Cape of Good Hope--First sight of--Inhabitants--Descent and
other particulars--Sir Harry again--Sandicea in rebellion--War
rumours--Join a Volunteer Corps--Off for frontier--East
London--Army at Fort William--Join them--Gazetted Lieutenant--The
Jungle--Kaffir women--73rd Regiment--Arrangements--Enter the
Gaika tribe country--The huts--The kraal--43rd, 60th and 12th
Lancers--General Somerset--Fort Beaufort--Colonel Fordyce
shot--Buffalo Post--Capture cattle--Pursuit of Kaffirs--Sardillas'
horse shot--Bridle neck bush--Time-expired men--Back to
recruit--The Hottentot--East London again.
Favoured with beautiful weather, and nothing having occurred to mar
our passage, we sighted the Cape on the twentieth of October. As the
high land comes first to view, it has all the appearance of a lion
couchant--the flag-staff rising from the lion's tail, creeping round
the point to a narrow entrance, the whale rock and Robin Island come
in view, then Cape Town stretches before you, in a sort of basin.
Table Mountain at the back, the town sloping up from the bay, with
the Blue Berg Mountains away to the east. At this time of year summer
commences in the Cape. We had, therefore, a summer Christmas before
us. Landing on the twenty-sixth, we took up quarters in the Pier
hotel. Steamers did not venture on such long voyages in those days,
and the influx of visitors was not so great as now. Living we found
very cheap; a bottle of wine, and very good at that, cost fourpence;
British brandy, sixpence, it was called "Cape-smoke;" meat was
twopence per pound; peaches, pomegranates and grapes, one shilling
per basket--bushel. The villa residences on the outskirts are very
pretty--the fences surrounding them are either rose or geranium
bushes, standing as high as six feet; or cactus, or prickly pear. The
inhabitants of the Colony are mostly of Dutch descent, or Malays.
Originally it was a slave settlement. Hither they were brought from
Batavia--but on the British Government assuming control, slavery was
abolished. The descendants of these are now the most industrious, as
they are the wealthiest inhabitants. Their principal occupation is,
or was then, whaling and seal-fishing, with some tradesmen among
them. The aborigines of the Cape, or Hottentots, are a low, degraded,
idle class.
[Sidenote: Sir Harry Smith again.]
[Sidenote: Gazetted Lieutenant.]
Our old East Indian friend and General, Sir Harry Smith, I found here
as Governor-General and Commander-in-Chief of the Colony of South
Africa--and it was here, and at such a time, too, such an experienced
soldier was required. Sandilla, a Gaika chief, had commenced
hostilities on the frontier, and his Kaffirs had burnt over twenty
farms, butchered the farmers and their families, and carried off all
their cattle. Though now free from the service, it was but natural,
after my previous service, I should feel interested in anything
concerning military movements or threatenings of war, and I soon made
myself acquainted with all the particulars. The entire British force
in the Colony consisted of three infantry battalions. These were
scattered in detachments all over the country, only the head-quarters
of the 73rd were at Cape Town. The Governor and his staff, taking
these, left for the scene of disturbance, and levies were ordered
all over. Besides the atrocities mentioned, the Kaffirs had murdered
all the men in the three military villages of Auckland, Wobown and
Joanisburgh. I could not be expected to remain long unknown, as,
having seen service in the Sixteenth Lancers in India, was surprised
by a request from the Colonial Secretary to assist in raising levies,
who offered me a command as lieutenant in the Second Corps of
Europeans. A draft of two hundred men, with seventy-eight horses, was
ordered up to East London, and having given my consent, I was sent
in charge. On the first of February I went on board the war steamer
_Hermies_, with that number, and left for the frontier. On reaching
East London, we found we could get no nearer than about two miles.
