huge mass of feathers, and yet very insufficiently protected from the THE TARKA RANGERS. 381 hard bedstead under you. There are no firephaces in the IJoers"* liouses, so that, however cold and wet the weather may be, your only chance of wanning your- self is by going into the dirty kitchen. The men, under such circumstances, wrap themselves up in their cloaks ; the women put under their feet little boxes containing hot charcoal, a practice which, I believe, still subsists in Holland also.'" The same author likewise states, that the Dutch Boers entertain a strong dislike to the English — nor can this be matter of surprise — considering what fjreat harshness and injustice they have — even up to the present day — ever experienced at our hands ; and that our Government appears nowise disposed to relent in their favour, seems evident from tiie persecutions to which these unhappy people have so lately been sub- jected, and of which — for our credit — the less that is said the better. If rebellion has been thrust upon them, it is no fault of theirs. The IJoers possess many good qualities which, under judicious treatment, would render them valuable subjects, and along a widely extended fron- tier, our cheapest and most efficient defence. Amongst their numerous qualiticatious, bravery and hospitality stand eminently conspicuous. Of the former, they have often given unequivocal proofs— and that verv recently, greatly to our cost ; whilst Barrow, who was never in any way inclined to show them either partiality, fovour, or affection, thus testifies their claim to the latter good quality : — " Rude and uncultivated as arc the minds of the Cape Dutch, there is one virtue in which they emi- 382 THE TARKA RANGERS. nently excel — hospitality to strangers. A country- man, a foreigner, a relation, a friend, are all equally welcome to whatsoever the house will afford. A Dutch farmer never passes a house on the road with- out alighting, except, indeed, his next neighbours', with whom it is ten to one he is at variance. It is not enough to inquire after the health of the family in passing ; even on the road, if two peasants should meet, tliey instantly dismount to shake hands, whe- ther strangers or friends. " When a traveller arrives at a habitation, he alights from his horse, enters the house, shakes hands with the men, kisses the women, and sits down with- out further ceremony. When the table is served, he takes his place among the family without waiting for an invitation ; this is never given, on the supposition that a traveller, in a country so thinly inhabited, must always have an appetite for something. Ac- cordingly, ' What will you make use of V is generally the first question. If there be a bed in the house, it is given to the stranger ; if none, which is frequently the case among the graziers of the district of Graaf Revnet, he must take his chance for a form, or bench, of a heap of sheepskins, among the rest of the family. In the morning, after a solid breakfast, he takes his sopio, or glass of brandy ; orders his slave, or Hot- tentot, to saddle the horses ; again shakes hands with the men, and kisses the women : be wishes them health, and they wish him a good journey. In this manner, a traveller might pass through the whole country." THE GREAT t"" SOMTSKU. 383 CHAPTER XX. THE GREAT T SOMTSEU. The Author meets with two officers just returned from the Interior — Prosecution of discovery into those interest- ing regions recommended — High road into Central Africa — Relations of the sporting officers — The celebrated Mr. Gum- ming — Marvellous anecdotes respecting him — His eccentric mode of life — Particulars recounted by Mr. Tomlinson — The Author's interview with Mr. Gumming — Sleeping in the lion's den — Adventures of Mr. Gumming — His sporting exploits. "Would'st thou view the lion's den, Search afar from the haunts of men, Where the reed-encircled fountain Oozes from the rocky mountain, By its verdure far descried, 'Mid the desert hrown and wide." Pringle. During one of my visits to Fort Beaufort, I met at the mess of the 7th Dragoon Guards (and a capital one it was, by the bye) two officers, of the names of A — and C — . They had just returned from a shoot- ing expedition, of several months' duration, to the inte- rior, in which they had penetrated nearly as far as the tropic, and had heard what they considered to be au- thentic accounts of the great inland sea which figures on every map of Africa — though I know not by what ' A Bechuana word, meaning a "mighty hunter." 884 THE GREAT t' SOMTSEU. authority — under tlie name of Lake Maravi, but wliich, like " Prestcr John," and the " Emperor of Mono- motapa," has by some been considered an imaginary object. So many accounts have, nevertheless, of late been received, corroborating the existence of a vast sheet of water situated between the southern tropic and the equator, that scepticism on this subject appears to be gradually on the wane. It is, however, probable that so long as the prosecution of discovery, in these interesting regions, be left to the inadequate means of private enter- prise, we shall remain in the dark as to many geogra- phical points, which could only be elucidated by expedi- tions organized under the auspices of government. These would probably, in this respect, as well as in a commercial point of view, turn out more profitable than those expensive and perilous undertakings amidst the polar regions ; whilst the objects of religion and hu- manity might be thus much more readily effected, and at a less cost of British life and British treasure, than by maintaining — apparently without any success- ful result — a considerable fleet on the pestilential coast of Guinea. We have here, in south-eastern Africa, an easy access into the interior, through tribes nowise hostile to European intercourse, but on the contrary — as far as we can judge from the conduct of the remotest hordes with whom Harris, Methuen, and other tra- vellers (and their accounts are corroborated by the gentlemen above alluded to) have made us acquainted — anxious for traffic, and ready to exchange whatever they possess for European commodities. The climate (by avoiding the vicinity of the sea-coast) is, as far as THE GREAT T' SOMTSEU. 385 travellers have hitherto penetrated, of the most salu- brious nature ; and we might, through this high road to Central Africa, introduce IJritish manufactures to an unlimited extent, cut oft" slavery at its very foun- tain head, between the Portuguese settlements on the opposite coasts' — civilize and convert to the utmost degree of the " philanthropic"" spirit of the day. Yet strange to say, with all these facilities, from the most unaccountable apathy on the part of Government, we at this moment know but very little more of the interior of Southern Africa than we knew fifty years ago, when the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope was given up to us by the Dutch ; or than they knew a hun- dred and fifty years before that period ! The small portion of discovery actually made, has been eft'ected entirely at the expense and risk of pri- vate individuals, with means and resources perfectly inadequate to an undertaking, which — if properly set a-foot — might be attended with the most incalculable benefits, not only to Britain, but to unnumbered hordes of hitlierto unknown and savage