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+Project Gutenberg's Cetywayo and his White Neighbours, by H. Rider Haggard
+
+This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
+almost no restrictions whatsoever.  You may copy it, give it away or
+re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
+with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org
+
+
+Title: Cetywayo and his White Neighbours
+       Remarks on Recent Events in Zululand, Natal, and the Transvaal
+
+Author: H. Rider Haggard
+
+Release Date: April 27, 2006 [EBook #8667]
+
+Language: English
+
+Character set encoding: ASCII
+
+*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK CETYWAYO AND HIS WHITE NEIGHBOURS ***
+
+
+
+
+Produced by John Bickers; Dagny
+
+
+
+
+
+CETYWAYO AND HIS WHITE NEIGHBOURS
+
+OR, REMARKS ON RECENT EVENTS IN ZULULAND, NATAL, AND THE TRANSVAAL.
+
+
+By H. Rider Haggard
+
+
+First Published 1882.
+
+
+
+     PREPARER'S NOTE
+
+     This text was prepared from an 1882 edition published by
+     Trubner & Co., Ludgate Hill, London.
+
+
+
+"I am told that these men (the Boers) are told to keep on agitating in
+this way, for a change of Government in England may give them again
+the old order of things. Nothing can show greater ignorance of English
+politics than such an idea. I tell you there is no Government--Whig
+or Tory, Liberal, Conservative, or Radical--who would dare, under any
+circumstances, to give back this country (the Transvaal). They would not
+dare, because the English people would not allow them."--(_Extract
+from Speech of Sir Garnet Wolseley, delivered at a Public Banquet in
+Pretoria, on the 17th December 1879._)
+
+"There was a still stronger reason than that for not receding (from
+the Transvaal); it was impossible to say what calamities such a step
+as receding might not cause. . . . For such a risk he could not make
+himself responsible. . . . Difficulties with the Zulu and the frontier
+tribes would again arise, and looking as they must to South Africa as
+a whole, the Government, after a careful consideration of the
+question, came to the conclusion that we could not relinquish the
+Transvaal."--(_Extract from Speech of Lord Kimberley in the House of
+Lords, 24th May 1880. H. P. D., vol. cclii., p. 208._)
+
+
+
+
+
+INTRODUCTION
+
+The writer on Colonial Affairs is naturally, to some extent, discouraged
+by the knowledge that the subject is an unattractive one to a large
+proportion of the reading public. It is difficult to get up anything
+beyond a transient interest in the affairs of our Colonial dependencies;
+indeed, I believe that the mind of the British public was more
+profoundly moved by the exodus of Jumbo, than it would be were one of
+them to become the scene of some startling catastrophe. This is the
+more curious, inasmuch as, putting aside all sentimental considerations,
+which indeed seem to be out of harmony with the age we live in: the
+trade done, even with such comparatively insignificant colonies as our
+South African possessions, amounts to a value of many millions of pounds
+sterling per annum. Now, as the preachers of the new gospel that hails
+from Birmingham and Northampton have frequently told us, trade is
+the life-blood of England, and must be fostered at any price. It is
+therefore surprising that, looking on them in the light of a commercial
+speculation, in which aspect (saith the preacher) they are alone
+worthy of notice, a keener interest is not taken in the well-being and
+development of the Colonies. We have only to reflect to see how great
+are the advantages that the Mother Country derives from the possession
+of her Colonial Empire; including, as they do, a home for her surplus
+children, a vast and varied market for her productions, and a wealth of
+old-fashioned loyalty and deep attachment to the Old Country--"home,"
+as it is always called--which, even if it is out of date, might prove
+useful on emergency. It seems therefore, almost a pity that some Right
+Honourable Gentlemen and their followers should adopt the tone they do
+with reference to the Colonies. After all, there is an odd shuffling of
+the cards going on now in England; and great as she is, her future looks
+by no means sunny. Events in these latter days develop themselves very
+quickly; and though the idea may, at the present moment, seem absurd,
+surely it is possible that, what between the rapid spread of Radical
+ideas, the enmity of Ireland, the importation of foreign produce, and
+the competition of foreign trade, to say nothing of all the unforeseen
+accidents and risks of the future, the Englishmen of, say, two
+generations hence, may not find their country in her present proud
+position. Perhaps, and stranger things have happened in the history of
+the world, she may by that time be under the protection of those very
+Colonies for which their forefathers had such small affection.
+
+The position of South Africa with reference to the Mother Country
+is somewhat different to that of her sister Colonies, in that she is
+regarded, not so much with apathy tinged with dislike, as with downright
+disgust. This feeling has its foundation in the many troubles and
+expenses in which this country has been recently involved, through local
+complications in the Cape, Zululand, and the Transvaal: and indeed is
+little to be wondered at. But, whilst a large portion of the press has
+united with a powerful party of politicians in directing a continuous
+stream of abuse on to the heads of the white inhabitants of South
+Africa, whom they do not scruple to accuse of having created the recent
+disturbances in order to reap a money profit from them: it does not
+appear to have struck anybody that the real root of this crop of
+troubles might, after all, be growing nearer home. The truth of the
+matter is, that native and other problems in South Africa have, till
+quite lately, been left to take their chance, and solve themselves as
+best they might; except when they have, in a casual manner, been made
+the _corpus vile_ of some political experiment. It was during this long
+period of inaction, when each difficulty--such as the native question in
+Natal--was staved off to be dealt with by the next Government, that the
+seed was sown of which we are at present reaping the fruit. In addition
+to this, matters have recently been complicated by the elevation of
+South African affairs to the dignity of an English party question.
+Thus, the Transvaal Annexation was made use of as a war-cry in the
+last general election, a Boer rebellion was thereby encouraged, which
+resulted in a complete reversal of our previous policy.
+
+Now, if there is any country dependent on England that requires the
+application to the conduct of its affairs of a firm, considered, and
+consistent policy, that country is South Africa. Boers and Natives are
+quite incapable of realising the political necessities of any of
+our parties, or of understanding why their true interests should be
+sacrificed in order to minister to those necessities. It is our wavering
+and uncertain policy, as applied to peoples, who look upon every
+hesitating step as a sign of fear and failing dominion, that, in
+conjunction with previous postponement and neglect, has really caused
+our troubles in South Africa. For so long as the affairs of that
+country are influenced by amateurs and sentimentalists, who have no real
+interest in it, and whose knowledge of its circumstances and conditions
+of life is gleaned from a few blue-books, superficially got up to enable
+the reader to indite theoretical articles to the "Nineteenth Century,"
+or deliver inaccurate speeches in the House of Commons--for so long will
+those troubles continue.
+
+If I may venture to make a suggestion, the affairs of South Africa
+should be controlled by a Board or Council, like that which formerly
+governed India, composed of moderate members of both parties, with an
+admixture of men possessing practical knowledge of the country. I do not
+know if any such arrangement would be possible under our constitution,
+but the present system of government, by which the control of savage
+races fluctuates in obedience of every variation of English party
+politics, is most mischievous in its results.
+
+The public, however, is somewhat tired of South Africa, and the reader
+may, perhaps, wonder why he should be troubled with more literature on
+the subject. I can assure him that these pages are not written in order
+to give me an opportunity of airing my individual experiences or ideas.
+Their object is shortly--(1.) To give a true history of the events
+attendant on the Annexation of the Transvaal, which act has so
+frequently been assigned to the most unworthy motives, and has never
+yet been fairly described by any one who was in a position to know
+the facts; (2.) To throw as much publicity as possible on the present
+disgraceful state of Zululand, resulting from our recent settlement in
+that country; (3.) To show all interested in the Kafir races what has
+been the character of our recent surrender in the Transvaal, and what
+its effect will be on our abandoned native subjects living in that
+country.
+
+It may, perhaps, seem an odd statement, considering that I have lived
+in various parts of South Africa for about six years, and have, perhaps,
+enjoyed exceptional advantage in forming my opinions, when I say that my
+chief fear in publishing the present volume, is lest my knowledge of my
+subject in all its bearings should not be really equal to the task. It
+is, I know, the fashion to treat South African difficulties as being
+simple of solution. Thus it only took Sir Garnet Wolseley a few weeks
+to understand the whole position of Zulu affairs, and to execute his
+memorable settlement of that country: whilst eminent writers appear to
+be able, in scampering from Durban _via_ Kimberley to Cape Town in a
+post-cart, to form decided opinions upon every important question
+in South Africa. The power of thus rapidly assimilating intricate
+knowledge, and of seeing straight through a wall whilst ordinary
+individuals are still criticising the bricks, is no doubt one of the
+peculiar privileges of genius--which is, perhaps fortunately for South
+Africa--rare. To the common run of mind, however, the difficulty of
+forming a sound and accurate judgment on the interlacing problems that
+disclose themselves to the student of the politics of South-Eastern
+Africa, is exceedingly great and the work of years.
+
+But although it is by no means perfect, I think that my knowledge of
+these problems and of their imminent issues is sufficiently intimate
+to justify me in making a prophecy--namely, that unless the native and
+other questions of South-Eastern Africa are treated with more honest
+intelligence, and on a more settled plan than it has hitherto been
+thought necessary to apply to them, the British taxpayer will find that
+he has _by no means_ heard the last of that country and its wars.
+
+There is one more point to which, although it hardly comes within the
+scope of this volume, I have made some allusion, and which I venture to
+suggest deserves the consideration of thinking Englishmen. I refer to
+the question of the desirability of allowing the Dutch in South Africa,
+who are already numerically the strongest, to continue to advance with
+such rapid strides towards political supremacy. That the object of
+this party is to reduce Englishmen and English ideas to a subordinate
+position in the State, if not actually to rid itself of our rule and
+establish a republic, there is no manner of doubt. Indeed, there exists
+a powerful organisation, the Africander Bond, which has its headquarters
+in the Cape, and openly devotes its energies to forwarding these ends,
+by offering a sturdy opposition to the introduction of English emigrants
+and the use of the English language, whilst striving in every way to
+excite class prejudices and embitter the already strained relations
+between Englishman and Boer. In considering this question, it is as well
+not to lose sight of the fact that the Dutch are as a body, at heart
+hostile to our rule, chiefly because they cannot tolerate our lenient
+behaviour to the native races. Should they by any chance cease to be the
+subjects of England, they will, I believe, become her open enemies. This
+of itself would be comparatively unimportant, were it not for the fact
+that, in the event of the blocking of the Suez Canal, it would be, to
+say the least, inconvenient that the Cape should be in the hands of a
+hostile population.
+
+In conclusion, I wish to state that this book is not written for any
+party purpose. I have tried to describe a state of affairs which has for
+the most part come under my own observation, and events in which I have
+been interested, and at times engaged. That the naked truths of such
+a business as the Transvaal surrender, or of the present condition of
+Zululand, are unpleasant reading for an Englishman, there is no doubt;
+but, so far as these pages are concerned, they owe none of their
+ugliness to undue colouring or political bias.
+
+Windham Club, St. James' Square, June 1882.
+
+
+
+
+
+CETYWAYO AND HIS WHITE NEIGHBOURS
+
+
+
+
+CETYWAYO AND THE ZULU SETTLEMENT
+
+
+_Claims of affairs of Zululand to attention--Proposed visit of
+Cetywayo to England--Chaka--His method of government--His death--
+Dingaan--Panda--Battle of the Tugela--John Dunn--Nomination of
+Cetywayo--His coronation--His lady advocates--Their attacks on
+officials--Was Cetywayo bloodthirsty?--Cause of the Zulu war--Zulu
+military system--States of feeling amongst the Zulus previous to
+the war--Cetywayo's position--His enemies--His intentions on the
+Transvaal--Their frustration by Sir T. Shepstone--Cetywayo's interview
+with Mr. Fynney--His opinion of the Boers--The annexation in connection
+with the Zulu war--The Natal colonists and the Zulu war--Sir Bartle
+Frere--The Zulu war--Cetywayo's half-heartedness--Sir Garnet Wolseley's
+settlement--Careless selection of chiefs--The Sitimela plot--Chief
+John Dunn--Appointment of Mr. Osborn as British Resident--His difficult
+position--Folly and cruelty of our settlement--Disappointment of
+the Zulus--Object and result of settlement--Slaughter in
+Zululand--Cetywayo's son--Necessity of proper settlement of
+Zululand--Should Cetywayo be restored?_
+
+Zululand and the Zulu settlement still continue to receive some
+attention from the home public, partly because those responsible for the
+conduct of affairs are not quite at ease about it, and partly because of
+the agitation in this country for the restoration of Cetywayo.
+
+There is no doubt that the present state of affairs in Zululand is a
+subject worthy of close consideration, not only by those officially
+connected with them, but by the public at large. Nobody, either at
+home or in the colonies, wishes to see another Zulu war, or anything
+approaching to it. Unless, however, the affairs of Zululand receive a
+little more attention, and are superintended with a little more humanity
+and intelligence than they are at present, the public will sooner or
+later be startled by some fresh catastrophe. Then will follow the usual
+outcry, and the disturbance will be attributed to every cause under the
+sun except the right one--want of common precautions.
+
+The Zulu question is a very large one, and I only propose discussing
+so much of it as necessary to the proper consideration of the proposed
+restoration of Cetywayo to his throne.
+
+The king is now coming to England,[*] where he will doubtless make
+a very good impression, since his appearance is dignified, and
+his manners, as is common among Zulus of high rank, are those of
+a gentleman. It is probable that his visit will lead to a popular
+agitation in his favour, and very possibly to an attempt on the part
+of the English Government to reinstate him in his kingdom. Already Lady
+Florence Dixie waves his banner, and informs the public through the
+columns of the newspapers how good, how big, and how beautiful he is,
+and "F. W. G. X." describes in enthusiastic terms his pearl-like teeth.
+But as there are interests involved in the question of his reinstatement
+which are, I think, more important than Cetywayo's personal proportions
+of mind or body, and as the results of such a step would necessarily be
+very marked and far-reaching, it is as well to try and understand the
+matter in all its bearing before anything is done.
+
+     [*] Since the above was written the Government have at the
+     last moment decided to postpone Cetywayo's visit to this
+     country, chiefly on account of the political capital which
+     was being made out of the event by agitators in Zululand.
+     The project of bringing the king to England does not,
+     however, appear to have been abandoned.
+
+There has been a great deal of special pleading about Cetywayo. Some
+writers, swayed by sentiment, and that spirit of partisanship that the
+sight of royalty in distress always excites, whitewash him in such a
+persistent manner that their readers are left under the impression that
+the ex-king is a model of injured innocence and virtue. Others again,
+for political reasons, paint him very black, and predict that
+his restoration would result in the destruction, or at the least,
+disorganisation, of our South African empire. The truth in this, as in
+the majority of political controversies, lies somewhere between these
+two extremes, though it is difficult to say exactly where.
+
+To understand the position of Cetywayo both with reference to his
+subjects and the English Government, it will be necessary to touch,
+though briefly, on the history of Zululand since it became a nation, and
+also on the principal events of the ex-king's reign.
+
+Chaka, Cetywayo's great uncle, was the first Zulu king, and doubtless
+one of the most remarkable men that has ever filled a throne since the
+days of the Pharaohs. When he came to his chieftainship, about 1813, the
+Zulu people consisted of a single small tribe; when his throne became
+vacant in 1828, their name had become a living terror, and they were
+the greatest Black power in South Africa. The invincible armies of this
+African Attila had swept north and south, east and west, had slaughtered
+more than a million human beings, and added vast tracts of country to
+his dominions. Wherever his warriors went, the blood of men, women, and
+children was poured out without stay or stint; indeed he reigned like a
+visible Death, the presiding genius of a saturnalia of slaughter.
+
+His methods of government and warfare were peculiar and somewhat
+drastic, but most effective. As he conquered a tribe, he enrolled its
+remnants in his army, so that they might in their turn help to conquer
+others. He armed his regiments with the short stabbing assegai, instead
+of the throwing assegai which they had been accustomed to use, and kept
+them subject to an iron discipline. If a man was observed to show the
+slightest hesitation about coming to close quarters with the enemy,
+he was executed as soon as the fight was over. If a regiment had the
+misfortune to be defeated, whether by its own fault or not, it would on
+its return to headquarters find that a goodly proportion of the wives
+and children belonging to it had been beaten to death by Chaka's orders,
+and that he was waiting their arrival to complete his vengeance by
+dashing out their brains. The result was, that though Chaka's armies
+were occasionally annihilated, they were rarely defeated, and they never
+ran away. I will not enter in the history of his numerous cruelties, and
+indeed they are not edifying. Amongst other things, like Nero, he killed
+his own mother, and then caused several persons to be executed because
+they did not show sufficient sorrow at her death.
+
+At length, in 1828, he too suffered the fate he had meted out to so
+many, and was killed by his brothers, Dingaan and Umhlangan, by the
+hands of one Umbopa. He was murdered in his hut, and as his life passed
+out of him he is reported to have addressed these words to his brothers,
+who were watching his end: "What! do you stab me, my brothers, dogs of
+mine own house, whom I have fed? You hope to be kings; but though you do
+kill me, think not that your line shall reign for long. I tell you that
+I hear the sound of the feet of the great white people, and that this
+land shall be trodden by them." He then expired, but his last words have
+always been looked upon as a prophecy by the Zulus, and indeed they have
+been partly fulfilled.
+
+Having in his turn killed Umhlangan, his brother by blood and in crime,
+Dingaan took possession of the throne. He was less pronounced than
+Chaka in his foreign policy, though he seems to have kept up the family
+reputation as regards domestic affairs. It was he who, influenced,
+perhaps, by Chaka's dying prophecy about white men, massacred Retief,
+the Boer leader, and his fifty followers, in the most treacherous
+manner, and then falling on the emigrant Boers in Natal, murdered men,
+women, and children to the number of nearly six hundred. There seems,
+however, to have been but little love lost between any of the sons of
+Usengangacona (the father of Chaka, Dingaan, Umhlangan, and Panda),
+for in due course Panda, his brother, conspired with the Boers against
+Dingaan, and overthrew him with their assistance. Dingaan fled, and was
+shortly afterwards murdered in Swaziland, and Panda ascended the throne
+in 1840.
+
+Panda was a man of different character to the remainder of his race, and
+seems to have been well content to reign in peace, only killing enough
+people to keep up his authority. Two of his sons, Umbelazi and Cetywayo,
+of whom Umbelazi was the elder and Panda's favourite, began, as their
+father grew old, to quarrel about the succession to the crown. On the
+question being referred to Panda, he is reported to have remarked that
+when two young cocks quarrelled the best thing they could do was to
+fight it out. Acting on this hint, each prince collected his forces,
+Panda sending down one of his favourite regiments to help Umbelazi. The
+fight took place in 1856 on the banks of the Tugela. A friend of the
+writer, happening to be on the Natal side of the river the day before
+the battle, and knowing it was going to take place, swam his horse
+across in the darkness, taking his chance of the alligators, and hid in
+some bush on a hillock commanding the battlefield. It was a hazardous
+proceeding, but the sight repaid the risk, though he describes it as
+very awful, more especially when the regiment of veterans sent by Panda
+joined in the fray. It came up at the charge, between two and three
+thousand strong, and was met near his hiding-place by one of Cetywayo's
+young regiments. The noise of the clash of their shields was like the
+roar of the sea, but the old regiment, after a struggle in which men
+fell thick and fast, annihilated the other, and passed on with thinned
+ranks. Another of Cetywayo's regiments took the place of the one that
+had been destroyed, and this time the combat was fierce and long, till
+victory again declared for the veterans' spears. But they had brought it
+dear, and were in no position to continue their charge; so the leaders
+of that brave battalion formed its remnants into a ring, and, like the
+Scotch at Flodden--
+
+     "The stubborn spearmen still made good
+     The dark, impenetrable wood;
+     Each stepping where his comrade stood
+         The instant that he fell,"
+
+till there were none left to fall. The ground around them was piled with
+dead.
+
+But this gallant charge availed Umbelazi but little, and by degrees
+Cetywayo's forces pressed his men back to the banks of the Tugela, and
+finally into it. Thousands fell upon the field and thousands perished in
+the river. When my friend swam back that night, he had nothing to
+fear from the alligators: they were too well fed. Umbelazi died on the
+battlefield of a broken heart, at least it is said that no wound could
+be found on his person. He probably expired in a fit brought on by
+anxiety of mind and fatigue. A curious story is told of Cetywayo with
+reference to his brother's death. After the battle was over a Zulu
+from one of his own regiments presented himself before him with many
+salutations, saying, "O prince! now canst thou sleep in peace, for
+Umbelazi is dead." "How knowest thou that he is dead?" said Cetywayo.
+"Because I slew him with my own hand," replied the Zulu. "Thou dog!"
+said the prince, "thou hast dared to lift thy hand against the blood
+royal, and now thou makest it a matter of boasting. Wast thou not
+afraid? By Chaka's head thou shalt have thy reward. Lead him away." And
+the Zulu, who was but lying after all, having possessed himself of
+the bracelets off the dead prince's body, was instantly executed. The
+probability is that Cetywayo acted thus more from motives of policy than
+from affection to his brother, whom indeed he hoped to destroy. It did
+not do to make too light of the death of an important prince: Umbelazi's
+fate to-day might be Cetywayo's fate to-morrow. This story bears a
+really remarkable resemblance to that of the young man who slew Saul,
+the Lord's anointed, and suffered death on account thereof at the hands
+of David.
+
+This battle is also memorable as being the occasion of the first public
+appearance of Mr. John Dunn, now the most important chief in Zululand,
+and, be it understood, the unknown quantity in all future transactions
+in that country. At that time Dunn was a retainer of Umbelazi's, and
+fought on his side in the Tugela battle. After the fight, however,
+he went over to Cetywayo and became his man. From that time till the
+outbreak of the Zulu war he remained in Zululand as adviser to Cetywayo,
+agent for the Natal Government, and purveyor of firearms to the nation
+at large. As soon as Cetywayo got into trouble with the Imperial
+Government, Dunn, like a prudent man, deserted him and came over to
+us. In reward Sir Garnet Wolseley advanced him to the most important
+chieftainship in Zululand, which he hopes to make a stepping-stone to
+the vacant throne. His advice was largely followed by Sir Garnet in
+the bestowal of the other chieftainships, and was naturally not quite
+disinterested. He has already publicly announced his intention of
+resisting the return of the king, his old master, by force of arms,
+should the Government attempt to reinstate him.
+
+A period of sixteen years elapsed before Cetywayo reaped the fruits of
+the battle of the Tugela by succeeding to the throne on the death of his
+father, Panda, the only Zulu monarch who has as yet come to his end by
+natural causes.
+
+In 1861, however, Cetywayo was, at the instance of the Natal Government,
+formally nominated heir to the throne by Mr. Shepstone, it being
+thought better that a fixed succession should be established with the
+concurrence of the Natal Government than that matters should be left
+to take their chance on Panda's death. Mr. Shepstone accomplished his
+mission successfully, though at great personal risk. For some unknown
+reason, Cetywayo, who was blown up with pride, was at first adverse
+to being thus nominated, and came down to the royal kraal with three
+thousand armed followers, meaning, it would see, to kill Mr. Shepstone,
+whom he had never before met. Panda, the old king, had an inkling of
+what was to happen, but was powerless to control his son, so he confined
+himself to addressing the assembled multitude in what I have heard Sir
+Theophilus Shepstone say was the most eloquent and touching speech he
+ever listened to, the subject being the duties of hospitality. He did
+not at the time know how nearly the speech concerned him, or that its
+object was to preserve his life. This, however, soon became manifest
+when, exception being taken to some breech of etiquette by one of his
+servants, he was surrounded by a mob of shouting savages, whose evident
+object was to put an end to him and those with him. For two hours he
+remained sitting there, expecting that every moment would be his
+last, but showing not the slightest emotion, till at length he got an
+opportunity of speaking, when he rose and said, "I know that you mean to
+kill me; it is an easy thing to do; but I tell you Zulus, that for every
+drop of my blood that falls to the ground, a hundred men will come
+out of the sea yonder, from the country of which Natal is one of the
+cattle-kraals, and will bitterly avenge me." As he spoke he turned
+and pointed towards the ocean, and so intense was the excitement that
+animated it, that the whole great multitude turned with him and stared
+towards the horizon, as though they expected to see the long lines of
+avengers creeping across the plains. Silence followed his speech; his
+imperturbability and his well-timed address had saved his life. From
+that day his name was a power in the land.[*]
+
+     [*] A very good description of this scene was published in
+     the _London Quarterly Review_ in 1878. The following is an
+     extract:
+
+     "In the centre of those infuriated savages he (Mr.
+     Shepstone) sat for more than two hours outwardly calm,
+     giving confidence to his solitary European companion by his
+     own quietness, only once saying, 'Why, Jem, you're afraid,'
+     and imposing restraint on his native attendants. Then, when
+     they had shouted, as Cetywayo himself said in our hearing,
+     'till their throats were so sore that they could shout no
+     more,' they departed. But Sompseu (Mr. Shepstone) had
+     conquered. Cetywayo, in describing the scene to us and our
+     companion on a visit to him a short time afterwards, said,
+     'Sompseu is a great man: no man but he could have come
+     through that day alive.' Similar testimony we have had from
+     some of the Zulu assailants, from the native attendants, and
+     the companion above mentioned. Next morning Cetywayo humbly
+     begged an interview, which was not granted but on terms of
+     unqualified submission. From that day Cetywayo has submitted
+     to British control in the measure in which it has been
+     exercised, and has been profuse in his expressions of
+     respect and submission to Mr. T. Shepstone; but in his
+     heart, as occasional acts and speeches show, he writhes
+     under the restraint, and bitterly hates the man who imposed
+     it."
+
+It was on this occasion that a curious incident occurred which
+afterwards became of importance. Among the Zulus there exists a certain
+salute, "Bayete," which it is the peculiar and exclusive privilege of
+Zulu royalty to receive. The word means, or is supposed to mean, "Let
+us bring tribute." On Mr. Shepstone's visit the point was raised by the
+Zulu lawyers as to what salute he should receive. It was not consistent
+with their ideas that the nominator of their future king should be
+greeted with any salute inferior to the Bayete, and this, as plain Mr.
+Shepstone, it was impossible to give him. The difficulty was obvious,
+but the Zulu mind proved equal to it. He was solemnly announced to be
+a Zulu king, and to stand in the place of the great founder of their
+nation, Chaka. Who was so fit to proclaim the successor to the throne
+as the great predecessor of the prince proclaimed? To us this seems a
+strange, not to say ludicrous, way of settling a difficulty, but there
+was nothing in it repugnant to Zulu ideas. Odd as it was, it invested
+Mr. Shepstone with all the attributes of a Zulu king, such as the power
+to make laws, order executions, &c., and those attributes in the eyes of
+Zulus he still retains.
+
+In 1873 messengers came down from Zululand to the Natal Government,
+bringing with them the "king's head," that is, a complimentary present
+of oxen, announcing the death of Panda. "The nation," they said, "was
+wandering; it wanders and wanders, and wanders again;" the spirit of
+the king had departed from them; his words had ceased, and "none
+but children were left." The message ended with a request that Mr.
+Shepstone, as Cetywayo's "father," should come and instal him on the
+throne. A month or two afterwards there came another message, again
+requesting his attendance; and on the request being refused by the
+Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, there came a third message, to which the
+Natal Government returned a favourable answer.
+
+Accordingly Mr. Shepstone proceeded to Zululand, and on the 3rd
+September 1873 proclaimed Cetywayo king with all due pomp and ceremony.
+It was on this occasion that, in the presence of, and with the
+enthusiastic assent of, both king and people, Mr. Shepstone, "standing
+in the place of Cetywayo's father, and so representing the nation,"
+enunciated the four following articles, with a view to putting an end to
+the continual slaughter that darkens the history of Zululand:--
+
+1. That the indiscriminate shedding of blood shall cease in the land.
+
+2. That no Zulu shall be condemned without open trial, and the public
+examination of witnesses for and against, and that he shall have a right
+to appeal to the king.
+
+3. That no Zulu's life shall be taken without the previous knowledge and
+consent of the king, after such trial has taken place, and the right of
+appeal has been allowed to be exercised.
+
+4. That for minor crimes the loss of property, all or a portion, shall
+be substituted for the punishment of death.
+
+Nobody will deny that these were admirable regulations, and that they
+were received as such at the time by the Zulu king and people. But there
+is no doubt that their ready acceptance by the king was a sacrifice to
+his desire to please "his father Sompseu" (Mr. Shepstone) and the Natal
+Government, with both of which he was particularly anxious to be on
+good terms. He has never adhered to these coronation regulations, or
+promises, as they have been called, and the probability is that he
+never intended to adhere to them. However this may be, I must say that
+personally I have been unable to share the views of those who see in
+the breach of these so-called promises a justification of the Zulu war.
+After all, what do they amount to, and what guarantee was there for
+their fulfilment? They merely represent a very laudable attempt on the
+part of the Natal Government to keep a restraining hand on Zulu cruelty,
+and to draw the bonds of friendship as tight as the idiosyncrasies of
+a savage state would allow. The Government of Natal had no right to
+dictate the terms to a Zulu king on which he was to hold his throne. The
+Zulu nation was an independent nation, and had never been conquered or
+annexed by Natal. If the Government of that colony was able by friendly
+negotiation to put a stop to Zulu slaughter, it was a matter for
+congratulation on humanitarian grounds; but it is difficult to follow
+the argument that because it was not able, or was only partially able,
+to do so, therefore England was justified in making war on the Zulus.
+On the other hand, it is perfectly ludicrous to observe the way in which
+Cetywayo's advocates overshoot the mark in arguing this and similar
+points; especially his lady advocates, whose writings upon these
+subjects bear about the same resemblance to the truth that the speech to
+the jury by the counsel for the defence in a hopeless murder case does
+to the summing up of the judge. Having demonstrated that the engagements
+entered into by Cetywayo meant nothing, they will proceed to show that,
+even if they did, cold-blooded murder, when perpetrated by a black
+paragon like Cetywayo, does not amount to a great offence. In the mouths
+of these gentle apologists for slaughter, massacre masquerades under the
+name of "executions," and is excused on the plea of being, "after all,"
+only the enforcement of "an old custom." Again, the employment of
+such phrases, in a solemn answer to a remonstrance from the
+Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, as "I do kill; but do not consider that
+I have done anything yet in the way of killing. . . . I have not yet
+begun; I have yet to kill," are shown to mean nothing at all, and to be
+"nothing more than the mere irritation of the moment."[*] Perhaps those
+of Cetywayo's subjects who suffered on account of this mere momentary
+irritation took a more serious view of it. It is but fair to the
+particular authority from whom I quote (Miss Colenso's "History of the
+Zulu War," pp. 230-231) to state that she considers this reply from
+the "usually courteous and respectful king" as "no doubt petulant and
+wanting in due respect." Considering that the message in question (which
+can be read in the footnote) was a point-blank defiance of Sir Henry
+Bulwer, admitting that there had been slaughter, but that it was nothing
+compared to what was coming, most people will not think Miss Colenso's
+description of it too strong.
+
+     [*] The following is the text of the message:--
+
+     "Did I ever tell Mr. Shepstone I would not kill? Did he tell
+     the white people that I made such an arrangement? Because if
+     he did he has deceived them. I do kill; but do not consider
+     that I have done anything yet in the way of killing. Why do
+     the white people start at nothing? I have not yet begun; I
+     have yet to kill; it is the custom of our nation, and I
+     shall not depart from it. Why does the Governor of Natal
+     speak to me about my laws? Do I go to Natal and dictate to
+     him about his laws? I shall not agree to any laws or rules
+     from Natal, and by doing so throw the large kraal which I
+     govern into the water. My people will not listen unless they
+     are killed; and while wishing to be friends with the
+     English, I do not agree to give my people over to be
+     governed by laws sent to me by them. Have I not asked the
+     English to allow me to wash my spears since the death of my
+     father 'Umpandi,' and they have kept playing with me all
+     this time, treating me like a child? Go back and tell the
+     English that I shall now act on my own account, and if they
+     wish me to agree to their laws, I shall leave and become a
+     wanderer; but before I go it will be seen, as I shall not go
+     without having acted. Go back and tell the white men this,
+     and let them hear it well. The Governor of Natal and I are
+     equal; he is Governor of Natal, and I am Governor here."
+
+To admit that the Zulu king has the right to kill as many of his
+subjects as he chooses, so long as they will tolerate being killed, is
+one thing, but it is certainly surprising to find educated Europeans
+adopting a line of defence of these proceedings on his behalf that
+amounts to a virtual expression of approval, or at least of easy
+toleration. Has philanthropy a deadening effect on the moral sense, that
+the people who constitute themselves champions for the unfortunate Zulu
+king and the oppressed Boers cannot get on to their hobbies without
+becoming blind to the difference between right and wrong? Really an
+examination of the utterances of these champions of oppressed innocence
+would almost lead one to that conclusion. On the one hand they suppress
+and explain away facts, and on the other supply their want of argument
+by reckless accusations and vicious attacks on the probity of such
+of their fellow-Englishmen, especially if in office, as have had the
+misfortune to pursue a course of action or to express opinions not
+pleasing to them or their proteges. For instance, an innocent and
+unenlightened reader of the very interesting work from which I have just
+quoted probably lays it down with the conviction that both Sir Bartle
+Frere and Sir Theophilus Shepstone are very wicked men and full of bad
+motives, and will wonder how a civilised Government could employ such
+monsters of bloodthirsty duplicity. As he proceeds he will also find
+that there is not much to be said for the characters of either Sir
+Garnet Wolseley or Lord Chelmsford; whilst as regards such small fry as
+Mr. John Shepstone, the present Secretary of Native Affairs in Natal,
+after passing through Miss Colenso's mill their reputations come out
+literally in rags and tatters. He will be shocked to find that not only
+did one and all of these gentlemen make gross errors of judgment, but,
+trusted and distinguished servants of their country as they are, they
+were one and all actuated by dark personal motives that will not bear
+examination.
+
+Heaven help the members of the Shepstone family when they fall into the
+hands of the gentler but more enthusiastic sex, for Miss Colenso is not
+their only foe. In a recent publication called a "Defence of Zululand
+and its Kings," Lady Florence Dixie gibbets Mr. Henrique Shepstone, and
+points him out to be execrated by a Cetywayo-worshipping public, because
+the ex-king is to be sent to England in his charge; when, according to
+Lady Dixie, he will certainly be scoundrel enough to misinterpret all
+that Cetywayo says for his own ends, and will thereby inflict a
+"cruel wrong" upon him, and render his visit to England "perfectly
+meaningless." Perhaps it has never occurred to Lady Dixie that this is a
+very serious charge to bring against an honourable man, whose reputation
+is probably as dear to him as the advancement of Cetywayo's cause is to
+her. It is all very well to be enthusiastic, but ladies should remember
+that there are other people in the world to be considered beside
+Cetywayo.
+
+As regards the question of Cetywayo's bloodthirstiness, which is so
+strenuously denied by his apologists, I cannot say that a careful
+study of the blue books bearing on the subject brings me to the same
+conclusion. It is true that there is not much information on the point,
+for the obvious reason that the history of slaughters in Zululand in the
+vast majority of cases only reached Natal in the form of rumours,
+which nobody thought it worth while to report. There were no newspaper
+correspondents in Zululand. There is not, however, any doubt that
+Cetywayo was in the habit of killing large numbers of people; indeed it
+was a matter of the commonest notoriety; nor, as will be seen from the
+message I have transcribed, did he himself deny it, when, being angry,
+he spoke the truth. At the same time that this message was sent, we
+find Mr. Osborn, then resident magistrate at Newcastle in Natal, who is
+certainly not given to exaggeration, writing to the Secretary for Native
+Affairs thus:--"From all I have been able to learn, Cetywayo's conduct
+has been, and continues to be, disgraceful. He is putting people to
+death in a shameful manner, especially girls. The dead bodies are
+placed by his order in the principal paths, especially where the paths
+intersect each other (cross roads). A few of the parents of the young
+people so killed buried the bodies, and thus brought Cetywayo's wrath
+on themselves, resulting not only on their own death, but destruction
+of the whole family. . . . It is really terrible that such horrible
+savagery could take place on our own borders. . . . Uhamu reproved
+Cetywayo the other day, reminded him of his promises to Mr. Shepstone,
+and begged him to spare the people. This advice, as could be expected,
+was not relished."
