The Cape and the Kaffirs Part 21

But the Governor interrupted him by striking the staff of peace violently on the ground, exclaiming there should be no Chief but himself, and, flinging the staff forward, made Pato, who trembled exceedingly, pick it up, and lay it at his feet.

"Take to the bush again," said his Excellency, "and see how I will hunt you out!"

Konah, Macomo's son, "thanked," and remarked that he "was a little child, and had no place 'to sit in!'" Macomo's absence at Port Elizabeth [Note 4] prevented any decisive arrangements being made to settle his people.

After all the chiefs had spoken, his Excellency again addressed them on the subject of a fair division of the land, on the advantages of industry, of their young people becoming servants, and of agricultural pursuits; and, deprecating the love of cattle, he declared that each disputed bullock should be shot, and threatened to "eat up" the idle and the vicious. He pointed out to them the Kaffir police, which had been clothed--"These," said his Excellency, "are not to hunt the good, but to keep rogues out of the Colony;" and, in allusion to the recent murder of a settler named Stanley, he offered 50 pounds reward for the apprehension of the murderers, observing they should be "hunted out."

Colonel Mackinnon was pointed out as "The _mouth_ of the Governor," who was to be obeyed, and listened to in the absence of his Excellency; landmarks were promised, and arms demanded.

"Go to Kreli [Note 5] and Boko," said Sir Harry Smith, "and tell them they are no longer chiefs. The Queen of England has sent me to keep peace! peace!"

The word was taken up by the Kaffirs, and accompanied by shouts on all sides. The Governor then bade them good bye, promising to be amongst them again in thirty days. The National Anthem, from the magnificent band of the Rifle Brigade, closed the ceremonies of this eventful day, and "Peace! Peace! Peace!" were the last words echoed by the mult.i.tude before the people separated--some to return to the Colony, and resume their pursuits--some to wander back to the people of their tribe with "the news."

Among the arrangements for the protection of the Colony, a force was organised in 1848 by placing soldiers discharged from the 7th Dragoon Guards, 27th, 90th, and 91st Regiments, on certain grants of land in British Kaffraria, and thus forming military villages.

Since then it has been reported that these settlements have not answered the purpose for which they were established; I grieve to say that from all I can learn from good authority, the two great sources of mischief have been idleness and cheap brandy. The plan was excellent; the men so located were to be rationed at the public expense for the first year of their location. Seed corn and implements of husbandry were found for the tillage of their land; each portion consisting of twelve acres, with the right of common; to every ten men a span or team of oxen was allotted, and to every twenty, a waggon. While actually serving, they were to receive 2 s.h.i.+llings 6 pence a day, with other allowances. Each village to be superintended by a retired military officer, armed with magisterial authority for settling petty disputes, and this superintendent would also take command of the party in the event of its being called out to protect the Colony against Kaffir depredations and aggressions.

By this arrangement, the land would be cultivated as well as protected, and would that the men so comfortably provided for, would invite their friends to join them. Ere many years have elapsed, we may find the wealth of Africa appreciated, and her mines worked by the scientific men and intelligent mechanics of England. The societies at home are already alive to the value of Mr Bain's researches in geology; and the botanist, the naturalist, the artist, in short, all who are enterprising and persevering, must reap the reward of their exertions in this vast field of new, important, and profitable discoveries.

Hands alone are wanting to complete the system of industry: this once established, would lead to a long and lasting peace; for, by industry, the interests of the Kaffir and the white man will be united.

The former will learn that his best policy is to work; and, although little in this way can be expected, at first, from a predatory savage, the old Kaffir will correct the younger one in the belief that the Umlunghi may be beaten. As another generation rises, it will learn not only our customs, but our wants; and, on the latter circ.u.mstance we may rest, politically speaking, with more satisfaction than on all the teaching young Kaffirland may receive, or on all the promises he may make.

Peace being fairly proclaimed from Cape Town to the Kei, Sir Harry Smith started for Natal, accompanied by Mr Southey, Secretary to the High Commissioner, and Major Garvock, 31st Regiment, A.D.C., and Private Secretary. The object of his Excellency's visit was to inquire into the causes of that discontent which has so long existed among the Boers, and to take decisive measures for the welfare of the various cla.s.ses of inhabitants occupying the country to the eastward. Sir Harry Smith's determination to travel by land was a most fortunate circ.u.mstance; for, had he gone by sea, extraordinary opportunities would have been lost.