barbarians ; and al- though want of space precludes me at present from descanting further on this interesting subject, I pro- pose on some future occasion to set forth the many advantages here merely hinted at, as likewise the feasibility of an hypothesis by which the Nile would ' It is now a well ascertained fact that, between the Portu- guese settlements at Ciuiliniaiiie, in the Mozambique, and the opposite western coast of Angola, a constant traffic of slaves and ivory takes place overland, and a great object connected with the abolition of slavery would no doubt be etfccted, were we able to occupj- and intercept this line of communication. VOL. II. S 386 THE GREAT t' SOMTSEU. be made to derive its long hidden source from the iireat Salt-water Lake above referred to. To return, however, to the adventurous travellers, the mention of whom has led to this dissertation. The relation of their sporting expedition was most interesting, and appeared to emulate, in the same style of adventure, those of the authors already named. Like the latter, they returned with various speci- cimens of natural history, an unbounded admiration of the climate and resources of the regions they had tra- versed, but having withal encountered innumerable hardships and difficulties, and sustained such a loss in horses and cattle,* that they could only bring back in their waggons a portion of the spoils of the chase ; though I believe that the ivory which they did manage to secure was sufficient to cover their losses o and contingent expenses. Of all the adventurous, sporting, exploring, or trading travellers (whether Dutch or English) who have penetrated into the interior of Southern Africa, none can compete with the now celebrated Mr. Gum- ming, whose name on the eastern frontier — coupled with others of sporting celebrity, such as Driver, Moultrie, Sutton, and Bovey — is now familiar as a " household term ;" and whose exploits in the destruc- tion of Afric's fellest monsters would appear to rival the reported performances of Hercules, of Theseus, and other worthies of the fabulous or heroic times of old. * On approaching the tropic, a sort of fly is found in great numbers, whose sting is strangely fatal to oxen and horses. How efficient might not the hardy and enduring camel prove, in exploring these remote regions I THE GREAT T SOMTSEU. S87 So luucli had I heard of the great " T' Somtseu" of the South, such marvellous relations of his skill, daring, and eccentricities, that I determined if possible to become acquainted with this remarkable character, who, it was then stated, had just returned from one of his distant expeditions. This design I was soon enabled to accomplish ; for having, a short time sub- sequently, halted at Tomlinson's solitary though ex- cellent little inn, near Post Koonap, I learned that the mighty hunter had lately been there, like myself, en route towards Graham's Town. Mine host, Mr. Tomlinson — a privileged old Life- Guardsman, who in his day had fought at Waterloo, been pensioned, settled in this part of the world, and, since then, had slain many a Kaffir' — mine host, I say, whiled away the evening, by relating, in conjunction with one or two other guests, what they had lieard or witnessed of the exploits, history, and adventures of this remarkable person ; an account of which he is said to have himself, for many years past, kept in a daily journal. My informants stated Mr. Cunnning^ to be the son of a Scotch baronet; that his love of "wood-craft,"''' and deer-stalking propensities amongst the Highlands, had at an early age got him into serious scrapes, to avoid the consequences of which he went to sea, was for some ' In the war of 1835, old Tomlinson fortified his house and defended it most gallantly against a large body of Kaffirs, whom he repulsed with considerable loss. '" ^Ir. Cuinniing will not, the author feels assured, deem any apology necessary for giving at full length a name already so well known in Colonial sporting annals, but begs to do so, should the following hearsay information not be correct. s2 388 THE GREAT t'SOMTSEU. time in India, then returned home, when his friends ob- tained for him a commission in the Cape Mounted Rifles. It appears, however, tliat the trammels of military restraint ill-accorded with the roving disposition of the sporting recruit, who, on being refiised, shortly after joining his regiment, permission to absent himself on a shooting excursion into the interior, took " French leave," and, on his return, about a twelvemonth after- wards, found, as might have been expected, that his name had been erased from the Army List. The course of life he had selected appeared how- ever much more adapted to his tastes and habits than the dull routine of parade or drill ; and for several years past he is said to have subsisted entirely on the produce of his rifle ; returning generally to the Colony after an absence of ten or twelve months, his waggons laden with ivory, skins, and ostrich feathers, by the sale of which, it is believed, he generally realizes several hundred pounds at each trip. According to some accounts, when on these expedi- tions, he occasionally adapts himself to the costume as well as the customs of the natives ; travelling about, when so minded, quite in Kaffir fashion, without even the encumbrance of a kaross ; but that, when in the Colony, he indulges in the strangest eccentricities of dress, not unfrequently astonishing the natives of Graham's Town with the picturesque habiliments of the middle ages, or of the times of Charles the First. " lie may sometimes do this at Graham\s Town," said old Tomlinson, " but I can answer for liis having been in the Colony with no other dress than what he was born in — and, by the same token, I was then THE GRKAT t'SOMTSEU. 38.0 within an aco of shooting him with that old double- barrelh'd gun standing there in the corner." " Send for another bottle of claret, and then, Toni- linson, let us know all about it," said the young en- sign who commanded the detachment stationed at the Koonap Post. The ruby beverage being accordingly provided, the old Guardsman's glass was filled, and he began his story somewhat as follows : — " It was a short time before the outbreak of the pre- sent war, when the Kaffirs were beginning to enter the Colony, and to plunder right and left, that 1 was sit- ting, in the dusk of the evening, smoking my pipe in this very room ; I had already — suspecting what would happen — bricked up and loopholed the windows as you now see them, which made the place still darker than it otherwise would have been; well, I was quietly sit- ting, as I said, smoking my pipe, when my little girl runs into the room, in a terrible fright, crvinor out that a stark naked, ' white"" Kaffir, ' was coming into the house."" I instantly stepped into the next room, to get the old pop-gun there ; and, on my return, the supposed Kaffir was in the act of cross- ins: the threshold. Mv finijer was in an instant on the trigger, and anotlior second would have settled his hash, when, just as I was about to let fly, a hearty English laugh made me drop the muzzle, for the Kaffir was no other than jSIr. Cumminjr. " ' ril tell you what it is, Mr. Gumming,' says I, ' I should not like to have hurt j-ou, but it would have been your own fault, making your appearance in such a fashion, and that too, when