+
+Again, Mr. Fynney, in his report of his visit to Zululand in 1877,
+states that though the king and his "indunas" (councillors) denied that
+men were killed without trial, the people told a very different
+tale. Thus he says, "In every instance, where I had so far gained the
+confidence of the Zulus as to cause them to speak freely, was I assured
+of the truthfulness of the statement that the king, Cetywayo, caused his
+people to be put to death in great numbers; and when I remarked that of
+course he did so after a fair and proper trial, in some cases my remark
+was greeted with a suppressed laugh or a smile. Some remarked, 'Yes,
+a trial of bullets;' others, 'Yes, we get a trial, but that means
+surrounding the kraal at daybreak and shooting us down like cattle.'
+One asked me what the Government in Natal intended doing, or what was
+thought in Natal about the killing, saying, 'It was not in the night
+that Sompseu spoke, but in the sunshine; the king was not alone, but his
+people were around him, and the ears of all Zululand heard these words,
+and the hearts of all Zulus were joyful, and in gladness they lifted up
+their hands saying: The mouth of our white father has spoken good words;
+he has cautioned his child in the presence of his people, and a good sun
+has risen this day over Zululand! How is it now? Has the king listened?
+Does he hold fast those words? No! not one. The promises he made are
+all broken. What does Sompseu say to this? You should dine at my kraal
+yonder for a few days, and see the izizi (cattle and other property of
+people who have been killed) pass, and you would then see with your own
+eyes how a case is tried.'" Farther on Mr. Fynney says, "When a charge
+is made against a Zulu, the question is generally asked, 'Has he any
+cattle?' and if answered in the affirmative, there is little chance of
+escape. Instances of killing occurred while I was in Zululand, and to
+my knowledge no trial was allowed. An armed party was despatched on the
+morning I left Ondine, and, as I was informed, to kill."
+
+There is no reason to suppose that Mr. Fynney was in any way prejudiced
+in making these remarks; on the contrary, he was simply carrying out
+an official mission, and reporting for the general information of the
+Governments of Natal and the Transvaal. It is, however, noticeable that
+neither these nor similar passages are ever alluded to by Cetywayo's
+advocates, whose object seems to be rather to suppress the truth than to
+put it fairly before the public, if by such suppression they think they
+can advance the cause of the ex-king.
+
+The whole matter of Cetywayo's private policy, however, appears to me
+to be very much beside the question. Whether or no he slaughtered his
+oppressed subjects in bygone years, which there is no doubt he did, is
+not our affair, since we were not then, as we are now, responsible for
+the good government of Zululand; and seeing the amount of slaughter
+that goes on under our protectorate, it ill becomes us to rake up these
+things against Cetywayo. What we have to consider is his foreign policy,
+not the domestic details of his government.[*]
+
+     [*] A gentleman, who has recently returned from travelling
+     in Zululand, relates the following story as nearly as
+     possible in the words in which it was told to him by a well-
+     known hunter in Zululand, Piet Hogg by name, now residing
+     near Dundee on the Zulu border. The story is a curious one
+     as illustrative of Zulu character, and scarcely represents
+     Cetywayo in as amiable a light as one might wish. Piet Hogg
+     and my informant were one day talking about the king when
+     the former said, "I was hunting and trading in Zululand, and
+     was at a military kraal occupied by Cetywayo, where I saw a
+     Basuto who had been engaged by the king to instruct his
+     people in building houses, that were to be _square_ instead
+     of circular (as are all Zulu buildings), for which his pay
+     was to be thirty head of cattle. The Basuto came to Cetywayo
+     in my presence, and said that the square buildings were
+     made; he now wished to have his thirty head of cattle and to
+     depart. Cetywayo having obtained what he required, began to
+     think the man overpaid, so said, 'I have observed that you
+     like ---- (a Zulu woman belonging to the kraal); suppose you
+     take her instead of the thirty head of cattle.' Now this was
+     a very bad bargain for the Basuto, as the woman was not
+     worth more, in Zulu estimation, than ten head of cattle; but
+     the Basuto, knowing with whom he had to deal, thought it
+     might be better to comply with the suggestion rather than
+     insist upon his rights, and asked to be allowed till the
+     next morning to consider the proposal. After he had been
+     dismissed on this understanding, Cetywayo sent for the
+     woman, and accused her of misconduct with the Basuto, the
+     punishment of which, if proved, would be death. She denied
+     this vehemently, with protestations and tears. He insisted,
+     but, looking up at a tree almost denuded of leaves which
+     grew close by, said, significantly, 'Take care that not a
+     leaf remains on that tree by the morning.' The woman
+     understood the metaphor, and in an hour or two, aided by
+     other strapping Zulu females, attacked the unfortunate
+     Basuto and killed him with clubs. But Cetywayo having thus,
+     like the monkey in the fable, employed a cat's paw to do his
+     dirty work, began to think the Basuto's untimely death might
+     have an ugly appearance in my eyes, so gave orders in my
+     presence that, as a punishment, six of the women who had
+     killed the Basuto should also be put to death. This was too
+     much for me, knowing as I did, all that had passed. I
+     reproached Cetywayo for his cruelty, and declared I would
+     leave Zululand without trading there, and without making him
+     the present he expected. I also said I should take care the
+     great English 'Inkose' (the Governor of Natal) should hear
+     of his conduct and the reason of my return. Cetywayo was
+     then on friendly terms with the English, and being impressed
+     by my threats, he reconsidered his orders, and spared the
+     lives of the women."
+
+I do not propose to follow out all the details of the boundary dispute
+between Cetywayo and the Transvaal, or to comment on the different
+opinions held on the point by the various authorities, English and
+Zulu. The question has been, for the moment, settled by the Transvaal
+Convention, and is besides a most uninteresting one to the general
+reader.
+
+Nor shall I enter into a discussion concerning the outrages on which
+Sir Bartle Frere based his ultimatum previous to the Zulu war. They were
+after all insignificant, although sufficient to serve as a _casus belli_
+to a statesman determined to fight. The Zulu war was, in the opinion of
+Sir B. Frere, necessary in self-defence, which is the first principle of
+existence. If it admits of justification, it is on the ground that the
+Zulu army was a menace to the white population of South Africa, and that
+it was therefore necessary to destroy it, lest at some future time it
+should destroy the whites. It is ridiculous to say that the capture of
+two Zulu women in Natal and their subsequent murder, or the expulsion on
+political grounds of a few missionaries, justified us in breaking up a
+kingdom and slaughtering ten thousand men. Sir Bartle Frere declared war
+upon the Zulus because he was afraid, and had good reason to be
+afraid, that if he did not, Cetywayo would before long sweep either
+the Transvaal or Natal; whilst, on the other hand, the Zulus fought us
+because our policy was too philanthropic to allow them to fight anybody
+else. This statement may appear strange, but a little examination into
+Zulu character and circumstances will, I think, show it to be correct.
+
+It must be remembered that for some years before Panda's death the Zulus
+had not been engaged in any foreign war. When Cetywayo ascended the
+throne, it was the general hope and expectation of the army, and
+therefore of the nation, that this period of inaction would come to an
+end, and that the new king would inaugurate an active foreign policy.
+They did not greatly care in what direction the activity developed
+itself, provided it did develop. It must also be borne in mind that
+every able-bodied man in the Zulu country was a member of a regiment,
+even the lads being attached to regiments as carriers, and the women
+being similarly enrolled, though they did not fight. The Zulu military
+system was the universal-service system of Germany brought to an
+absolute perfection, obtained by subordinating all the ties and duties
+of civil life to military ends. Thus, for instance, marriage could not
+be contracted at will, but only by the permission of the king, which was
+generally delayed until a regiment was well advanced in years, when a
+number of girls were handed over to it to take to wife. This regulation
+came into force because it was found that men without home ties were
+more ferocious and made better soldiers, and the result of these harsh
+rules was that the Zulu warrior, living as he did under the shadow of a
+savage discipline, for any breach of which there was but one punishment,
+death, can hardly be said to have led a life of domestic comfort, such
+as men of all times and nations have thought their common right. But
+even a Zulu must have some object in life, some shrine at which to
+worship, some mistress of his affections. Home he had none, religion he
+had none, mistress he had none, but in their stead he had his career
+as a warrior, and his hope of honour and riches to be gained by the
+assegai. His home was on the war-track with his regiment, his religion
+the fierce denunciation of the isanusi,[*] and his affections were fixed
+on the sudden rush of battle, the red slaughter, and the spoils of
+the slain. "War," says Sir T. Shepstone, in a very remarkable despatch
+written about a year before the outbreak of the Zulu war, "is the
+universal cry among the soldiers, who are anxious to live up to their
+traditions, . . . . and the idea is gaining ground among the people that
+their nation has outlived the object of its existence." Again he says,
+"The engine (the Zulu military organisation) has not ceased to exist or
+to generate its forces, although the reason or excuse for its existence
+has died away: these forces have continued to accumulate and are daily
+accumulating without safety-valve or outlet."
+
+     [*] _Witch-doctor._ These persons are largely employed in
+     Zululand to smell out witches who are supposed to have
+     bewitched others, and are of course very useful as political
+     agents. Any person denounced by them is at once executed. A
+     friend of the writer's was once present at a political
+     smelling-out on a large scale, and describes it as a very
+     curious and unpleasant scene. The men, of whom there were
+     some thousands, were seated in a circle, as pale with terror
+     as Zulus can be. Within the circle were several witch
+     doctors; one of whom amidst his or her incantations would
+     now and again step forward and touch some unfortunate man
+     with a forked stick. The victim was instantly led away a few
+     paces and his neck twisted. The circle awaited each
+     denunciation in breathless expectation, for not a man among
+     them knew whose turn it might be next. On another occasion,
+     an unfortunate wretch who had been similarly condemned by an
+     isanusi rushed up to the same gentleman's waggon and
+     besought shelter. He was hidden under some blankets, but
+     presently his pursuers arrived, and insisted upon his being
+     handed over. All possible resistance was made, until the
+     executioners announced that they would search the waggon and
+     kill him there. It was then covenanted that he should have a
+     start in the race for life. He was, however, overtaken and
+     killed. These instances will show how dark and terrible is
+     the Zulu superstition connected with witchcraft, and what a
+     formidable weapon it becomes in the hands of the king or
+     chief.
+
+Desirable as such a state of feeling may be in an army just leaving
+for the battlefield, it is obvious that for some fifty thousand men,
+comprising the whole manhood of the nation, to be continually on the
+boil with sanguinary animosity against the human race in general, is an
+awkward element to fit into the peaceable government of a state.
+
+Yet this was doubtless the state of affairs with which Cetywayo had
+to contend during the latter years of his reign. He found himself
+surrounded by a great army, in a high state of efficiency and warlike
+preparation, proclaiming itself wearied with camp life, and clamouring
+to be led against an enemy, that it might justify its traditions and
+find employment for its spears. Often and often he must have been sorely
+puzzled to find excuses wherewithal to put it off. Indeed his position
+was both awkward and dangerous: on the one hand was Scylla in the shape
+of the English Government, and on the other the stormy and uncertain
+Charybdis of his clamouring regiments. Slowly the idea must have began
+to dawn upon him that unless he found employment for the army, which,
+besides being disgusted with his inactivity, was somewhat wearied with
+his cruelties, for domestic slaughter had ceased to divert and had begun
+to irritate: the army, or some enterprising members of it, might put it
+beyond his power ever to find employment for it at all, and bring one of
+his brothers to rule in his stead.
+
+And yet who was he to fight, if fight he must? There were three possible
+enemies--1. The Swazis; 2. The Transvaal Boers; 3. The English.
+
+Although the English may have held a place on Cetywayo's list as
+possible foes, there is no ground for supposing that, until shortly
+before the war, he had any wish to fight with us. Indeed, whereas their
+hatred of the Boers was pronounced, and openly expressed, both the Zulu
+king and people always professed great respect for Englishmen, and even
+a certain amount of liking and regard.
+
+Therefore, when Cetywayo had to settle on an enemy to attack, it was not
+the English that he chose, but the Swazis, whose territory adjoined his
+own, lying along the borders of the Transvaal towards Delagoa Bay. The
+Swazis are themselves Zulus, and Cetywayo claimed certain sovereign
+rights over them, which, however, they refused to recognise. They are a
+powerful tribe, and can turn out about 10,000 fighting men, quite enough
+for Cetywayo's young warriors to try their mettle on. Still the king
+does not appear to have wished to undertake the war without first
+obtaining the approval of the Natal Government, to whom he applied
+several times for permission "to wash his spears," saying that he was
+but half a king until he had done so. The Natal Government, however,
+invariably replied that he was on no account to do anything of the sort.
+This shows the inconveniences of possessing a complimentary feudal hold
+over a savage potentate, the shadow of power without the reality. The
+Governor of Natal could not in decency sanction such a proceeding as a
+war of extermination against the Swazis, but if it had occurred without
+his sanction, the Swazis would have suffered no doubt, but the Zulu
+spears would have been satisfactorily washed, and there would have been
+no Zulu war. As it is, Englishmen have been killed instead of Swazis.
+
+Thwarted in his designs on the Swazis, Cetywayo next turned his
+attention to the Transvaal Boers. The Zulus and the Boers had never been
+good friends since the days of the massacre of Retief, and of late
+years their mutual animosity had been greatly increased owing to
+their quarrels about the boundary question previously alluded to. This
+animosity reached blood-heat when the Boer Government, acting with the
+arrogance it always displayed towards natives, began to lay its commands
+upon Cetywayo about his relations with the Amaswazi, the alleged
+trespassing on Boer territory, and other matters. The arrogance was
+all the more offensive because it was impotent. The Boers were not in
+a position to undertake the chastisement of the Zulus. But the king and
+council of Zululand now determined to try conclusions with the Transvaal
+on the first convenient opportunity, and this time without consulting
+the Government of Natal. The opportunity soon occurred. Secocoeni, the
+powerful chief of the Bapedi, one of the tribes whose territories border
+on the Transvaal, came to a difference with the Boers over another
+border question. There is good ground for supposing that Cetywayo
+incited him to withstand the Boer demands; it is certain that during the
+course of the war that followed he assisted him with advice, and more
+substantially still, with Zulu volunteers.
+
+To be brief, the Secocoeni war resulted in the discomfiture of the
+Transvaal forces. Another result of this struggle was to throw the whole
+state into the most utter confusion, of which the Dutch burghers, always
+glad of an opportunity to defy the law, took advantage to refuse to pay
+taxes. National bankruptcy ensued, and confusion grew worse confounded.
+
+Cetywayo took note of all this, and saw that now was his opportunity to
+attack. The Boers had suffered both in morale and prestige from their
+defeat by Secocoeni, who was still in arms against them; whilst the
+natives were proportionately elated by their success over the dreaded
+white men. There was, he knew well, but little chance of a rapid
+concentration to resist a sudden raid, especially when made by such a
+powerful army, or rather chain of armies, as he could set in motion.
+Everything favoured the undertaking; indeed, humanly speaking, it
+is difficult to see what could have saved the greater part of the
+population of the Transvaal from sudden extinction, if a kind Providence
+had not just then put it into the head of Lord Carnarvon to send out
+Sir T. Shepstone as Special Commissioner to their country. When Cetywayo
+heard that his father Sompseu (Sir T. Shepstone) was going up to the
+Transvaal, he held his hand, sent out spies, and awaited the course
+of events. The following incident will show with what interest he was
+watching what took place. At the Vaal River a party of Boers met
+the Special Commissioner and fired salutes to welcome him. It was
+immediately reported to Cetywayo by his spies that the Boers had fired
+over Sir T. Shepstone's waggon. Shortly afterwards a message arrived at
+Pretoria from Cetywayo to inquire into the truth of the story, coolly
+announcing his intention of sweeping the Transvaal if it were true that
+"his father" had been fired at. In a conversation with Mr. Fynney after
+the Annexation Cetywayo alludes to his intentions in these words:--
+
+"I heard that the Boers were not treating him (Sompseu) properly, and
+that they intended to put him in a corner. If they had done so I should
+not have waited for anything more. _Had but one shot been fired_,
+I should have said, 'What more do I wait for? they have touched my
+father.' I should have poured my men over the land, and I can tell you,
+son of Mr. Fynney, the land would have burned with fire." This will show
+how eagerly Cetywayo was searching for an excuse to commence his attack
+on the Transvaal. When the hope of finding a pretext in the supposed
+firing at Sir T. Shepstone or any incident of a similar nature faded
+away, he appears to have determined to carry out his plans without
+any immediate pretext, and to make a _casus belli_ of his previous
+differences with the Government of the Republic. Accordingly he massed
+his impis (army corps) at different points along the Transvaal border,
+where they awaited the signal to advance and sweep the country.
+Information of Cetywayo's doings and of his secret plans reached
+Pretoria shortly before the Annexation, and confirmed the mind of the
+Special Commissioner as to the absolute necessity of that measure to
+save the citizens of the Republic from coming to a violent end,
+and South Africa from being plunged into a native war of unexampled
+magnitude. The day before the Annexation took place, when it was quite
+certain that it would take place, a message was sent to Cetywayo by Sir
+T. Shepstone telling him of what was about to happen, and telling
+him too in the sternest and most straightforward language, that the
+Transvaal had become the Queen's land like Natal, and that he must no
+more think of attacking it than he would of attacking Natal. Cetywayo
+on receiving the message at once disbanded his armies and sent them
+to their kraals. "Kabuna," he said to the messenger, "my impis were
+gathered; now at my father's (Sir T. Shepstone's) bidding I send them
+back to their homes."
+
+This fact, namely, that at the bidding of his old mentor Sir T.
+Shepstone, Cetywayo abandoned his long-cherished plans, and his
+undoubted opportunity of paying off old scores with the Boers in a most
+effectual manner, and gave up a policy that had so many charms for him,
+must be held by every unprejudiced man to speak volumes in his favour.
+It must be remembered that it was not merely to oblige his "father
+Sompseu" that he did this, but to meet the wishes of the English
+Government, and the act shows how anxious he was to retain the
+friendship and fall in with the views of that Government. Evidently
+Cetywayo had no animosity against us in April 1877.
+
+In his interview with Mr. Fynney, Cetywayo speaks out quite frankly as
+to what his intentions had been; he says, "I know all about the soldiers
+being on their way up, but I would have asked Sompseu to allow the
+soldiers to stand on one side for just a little while, only a little,
+and see what my men could do. It would have been unnecessary for the
+Queen's people to trouble. My men were all ready, and how big must that
+stone have been, with my father Sompseu digging at one side and myself
+at the other, that would not have toppled over? Even though the size
+of that mountain (pointing to a mountain range), we could put it on its
+back. Again I say I am glad to know the Transvaal is English ground;
+perhaps now there may be rest."
+
+This and other passages show beyond all doubt from what an awful
+catastrophe the Transvaal was saved by the Annexation. That Cetywayo
+personally detested the Boers is made clear by his words to Mr. Fynney.
+"'The Boers,' he says, 'are a nation of liars; they are a bad people,
+bad altogether. I do not want them near my people; they lie and claim
+what is not theirs, and ill-use my people. Where is Thomas?' (President
+Burgers). I informed him that Mr. Burgers had left the Transvaal. 'Then
+let them pack up and follow Thomas,' said he. 'Let them go. The Queen
+does not want such people as those about her land. What can the Queen
+make of them or do with them? Their evil ways puzzled both Thomas and
+Rudolph, Landdrost of Utrecht; they will not be quiet.'"
+
+It is very clear that if Cetywayo had been left to work his will, a
+great many of the Boers would have found it necessary to "pack up and
+follow Thomas," whilst many more would have never needed to pack again.
+
+I am aware that attempts have been made to put another explanation on
+Cetywayo's warlike preparations against the Boers. It has been said that
+the Zulu army was called up by Sir T. Shepstone to coerce the Transvaal.
+It is satisfactory to be able, from intimate personal knowledge, to
+give unqualified denial to that statement, which is a pure invention, as
+indeed is easily proved by clear evidence, which I have entered into in
+another part of this book. Cetywayo played for his own hand all along,
+and received neither commands nor hints from the Special Commissioner to
+get his army together. Indeed, when Sir T. Shepstone discovered what was
+going on, he suffered great anxiety lest some catastrophe should
+occur before he was in a position to prevent it. Nothing short of
+the Annexation could have saved the Transvaal at that moment, and the
+conduct of the Boers after the danger had been taken on to the
+shoulders of the Imperial Government is a startling instance of national
+ingratitude.
+
+Here again the Zulu king was brought face to face with the ubiquitous
+British Government, and that too at a particularly aggravating moment.
+He was about to commence his attack when he was met with a polite,
+"Hands off; this is British territory." No wonder that we find him in
+despair renewing his prayer that Sompseu will allow him to make "one
+little raid only, one small swoop," and saying that "it is the custom
+of our country, when a new king is placed over the nation, to wash
+their spears, and it has been done in the case of all former kings of
+Zululand. I am no king, but sit in a heap. I cannot be a king till I
+have washed my assegais." All of which is doubtless very savage and
+very wrong, but such is the depravity of human nature, that there is
+something taking about it for all that.
+
+It was at this period of the history of South Africa that many people
+think we made our crowning mistake. We annexed the Transvaal, say they,
+six months too soon. As things have turned out, it would have been wiser
+to have left Zulus and Transvaal Boers to try conclusions, and done
+our best to guard our own frontiers. There is no doubt that such a
+consummation of affairs would have cleared the political atmosphere
+wonderfully; the Zulus would have got enough fighting to last them some
+time, and the remainder of the Boers would have entreated our protection
+and become contented British subjects; there would have been no
+Isandhlwana and no Majuba Hill. But to these I say who could foresee the
+future, and who, in the then state of kindly feeling towards the Boers,
+could wish to leave them, and all the English mixed up with them, to
+undergo, unprepared as they were, the terrible experience of a Zulu
+invasion? Besides, what guarantee was there that the slaughter would
+stop in the Transvaal, or that the combat would not have developed into
+a war of races throughout South Africa? Even looking at the matter in
+the light of after events, it is difficult to regret that humanity
+was on this occasion allowed to take precedence of a more cold-blooded
+policy. If the opponents of the Annexation, or even the members of the
+Transvaal Independence Committee, knew what a Zulu invasion meant, they
+would scarcely have been so bitter about that act.
+
+From the time of the Annexation it was a mere matter of opinion as to
+which direction the Zulu explosion would take. The safety-valves were
+loaded whilst the pressure daily increased, and all acquainted with the
+people knew that it must come sooner or later.
+
+Shortly after the Transvaal became British territory the old Zulu
+boundary question came to the fore again and was made more complicated
+than ever by Sir T. Shepstone, who had hitherto favoured the Zulu
+claims, taking the Boer side of the controversy, after examination of
+the locality and of persons acquainted with the details of the matter.
+There was nothing wonderful in this change of opinion, though of course
+it was attributed to various motives by advocates of the Zulu claims,
+and there is no doubt that Cetywayo himself did not at all like it, and,
+excited thereto by vexation and the outcry of his regiments, adopted
+a very different and aggressive tone in his communications with the
+English authorities. Indeed his irritation against the Boers and
+everybody connected with them was very great. Probably if he had been
+left alone he would in time have carried out his old programme, and
+attacked the Transvaal. But, fortunately for the Transvaal, which, like
+sailors and drunken men, always seems to have had a special Providence
+taking care of it: at this juncture Sir Bartle Frere appeared upon the
+scene, and after a few preliminaries and the presentation of a strong
+ultimatum, which was quite impracticable so far as Cetywayo was
+concerned, since it demanded what it was almost impossible for him to
+concede--the disbandment of his army--invaded Zululand.
+
+It is generally supposed that the Natal colonists had a great deal to
+do with making the Zulu war, but this is not the case. It is quite true
+that they were rejoiced at the prospect of the break-up of Cetywayo's
+power, because they were very much afraid of him and of his "celibate
+man-slaying machine," which, under all the circumstances, is not
+wonderful. But the war was a distinctly Imperial war, made by an
+Imperial officer, without consultation with Colonial authorities, on
+Imperial grounds, viz., because Cetywayo menaced Her Majesty's power in
+South Africa. Of course, if there had been no colonies there would have
+been no war, but in that way only are they responsible for it. Natal,
+however, has not grudged to pay 250,000 pounds towards its expenses,
+which is a great deal more than it can afford, and, considering that the
+foolish settlement made by Sir Garnet Wolseley is almost sure to involve
+the colony in trouble, quite as much as should be asked.
+
+The fact of the matter was, that Sir Bartle Frere was a statesman who
+had the courage of his convictions; he saw that a Zulu disturbance of
+one kind or another was inevitable, so he boldly took the initiative. If
+things had gone right with him, as he supposed they would, praise would
+have been lavished on him by the Home authorities, and he would have
+been made a peer, and perhaps Governor-General of India to boot; but he
+reckoned without his Lord Chelmsford, and the element of success which
+was necessary to gild his policy in the eyes of the home public was
+conspicuous by its absence. As it was, no language was considered to
+be too bad to apply to this "imperious proconsul" who had taken upon
+himself to declare a war. If it is any consolation to him, he has at any
+rate the gratitude of the South African Colonies, not so much for what
+he has done, for that is being carefully nullified by the subsequent
+action of the Home Government, but because, believing his policy to be
+right, he had the boldness to carry it out at the risk of his official
+reputation. Sir Bartle Frere took a larger view of the duties of the
+governor of a great dependency than to constitute himself the flickering
+shadow of the Secretary of State in Downing Street, who, knowing little
+of the real interests of the colony, is himself only the reflection
+of those that hold the balance of power, to whom the subject is one of
+entire indifference, provided that there is nothing to pay.
+
+The details of the Zulu war are matters of melancholy history, which
+it is useless to recapitulate here. With the exception of the affair at
+Rorke's Drift, there is nothing to be proud of in connection with it,
+and a great deal to be ashamed of, more especially its final settlement.
+There is, however, one point that I wish to submit to the consideration
+of my readers, and that is, that Cetywayo was never thoroughly in
+earnest about the war. If he had been in earnest, if he had been
+determined to put out his full strength, he would certainly have swept
+Natal from end to end after his victory at Isandhlwana. There was no
+force to prevent his doing so: on the contrary, it is probable that if
+he had advanced a strong army over the border, a great number of the
+Natal natives would have declared in his favour through fear of his
+vengeance, or at the least would have remained neutral. He had ample
+time at his disposal to have executed the manoeuvre twice over before
+the arrival of the reinforcements, of which the results must have been
+very dreadful, and yet he never destroyed a single family. The reason he
+has himself given for this conduct is that he did not wish to irritate
+the white man; that he had not made the war, and was only anxious to
+defend his country.
+
+When the fighting came to an end after the battle of Ulundi, there
+were two apparent courses open to us to take. One was to take over
+the country and rule it for the benefit of the Zulus, and the other to
+enforce the demands in Sir Bartle Frere's ultimatum, and, taking such
+guarantees as circumstances would admit of, leave Cetywayo on the
+throne. Instead of acting on either of these plans, however, Sir Garnet
+Wolseley proceeded, in the face of an extraordinary consensus of adverse
+opinion, which he treated with calm contempt, to execute what has proved
+to be a very cruel settlement. Sir Garnet Wolseley has the reputation of
+being an extremely able man, and it is only fair to him to suppose that
+he was not the sole parent of this political monster, by which all the
+blood and treasure expended on the Zulu war were made of no account, but
+that it was partially dictated to him by authorities at home, who were
+anxious to gratify English opinion, and partly ignorant, partly
+careless of the consequences. At the same time, it is clear that he is
+responsible for the details of the scheme, since immediately after the
+capture of Cetywayo he writes a despatch about them which was considered
+so important, that a member of his staff was sent to England in
+charge of it. In this document he informs the Secretary of State that
+Cetywayo's rule was resolutely built up "without any of the ordinary and
+lawful foundations of authority, and by the mere vigour and vitality of
+an individual character." It is difficult to understand what Sir Garnet
+means in this passage. If the fact of being the rightful and generally
+accepted occupant of the throne is not an "ordinary and lawful
+foundation of authority," what is? As regards Cetywayo having built up
+his rule by the "mere vigour and vitality of an individual character,"
+he is surely in error. Cetywayo's position was not different to that
+of his immediate predecessors. If Sir Garnet had applied the remark to
+Chaka, the first king, to the vigour and vitality of whose individual
+character Zululand owes its existence as a nation, it would have been
+more appropriate. The despatch goes on to announce that he has made
+up his mind to divide the country into thirteen portions, in order to
+prevent the "possibility of any reunion of its inhabitants under one
+rule," and ends in these words: "I have laboured with the great aim of
+establishing for Her Majesty's subjects in South Africa, both white and
+coloured, as well as for this spirited people against whom unhappily we
+have been involved in war, the enduring foundations of peace, happiness
+and prosperity." The spirited people were no doubt vastly thankful, but
+the white man, reading such a passage as this, and knowing the facts of
+the case, will only recognise Sir Garnet Wolseley's admirable talent for
+ironical writing.
+
+Sir Garnet entered into an agreement with each of his kinglets, who,
+amongst other things, promised that they would not make war without
+the sanction of the British Government. He also issued a paper of
+instructions to the gentleman who was first appointed British Resident
+(who, by the way, very soon threw up his post in despair). From this
+document we learn that all the ex-king's brothers are to "be under
+the eye of the chief John Dunn," but it is chiefly remarkable for the
+hostility it evinces to all missionary enterprise. The Resident is
+instructed to "be careful to hold yourself entirely aloof from all
+missionary or proselytising enterprises," and that "grants of land
+by former kings to missionaries cannot be recognised by the British
+Government," although Sir Garnet will allow missionaries to live in the
+country if the chief of the district does not object. These instructions
+created some adverse comment in England, with the result that, in
+the supplementary instructions issued on the occasion of Mr. Osborn's
+appointment as Resident, they were somewhat modified. In the despatch
+to the Secretary of State in which he announces the new appointment, Sir
+Garnet says that Mr. Osborn is to be the "councillor, guide, and friend"
+of the native chiefs, and that to his "moral influence" "we should
+look I think for the spread of civilisation and the propagation of the
+Gospel." What a conglomeration of duties,--at once "prophet, priest, and
+king!" Poor Mr. Osborn!
+
+Of the chiefs appointed under this unfortunate settlement, some were
+so carelessly chosen that they have no authority whatsoever over
+the districts to which they were appointed, their nominal subjects
+preferring to remain under the leadership of their hereditary chief.
+Several of Sir Garnet's little kings cannot turn out an hundred men,
+whilst the hereditary chief, who has no official authority, can bring up
+three or four thousand. Thus, for instance, a territory was given to
+a chief called Infaneulela. The retainers of this gentleman live in a
+kraal of five or six huts on the battlefield of Ulundi. A chief called
+Dilligane, to whom the district should have been given, is practically
+head man of the district, and takes every possible opportunity of
+defying the nominee chief, Infaneulela, who is not acknowledged by
+the people. Another case is that of Umgitchwa, to whom a territory was
+given. In this instance there are two brothers, Umgitchwa and Somhlolo,
+born of different mothers. Umgitchwa is the elder, but Somhlolo is the
+son of a daughter of the king, and therefore, according to Zulu custom,
+entitled to succeed to the chieftainship. Somhlolo was disinherited by
+Sir Garnet on account of his youth (he is about twenty-five and has many
+wives). But an ancient custom is not to be thus abrogated by a stroke of
+the pen, and Somhlolo is practically chief of the district. Fighting is
+imminent between the two brothers.
+
+A third case is that of Hlubi, who, though being a good, well-meaning
+man, is a Basuto, and being a foreigner, has no influence over the Zulus
+under him.
+
+A fourth instance is that of Umlandela, an old and infirm Zulu, who was
+made chief over a large proportion of the Umtetwa tribe on the coast of
+Zululand. His appointment was a fatal mistake, and has already led to
+much bloodshed under the following curious circumstances, which are not
+without interest, as showing the intricacy of Zulu plots.
+
+The Umtetwas were in the days of Chaka a very powerful tribe, but
+suffered the same fate at his hands as did every other that ventured to
+cross spears with him. They were partially annihilated, and whilst some
+of the survivors, of whom the Umtetwas in Zululand are the descendants,
+were embodied in the Zulu regiments, others were scattered far and wide.
+Branches of this important tribe exist as far off as the Cape Colony.
+Dingiswayo, who was the chief of the Umtetwas when Chaka conquered the
+tribe, fled after his defeat into Basutoland, and is supposed to have
+died there. After the Zulu war Sir G. Wolseley divided the Umtetwa into
+two districts, appointing an Umtetwa chief named Somkeli ruler over one,
+and Umlandela over the other.
+
+Umlandela, being a Zulu and worn with age, has never had any authority
+over his nominal subjects, and has been anxious to rid himself of the
+danger and responsibility of his chieftainship by transferring it on to
+the shoulders of Mr. John Dunn, whose territory adjoins his own, and
+who would be, needless to say, nothing loth to avail himself of the
+opportunity of increasing his taxable area. Whilst this intrigue was in
+progress all Zululand was convulsed with the news of our defeat by the
+Boers and the consequent surrender of the Transvaal. It was commonly
+rumoured that our forces were utterly destroyed, and that the Boers were
+now the dominant Power. Following on the heels of this intelligence was
+a rumour to the effect that Cetywayo was coming back. These two reports,
+both of which had a foundation of truth, had a very bad effect on the
+vulgar mind in Zululand, and resulted in the setting in motion of a
+variety of plots, of which the following was the most important.
+
+The Umtetwa tribe is among those who are not anxious for the return
+of Cetywayo, but see in the present state of affairs an opportunity of
+regaining the power they possessed before the days of Chaka. If they
+were to have a king over Zululand they determined that it should be an
+Umtetwa king, and Somkeli, one of the chiefs appointed by Sir Garnet,
+was the man who aimed at the throne. He was not, however, anxious to put
+out his hand at first further than he could draw it back, so he adopted
+a very ingenious expedient. It will be remembered that the old Chief
+Dingiswayo fled to Basutoland, where he is reported to have married.
+It occurred to Somkeli that if he could produce a descendant or a
+pseudo-descendant of Dingiswayo he would have no difficulty in beginning
+operations by dispossessing Umlandela of his territory in favour of the
+supposed lawful heir. In fact he wanted a cat to pull the chestnuts
+out of the fire for him, who could easily be got rid of afterwards.
+Accordingly one Sitimela was produced who is supposed to be an escaped
+convict from Natal, who gave out that he was a grandson of Dingiswayo
+by a Basuto woman, and a great medicine-man, able to kill everybody by a
+glance of his eye.
+
+To this impostor adherents flocked from all parts of Zululand, and
+Umlandela flying for his life into John Dunn's territory, Sitimela
+seized upon the chieftainship. The Resident thereupon ordered him to
+appear before him, but he, as might be expected, refused to come. As it
+was positively necessary to put an end to the plot by some means, since
+its further development would have endangered and perhaps destroyed the
+weak-knee'd Zulu settlement, Mr. Osborn determined to proceed to the
+scene of action. Mahomet would not go to the mountain, so the mountain
+had to go to Mahomet. On arrival he pitched his tents half way between
+the camps of Sitimela and John Dunn, who had Umlandela under his charge,
+and summoned Somkeli, the author of the plot, to appear before him. Ten
+days elapsed before the summons was obeyed. During this time, and indeed
+until they finally escaped, the Resident and his companion could not
+even venture to the spring, which was close at hand, to wash, for fear
+of being assassinated. All day long they could see lines of armed
+men swarming over the hills round them, and hear them yelling their
+war-songs. At length Somkeli appeared, accompanied by over a thousand
+armed warriors. He was ordered to withdraw his forces from Sitimela's
+army and go home. He went home, but did not withdraw his forces. The
+next day Sitimela himself appeared before the Resident. He was ordered
+to come with ten men: he came with two thousand all armed, wild with
+excitement and "moutied" (medicined). To make this medicine they had
+killed and pounded up a little cripple boy and several of Umlandela's
+wives. It afterwards transpired that the only reason Sitimela did not
+then and there kill the Resident was that he (Mr. Osborn) had with him
+several chiefs who were secretly favourable to Sitimela's cause, and if
+he had killed him he would, according to Zulu custom, have had to kill
+them too. Mr. Osborn ordered Sitimela to disperse his forces or take
+the consequences, and waited a few days for him to do so; but seeing no
+signs of his compliance, he then ordered the neighbouring chiefs to fall
+on him, and at length withdrew from his encampment,--none too soon. That
+very night a party of Sitimela's men came down to kill him, and finding
+the tent in which he and his companions had slept standing, stabbed at
+its supposed occupants through the canvas.