The families of many Dutch settlers were thus overtaken, while _trekking_ from the Colony to settlements where they would be beyond British rule. Some were on the eve of departure, and a few were pausing, but prepared for a move. In this state of discontent, misery, and suspense, the approach of his Excellency was hailed with an enthusiasm very rare among these phlegmatic and taciturn people.

At Colesberg he was met by a deputation of the inhabitants, princ.i.p.ally Dutch, who presented him with an address of welcome. At Bloem Fontein, between the Riet and Modda Rivers, he was greeted by numerous Boers, all anxious to listen to his terms, and send for their friends from various points that they might do the same. The chief, Moshesh, whose country lies beyond the Orange River, presented himself to the Governor at Winberg. The chief was accompanied by his two sons, who had been educated at Cape Town.

Most satisfactory arrangements were made, tending to promote peace and content among the Boers, the Griquas, and the tribes under Moshesh, Moroko, and other chiefs. All expressed themselves satisfied with Sir Harry Smith's "proposals," for _he pledged himself to nothing_ until he had removed, or overcome, many difficulties incidental to his high and responsible position.

One incident, trifling in itself, went further towards conciliating the Dutch than any well prepared speeches would have done. While about to reply to the address of the Boers at Bloem Fontein, his Excellency observed an aged man "whose whitened locks told of some eighty summers."

He immediately called him from the crowd; and, handing him his own chair, Sir Harry expressed his regrets that the old man should have stood so long without being observed. How few there are who consider the advantage we gain by dealing with others according to _their_ dispositions and tempers, rather than _our own_!

Sad scenes of distress among the unsettled farmers excited the sympathy of the humane Governor on his journey. Rains, in almost unparalleled floods, having fallen at this period, the plains were inundated: the waggons, their drivers, and the cattle, were found resting disconsolately in the midst of a waste of waters. The old, the young, the sick, and the impoverished, were bewailing their sad condition at the foot of the Draakenberg Mountains, dreading their journey through the wilderness, over which they were about to drag their weary way, when he, who "had come because he knew they wanted a friend," rode into the encampment of Pretorius. Some idea may be formed of the sufferings of these people, by the fact that the forelouper of the waggon of Pretorius having left them, a young girl of twelve years, Pretorius's daughter, had been compelled to lead the oxen for some days; and in doing so, her arm had been frightfully gored by the leading bullock. The fatigue of a forelouper is great for a boy, and to a young girl must be absolutely injurious.

In sullen disgust at his reception in Graham's Town, or rather his non-reception by Sir Henry Pottinger, Pretorius had resolved on abandoning the districts under our Government, and the example of such a man was not lost on his neighbours. From the difficulty of communication between the immediate scene of Sir Harry Smith's proclamations, and the disaffected Boers, no positive a.s.surance of better prospects had reached them, till he in person offered himself as their friend. A spot on the banks of the Tugala River was named as a place of conference, and a great many farmers a.s.sembled there, requesting Pretorius to address his Excellency on the subject of their grievances, which he did in such a way as to excite the sympathy of all who heard him.

The result of this conference was a Proclamation announcing "the Sovereignty of the Queen of England over the territories north of the Orange River, north to the Vaal River, and east to the Draakenberg, or Quathlamba, Mountains." The Boers, to a man, declared their readiness and anxiety to return to the farms they had forsaken; those further off were invited by proclamation to leave "their miserable locations among the Draakenberg Mountains;" and the arrangements respecting quit-rents, judicial authority, grants of land, etc, were met with satisfaction by the whole population a.s.sembled to hear and understand them.

The Tugala stream being impa.s.sable, the Governor returned to Pretorius's camp, and was there detained some days. On his way back, his Excellency had to ford a pa.s.sage which, from the rains, had become a deep stream.