you know there are wo- men-folk in the house,"' 390 THE GREAT t' SOMTSEU. " However, he only laughed the more, and called for something to eat and drink, but, for decency's sake, I made him cover himself with a cloak." Old Tomlinson, warming with the subject, and per- haps with his own good beverage, next spun out such a long yarn, of elephants, lions, and rhinoceroses slain in the most daring, not to say marvellous manner, by the hero of his tale, that, wearied with a hard day's ride under a scorching sun, I was fain at last to leave the party, and sneak away to a comfortable bed, (a luxury I had not for a long time enjoyed) but moi*e fully than ever resolved to become, if possible, ac- quainted, on the first opportunity, with this mighty Nimrod, the great lion-king of Southern Africa. A few days afterwards, whilst sauntering under the shade of the fine young oak trees, whicli line each side of the broad main street at Graham's Town, I beheld an athletic young man, whose extraordinary costume instantly attracted my attention. His dress consisted of a pair of rough " veld-schoenen," white trowsers and shirt, without waistcoat, or jacket ; a leather girdle tightly encircled his waist, whilst, on his head, he wore a broad-brimmed hat, adorned with jackalls"* tails, and surrounded by a magnificent plume of the finest ostrich feathers. " That," thinks I to myself, " must be the very man I want to see ;" I therefore stepped across the street, and asked him at once if his name were not Gumming? — and on his saying it was, after duly intro- ducing myself, I told him I had heard so much of his exploits that I determined to form his acquaintance ; and moreover, having brought out from England a rifle of great calibre, as I found such an article was THE GREAT t'SOMTSEU. 391 to me perfectly useless, he might perhaps like to take it oft' my hands, wliich reasons would, I trusted, he accepted a,s an apology for so very abrupt a mode of introduction. The " lion-slayer" I had pictured to myself as a swarthy, hairy, sunburnt, Salvator Rosa brigand- looking fellow, with a voice of thunder, and with the manners of a savage — in short, in every respect a very Morok ;' what was therefore my surprise on beholding quite the reverse of all that I had imagined. Before me stood a noble-looking young man of about six- and- twenty years of age, standing at least six feet high in his stockings, (had he worn such a superfluous article of dress) and, although built like a Hercules, his manly form was most elegantly moulded, sur- mounted by a finely-shaped head, luxuriantly adorned with silken locks of a flaxen hue, which negligently hung over a countenance of an almost feminine cast of beauty, beaming with good nature and the mildest light blue eyes ; and when he spoke, his silvery and gentle tones eniulate ha.s himself taken in the shape of oxen from the Kaffirs, at the risk of his life, and with the sweat of his brow ! It is indeed a bad job for the sons of Mars, when tlie current coin of the country (for cattle is in Kaffirland tlie circulating medium) can be put into his camp-kettle instead of going into his pocket. Luckily for the heroes of (Jhina, of Scinde, and the Sutledge, that Syce silver, rupees, pearls, and diamonds, cannot now be made into soup, although we do hear of epicures of old stewing up pearls for a feast ! " I have just seen, in the Uraham's Town Journal of Saturday, that the 'Aborigines Protection Society' liave been trying in England to bias Sir Henry Pot- tinger against the Colonists, and in favour of the Kaffirs. It is most strange that such a delusion should be suftered to exist, as that of showing favour or attection of any kind, to a set of blood-thirsty robbers. If these mischievous meddlers be listened to any longer, it is feared ' extermination'" will at last have to be the word ; for, unless some very effectual means of protection be afforded to the Eastern Frontier, it will most certainly be entirely deserted by the British Settlers, (as it formerly was by the Boers) and become a dead weight on our Government. The Colonists have long threatened to take such a step ; and to-day I heard that a farmer of this neighbourhood, named , was packing up liis goods and chattels with the inten- tion of iMuigrating, as soon as tlie Native Levy en- caiiij)ed in his vicinity strike their tents." ■• Algoa Bay, February lOth. I arrived here tlie day before yesterday, but was not al)le to continue the 426 RETURN FROM Journal, owing to the weak state of my ejes, as I suffered much on the way down, particularly during the last day's march from ' Commando Kraal,' which I left at daylight on the 8th. On arriving at Sunday's River — when I before crossed it, a mere shallow brook — I found it, as they say here, ' up ;' that is, full from bank to bank ; and considerable time was lost in getting our saddles, bags, fee, into a boat, and after- wards swimming the horses across ; in doing which, one of them had a narrow escape of being drowned. " Is it not extraordinary, that, on this only com- munication between the Cape, Port Elizabeth, and Graham's Town, not a single bridge should be yet constructed ? Although supplies are constantly de- tained for days, nay, for weeks, by waggons not being able to get across the torrents which intercept the road (if the villanous succession of ravines, rocks, and huge stones, deserve such a name) ; and, will it be believed, that these impediments occur in a Province which has been for nearly half a century appended to the British empire, and which, during that time, has required constant military movements for its protec- tion I " Such is however the case ; and, owing to this delay, I found myself at last on the right side of the Sunday liiver, with a bright sun staring mo in the face, and the prospect of a grilling ride of thirty- three miles. About a mile further on, there is a little inn, which, had I been aware of, I would have reached the day before, and have thus more equally divided the distance. I now pushed on to a most miserable hovel, a couple of leagues on this side of the river, THE EiVSTERN FRONTIER. 427 where wo halted the waggons on our way up ; and was lucky in getting a bundle of oat-hay for the horses, and a cup of coffee, and meal and eggs beat up into a cake, for myself, for they had no bread. About eight miles from this place, at the now dry bed of a stream called the Kougagh — as Mr. Jacob''s horse had shown unequivocal symptoms of distress, by tumbling once or twice on his nose — I pulled up for half-an-hour, and was fortunate enougli to find a pool, the water of which was only slightly brackish. Here, as we rested under the shade of a bush, we were joined by an English shepherd, who was taking back (as I told him, rather prematurely) a flock of sixteen hundred sheep, to the pasture-ground near Sidbury. When the nags had breathed a little, we again tightened our girths, and managed to raise a canter across the table-land called ' Grass Ridge ;' passed the spot of our second night's ' out-span,"" on the way up, and descended the wooded side of the hill over- looking the Zwartkops River, and commanding a view of Algoa Bay. As we went through the bush here, the heat was most oppressive ; and, on arriving at the Zwartkups, we found the water so salt from the influence of the tide, that we had to ride a consider- able distance fuxihcr