+
+Sitimela was defeated by the forces ordered out by the Resident with
+a loss of about 500 men. It is, however, worthy of note, and shows how
+widespread was the conspiracy, that out of all the thousands promised,
+Mr. Osborn was only able to call out two thousand men.
+
+The appointment, however, that has occasioned the most criticism is that
+of John Dunn, who got the Benjamin share of Zululand in preference to
+his brother chiefs. The converting of an Englishman into a Zulu chief is
+such a very odd proceeding that it is difficult to know what to think of
+it. John Dunn is an ambitious man, and most probably has designs on the
+throne; he is also a man who understands the value of money, of which
+he makes a great deal out of his chieftainship. At the same time, it is
+clear that, so far as it goes, his rule is better than that of the other
+chiefs; he has a uniform tax fixed, and has even done something in the
+way of starting schools and making roads. From all that I have been able
+to gather, his popularity and influence with the Zulus are overrated,
+though he has lived amongst them so many years, and taken so many of
+their women to wife. His appointment was a hazardous experiment, and in
+the long run is likely to prove a mischievous one, since any attempted
+amendment of the settlement will be violently resisted by him on the
+ground of vested interests. Also, if white men are set over Zulus at
+all, they should be _gentlemen_ in the position of government officers,
+not successful adventurers.
+
+Perhaps the only wise thing done in connection with the settlement was
+the appointment of Mr. Osborn, C.M.G., as British Resident. It is not
+easy to find a man fitted for that difficult and dangerous position, for
+the proper filling of which many qualifications are required. Possessed
+of an intimate knowledge of the Zulus, their language, and their mode of
+thought and life, and being besides a very able and energetic officer,
+Mr. Osborn would have saved the settlement from breaking down if anybody
+could have saved it. As it is, by the exercise of ceaseless energy and
+at great personal risk, he has preserved it from total collapse. Of the
+dangers and anxieties to which he is exposed, the account I have given
+of the Sitimela incident is a sufficient example. He is, in fact,
+nothing but a shadow, for he has no force at his command to ensure
+obedience to his decisions, or to prevent civil war; and in Zululand,
+oddly enough, force is a remedy. Should one chief threaten the peace of
+the country, he can only deal with him by calling on another chief for
+aid, a position that is neither dignified nor right. What is worst of
+all is that the Zulus are beginning to discover what a shadow he is, and
+with this weakened position he has to pit his single brains against all
+the thousand and one plots which are being woven throughout Zululand.
+The whole country teems with plots. Mnyamane, the late Prime Minister,
+and one of the ablest, and perhaps the most influential man in Zululand,
+is plotting for the return of Cetywayo. Bishop Colenso, again, is as
+usual working his own wires, and creating agitations to forward his
+ends, whatever they may be at the moment. John Dunn, on the other hand,
+is plotting to succeed Cetywayo, and so on _ad infinitum_. Such is the
+state of affairs with which our unfortunate Resident has to contend.
+Invested with large imaginary powers, he has in reality nothing but his
+personal influence and his own wits to help him. He has no white man
+to assist him, but living alone in a broken-down tent and some mud
+huts built by his son's hands (for the Government have never kept their
+promise to put him up a house), in the midst of thousands of restless
+and scheming savages, amidst plots against the peace and against his
+authority, he has to do the best he can to carry out an impracticable
+settlement, and to maintain the character of English justice and the
+honour of the English name. Were Mr. Osborn to throw up his post or to
+be assassinated, the authorities would find it difficult to keep the
+whole settlement from collapsing like a card castle.
+
+Nobody who understood Zulu character and aspirations could ever have
+executed such a settlement as Sir Garnet Wolseley's, unless he did it
+in obedience to some motive or instructions that it was not advisable
+to publish. It is true that Sir Garnet's experience of the Zulus was
+extremely small, and that he put aside the advice of those who did know
+them with that contempt with which he is wont to treat colonists and
+their opinions. Sir Garnet Wolseley does not like colonial people,
+possibly because they have signally failed to appreciate heaven-born
+genius in his person, or his slap-dash drumhead sort of way of settling
+the fate of countries, and are, indeed, so rude as to openly say, that,
+in their opinion, he did more mischief in Africa in a few months, than
+it would take an ordinary official a lifetime to accomplish.
+
+However this may be, stop his ears as much as he might, Sir Garnet
+cannot have been entirely blind to the import of what he was doing, and
+the only explanation of his action is that he entered on it more with
+the idea of flattering and gratifying English public opinion, than of
+doing his best for the Zulus or the white Colonists on their borders. A
+great outcry had been raised at home, where, in common with most South
+African affairs, the matter was not thoroughly understood, against the
+supposed intended annexation of Zululand for the benefit of "greedy
+colonists." It was argued that colonists were anxious for the annexation
+in order that they might get the land to speculate with, and doubtless
+this was, in individual instances, true. I fully agree with those who
+think that it would be unwise to throw open Zululand to the European
+settler, not on account of the Zulus, who would benefit by the change,
+but because the result would be a state of affairs similar to that in
+Natal, where there are a few white men surrounded by an ever-growing
+mass of Kafirs. But there is a vast difference between Annexation proper
+and the Protectorate it was our duty to establish over the natives. Such
+an arrangement would have presented few difficulties, and have brought
+with it many advantages. White men could have been forbidden to settle
+in the country. A small hut-tax, such as the Zulus would have cheerfully
+paid, would have brought in forty or fifty thousand a year, an ample
+sum to defray the expenses of the Resident and sub-Residents: the
+maintenance of an adequate native force to keep order: and even the
+execution of necessary public works. It is impossible to overrate the
+advantages that must have resulted both to the Zulus and their white
+neighbours from the adoption of this obvious plan, among them being
+lasting peace and security to life and property; or to understand the
+folly and cruelty that dictated the present arrangement, or rather
+want of arrangement. Not for many years has England missed such an
+opportunity of doing good, not only at no cost, but with positive
+advantage to herself. Did we owe nothing to this people whose kingdom we
+had broken up, and whom we had been shooting down by thousands? They
+may well ask, as they do continually, what they have done that we should
+treat them as we have and are doing?
+
+It cannot be too clearly understood, that, when the Zulus laid down
+their arms they did so, hoping and believing that they would be taken
+over by the English Government, which, having been fairly beaten by
+it, they now looked on as their head or king, and be ruled like their
+brethren in Natal. They expected to have to pay taxes and to have
+white magistrates placed over them, and they or the bulk of them looked
+forward to the change with pleasure. It must be remembered that when
+once they have found their master, there exists no more law-abiding
+people in the world than the Zulus, provided they are ruled firmly, and
+above all justly. Believing that such a rule would fall to their lot
+they surrendered when they did. How great, then, must their surprise
+have been when they found, that without their wishes being consulted in
+the matter, their own hereditary king was to be sent away, and thirteen
+little kings set up in his place, with, strangest of all, a white man as
+chief little king, whilst the British Government contented itself with
+placing a Resident in the country, to watch the troubles that must
+ensue.
+
+Such a settlement as this could only have one object and one result,
+neither of which is at all creditable to the English people. The Zulus
+were parcelled out among thirteen chiefs, in order that their strength
+might be kept down by internecine war and mutual distrust and jealousy:
+and, as though it were intended to render this result more certain,
+territories were chucked about in the careless way I have described,
+whilst central authority was abolished, and the vacant throne is dangled
+before all eyes labelled "the prize of the strongest." Of course
+Sir Garnet's paper agreements with the chiefs were for the most part
+disregarded from the first. For instance, every chief has his army
+and uses it too. In Zululand bloodshed is now a thing of every-day
+occurrence, and the whole country is torn by fear, uncertainly, and
+consequent want.[*] The settlement is bearing its legitimate fruit; some
+thousands of Zulus have already been killed in direct consequence of it,
+and more will doubtless follow. And this is the outcome of all the blood
+and treasure spent over the Zulu war! Well, we have settled Zululand on
+the most approved principles, and thank Heaven, British influence has
+not been extended!
+
+     [*] A severe famine is said to be imminent in Zululand.
+
+To show that I am not singular in my opinion as to the present state
+of Zululand, I may be allowed to quote a few short extracts taken at
+random, from half-a-dozen numbers of the "Natal Mercury." Talking of
+the Zulu settlement terms as dictated by Sir G. Wolseley, the leading
+article of the issue 21st November 1881 says:--"It will at once
+be apparent that these terms have in several cases been flagrantly
+violated, especially as regards clauses of 2, 3, 4, and 6. This last
+will assuredly be broken again and yet again, so long as the British
+Resident occupies the position of an official mollusc. The chiefs
+themselves perceive and admit the evils that must arise out of the
+absence of any effective central authority. These evils are so obvious,
+they were so generally recognised at the outset as being inherent in
+the scheme, that we might almost suppose their occurrence had been
+deliberately anticipated as a desired outcome of the settlement. The
+morality of such a line of policy would be precisely on a par with that
+which is involved in the proposal to reinstate Cetywayo as a means of
+dealing with the Boers. The creation of thirteen kinglets in order that
+they might destroy each other, is as humane and high-minded an effort
+of statesmanship as would be the restoration of a banished king in order
+that he might eat up a people to whom the same power has just given back
+their independence. To the simple colonial mind such deep designs
+of Machiavellian statecraft are as hateful as they are inhuman and
+dishonest."
+
+A correspondent of the "Mercury" in Zululand writes under date of 13th
+October:--
+
+"I send a line at the last moment to say that things are going from bad
+to worse at railway speed. Up to the arrival of Sir Evelyn Wood, the
+chiefs did not fully realise that they were really independent at all.
+Now they do, and if I mistake not, like a beggar on horseback will ride
+to the devil sharp. Oham has begun by killing a large number of the
+Amagalusi people. My information is derived from native sources, and may
+be somewhat exaggerated. It is that the killed at Isandhlwana were few
+compared with those killed by Uhamu a few days ago. Usibebu also and
+Undabuka are, I am told, on the point of coming to blows; and if they
+do that it will be worse still, for Undabuka will find supporters
+throughout the length and breadth of Zululand. Undabuka, the full
+brother of the ex-king, is the protege of the Bishop of Natal. The
+Bishop, I find, has again sent one of his agents (Amajuba by name)
+calling for another deputation. The deputation is now on its way to
+Natal, and that, I understand, against the express refusal of the
+Resident to allow it." In the issue of 14th November is published a
+letter from Mr. Nunn, a gentleman well known in Zululand, from which,
+as it is too long to quote in its entirety, I give a few
+extracts:--"_Oham's Camp, Oct.15._--The Zulus cannot comprehend the
+Transvaal affair, and it has been industriously circulated among them
+that the English have been beaten and forced to give back the Transvaal.
+They do not understand gracious acts of restoration after we have been
+beaten. Four times this year has Umnyamana called his army together and
+menaced Oham, who has several times had to have parties of his followers
+sleeping around his kraal in the hills adjacent, so as to give him
+timely notice to fly. When Oham left his kraal for the purpose of
+attending the meeting at Inslasatye, the same day the whole of the
+Maquilisini Tribe came on to the hills adjacent to Oham's kraal, the
+'Injamin,' and threatened that district. This has been the case on two
+or three former occasions, and simultaneously Umnyamana's tribe and
+Undabuka's followers always flew to arms, thus threatening on all sides.
+. . . Trading is and has been for months entirely suspended in this
+district. The fields are unplanted, no ploughs or Kafir-picks at
+work--all are in a state of excitement, not knowing the moment a
+collision may take place. Hunger will stare many in the face next year,
+and all the men yelling to their chiefs to be let loose and put an end
+to this state of uncertainty."
+
+Mr. Nunn encloses an account by an eye-witness of a battle which took
+place on the 2d October 1881 between Oham's army and the Maquilisini
+Tribe. The following is an extract:--"On the 2nd there was a heavy mist,
+and on moving forward the mounted party found themselves in the midst
+of the enemy (the Maquilisini), and on hearing a cry to stab the horses,
+they rode through them with no casualty (except one horse slightly
+wounded with a bullet). The army, moving in a half circle, now became
+generally engaged in a hand-to-hand fight, and our men were checked
+and annoyed by a number of the enemy armed with guns, who were in a
+stone-kraal and kept up a constant fire. Amatonga, now at the head of
+the mounted party, charged and drove the enemy out of the kraal, from
+which they three several times charged the enemy on the flank, assisted
+by a small infantry party, and cut paths through their ranks. The fight,
+which had now lasted nearly an hour, commenced to flag, and Oham's army
+making a sudden rush entirely routed the enemy, and the carnage lasted
+to the Bevan river, the boundary of the Transvaal. No women or children
+were killed, but out of an army of about 1500 of the enemy but few
+escaped" (sic) . . . . "The men, as they were being killed, repeatedly
+exclaimed, 'We are dying through Umnyamana and Umlabaku.'"
+
+In the "Natal Mercury" of the 13th March occurs the following:--
+
+"_Zulu Country._--As to the state of the country it is something we
+cannot describe; everything is upside down, and the chiefs appointed by
+the government are mere nobodies, and have not any power over their own
+people. Even the Resident is in a false position, and seems perfectly
+powerless to act either way. We had one row, just arriving at a kraal in
+time to save it from being eaten up. Witchcraft and killing, one of the
+pretences on which the English made war, are of every-day occurrence,
+and fifty times worse than they were before the war. Oham and Tibysio
+(?) keep their men continually in the field, consequently those
+districts are at present in a state of famine."
+
+Sir Garnet Wolseley executed the Zulu settlement on the 1st September
+1879. The above extracts will suffice to show the state of the country
+after it has been working for little more than two years. They will
+also, I believe, suffice to convince any just and impartial mind that I
+do not exaggerate when I say that it is an abomination and a disgrace
+to England. The language may be strong, but when one hears of 1500
+unfortunates (nearly twice as many as we lost at Isandhlwana) being
+slaughtered in a single intertribal broil, it is time to use strong
+language. It is not as though this were an unexpected or an unavoidable
+development of events, every man who knew the Zulus predicted the misery
+that must result from such a settlement, but those who directed their
+destinies turned a deaf ear to all warnings. They did not wish to hear.
+
+And now we are told that civil war is imminent between the Cetywayo or
+anti-settlement party, and what I must, for want of a better name, call
+the John Dunn party, or those who have acquired interests under the
+settlement, and who for various reasons wish to see Cetywayo's face no
+more. If this occurs, and it will occur unless the Government makes up
+its mind to do something before long, the slaughter, not only of men but
+also of women and children, will be enormous; fugitives will pour into
+Natal, followed perhaps by their pursuers, and for aught we know the war
+may spread into our own dominions. We are a philanthropic people, very,
+when Bulgarians are concerned, or when the subject is one that piques
+the morbid curiosity, or is the rage of the moment, and the subject of
+addresses from great and eloquent speakers. But we can sit still, and
+let such massacres as these take place, when we have but to hold up our
+hand to stop them. When occasionally the veil is lifted a little, and
+the public hears of "fresh fighting in Zululand;" a question is asked
+in the House; Mr. Courtney, as usual, has no information, but generally
+discredits the report, and it is put aside as "probably not true." I
+am well aware that of the few who read these words, many will discredit
+them, or say that they are written for some object, or for party
+purposes. But it is not the case; they are written in the interest of
+the truth, and in the somewhat faint hope that they may awaken a portion
+of the public, however small, to a knowledge of our responsibilities
+to the unfortunate Zulus. For try to get rid of it as we may, those
+responsibilities rest upon our shoulders. When we conquered the Zulu
+nation and sent away the Zulu king, we undertook, morally at any rate,
+to provide for the future good government of the country; otherwise, the
+Zulu war was unjust indeed. If we continue to fail, as we have hitherto,
+to carry out our responsibilities as a humane and Christian nation ought
+to do, our lapse from what is right will certainly recoil upon our own
+heads, and, in the stern lessons of future troubles and disasters, we
+shall learn that Providence with the nation, as with the individual,
+makes a neglected duty its own avenger. We have sown the wind, let us be
+careful lest we reap the whirlwind.
+
+It is very clear that things cannot remain in their present condition.
+If they do, it is probable that the Resident will sooner or later
+be assassinated; not from any personal motives, but as a political
+necessity, and some second Chaka will rise up and found a new Zulu
+dynasty, sweeping away our artificial chiefs and divisions like cobwebs.
+This idea seems to have penetrated into Lord Kimberley's official mind,
+since in his despatch of instructions to Sir H. Bulwer, written in
+February last, he says, "Probably if the chiefs are left to themselves
+after a period more or less prolonged of war and anarchy, some man will
+raise himself to the position of supreme chief." The prospect of war and
+anarchy in Zululand does not, however, trouble Lord Kimberley at all; in
+fact, the whole despatch is typical to a degree of the Liberal Colonial
+policy. Lord Kimberley admits that what little quiet the country has
+enjoyed under the settlement, "was due to a mistaken belief on the part
+of the Zulus that the British Government was ruling them, or would rule
+them through the Resident." He evidently clearly sees all the evils and
+bloodshed that are resulting and that must result from the present
+state of affairs; indeed he recapitulates them, and then ends up by even
+refusing to allow such slight measures of relief as the appointment of
+sub-Residents to be carried out, although begged for by the chiefs, on
+the ground that it might extend British influence. Of the interests of
+the Zulus himself he is quite careless. The whole despatch can be summed
+up thus: "If you can find any method to improve the state of affairs
+which will not subject us to the smallest cost, risk, or responsibility,
+you can employ it; if not, let them fight it out." Perhaps Lord
+Kimberley may live (officially) long enough to find out that meanness
+and selfishness do not always pay, and that it is not always desirable,
+thus to sacrifice the respect, and crush the legitimate aspirations of a
+generous people.
+
+Unless something is done before long, it is possible that John Dunn may
+succeed after a bloody war in securing the throne; but this would not
+prove a permanent arrangement, since he is now getting on in life and
+has no son to carry on the dynasty. Another possibility, and one that is
+not generally known, at any rate in this country, though it is perhaps
+the most probable of all, is this. Cetywayo has left a son in Zululand,
+who is being carefully educated under the care of Mnyamane, the late
+King's Prime Minister. The boy is now about 16 years of age, and is
+reported to possess very good abilities, and is the trump card that
+Mnyamane will play as soon as the time is ripe. This young man is the
+hereditary heir to the Zulu crown, and it is more than probable that if
+he is proclaimed king the vast majority of the nation will rally round
+him and establish him firmly on his throne. There is little use in
+keeping Cetywayo confined whilst his son is at large. The lad should
+have been brought to England and educated, so that he might at some
+future time have assisted in the civilisation of his country: as it is,
+he is growing up in a bad school.
+
+And now I come to the root of the whole matter, the question whether
+or no, under all these circumstances, it is right or desirable to
+re-establish Cetywayo on the throne of Zululand. In considering this
+question, I think that Cetywayo's individuality ought to be out on one
+side, however much we may sympathise with his position, as I confess I
+do to some extent myself. After all, Cetywayo is only one man, whereas
+the happiness, security, and perhaps the lives of many thousands are
+involved in the issue of the question. In coming to any conclusion
+in the matter it is necessary to keep in view the intentions of the
+Government as regards our future connection with Zululand. If the
+Government intends to do its duty and rule Zululand as it ought to be
+ruled, by the appointment of proper magistrates, the establishment of an
+adequate force, and the imposition of the necessary taxes; then it would
+be the height of folly to permit Cetywayo to return, since his presence
+would defeat the scheme. It must be remembered that there is as yet
+nothing whatsoever to prevent this plan being carried out. It would be
+welcomed with joy by the large majority of both Zulus and Colonists. It
+would also solve the problem of the increase of the native population of
+Natal, which is assuming the most alarming proportions, since Zululand,
+being very much underpopulated, it would be easy, were that country once
+quietly settled, to draft the majority of the Natal Zulus back into it.
+This is undoubtedly the best course, and indeed the only right course;
+but it does not at all follow that it will be taken, since governments
+are unfortunately more concerned at the prospect of losing votes than
+with the genuine interests of their dependencies. The proper settlement
+of Zululand would not be popular amongst a large class in this country,
+and therefore it is not likely to be carried out, however right and
+necessary it may be.
+
+If nothing is going to be done, then it becomes a question whether or no
+Cetywayo should be sent back.
+
+The large majority of the Natalians consider that his restoration would
+be an act of suicidal folly, and their opinion is certainly entitled to
+great weight, since they are after all the people principally
+concerned. The issue of the experiment would be a matter of comparative
+indifference to people living 7000 miles away, but is naturally regarded
+with some anxiety by those who have their homes on the borders of
+Zululand. It is very well to sympathise with savage royalty in distress,
+but it must be borne in mind that there are others to be considered
+besides the captive king. Many of the Zulus, for instance, are by
+no means anxious to see him again, since they look forward with just
+apprehension to the line of action he may take with those who have not
+shown sufficient anxiety for his return, or have in other ways incurred
+his resentment. One thing is clear, to send the king back to Zululand is
+to restore the _status in quo_ as it was before the war. There can be
+no half measures about it, no more worthless paper stipulations; a Zulu
+king must either be allowed to rule in his own fashion or not at all.
+The war would go for nothing, and would doubtless have to be fought over
+again with one of Cetywayo's successors.
+
+Also it must be remembered that it is one thing to talk of restoring
+Cetywayo, and another to carry his restoration into effect. It would not
+simply be a question of turning him down on the borders of Zululand, and
+letting him find his own way back to his throne, for such a proceeding
+would be the signal for the outbreak of civil war. It is not to be
+supposed that John Dunn, and those whose interests are identical with
+Dunn's, would allow the ex-king to reseat himself on the throne without
+a struggle; indeed the former has openly declared his intention of
+resisting the attempt by force of arms if necessary. He is by no means
+anxious to give up the 15,000 pounds a year his hut-tax brings in, and
+all the contingent profits and advantages of his chieftainship. If we
+wish to restore Cetywayo we must first depose Dunn; in fact, we must be
+ready to support his restoration by force of arms.
+
+As regards Cetywayo himself, I cannot share the opinion of those who
+think that he would be personally dangerous. He has learnt his lesson,
+and would not be anxious to try conclusions with the English again;
+indeed, I believe he would prove a staunch ally. But supposing him
+re-established on the throne, how long would it be before a revolution,
+or the hand of the assassin, to say nothing of the ordinary chances
+of nature, put an end to him, and how do we know that his successor in
+power would share his views?
+
+Cetywayo's rule, bad as it was, was perhaps preferable to the reign of
+terror that we have established, under the name of a settlement. But
+that we can still remedy if we choose to do so, whereas, if we once
+restore Cetywayo, all power over the Zulus passes out of our hands.
+
+We have many interests to consider in South Africa, all of which will be
+more or less affected by our action in this matter. On the whole, I am
+of opinion that the Government that replaces Cetywayo on the throne
+of his fathers will undertake a very grave responsibility, and must be
+prepared to deal with many resulting complications, not the least of
+which will be the utter exasperation of the white inhabitants of Natal.
+
+
+
+
+NATAL AND RESPONSIBLE GOVERNMENT
+
+_Natal--Causes of increase of the native population--Happy condition of
+the Natal Zulus--Polygamy--Its results on population--The impossibility
+of eradicating it--Relations between a Zulu and his wives--Connection
+between polygamy and native law--Missionary work amongst the Zulus--Its
+failure--Reasons of its failure--Early days of Natal--Growth of the
+native question--Coming struggle between white and black over the
+land question--Difficulty of civilising the Zulu--Natal as a black
+settlement--The constitution of Natal--Request for responsible
+government--Its refusal--The request renewed and granted--Terms and
+reason of Lord Kimberley's offer--Infatuation of responsible government
+party in Natal--Systematic abuse of colonists in England--Colonial
+speculators--Grievances against the Imperial Government--Sir Henry
+Bulwer--Uncertain future of Natal--Its available force--Exterior
+dangers--The defence question shirked by the "party of progress"--
+The confederation question--The difficulty of obtaining desirable
+immigrants--The only real key to the Natal native question--Folly of
+accepting self-government till it is solved._
+
+Natal has an area of about 18,000 square miles, and its present
+population is, roughly, 25,000 whites and 400,000 natives of the Zulu
+race. When, in 1843, it first became a British colony, the number of
+natives living within its borders was very small, and they were for the
+most part wanderers, fragmentary remnants of the tribes that Chaka had
+destroyed. I shall probably be under, rather than over the mark, if I
+say, that the Zulu population of the colony has multiplied itself by ten
+during the last thirty years. Two causes have combined to bring about
+this extraordinary increase; firstly, wholesale immigration from the
+surrounding territories; and secondly, the practice of polygamy.
+
+This immigration has been due to a great want of foresight, or want of
+knowledge, on the part of the Home authorities, who have allowed it to
+go on without check or hindrance till it has, in conjunction with its
+twin evil polygamy, produced the state of affairs it is my object to
+describe. Ever since its first establishment as a colony Natal has been
+turned into a city of refuge for the native inhabitants of Zululand, the
+Transvaal, Swaziland, and elsewhere. If news came to a Zulu chief that
+his king purposed to eat him up, he at once fled across the Tugela with
+his wives and followers and settled in Natal. If the Boers or Swazis
+destroyed a tribe, the remnant found its way to Natal.
+
+That country, indeed, is to the South African native a modern Isles of
+the Blest. Once across the border line, and, whatever his crime, he
+is in a position to defy his worst enemy, and can rest secure in the
+protection of the Home and local Governments, and of the enactments
+specially passed to protect him and his privileges. The Government
+allots him land, or if it does not he squats on private land: bringing
+with him his own peculiar and barbarous customs. In all the world I do
+not know a race more favoured by circumstances than the Natal Zulus.
+They live on the produce of the fields that their wives cultivate, or
+rather scratch, doing little or no work, and having no occasion to do
+any. They are very rich, and their taxes are a mere trifle, fifteen
+shillings per annum for each hut. They bear no share of the curse that
+comes to all other men as a birthright; they need not labour. Protected
+by a powerful Government, they do not fear attack from without, or
+internal disorder. What all men desire, riches and women, are theirs in
+abundance, and even their children, the objects of so much expense and
+sore perplexity to civilised parents, are to them a source of wealth.
+Their needs are few; a straw hut, corn for food, and the bright sun.
+They are not even troubled with the thought of a future life, but, like
+the animals, live through their healthy, happy days, and at last, in
+extreme old age, meet a death which for them has no terrors, because it
+simply means extinction. When compared to that of civilised races, or
+even of their own brethren in the interior, their lot is indeed a happy
+one.
+
+But the stream of immigration, continuous though it has been, would not
+by itself have sufficed to bring up the native population to its present
+enormous total, without the assistance of the polygamous customs of the
+immigrants.
+
+I believe that inquirers have ascertained, that, as a general rule, the
+practice of polygamy has not the effect of bringing about an abnormal
+growth of population. However this may be elsewhere, in Natal, owing in
+great measure to the healthy customs of the Zulu race,[*] the rate of
+increase is unprecedented. Many writers and other authorities consider
+polygamy as an institution, to be at once wicked and disgusting. As to
+its morality, it is a point upon which it is difficult to express any
+opinion, nor, indeed, does the question enter into the scope of what I
+have to say; but it must be remembered that in the case of the Zulu his
+whole law and existence is mixed up with the institution, and that it
+is necessary to him to repair the gaps made in his ranks by war. Violent
+anti-polygamists in this country always make a strong point of the
+cruelty it is supposed to involve to the women, and talk about the
+"violation of their holiest feelings." As a matter of fact, sad as it
+may appear, the Zulu women are much attached to the custom, nor would
+they, as a general rule, consent to marry a man who only purposed taking
+one wife. There are various reasons for this: for instance, the first
+wife is a person of importance, and takes precedence of all the others,
+a fact as much appreciated by the Zulu woman as by the London lady.
+Again, the more wives there are, the more wealth it brings into the
+family, since in the ordinary course of nature more wives mean more
+female children, who, when they come to a marriageable age, mean in
+their turn at least ten cows each (the Government price for a wife). The
+amount thus obtained is placed to the credit of the estate of the mother
+of the girl married, and for this reason all Zulu women are extremely
+anxious to have children, especially female children. Finally, the
+liking of Zulu women for the custom is bred in them. It has been going
+on for countless generations, and it is probable that it will go on for
+so long as the race endures. Nations do not change such habits unless
+the change is forced on them, with the alternative of extermination.
+
+     [*] As soon as a Zulu woman is discovered to be pregnant,
+     her husband ceases to cohabit with her, nor does he live
+     with her again until the child is weaned, eighteen months,
+     and sometimes two years, after its birth.
+
+Polygamy will never be eradicated by moral persuasion, because, even
+if a native could be brought to think it wrong, which is in itself
+impossible, its abolition would affect his interests irredeemably. A
+Zulu's wives are also his servants; they plough his land and husband his
+grain, in addition to bearing his children. Had he but one wife most
+of her time would be taken up with the latter occupation, and then the
+mealie-planting and gathering would necessarily fall to the lot of
+the husband, a state of affairs he would never consent to. Again, if
+monogamy were established, girls would lose their value, and a great
+source of wealth would be destroyed. It must, however, be understood
+that Zulu girls are not exactly sold; the cows received by the parents
+are by a legal fiction supposed to be a gift presented, not a price
+paid. Should the wife subsequently run away, they are, I believe,
+returnable.
+
+On these subjects, as is not to be wondered at when so many interests
+are concerned, the Zulu law is a little intricate. The cleverest
+counsel in the Temple could not give an opinion on such a case as the
+following:--
+
+A. has four wives and children by Nos. 1 and 3. On his death his
+brother, B., a rich man, takes over his wives and property, and has
+children by each of the four women. He has also children by other wives.
+On his death, in extreme old age, how should the property be divided
+amongst the descendants of the various marriages?
+
+It is clear that if such a case as this is to be dealt with at all
+it must be under native law, and this is one of the great dangers of
+polygamy. Once rooted in a state it necessitates a double system of
+laws, since civilised law is quite unable to cope with the cases daily
+arising from its practice. It is sometimes argued that the law employed
+is a matter of indifference, provided that substantial justice is done,
+according to the ideas of people concerned, and this is doubtless very
+true if it is accepted as a fact that the Zulu population of Natal is
+always to remain in its present condition of barbarism. To continue
+to administer their law is to give it the sanction of the white man's
+authority, and every day that it is so administered makes it more
+impossible to do away with it. I say "more impossible" advisedly,
+because I believe its abrogation is already impossible. There is no
+satisfactory way out of the difficulty, because it has its roots in,
+and draws its existence from, the principle of polygamy, which I believe
+will last while the people last.
+
+Some rely on the Missionary to effect this stupendous change, and turn a
+polygamous people into monogamists. But it is a well-known fact that the
+missionaries produce no more permanent effect on the Zulu mind than a
+child does on the granite rock which he chips at with a chisel. How many
+real Christians are there in Zululand and Natal, and of that select and
+saintly band how many practise monogamy? But very few, and among those
+few there is a large proportion of bad characters, men who have
+adopted Christianity as a last resource. I mean no disrespect to the
+missionaries, many of whom are good men, doing their best under the most
+unpromising conditions, though some are simply traders and political
+agitators. But the fact remains the same. Christianity makes no
+appreciable progress amongst the Zulu natives, whilst, on the other
+hand, no one having any experience in the country will, if he can avoid
+it, have a so-called Christian Kafir in his house, because the term is
+but too frequently synonymous with that of drunkard and thief. I do not
+wish it to be understood that it is the fact of his Christianity that so
+degrades the Zulu, because I do not think it has anything to do with it.
+It is only that the novice, standing on the threshold of civilisation,
+as a rule finds the vices of the white man more congenial than his
+virtues.
+
+The Zulus are as difficult to convince of the truths of Christianity as
+were the Jews, whom they so much resemble in their customs. They have a
+natural disinclination to believe that which they cannot see, and, being
+constitutionally very clever and casuistical, are prepared to argue each
+individual point with an ability very trying to missionaries. It was one
+of these Zulus, known as the Intelligent Zulu, but in reality no more
+intelligent than his fellows, whose shrewd remarks first caused doubts
+to arise in the mind of Bishop Colenso, and through him in those of
+thousands of others.
+
+Another difficulty in the way of the Missionary is, that he is obliged
+to insist on the putting away of surplus wives, and thus to place
+himself out of court at the outset. It is quite conceivable that in the
+opinion of wild and savage men, it is preferable to let the new teaching
+alone, rather than to adopt it at the cost of such a radical change
+in their domestic arrangements. As a case in point I may quote that of
+Hlubi, the Basutu appointed chief of one of the divisions of Zululand,
+by Sir G. Wolseley. Hlubi is at heart a Christian, and a good man, and
+anxious to be baptized. The missionaries, however, refuse to baptize
+him, because he has two wives. Hlubi therefore remains a heathen,
+saying, not unnaturally, that he feels it would be impossible for him to
+put away a woman with whom he has lived for so many years.
+
+Whilst polygamy endures Christianity will advance with but small
+strides. It seems to me that we are beginning at the wrong end. We must
+civilise first and Christianise afterwards. As well try to sow corn
+among rocks and look to gather a full crop, as expect the words of
+Grace and Divine love to bear fruit in the hearts of a people whose
+forefathers have for countless generations been men of blood, whose
+prized traditions are one long story of slaughter, and who, if they
+are now at peace are, as it were, only gathering strength for a surer
+spring. First, the soil must be prepared before the seed is sown.
+
+To do this there is but one way. Abolish native customs and laws,
+especially polygamy, and bring our Zulu subjects within the pale of our
+own law. Deprive them of their troops of servants in the shape of wives,
+and thus force them to betake themselves to honest labour like the rest
+of mankind.
+
+There is only one objection in the way of the realisation of this
+scheme, which would, doubtless, bring about, in the course of a
+generation, a much better state of things, and gather many thousand
+converts into the fold of the Church; and that is, the opportunity has,
+so far as Natal is concerned, been missed--the time has gone by when it
+could have been carried out. To young countries, as to young men, there
+come sometimes opportunities of controlling their future destinies
+which, if not seized at the moment, pass away for ever, or only to
+return after long and troubled years. Natal has had her chance, and it
+has gone away from her, though through no fault of her own. If, when the
+colony was first settled, the few natives who then lived there had
+been forced to conform to the usages of civilised life or to quit its
+borders; if refugees had been refused admission save on the same terms,
+it would not occupy the very serious position it does at the present
+moment.
+
+To understand the situation into which Natal has drifted with reference
+to its native inhabitants, it is necessary to premise that that country
+has hitherto had practically no control over its own affairs, more
+especially as regards native legislation.
+
+In its early days it was a happy, quiet place, a favoured clime, where
+the traveller or settler could find good shooting, cheap labour,
+and cheap living. No enemy threatened its rest, and the natives were
+respectful and peaceful in their behaviour. But it was in those days
+that the native difficulty, that Upas tree that now overshadows and
+poisons the whole land, took root; for slowly, from all parts, all
+through that quiet time, by ones, by tens, by hundreds, refugees
+were flowing in, and asking and receiving land to settle on from the
+Government.