The people provided a strong horse for him, and a.s.sisted themselves, in getting the travelling waggon, "Government House" as they called it, through the waters, which threatened to sweep it away. The indefatigable Governor at last left Pretorius in the rain: and, after crossing many drifts, forded a dangerous mountain-stream, called the Blue Krantz River. At the Great Bushman's River, he found a party under Captain Campbell, C.M.R., and Lieutenant Gibb, R.E., who had brought a float from Pietermaritzburg. By these means the Mooi and the Umgeni Rivers were pa.s.sed, and his Excellency reached Natal.

Many of the inhabitants had ridden out fifteen miles to meet their "friend." The proclamations had satisfied every one of Sir Harry Smith's desire to make all parties justly and permanently happy, and the town was the scene of general rejoicing.

After remaining a day or two at the Lieutenant-Governor's, his Excellency left Natal for Cape Town, on the 12th of February; landed at the Buffalo mouth, from H.M. steamer "Geyser," on the 15th, and on the 19th reached Graham's Town. On the 1st of March he made his _entree_ into Cape Town, amid the acclamations of the people and the rejoicings of his friends, and the day closed with illuminations throughout the town. One of these was worthy of remark: it was a small transparency representing the "Hero of Aliwal" leading the aged Boer to his own seat!

One point has been gained by the miseries of the last two years--the Colony has attracted the attention of the whole of the civilised world; its resources have been brought into notice; and, finally, a Governor has been appointed, whose mind is unprejudiced, whose head is clear, whose heart is honest, and whose powers are unshackled.

While this work has been preparing for the press, we have been startled by the melancholy intelligence of another outburst in Kaffirland. The cause is traced to the deposition of Sandilla from his high estate of Paramount Chief of the Gaikas.

In perusing the foregoing work, the reader will do me the justice to acknowledge that although I have been sanguine in my _hopes_ of peace, I have never for one moment swerved from my opinion of the Kaffir. From first to last I have denounced him as incapable of honest feelings--as an irreclaimable savage. No sooner were the Rifle Brigade removed from the Colony, than the wild beast began to show his claws. We have already received the grievous news of death and devastation to a painful extent, and all we have to rest upon at present is the certainty that no one knows better than Sir Harry Smith how to deal with these misguided wretches, and to hope that the final result will not be detrimental to the true interests of either the Kaffir or the emigrant.

The following is a summary of what may be called the first chapter of the present war in Kaffirland.

Sir Harry Smith having summoned Sandilla to a conference, of the Gaika tribes with the British Governor, Sandilla chose to absent himself: his adviser and supporter in this affair was, no doubt, his brother and chief councillor, Anta, a man already noticed in this work. Upon this Sir Harry Smith deposed Sandilla, and nominated his mother Sutu; the "Great Widow" of Gaika, in her son's stead. Sandilla and his friends resented this, especially as Sir Harry had declared the chief's land confiscated, and, in spite of all former oaths of allegiance, they treated the Governor's messages with contempt.

On the 24th of December, 1850, Colonel Mackinnon, at the head of six hundred men, being detached to capture Sandilla, was led into a defile, probably by the treachery of the Kaffir police; for although they so preserved appearances that their conduct is described in Colonel Mackinnon's despatch as "admirable," they subsequently deserted by hundreds. Those remaining have, it is said, been very wisely disarmed.

[Note 6.]

In this defile or gorge of the Keiskama, through which the men could only pa.s.s in single file, a fire was opened on the infantry who were in the rear, and who with difficulty and serious loss forced their way; dislodging the enemy from the bush _en pa.s.sant_.

The casualties on this occasion were:--a.s.sistant-Surgeon Stuart, Cape Mounted Rifles, one corporal and nine privates of the 6th Regiment, and one corporal of the 73rd Regiment, killed. Brigade-Major Bisset, Cape Mounted Rifles, and Lieutenant Catty, 6th Regiment, were wounded severely; and five privates 6th Regiment, and two privates 73rd Regiment, also wounded. A considerable number of the enemy were killed.

Colonel Mackinnon moved back by a different road, and on reaching the Debe flats, a horrible sight presented itself: fourteen soldiers of the 45th Regiment lay dead upon the plain. The Kaffirs had stripped them and cut their throats.