on, in order to give our nearly- exhausted horses a drink. But the one ridden by my Hottentot lad was so completely done up, that I was obliged to leave him behind, and with difficulty ma- naged to keep my own horse on his legs, for the last twelve miles of dreary road, between the last named river and the Bay. However, when I got a glimpse 428 RETURN FROM of the shipping, I pushed bravely along, and presently- met a solitary horseman, whom I recognised as Dr. H — ■ — , now deputy-inspector of hospitals, and who had been quartered with me many years before at Gribraltar. " After leaving the doctor, who was on his way to Graham's Town, I was joined by a farmer; and we jogged on together until we reached Port Elizabeth at about one o'clock, when, as you may fimcy, I was not sorry to get under the cover of a roof. " The first thino- I did on arrivinc; was to send for my friend Dr. M , of the 90th, who had before attended me at J31ock Drift, and now most kindly hastened to afford my eyes all the relief in his power. He described the sad disappointment experienced by the 90th, at being detained in consequence of the loss of the Thunderbolt, which had been sent to take them round to the Cape. " The regiment (which is encamped on the heights above the town) saw her coming round Cape Receif, about four in the afternoon, and were so elated at the sight that they commenced cheering. Presently, she fired minute guns, which they thought was to attract attention ; it being supposed that the Governor and Commander-in-Chief were on board. However, on seeing the ensign reversed, they began to think some- thino; was wronsr ; hut when she was run bow-foremost on the beach, they were quite at a loss what to con- jecture. The truth however soon came out, that she had struck on a rock in doubling the point, and was filling so quick, that this was the only alternative left. THE EASTP^RX lUONTIKR. 42.0 There she now lies liard and last in tlie sand ; and, in a tew days, will probably be a complete wreck — for, although parties of the 90th, and of Captain Hogg's Levy, (also here on their way home) have given every assistance to pump her out, all efforts have hitherto proved ineffectual. Fortunately, the crew^, stores, and effects are saved, and the officers and men are now encamped within a dozen yards of where I am writinut tents or provisions — living entirely on tough, and otten iialf raw beef, without bread, meal, or even salt ! He was sent to recover the bodies of the three officers who were lately murdered bj- the Kaffirs. They were found stripped, and much torn VOL. II. U 434 RETURN FROM by the vultures and jackalls, whilst the numerous corpses of their enemies (for the poor fellows made a most gallant defence) were, strange to say, untouched. It will however be a melancholy satisfaction to their friends, to know that they died bravely, with arms in their hands, surrounded by fallen foes, and were after- wards buried with military honours in a soldier"'s grave ! After all, how very preferable is such an exit, to the lingering suffering of protracted illness, and all the nauseous accompaniments of a sick bed. " One would have supposed, when a regiment had been detained in defence of a Colony on its way home, after lengthened foreign service, and had subsequently undergone an infinity of hardships and privations, in behalf of the Colonists and their property, and with- out any prospect of advantage to themselves, that they would be received with open arms. But I regret to say, for the sake of our Africander fellow-countrymen, that this has been far from the case ; apparently for- getful of what they have already done and suffered, their departure seems to be looked upon as a sort of desertion. They have been treated with anything but civility since they entered the Colonial boundary ; and, to wind up the whole, a man who, from his po- sition, ought to have been endowed with better feel- ings — a man of property and influence in the Colony — a literary man — a magistrate, a Justice of the peace — actually prosecuted the officer in command of the 90th, for damage and trespass, because he encamped his weary men, after a long day''s march, on a piece of barren heath, forming part of this person's property, five or six miles from Port Elizabeth! THE EASTERN FRONTIER. 435 " No fence, hedge, nor boundary of any sort inter- vened to distinguish this spot from the surrounding waste — perfectly unaware that it was private pro- perty — the oxen were unyoked, the tents pitched, and camp-fires lighted, when a message from the aforesaid indivi(hial came to warn off all intruders. The com- manding ollicer said that it was impossible to move at that time of the night ; and he, in consequence, on arriving at Port Elizabeth, received a summons to ap- pear before the Civil Court, to answer a charge of tres- pass and damages — the latter laid at £\0. Mind you, there is not now so mucli as a blade of green grass within a hundred miles ; and the most upright judge gave a verdict of £1. damages, and I4s. costs ! " Tlierc appears to be but one opinion on the subject of this heartless transaction. Major E , when the verdict was delivered, gave the prosecutor, in his quiet, gentlemanly way, the following well-deserved reproof. ' Had Mr. 's property been a little nearer to the Kaffirs, or the Kafiirs a little nearer to Mr. 's property, he perliaps would not have had so great an objection to the vicinity of her xMajesty's 90th Light Infantry.'! " Now, although tlie above-mentioned business cer- tainly admits of no palliation, yet — with regard to the frontier Colonists in general — allowance nmst be made for the feelings of people who have already been so often abandoned to their fate, and who, on the present occa- sion, seeing the Native Levies disbanded, and the regular troops withdrawn, wlicn there is no appearance of the ' As an illustration of this anecdote, see Cbase's Cape of Good Hope, p. '231. U2 436 EETURN FROM Kaffirs having been really humbled, naturally suppose that another flimsy peace is about to be patched up, which will again, in a few years, expose them to all the renewed horrors of Kaffir invasion, attended with its usual results." " Saturday, February 20th. The President and Eurydice have arrived, witli tlie Governor, the Com- jnander-in-Chief, and all their suite. I lost no time in seeing the General (whom I had formerly known in the Mediterranean). I found him particularly afiable ; and he has advised me to proceed at once to the Cape, and there to submit my case to the decision of a Medical Board. My old schoolfellow, Anson, is in command of the Eurydice, and has kindly promised me a lift round to Simon''s Bay. They are to make a last attempt to get the Thunderbolt afloat, which will probably take a week to eficct. I may therefore reckon on being at Cape Town about the commence- ment of March ; and this — allowing a month for the as- sembly of the Medical Board, and their decision (which I have not the least doubt will be in favour of my return) being confirmed — will bring me to the com- mencement of April ; so that about the middle of June I hope to be once more with you. Anson brought out a letter, of the 25th October : however, having previously received yours of the 5th December, it contained no news. * * * * " T have drawn out, as I before told you, for Sir George Berkeley ''s perusal, a paper with my remarks on the state of things here, together with a few sug- THE EASTERN FRONTIER. 