+
+It is not, however, to be supposed that the local officials did not
+perceive the gathering danger, since it has again and again been pointed
+out to different Secretaries of State, and again and again been
+ignored by them, or put off for the consideration of their successors.
+Hand-to-mouth legislation has always been the characteristic of our rule
+in South Africa. On one occasion Sir Theophilus, then Mr. Shepstone,
+went so far as to offer to personally draw off a large portion of the
+native population, and settle them on some vacant territory bordering
+on the Cape Colony, but the suggestion was not acceded to, for fear
+lest the execution of the scheme should excite disturbances amongst the
+natives of the Cape. Thus year after year has passed away--plan after
+plan has been put aside,--and nothing has been done.
+
+In the colony a great deal of abuse is poured out on the head of Sir T.
+Shepstone, to whom the present native situation is unjustly attributed
+by a certain party of politicians. Sir T. Shepstone was for very many
+years Secretary for Native Affairs in Natal, but until he came to
+England, shortly before the termination of his official career, he was
+personally unknown to the Colonial Office, and had no influence there.
+It was totally out of his power to control the policy of the Home
+Government with reference to the Natal natives; he could only take
+things as he found them, and make the best of such materials as came to
+his hand. As he could not keep the natives out of the colony or prevent
+polygamy, he did what he could towards making them loyal and contented
+subjects. How well he succeeded, and with what consummate tact and
+knowledge he must have exercised his authority, is shown by the fact
+that in all these years there has been but one native disturbance,
+namely that of Langalibalele, and by the further fact that the loyalty
+of the Natal Zulus stood the strain of the Zulu war. Also, there never
+has been, and probably never will be, another white man so universally
+beloved and reverenced by the natives throughout the length and breadth
+of South Africa.
+
+But Sir T. Shepstone's influence for good will pass away, as all purely
+personal influence must, and meanwhile, what is the situation? On
+the one hand, there is a very slowly increasing, scattered, and mixed
+population of about 25,000 whites, capable, at the outside, of putting a
+force of 4000 men in the field. On the other, there is a warlike native
+population, united by the ties of race and common interests, numbering
+at the present moment between 400,000 and 500,000, and increasing by
+leaps and bounds: capable of putting quite 80,000 warriors into the
+field, and possessing, besides, numerous strongholds called locations.
+At present these two rival populations live side by side in peace and
+amity, though at heart neither loves the other. The two races are so
+totally distinct that it is quite impossible for them to have much
+community of feeling; they can never mingle; their ideas are different,
+their objects are different, and in Natal their very law is different.
+Kafirs respect and like individual Englishmen, but I doubt whether they
+are particularly fond of us as a race, though they much prefer us to any
+other white men, and are devoted to our rule, so long as it is necessary
+to them. The average white man, on the other hand, detests the Kafir,
+and looks on him as a lazy good-for-nothing, who ought to work for him
+and will not work for him, whilst he is quite incapable of appreciating
+his many good points. It is an odd trait about Zulus that only
+gentlemen, in the true sense of the word, can win their regard, or get
+anything out of them.
+
+It is obvious that, sooner or later, these two races must come into
+contact, the question being how long the present calm will last. To this
+question I will venture to suggest an answer,--I believe the right one.
+It will last until the native gets so cramped for room that he has no
+place left to settle on, except the white man's lands. The white man
+will then try to turn him off, whereupon the native will fall back on
+the primary resource of killing him, and possessing himself of the land
+by force. This plan, simultaneously carried out on a large scale, would
+place the colony at the mercy of its native inhabitants.
+
+Nor is the time so very far distant when Englishmen and Zulus will stand
+face to face over this land question. In the early days of the colony,
+locations were established in the mountainous districts, because they
+were comparatively worthless, and the natives were settled in them by
+tribes. Of what goes on in these locations very little is known, except
+that they are crowded, and that the inhabitants are as entirely wedded
+to their savage customs as their forefathers were before them. As there
+is no more room in the locations, many thousands of Kafirs have settled
+upon private lands, sometimes with and sometimes without the leave
+of the owners. But, for many reasons, this is a state of affairs that
+cannot go on for ever. In a few years, the private lands will be filled
+up, as well as the locations, and what then?
+
+Zulus are a people who require a very large quantity of land, since they
+possess great numbers of cattle which must have grazing room. Also their
+cultivation being of the most primitive order, and consisting as it does
+of picking out the very richest patches of land, and cropping them till
+they are exhausted, all ordinary land being rejected as too much trouble
+to work, the possession, or the right of usor, of several hundred acres
+is necessary to the support of a single family. Nor, if we may judge
+from precedent, and its well-marked characteristics, is it to be
+supposed that this race will at the pinch suit itself to circumstances,
+take up less land, and work harder. Zulus would rather fight to the last
+than discard a cherished and an ancient custom. Savages they are,
+and savages they will remain, and in the struggle between them and
+civilisation it is possible that they may be conquered, but I do not
+believe that they will be converted. The Zulu Kafir is incompatible with
+civilisation.
+
+It will be seen, from what I have said, that Natal might more properly
+be called a Black settlement than an English colony. Looking at it from
+the former point of view, it is a very interesting experiment. For the
+first time probably since their race came into existence, Zulu natives
+have got a chance given them of increasing and multiplying without being
+periodically decimated by the accidents of war, whilst at the same time
+enjoying the protection of a strong and a just government. It remains
+to be seen what use they will make of their opportunity. That they will
+avail themselves of it for the purposes of civilising themselves I do
+not believe; but it seems to me possible that they will learn from
+the white man the advantages of combination, and aim at developing
+themselves into a powerful and united black nation.
+
+It is in the face of this state of things that Lord Kimberley now
+proposes to grant responsible government to the white inhabitants of
+Natal, should they be willing to accept it, providing that it is to
+carry with it the responsibility of ruling the natives, and further, of
+defending the colony from the attacks of its neighbours, whether white
+or coloured.
+
+Natal has hitherto been ruled under a hybrid constitution, which, whilst
+allowing the Legislative Assembly of the colony to pass laws, &c.,
+reserves all real authority to the Crown. There has, however, been
+for some years past a growing agitation amongst a proportion of its
+inhabitants, instituted with the object of inducing the Home Government
+to concede practical independence to the colony, Her Majesty having
+on several occasions been petitioned on the subject by the Legislative
+Council. On the 13th February 1880, Sir G. Wolseley, who was at the
+time Governor of Natal, wrote what I can only call, a very intemperate
+despatch to the Secretary of State, commenting on the prayer for
+responsible government, which he strongly condemned. He also took
+the opportunity to make a series of somewhat vicious attacks on the
+colonists in general, whose object in asking for independence was, he
+implied, to bring the black man in relations of "appropriate servitude
+to his white superior." It would appear, however, from words used by him
+towards the end of his despatch, that the real reason of his violence
+was, that he feared, that one of the first acts of the Natal Parliament
+would be to put an end to his settlement in Zululand, which was and
+is the laughing-stock of the colony. He was probably right in this
+supposition. The various charges he brings against the colonists
+are admirably and conclusively refuted in a minute adopted by the
+Legislative Council of Natal, dated 20th December 1880.
+
+In a despatch, dated 15th March 1881, Lord Kimberley refuses to accede
+to the request for the grant of Responsible Government.
+
+On the 28th of December, the Legislative Council again petitioned the
+Crown on the subject, and forward to Lord Kimberley a report of a Select
+committee appointed to consider the matter, in which the following words
+occur:--
+
+"Your committee hold that while the colony may well be held responsible
+for its defence from such aggression as may be caused by the acts or
+policy of a responsible government, it cannot justly be saddled with the
+obligation to meet acts of aggression from bordering territories
+that have arisen out of the circumstances or measures over which such
+government have had no control; although, as a matter of fact, the brunt
+of defence (must be borne?) in the first instance by the colonists.
+The Council, therefore, neither exercises, nor desires to exercise, any
+control over territories adjacent to or bordering on the colony; for the
+preservation of its own internal peace and order the colony is prepared
+to provide. The duty of protecting the colony from external foes,
+whether by sea or land, devolves on the Empire as a whole, otherwise to
+be a section of that Empire constitutes no real privilege."
+
+To this report, somewhat to the surprise of the Natalians, Lord
+Kimberley returned, in a despatch addressed to Sir H. Bulwer, on the
+occasion of his departure to take up the Governorship of Natal, and
+dated 2d February 1882, a most favourable reply. In fact, he is so
+obliging as to far exceed the wishes of the Natalians, as expressed in
+the passage just quoted, and to tell them that Her Majesty's Government
+is not only ready to give them responsible government, but that it
+will expect them to defend their own frontiers, independently of any
+assistance from the Imperial Government. He further informs them that
+the Imperial troops will be withdrawn, and that the only responsibility
+Her Majesty's Government will retain with reference to the colony will
+be that of its defence against aggression by foreign powers.
+
+This sudden change of face on the part of the Imperial Government, which
+had up till now flatly refused to grant _any measure_ of self-government
+to Natal, may at first seem rather odd, but on examination it will
+be found to be quite in accordance with the recently developed South
+African policy of Mr. Gladstone's Government. There is little doubt
+that it is an article of faith among the Liberal party that the less
+the mother-country has to do with her colonies, and more especially
+her South African colonies, the better. A grand step was made in
+the direction of the abandonment of our South African Empire when we
+surrendered the Transvaal to the Boers, and it is clear that if our
+troops can be withdrawn from Natal and all responsibility for the safety
+of that colony put an end to, the triumph of self-effacement will be
+still more complete. But there is another and more immediate reason
+for Lord Kimberley's generous offer. He knows, no one better, that
+the policy pursued in South Africa, both as regards the Transvaal and
+Zululand, must produce its legitimate fruit--bloodshed--before very
+long. He, or rather his Government, is consequently anxious to cut the
+connection before anything of the sort occurs, when they will be able to
+attribute the trouble, whatever it is, to the ill-advised action of the
+Colonial Legislature.
+
+What is still more strange, however, is that the colonists, having
+regard to the position they occupy with reference to the Kafirs that
+surround them, to whom they bear the same relative proportion that the
+oases do in the desert, or the islands of an archipelago to the ocean
+that washes their shores, should wish for such a dangerous boon as that
+of self-government, if indeed they really do wish it. When I lived in
+Natal, I often heard the subject discussed, and watched the Legislative
+Council pass its periodical resolutions about it, but I confess I always
+looked on the matter as being more or less of a farce. There exists,
+however, in Natal a knot of politicians who are doubtless desirous
+of the change, partly because they think that it would be really
+beneficial, and partly because they are possessed by a laudable ambition
+to fill the high positions of Prime Minister, Treasurer, &c., in the
+future Parliament. But these gentlemen for the most part live in towns,
+where they are comparatively safe should a native rising occur. I have
+not noticed the same enthusiasm for responsible government among those
+Natalians who live up country in the neighbourhood of the locations.
+
+Still there does exist a considerable party who are in favour of the
+change, a party that has recently sprung into existence. Many things
+have occurred within the last few years to irritate and even exasperate
+people in Natal with the Imperial Government, and generally with the
+treatment that they have received at our hands. For instance, colonists
+are proverbially sensitive, and it is therefore rather hard that every
+newspaper correspondent or itinerant bookmaker who comes to their
+shores, should at once proceed to print endless letters and books
+abusing them without mercy. The fact of the matter is that these
+gentlemen come, and put up at the hotels and pot-shops, where they meet
+all the loafers and bad characters in the country, whom they take to be
+specimens of the best class of colonists, whom they describe accordingly
+as the "riddlings of society." Into the quiet, respectable, and happy
+homes that really give the tone to the colony they do not enter.
+
+It is also a favourite accusation to bring against the people of Natal
+that they make the South African wars in order to make money out of
+them. For instance, in a leading article of one of the principal English
+journals, it was stated not long ago, that the murmurs of the colonists
+at being forced to eat the bread of humiliation in the Transvaal
+matter, arose from no patriotic feeling, but from sorrow at the early
+termination of a war out of which they hoped to suck no small advantage.
+This statement is quite untrue.
+
+No doubt a great deal of money has been made out of the wars by a few
+colonial speculators, some of it, maybe, dishonestly; but this is not
+an unusual occurrence in a foreign war. Was no money made dishonestly
+by English speculators and contractors in the Crimean War? Cannot
+Manchester boast manufacturers ready to supply our enemies,--for cash
+payments,--with guns to shoot us with, or any other material of war?
+
+It is not to be supposed that because a few speculators made fortunes
+out of the Commissariat that the whole colony participated in the spoils
+of the various wars. On the contrary, the marjority of its inhabitants
+have suffered very largely. Not only have they run considerable personal
+risk, but since, and owing to, the Zulu and Boer wars the cost of living
+has almost, if not quite doubled, which, needless to say, has not been
+the case with their incomes. It is therefore particularly cruel that
+Natal should be gibbeted as the abode of scoundrels of the worst sort,
+men prepared to bring about bloodshed in order to profit by it. Sir
+Garnet Wolseley, however, found in this report of colonial dishonesty
+a convenient point of vantage from which to attack the colonists
+generally, and in his despatch about responsible government we may be
+sure he did not spare them. The Legislative Council thus comments on his
+remarks: "To colonists a war means the spreading among them of distress,
+alarm, and confusion, peril to life and property in outlying districts,
+the arrest of progress, and general disorganisation. . . . The Council
+regard with pain and indignation the uncalled-for and cruel stigma thus
+cast upon the colonists by Sir Garnet Wolseley."
+
+At first sight these accusations may not appear to have much to do with
+the question of whether or no the colonists should accept responsible
+government, but in reality they have, inasmuch as they create a
+feeling of soreness that inclines the Natalians to get rid of Imperial
+interference and the attendant criticism at any price.
+
+More substantial grievances against the English Government are the
+present condition of the native problem, which the colonists justly
+attribute to Imperial mismanagement, and that triumph of genius, Sir
+Garnet Wolseley's settlement in Zululand. They see these evils, which
+they know were preventable, growing more formidable day by day, and they
+imagine, or some of them do, that if they had free institutions it would
+still be in their power to stop that growth.
+
+The whole question has now been referred to the colony, which is
+to elect a fresh Legislative Assembly on the issue of responsible
+government. The struggle between "the party of progress," i.e., the
+responsible government section, and the reactionists, or those who
+are prepared to dispense with "freedom," provided they can be sure of
+safety, is being carried on keenly, and at present it is doubtful which
+side will have a majority. I do not, however, believe that the majority
+of any Council returned will consent to accept Lord Kimberley's proposal
+as it stands; to walk into a parlour in which the spider is so very
+obvious, and to deliberately undertake the guardianship of all the
+Imperial interests in South-Eastern Africa. If they do, they will, in my
+opinion, deserve all they will get.[*]
+
+     [*] Since this chapter was written the Natal constituencies
+     have, as I thought probable, declared against the acceptance
+     of Lord Kimberley's offer in its present form, by returning
+     a majority of anti-responsible Government men. It is,
+     however, probable that the new Legislative Council will try
+     to re-open negotiations on a different, or, at any rate, a
+     modified basis.
+
+The Natalians are fortunate at the present crisis in having, by dint of
+vigorous agitation against the appointment of Mr. Sendall, a gentleman
+selected by Lord Kimberley to govern them, obtained the reappointment
+of their former Governor, Sir Henry Bulwer. Sir Henry, during his
+first tenure of office, lost credit with the South African colonists
+on account of his lukewarmness with reference to the Zulu war, but the
+course of events has gone far towards justifying his views. He is one
+of the most hard-working and careful Governors that Natal has ever had,
+and, perhaps, the most judicious. Of a temperate and a cautious mind,
+he may be more safely trusted to pilot a country so surrounded with
+difficulties and dangers as Natal is, than most men, and it is to be
+hoped that the application to the questions of the day, of the strong
+common sense that he possesses in such an eminent degree, may have a
+cooling effect on the hot heads and excited imaginations of the "party
+of progress."
+
+In considering the pros and cons of the responsible government question,
+it must be steadily kept in sight that Natal is not likely to be a
+country with a peaceful future. To begin with, she has her native
+inhabitants to deal with. To-day they number, say 450,000, fifteen or
+twenty years hence they will number a million, or perhaps more. These
+men are no longer the docile overgrown children they were twenty years
+ago. The lessons of our performances in the Zulu and Boer wars, more
+especially the latter, have not been lost upon them, and they
+are beginning to think that the white man, instead of being the
+unconquerable demigod they thought him, is somewhat of a humbug.
+Pharaoh, we know, grew afraid of the Israelites; Natal, with a much
+weaker power at command than that of Pharaoh, has got to cope with a
+still more dangerous element, and one that cannot be induced to depart
+into the wilderness.
+
+And after all what does the power of Natal amount to? Let us be liberal,
+and say six thousand men, it is the outside. In the event of a native
+rising, or any other serious war, I believe that of this number, at
+least two thousand would make themselves scarce. There exists in all
+colonies a floating element of individuals who have drifted there for
+the purpose of making money, but who have no real affection for the
+(temporary) country of their adoption. Their capital is, as a rule,
+small and easily realised, and the very last thing that they would think
+of doing, would be to engage in a deadly life or death struggle, on
+behalf of a land that they only look on as a milch cow, out of which
+their object is to draw as much as possible. On the contrary, they would
+promptly seek another cow, leaving the old one to the tender mercies of
+the butcher.
+
+Their defection would leave some 4000 men to cope with the difficulty,
+whatever it was, of which number at least 1000 would be ineffective from
+age and various other causes, whilst of the remainder, quite 1000 would
+be obliged to remain where they were to protect women and children in
+outlying districts. This would leave a total effective force of 2000
+men, or, deducting 500 for garrison purposes, of 1500 ready to take the
+field. But it would take some time to collect, arm, and equip even this
+number, and in the meanwhile, in the case of a sudden and preconcerted
+native rising, half the inhabitants of the colony would be murdered in
+detail.
+
+But Natalians have got other dangers to fear besides those arising from
+the presence of this vast mass of barbarism in their midst. After
+a period of anarchy a new king may possess himself of the throne of
+Zululand, and it is even possible that he might, under circumstances
+that will arise hereafter, lead his armies into Natal, and create
+a difficulty with which the 1500 available white men would find it
+difficult to cope. Or the Boers of the Orange Free State and Transvaal
+may get tired of paying customs dues at Durban, and march 5000 men down
+to take possession of the port! Perhaps Natal might provide herself with
+an effective force by enrolling an army of 10,000 or 20,000 Kafirs,
+but it seems to me that the proceeding would be both uncertain and
+expensive, and, should the army take it into its head to mutiny, very
+dangerous to boot.
+
+It is a noticeable fact that those who so ardently advocate the
+acceptance of Lord Kimberley's offer, in all their speeches, addresses,
+and articles, almost entirely shirk this question of defence, which
+is, after all, the root of the matter. I have formed my estimate of the
+number of men forthcoming in time of danger, on the supposition that a
+burgher law was in force in Natal, that is, that every man remaining in
+the country should be obliged to take a part in its defence. But they
+do not even hint at a burgher law--in fact, they repudiate the idea,
+because they know that it would not be tolerated. The universal service
+system is not the Natalian's idea of happiness. They simply avoid the
+question, calling it the "defence bugbear," and assume that it will all
+be arranged in some unforeseen way.
+
+The only suggestion that I have yet seen as regards the arrangements
+for the future defence of the colony should it become independent, is
+a somewhat ominous one, namely:--that Natal should enter into a close
+alliance, offensive and defensive, with the Transvaal and the Orange
+Free State. But, as the advocates of "freedom" would soon find, the
+Orange Free State (for even if willing to help them, the Transvaal will
+for some years have enough to do with its own affairs) will not come
+forward for nothing. There would first have to be a few business
+formalities with reference to the customs dues collected in Durban, on
+goods passing through to the interior, which yield the bulk of the
+Natal revenue: and possibly, some concessions to Boer public opinion as
+regards the English mode of dealing with the Natal natives. I incline
+to the opinion that in relying on the assistance of the Boers in time of
+trouble the inhabitants of Natal would be leaning on a broken reed. They
+are more likely to find them in arms against them than fighting on their
+side.
+
+The party of progress also talks much about the prospects of
+confederation with the Cape, if once they get responsible government.
+Most people, however, will think that the fact of their being
+independent, and therefore responsible for their own defence, will
+hardly prove an inducement to the Cape to offer to share those
+responsibilities. The only confederation possible to Natal as a
+self-governing community will be a Boer confederation, to which it
+may be admitted--on certain terms. Another cry is that the moment
+responsible government is established immigrants will flow into the
+country, and thus restore the balance of races. I take the liberty to
+doubt the truth of this supposition. The intending emigrant from Europe
+does not, it is true, understand the ins and outs of the Natal native
+question, but he does now that it is a place where there are wars and
+rumours of wars, and where he might possibly be killed, and the result
+is that he wisely goes to some other colony, that has equal advantages
+to offer and no Kafirs. To suppose that the emigrant would go to Natal
+when he came to understand that it was an independent settlement of a
+few white men, living in the midst of a mass of warlike Kafirs, when
+Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and the United States, are all holding
+out their arms to him, is to suppose him a bigger fool than he is.
+At the best of times Natal is not likely to attract many desirable
+emigrants: under a responsible government I do not believe that it will
+attract any.
+
+It seems to me, that there is only one condition of affairs under
+which it would be at all possible for the Natalians to assume the
+responsibilities of self-government with any safety, and that is when
+the great bulk of the native population has been removed back to whence
+it came--Zululand. Causes of a diametrically opposite nature to
+those that have been at work among the natives of Natal, have been in
+operation amongst their brethren in Zululand. In Natal, peace, polygamy,
+plenty and immigration have bred up an enormous native population. In
+Zululand, war, private slaughter by the king's order, and the severe
+restrictions put upon marriage, have kept down the increase of the race;
+also an enormous number of individuals have fled from the one country
+into the other. I do not suppose that the population of Zululand
+amounts, at the present moment, to much more than half that of Natal.
+
+In this state of affairs lies the only real key to the Natal native
+difficulty. Let Zululand be converted into a black colony under
+English control, and its present inhabitants be established in suitable
+locations; then let all the natives of Natal, with the exception of
+those who choose to become monogamists and be subject to civilised law,
+be moved into Zululand, and also established in locations. There would
+be plenty of room for them all. Of course there would be difficulties in
+the way of the realisation of this scheme, but I do not think that they
+would prove insuperable. It is probable, however, that it would require
+a show of force before the Natal natives would consent to budge. Indeed,
+it is absurd to suppose, that anything would induce them to leave
+peaceful Natal, and plunge into the seething cauldron of bloodshed,
+extortion, and political plots that we have cooked up in Zululand under
+the name of a settlement. Proper provisions must first be made for
+the government of the country, and security to life and property made
+certain. Till this is done, no natives in their senses will return to
+Zululand.
+
+Till this is done, too, or till some other plan is discovered by means
+of which the native difficulty can be effectively dealt with, the
+Natalians will indeed be foolish if they discard the protection of
+England, and accept the fatal boon of self-government. If they do, their
+future career may be brilliant; but I believe that it will be brief.
+
+It is no answer to urge that at present the natives seem quite quiet,
+and that there is no indication of disturbance.
+
+History tells us that before the destruction of doomed Pompeii,
+Vesuvius was very still; only day by day the dark cloud hanging over
+the mountain's summit grew denser and blacker. We know what happened to
+Pompeii.
+
+I do not wish to suggest anything unpleasant, far from it; but
+sometimes, I cannot help thinking, that it is perhaps a matter worth the
+consideration of the Natalians, whether it might not be as well, instead
+of talking about responsible government: to improve upon the example of
+the inhabitants of Pompeii, and take to their ships _before_ the volcano
+begins to work.
+
+It seems to me that there is an ugly cloud gathering on the political
+horizon in Natal.
+
+
+
+
+THE TRANSVAAL
+
+
+
+CHAPTER I
+
+ITS INHABITANTS, LAWS, AND CUSTOMS
+
+_Invasion by Mosilikatze--Arrival of the emigrant Boers--Establishment
+of the South African republic--The Sand River convention--Growth of
+the territory of the republic--The native tribes surrounding
+it--Capabilities of the country--Its climate--Its inhabitants--The
+Boers--Their peculiarities and mode of life--Their abhorrence of
+settled government and payment of taxes--The Dutch patriotic party--Form
+of government previous to the annexation--Courts of law--The commando
+system--Revenue arrangements--Native races in the Transvaal._
+
+The Transvaal is a country without a history. Its very existence
+was hardly known of until about fifty years ago. Of its past we know
+nothing. The generations who peopled its great plains have passed
+utterly out of the memory and even the traditions of man, leaving no
+monument to mark that they have existed, not even a tomb.
+
+During the reign of Chaka, 1813-1828, whose history has been sketched
+in a previous chapter, one of his most famous generals, Mosilikatze,
+surnamed the Lion, seceded from him with a large number of his soldiers,
+and striking up in a north-westerly direction, settled in or about what
+is now the Morico district of the Transvaal. The country through which
+Mosilikatze passed was at that time thickly populated with natives
+of the Basutu or Macatee race, whom the Zulus look upon with great
+contempt. Mosilikatze expressed the feelings of his tribe in a practical
+manner, by massacring every living soul of them that came within his
+reach. That the numbers slaughtered were very great, the numerous ruins
+of Basutu kraals all over the country testify.
+
+It was Chaka's intention to follow up Mosilikatze and destroy him,
+but he was himself assassinated before he could do so. Dingaan, his
+successor, however, carried out his brother's design, and despatched
+a large force to punish him. This army, after marching over 300 miles,
+burst upon Mosilikatze, drove him back with slaughter, and returned
+home triumphant. The invasion is important, because the Zulus claim the
+greater part of the Transvaal territory by virtue of it.
+
+About the time that Mosilikatze was conquered, 1835-1840, the
+discontented Boers were leaving the Cape Colony exasperated at the
+emancipation of the slaves by the Imperial authorities. First they made
+their way to Natal, but being followed thither by the English flag they
+travelled further inland over the Vaal River and founded the town
+of Mooi River Dorp or Potchefstroom. Here they were joined by other
+malcontents from the Orange Sovereignty, which, although afterwards
+abandoned, was at that time a British possession. Acting upon
+
+     The good old rule, the simple plan
+     Of let him take who has the power,
+     And let him keep who can,
+
+the Boers now proceeded to possess themselves of as much territory as
+they wanted. Nor was this a difficult task. The country was, as I have
+said, peopled by Macatees, who are a poor-spirited race as compared to
+the Zulus, and had had what little courage they possessed crushed out of
+them by the rough handling they had received at the hands of Mosilikatze
+and Dingaan. The Boers, they argued, could not treat them worse than the
+Zulus had done. Occasionally a Chief, bolder than the rest, would hold
+out, and then such an example was made of him and his people that few
+cared to follow in his footsteps.
+
+As soon as the Boers were fairly settled in their new home, they began
+to think about setting up a Government. First they tried a system of
+Commandants, with a Commandant-general, but this does not seem to have
+answered. Next, those of their number who lived in Lydenburg district
+(where the gold fields now are) set up a Republic, with a President and
+Volksraad, or popular assembly. This example was followed by the other
+white inhabitants of the country, who formed another Republic and
+elected another President, with Pretoria for their capital. The two
+republics were subsequently incorporated.
+
+In 1852 the Imperial authorities, having regard to the expense of
+maintaining an effective government over an unwilling people in an
+undeveloped and half-conquered country, concluded a convention with the
+emigrant Boers "beyond the Vaal River." The following were the principal
+stipulations of this convention, drawn up between Major Hogg and
+Mr. Owen, Her Majesty's Assistant-Commissioners for the settling and
+adjusting of the affairs of the eastern and north-eastern boundaries of
+the Colony of the Cape of Good Hope on the one part, and a deputation
+representative of the emigrant farmers north of the Vaal River on the
+other. It was guaranteed "in the fullest manner on the part of the
+British Government to the emigrant farmers beyond the Vaal River the
+right to manage their own affairs, and to govern themselves according
+to their own laws, without any interference on the part of the
+British Government, and that no encroachment shall be made by the said
+Government on the territory beyond to the north of the Vaal River, with
+the further assurance that the warmest wish of the British Government is
+to promote peace, free trade, and friendly intercourse with the emigrant
+farmers now inhabiting, or who hereafter may inhabit that country, it
+being understood that this system of non-interference is binding on both
+parties."
+
+Next were disclaimed, on behalf of the British Government, "all
+alliances whatever and with whomsoever of the coloured nations to the
+north of the Vaal River."
+
+It was also agreed "that no slavery is or shall be permitted or
+practised in the country to the north of the Vaal River by the emigrant
+farmers."
+
+It was further agreed "that no objection shall be made by any British
+authority against the emigrant Boers purchasing their supplies of
+ammunition in any of the British colonies and possessions of South
+Africa; it being mutually understood that all trade in ammunition with
+the native tribes is prohibited both by the British Government and the
+emigrant farmers on both sides of the Vaal River."
+
+These were the terms of this famous convention, which is as slipshod in
+its diction as it is vague in its meaning. What, for instance, is meant
+by the territory to the north of the Vaal River? According to the letter
+of the agreement, Messrs. Hogg and Owen ceded all the territory between
+the Vaal and Egypt. This historical document was the Charta of the
+new-born South African Republic. Under its provisions, the Boers, now
+safe from interference on the part of the British, established their own
+Government and promulgated their "Grond Wet," or Constitution.
+
+The history of the Republic between 1852 and 1876 is not very
+interesting, and is besides too wearisome to enter into here. It
+consists of an oft-told tale of civil broils, attacks on native tribes,
+and encroachment on native territories. Until shortly before the
+Annexation, every burgher was, on coming of age, entitled to receive
+from the Government 6000 acres of land. As these rights were in the
+early days of the Republic frequently sold to speculators for such
+trifles as a bottle of brandy or half a dozen of beer, and as the seller
+still required his 6000 acres: for a Boer considers it beneath his
+dignity to settle on less, it is obvious that it required a very large
+country to satisfy all demands. To meet these demands, the territories
+of the Republic had to be stretched like an elastic band, and they were
+stretched accordingly,--at the expense of the natives. The stretching
+process was an ingenious one, and is very well described in a minute
+written by Mr. Osborn, the late Magistrate at Newcastle, dated 22d
+September, 1876, in these words:--
+
+"The Boers, as they have done in other cases and are still doing,
+encroached by degrees on native territory, commencing by obtaining
+permission to graze stock upon portions of it at certain seasons of the
+year, followed by individual graziers obtaining from native headmen
+a sort of right or license to squat upon certain defined portions,
+ostensibly in order to keep other Boer squatters away from the same
+land. These licenses, temporarily intended as friendly or neighbourly
+acts by unauthorised headmen, after a few seasons of occupation by
+the Boer, are construed by him as title, and his permanent occupation
+ensues. Damage for trespass is levied by him from the very man from whom
+he obtained the right to squat, to which the natives submit out of fear
+of the matter reaching the ears of the paramount chief, who would in all
+probability severely punish them for opening the door to encroachment
+by the Boer. After a while, however, the matter comes to a crisis in
+consequence of the incessant disputes between the Boers and the natives;
+one or other of the disputants lays the case before the paramount chief,
+who, when hearing both parties, is literally frightened with violence
+and threats by the Boer into granting him the land. Upon this the usual
+plan followed by the Boer is at once to collect a few neighbouring
+Boers, including a field cornet, or even an acting provisional field
+cornet, appointed by the field cornet or provisional cornet, the latter
+to represent the Government, although without instructions authorising
+him to act in the matter. A few cattle are collected among themselves,
+which the party takes to the chief, and his signature is obtained to a
+written document alienating to the Republican Boers a large slice of all
+his territory. The contents of this document are, as far as I can make
+out, never clearly or intelligibly explained to the chief who signs and
+accepts of the cattle under the impression that it is all in settlement
+of hire for the grazing licenses granted by his headmen. This, I have no
+hesitation in saying, is the usual method by which the Boers obtain
+what they call cessions to them of territories by native chiefs. In
+Secocoeni's case they allege that his father Sequati cedes to them the
+whole of his territory (hundreds of square miles) for a hundred head of
+cattle."
+
+So rapidly did this progress go on that the little Republic to the
+"North of the Vaal River," had at the time of the Annexation grown into
+a country of the size of France. Its boundaries had only been clearly
+defined where they abutted on neighbouring White Communities, or on
+the territories of great native powers, on which the Government had not
+dared to infringe to any marked degree, such as those of Lo Bengula's
+people in the north. But wheresoever on the State's borders there had
+been no white Power to limit its advances, or where the native tribes
+had found themselves too isolated or too weak to resist aggressions,
+there the Republic had by degrees encroached and extended the shadow, if
+not the substance, of its authority.
+
+The Transvaal has a boundary line of over 1,600 miles in circumference,
+and of this a large portion is disputed by different native tribes.
+Speaking generally, the territory lies between the 22 and 28 degrees of
+South Latitude and the 25 and 32 degrees of East Longitude, or between
+the Orange Free State, Natal and Griqualand West on the south, and the
+Limpopo River on the north; and between the Lebombo mountains on the
+east, and the Kalihari desert on the west. On the north of its territory
+live three great tribes, the Makalaka, the Matabele (descendants of
+the Zulus who deserted Chaka under Mosilikatze) and the Matyana. These
+tribes are all warlike. On the west, following the line down to the
+Diamond Field territory, are the Sicheli, the Bangoaketsi, the Baralong
+and the Koranna tribes. Passing round by Griqualand West, the Free
+State, and Natal, we reach Zululand on the south-east corner; then
+come the Lebombo mountains on the east, separating the Transvaal from
+Amatonga land, and from the so-called Portuguese possessions, which
+are entirely in the hands of native tribes, most of them subject to the
+great Zulu chief, Umzeila, who has his stronghold in the north-east.
+
+It will be observed that the country is almost surrounded by native
+tribes. Besides these there are about one million native inhabitants
+living within its borders. In one district alone, Zoutpansberg, it
+is computed that there are 364,250 natives, as compared to about 750
+whites.
+
+If a beautiful and fertile country were alone necessary to make a state
+and its inhabitants happy and prosperous, happiness and prosperity would
+rain upon the Transvaal and the Dutch Boers. The capabilities of this
+favoured land are vast and various. Within its borders are to be found
+highlands and lowlands, vast stretches of rolling veldt like gigantic
+sheep downs, hundreds of miles of swelling bushland, huge tracts of
+mountainous country, and even little glades spotted with timber that
+remind one of an English park. There is every possible variety of soil
+and scenery. Some districts will grow all tropical produce, whilst
+others are well suited for breeding sheep, cattle and horses. Most
+of the districts will produce wheat and all other cereals in greater
+perfection and abundance than any of the other South African colonies.
+Two crops of cereals may be obtained from the soil every year, and
+both the vine and tobacco are cultivated with great success. Coffee,
+sugar-cane and cotton have been grown with profit in the northern parts
+of the State. Also the undeveloped mineral wealth of the country is very
+great. Its known minerals are gold, copper, lead, cobalt, iron, coal,
+tin and plumbago: copper and iron having long been worked by the
+natives. Altogether there is little doubt that the Transvaal is the
+richest of all the South African states, and had it remained under
+English rule it would, with the aid of English enterprise and capital,
+have become a very wealthy and prosperous country. However there is
+little chance of that now.
+
+Perhaps the greatest charm of the Transvaal lies in its climate, which
+is among the best in the world, and in all the southern districts very
+healthy. During the winter months, that is from April to October, little
+or no rain falls, and the climate is cold and bracing. In summer it is
+rather warm, but not overpoweringly hot, the thermometer at Pretoria
+averaging from 65 to 73 degrees, and in the winter from 59 to 56
+degrees. The population of the Transvaal is estimated at about 40,000
+whites, mostly of Dutch origin, consisting of about thirty vast
+families: and one million natives. There are several towns, the largest
+of which are Pretoria and Potchefstroom.