Anchoring, surf-boats were brought alongside, and in these, after
immense trouble, all were safely landed. Well, I had seen many towns
and forts, and I have been in towns since called after our beautiful
capital, but such a place as this aspiring to the great name,
surprised me. The whole place consisted of one building, called a
hotel; four huts; four commissariat houses; and a small fort, with a
dozen or so Kaffirs, apparently friendly, standing round-about naked,
fine, manly-looking fellows, copper coloured, and all six feet high
or thereabouts. We found the army was encamped at Fort William,
eighteen miles from East London. I marched in charge of my detachment
of men and horses, to which was added a convoy of thirty-six waggons
loaded with provisions. We halted at Fort Murry, half-way. Captain
McLean, of the 6th Foot, was in charge here with one company. We were
now in a friendly chief's country; his name was Patto. Having been
detained longer than was expected by the slow travel of the bullock
waggons, it was late next afternoon when we reached the camp at King
William Fort. The next day being Sunday, I was ordered to parade my
men before General Sir Harry Smith--after which, and being quite
satisfied with his inspection, and some conversation about old times,
he ordered my rank to be confirmed as lieutenant, 2nd Corps Cape Town
Levies. Having had some time to rest, I was enabled to scan about me,
and see a little of the place and people. Here I had an opportunity
of seeing that dreadful bush so much spoken of--Kaffir land--and it
is a bush--so dense, and thick, and so full of the Momossa tree, with
its long thorns, it is almost impossible to penetrate. As one moved
any distance round, plenty of women and girls might be seen; they
come up the valleys with immense pumpkins, corn, or milk, to exchange
for beads, buttons, or, in fact, anything strange. As they don't know
the use of money, an old brass ring would buy all one wanted for a
day. They were quite as oblivious of dress as the men we had first
seen, only a small apron of deerskin around their waste. Some had
blankets. They looked horrible, so full of red clay for paint, and
they were disgustingly dirty. The Hottentots or Aborigines' worth is
all in cattle. The women feed them, build their own houses, sow the
corn, and do all the drudgery. The men do nothing but hunt, and in
war time fight. The boys are not allowed to associate with men until
after circumcision, which takes place at eighteen; then they may sit
round the council fire with the men.
[Sidenote: Enter the Gaika tribe country.]
I found our army composed of volunteers from Cape Town district,
Mossel Bay and Grahamstown--in all some 20,000 Europeans, Hottentots
and Fingoes, besides the British 6th and 73rd regiments. The Cape
mounted riflemen had, a few days previous to our arrival, most
of them at least, gone over to the enemy, taking their horses and
arms. They had intended to massacre all the 73rd regiment the night
previous, while they were asleep; this was frustrated through a
friendly chief giving information to Sir Harry Smith, and it was
thought strange that all the Hottentots of Wesleyan mission stations
remained loyal, when those situated east, under missionaries of other
denominations, joined the insurgents; these proved our worst foes,
being such good marksmen.
[Sidenote: Buffalo post--capture cattle.]
All arrangements being completed, we broke camp and marched towards
the river Kiskama, then crossed into the Gaika territory to hunt up
Sandilla. Here we remained three weeks, engaged in skirmishing and
picket duty, the Kaffirs troubling us much at night, firing from the
bush. This kind of warfare is most disliked by the soldier--every
bush containing an enemy, and no sooner you made one than they were
off to another. In fact, they were always near us, particularly at
night, and yet we could get no chance of having a good shot at them.
The kraal, better known now than ever before, is a collection of
huts, made in the form of large beehives, placed in a circle--the
cattle in the middle--we invariably burned them. They were erected
in some sheltered place, on the sides of hills or mountains. We
were now on the territory of the most powerful chief, Sandilla,
head of the Gaikas. Reinforcements joined us here from England--the
43rd foot, 60th Rifles and 12th Lancers; and General Sir Harry
Smith, considering he had troops sufficient, ordered an advance on
Fuller's-hook, and the Water-kloof where he had learned Sandilla
had massed some thirty-thousand warriors. General Somerset was at
this time at Fort Beaufort. At Fuller's-hook we had some terrible
bush fighting, but succeeded in driving them into Water-kloof.
The intricacies of this place, and the dense bush, it is almost
impossible to describe. Here we remained some six weeks, and were
joined by the 74th from Grahamstown, under Colonel Fordyce, who
was shot on the top of the kloof. Our advancement during that
time in the progress, of the war was very little, as we could get
no open field-fight, they proving as able as their opponents in
bushwhacking. Sir Harry, seeing little progress marched us back to
King Williamstown. Here the General sent for me, and ordered a start
at twelve that night with 100 men--Fingoes--and fifty of Armstrong's
horse, to capture 800 head of cattle in the Buffalo. Port Sandilla
was said to be with them. With my command, I made a rapid march so
as to reach before daybreak the place appointed, and arrived at the
foot of the mountain half-an-hour before sunrise. The Buffalo Port
I found a deep basin in the hills, the ascent very difficult and
dense with bush. This basin had an outlet called the Gether Goolie,
or Wolf's throat. With my men, I ascended the hill as best I could,
leaving some mounted men at the Pass to hold the cattle. On the word
"charge," down the hill we went, amid a volley from the Kaffirs, who
were almost indistinguishable. I received a cut from an assaigai,
knocking me off my horse, stunning me for a time. Soon, however,
I recovered sufficient to stay the wound--remounted and joined my
men, who by this time had joined the men below at the Pass. Here,
too, the Fingoes had the cattle. Handing them over to the mounted
men, we hurried on to the Yellow-wood--pursued by the Kaffirs. On
the following morning we reached King Williamstown, having lost two
men killed and nine wounded. During that day's engagement we were
hard pressed. It, however, nearly cost the Kaffirs their leader,
Sandilla--as one of our men had shot his horse, and nearly captured
himself. There was a £1,000 on his head. In July I was ordered, with
fifty Europeans and Lieutenant Fielding with one hundred Hottentots
Levy, to the Bridle Neck bush, on the road to East London, to protect
convoys of prisoners coming by sea. The enemy, knowing this, lay
in ambush to attack the waggons, and on returning we had to build
stockades by cutting huge trees and sinking them four feet in the
ground, leaving them four feet out, with the waggons inside for
the night. This was trying work, and watching all night against a
surprise. However, the duty was well done, and the convoy escorted
safe through the dense bush.