487 gestions ; of which epistle I enclose a copy, aiul trust shortly to follow in person this formidable budget." Extracts from a Letter addressed to Lieutenant-General Sir George Berkeley ^ K.C.B.^ Sfc.^ " Bushman's River, Frontier of the Cape of Good Hope, "6th February, 1847. " Sir — Anticipating, this morning, the arrival of your Excellency, I have hastily put together a few facts and suggestions, induced by the present state of affairs on the frontier ; which opinions, however crude and undigested, may perhaps, nevertheless, furnish one or two available hints. " Since the period when the Hottentots were dis- possessed by the Kaffirs of tliat tract of country be- tween the Keiskaumia and (Jreat Fish lliver, the ex- perience of more than half a century goes to prove, that these restless barbarians are not to be restrained within the limits of the latter boundary. The dense, and in many places almost impenetrable, belt of Bush which extends along the sides of that river, and of its tributary, the ' Kat,"" as far north as the Wiutcrberg Mountains, serving only to afford them a secure cover, from whence, at pleasure, tliey can emerge to plunder and devastate the Colony ; whilst, at the same time, it secures them against pursuit, or discovery ; hence, their depredations can at all times be committed at ease, and, generally speaking, with perfect impunity. " This has invariably occurred, both during the Dutch occupation and our subsequent possession of the Eastern Province, whose inhabitants have been con- ' Sec " Book of the Cape," p. 154. 438 RETURN FROM stantly kept in a state of alarm, and repeatedly ruined, by the incursions of these savages — as a precaution against whose aggressions, patroles, commandos, and every measure suggested by foresight and prudence, have hitherto been of no avail; whilst their more serious invasions of 1819 and 1834-35 have well nigh deprived us of this fine province. " Sir Benjamin d'Urban was so perfectly convinced of the utter insecurity of this hue of frontier, that, after the latter daring attempt of the Kaffirs, he re- solved on driving the whole of the Amakosse tribes across the Kye, the open nature of whose banks was so much better- adapted for defence, and observation of the movements of the Kaffirs, than those of the Great Fish River, Such was his original intention ;^ in pursuance of which he, at an enormous expense to Government, erected several strong posts, which — together with the line of policy he had adopted — would, it was then generally supposed, have secured the permanent tranquillity of the Colony. " Lord Glenelg, however, guided by the representa- tions of ***** * and influenced by the mistaken and mawkish philanthropy of the day — an affectation of humanity exercised at the expense of the lives, pro- perty, and happiness, of our fellow-countrymen — upset all these arrangements, and adopted that vacillating line of policy, and those childish half-measures, which have entailed all the miseries of the late war, to say nothing of tlie immense outlay to which it has put the British Government. ' "Which -was suhscqucntly modified, by allowing some of the Ga'ika Tribes to occupy the country as British subjects. THE EASTERN FRONTIER. 439 " Under such circumstances, the question naturally suf^gests itself — ' How are all these evils to be reme- died? And ought recourse again to be had to Sir JJen- jamin d'Urbau's original plans T — 'Yes/ we would answer ; ' but on a still more extended and more stringent system."' " A great power, when it has once thrown back the limits of its boundary, more especially — as in this case — when dealing with savages, should, right or wrong, never again retrench those limits. " Any concession — even common kindness — is, with the barbarian, put down to the account of fear. The iirst symptom of a retreat is construed into weakness, or in- ability to retain possession of the abandoned territory; and the moral influence of the power of civilization once destroyed, the consequent fatal results are incalculable. " Above all, no threat should be made, unless there be full power to carry it into eft'ect ; and, when it /*■ executed, it should be done in such a manner as not to be readily forgotten. " Were I called upon for an opinion on the subject, it would be: — 'That all the Kaffir Tribes be driven beyond the Kye,' the latter to be then considered as ' It is well known, that between PortXatal and the Umzini- voobou River there are large tracts of fertile country jjerfectly uninhabited, and which could be occupied by the Kaffirs, if expelled from this side of the Kye ; where, moreover, they are only intruders of a very recent date ; Avhilst the most advan- tageous appropriation of the territory thus vacated by them might be a matter of after-consideration — whether to be sold, distributed as grants to Settlers ; to be occupied by Fingoes and Hottentots; or else by that race of half-castes, known under the denomination of " Griq^uas," or " Bastaards." 440 RETURN FROM the boundary of the Eastern Province ; that, after the expiration of a reasonable period, every male Kaffir above the age of sixteen, caught within this limit (whether armed or unarmed), be put to death like a beast of prey ; or, if taken alive, be removed to the vicinity of Cape Town, there to work as a felon on the public roads ; and, as a further encouragement to their capture or extirpation, that, dead or alive (at the ter- mination of the above-fixed period), a price be put on their heads. Tlie Boers, Fingoes, and Hottentots, would then, I have no doubt, save Government all further trouble on this account.' " That Kreili, the paramount Chief of all the Kaffir tribes, should, by the delivery of suitable hostages, be made responsible for the due fulfilment of so indis- pensable a preliminary to peace (the evacuation of the territory on this side of the Kye), for the further maintenance of which, that lines of posts be esta- blished along the new boundary — communicating with each other — with the seat of Government of the Eastern Province (which, by the by, ought to be local, and without reference to the authorities at Cape Town), and with the nearest seaport, by good military roads, with bridges over the numerous torrents. This com- munication to extend to Port Elizabeth — the locality at wliich the work of road-making should commence — (instead of the neighbourhood of Cape Town,) where it is of much more immediate importance. " Tliat, before any treaty be definitively concluded with Kreili, lie, as the responsible agent, be made to ' See Sir Ilcnry Pottinger's Letter of June 20th, 1847. Enclosure 6, Despatch 26. "Blue Book" for 1848. THE EASTERN FRONTIER. 441 give up the fall amount of plundered cattle, as a slight compensation to the Colonists, for the losses and sufterings sustained by them during the war ; the expenses of whirh nmst however unavoidably fall on the British Government. " Should the above terms of a proposed peace not be deemed palatable by the Kaffirs, they ought to be enforced at the point of the bayonet ; and, in order more probably to avoid a recurrence of that want of success which marked the events t be domesticated as easily as his Asiatic brethren of Ilindostan and Ceylon. The elephants which accompanied Ilannitjal's army across the Alps probably were of African origin, and most likely of the same species as those which are now found in the southern portion of that continent. THE EASTERN FRONTIER. 