+
+Such is the country that we annexed in 1877, and were drummed out of
+in 1881. Now let us turn to its inhabitants. It has been the fashion to
+talk of the Transvaal as though nobody but Boers lived in it. In reality
+the inhabitants were divided into three classes: 1. Natives; 2. Boers;
+3. English. I say were divided, because the English class can now hardly
+be said to exist, the country having been made too hot to hold it, since
+the war. The natives stand in the proportion of nearly twenty to one
+to the whites. The Boers were in their turn much more numerous than the
+English, but the latter owned nearly all the trading establishments in
+the country, and also a very large amount of property.
+
+The Transvaal Boers have been very much praised up by members of the
+Government in England, and others who are anxious to advance their
+interests, as against English interests. Mr. Gladstone, indeed, can
+hardly find words strong enough to express his admiration of their
+leaders, those "able men," since they inflicted a national humiliation
+on us; and doubtless they are a people with many good points. That they
+are not devoid of sagacity can be seen by the way they have dealt with
+the English Government.
+
+The Boers are certainly a peculiar people, though they can hardly be
+said to be "zealous of good works." They are very religious, but their
+religion takes it colour from the darkest portions of the Old Testament;
+lessons of mercy and gentleness are not at all to their liking, and they
+seldom care to read the Gospels. What they delight in are the stories of
+wholesale butchery by the Israelites of old; and in their own position
+they find a reproduction of that of the first settlers in the Holy Land.
+Like them they think they are entrusted by the Almighty with the task
+of exterminating the heathen native tribes around them, and are always
+ready with a scriptural precedent for slaughter and robbery. The name of
+the Divinity is continually on their lips, sometimes in connection with
+very doubtful statements. They are divided into three sects, none of
+which care much for the other two. These are the Doppers, who number
+about half the population, the Orthodox Reform, and the Liberal Reform,
+which is the least numerous. Of these three sects, the Doppers are
+by far the most uncompromising and difficult to deal with. They much
+resemble the puritans of Charles the First's time, of the extreme
+Hew-Agag-in-pieces stamp.
+
+It is difficult to agree with those who call the Boers cowards, an
+accusation which the whole of their history belies. A Boer does not like
+fighting if he can avoid it, because he sets a high value on his own
+life; but if he is cornered, he will fight as well as anybody else. The
+Boers fought well enough, in the late war, though that, it is true, is
+no great criterion of courage, since they were throughout flushed with
+victory, and, owing to the poor shooting of the British troop, in but
+little personal danger. One very unpleasant characteristic they have,
+and that is an absence of regard for the truth, especially where land
+is concerned. Indeed the national characteristic is crystallised into
+a proverb, "I am no slave to my word." It has several times happened to
+me, to see one set of highly respectable witnesses in a land case, go
+into the box and swear distinctly that they saw a beacon placed on a
+certain spot, whilst an equal number on the other side will swear that
+they saw it placed a mile away. Filled as they are with a land hunger,
+to which that of the Irish peasant is a weak and colourless sentiment,
+there is little that they will not do to gratify their taste. It is
+the subject of constant litigation amongst them, and it is by no means
+uncommon for a Boer to spend several thousand pounds in lawsuits over a
+piece of land not worth as many hundreds.
+
+Personally Boers are fine men, but as a rule ugly. Their women-folk are
+good-looking in early life, but get very stout as they grow older. They,
+in common with most of their sex, understand how to use their tongues;
+indeed, it is said, that it was the women who caused the rising against
+the English Government. None of the refinements of civilisation enter
+into the life of an ordinary Boer. He lives in a way that would shock an
+English labourer at twenty-five shillings the week, although he is very
+probably worthy fifteen or twenty thousand pounds. His home is but too
+frequently squalid and filthy to an extraordinary degree. He himself has
+no education, and does not care that his children should receive any.
+He lives by himself in the middle of a great plot of land, his nearest
+neighbour being perhaps ten or twelve miles away, caring but little for
+the news of the outside world, and nothing for its opinions, doing very
+little work, but growing daily richer through the increase of his flocks
+and herds. His expenses are almost nothing, and as he gets older, wealth
+increases upon him. The events in his life consist of an occasional
+trip on "commando," against some native tribe, attending a few political
+meetings, and the journeys he makes with his family to the nearest
+town, some four times a year, in order to be present at "Nachtmaal"
+or communion. Foreigners, especially Englishmen, he detests, but he is
+kindly and hospitable to his own people. Living isolated as he does,
+the lord of a little kingdom, he naturally comes to have a great idea of
+himself, and a corresponding contempt for all the rest of mankind. Laws
+and taxes are things distasteful to him, and he looks upon it as an
+impertinence that any court should venture to call him to account for
+his doings. He is rich and prosperous, and the cares of poverty, and all
+the other troubles that fall to the lot of civilised men, do not affect
+him. He has no romance in him, nor any of the higher feelings and
+aspirations that are found in almost every other race; in short,
+unlike the Zulu he despises, there is little of the gentleman in his
+composition, though he is at times capable of acts of kindness and even
+generosity. His happiness is to live alone in the great wilderness, with
+his children, his men-servants and his maid-servants, his flocks and his
+herds, the monarch of all he surveys. If civilisation presses him too
+closely, his remedy is a simple one. He sells his farm, packs up his
+goods and cash in his waggon, and starts for regions more congenially
+wild. Such are some of the leading characteristics of that remarkable
+product of South Africa, the Transvaal Boer, who resembles no other
+white man in the world.
+
+Perhaps, however, the most striking of all his oddities is his
+abhorrence of all government, more especially if that government be
+carried out according to English principles. The Boers have always been
+more or less in rebellion; they rebelled against the rule of the Company
+when the Cape belonged to Holland, they rebelled against the English
+Government in the Cape, they were always in a state of semi-rebellion
+against their own government in the Transvaal, and now they have for
+the second time, with the most complete success, rebelled against the
+English Government. The fact of the matter is that the bulk of their
+number hate all Governments, because Governments enforce law and order,
+and they hate the English Government worst of all, because it enforces
+law and order most of all. It is not liberty they long for, but
+license. The "sturdy independence" of the Boer resolves itself into a
+determination not to have his affairs interfered with by any superior
+power whatsoever, and not to pay taxes if he can possibly avoid it.
+But he has also a specific cause of complaint against the English
+Government, which would alone cause him to do his utmost to get rid of
+it, and that is its mode of dealing with natives, which is radically
+opposite to his own. This is the secret of Boer patriotism. To
+understand it, it must be remembered that the Englishman and the Boer
+look at natives from a different point of view. The Englishman, though
+he may not be very fond of him, at any rate regards the Kafir as a
+fellow human being with feelings like his own. The average Boer does
+not. He looks upon the "black creature" as having been delivered into
+his hand by the "Lord" for his own purposes, that is, to shoot and
+enslave. He must not be blamed too harshly for this, for, besides
+being naturally of a somewhat hard disposition, hatred of the native
+is hereditary, and is partly induced by the history of many a bloody
+struggle. Also the native hates the Boer fully as much as the Boer hates
+the native, though with better reason. Now native labour is a necessity
+to the Boer, because he will not as a rule do hard manual labour
+himself, and there must be some one to plant and garner the crops, and
+herd the cattle. On the other hand, the natives are not anxious to serve
+the Boers, which means little or no pay and plenty of thick stick, and
+sometimes worse. The result of this state of affairs is that the Boer
+often has to rely on forced labour to a very great extent. But this is a
+thing that an English Government will not tolerate, and the consequence
+is that under its rule he cannot get the labour that is necessary to
+him.
+
+Then there is the tax question. If he lives under the English flag the
+money has to be paid regularly, but under his own Government he pays or
+not as he likes. It was this habit of his of refusing payment of taxes
+that brought the Republic into difficulties in 1877, and that will ere
+long bring it into trouble again. He cannot understand that cash is
+necessary to carry on a Government, and looks upon a tax as though it
+were so much money stolen from him. These things are the real springs of
+the "sturdy independence" and the patriotism of the ordinary Transvaal
+farmer. Doubtless, there are some who are really patriotic; for
+instance, one of their leaders, Paul Kruger. But with the majority,
+patriotism is only another word for unbounded license and forced labour.
+
+These remarks must not be taken to apply to the Cape Boers, who are a
+superior class of men, since they, living under a settled and civilised
+Government, have been steadily improving, whilst their cousins,
+living every man for his own hand, have been deteriorating. The old
+Voortrekkers, the fathers and grandfathers of the Transvaal Boer of
+to-day, were, without doubt, a very fine set of men, and occasionally
+you may in the Transvaal meet individuals of the same stamp whom it is a
+pleasure to know. But these are generally men of a certain age with some
+experience of the world; the younger men are very objectionable in their
+manners.
+
+The real Dutch Patriotic party is not to be found in the Transvaal, but
+in the Cape Colony. Their object, which, as affairs now are, is well
+within the bounds of possibility, is by fair means or foul to swamp
+the English element in South Africa, and to establish a great Dutch
+Republic. It was this party, which consists of clever and well educated
+men, who raised the outcry against the Transvaal Annexation, because it
+meant an enormous extension of English influence, and who had the wit,
+by means of their emissaries and newspapers, to work upon the feeling of
+the ignorant Transvaal farmers until they persuaded them to rebel; and
+finally, to avail themselves of the yearnings of English radicalism for
+the disruption of the Empire and the minimisation of British authority,
+to get the Annexation cancelled. All through this business the Boers
+have more or less danced in obedience to strings pulled at Cape Town,
+and it is now said that one of the chief wire-pullers, Mr. Hofmeyer, is
+to be asked to become President of the Republic. These men are the real
+patriots of South Africa, and very clever ones too, not the Transvaal
+Boers, who vapour about their blood and their country and the accursed
+Englishman to order, and are in reality influenced by very small
+motives, such as the desire to avoid payment of taxes, or to hunt away
+a neighbouring Englishman, whose civilisation and refinement are as
+offensive as his farm is desirable. Such are the Dutch inhabitants of
+the Transvaal. I will now give a short sketch of their institutions as
+they were before the Annexation, and to which the community has reverted
+since its recision, with, I believe, but few alterations.
+
+The form of government is republican, and to all intents and purposes,
+manhood suffrage prevails, supreme power resting in the people. The
+executive power of the State centres in a President elected by the
+people to hold office for a term of five years, every voter having a
+voice in his election. He is assisted in the execution of his duties by
+an Executive Council, consisting of the State Secretary and such other
+three members as are selected for that purpose by the legislative body,
+the Volksraad. The State Secretary holds office for four years, and is
+elected by the Volksraad. The members of the Executive all have seats in
+the Volksraad, but have no votes. The Volksraad is the legislative body
+of the State, and consists of forty-two members. The country is divided
+into twelve electoral districts, each of which has the right to return
+three members; the Gold Fields have also the right of electing two
+members, and the four principal towns, one member each. There is
+no power in the State competent to either prorogue or dissolve the
+Volksraad except that body itself, so that an appeal to the country on
+a given subject or policy is impossible without its concurrence. Members
+are elected for four years, but half retire by rotation every two years,
+the vacancies being filled by re-elections. Members must have been
+voters for three years, and be not less than thirty years of age, must
+belong to a Protestant Church, be resident in the country, and owners
+of immovable property therein. A father and son cannot sit in the same
+Raad, neither can seats be occupied by coloured persons, bastards, or
+officials.
+
+For each electoral district there is a magistrate or Landdrost whose
+duties are similar to those of a Civil Commissioner. These districts are
+again subdivided into wards presided over by field cornets, who exercise
+judicial powers in minor matters, and in times of war have considerable
+authority. The Roman Dutch law is the common law of the country, as it
+is of the colonies of the Cape of Good Hope and Natal, and of the Orange
+Free State.
+
+Prior to the Annexation justice was administered in a very primitive
+fashion. First, there was the Landdrosts' Court, from which an appeal
+lay to a court consisting of the Landdrost and six councillors elected
+by the public. This was a court of first instance as well as a court of
+appeal. Then there was a Supreme Court, consisting of three Landdrosts
+from three different districts, and a jury of twelve selected from the
+burghers of the State. There was no appeal from this court, but cases
+have sometimes been brought under the consideration of the Volksraad
+as the supreme power. It is easy to imagine what the administration
+of justice was like when the presidents of all the law courts in the
+country were elected by the mob, not on account of their knowledge of
+the law, but because they were popular. Suitors before the old Transvaal
+courts found the law surprisingly uncertain. A High Court of Justice
+was, however, established after the Annexation, and has been continued
+by the Volksraad, but an agitation is being got up against it, and it
+will possibly be abolished in favour of the old system.
+
+In such a community as that of the Transvaal Boers, the question of
+public defence was evidently of the first importance. This is provided
+for under what is known as the Commando system. The President, with the
+concurrence of the Executive Council, has the right of declaring war,
+and of calling up a Commando, in which the burghers are placed under
+the field cornets and commandants. These last are chosen by the field
+cornets for each district, and a Commandant-general is chosen by the
+whole laager or force, but the President is the Commander-in-Chief of
+the army. All the inhabitants of the state between sixteen and sixty,
+with a few exceptions, are liable for service. Young men under
+eighteen, and men over fifty, are only called out under circumstances
+of emergency. Members of the Volksraad, officials, clergymen, and
+school-teachers are exempt from personal service, unless martial law
+is proclaimed, but must contribute an amount not exceeding 15 pounds
+towards the expense of the war. All legal proceedings in civil cases are
+suspended against persons on commando, no summonses can be made out,
+and as soon as martial law is proclaimed no legal execution can be
+prosecuted, the pounds are closed, and transfer dues payments are
+suspended, until after thirty days from the recall of the proclamation
+of martial law. Owners of land residing beyond the borders of the
+Republic are also liable, in addition to the ordinary war tax, to
+place a fit and proper substitute at the disposal of the Government, or
+otherwise to pay a fine of 15 pounds. The first levy of the burghers
+is, of men from eighteen to thirty-four years of age; the second,
+thirty-four to fifty; and the third, from sixteen to eighteen, and
+from fifty to sixty years. Every man is bound to provide himself with
+clothing, a gun, and ammunition, and there must be enough waggons and
+oxen found between them to suffice for their joint use. Of the booty
+taken, one quarter goes to Government and the rest to the burghers. The
+most disagreeable part of the commandeering system is, however, yet to
+come; personal service is not all that the resident in the Transvaal
+Republic has to endure. The right is vested in field cornets to
+commandeer articles as well as individuals, and to call upon inhabitants
+to furnish requisites for the commando. As may be imagined, it goes very
+hard on these occasions with the property of any individual whom the
+field cornet may not happen to like.
+
+Each ward is expected to turn out its contingent ready and equipped
+for war, and this can only be done by seizing goods right and left. One
+unfortunate will have to find a waggon, another to deliver his favourite
+span of trek oxen, another his riding-horse, or some slaughter cattle,
+and so on. Even when the officer making the levy is desirous of doing
+his duty as fairly as he can, it is obvious that very great hardships
+must be inflicted under such a system. Requisitions are made more with
+regard to what is wanted, than with a view to an equitable distribution
+of demands; and like the Jews in the time of the Crusades, he who
+has got most must pay most, or take the consequences, which may be
+unpleasant. Articles which are not perishable, such as waggons, are
+supposed to be returned, but if they come back at all they are generally
+worthless.
+
+In case of war, the native tribes living within the borders of the State
+are also expected to furnish contingents, and it is on them that most of
+the hard work of the campaign generally falls. They are put in the front
+of the battle, and have to do the hand-to-hand fighting, which, however,
+if of the Zulu race, they do not object to.
+
+The revenue of the State is so arranged that the burden of it should
+fall as much as possible on the trading community and as little as
+possible on the farmer. It is chiefly derived from licenses on trades,
+professions, and callings, 30s. per annum quit-rent on farms, transfer
+dues and stamps, auction dues, court fees, and contributions from such
+native tribes as can be made to pay them. Since we have given up the
+country, the Volksraad has put a very heavy tax on all imported goods,
+hoping thereby to beguile the Boers into paying taxes without knowing
+it, and at the same time strike a blow at the trading community, which
+is English in its proclivities. The result has been to paralyse
+what little trade there was left in the country, and to cause great
+dissatisfaction amongst the farmers, who cannot understand why, now that
+the English are gone, they should have to pay twice as much for their
+sugar and coffee as they have been accustomed to do.
+
+
+I will conclude this chapter with a few words about the natives, who
+swarm in and around the Transvaal. They can be roughly divided into two
+great races, the Amazulu and their offshoots, and the Macatee or Basutu
+tribes. All those of Zulu blood, including the Swazies, Mapock's Kafirs,
+the Matabele, the Knobnodes, and others are very warlike in disposition,
+and men of fine physique. The Basutus (who must not be confounded with
+the Cape Basutus), however, differ from these tribes in every respect,
+including their language, which is called Sisutu, the only mutual
+feeling between the two races being their common detestation of the
+Boers. They do not love war; in fact, they are timid and cowardly by
+nature, and only fight when they are obliged to. Unlike the Zulus, they
+are much addicted to the arts of peace, show considerable capacities
+for civilisation, and are even willing to become Christians. There would
+have been a far better field for the Missionary in the Transvaal than in
+Zululand and Natal. Indeed, the most successful mission station I have
+seen in Africa is near Middelburg, under the control of Mr. Merensky.
+In person the Basutus are thin and weakly when compared to the stalwart
+Zulu, and it is their consciousness of inferiority both to the white
+men, and their black brethren, that, together with their natural
+timidity, makes them submit as easily as they do to the yoke of the
+Boer.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER II
+
+EVENTS PRECEDING THE ANNEXATION
+
+_Mr. Burgers elected president--His character and aspirations--His
+pension from the English Government--His visit to England--The railway
+loan--Relations of the republic with native tribes--The pass laws--Its
+quarrel with Cetywayo--Confiscation of native territory by the Keate
+award--Treaty with the Swazi king--The Secocoeni war--Capture of
+Johannes' stronghold by the Swazi allies--Attack on Secocoeni's
+mountain--Defeat and dispersion of the Boers--Elation of the
+natives--Von Schlickmann's volunteers--Cruelties perpetrated--Abel
+Erasmus--Treatment of natives by Boers--Public meeting at Potchefstroom
+in 1768--The slavery question--Some evidence on the subject--Pecuniary
+position of the Transvaal prior to the annexation--Internal
+troubles--Divisions amongst the Boers--Hopeless condition of the
+country._
+
+In or about the year 1872, the burghers of the Republic elected Mr.
+Burgers their President. This remarkable man was a native of the Cape
+Colony, and passed the first sixteen or seventeen years of his life,
+he once informed me, on a farm herding sheep. He afterwards became
+a clergyman noted for the eloquence of his preaching, but his ideas
+proving too broad for his congregation, he resigned his cure, and in an
+evil moment for himself took to politics.
+
+President Burgers was a man of striking presence and striking talents,
+especially as regards his oratory, which was really of a very high
+class, and would have commanded attention in our own House of Commons.
+He possessed, however, a mind of that peculiarly volatile order, that is
+sometimes met with in conjunction with great talents, and which seems to
+be entirely without ballast. His intellect was of a balloon-like nature,
+and as incapable of being steered. He was always soaring in the clouds,
+and, as is natural to one in that elevated position, taking a very
+different and more sanguine view of affairs to that which men of a more
+lowly, and perhaps a more practical, turn of mind would do.
+
+But notwithstanding his fly-away ideas, President Burgers was
+undoubtedly a true patriot, labouring night and day for the welfare of
+the state of which he had to undertake the guidance: but his patriotism
+was too exalted for his surroundings. He wished to elevate to the rank
+of a nation a people who had not got the desire to be elevated; with
+this view he contracted railway loans, made wars, minted gold, &c., and
+then suddenly discovered that the country refused to support him. In
+short, he was made of a very different clay to that of the people he had
+to do with. He dreamt of a great Dutch Republic "with eight millions of
+inhabitants," doing a vast trade with the interior through the Delagoa
+Bay Railway. They, on the other hand, cared nothing about republics or
+railways, but fixed their affections on forced labour and getting rid of
+the necessity of paying taxes--and so between them the Republic came
+to grief. But it must be borne in mind that President Burgers was
+throughout actuated by good motives; he did his best by a stubborn and
+stiff-necked people; and if he failed, as fail he did, it was more their
+fault than his. As regards the pension he received from the English
+Government, which has so often been brought up against him, it was
+after all no more than his due after five years of arduous work. If the
+Republic had continued to exist, it is to be presumed that they would
+have made some provision for their old President, more especially as
+he seems to have exhausted his private means in paying the debts of
+the country. Whatever may be said of some of the other officials of the
+Republic, its President was, I believe, an honest man.
+
+In 1875, Mr. Burgers proceeded to Europe, having, he says in a
+posthumous document recently published, been empowered by the Volksraad
+"to carry out my plans for the development of the country, by opening up
+a direct communication for it, free from the trammels of British ports
+and influence." According to this document, during his absence, two
+powerful parties, viz., "the faction of unprincipled fortune-hunters,
+rascals, and runaways on the one hand, and the faction of the extreme
+orthodox party in a certain branch of the Dutch Reform Church on the
+other, began to co-operate against the Government of the Republic and
+me personally. . . . . . Ill as I was, and contrary to the advice of my
+medical men, I proceeded to Europe, in the beginning of 1875, to carry
+out my project, and no sooner was my back turned on the Transvaal, than
+the conspiring elements began to act. The new coat of arms and flag
+adopted in the Raad by an almost unanimous vote were abolished. The laws
+for a free and secular education were tampered with, and my resistance
+to a reckless inspection and disposal of Government lands, still
+occupied by natives, was openly defied. The Raad, filled up to a large
+extent with men of ill repute, who, under the cloak of progress and
+favour to the Government view, obtained their seats, was too weak to
+cope with the skill of the conspirators, and granted leave to the acting
+President to carry out measures diametrically opposed to my policy.
+_Native lands_ were inspected and given out to a few speculators, who
+held large numbers of claims to lands which were destined for citizens,
+and so a war was prepared for me, on my return from Europe, which I
+could not avert." This extract is interesting, as showing the state of
+feeling existing between the President and his officers previous to the
+outbreak of the Secocoeni war. It also shows how entirely he was out of
+sympathy with the citizens, seeing that as soon as his back was turned,
+they, with Mr. Joubert and Paul Kruger at their head, at once undid all
+the little good he had done.
+
+When Mr. Burgers got to England, he found that city capitalists would
+have nothing whatever to say to his railway scheme. In Holland, however,
+he succeeded in getting 90,000 pounds of the 300,000 pounds he wished to
+borrow at a high rate of interest, and by passing a bond on five hundred
+government farms. This money was immediately invested in a railway
+plant, which, when it arrived at Delagoa Bay, had to be mortgaged to
+pay the freight on it, and that was the end of the Delagoa Bay railway
+scheme, except that the 90,000 pounds is, I believe, still owing to the
+confiding shareholders in Holland.
+
+On his return to the Transvaal the President was well received, and for
+a month or so all went smoothly. But the relations of the Republic with
+the surrounding native tribes had by this time become so bad that an
+explosion was imminent somewhere. In the year 1874 the Volksraad raised
+the price of passes under the iniquitous pass law, by which every native
+travelling through the territory was made to pay from 1 pound to five
+pounds. In case of non-payment the native was made subject to a fine of
+from 1 pound to 10 pounds, and to a beating of from "ten to twenty-five
+lashes." He was also to go into service for three months, and have a
+certificate thereof, for which he must pay five shillings; the avowed
+object of the law being to obtain a supply of Kafir labour. This was
+done in spite of the earnest protest of the President, who gave the Raad
+distinctly to understand that by accepting this law they would, in point
+of fact, annul treaties concluded with the chiefs on the south-western
+borders. It was not clear, however, if this amended pass law ever came
+into force. It is to be hoped it did not, for even under the old law
+natives were shamefully treated by the Boers, who would pretend that
+they were authorised by the Government to collect the tax; the result
+being that the unfortunate Kafir was frequently obliged to pay twice
+over. Natives had such a horror of the pass laws of the country, that
+when travelling to the Diamond Fields to work they would frequently go
+round some hundreds of miles rather than pass through the Transvaal.
+
+That the Volksraad should have thought it necessary to enact such a law
+in order that the farmers should obtain a supply of Kafir labour in a
+territory that had nearly a million of native inhabitants, who, unlike
+the Zulus, are willing to work if only they meet with decent treatment,
+is in itself an instructive commentary on the feelings existing between
+the Boer master and Kafir servant.
+
+But besides the general quarrel with the Kafir race in its entirety,
+which the Boers always have on hand, they had just then several
+individual differences, in each of which there lurked the possibilities
+of disturbance.
+
+To begin with, their relations with Cetywayo were by no means amicable.
+During Mr. Burgers' absence the Boer Government, then under the
+leadership of P. J. Joubert, sent Cetywayo a very stern message--a
+message that gives the reader the idea that Mr. Joubert was ready to
+enforce it with ten thousand men. After making various statements and
+demands with reference to the Amaswazi tribe, the disputed boundary
+line, &c., it ends thus:--
+
+"Although the Government of the South African Republic has never wished,
+and does not now desire, that serious disaffection and animosities
+should exist between you and them, yet it is not the less of the
+greatest consequence and importance for you earnestly to weigh these
+matters and risks, and to satisfy them; the more so, if you on your side
+also wish that peace and friendship shall be maintained between you and
+us."
+
+The Secretary for Native Affairs for Natal comments on this message in
+these words: "The tone of this message to Cetywayo is not very friendly,
+it has the look of an ultimatum, and if the Government of the Transvaal
+were in circumstances different to what it is, the message would
+suggest an intention to coerce if the demands it conveys are not at once
+complied with; but I am inclined to the opinion that no such intention
+exists, and that the transmission of a copy of the message to the Natal
+Government is intended as a notification that the Transvaal Government
+has proclaimed the territory hitherto in dispute between it and the
+Zulus to be Republican territory, and that the Republic intends to
+occupy it."
+
+In the territories marked out by a decision known as the Keate Award,
+in which Lieutenant-Governor Keate of Natal, at the request of both
+parties, laid down the boundary line between the Boers and certain
+native tribes, the Boer Government carried it with a yet higher
+hand, insomuch as the natives of those districts, being comparatively
+unwarlike, were less likely to resist.
+
+On the 18th August 1875, Acting President Joubert issued a proclamation
+by which a line was laid down far to the southward of that marked out by
+Mr. Keate, and consequently included more territory within the elastic
+boundaries of the Republic. A Government notice of the same date invites
+all claiming lands now declared to belong to the Republic, to send in
+their claims to be settled by a land commission.
+
+On the 6th March 1876, another chief in the same neighbourhood
+(Montsoia) writes to the Lieutenant-Governor of Griqualand West in these
+terms:--
+
+"My Friend,--I wish to acquaint you with the doings of some people
+connected with the Boers. A man-servant of mine has been severely
+injured in the head by one of the Boers' servants, which has proved
+fatal. Another of my people has been cruelly treated by a Boer tying a
+rein about his neck, and then mounting his horse and dragging him about
+the place. My brother Molema, who is the bearer of this, will give you
+full particulars."
+
+Molema explains the assaults thus: "The assaulted man is not dead; his
+skull was fractured. The assault was committed by a Boer named Wessels
+Badenhorst, who shamefully ill-treated the man, beat him till he
+fainted, and, on his revival, fastened a rim around his neck, and
+made him run to the homestead by the side of his (Badenhorst's) horse
+cantering. At the homestead he tied him to the waggon-wheel, and flogged
+him again till Mrs. Badenhorst stopped her husband."
+
+Though it will be seen that the Boers were on good terms neither with
+the Zulus nor the Keate Award natives, they still had one Kafir ally,
+namely, Umbandeni, the Amaswazi king. This alliance was concluded
+under circumstances so peculiar that they are worthy of a brief
+recapitulation. It appears that in the winter of the year 1875 Mr.
+Rudolph, the Landdrost of Utrecht, went to Swazieland, and, imitating
+the example of the Natal Government with Cetywayo, crowned Umbandeni
+king, on behalf of the Boer Government. He further made a treaty of
+alliance with him, and promised him a commando to help him in case
+of his being attacked by the Zulus. Now comes the curious part of the
+story. On the 18th May 1876, a message came from this same Umbandeni to
+Sir H. Bulwer, of which the following is an extract:--"We are sent by
+our king to thank the Government of Natal for the information sent to
+him last winter by that Government, and conveyed by Mr. Rudolph, of the
+intended attack on his people by the Zulus. We are further instructed by
+the king to thank the Natal Government for the influence it used to
+stop the intended raid, and for instructing a Boer commando to go to
+his country to render him assistance in case of need; and further
+for appointing Mr. Randolph at the head of the commando to place him
+(Umbandeni) as king over the Amaswazi, and to make a treaty with him and
+his people on behalf of the Natal Government. . . . . . The Transvaal
+Government has asked Umbandeni to acknowledge himself a subject of the
+Republic, but he has distinctly refused to do so." In a minute written
+on this subject, the Secretary for Native Affairs for Natal says, "No
+explanation or assurance was sufficient to convince them (Umbandeni's
+messengers) that they had on that occasion made themselves subjects
+of the South African Republic; they declared it was not their wish or
+intention to do so, and that they would refuse to acknowledge a position
+into which they had been unwittingly betrayed." I must conclude this
+episode by quoting the last paragraph of Sir H. Bulwer's covering
+despatch, because it concerns larger issues than the supposed treaty:
+"It will not be necessary that I should at present add any remarks to
+those contained in the minute for the Secretary for Native Affairs, but
+I would observe that the situation arising out of the relations of the
+Government of the South African Republic with the neighbouring states is
+so complicated, and presents so many elements of confusion and of danger
+to the peace of this portion of South Africa, that I trust some way
+may be found to an early settlement of questions that ought not, in my
+opinion, to be left alone, as so many have been left, to take the chance
+of the future."
+
+And now I come to the last and most imminent native difficulty that at
+the time faced the Republic. On the borders of Lydenburg district there
+lived a powerful chief named Secocoeni. Between this chief and the
+Transvaal Government difficulties arose in the beginning of 1876 on the
+usual subject--land. The Boers declared that they had bought the land
+from the Swazies, who had conquered portions of the country, and
+that the Swazies offered to make it "clean from brambles," i.e., kill
+everybody living on it; but that they (the Boers) said that they were
+to let them be, that they might be their servants. The Basutus, on the
+other hand, said that no such sale ever took place, and, even if it did
+take place, it was invalid, because the Swazies were not in occupation
+of the land, and therefore could not sell it. It was a Christian Kafir
+called Johannes, a brother of Secocoeni, who was the immediate cause
+of the war. This Johannes used to live at a place called Botsobelo,
+the mission-station of Mr. Merensky, but moved to a stronghold on the
+Spekboom river, in the disputed territory. The Boers sent to him to come
+back, but he refused, and warned the Boers off his land. Secocoeni was
+then appealed to, but declared that the land belonged to his tribe, and
+would be occupied by Johannes. He also told the Boers "that he did not
+wish to fight, but that he was quite ready to do so if they preferred
+it." Thereupon the Transvaal Government declared war, although it does
+not appear that the natives committed any outrage or acts of hostility
+before the declaration. As regards the Boers' right to Secocoeni's
+country, Sir H. Barkly sums up the question thus, in a despatch
+addressed to President Burgers, dated 28th Nov. 1876:--"On the whole, it
+seems perfectly clear, and I feel bound to repeat it, that Sikukuni
+was neither _de jure_ or _de facto_ a subject of the Republic when your
+Honour declared war against him in June last." As soon as war had been
+declared, the clumsy commando system was set working, and about
+2500 white men collected; the Swazies also were applied to to send a
+contingent, which they did, being only too glad of the opportunity of
+slaughter.
+
+At first all went well, and the President, who accompanied the commando
+in person, succeeded in reducing a mountain stronghold, which, in his
+high-flown way, he called a "glorious victory" over a "Kafir Gibraltar."
+
+On the 14th July another engagement took place, when the Boers and
+Swazies attacked Johannes' stronghold. The place was taken with
+circumstances of great barbarity by the Swazies, for when the signal
+was given to advance the Boers did not move. Nearly all the women were
+killed, and the brains of the children were dashed out against the
+stones; in one instance, before the captive mother's face. Johannes was
+badly wounded, and died two days afterwards. When he was dying he said
+to his brother, "I am going to die. I am thankful I do not die by the
+hands of these cowardly Boers, but by the hand of a black and courageous
+nation like myself . . ." He then took leave of his people, told his
+brother to read the Bible, and expired. The Swazies were so infuriated
+at the cowardice displayed by the Boers on this occasion that they
+returned home in great dudgeon.
+
+On the 2nd of August Secocoeni's mountain, which is a very strong
+fortification, was attacked in two columns, or rather an attempt was
+made to attack it, for when it came to the pinch only about forty men,
+mostly English and Germans, would advance. Thereupon the whole commando
+retreated with great haste, the greater part of it going straight home.
+In vain the President entreated them to shoot him rather than desert
+him; they had had enough of Secocoeni and his stronghold, and home they
+went. The President then retreated with what few men he had left to
+Steelport, where he built a fort, and from thence returned to Pretoria.
+The news of the collapse of the commando was received throughout the
+Transvaal, and indeed the whole of South Africa, with the greatest
+dismay. For the first time in the history of that country the white man
+had been completely worsted by a native tribe, and that tribe wretched
+Basutus, people whom the Zulus call their "dogs." It was glad tidings to
+every native from the Zambesi to the Cape, who learnt thereby that
+the white man was not so invincible as he used to be. Meanwhile the
+inhabitants of Lydenburg were filled with alarm, and again and again
+petitioned the Governors of the Cape and Natal for assistance. Their
+fears were, however, to a great extent groundless, for, with the
+exception of occasional cattle-lifting, Secocoeni did not follow up his
+victory.
+
+On the 4th September the President opened the special sitting of the
+Volksraad, and presented to that body a scheme for the establishment of
+a border force to take the place of the commando system, announcing that
+he had appointed a certain Captain Von Schlickmann to command it. He
+also requested the Raad to make some provision for the expenses of the
+expedition, which they had omitted to do in their former sitting.
+
+Captain Von Schlickmann determined to carry on the war upon a different
+system. He got together a band of very rough characters on the Diamond
+Fields, and occupied the fort built by the President, from whence he
+would sally out from time to time and destroy kraals. He seems, if
+we may believe the reports in the blue books and the stories of
+eye-witnesses, to have carried on his proceedings in a somewhat savage
+way. The following is an extract from a private letter written by one of
+his volunteers:--
+
+"About daylight we came across four Kafirs. Saw them first, and charged
+in front of them to cut off their retreat. Saw they were women, and
+called out not to fire. In spite of that, one of the poor things got her
+head blown off (a d----d shame). . . . Afterwards two women and a baby
+were brought to the camp prisoners. The same night they were taken out
+by our Kafirs and murdered in cold blood by the order of ----. Mr. ----
+and myself strongly protested against it, but without avail. I never
+heard such a cowardly piece of business in my life. No good will come
+of it, you may depend. . . . ---- says he would cut all the women and
+children's throats he catches. Told him distinctly he was a d----d
+coward."
+
+Schlickmann was, however, a mild-mannered man when compared to a certain
+Abel Erasmus, afterwards denounced at a public dinner by Sir Garnet
+Wolseley as a "fiend in human form." This gentleman, in the month of
+October, attacked a friendly kraal of Kafirs. The incident is described
+thus in a correspondent's letter:--
+
+"The people of the kraals, taken quite by surprise, fled when they saw
+their foes, and most of them took shelter in the neighbouring bush. Two
+or three men were distinctly seen in their flight from the kraal, and
+one of them is known to have been wounded. According to my informant the
+remainder were women and children, who were pursued into the bush, and
+there, all shivering and shrieking, were put to death by the Boers'
+Kafirs, some being shot, but the majority stabbed with assegais. After
+the massacre he counted thirteen women and three children, but he says
+he did not see the body of a single man. Another Kafir said, pointing to
+a place in the road where the stones were thickly strewn, 'the bodies
+of the women and children lay like these stones.' The Boer before
+mentioned, who has been stationed outside, has told one of his own
+friends, whom he thought would not mention it, that the shrieks were
+fearful to hear."