This disastrous affair was a signal for a general rising of the Gaikas.

They stalked, as usual, through the land with brand and a.s.segai, and the poor settlers in the military villages, who were gathered together to make merry on Christmas day, were surprised by the treacherous foe; and many were cut to pieces on their devastated homesteads. Among these thus murdered are Lieutenant Stacey, late of the 45th Regiment, and Mr Phelps. So say the accounts, but they must be received with caution, unless official.

On the 29th of December, 1850, Colonel Somerset attempted to form a junction with Sir Harry Smith, and for this purpose detached a party of one hundred and fifty of the 91st Regiment under Lieut.-Colonel Yarborough, seventy Cape Mounted Rifles under Major Somerset, and a small 3-pounder gun Royal Artillery, but the enemy burst upon the troops in such force that it was deemed necessary to retire; a desperate struggle ensuing between the enemy and the troops, the latter succeeded at length in regaining Fort Hare, but not without lamentable losses on our side.

In this melancholy business the casualties were:--Lieut. Melvin and Adjutant Gordon, 91st Regiment, killed; Ensign Borthwick, 91st, wounded, and several soldiers of the 91st and Cape Mounted Riflemen. Major Somerset's charger was also wounded. Colonel Somerset in his despatch expresses great satisfaction at the conduct of the troops and their officers, especially naming Colonel Yarborough and Major Somerset. The loss to the enemy was considerable.

The colonists, who at first deserted their property, have since readily come forward at the call of the Governor; the troops have enough to do to defend the line of posts; and the next intelligence is waited for with an interest and anxiety which none can fully understand but those who have already experienced the horrors of a Kaffir war.

Meanwhile reinforcements are ordered from England, and the colonists have armed themselves to a.s.sist Sir Harry Smith. May G.o.d defend the right!

I have elsewhere touched on our hurried move from the Frontier of South Africa, by which I have been prevented from satisfactorily transcribing my notes on past occurrences. A _trek_ in a bullock-waggon, at the rate of _two miles and a half an hour_, over rough roads, to which a tread-mill would be smooth, and an occasional ride "through the bush,"

under a vertical sun, are by no means incentives to employment of any kind. It was a frightful and toilsome journey, especially to one whose nerves had been shattered by the events of the last twenty-two months.

The only agreeable chapter in the journey from the Frontier, was the voyage of forty-nine hours in H.M. steamer "Geyser," from Algoa Bay to Cape Town; the distance being 600 miles. What a contrast to the five days' previous _trek_ of 96 miles! Here was rest, indeed! Sailors certainly have a way of making things pleasant to their guests, and persuading the latter, at the same time, that it is _they_ who contribute to the _agremens_ of the pa.s.sage, whereas it must decidedly inconvenience, in no trifling degree, the officers and crew of a man-of-war, to convert it into a travelling barrack.

A deep debt of good-will and thanks do the 91st owe the officers of the "Geyser," and long, long will the right pleasant welcome they received upon her decks be remembered by them all, and returned some day--if it be possible! But, it will _not_ be possible!

Note 1. Sir Harry Smith's precise words I believe, on good authority, were, "As for you, Pato, you are a vagabond; and, instead of being taken out of the bush, you deserve to be shot."

Note 2. Soon after the meeting at King William's Town Umtikaka died.

There is some reason to believe he was poisoned. It will be remembered that he wished to a.s.sist us against Mapa.s.sa in the early part of the war.

Note 3. "I am no longer a man, but a baboon," said Pato to Colonel Somerset, when the latter took the hunted chief "out of the rocks."

Note 4. Macomo was then in gaol there for making a disturbance in the street, when intoxicated.

Note 5. Kreli had sent a messenger to the meeting, excusing himself for not attending, on the score of "being sick;" but on the 25th of January he presented himself at King William's Town, attended by forty mounted followers, to remonstrate on the subject of the new boundary line between his country and the Tambookies.

Note 6. In my original journal, when speaking of the organisation of this body by Lieutenant Davis, late of the 90th Regiment, I remarked: "This experiment of arming so treacherous a race seems fraught with danger." My misgivings have been amply justified.