445 driving part of tlio world. But to return from this digression to my ' suggestions.' " 3rd. To cause a correct survey and report to be made of the mouth of every river or bay between the Great Fish River and Port Natal, and wherever secure anchorage were found, or a safe landing deemed prac- ticable, there to establish a military post and maga- zines ; in short, to establish the ' base of operations'* along the eastern line of sea-coast, by which you would have your supplies in the very lieart of the enemy^s country, and be able to get at once at his front and left flank, with Port Natal on your own right, and ample resources in your rear. " At present, owing to the insecurity of Waterloo Bay, the greater part of the supplies for the army are landed at Port Elizabeth, (itself bj^ no means a safe roadstead) and then transported in waggons, over an execrable country, to Graham's Town, Avhence they are forwarded to the scene of operations in the same lumbering conveyances. " H.M. Steamer Thunderbolt was some time since sent to examine the mouth of the Buftaloe River. I understand that a favourable report was the result, and coasting- vessels have been known to remain there safely at anchor, for weeks together ; yet, from some unaccountable cause, its capabilities have never, during the whole course of the war, been made in the least available.' " Again, as considerable delay and tiic greatest in- convenience have often of late resulted, in consequence ^ Shortly after the above was written, a military post was established at this locality. 446 RETURN FROM of a sudden rise in those numerous rivers flowino; throug-h the scene of operations, it strikes me that a pontoon train, with a few sailors, might with great advantage be attached to the forces in the flehl ;' whilst scientific oflScers were appointed to take military surveys of the ground over which we may advance, of many parts of whose features we are still in total ignorance ; as a good plan (on a large scale) would greatly facilitate military movements in this broken and entangled country. " With reference to the passage of the numerous rivers in Kaffirland — during the former winter, (1846) when there was no chance of their being flooded, a large punt was dragged about with the force ; but last December (the time when rain is always expected on the frontier) the army was stopped for ten or twelve days at the Kye, part of it cut off from its supplies, for want of means to pass them over ; and during this time, the troops unprovided with tents, and exposed to incessant rain, without biscuit, flour, or even salt, were reduced to the necessity of living entirely on beef, and that often nearly raw. ***** " Lastly. If all these measures be deemed insuf- ficieftt to ensure success, Faku, the chief of the Ama- ponda Kaffirs, only waits, it is said, a signal (or bribe) from us, to fall on the enemy's rear ; let that signal ' Though not in consequence of the above suggestion, it is, nevertheless, satisfactory to the author to find its feasibility subsequently fully tested, in the successful passage of the Orange River on pontoons, by the forces under Sir Harry Smith, during the late expedition against the Boers. THE EASTERN FRONTIER. 447 be given, aud these incorrigible robber tribes will then be li;t*t to their well-merited fate of mutual destruction ! " Such, Sir, is a rough outline of my — perhaps mis- taken — ideas on the subject in question ; it may, per- chance, be deemed presumption in an officer of my standing, venturing to advance an opinion on such points — still, ' knowledge,"' saith the proverb, ' may even be gathered from fools :'' — but, without exactly subscribinii" mvself as such, I have the honour to re- main, most respectfully, your Excellency ""s obedient, humble servant, E. Napier. Lieut-Colonel on Particular Service." To Lieut-General Sir G, Berkeley, K.C.B., &c., &c., &c., Commander-in-Chief at the Cape of Good Hope. ^r •* tt "^P ^ If the above were ever perused by tlie officer to whom it was addressed — whether or not, he availed himself of the suggestions therein contained — is now a matter of little import ; suffice it to say, that from the date of this letter, nearly another year had elapsed, and the Kaffir war still dragged on its weary length, until Sir Harry Smith at last appeared on the scene. Sir Harry ''s well known energy and decision of cha- racter — his indomitable valour — the recollection of his gallant exploits during the war of 1835 ; — in short, his name alone, sufficed at once to awe the barbarians and 448 THE EASTERN FROxNTIER. drive them to instant submission.' Their greatest chiefs humbly approaching, kissed the feet of tlie " Inkoso Eukuhf (the representative of the great Queen ;) Kaffirland then bowed to the yoke, and, together with the whole Colony — if we do not " entirely neglect our Settlers, persecute the Boers, or enforce an odious Convict system""' — will — with its present lluler — pro- bablv continue to be governed in quietness and peace, under the same judicious system — so injudiciously dis- carded — which was established in 1835 by the "bene- factor of the Cape of Good Hope :" the universally respected, and now, alas ! deeply to be lamented Sir Benjamin d'Urban. ^ See "Five Years in KafRrlantl," vol. ii., p. 334. A P P E T^ D I X. Fort Hare. — Page 99. It is difficult to divine what could have been the motive for naming the Fort — then erecting near Block Drift — after the late Major-Gcncral Hare ; as, in consequence of his having been so severely censured for his proceedings at this verj' locality before the breaking out of the war, such an appellation would appear to have been bestowed more in contumely than compliment. Of the Justice of the censure Avhich is said to have brought this veteran officer to an untimely end,^ the impartial reader will be enabled to form an opinion by attentively perusing that correspondence on the subject contained in the " Blue Book " for 1847, relating to the affairs of the Cape of Good Hope, and more particularly the official letters having reference to the unauthorized and unjustifiable violation of territorj^ on our part, by the survey which was ordered to be made in Sandilla's territories, without the consent of that Chief, and when at peace with his Tribe. Should the i)apers above referred to not have already met the eye of the friends of tlie late Major-General Hare, they would be found well worth perusing. Outline of the Services of the 91st Regiment in Kaffirland in 1846, together with the Official Report of the engagement in the Amatola. — Page 199. "The Kaffirs (after the aifair of the Amatola, on the IGth, l7th, and 18th April, 1846) now poured into the Colony, and ^ See Mrs. Ward's " Five Years in KafErland," vol. ii., eh. viii. 450 SERVICES OF thinking to carry all before them, assailed the following outposts, which were held by detachments of the Reserve Battalion of the 91st Regiment; but they were in every instance repulsed with heavy loss; namely, at the Tyuraie (Chumie) post on the 19th April, when one private, 91st Regiment, was wounded ; at Leuwe Fontain, on the 19th, when two privates, 91st Regi- ment, were