+
+Several accounts of, or allusion to, this atrocity can be found in the
+blue books, and I may add that it, in common with others of the same
+stamp, was the talk of the country at the time.
+
+I do not relate these horrors out of any wish to rake up old stories to
+the prejudice of the Boers, but because I am describing the state of
+the country before the Annexation, in which they form an interesting and
+important item. Also, it is as well that people in England should know
+into what hands they have delivered over the native tribes who trusted
+in their protection. What happened in 1876 is probably happening again
+now, and will certainly happen again and again. The character of the
+Transvaal Boer and his sentiments towards the native races have not
+modified during the last five years, but, on the contrary, a large
+amount of energy, which has been accumulating during the period of
+British protection, will now be expended on their devoted heads.
+
+As regards the truth of these atrocities, the majority of them are
+beyond the possibility of doubt; indeed, to the best of my knowledge, no
+serious attempt has ever been made to refute such of them as have come
+into public notice, except in a general way, for party purposes. As,
+however, they may be doubted, I will quote the following extract from a
+despatch written by Sir H. Barkly to Lord Carnarvon, dated 18th December
+1876:--
+
+"As Von Schlickmann has since fallen fighting bravely, it is not without
+reluctance that I join in affixing this dark stain on his memory, but
+truth compels me to add the following extract from a letter which I have
+since received from one whose name (which I communicate to your Lordship
+privately) forbids disbelief: 'There is no longer the _slightest doubt_
+as to the murder of the two women and the child at Steelport by the
+direct order of Schlickmann, and in the attack on the kraal near which
+these women were captured (or some attack about that period) he ordered
+his men to cut the throats of all the wounded! This is no mere report;
+it is positively true.'" He concludes by expressing a hope that the
+course of events will enable Her Majesty's Government to take such steps
+"as will terminate this wanton and useless bloodshed, and prevent
+the recurrence of the _scenes of injustice, cruelty, and rapine which
+abundant evidence is every day forthcoming to prove have rarely ceased
+to disgrace the Republics beyond the Vaal ever since they first sprang
+into existence._"[*]
+
+     [*] The italics are my own.--Author.
+
+These are strong words, but none too strong for the facts of the case.
+Injustice, cruelty, and rapine have always been the watchwords of the
+Transvaal Boers. The stories of wholesale slaughter in the earlier
+days of the Republic are very numerous. One of the best known of those
+shocking occurrences took place in the Zoutpansberg war in 1865. On this
+occasion a large number of Kafirs took refuge in caves, where the Boers
+smoked them to death. Some years afterwards Dr. Wangeman, whose account
+is, I believe, thoroughly reliable, describes the scene of their
+operations in these words:--
+
+"The roof of the first cave was black with smoke; the remains of the
+logs which were burnt lay at the entrance. The floor was strewn with
+hundreds of skulls and skeletons. In confused heaps lay karosses,
+kerries, assegais, pots, spoons, snuff-boxes, and the bones of men,
+giving one the impression that this was the grave of a whole people.
+Some estimate the number of those who perished here from twenty to
+thirty thousand. This is, I believe, too high. In the one chamber there
+were from two hundred to three hundred skeletons; the other chambers I
+did not visit."
+
+In 1868 a public meeting was held at Potchefstroom to consider the war
+then going on with the Zoutpansberg natives. According to the report of
+the proceedings, the Rev. Mr. Ludorf said that "on a particular occasion
+a number of native children, who were too young to be removed, had been
+collected in a heap, covered with long grass, and burned alive. Other
+atrocities had also been committed, but these were too horrible to
+relate." When called upon to produce his authority for this statement,
+Mr. Ludorf named his authority "in a solemn declaration to the State
+Attorney." At this same meeting Mr. J. G. Steyn, who had been Landdrost
+of Potchefstroom, said "there now was innocent blood on our hands which
+had not yet been avenged, and the curse of God rested on the land in
+consequence." Mr. Rosalt remarked that "it was a singular circumstance
+that in the different colonial Kafir wars, as also in the Basutu wars,
+one did not hear of destitute children being found by the commandoes,
+and asked how it was that every petty commando that took the field in
+this Republic invariably found numbers of destitute children. He gave
+it as his opinion that the present system of apprenticeship was an
+essential cause of our frequent hostilities with the natives." Mr. Jan
+Talyard said, "Children were forcibly taken from their parents, and were
+then called destitute and apprenticed." Mr. Daniel Van Nooren was
+heard to say, "If they had to clear the country, and could not have the
+children they found, he would shoot them." Mr. Field-Cornet Furstenburg
+stated "that when he was at Zoutpansberg with his burghers, the chief
+Katse-Kats was told to come down from the mountains; that he sent one of
+his subordinates as a proof of amity; that whilst a delay of five days
+was guaranteed by Commandant Paul Kruger, who was then in command,
+orders were given at the same time to attack the natives at break of
+day, which was accordingly done, but which resulted in total failure."
+Truly, this must have been an interesting meeting.
+
+Before leaving these unsavoury subjects, I must touch on the question of
+slavery. It has been again and again denied, on behalf of the Transvaal
+Boers, that slavery existed in the Republic. Now, this is, strictly
+speaking, true; slavery did not exist, but apprenticeship did--the rose
+was called by another name, that is all. The poor destitute children who
+were picked up by kindhearted Boers, after the extermination of their
+parents, were apprenticed to farmers till they came of age. It is a
+remarkable fact that these children never attained their majority. You
+might meet oldish men in the Transvaal who were not, according to their
+masters' reckoning, twenty-one years of age. The assertion that slavery
+did not exist in the Transvaal is only made to hoodwink the English
+public. I have known men who have owned slaves, and who have seen whole
+waggon-loads of "black ivory," as they were called, sold for about 15
+pounds a-piece. I have at this moment a tenant, Carolus by name, on some
+land I own in Natal, now a well-to-do man, who was for many years--about
+twenty, if I remember right--a Boer slave. During those years, he told
+me, he worked from morning till night, and the only reward he received
+was two calves. He finally escaped into Natal.
+
+If other evidence is needed it is not difficult to find, so I will quote
+a little. On the 22d August 1876 we find Khama, king of the Bamangwato,
+one of the most worthy chiefs in South Africa, sending a message to
+"Victoria, the great Queen of the English people," in these words:--
+
+"I write to you, Sir Henry, in order that your Queen may preserve for me
+my country, it being in her hands. The Boers are coming into it, and I
+do not like them. Their actions are cruel among us black people. We are
+like money, they sell us and our children. I ask Her Majesty to pity
+me, and to hear that which I write quickly. I wish to hear upon what
+conditions Her Majesty will receive me, and my country and my people,
+under her protection. I am weary with fighting. I do not like war, and
+I ask Her Majesty to give me peace. I am very much distressed that my
+people are being destroyed by war, and I wish them to obtain peace. I
+ask Her Majesty to defend me, as she defends all her people. There
+are three things which distress me very much--war, selling people,
+and drink. All these things I shall find in the Boers, and it is these
+things which destroy people to make an end of them in the country. _The
+custom of the Boers has always been to cause people to be sold, and
+to-day they are still selling people._ Last year I saw them pass with
+two waggons full of people whom they had bought at the river at Tanane"
+(Lake Ngate).
+
+The Special Correspondence of the "Cape Argus," a highly respectable
+journal, writes thus on the 28th November 1876:--"The Boer from whom
+this information was gleaned has furnished besides some facts which may
+not be uninteresting, as a commentary on the repeated denials by Mr.
+Burgers of the existence of slavery. During the last week slaves have
+been offered for sale on his farm. The captives have been taken from
+Secocoeni's country by Mapoch's people, and are being exchanged at the
+rate of a child for a heifer. He also assures us that the whole of the
+Highveld is bring replenished with Kafir children, whom the Boers have
+been lately purchasing from the Swazies at the rate of a horse for a
+child. I should like to see this man and his father as witnesses before
+an Imperial Commission. He let fall one or two incidents of the past
+which were brought to mind by the occurrences of the present. In 1864,
+he says, 'The Swazies accompanied the Boers against Males. The Boers did
+nothing but stand by and witness the fearful massacre. The men and women
+were also murdered. One poor woman sat clutching her baby of eight days
+old. The Swazies stabbed her through the body, and when she found that
+she could not live, she wrung the baby's neck with her own hands to save
+it from future misery. On the return of that Commando the children who
+became too weary to continue the journey were killed on the road. The
+survivors were sold as slaves to the farmers.'"
+
+The same gentleman writes in the issue of the 12th December
+as follows:--"The whole world may know it, for it is true, and
+investigation will only bring out the horrible details, that through the
+whole course of this Republic's existence it has acted in contravention
+of the Sand River Treaty; and slavery has occurred not only here and
+there in isolated cases, but as an unbroken practice, and has been
+one of the peculiar institutions of the country, mixed up with all its
+social and political life. It has been at the root of most of its wars.
+It has been carried on regularly even in times of peace. It has been
+characterised by all those circumstances which have so often roused
+the British nation to an indignant protest, and to repeated efforts to
+banish the slave trade from the world. The Boers have not only fallen
+on unsuspecting kraals simply for the purpose of obtaining the women and
+children and cattle, but they have carried on a traffic through natives
+who have kidnapped the children of their weaker neighbours, and sold
+them to the white man. Again, the Boers have sold and exchanged their
+victims among themselves. Waggon-loads of slaves have been conveyed
+from one end of the country to the other for sale, and that with the
+cognisance of, and for the direct advantage of, the highest officials of
+the land. The writer has himself seen in a town, situated in the south
+of the Republic, the children who had been brought down from a remote
+northern district. One fine morning, in walking through the streets,
+he was struck with the number of little black strangers standing about
+certain houses, and wondered where they could have come from. He learnt
+a few hours later that they were part of loads which were disposed of
+on the outskirts of the town the day before. The circumstances connected
+with some of these kidnapping excursions are appalling, and the
+barbarities practised by cruel masters upon some of these defenceless
+creatures during the course of their servitude are scarcely less
+horrible than those reported from Turkey. It is no disgrace in this
+country for an official to ride a fine horse which was got for two Kafir
+children, to procure whom the father and mother were shot. No reproach
+is inherited by the mistress who, day after day, tied up her female
+servant in an agonising posture, and had her beaten until there was no
+sound part in her body, securing her in the stocks during the intervals
+of torture. That man did not lose caste who tied up another woman and
+had her thrashed until she brought forth at the whipping-post. These
+are merely examples of thousands of cases which could be proved were
+an Imperial Commission to sit, and could the wretched victims of a
+prolonged oppression recover sufficiently from the dread of their old
+tyrants to give a truthful report."
+
+To come to some evidence more recently adduced. On the 9th May 1881, an
+affidavit was sworn to by the Rev. John Thorne, curate of St. John the
+Evangelist, Lydenburg, Transvaal, and presented to the Royal Commission
+appointed to settle Transvaal affairs, in which he states:--"That I
+was appointed to the charge of a congregation in Potchefstroom, about
+thirteen years ago, when the Republic was under the presidency of Mr.
+Pretorius.[*] I remember noticing one morning, as I walked through
+the streets, a number of young natives, whom I knew to be strangers.
+I inquired where they came from. I was told that they had just been
+brought from Zoutpansberg. This was the locality from which slaves were
+chiefly brought at that time, and were traded for under the name of
+'Black Ivory.' One of these natives belonged to Mr. Munich, the State
+Attorney. It was a matter of common remark at that time, that the
+President of the Republic was himself one of the greatest dealers in
+slaves." In the fourth paragraph of the same affidavit Mr. Thorne says,
+"That the Rev. Doctor Nachtigal, of the Berlin Missionary Society, was
+the interpreter for Shatane's people in the private office of Mr. Roth,
+and, at the close of the interview, told me what had occurred. On my
+expressing surprise, he went on to relate that he had information on
+native matters which would surprise me more. He then produced the
+copy of a register, kept in the landdrost's office, of men, women, and
+children, to the number of four hundred and eighty (480), who had been
+disposed of by one Boer to another for a consideration. In one case an
+ox was given in exchange, in another goats, in a third a blanket, and
+so forth. Many of these natives he (Mr. Nachtigal) knew personally. The
+copy was certified as true and correct by an official of the Republic,
+and I would mention his name now, only that I am persuaded that it would
+cost the man his life if his act became known to the Boers."
+
+     [*] One of the famous Triumvirate.
+
+On the 16th May 1881, a native, named Frederick Molepo, was examined by
+the Royal Commission. The following are extracts from his examination:--
+
+"(Sir E. Wood.) Are you a Christian?--Yes.
+
+"(Sir H. de Villiers.) How long were you a slave?--Half a year.
+
+"How do you know that you were a slave? Might you not have been an
+apprentice?--No, I was not apprenticed.
+
+"How do you know?--They got me from my parents, and ill-treated me.
+
+"(Sir E. Wood.) How many times did you get the stick?--Every day.
+
+"(Sir H. de Villiers.) What did the Boers do with you when they caught
+you?--They sold me.
+
+"How much did they sell you for?--One cow and a big pot."
+
+On the 28th May 1881, amongst the other documents handed in for the
+consideration of the Royal Commission, is the statement of a headman,
+whose name it has been considered advisable to omit in the blue book for
+fear the Boers should take vengeance on him. He says, "I say, that if
+the English Government dies I shall die too; I would rather die than be
+under the Boer Government. I am the man who helped to make bricks for
+the church you see now standing in the square here (Pretoria), as a
+slave without payment. As a representative of my people I am still
+obedient to the English Government, and willing to obey all commands
+from them, even to die for their cause in this country, rather than
+submit to the Boers.
+
+"I was under Shambok, my chief, who fought the Boers formerly, but he
+left us, and we were _put up to auction_ and sold among the Boers. I
+want to state this myself to the Royal Commission in Newcastle. I was
+bought by Fritz Botha and sold by Frederick Botha, who was then veld
+cornet (justice of the peace) of the Boers."[*]
+
+     [*] I have taken the liberty to quote all these extracts
+     exactly as they stand in the original, instead of weaving
+     their substance into my narrative, in order that I may not
+     be accused, as so often happens to authors who write upon
+     this subject, of having presented a garbled version of the
+     truth. The original of every extract is to be found in blue
+     books presented to Parliament. I have thought it best to
+     confine myself to these, and avoid repeating stories of
+     cruelties and slavery, however well authenticated, that have
+     come to my knowledge privately, such stories being always
+     more or less open to suspicion.
+
+It would be easy to find more reports of the slave-trading practices of
+the Boers, but as the above are fair samples it will not be necessary
+to do so. My readers will be able from them to form some opinion as to
+whether or not slavery or apprenticeship existed in the Transvaal. If
+they come to the conclusion that it did, it must be borne in mind that
+what existed in the past will certainly exist again in the future.
+Natives are not now any fonder of working for Boers than they were a few
+years back, and Boers must get labour somehow. If, on the other hand,
+it did not exist, then the Boers are a grossly slandered people, and
+all writers on the subject, from Livingstone down, have combined to take
+away their character.
+
+Leaving native questions for the present, we must now return to the
+general affairs of the country. When President Burgers opened the
+special sitting of the Volksraad, on the 4th September, he appealed,
+it will be remembered, to that body for pecuniary aid to liquidate the
+expenses of the war. This appeal was responded to by the passing of a
+war tax, under which every owner of a farm was to pay 10 pounds, the
+owner of half a farm 5 pounds, and so on. The tax was not a very just
+one, since it fell with equal weight on the rich man, who held twenty
+farms, and the poor man, who held but one. Its justice or injustice was,
+however, to a great extent immaterial, since the free and independent
+burghers, including some of the members of the Volksraad who had imposed
+it, promptly refused to pay it, or indeed, whilst they were about it,
+any other tax. As the Treasury was already empty, and creditors were
+pressing, this refusal was most ill-timed, and things began to look very
+black indeed. Meanwhile, in addition to the ordinary expenditure,
+and the interest payable on debts, money had to be found to pay Von
+Schlickmann's volunteers. As there was no cash in the country, this was
+done by issuing Government promissory notes, known as "goodfors," or
+vulgarly as "good for nothings," and by promising them all booty, and to
+each man a farm of two thousand acres, lying east and north-east of the
+Loolu mountains; in other words, in Secocoeni's territory, which did not
+belong to the Government to give away. The officials were the next
+to suffer, and for six months before the Annexation these unfortunate
+individuals lived as best they could, for they certainly got no salary,
+except in the case of a postmaster, who was told to help himself to his
+pay in stamps. The Government issued large numbers of bills, but the
+banks refused to discount them, and in some cases the neighbouring
+Colonies had to advance money to the Transvaal post-cart contractors,
+who were carrying the mails, as a matter of charity. The Government even
+mortgaged the great salt-pan near Pretoria for the paltry sum of 400
+pounds, whilst the leading officials of the Government were driven
+to pledging their own private credit in order to obtain the smallest
+article necessary to its continuance. In fact, to such a pass did things
+come that when the country was annexed a single threepenny bit (which
+had doubtless been overlooked) was found in the Treasury chest, together
+with acknowledgments of debts to the extent of nearly 300,000 pounds.
+
+Nor was the refusal to pay taxes, which they were powerless to enforce,
+the only difficulty with which the Government had to contend. Want of
+money is as bad and painful a thing to a State as to an individual, but
+there are perhaps worse things than want of money, one of which is to be
+deserted by your own friends and household. This was the position of the
+Government of the Republic; no sooner was it involved in overwhelming
+difficulties than its own subjects commenced to bait it, more especially
+the English portion of its subjects. They complained to the English
+authorities about the commandeering of members of their family or goods;
+they petitioned the British Government to interfere, and generally made
+themselves as unpleasant as possible to the local Authorities. Such a
+course of action was perhaps natural, but it can hardly be said to be
+either quite logical or just. The Transvaal Government had never asked
+them to come and live in the country, and if they did so, it must be
+remembered that many of the agitators had accumulated property, to leave
+which would mean ruin; and they saw that, unless something was done, its
+value would be destroyed.
+
+Under the pressure of all these troubles the Boers themselves split up
+into factions, as they are always ready to do. The Dopper party
+declared that they had had enough progress, and proposed the extremely
+conservative Paul Kruger as President, Burgers' time having nearly
+expired. Paul Kruger accepted the candidature, although he had
+previously promised his support to Burgers, and distrust of each other
+was added to the other difficulties of the Executive, the Transvaal
+becoming a house very much divided against itself. Natives, Doppers,
+Progressionists, Officials, English, were all pulling different ways,
+and each striving for his own advantage. Anything more hopeless than
+the position of the country on the 1st January 1877 it is impossible to
+conceive. Enemies surrounded it; on every border there was the prospect
+of a serious war. In the exchequer there was nothing but piles of
+overdue bills. The President was helpless, and mistrustful of his
+officers, and the officers were caballing against the President. All the
+ordinary functions of Government had ceased, and trade was paralysed.
+Now and then wild proposals were made to relieve the State of its
+burdens, some of which partook of the nature of repudiation, but these
+were the exception; the majority of the inhabitants, who would neither
+fight nor pay taxes, sat still and awaited the catastrophe, utterly
+careless of all consequences.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER III
+
+THE ANNEXATION
+
+_Anxiety of Lord Carnarvon--Despatch of Sir T. Shepstone as Special
+Commissioner to the Transvaal--Sir T. Shepstone, his great experience
+and ability--His progress to Pretoria and reception there--Feelings
+excited by the arrival of the mission--The annexation _not_ a foregone
+conclusion--Charge brought against Sir T. Shepstone of having called up
+the Zulu army to sweep the Transvaal--Its complete falsehood--Cetywayo's
+message to Sir T. Shepstone--Evidence on the matter summed up--General
+desire of the natives for English rule--Habitual disregard of their
+interests--Assembly of the Volksraad--Rejection of Lord Carnarvon's
+Confederation Bill and of President Burgers' new constitution--
+President Burgers' speeches to the Raad--His posthumous statement
+--Communication to the Raad of Sir T. Shepstone's intention to annex the
+country--Despatch of Commission to inquire into the alleged peace with
+Secocoeni--Its fraudulent character discovered--Progress of affairs
+in the Transvaal--Paul Kruger and his party--Restlessness of
+natives--Arrangements for the annexation--The annexation proclamation._
+
+The state of affairs described in the previous chapter was one that
+filled the Secretary of State for the Colonies with alarm. During his
+tenure of office, Lord Carnarvon evidently had the permanent welfare
+of South Africa much at heart, and he saw with apprehension that the
+troubles that were brewing in the Transvaal were of a nature likely to
+involve the Cape and Natal in a native war. Though there is a broad line
+of demarcation between Dutch and English, it is not so broad but that
+a victorious nation like the Zulus might cross it, and beginning by
+fighting the Boer, might end by fighting the white man irrespective of
+race. When the reader reflects how terrible would be the consequences of
+a combination of native tribes against the Whites, and how easily such
+a combination might at that time have been brought about in the first
+flush of native successes, he will understand the anxiety with which all
+thinking men watched the course of events in the Transvaal in 1876.
+
+At last they took such a serious turn that the Home Government saw that
+some action must be taken if the catastrophe was to be averted, and
+determined to despatch Sir Theophilus Shepstone as Special Commissioner
+to the Transvaal, with powers, should it be necessary, to annex the
+country to Her Majesty's dominions, "in order to secure the peace and
+safety of Our said colonies and of Our subjects elsewhere."
+
+The terms of his Commission were unusually large, leaving a great deal
+to his discretionary power. In choosing that officer for the execution
+of a most difficult and delicate mission, the Government, doubtless,
+made a very wise selection. Sir Theophilus Shepstone is a man of
+remarkable tact and ability, combined with great openness and simplicity
+of mind, and one whose name will always have a leading place in South
+African history. During a long official lifetime he has had to do with
+most of the native races in South Africa, and certainly knows them and
+their ways better than any living man; whilst he is by them all regarded
+with a peculiar and affectionate reverence. He is _par excellence_ their
+great white chief and "father," and a word from him, even now that he
+has retired from active life, still carries more weight than the formal
+remonstrances of any governor in South Africa.
+
+With the Boers he is almost equally well acquainted, having known many
+of them personally for years. He possesses, moreover, the rare power of
+winning the regard and affection, as well as the respect, of those about
+him in such a marked degree that those who have served him once would
+go far to serve him again. Sir T. Shepstone, however, has enemies like
+other people, and is commonly reported among them to be a disciple of
+Machiavelli, and to have his mind steeped in all the darker wiles of
+Kafir policy. The Annexation of the Transvaal is by them attributed to
+a successful and vigorous use of those arts that distinguished the
+diplomacy of two centuries ago. Falsehood and bribery are supposed to
+have been the great levers used to effect the change, together with
+threats of extinction at the hands of a savage and unfriendly nation.
+
+That the Annexation was a triumph of mind over matter is quite true, but
+whether or not that triumph was unworthily obtained, I will leave those
+who read this short chronicle of the events connected with it to judge.
+I saw it somewhat darkly remarked in a newspaper the other day that the
+history of the Annexation had evidently yet to be written; and I fear
+that the remark represents the feeling of most people about the
+event; implying as it did, that it was carried out, by means certainly
+mysterious, and presumably doubtful. I am afraid that those who think
+thus will be disappointed in what I have to say about the matter, since
+I know that the means employed to bring the Boers--
+
+"Fracti bello, fatisque repulsi"--
+
+under her Majesty's authority were throughout as fair and honest as the
+Annexation itself was, in my opinion, right and necessary.
+
+To return to Sir T. Shepstone. He undoubtedly had faults as a ruler,
+one of the most prominent of which was that his natural mildness of
+character would never allow him to act with severity even when severity
+was necessary. The very criminals condemned to death ran a good chance
+of reprieve when he had to sign their death-warrants. He had also
+that worst of faults (so called), in one fitted by nature to become
+great--want of ambition, a failing that in such a man marks him the
+possessor of an even and a philosophic mind. It was no seeking of his
+own that raised him out of obscurity, and when his work was done to
+comparative obscurity he elected to return, though whether a man of his
+ability and experience in South African affairs should, at the present
+crisis, be allowed to remain there, is another question.
+
+On the 20th December 1876, Sir T. Shepstone wrote to President Burgers,
+informing him of his approaching visit to the Transvaal, to secure, if
+possible, the adjustment of the existing troubles, and the adoption of
+such measures as might be best calculated to prevent their recurrence in
+the future.
+
+On his road to Pretoria, Sir Theophilus received a hearty welcome from
+the Boer as well as the English inhabitants of the country. One of
+these addresses to him says: "Be assured, high honourable Sir, that we
+burghers, now assembled together, entertain the most friendly feeling
+towards your Government, and that we shall agree with anything you may
+do in conjunction with our Government for the progress of our State, the
+strengthening against our native enemies, and for the general welfare of
+all the inhabitants of the whole of South Africa. Welcome in Heidelberg,
+and welcome in the Transvaal."
+
+At Pretoria the reception of the Special Commissioner was positively
+enthusiastic; the whole town came out to meet him, and the horses having
+been taken out of the carriage, he was dragged in triumph through the
+streets. In his reply to the address presented to him, Sir Theophilus
+shadowed forth the objects of his mission in these words: "Recent events
+in this country have shown to all thinking men the absolute necessity
+for closer union and more oneness of purpose among the Christian
+Governments of the southern portion of this Continent: the best
+interests of the native races, no less than the peace and prosperity
+of the white, imperatively demand it, and I rely upon you and upon your
+Government to co-operate with me in endeavouring to achieve the great
+and glorious end of inscribing on a general South African banner the
+appropriate motto--'Eendragt maakt magt' (Unity makes strength)."
+
+A few days after his arrival a commission was appointed, consisting of
+Messrs. Henderson and Osborn, on behalf of the Special Commissioner, and
+Messrs. Kruger and Jorissen, on behalf of the Transvaal Government, to
+discuss the state of the country. This commission came to nothing, and
+was on both sides nothing more than a bit of by-play.
+
+The arrival of the mission was necessarily regarded with mixed feelings
+by the inhabitants of the Transvaal. By one party it was eagerly
+greeted, viz., the English section of the population, who devoutly
+hoped that it had come to annex the country. With the exception of the
+Hollander element, the officials also were glad of its arrival, and
+secretly hoped that the country would be taken over, when there would be
+more chance of their getting their arrear pay. The better educated Boers
+also were for the most part satisfied that there was no hope for the
+country unless England helped it in some way, though they did not like
+having to accept the help. But the more bigoted and narrow-minded among
+them were undoubtedly opposed to English interference, and under their
+leader, Paul Kruger, who was at the time running for the President's
+chair, did their best to be rid of it. They found ready allies in the
+Hollander clientele, with which Mr. Burgers had surrounded himself,
+headed by the famous Dr. Jorissen, who was, like most of the rulers of
+this singular State, an ex-clergyman, but now an Attorney-general, not
+learned in the law. These men were for the most part entirely unfit for
+the positions they held, and feared that in the event of the country
+changing hands they might be ejected from them; and also, they did all
+Englishmen the favour to regard them, with that particularly virulent
+and general hatred which is a part of the secret creed of many
+foreigners, more especially of such as are under our protection. As may
+easily be imagined, what between all these different parties and the
+presence of the Special Commissioner, there were certainly plenty of
+intrigues going on in Pretoria during the first few months of 1877,
+and the political excitement was very great. Nobody knew how far Sir T.
+Shepstone was prepared to go, and everybody was afraid of putting out
+his hand further than he could pull it back, and trying to make himself
+comfortable on two stools at once. Members of the Volksraad and other
+prominent individuals in the country who had during the day been
+denouncing the Commissioner in no measured terms, and even proposing
+that he and his staff should be shot as a warning to the English
+Government, might be seen arriving at his house under cover of the
+shades of evening, to have a little talk with him, and express the
+earnest hope that it was his intention to annex the country as soon as
+possible. It is necessary to assist at a peaceable annexation to learn
+the depth of meanness human nature is capable of.
+
+In Pretoria, at any rate, the ladies were of great service to the cause
+of the mission, since they were nearly all in favour of a change of
+government, and, that being the case, they naturally soon brought their
+husbands, brothers, and lovers to look at things from the same point
+of view. It was a wise man who said that in any matter where it is
+necessary to obtain the goodwill of a population you should win over the
+women; that done, you need not trouble yourself about the men.
+
+Though the country was thus overflowing with political intrigues,
+nothing of the kind went on in the Commissioner's camp. It was not he
+who made the plots to catch the Transvaalers; on the contrary, they made
+the plots to catch him. For several months all that he did was to sit
+still and let the rival passions work their way, fighting what the Zulus
+afterwards called the "fight of sit down." When anybody came to see him
+he was very glad to meet them, pointed out the desperate condition of
+the country, and asked them if they could suggest a remedy. And that was
+about all he did do, beyond informing himself very carefully as to
+all that was going on in the country, and the movements of the natives
+within and outside its borders. There was no money spent on bribery, as
+has been stated, though it is impossible to imagine a state of affairs
+in which it would have been more easy to bribe, or in which it could
+have been done with greater effect; unless indeed the promise that some
+pension should be paid to President Burgers can be called a bribe, which
+it was certainly never intended to be, but simply a guarantee that after
+having spent all his private means on behalf of the State he should not
+be left destitute. The statement that the Annexation was effected
+under a threat that if the Government did not give its consent Sir T.
+Shepstone would let loose the Zulus on the country is also a wicked and
+malicious invention, but with this I shall deal more at length further
+on.
+
+It must not, however, be understood that the Annexation was a foregone
+conclusion, or that Sir T. Shepstone came up to the Transvaal with
+the fixed intention of annexing the country without reference to its
+position, merely with a view of extending British influence, or, as
+has been absurdly stated, in order to benefit Natal. He had no fixed
+purpose, whether it were necessary or no, of exercising the full powers
+given to him by his commission; on the contrary, he was all along most
+anxious to find some internal resources within the State by means of
+which Annexation could be averted, and of this fact his various letters
+and despatches give full proof. Thus, in his letter to President
+Burgers, of the 9th April 1877, in which he announces his intention
+of annexing the country, he says: "I have more than once assured your
+Honour that if I could think of any plan by which the independence of
+the State could be maintained by its own internal resources I would
+most certainly not conceal that plan from you." It is also incidentally
+remarkably confirmed by a passage in Mr. Burgers' posthumous defence, in
+which he says: "Hence I met Shepstone alone in my house, and opened up
+the subject of his mission. With a candour that astonished me, he avowed
+that his purpose was to annex the country, as he had sufficient grounds
+for it, unless I could so alter as to satisfy his Government. My plan of
+a new constitution, modelled after that of America, of a standing police
+force of two hundred mounted men, was then proposed. He promised to give
+me time to call the Volksraad together, and to _abandon his design_ if
+the Volksraad would adopt these measures, and the country be willing to
+submit to them, and to carry them out." Further on he says: "In justice
+to Shepstone I must say that I would not consider an officer of my
+Government to have acted faithfully if he had not done what Shepstone
+did."
+
+It has also been frequently alleged in England, and always seems to be
+taken as the groundwork of argument in the matter of the Annexation,
+that the Special Commissioner represented that the majority of the
+inhabitants wished for the Annexation, and that it was sanctioned on
+that ground. This statement shows the great ignorance that exists in
+this country of South African affairs, an ignorance which in this case
+has been carefully fostered by Mr. Gladstone's Government for party
+purposes, they having found it necessary to assume, in order to make
+their position in the matter tenable, that Sir T. Shepstone and other
+Officials had been guilty of misrepresentation. Unfortunately, the
+Government and its supporters have been more intent upon making out
+their case than upon ascertaining the truth of their statements. If they
+had taken the trouble to refer to Sir T. Shepstone's despatches, they
+would have found that the ground on which the Transvaal was annexed was,
+not because the majority of the inhabitants wished for it, but because
+the State was drifting into anarchy, was bankrupt, and was about to be
+destroyed by native tribes. They would further have found that Sir
+T. Shepstone never represented that the majority of the Boers were in
+favour of Annexation. What he did say was that most thinking men in the
+country saw no other way out of the difficulty; but what proportion of
+the Boers can be called "thinking men?" He also said, in the fifteenth
+paragraph of his despatch to Lord Carnarvon of 6th March 1877, that
+petitions signed by 2500 people, representing every class of the
+community, out of a total adult population of 8000, had been presented
+to the Government of the Republic, setting forth its difficulties and
+dangers, and praying it "to treat with me for their amelioration or
+removal." He also stated, and with perfect truth, that many more would
+have signed had it not been for the terrorism that was exercised, and
+that all the towns and villages in the country desired the change, which
+was a patent fact.
+
+This is the foundation on which the charge of misrepresentation is
+built--a charge which has been manipulated so skilfully, and with such a
+charming disregard for the truth, that the British public has been duped
+into believing it. When it is examined into, it vanishes into thin air.
+
+But a darker charge has been brought against the Special Commissioner--a
+charge affecting his honour as a gentleman and his character as a
+Christian; and, strange to say, has gained a considerable credence,
+especially amongst a certain party in England. I allude to the statement
+that he called up the Zulu army with the intention of sweeping the
+Transvaal if the Annexation was objected to. I may state, from my own
+personal knowledge, that the report is a complete falsehood, and that
+no such threat was ever made, either by Sir T. Shepstone or by anybody
+connected with him, and I will briefly prove what I say.
+
+When the mission first arrived at Pretoria, a message came from Cetywayo
+to the effect that he had heard that the Boers had fired at "Sompseu"
+(Sir T. Shepstone), and announcing his intention of attacking the
+Transvaal if "his father" was touched. About the middle of March
+alarming rumours began to spread as to the intended action of Cetywayo
+with reference to the Transvaal; but as Sir T. Shepstone did not think
+that the king would be likely to make any hostile movement whilst he
+was in the country, he took no steps in the matter. Neither did the
+Transvaal Government ask his advice and assistance. Indeed, a remarkable
+trait in the Boers is their supreme self-conceit, which makes them
+believe that they are capable of subduing all the natives in Africa,
+and of thrashing the whole British army if necessary. Unfortunately, the
+recent course of events has tended to confirm them in their opinion
+as regards their white enemies. To return: towards the second week in
+April, or the week before the proclamation of annexation was issued,
+things began to look very serious; indeed, rumours that could hardly be
+discredited reached the Special Commissioner that the whole of the Zulu
+army was collected in a chain of Impis or battalions, with the intention
+of bursting into the Transvaal and sweeping the country. Knowing
+how terrible would be the catastrophe if this were to happen, Sir T.
+Shepstone was much alarmed about the matter, and at a meeting with the
+Executive Council of the Transvaal Government he pointed out to them
+the great danger in which the country was placed. This was done in the
+presence of several officers of his Staff, and it was on this friendly
+exposition of the state of affairs that the charge that he had
+threatened the country with invasion by the Zulus was based. On the 11th
+of April, or the day before the Annexation, a message was despatched
+to Cetywayo, telling him of the reports that had reached Pretoria,
+and stating that if they were true he must forthwith give up all
+such intentions, as the Transvaal would at once be placed under the
+sovereignty of Her Majesty, and that if he had assembled any armies
+for purposes of aggression they must be disbanded at once. Sir T.
+Shepstone's message reached Zululand not a day too soon. Had the
+Annexation of the Transvaal been delayed by a few weeks even--and this
+is a point which I earnestly beg Englishmen to remember in connection
+with that act--Cetywayo's armies would have entered the Transvaal,
+carrying death before them, and leaving a wilderness behind them.