[Sidenote: Back to recruit.]
The time of the men who had joined for six months having more than
expired, I was ordered to take some five hundred of them to Cape
Town, on the war steamer _Styx_. I had orders to raise and bring
back as many mounted men as I could get, at a bounty of twenty-three
pounds and free rations, finding their own horses, and rations were
to be given them. It was chiefly expected my contingent would consist
of farmers' sons, and such like, who, for their own interests,
would join the army formed for the protection of their own homes.
After seeing the discharged men paid, I started on my recruiting
errand, and soon got together sixty men from Wooster, Swellingdam
and Clanwilliam, mostly sons of Europeans. The Affricandas, as they
are called, are good riders and fine shots. When at Clanwilliam, I
stayed with Mr. Shaw, and while out with him one day, we came across
the greatest herd of deer I ever saw. We came on the opening of an
immense plain, and for miles one could see swarms of gnu, elands,
heart-beasts, rye-buck, bonti-buck, blue-buck, and other common
deer. It was explained to me when there is a drought and scarcity of
provisions in the Karoo they are driven down to seek water and the
Salt licks. They are as bad as locusts to the farmer, not leaving a
blade of grass where they visit; consequently, they turn out and
destroy them as best they can, take their skins off, remove the best
of the beef to dry it for home use, leaving the carcase for the wild
dogs and lions. The farmers in South Africa generally hold from ten
to twenty thousand acres of land, with large flocks of sheep, and
numbers of brood-mares; in the eastern part, and in the western, they
mostly cultivate the grape for wine. There being no hotels in the
country parts, and the farm-houses conseqent on their large holdings,
very far apart, during the long rides the screeching of the guinea
fowl, together with the cooing of the turtle-dove, constantly salute
the ear. When you stop under the shade of some trees to make coffee,
it is easy to have a dainty bit of some wild bird to satisfy hunger,
by going a few yards and killing one. In my travels going east, I
have met dozens of waggons at a time going to Cape Town with wool,
hides, horns, bitter aloes, and gums. The Hottentots employed as
shepherds by these farmers seem fit for nothing else, an idle, lazy,
indolent race. Some are squatted on every farm for that purpose,
acting as shepherds. On my journey I came across packs of wild dogs.
These animals prove a great enemy to the farmer--worrying his sheep.
It may not seem truth, but there are in this part of the country
people of very small stature, wild, almost savage, at least bordering
on the brute called Bosjesmen, living in holes in the rocks, who are
adepts with bow and arrow, the latter of which they poison when at
war. They live chiefly on the wild dog; snakes do not come even amiss
to them. Europeans class them between the ape and the man. Darwin may
have founded his theory on them--evolution. We will leave it with
him, as beyond our solution.
[Sidenote: East London again.]
As soon as I procured all the recruits I could, I started for Cape
Town, and embarked on board the war steamer _Styx_, Captain Hall, for
East London. On arriving we were soon joined by one hundred horses
and men from Port Elizabeth, and again left for headquarters with
one hundred and twenty waggons of stores and ammunition. While _en
route_ we learned of the loss of the steamer _Birkenhead_, as she was
coming out of Simon's Bay with troops, drafts mostly for our army.
Very few escaped that fearful wreck. Arriving at the headquarters of
the army, the corps was named the "Montague Horse," in compliment
to the Colonial Secretary, Sir John Montague. Many of these men were
independent farmers.
[Illustration: (Vignette)]
[Illustration: (Vignette)]