killed; at Blinkwater Post, 20th April; Double Drift, 26th April; INIancazana Tost, on 1st and 3rd May; and Trumpeters' Drift, 2nd May. " At the attack on the train of forty-one waggons passing from Trumpeters' Drift to Fort Peddle on 24th May, 60 men of the Reserve Battalion, 91st Regiment, were present, and the conduct of Lieutenant Dickson on that occasion was highly commended by his Excellency, Sir P. Maitland, "This detachment, in conjunction with the 1st Battalion, was again engaged on the 28th and 29th May, in the attack made by the whole Tribes of Kaffirland on Fort Peddle, on which occasion the enemy had to retire with great slaughter. In the mean time, the head-quarters of the Battalion were directed to occupy and maintain the seminary and other build- ings at Block Drift, when the remainder marched, on the 27th April, to the defence of Lower Albany. " On the afternoon of the 12th of May, the Kaffirs attacked Block Drift; but, though repelled from the buildings, they succeeded in capturing about 100 head of cattle and a few sheep, and wounding one private of the 91st Regiment. On this occasion, the loss of the enemy was 40 killed. " On the 5th of June, 100 men of the 91st Regiment assisted in re-capturing from a party of the enemy about 5,300 sheep and goats, and nine horses, and bringing them in safety to the Post. On the 6th of June, a strong patrole, of 250 of the 91st Regiment, a party of Royal Sappers and Miners, with one gun, 40 of the Cape Corps, 400 mounted Burghers, and 200 Fingoes, started from Block Drift, under the command of Major Camp- bell, and having scoured all the kloofs and valleys to the foot of the Amatola Mountains, and meeting with no opposition, re- turned to the Post. On the 15th of June, 200 men of the 91st Regiment, 200 of the 27th Regiment, a company of the Royal Sappers and Miners, and two guns, with 40 Cape Corps, and 600 of the Burgliers, and Hottentot and Fingoe Levies, under the command of Colonel Hare, again patrolled to the Amatola THE 9 1st regiment. 451 Mountains; but, mcctinj^ with no opposition — the enemy only appearing on the top of the liills — the force returned to Block Drift. On the 27th of July, the Reserve Battalion of the 91st Regiment, of the strength of 11 officers and "ioO men, formed part of the first division, under the command of Colonel Hare, and having left 80 men to maintain Block Drift, pro- ceeded to the Chumie flats. " On the night of the •29th of July, the Kaffirs made an attack on the camp, but were soon silenced by the fire of the troops, which caused them quickly to retire; and, by daybreak next morning, the division, more than "2,000 strong, with two guns, ascended the sununit of the Amatola range, the enemy every where fleeing before them. The following day, the Division proceeded to Fort Cox, with a view to intercept the retreating foe. On the 4th of August, the force again took up the pursuit, atul for four days was employed in scouring the kloofs and hills towards the source of the Keiskamma River, and up to the Buffalo Mountains. Finding that the Kaffirs had eluded their search, and meeting with no enemy to con- tend against, the troops returned to Fort Cox on the 7th of August. " On the IGth of August, a patrolc of 1 JO of the 91st Regi- ment, with a party of the 27th Regiment, and 100 Fingoes, ascended the Amatola ]\Iountains, and, passing into the valley below, returned to camp without seeing an enemy. On the same day, 81 men of the 91st Regiment, with a Hottentot corps 600 strong, under the command of Captain Hogg, 7th Dragoon Guards, started for Tambookieland, to punish the Chief Ma- passa, who had now joined in the war against the British. "This party was thus employed till the 19th of October, when it arrived at Fort Beaufort, having been engaged in the several affairs and skirmishes with the enemy, which took place during that time, and in one of which the spirited conduct of Ensign Fitzgerald, 91st Regiment, was particularly noticed. " The detachment marched, on the 2;]rd of October, to Phoonah's Kloof, and thence to Post Victoria on the 9th of December. " On the 23rd of August, a body of Hottentots and Fingoes that had been sent out on two days' patrole, were, on their return to Fort Cox, suddenly attacked, on the Amatola ]\Ioun- tains, by a superior force of Kaffirs, and on the eve of being 452 SERVICES OF overpowered by tliem, when the opportune arrival of 100 men of the 91st Regiment, hastily despatched to their support, rescued them from their danger, and, throwing themselves in the face of the foe, directed such a volley into them as to com- pel them to make a precipitate retreat, and the party returned to camp without further molestation. "On the 29th of August, the 91st Regiment furnished 116 men as part of a patrole under Captain Durnford, 27th Regi- ment, which again scoured the bushy kloofs of the surrounding country. " On the 5th of September, the R. B. 91st regiment was directed to remain and occupy Fort Cox, with 200 of the Cape Town Burghers, all under the command of Major, now Lieu- tenant-Colonel Campbell, 91st Regiment. The Division, having placed the Fort in a good state of repair, then moved towards the Debe River. "While at Fort Cox, daily patroles of 100 men, under a Captain, were furnished by the 91st Regiment and Cape Burghers, for the purpose of keeping the surrounding bush clear of the enemy, and reconnoitcring the neighbourhood. "On the 17th of September, Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell had an interview with the Kaffir Chief, Macomo, who said that he came in the name of all Kaffirland to sue for peace ; and a report of this interview was forwarded to the officer command- ing the 1st Division. On the 23rd of October, a party of 12:3 men, 91st Regiment, an equal number of Burghers, and six of the Cape Corps, acting in co-operation with 1st Division, pa- trolled under Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, in the direction of Block Drift, and, sweeping along the face of the mountains, suc- ceeded in capturing 92 head of cattle. On the 1st of December, 100 of the 91st Regiment, 100 Cape Town Burghers, and six of the Cape Corps, again sallied out of the Fort, and co-operating with the 1st Division, as on the previous occasion, captured lOG head of cattle and nine horses, having experienced very trifling opposition." Fort Cox continued to be occupied by the Head-quarters of the 2nd Battalion of the 91st Regiment and the Cape Town Burgher Levy until the 2.'}rd of December, at which period it was abandoned, and Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell joined the 1st Division at Block Drift. The following is Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell's official ac- THE 91ST REGIMKNT. 