+
+Cetywayo's answer to the Special Commissioner's message will
+sufficiently show, to use Sir Theophilus' own words in his despatch on
+the subject, "the pinnacle of peril which the Republic and South Africa
+generally had reached at the moment when the Annexation took place." He
+says, "I thank my Father Sompseu (Sir T. Shepstone) for his message. I
+am glad that he has sent it, because the Dutch have tired me out, and
+I intended to fight them once and once only, and to drive them over
+the Vaal. Kabana (name of messenger), you see my Impis (armies) are
+gathered. It was to fight the Dutch I called them together; now I
+will send them back to their homes. Is it well that two men
+('amadoda-amabili') should be made 'iziula' (fools)? In the reign of my
+father Umpanda the Boers were constantly moving their boundary further
+into my country. Since his death the same thing has been done. I had
+therefore determined to end it once for all!" The message then goes on
+to other matters, and ends with a request to be allowed to fight the
+Amaswazi, because "they fight together and kill one another. This," says
+Cetywayo naively, "is wrong, and I want to chastise them for it."
+
+This quotation will suffice to convince all reasonable men, putting
+aside all other matters, from what imminent danger the Transvaal was
+delivered by the much-abused Annexation.
+
+Some months after that event, however, it occurred to the ingenious
+mind of some malicious individual in Natal that, properly used, much
+political capital might be made out of this Zulu incident, and the story
+that Cetywayo's army had been called up by Sir Theophilus himself
+to overawe, and, if necessary, subdue the Transvaal, was accordingly
+invented and industriously circulated. Although Sir T. Shepstone at
+once caused it to be authoritatively contradicted, such an astonishing
+slander naturally took firm root, and on the 12th April 1879 we have Mr.
+M. W. Pretorius, one of the Boer leaders, publicly stating at a meeting
+of the farmers that "previous to the Annexation Sir T. Shepstone had
+threatened the Transvaal with an attack from the Zulus as an argument
+for advancing the Annexation." Under such an imputation the Government
+could no longer keep silence, and accordingly Sir Owen Lanyon, who was
+then Administrator of the Transvaal, caused the matter to be officially
+investigated, with these results, which are summed up by him in a letter
+to Mr. Pretorius, dated 1st May 1879:--
+
+1. The records of the Republican Executive Council contained no allusion
+to any such statement.
+
+2. Two members of that Council filed statements in which they
+unreservedly denied that Sir T. Shepstone used the words or threats
+imputed to him.
+
+3. Two officers of Sir T. Shepstone's staff, who were always present
+with him at interviews with the Executive Council, filed statements to
+the same effect.
+
+"I have no doubt," adds Sir Owen Lanyon, "that the report has been
+originated and circulated by some evil-disposed persons."
+
+In addition to this evidence we have a letter written to the Colonial
+Office by Sir T. Shepstone, dated London, August 12, 1879, in which
+he points out that Mr. Pretorius was not even present at any of the
+interviews with the Executive Council on which occasion he accuses him
+of having made use of the threats. He further shows that the use of such
+a threat on his part would have been the depth of folly, and "knowingly
+to court the instant and ignominious failure of my mission," because
+the Boers were so persuaded of their own prowess that they could not be
+convinced that they stood in any danger from native sources, and also
+because "such play with such keen-edged tools as the excited passions of
+savages are, and especially such savages as I knew the Zulus to be, is
+not what an experience of forty-two years in managing them inclined me
+to." And yet, in the face of all this accumulated evidence, this report
+continues to be believed, that is, by those who wished to believe it.
+
+Such are the accusations that have been brought against the manner
+of the Annexation and the Officer who carried it out, and never were
+accusations more groundless. Indeed both for party purposes, and from
+personal animus, every means, fair or foul, has been used to discredit
+it and all connected with it. To take a single instance, one author
+(Miss Colenso, p. 134, "History of the Zulu War") actually goes the
+length of putting a portion of a speech made by President Burgers into
+the mouth of Sir T. Shepstone, and then abusing him for his incredible
+profanity. Surely this exceeds the limits of fair criticism.
+
+Before I go on to the actual history of the Annexation there is one
+point I wish to submit to my reader. In England the change of Government
+has always been talked of as though it only affected the forty thousand
+white inhabitants of the country, whilst everybody seems to forget
+that this same land had about a million human beings living on it, its
+original owners, and only, unfortunately for themselves, possessing a
+black skin, and therefore entitled to little consideration,--even at the
+hands of the most philanthropic Government in the world. It never seems
+to have occurred to those who have raised so much outcry on behalf of
+the forty thousand Boers, to inquire what was thought of the matter by
+the million natives. If they were to be allowed a voice in their own
+disposal, the country was certainly annexed by the wish of a very large
+majority of its inhabitants. It is true that Secocoeni, instigated
+thereto by the Boers, afterwards continued the war against us, but, with
+the exception of this one chief, the advent of our rule was hailed with
+joy by every native in the Transvaal, and even he was glad of it at the
+time. During our period of rule in the Transvaal the natives have had,
+as they foresaw, more peace than at any time since the white man set
+foot in the land. They have paid their taxes gladly, and there has been
+no fighting among themselves; but since we have given up the country
+we hear a very different tale. It is this million of men, women, and
+children who, notwithstanding their black skins, live and feel, and have
+intelligence as much as ourselves, who are the principal, because the
+most numerous sufferers from Mr. Gladstone's conjuring tricks, that can
+turn a Sovereign into a Suzerain as airily as the professor of magic
+brings a litter of guinea-pigs out of a top hat. It is our falsehood
+and treachery to them whom we took over "for ever," as we told them, and
+whom we have now handed back to their natural enemies to be paid off for
+their loyalty to the Englishman, that is the blackest stain in all this
+black business, and that has destroyed our prestige, and caused us to be
+looked on amongst them, for they do not hide their opinion, as "cowards
+and liars."
+
+But very little attention, however, seems to have been paid to native
+views or claims at any time in the Transvaal; indeed they have all along
+been treated as serfs of the soil, to be sold with it, if necessary, to
+a new master. It is true that the Government, acting under pressure
+from the Aborigines Protection Society, made, on the occasion of the
+Surrender, a feeble effort to secure the independence of some of the
+native tribes; but when the Boer leaders told them shortly that they
+would have nothing of the sort, and that, if they were not careful, they
+would reoccupy Laing's Nek, the proposal was at once dropped, with many
+assurances that no offence was intended. The worst of the matter is that
+this treatment of our native subjects and allies will assuredly recoil
+on the heads of future innocent Governments.
+
+Shortly after the appointment of the Joint-Commission alluded to at the
+beginning of this chapter, President Burgers, who was now in possession
+of the Special Commissioner's intentions, should he be unable to carry
+out reforms sufficiently drastic to satisfy the English Government,
+thought it best to call together the Volksraad. In the meantime, it had
+been announced that the "rebel" Secocoeni had sued for peace and signed
+a treaty declaring himself a subject of the Republic. I shall have to
+enter into the question of this treaty a little further on, so I will
+at present only say that it was the first business laid before the Raad,
+and, after some discussion, ratified. Next in order to the Secocoeni
+peace came the question of Confederation, as laid down in Lord
+Carnarvon's Permissive Bill. This proposal was laid before them in an
+earnest and eloquent speech by their President, who entreated them
+to consider the dangerous position of the Republic, and to face their
+difficulties like men. The question was referred to a committee, and
+an adverse report being brought up, was rejected without further
+consideration. It is just possible that intimidation had something to do
+with the summary treatment of so important a matter, seeing that whilst
+it was being argued a large mob of Boers, looking very formidable with
+their sea-cow hide whips, watched every move of their representatives
+through the windows of the Volksraad Hall. It was Mr. Chamberlain's
+caucus system in practical and visible operation.
+
+A few days after the rejection of the Confederation Bill, President
+Burgers, who had frequently alluded to the desperate condition of the
+Republic, and stated that either some radical reform must be effected
+or the country must come under the British flag, laid before the Raad a
+brand new constitution of a very remarkable nature, asserting that they
+must either accept it or lose their independence.
+
+The first part of this strange document dealt with the people and their
+rights, which remained much as they were before, with the exception that
+the secrecy of all letters entrusted to the post was to be inviolable.
+The recognition of this right is an amusing incident in the history of a
+free Republic. Under following articles the Volksraad was entrusted with
+the charge of the native inhabitants of the State, the provision for the
+administration of justice, the conduct of education, the regulation of
+money-bills, &c. It is in the fourth chapter, however, that we come
+to the real gist of the Bill, which was the endowment of the State
+President with the authority of a dictator. Mr. Burgers thought to save
+the State by making himself an absolute monarch. He was to be elected
+for a period of seven years instead of five years, and to be eligible
+for re-election. In him was vested the power of making all appointments
+without reference to the legislature. All laws were to be drawn up by
+him, and he was to have the right of veto on Volksraad resolutions,
+which body he could summon and dissolve at will. Finally, his Executive
+Council was to consist of heads of departments appointed by himself, and
+of one member of the Volksraad. The Volksraad treated this Bill in much
+the same way as they had dealt with the Permissive Confederation Bill,
+gave it a casual consideration, and threw it out.
+
+The President, meanwhile, was doing his best to convince the Raad of
+the danger of the country; that the treasury was empty, whilst duns were
+pressing, that enemies were threatening on every side, and, finally,
+that Her Majesty's Special Commissioner was encamped within a thousand
+yards of them, watching their deliberations with some interest. He
+showed them that it was impossible at once to scorn reform and reject
+friendly offers, that it was doubtful if anything could save them, but
+that if they took no steps they were certainly lost as a nation. The
+"Fathers of the land," however, declined to dance to the President's
+piping. Then he took a bolder line. He told them that a guilty nation
+never can evade the judgment that follows its steps. He asked them
+"conscientiously to advise the people not obstinately to refuse a union
+with a powerful Government. He could not advise them to refuse such a
+union. . . . He did not believe that a new constitution would save
+them; for as little as the old constitution had brought them to ruin, so
+little would a new constitution bring salvation. . . . If the citizens
+of England had behaved towards the Crown as the burghers of this State
+had behaved to their Government, England would never have stood so long
+as she had." He pointed out to them their hopeless financial position.
+"To-day," he said, "a bill for 1100 pounds was laid before me for
+signature; but I would sooner have cut off my right hand than sign that
+paper--(cheers)--for I have not the slightest ground to expect that,
+when that bill becomes due, there will be a penny to pay it with."
+And finally, he exhorted them thus: "Let them make the best of the
+situation, and get the best terms they possibly could; let them agree to
+join their hands to those of their brethren in the south, and then from
+the Cape to the Zambesi there would be one great people. Yes, there was
+something grand in that, grander even than their idea of a Republic,
+something which ministered to their national feeling--(cheers)--and
+would this be so miserable? Yes, this would be miserable for those who
+would not be under the law, for the rebel and the revolutionist, but
+welfare and prosperity for the men of law and order."
+
+These powerful words form a strong indictment against the Republic,
+and from them there can be little doubt that President Burgers was
+thoroughly convinced of the necessity and wisdom of the Annexation. It
+is interesting to compare them, and many other utterances of his made at
+this period, with the opinions he expresses in the posthumous document
+recently published, in which he speaks somewhat jubilantly of the
+lessons taught us on Laing's Nek and Majuba by such "an inherently
+weak people as the Boers," and points to them as striking instances of
+retribution. In this document he attributes the Annexation to the desire
+to advance English supremacy in South Africa, and to lay hold of the way
+to Central South Africa. It is, however, noticeable that he does not in
+any way indicate how it could have been averted, and the State continue
+to exist; and he seems all along to feel that his case is a weak one,
+for in explaining, or attempting to explain, why he had never defended
+himself from the charges brought against him in connection with the
+Annexation, he says: "Had I not endured in silence, had I not borne
+patiently all the accusations, but out of selfishness or fear told
+the plain truth of the case, the Transvaal would never have had the
+consideration it has now received from Great Britain. However unjust the
+Annexation was, my self-justification would have _exposed the Boers to
+such an extent_, and the state of the country in such a way, that it
+would have deprived them both of the sympathy of the world and the
+consideration of the English politicians." In other words, "If I had
+told the truth about things as I should have been obliged to do
+to justify myself, there would have been no more outcry about the
+Annexation, because the whole world, even the English Radicals, would
+have recognised how necessary it was, and what a fearful state the
+country was in."
+
+But to let that pass, it is evident that President Burgers did not take
+the same view of the Annexation in 1877 as he did in 1881, and indeed
+his speeches to the Volksraad would read rather oddly printed in
+parallel columns with his posthumous statement. The reader would be
+forced to one of two conclusions, either on one of the two occasions he
+is saying what he does not mean, or he must have changed his mind. As
+I believe him to have been an honest man, I incline to the latter
+supposition; nor do I consider it so very hard to account for, taking
+into consideration his natural Dutch proclivities. In 1877 Burgers is
+the despairing head of a State driving rapidly to ruin, if not to actual
+extinction, when the strong hand of the English Government is held out
+to him. What wonder that he accepts it gladly on behalf of his country,
+which is by its help brought into a state of greater prosperity than
+it has ever before known? In 1881 the wheel has gone round, and great
+events have come about whilst he lies dying. The enemies of the Boers
+have been destroyed, the powers of the Zulus and Secocoeni are no more;
+the country has prospered under a healthy rule, and its finances have
+been restored. More,--glad tidings have come from Mid-Lothian, to the
+"rebel and the revolutionist," whose hopes were flagging, and eloquent
+words have been spoken by the new English Dictator that have aroused
+a great rebellion. And, to crown all, English troops have suffered one
+massacre and three defeats, and England sues for peace from the South
+African peasant, heedless of honour or her broken word, so that the
+prayer be granted. With such events before him, that dying man may well
+have found cause to change his opinion. Doubtless the Annexation was
+wrong, since England disowns her acts; and may not that dream about
+the great South African Republic come true after all? Has not the
+pre-eminence of the Englishman received a blow from which it can never
+recover, and is not his control over Boers and natives irredeemably
+weakened? And must he,--Burgers,--go down to posterity as a Dutchman who
+tried to forward the interests of the English party? No, doubtless the
+Annexation was wrong; but it has done good, for it has brought about the
+downfall of the English: and we will end the argument in the very words
+of his last public utterance, with which he ends his statement: "South
+Africa gained more from this, and has made a larger step forward in the
+march of freedom than most people can conceive."
+
+Who shall say that he is wrong? the words of dying men are sometimes
+prophetic! South Africa has made a great advance towards the "freedom"
+of a Dutch Republic.
+
+This has been a digression, but I hope not an uninteresting one. To
+return--on the 1st March, Sir T. Shepstone met the Executive Council,
+and told them that in his opinion there was now but one remedy to be
+adopted, and that was that the Transvaal should be united with English
+Colonies of South Africa under one head, namely the Queen, saying at the
+same time that the only thing now left to the Republic was to make the
+best arrangements it could for the future benefit of its inhabitants,
+and to submit to that which he saw to be, and every thinking man saw to
+be, inevitable. So soon as this information was officially communicated
+to the Raad, for a good proportion of its members were already
+acquainted with it unofficially, it flew from a state of listless
+indifference into vigorous and hasty action. The President was censured,
+and a Committee was appointed to consider and report upon the situation,
+which reported in favour of the adoption of Burgers' new constitution.
+Accordingly, the greatest part of this measure, which had been
+contemptuously rejected a few days before, was adopted almost without
+question, and Mr. Paul Kruger was appointed Vice-President. On the
+following day, a very drastic treason law was passed, borrowed from the
+Statute book of the Orange Free State, which made all public expression
+of opinion, if adverse to the Government, or in any way supporting the
+Annexation party, high treason. This done, the Assembly prorogued itself
+until--October 1881.
+
+During and after the sitting of the Raad, rumours arose that the Chief
+Secocoeni's signature to the treaty of peace, ratified by that body, had
+been obtained by misrepresentation. As ratified, this treaty consisted
+of three articles, according to which Secocoeni consented, first to
+become a subject of the Republic, and obey the laws of the country;
+secondly, to agree to a certain restricted boundary line and, thirdly,
+to pay 2000 head of cattle; which, considering he had captured quite
+5000 head, was not exorbitant.
+
+Towards the end of February a written message was received from
+Secocoeni by Sir T. Shepstone, dated after the signing of the supposed
+treaty. The original, which was written in Sisutu, was a great
+curiosity. The following is a correct translation:--
+
+
+"For Myn Heer Sheepstone,--I beg you, Chief, come help me, the Boers are
+killing me, and I don't know the reasons why they should be angry with
+me; Chief, I beg you come with Myn Heer Merensky.--I am Sikukuni."
+
+
+This message was accompanied by a letter from Mr. Merensky, a well-known
+and successful missionary, who had been for many years resident in
+Secocoeni's country, in which he stated that he heard on very good
+authority that Secocoeni had distinctly refused to agree to that article
+of the treaty by which he became a subject of the State. He adds that he
+cannot remain "silent while such tricks are played."
+
+Upon this information, Sir T. Shepstone wrote to President Burgers,
+stating that "if the officer in whom you have placed confidence has
+withheld any portion of the truth from you, especially so serious a
+portion of it, he is guilty of a wrong towards you personally, as
+well as towards the Government, because he has caused you to assume an
+untenable position," and suggesting that a joint commission should be
+despatched to Secocoeni, to thoroughly sift the question in the interest
+of all concerned. This suggestion was after some delay agreed to, and a
+commission was appointed, consisting of Mr. Van Gorkom, a Hollander,
+and Mr. Holtshausen, a member of the Executive Council, on behalf of the
+Transvaal Government, and Mr. Osborn, R.M., and Captain Clarke, R.A., on
+behalf of the Commissioner, whom I accompanied as Secretary.
+
+At Middelburg the native Gideon who acted as interpreter between
+Commandant Ferreira, C.M.G. (the officer who negotiated the treaty on
+behalf of the Boer Government), and Secocoeni was examined, and also two
+natives, Petros and Jeremiah, who were with him, but did not actually
+interpret. All these men persisted that Secocoeni had positively refused
+to become a subject of the Republic, and only consented to sign the
+treaty on the representations of Commandant Ferreira that it would only
+be binding, as regards to the two articles about the cattle and the
+boundary line.
+
+The Commission then proceeded to Secocoeni's town, accompanied by a
+fresh set of interpreters, and had a long interview with Secocoeni. The
+chief's Prime Minister or "mouth," Makurupiji, speaking in his presence,
+and on his behalf and making use of the pronoun "I" before all the
+assembled headmen of the tribe, gave an account of the interview between
+Commandant Ferreira in the presence of that gentleman, who accompanied
+the commission and Secocoeni, in almost the same words as had been used
+by the interpreters at Middelburg. He distinctly denied having consented
+to become a subject of the Republic or to stand under the law, and added
+that he feared he "had touched the feather to" (signed) things that
+he did not know of in the treaty. Commandant Ferreira then put some
+questions, but entirely failed to shake the evidence; on the contrary,
+he admitted by his questions that Secocoeni had not consented to become
+a subject of the Republic. Secocoeni had evidently signed the piece of
+paper under the impression that he was acknowledging his liability to
+pay 2000 head of cattle, and fixing a certain portion of his boundary
+line, and on the distinct understanding that he was not to become a
+subject of the State.
+
+Now it was the Secocoeni war that had brought the English Mission into
+the country, and if it could be shown that the Secocoeni war had come
+to a successful termination, it would go far towards helping the Mission
+out again. To this end, it was necessary that the Chief should declare
+himself a subject of the State, and thereby, by implication acknowledge
+himself to have been a rebel, and admit his defeat. All that was
+required was a signature, and that once obtained the treaty was
+published and submitted to the Raad for confirmation, without a whisper
+being heard of the conditions under which this ignorant Basutu was
+induced to sign. Had no Commission visited Secocoeni, this treaty would
+afterwards have been produced against him in its entirety. Altogether,
+the history of the Secocoeni Peace Treaty does not reassure one as
+to the genuineness of the treaties which the Boers are continually
+producing, purporting to have been signed by native chiefs, and as
+a general rule presenting the State with great tracts of country in
+exchange for a horse or a few oxen. However fond the natives may be of
+their Boer neighbours, such liberality can scarcely be genuine. On the
+other hand, it is so easy to induce a savage to sign a paper, or even,
+if he is reticent, to make a cross for him, and once made, as we all
+know, _litera scripa manet_, and becomes title to the lands.
+
+During the Secocoeni investigation, affairs in the Transvaal were
+steadily drifting towards anarchy. The air was filled with rumours;
+now it was reported that an outbreak was imminent amongst the English
+population at the Gold Fields, who had never forgotten Von Schlickmann's
+kind suggestion that they should be "subdued;" now it was said that
+Cetywayo had crossed the border, and might shortly be expected at
+Pretoria; now that a large body of Boers were on their road to shoot
+the Special Commissioner, his twenty-five policemen and Englishmen
+generally, and so on.
+
+Meanwhile, Paul Kruger and his party were not letting the grass grow
+under their feet, but worked public feeling with great vigour, with the
+double object of getting Paul made President and ridding themselves
+of the English. Articles in his support were printed in the well-known
+Dutch paper "Die Patriot," published in the Cape Colony, which are so
+typical of the Boers and of the only literature that has the slightest
+influence over them, that I will quote a few extracts from one of them.
+
+After drawing a very vivid picture of the wretched condition of the
+country as compared to what it was when the Kafirs had "a proper
+respect" for the Boers, before Burgers came into power, the article
+proceeds to give the cause of this state of affairs. "God's word," it
+says, "gives us the solution. Look at Israel, while the people have a
+godly king, everything is prosperous, but under a godless prince
+the land retrogrades, and the whole of the people must suffer.
+Read Leviticus, chapter 26, with attention, &c. In the day of the
+Voortrekkers (pioneers), a handful of men chased a thousand Kafirs and
+made them run; so also in the Free State War (Deut. xxxii. 30; Jos.
+xxiii. 10; Lev. xxvi. 8). But mark, now when Burgers became President,
+he knows no Sabbath, he rides through the land in and out of town on
+Sunday, he knows not the church and God's service (Lev. xxvi. 2-3) to
+the scandal of pious people. And he formerly was a priest too. And what
+is the consequence? No harvest (Lev. xxvi. 16), an army of 6,000 men
+runs because one man falls (Lev. xxvi. 17, &c.) What is now the
+remedy?" The remedy proves to be Paul Kruger, "because there is no other
+candidate. Because our Lord clearly points him out to be the man, for
+why is there no other candidate? Who arranged it this way?" Then follows
+a rather odd argument in favour of Paul's election, "Because he himself
+(P. Kruger) acknowledges in his own reply that he is _incompetent_, but
+that all his ability is from our Lord. Because he is a warrior. Because
+he is a Boer." Then Paul Kruger, the warrior and the Boer, is compared
+to Joan of Arc, "a simple Boer girl who came from behind the sheep." The
+Burghers of Transvaal are exhorted to acknowledge the hand of the Lord,
+and elect Paul Kruger, or look for still heavier punishment. (Lev. xxvi.
+18 _et seq_.) Next the "Patriot" proceeds to give a bit of advice to
+"our candidate, Paul Kruger." He is to deliver the land from the Kafirs.
+"The Lord has given you the heart of a warrior, arise and drive them," a
+bit of advice quite suited to his well-known character. But this chosen
+vessel was not to get all the loaves and fishes; on the contrary, as
+soon as he had fulfilled his mission of "driving" the Kafirs, he was to
+hand over his office to a "good" president. The article ends thus: "If
+the Lord wills to use you now to deliver this land from its enemies, and
+a day of peace and prosperity arises again, and you see that you are not
+exactly the statesman to further govern the Republic, then it will be
+your greatest honour to say, 'Citizens, I have delivered you from the
+enemy, I am no statesman, but now you have peace and time to choose and
+elect a _good_ President.'"
+
+An article such as the above is instructive reading as showing the low
+calibre of the minds that are influenced by it. Yet such writings
+and sermons have more power among the Boers than any other arguments,
+appealing as they do to the fanaticism and vanity of their nature, which
+causes them to believe that the Divinity is continually interfering on
+their behalf at the cost of other people. It will be noticed that the
+references given are all to the Old Testament, and nearly all refer to
+acts of blood.
+
+These doctrines were not, however, at all acceptable to Burgers' party,
+or the more enlightened members of the community, and so bitter did the
+struggle of rival opinions become that there is very little doubt that
+had the country not been annexed, civil war would have been added to its
+other calamities. Meanwhile the natives were from day to day becoming
+more restless, and messengers were constantly arriving at the Special
+Commissioner's camp, begging that their tribe might be put under the
+Queen, and stating that they would fight rather than submit any longer
+to the Boers.
+
+At length on the 9th April, Sir T. Shepstone informed the Government
+of the Republic that he was about to declare the Transvaal British
+territory. He told them that he had considered and reconsidered his
+determination, but that he could see no possible means within the State
+by which it could free itself from the burdens that were sinking it
+to destruction, adding that if he could have found such means he would
+certainly not have hidden them from the Government. This intimation was
+received in silence, though all the later proceedings with reference
+to the Annexation were in reality carried out in concert with the
+Authorities of the Republic. Thus on the 13th March the Government
+submitted a paper of ten questions to Sir T. Shepstone as regards the
+future condition of the Transvaal under English rule, whether the debts
+of the State would be guaranteed, &c. To these questions replies were
+given which were on the whole satisfactory to the Government. As these
+replies formed the basis of the proclamation guarantees, it is not
+necessary to enter into them.
+
+It was further arranged by the Republican Government that a formal
+protest should be entered against the Annexation, which was accordingly
+prepared and privately shown to the Special Commissioner. The annexation
+proclamation was also shown to President Burgers, and a paragraph
+eliminated at his suggestion. In fact, the Special Commissioner and the
+President, together with most of his Executive, were quite at one as
+regards the necessity of the proclamation being issued, their joint
+endeavours being directed to the prevention of any disturbance, and to
+secure a good reception for the change.
+
+At length, after three months of inquiry and negotiation, the
+proclamation of annexation was on the 12th of April 1877 read by Mr.
+Osborn, accompanied by some other gentlemen of Sir T. Shepstone's staff.
+It was an anxious moment for all concerned. To use the words of the
+Special Commissioner in his despatch home on the subject, "Every effort
+had been made during the previous fortnight by, it is said, educated
+Hollanders, and who had but lately arrived in the country to rouse the
+fanaticism of the Boers and induce them to offer 'bloody' resistance to
+what it was known I intended to do. The Boers were appealed to in the
+most inflammatory language by printed manifestoes and memorials; . . .
+it was urged that I had but a small escort which could easily be
+overpowered." In a country so full of desperadoes and fanatical haters
+of anything English, it was more than possible than though such an act
+would have been condemned by the general sense of the country, a number
+of men could easily be found who would think they were doing a righteous
+act in greeting the "annexationists" with an ovation of bullets. I
+do not mean that the anxiety was personal, because I do not think the
+members of that small party set any higher value on their lives than
+other people, but it was absolutely necessary for the success of the act
+itself, and for the safety of the country, that not a single shot should
+be fired. Had that happened it is probable that the whole country would
+have been involved in confusion and bloodshed, the Zulus would have
+broken in, and the Kafirs would have risen; in fact, to use Cetywayo's
+words, "the land would have burned with fire."
+
+It will therefore be easily understood what an anxious hour that was
+both for the Special Commissioner sitting up at Government House, and
+for his Staff down on the Market Square, and how thankful they were
+when the proclamation was received with hearty cheers by the crowd. Mr.
+Burgers' protest, which was read immediately afterwards, was received in
+respectful silence.
+
+And thus the Transvaal Territory passed for a while into the great
+family of the English Colonies. I believe that the greatest political
+opponent of the act will bear tribute to the very remarkable ability
+with which it was carried out. When the variety and number of the
+various interests that had to be conciliated, the obstinate nature of
+the individuals who had to be convinced, as well as the innate hatred of
+the English name and ways which had to be overcome to carry out this
+act successfully, are taken into consideration: together with a thousand
+other matters, the neglect of any one of which would have sufficed to
+make failure certain, it will be seen what tact and skill, and knowledge
+of human nature were required to execute so difficult a task. It must be
+remembered that no force was used, and that there never was any threat
+of force. The few troops that were to enter the Transvaal were four
+weeks' march from Pretoria at the time. There was nothing whatsoever
+to prevent the Boers putting a summary stop to the proceedings of the
+Commissioner if they had thought fit.
+
+That Sir Theophilus played a bold and hazardous game nobody will deny,
+but, like most players who combine boldness with coolness of head and
+justice of cause, he won; and, without shedding a single drop of blood,
+or even confiscating an acre of land, and at no cost, annexed a great
+country, and averted a very serious war. That same country four years
+later cost us a million of money, the loss of nearly a thousand men
+killed and wounded, and the ruin of many more confiding thousands, to
+surrender. It is true, however, that nobody can accuse the retrocession
+of having been conducted with judgment or ability--very much the
+contrary.
+
+There can be no more ample justification of the necessity of the issue
+of the annexation proclamation than the proclamation itself--
+
+First, it touches on the Sand River Convention of 1852, by which
+independence was granted to the State, and shows that the "evident
+objects and inciting motives" in granting such guarantee were to promote
+peace, free-trade and friendly intercourse, in the hope and belief that
+the Republic "would become a flourishing and self-sustaining State, a
+source of strength and security to neighbouring European communities,
+and a point from which Christianity and civilisation might rapidly
+spread toward Central Africa." It goes on to show how these hopes have
+been disappointed, and how that "increasing weakness in the State itself
+on the one side, and more than corresponding growth of real strength
+and confidence among the native tribes on the other have produced their
+natural and inevitable consequence . . . that after more or less of
+irritating conflict with aboriginal tribes to the north, there commenced
+about the year 1867 gradual abandonment to the natives in that direction
+of territory, settled by burghers of the Transvaal in well-built towns
+and villages and on granted farms."
+
+It goes on to show that "this decay of power and ebb of authority in
+the north, is being followed by similar processes in the south under
+yet more dangerous circumstances. People of this State residing in
+that direction have been compelled within the last three months, at the
+bidding of native chiefs and at a moment's notice, to leave their farms
+and homes, their standing crops . . . all to be taken possession
+of by natives, but that the Government is more powerless than ever
+to vindicate its assumed rights or to resist the declension that is
+threatening its existence." It then recites how all the other colonies
+and communities of South Africa have lost confidence in the State,
+how it is in a condition of hopeless bankruptcy, and its commerce
+annihilated whilst the inhabitants are divided into factions, and the
+Government has fallen into "helpless paralysis." How also the prospect
+of the election of a new President, instead of being looked forward to
+with hope, would, in the opinion of all parties, be the signal for civil
+war, anarchy, and bloodshed. How that this state of things affords the
+very strongest temptation to the great neighbouring native powers to
+attack the country, a temptation that they were only too ready and
+anxious to yield to, and that the State was in far too feeble a
+condition to repel such attacks, from which it had hitherto only been
+saved by the repeated representations of the Government of Natal. The
+next paragraphs I will quote as they stand, for they sum up the reasons
+for the Annexation.
+
+"That the Secocoeni war, which would have produced but little effect
+on a healthy constitution, has not only proved suddenly fatal to the
+resources and reputation of the Republic, but has shown itself to be a
+culminating point in the history of South Africa, in that a Makatee
+or Basutu tribe, unwarlike and of no account in Zulu estimation,
+successfully withstood the strength of the State, and disclosed for the
+first time to the native powers outside the Republic, from the Zambesi
+to the Cape, the great change that had taken place in the relative
+strength of the white and black races, that this disclosure at once
+shook the prestige of the white man in South Africa, and placed
+every European community in peril, that this common danger has caused
+universal anxiety, has given to all concerned the right to investigate
+its cause, and to protect themselves from its consequences, and has
+imposed the duty upon those who have the power to shield enfeebled
+civilisation from the encroachments of barbarism and inhumanity." It
+proceeds to point out that the Transvaal will be the first to suffer
+from the results of its own policy, and that it is for every reason
+perfectly impossible for Her Majesty's Government to stand by and see a
+friendly white State ravaged, knowing that its own possessions will be
+the next to suffer. That H. M. Government, being persuaded that the only
+means to prevent such a catastrophe would be by the annexation of the
+country, and, knowing that this was the wish of a large proportion of
+the inhabitants of the Transvaal, the step must be taken. Next follows
+the formal annexation.
+
+Together with the proclamation, an address was issued by Sir T.
+Shepstone to the burghers of the State, laying the facts before them
+in a friendly manner, more suited to their mode of thought than it was
+possible to do in a formal proclamation. This document, the issue
+of which was one of those touches that ensured the success of the
+Annexation, was a powerful summing up in colloquial language of the
+arguments used in the proclamation strengthened by quotations from the
+speeches of the President. It ends with these words: "It remains only
+for me to beg of you to consider and weigh what I have said calmly and
+without undue prejudice. Let not mere feeling or sentiment prevail over
+your judgment. Accept what Her Majesty's Government intends shall be,
+and what you will soon find from experience, is a blessing not only to
+you and your children, but to the whole of South Africa through you, and
+I believe that I speak these words to you as a friend from my heart."
+
+Two other proclamations were also issued, one notifying the assumption
+of the office of Administrator of the Government by Sir T. Shepstone,
+and the other repealing the war-tax, which was doubtless an unequal and
+oppressive impost.
+
+I have in the preceding pages stated all the principal grounds of the
+Annexation and briefly sketched the history of that event. In the next
+chapter I propose to follow the fortunes of the Transvaal under British
+Rule.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER IV
+
+THE TRANSVAAL UNDER BRITISH RULE
+
+_Reception of the annexation--Major Clarke and the Volunteers--
+Effect of the annexation on credit and commerce--Hoisting of the Union
+Jack--Ratification of the annexation by Parliament--Messrs. Kruger and
+Jorissen's mission to England--Agitation against the annexation in the
+Cape Colony--Sir T. Shepstone's tour--Causes of the growth of discontent
+among the Boers--Return of Messrs. Jorissen and Kruger--The Government
+dispenses with their services--Despatch of a second deputation to
+England--Outbreak of war with Secocoeni--Major Clarke, R.A.--The Gunn
+of Gunn plot--Mission of Captain Paterson and Mr. Sergeaunt
+to Matabeleland--Its melancholy termination--The Isandhlwana
+disaster--Departure of Sir T. Shepstone for England--Another Boer
+meeting--The Pretoria Horse--Advance of the Boers on Pretoria--Arrival
+of Sir B. Frere at Pretoria and dispersion of the Boers--Arrival of Sir
+Garnet Wolseley--His proclamation--The Secocoeni expedition--Proceedings
+of the Boers--Mr. Pretorius--Mr. Gladstone's Mid-Lothian speeches, their
+effect--Sir G. Wolseley's speech at Pretoria, its good results--Influx
+of Englishmen and cessation of agitation--Financial position of the
+country after three years of British rule--Letter of the Boer leaders to
+Mr. Courtney._
+
+The news of the Annexation was received all over the country with a sigh
+of relief, and in many parts of it with great rejoicings. At the Gold
+Fields, for instance, special thanksgiving services were held, and "God
+save the Queen" was sung in church. Nowhere was there the slightest
+disturbance, but, on the contrary, addresses of congratulation and
+thanks literally poured in by every mail, many of them signed by Boers
+who have since been conspicuous for their bitter opposition to English
+rule. At first, there was some doubt as to what would be the course
+taken under the circumstances by the volunteers enlisted by the late
+Republic. Major Clarke, R.A., was sent to convey the news, and to take
+command of them, unaccompanied save by his Kafir servant. On arrival at
+the principal fort, he at once ordered the Republican flag to be hauled
+down and the Union Jack run up, and his orders were promptly obeyed. A
+few days afterwards some members of the force thought better of it, and
+having made up their minds to kill him, came to the tent where he was
+sitting to carry out their purpose. On learning their kind intentions,
+Major Clarke fixed his eye-glass in his eye, and, after steadily glaring
+at them through it for some time, said, "You are all drunk, go back
+to your tents." The volunteers, quite overcome by his coolness and
+the fixity of his gaze, at once slipped off, and there was no further
+trouble. About three weeks after the Annexation, the 1-13th Regiment
+arrived at Pretoria, having been very well received all along the road
+by the Boers, who came from miles round to hear the band play. Its entry
+into Pretoria was quite a sight; the whole population turned out to meet
+it; indeed the feeling of rejoicing and relief was so profound that when
+the band began to play "God save the Queen" some of the women burst into
+tears.