453 count of his encounters with the Kaffirs on the IGth April and 12th May, 1846. Block Drift, 19th April, 184G. Sir — I have the honour to acquaint you that in compliance with your order on the morning of the 16th inst., I proceeded from the Camp at Burns' Hill, with two hundred rank and file of the 91st Kegiment, and one hundred and eighty Burgher Hottentots across the Keiskamma, and up the Amatola Hoek. The principal part of the way was by a narrow path through a densely wooded valley. After j)roceeding without any moles- tation for about five or six miles, the country became more open. I here halted for a short time. During the time of our halt, I perceived numbers of Kaffirs collecting on the heights all round, but more especially at the only outlet which leads to the flats, where I expected to meet with your division. In forming a moderate estimate of Avhat we could see of the enemy's num- bers, I should compute them at two thousand, and all appa- rently armed with firearms. As their numbers were increasing every moment, and they seemed closing upon us, I determined on ascending the heights without delay, so as to gain the flats and get clear of the Bush. The outlet was up a steep rugged cattle path, about three-quarters of a mile in length, thickly wooded on either side, l)ut more particularly on our left. As soon as we commenced the ascent, the Burgher Hottentots skirmishing in our front, the Kaffirs opened a heavy fire upon us, from front and both flanks. We continued advancing stea- dily, firing to both flanks. When about half way up, the Kaffirs closed on our rear, so that we were entirely surrounded. I here ordered my men to fix bayonets, and fire a volley in the thick bush on our left, from which the hottest of the enemy's fire jiroceeded. This for a short time silenced their fire in that direction, when we again pushed on, keeping up a constant fire to our flanks, as before. On gaining the top, I formed the men in line to the rear, and commenced firing on the Kaffirs, who where now emerging from the Bush. IVIy men were now much done up, owing to the steepness of the ascent ; at this moment you arrived with your di\ision to our support. With the subsequent occurrences of the day you are ac- quainted. The casualties of my party on this occasion, were three privates 91st liegiment killed; one coq)oral and two pri- vates wounded; one Hottentot Burgher wounded, who died 454 SERVICES OF on the following morning, and my horse shot during the as- cent. I have much pleasure in being able to state, that the whole of the party under my command, including the Burgher Hot- tentots, behaved with the greatest coolness and deteriuination. I have the honour to be. Sir, Your most obedient humble servant, J. F. G. Campbell, Major 91st Regt. Commanding Reserve Battalion, 91st Regt. To Col. Somerset, K.H., Commanding the Troops in Kaffirland. PS. On this occasion the Kaffirs acknowledge^ to have lost two hundred. The conduct of my two hundred men was admi- rable ; nothing but coolness and the most determined courage, under a merciful God, brought us through. One poor fellow, after being wounded, shot one, and bayonetted two. We were actually at times muzzle to muzzle. Block Drift, May 13th, 1846. Sir — I have the honour to acquaint you, for the information of his Honour the Colonel commanding, that yesterday, about 2 P.M., a body of about one hundred and fifty mounted Kaflars were seen approaching the slaughter cattle guard (twelve men of the 91st Regiment) which was about four hundred yards above Fort Thompson, on the slope of the hill, and immediately com- menced firing on them. Conceiving this to be only a ruse on the part of the KaflSrs to draw the force out of the building, I merely sent a party consisting of one officer and twenty men to support the cattle guard, who were retiring on the Camp, and got the rest of the men and gun into position. I then opened a fire with the gun, and after a few discharges, which seem to have been effective, as several of the Kaffirs were seen to fall from their horses, and were afterwards picked up by the others, and car- ried off, the body of Kaffirs then retired up the hill, out of range, and immediately, as I had anticipated, a large force of Kaffirs on foot made a rush from the top, and from each side of the wooded hill, about eight hundred yards in rear of the building, and made directly for it. By this time I had the gun 1 It is well known the Kaffirs always endeavour to conceal the numbers they lose in war; so the chances are, that whatever they acknowledge to is greatly under the mark. THE 9 1st regimknt. 455 brought to the other flank, so as to fire on the hill, and opened a fire of musketry, from the top windows and roof, on them as they advanced, which checked them, and made them change their direction to the thick bush on our right rear. The gun was then brought to bear on this point, when the Kaffirs retired in various directions behind the hill to our rear. It is impos- sible to say what may have been the loss of the enemy on this occasion, but on that part of the hill where the gun and mus- ketry fire were directed, there were distinctly seen eight bodies carried away.' Our casualty was one man of the cattle guard, severely and dangerously wounded. ^Vhilst these operations were going on, another large body of Kaffirs, both mounted, and on foot, carried off the whole of the slaughtered cattle and sheep. This party kept along the ridge of the south-west, between this and Post Victoria, and shortly fell in with the trek oxen, which were grazing in that direction, under their leaders and drivers, and captured the whole of them, killing one of the drivers. Shortly afterwards, I saw the oxen and Kaffirs make a detour to the loft, and go in the direction of the Amatola INIountains. Having one day'a rations of meat onlj', for those on the post, I have caused it to be divided into two days' supply, and reduced the forage allow- ance. I beg to enclose returns, showing the quantity of am- munition and supplies now at the Post, and would suggest, for the consideration of his Honour, the Colonel commanding, that the quantity of gun ammunition specified in the enclosed requi- sition should be sent to this Post. Should it be at any time required, there is no ammunition at present for the Cape Corps. I have to add that the water in the duct lately laid on, ap- pears to have been cut off last night, but as I have reason to believe there are still Kaffirs in the vicinity, I have not thought it advisable to ascertain whether it is so, or accidental, by the water breaking the banks. The head of the duct is nearly two miles off, and through bushy ground. I have, &c., &c., &c., J. F. G. Camphkll, jMajor, 91st Rcgt., Commanding Block Drift. To Lieut. ^lolcsworth, '27th Kegt., Field and Fort Adjutant, Fort Beaufort. * On this occasion the loss acknowk'i.lgecl by the Kaffirs was forty. 456 JSER VICES OF THE 91 ST RECaMKXT, Extract from a Second Report, dated likewise I3th May, 1846. I may add, that the guard which was out j'esterday, although nearly a mile distant, escaped in a most remarkable manner, as, by the time the relief which I sent out to their aid had reached, they were completely surrounded by Kaffirs, and this small party deserves the greatest credit for the manner in which they fouo-ht their way, through the body of attacking Kaffirs so many times more than their number, and to which I was an eye-witness. I have, &c., &c., &c., J. F. G. Campbell, Major, 91st Regt., Commanding Block Drift. To Lieut. iMolesworth, 27th Regt., Field and Fort Adjutant, Fort Beaufort. THE END. V. Shoberl, Jun., rrinterto II.U.II. Prince AUxTt.ol, Unpen St., Ilaymarket. UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA LIBRARY Los Angeles This book is DUE on the last date stamped below. M'f> LD-URD QLAPR I7 1936 Form L9-50m-9,'60(B3610B4)444 »: *: >i^ ^ ^: ^ M A, A, A A.,A-^^...A^^^:^-^.^ , ^ ^: ^ ^: ^ ^: ^. 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