+
+Meanwhile the effect of the Annexation on the country was perfectly
+magical. Credit and commerce were at once restored; the railway bonds
+that were down to nothing in Holland rose with one bound to par, and
+the value of landed property nearly doubled. Indeed it would have been
+possible for any one, knowing what was going to happen, to have realised
+large sums of money by buying land in the beginning of 1877, and selling
+it shortly after the Annexation.
+
+On the 24th May, being Her Majesty's birthday, all the native chiefs
+who were anywhere within reach, were summoned to attend the first formal
+hoisting of the English flag. The day was a general festival, and the
+ceremony was attended by a large number of Boers and natives in addition
+to all the English. At mid-day, amidst the cheers of the crowd, the
+salute of artillery, and the strains of "God save the Queen," the
+Union Jack was run up a lofty flagstaff, and the Transvaal was formally
+announced to be British soil. The flag was hoisted by Colonel Brooke,
+R.E., and the present writer. Speaking for myself, I may say that it
+was one of the proudest moments of my life. Could I have foreseen that
+I should live to see that same flag, then hoisted with so much joyous
+ceremony, within a few years shamefully and dishonourably hauled down
+and buried,[*] I think it would have been the most miserable.
+
+     [*] The English flag was during the signing of the
+     Convention at Pretoria formally buried by a large crowd of
+     Englishmen and loyal natives.
+
+The Annexation was as well received in England as it was in the
+Transvaal. Lord Carnarvon wrote to Sir T. Shepstone to convey "the
+Queen's entire approval of your conduct since you received Her Majesty's
+commission, with a renewal of my own thanks on behalf of the Government
+for the admirable prudence and discretion with which you have discharged
+a great and unwonted responsibility." It was also accepted by Parliament
+with very few dissentient voices, since it was not till afterwards, when
+the subject became useful as an electioneering howl, that the Liberal
+party, headed by our "powerful popular minister," discovered the deep
+iniquity that had been perpetrated in South Africa. So satisfied were
+the Transvaal Boers with the change that Messrs. Kruger, Jorissen,
+and Bok, who formed the deputation to proceed to England and present
+President Burgers' formal protest against the Annexation, found great
+difficulty in raising one-half of the necessary expenses--something
+under one thousand pounds--towards the cost of the undertaking. The
+thirst for independence cannot have been very great when all the wealthy
+burghers in the Transvaal put together would not subscribe a thousand
+pounds towards retaining it. Indeed, at this time the members of the
+deputation themselves seem to have looked upon their undertaking
+as being both doubtful and undesirable, since they informed Sir T.
+Shepstone that they were going to Europe to discharge an obligation
+which had been imposed upon them, and if the mission failed, they would
+have done their duty. Mr. Kruger said that if they did fail, he would be
+found to be as faithful a subject under the new form of government as he
+had been under the old; and Dr. Jorissen admitted with equal frankness
+that "the change was inevitable, and expressed his belief that the
+cancellation of it would be calamitous."
+
+Whilst the Annexation was thus well received in the country immediately
+interested, a lively agitation was commenced in the Western Province of
+the Cape Colony, a thousand miles away, with a view of inducing the
+Home Government to repudiate Sir T. Shepstone's act. The reason of this
+movement was that the Cape Dutch party, caring little or nothing for
+the real interests of the Transvaal, did care a great deal about their
+scheme to turn all the white communities of South Africa into a
+great Dutch Republic, to which they thought the Annexation would be a
+deathblow. As I have said elsewhere, it must be borne in mind that the
+strings of the anti-annexation agitation have all along been pulled in
+the Western Province, whilst the Transvaal Boers have played the parts
+of puppets. The instruments used by the leaders of the movement in
+the Cape were, for the most part, the discontented and unprincipled
+Hollander element, a newspaper of an extremely abusive nature called the
+"Volkstem," and another in Natal known as the "Natal Witness," lately
+edited by the notorious Aylward, which has an almost equally unenviable
+reputation.
+
+On the arrival of Messrs. Jorissen and Kruger in England, they were
+received with great civility by Lord Carnarvon, who was, however,
+careful to explain to them that the Annexation was irrevocable. In this
+decision they cheerfully acquiesced, assuring his lordship of their
+determination to do all they could to induce the Boers to accept the
+new state of things, and expressing their desire to be allowed to serve
+under the new Government.
+
+Whilst these gentlemen were thus satisfactorily arranging matters with
+Lord Carnarvon, Sir T. Shepstone was making a tour round the country
+which resembled a triumphal progress more than anything else. He was
+everywhere greeted with enthusiasm by all classes of the community,
+Boers, English, and natives, and numerous addresses were presented to
+him couched in the warmest language, not only by Englishmen but also by
+Boers.
+
+It is very difficult to reconcile the enthusiasm of a great number
+of the inhabitants of the Transvaal for English rule, and the quite
+acquiescence of the remainder, at this time, with the decidedly
+antagonistic attitude assumed later on. It appears to me, however, that
+there are several reasons that go far towards accounting for it. The
+Transvaal, when we annexed it, was in the position of a man with a knife
+at his throat, who is suddenly rescued by some one stronger than he, on
+certain conditions which at the time he gladly accepts, but afterwards,
+when the danger is passed, wishes to repudiate. In the same way the
+inhabitants of the South African Republic, were in the time of need very
+thankful for our aid, but after a while, when the recollection of their
+difficulties had grown faint, when their debts had been paid and their
+enemies defeated, they began to think that they would like to get rid of
+us again, and start fresh on their own account, with a clean sheet. What
+fostered agitation more than anything else, however, was the perfect
+impunity in which it was allowed to be carried on. Had only a little
+firmness and decision been shown in the first instance there would
+have been no further trouble. We might have been obliged to confiscate
+half-a-dozen farms, and perhaps imprison as many free burghers for a
+few months, and there it would have ended. Neither Boers or natives
+understand our namby-pamby way of playing at government; they put it
+down to fear. What they want, and what they expect, is to be governed
+with a just but a firm hand. Thus when the Boers found that they could
+agitate with impunity, they naturally enough continued to agitate.
+Anybody who knows them will understand that it was very pleasant to them
+to find themselves in possession of that delightful thing, a grievance,
+and, instead of stopping quietly at home on their farms, to feel obliged
+to proceed, full of importance and long words, to a distant meeting,
+there to spout and listen to the spouting of others. It is so much
+easier to talk politics than to sow mealies. Some attribute the
+discontent among the Boers to the postponement of the carrying out
+of the annexation proclamation promises with reference to the free
+institutions to be granted to the country, but in my opinion it had
+little or nothing to do with it. The Boers never understood the question
+of responsible government, and never wanted that institution; what
+they did want was to be free of all English control, and this they said
+twenty times in the most outspoken language. I think there is little
+doubt the causes I have indicated are the real sources of the agitation,
+though there must be added to them their detestation of our mode of
+dealing with natives, and of being forced to pay taxes regularly, and
+also the ceaseless agitation of the Cape wire-pullers, through their
+agents the Hollanders, and their organs in the press.
+
+On the return of Messrs. Kruger and Jorissen to the Transvaal, the
+latter gentleman resumed his duties as Attorney-General, on which
+occasion, if I remember aright, I myself had the honour of administering
+to him the oath of allegiance to Her Majesty, that he afterwards kept
+so well. The former reported the proceedings of the deputation to a
+Boer meeting, when he took a very different tone to that in which he
+addressed Lord Carnarvon, announcing that if there existed a majority of
+the people in favour of independence, he still was Vice-President of the
+country.
+
+Both these gentlemen remained for some time in the pay of the British
+Government, Mr. Jorissen as Attorney-General, and Mr. Kruger as member
+of the Executive Council. The Government, however, at length found it
+desirable to dispense with their services, though on different
+grounds. Mr. Jorissen had, like several other members of the Republican
+Government, been a clergyman, and was quite unfit to hold the post of
+Attorney-General in an important colony like the Transvaal, where legal
+questions were constantly arising requiring all the attention of a
+trained mind; and after he had on several occasions been publicly
+admonished from the bench, the Government retired him on liberal terms.
+Needless to say, his opposition to English rule then became very bitter.
+Mr. Kruger's appointment expired by law in November 1877, and the
+Government did not think it advisable to re-employ him. The terms of his
+letter of dismissal can be found on page 135 of Blue Book (c. 144),
+and involving as they do a serious charge of misrepresentation in
+money matters, are not very creditable to him. After this event he also
+pursued the cause of independence with increased vigour.
+
+During the last months of 1877 and the first part of 1878 agitation
+against British rule went on unchecked, and at last grew to alarming
+proportions, so much so that Sir T. Shepstone, on his return from the
+Zulu border in March 1878, where he had been for some months discussing
+the vexed and dangerous question of the boundary line with the Zulus,
+found it necessary to issue a stringent proclamation warning the
+agitators that their proceedings and meetings were illegal, and would be
+punished according to law. This document which was at the time vulgarly
+known as the "Hold-your-jaw" proclamation, not being followed by action,
+produced but little effect.
+
+On the 4th April 1878 another Boer meeting was convened, at which it was
+decided to send a second deputation to England, to consist this time of
+Messrs. Kruger and Joubert, with Mr. Bok as secretary. This deputation
+proved as abortive as the first, Sir M. Hicks Beach assuring it, in a
+letter dated 6th August 1878, that it is "impossible, for many reasons,
+. . . . that the Queen's sovereignty should now be withdrawn."
+
+Whilst the Government was thus hampered by internal disaffection, it
+had also many other difficulties on its hands. First, there was the Zulu
+boundary question, which was constantly developing new dangers to the
+country. Indeed, it was impossible to say what might happen in that
+direction from one week to another. Nor were its relations with
+Secocoeni satisfactory. It will be remembered that just before the
+Annexation this chief had expressed his earnest wish to become a British
+subject, and even paid over part of the fine demanded from him by the
+Boer Government to the Civil Commissioner, Major Clarke. In March 1878,
+however, his conduct towards the Government underwent a sudden
+change, and he practically declared war. It afterwards appeared, from
+Secocoeni's own statement, that he was instigated to this step by
+a Boer, Abel Erasmus by name--the same man who was concerned in the
+atrocities in the first Secocoeni war--who constantly encouraged him to
+continue the struggle. I do not propose to minutely follow the course of
+this long war, which, commencing in the beginning of 1878, did not come
+to an end till after the Zulu war: when Sir Garnet Wolseley attacked
+Secocoeni's stronghold with a large force of troops, volunteers, and
+Swazi allies, and took it with great slaughter. The losses on our side
+were not very heavy, so far as white men were concerned, but the Swazies
+are reported to have lost 400 killed and 500 wounded.
+
+The struggle was, during the long period preceding the final attack,
+carried on with great courage and ability by Major Clarke, R.A., C.M.G.,
+whose force, at the best of times, only consisted of 200 volunteers and
+100 Zulus. With this small body of men he contrived, however, to keep
+Secocoeni in check, and to take some important strongholds. It was
+marked also by some striking acts of individual bravery, of which one,
+performed by Major Clarke himself, whose reputation for cool courage and
+presence of mind in danger is unsurpassed in South Africa, is worthy of
+notice; and which, had public attention been more concentrated on the
+Secocoeni war, would doubtless have won him the Victoria Cross. On one
+occasion, on visiting one of the outlying forts, he found that a party
+of hostile natives, who were coming down to the fort on the previous day
+with a flag of truce, had been accidentally fired upon, and had at once
+retreated. As his system in native warfare was always to try and inspire
+his enemy with perfect faith in the honour of Englishmen, and their
+contempt of all tricks and treachery even towards a foe, he was very
+angry at this occurrence, and at once, unarmed and unattended save by
+his native servant, rode up into the mountains to the kraal from which
+the white flag party had come on the previous day, and apologised to
+the Chief for what had happened. When I consider how very anxious
+Secocoeni's natives were to kill or capture Clarke, whom they held in
+great dread, and how terrible the end of so great a captain would in
+all probability have been had he taken alive by these masters of refined
+torture, I confess that I think this act of gentlemanly courage is one
+of the most astonishing things I ever heard of. When he rode up those
+hills he must have known that he was probably going to meet his death at
+the hands of justly incensed savages. When Secocoeni heard of what Major
+Clarke had done he was so pleased that he shortly afterwards released
+a volunteer whom he had taken prisoner, and who would otherwise, in all
+probability, have been tortured to death. I must add that Major Clarke
+himself never reported to or alluded to this incident, but an account of
+it can be found in a despatch written by Sir O. Lanyon to the Secretary
+of State, dated 2d February 1880.
+
+Concurrently with, though entirely distinct from, the political
+agitation that was being carried on among the Boers having for object
+the restoration of independence, a private agitation was set on foot
+by a few disaffected persons against Sir T. Shepstone, with the view
+of obtaining his removal from office in favour of a certain Colonel
+Weatherley. The details of this impudent plot are so interesting, and
+the plot itself so typical of the state of affairs with which Sir T.
+Shepstone had to deal, that I will give a short account of it.
+
+After the Annexation had taken place, there were naturally enough a good
+many individuals who found themselves disappointed in the results so far
+as they personally were concerned; I mean that they did not get so much
+out of it as they expected. Among these was a gentleman called Colonel
+Weatherley, who had come to the Transvaal as manager of a gold-mining
+company, but getting tired of that had taken a prominent part in
+the Annexation, and who, being subsequently disappointed about an
+appointment, became a bitter enemy of the Administrator. I may say at
+once that Colonel Weatherley seems to me to have been throughout the
+dupe of the other conspirators.
+
+The next personage was a good-looking desperado, who called himself
+Captain Gunn of Gunn, and who was locally somewhat irreverently known as
+the very Gunn of very Gunn. This gentleman, whose former career had been
+of a most remarkable order, was, on the annexation of the country, found
+in the public prison charged with having committed various offences, but
+on Colonel Weatherley's interesting himself strongly on his behalf, he
+was eventually released without trial. On his release, he requested the
+Administrator to publish a Government notice declaring him innocent of
+the charges brought against him. This Sir T. Shepstone declined to do,
+and so, to use his own words, in a despatch to the High Commissioner on
+the subject, Captain Gunn of Gunn at once became "what in this country
+is called a patriot."
+
+The third person concerned was a lawyer, who had got into trouble on the
+Diamond Fields, and who felt himself injured because the rules of the
+High Court did not allow him to practise as an advocate. The quartet
+was made up by Mr. Celliers, the editor of the patriotic organ, the
+"Volkstem," who, since he had lost the Government printing contract,
+found that no language could be too strong to apply to the _personnel_
+of the Government, more especially its head. Of course, there was a lady
+in it; what plot would be complete without? She was Mrs. Weatherley,
+now, I believe, Mrs. Gunn of Gunn. These gentlemen began operations by
+drawing up a long petition to Sir Bartle Frere as High Commissioner,
+setting forth a string of supposed grievances, and winding up with a
+request that the Administrator might be "promoted to some other
+sphere of political usefulness." This memorial was forwarded by the
+"committee," as they called themselves, to various parts of the country
+for signature, but without the slightest success, the fact of the matter
+being that it was not the Annexor but the Annexation that the Boers
+objected to.
+
+At this stage in the proceedings Colonel Weatherley went to try and
+forward the good cause with Sir Bartle Frere at the Cape. His letters to
+Mrs. Weatherley from thence, afterwards put into Court in the celebrated
+divorce case, contained many interesting accounts of his attempts in
+that direction. I do not think, however, that he was cognisant of what
+was being concocted by his allies in Pretoria, but being a very vain,
+weak man, was easily deceived by them. With all his faults he was a
+gentleman. As soon as he was gone a second petition was drawn up by the
+"committee," showing "the advisability of immediately suspending our
+present Administrator, and temporarily appointing and recommending for
+Her Majesty's royal and favourable consideration an English gentleman of
+high integrity and honour, in whom the country at large has respect and
+confidence."
+
+The English gentleman of high integrity and honour of course proves to
+be Colonel Weatherley, whose appointment is, further on, "respectfully
+but earnestly requested," since he had "thoroughly gained the
+affections, confidence, and respect of Boers, English, and other
+Europeans in this country." But whilst it is comparatively easy to write
+petitions, there is sometimes a difficulty in getting people to sign
+them, as proved to be the case with reference to the documents under
+consideration. When the "committee" and the employes in the office of
+the "Volkstem" had affixed their valuable signatures it was found to
+be impossible to induce anybody else to follow their example. Now, a
+petition with some half dozen signatures attached would not, it was
+obvious, carry much weight with the Imperial Government, and no more
+could be obtained.
+
+But really great minds rise superior to such difficulties, and so did
+the "committee," or some of them, or one of them. If they could not
+get genuine signatures to their petitions, they could at any rate
+manufacture them. This great idea once hit out, so vigorously was it
+prosecuted that they, or some of them, or one of them, produced in a
+very little while no less than 3883 signatures, of which sixteen were
+proved to be genuine, five were doubtful, and all the rest fictitious.
+But the gentleman, whoever he was, who was the working partner in the
+scheme--and I may state, by way of parenthesis, that when Gunn of Gunn
+was subsequently arrested, petitions in process of signature were found
+under the mattress of his bed--calculated without his host. He either
+did not know, or had forgotten, that on receipt of such documents by a
+superior officer, they are at once sent to the officer accused to report
+upon. This course was followed in the present case, and the petitions
+were discovered to be gross impostures. The ingenuity exercised by their
+author or authors was really very remarkable, for it must be remembered
+that not one of the signatures was forged; they were all invented, and
+had, of course, to be written in a great variety of hands. The plan
+generally pursued was to put down the names of people living in the
+country, with slight variations. Thus "De _V_illiers" became "De
+_W_illiers," and "Van Z_y_l" "Van Z_u_l." I remember that my own name
+appeared on one of the petitions with some slight alteration. Some of
+the names were evidently meant to be facetious. Thus there was a "Jan
+Verneuker," which means "John the Cheat."
+
+Of the persons directly or indirectly concerned in this rascally plot,
+the unfortunate Colonel Weatherly subsequently apologised to Sir T.
+Shepstone for his share in the agitation, and shortly afterwards died
+fighting bravely on Kambula. Captain Gunn of Gunn and Mrs. Weatherley,
+after having given rise to the most remarkable divorce case I ever
+heard,--it took fourteen days to try--were, on the death of Colonel
+Weatherley, united in the bonds of holy matrimony, and are, I believe,
+still in Pretoria. The lawyer vanished I know not where, whilst Mr.
+Celliers still continues to edit that admirably conducted journal the
+"Volkstem;" nor, if I may judge from the report of a speech made by
+him recently at a Boer festival, which, by the way, was graced by the
+presence of our representative, Mr. Hudson, the British Resident: has
+his right hand forgotten its cunning, or rather his tongue lost the use
+of those peculiar and recherche epithets that used to adorn the columns
+of the "Volkstem." I see that he, on this occasion, denounced the
+English element as being "poisonous and dangerous" to a State, and
+stated, amidst loud cheers, that "he despised" it. Mr. Cellier's lines
+have fallen in pleasant places; in any other country he would long ago
+have fallen a victim to the stern laws of libel. I recommend him to
+the notice of enterprising Irish newspapers. Such is the freshness and
+vigour of his style that I am confident he would make the fortune of any
+Hibernian journal.
+
+Some little time after the Gunn of Gunn frauds a very sad incident
+happened in connection with the Government of the Transvaal. Shortly
+after the Annexation, the Home Government sent out Mr. Sergeaunt,
+C.M.G., one of the Crown Agents for the Colonies, to report on the
+financial condition of the country. He was accompanied, in an unofficial
+capacity, amongst other gentlemen, by Captain Patterson and his son,
+Mr. J Sergeaunt; and when he returned to England, these two gentlemen
+remained behind to go on a shooting expedition. About this time Sir
+Bartle Frere was anxious to send a friendly mission to Lo Bengula,
+king of the Matabele, a branch of the Zulu tribe, living up towards
+the Zambesi. This chief had been making himself unpleasant by causing
+traders to be robbed, and it was thought desirable to establish friendly
+relations with him, so it was suggested to Captain Patterson and Mr.
+Sergeaunt that they should combine business with pleasure, and go on
+a mission to Lo Bengula, an offer which they accepted, and shortly
+afterwards started for Matabeleland with an interpreter and a few
+servants. They reached their destination in safety; and having concluded
+their business with the king, started on a visit to the Zambesi Falls
+on foot, leaving the interpreter with the wagon. The falls were about
+twelve days' walk from the king's kraal, and they were accompanied
+thither by young Mr. Thomas, the son of the local missionary, two Kafir
+servants, and twenty native bearers supplied by Lo Bengula. The next
+thing that was heard of them was that they had all died through drinking
+poisoned water, full details of the manner of their deaths being sent
+down by Lo Bengula.
+
+In the first shock and confusion of such news it was not very
+closely examined, at any rate by the friends of the dead men, but, on
+reflection, there were several things about it that appeared strange.
+For instance, it was well known that Captain Patterson had a habit, for
+which indeed, we had often laughed at him, of, however thirsty he might
+be, always having his water boiled when he was travelling, in order
+to destroy impurities: and it seemed odd, that he should on this one
+occasion, have neglected the precaution. Also, it was curious that the
+majority of Lo Bengula's bearers appeared to have escaped, whereas all
+the others were, without exception, killed; nor even in that district is
+it usual to find water so bad that it will kill with the rapidity it had
+been supposed to do in this case, unless indeed it had been designedly
+poisoned. These doubts of the poisoning-by-water-story resolved
+themselves into certainty when the waggon returned in charge of the
+interpreter, when, by putting two and two together, we were able to
+piece out the real history of the diabolical murder of our poor friends
+with considerable accuracy, a story which shows what bloodthirsty
+wickedness a savage is capable of when he fancies his interests are
+threatened.
+
+It appeared that, when Captain Patterson first interviewed Lo Bengula,
+he was not at all well received by him. I must, by way of explanation,
+state that there exists a Pretender to his throne, Kruman by name, who,
+as far as I can make out, is the real heir to the kingdom. This man
+had, for some cause or other, fled the country, and for a time acted as
+gardener to Sir T. Shepstone in Natal. At the date of Messrs. Patterson
+and Sergeaunt's mission to Matabeleland he was living, I believe, in the
+Transvaal. Captain Patterson, on finding himself so ill received by the
+king, and not being sufficiently acquainted with the character of savage
+chiefs, most unfortunately, either by accident or design, dropped some
+hint in the course of conversation about this Kruman. From that moment,
+Lo Bengula's conduct towards the mission entirely changed, and, dropping
+his former tone, he became profusely civil; and from that moment, too,
+he doubtless determined to kill them, probably fearing that they might
+forward some scheme to oust him and place Kruman, on whose claim a large
+portion of his people looked favourably, on the throne.
+
+When their business was done, and Captain Patterson told the king that
+they were anxious, before returning, to visit the Zambesi Falls, he
+readily fell in with their wish, but, in the first instance, refused
+permission to young Thomas, the son of the missionary, to accompany
+them, only allowing him to do so on the urgent representation of
+Captain Patterson. The reason for this was, no doubt, that he had
+kindly feelings towards the lad, and did not wish to include him in the
+slaughter.
+
+Captain Patterson was a man of extremely methodical habits, and, amongst
+other things, was in the habit of making notes of all that he did. His
+note-book had been taken off his body, and sent down to Pretoria with
+the other things. In it we found entries of his preparations for the
+trip, including the number and names of the bearers provided by Lo
+Bengula. We also found the chronicle of the first three days' journey,
+and that of the morning of the fourth day, but there the record stopped.
+The last entry was probably made a few minutes before he was killed; and
+it is to be observed that there was no entry of the party having been
+for several days without water, as stated by the messengers, and then
+finding the poisoned water.
+
+This evidence by itself would not have amounted to much, but now comes
+the curious part of the story, showing the truth of the old adage,
+"Murder will out." It appears that when the waggon was coming down to
+Pretoria in charge of the interpreter, it was outspanned one day outside
+the borders of Lo Bengula's country, when some Kafirs--Bechuanas, I
+think--came up, asked for some tobacco, and fell into conversation with
+the driver, remarking that he had come up with a full waggon, and now he
+went down with an empty one. The driver replied by lamenting the death
+by poisoned water of his masters, whereupon one of the Kafirs told him
+the following story:--He said that a brother of his was out hunting, a
+little while back, in the desert for ostriches, with a party of other
+Kafirs, when hearing shots fired some way off, they made for the spot,
+thinking that white men were out shooting, and that they would be able
+to beg meat. On reaching the spot, which was by a pool of water, they
+saw the bodies of three white men lying on the ground, and also those of
+a Hottentot and a Kafir, surrounded by an armed party of Kafirs. They
+at once asked the Kafirs what they had been doing killing the white men,
+and were told to be still, for it was by "order of the king." They
+then learned the whole story. It appeared that the white men had made a
+mid-day halt by the water, when one of the bearers, who had gone to the
+edge of the pool, suddenly shouted to them to come and look at a great
+snake in the water. Captain Patterson ran up, and, as he leaned over the
+edge, was instantly killed by a blow with an axe; the others were then
+shot and assegaied. The Kafir further described the clothes that his
+brother had seen on the bodies, and also some articles that had been
+given to his party by the murderers, that left little doubt as to the
+veracity of his story. And so ended the mission to Matabeleland.
+
+No public notice was taken of the matter, for the obvious reason that
+it was impossible to get at Lo Bengula to punish him; nor would it have
+been easy to come by legal evidence to disprove the ingenious story
+of the poisoned water, since anybody trying to reach the spot of the
+massacre would probably fall a victim to some similar accident before
+he got back again. It is devoutly to be hoped that the punishment he
+deserves will sooner or later overtake the author of this devilish and
+wholesale murder.
+
+The beginning of 1879 was signalised by the commencement of operations
+in Zululand and by the news of the terrible disaster at Isandhlwana,
+which fell on Pretoria like a thunderclap. It was not, however, any
+surprise to those who were acquainted with Zulu tactics and with the
+plan of attack adopted by the English commanders. In fact, I know
+that one solemn warning of what would certainly happen to him, if he
+persisted in his plan of advance, was addressed to Lord Chelmsford,
+through the officer in command at Pretoria, by a gentlemen whose
+position and long experience of the Zulus and their mode of attack
+should have carried some weight. If it ever reached him, he took, to the
+best of my recollection, no notice of it whatever.
+
+But though some such disaster was daily expected by a few, the majority
+of both soldiers and civilians never dreamed of anything of the sort,
+the general idea being that the conquest of Cetywayo was a very easy
+undertaking: and the shock produced by the news of Isandhlwana was
+proportionally great, especially as it reached Pretoria in a much
+exaggerated form. I shall never forget the appearance of the town that
+morning; business was entirely suspended, and the streets were filled
+with knots of men talking, with scared faces, as well they might: for
+there was scarcely anybody but had lost a friend, and many thought that
+their sons or brothers were among the dead on that bloody field. Among
+others, Sir T. Shepstone lost one son, and thought for some time that he
+had lost three.
+
+Shortly after this event Sir T. Shepstone went to England to confer with
+the Secretary of State on various matters connected with the Transvaal,
+carrying with him the affection and respect of all who knew him, not
+excepting the majority of the malcontent Boers. He was succeeded by
+Colonel, now Sir Owen Lanyon, who was appointed to administer the
+Government during the absence of Sir T. Shepstone.
+
+By the Boers, however, the news of our disaster was received with great
+and unconcealed rejoicing, or at least by the irreconcilable portion of
+that people. England's necessity was their opportunity, and one of which
+they certainly meant to avail themselves. Accordingly, notices were sent
+out summoning the burghers of the Transvaal to attend a mass meeting on
+the 18th March, at a place about thirty miles from Pretoria. Emissaries
+were also sent to native chiefs, to excite them to follow Cetywayo's
+example, and massacre all the English within reach, of whom a man called
+Solomon Prinsloo was one of the most active. The natives, however,
+notwithstanding the threats used towards them, one and all declined the
+invitation.
+
+It must not be supposed that all the Boers who attended these meetings
+did so of their own free will; on the contrary, a very large number came
+under compulsion, since they found that the English authorities were
+powerless to give them protection. The recalcitrants were threatened
+with all sorts of pains and penalties if they did not attend, a
+favourite menace being that they should be made "biltong" of when the
+country was given back (i.e., be cut into strips and hung in the sun to
+dry). Few, luckily for themselves, were brave enough to tempt fortune by
+refusing to come, but those who did, have had to leave the country
+since the war. Whatever were the means employed, the result was an armed
+meeting of about 3000 Boers, who evidently meant mischief.
+
+Just about this time a corps had been raised in Pretoria, composed, for
+the most part, of gentlemen, and known as the Pretoria Horse; for the
+purpose of proceeding to the Zulu border, where cavalry, especially
+cavalry acquainted with the country, was earnestly needed. In the
+emergency of the times officials were allowed to join this corps,
+a permission of which I availed myself, and was elected one of the
+lieutenants.[*] The corps was not, after all, allowed to go to Zululand
+on account of the threatening aspect adopted by the Boers, against whom
+it was retained for service. In my capacity as an officer of the corps I
+was sent out with a small body of picked men, all good riders and light
+weights, to keep up a constant communication between the Boer camp and
+the Administrator, and found the work both interesting and exciting. My
+head-quarters were at an inn about twenty-five miles from Pretoria, to
+which our agents in the meeting used to come every evening and report
+how matters were proceeding, whereupon, if the road was clear,
+I despatched a letter to head-quarters; or, if I feared that the
+messengers would be caught _en route_ by Boer patrols and searched, I
+substituted different coloured ribbons according to what I wished to
+convey. There was a relief hidden in the trees or rocks every six
+miles, all day and most of the night, whose business it was to take the
+despatch or ribbon and gallop on with it to the next station, in which
+way we used to get the despatches into town in about an hour and a
+quarter.
+
+     [*] It is customary in South African volunteer forces to
+     allow the members to elect their own officers, provided the
+     men elected are such as the Government approves. This is
+     done, so that the corps may not afterwards be able to
+     declare that they have no confidence in their officers in
+     action, or to grumble at their treatment by them.
+
+On one or two occasions the Boers came to the inn and threatened to
+shoot us, but as our orders were to do nothing unless our lives were
+actually in danger, we took no notice. The officer who came out to
+relieve me had not, however, been there more than a day or two before he
+and all his troopers, were hunted back into Pretoria by a large mob of
+armed Boers whom they only escaped by very hard riding.
+
+Meanwhile the Boers were by degrees drawing nearer and nearer to the
+town, till at last they pitched their laagers within six miles, and
+practically besieged it. All business was stopped, the houses were
+loopholed and fortified, and advantageous positions were occupied by the
+military and the various volunteer corps. The building, normally in
+the occupation of the Government mules, fell to the lot of the Pretoria
+Horse, and, though it was undoubtedly a post of honour, I honestly
+declare that I have no wish to sleep for another month in a mule stable
+that has not been cleaned out for several years. However, by sinking
+a well, and erecting bastions and a staging for sharp-shooters, we
+converted it into an excellent fortress, though it would not have been
+of much use against artillery. Our patrols used to be out all night,
+since we chiefly feared a night attack, and generally every preparation
+was made to resist the onset that was hourly expected, and I believe
+that it was that state of preparedness that alone prevented it.
+
+Whilst this meeting was going on, and when matters had come to a point
+that seemed to render war inevitable, Sir B. Frere arrived at Pretoria
+and had several interviews with the Boer leaders, at which they
+persisted in demanding their independence, and nothing short of it.
+After a great deal of talk the meeting finally broke up without any
+actual appeal to arms, though it had, during its continuance, assumed
+many of the rights of government, such as stopping post-carts and
+individuals, and sending armed patrols about the country. The principal
+reason of its break-up was that the Zulu war was now drawing to a close,
+and the leaders saw that there would soon be plenty of troops available
+to suppress any attempt at revolt, but they also saw to what lengths
+they could go with impunity. They had for a period of nearly two months
+been allowed to throw the whole country into confusion, to openly
+violate the laws, and to intimidate and threaten Her Majesty's loyal
+subjects with war and death. The lesson was not lost on them; but they
+postponed action till a more favourable opportunity offered.
+
+Sir Bartle Frere before his departure took an opportunity at a public
+dinner given him at Potchefstroom of assuring the loyal inhabitants of
+the country that the Transvaal would never be given back.
+
+Meanwhile a new Pharaoh had arisen in Egypt, in the shape of Sir G.
+Wolseley, and on the 29th June 1879 we find him communicating the fact
+to Sir O. Lanyon in very plain language, telling him that he disapproved
+of his course of action with regard to Secocoeni, and that "in future
+you will please take orders only from me."
+
+As soon as Sir Garnet had completed his arrangements for the
+pacification of Zululand, he proceeded to Pretoria, and having caused
+himself to be sworn in as Governor, set vigorously to work. I must say
+that in his dealings with the Transvaal he showed great judgment and a
+keen appreciation of what the country needed, namely, strong government;
+the fact of the matter being, I suppose, that being very popular with
+the Home authorities he felt that he could more or less command their
+support in what he did, a satisfaction not given to most governors,
+who never know but that they may be thrown overboard in emergency, in
+lighten the ship.
+
+One of his first acts was to issue a proclamation, stating that "Whereas
+it appears that, notwithstanding repeated assurances of the contrary
+given by Her Majesty's representatives in this territory, uncertainty or
+misapprehension exists amongst some of Her Majesty's subjects as to
+the intention of Her Majesty's Government regarding the maintenance of
+British rule and sovereignty over the territory of the Transvaal:
+and whereas it is expedient that all grounds for such uncertainty or
+misapprehension should be removed once and for all beyond doubt or
+question: now therefore I do hereby proclaim and make known, in the
+name and on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen, that it is the will and
+determination of Her Majesty's Government that this Transvaal territory
+shall be, _and shall continue to be for ever_, an integral portion of
+Her Majesty's dominions in South Africa."
+
+Alas! Sir G. Wolseley's estimate of the value of a solemn pledge thus
+made in the name of Her Majesty, whose word has hitherto been held to be
+sacred, differed greatly to that of Mr. Gladstone and his Government.
+
+Sir Garnet Wolseley's operations against Secocoeni proved eminently
+successful, and were the best arranged bit of native warfare that I have
+yet heard of in South Africa. One blow was struck, and only one, but
+that was crushing. Of course the secret of his success lay in the fact
+that he had an abundance of force; but it was not ensured by that
+alone, good management being very requisite in an affair of the sort,
+especially where native allies have to be dealt with. The cost of the
+expedition, not counting other Secocoeni war expenditure, amounted to
+over 300,000 pounds, all of which is now lost to this country.
+
+Another step in the right direction undertaken by Sir Garnet was the
+establishment of an Executive Council and also of a Legislative Council,
+for the establishment of which Letters Patent were sent from Downing
+Street in November 1880.
+
+Meanwhile the Boers, paying no attention to the latter proclamation, for
+they guessed that it, like other proclamations in the Transvaal, would
+be a mere _brutum fulmen_, had assembled for another mass meeting, at
+which they went forward a step, and declared a Government which was to
+treat with the English authorities. They had now learnt that they could
+do what they liked with perfect impunity, provided they did not take
+the extreme course of massacring the English. They had yet to learn that
+they might even do that. At the termination of this meeting, a vote of
+thanks was passed to "Mr. Leonard Courtney of London, and other members
+of the British Parliament." It was wise of the Boer leaders to cultivate
+Mr. Courtney of London. As a result of this meeting, Pretorius, one of
+the principal leaders, and Bok, the secretary, were arrested on a
+charge of treason, and underwent a preliminary examination; but as the
+Secretary of State, Sir M. Hicks Beach, looked rather timidly on the
+proceeding, and the local authorities were doubtful of securing a
+verdict, the prosecution was abandoned, and necessarily did more harm
+than good, being looked upon as another proof of the impotence of the
+Government.
+
+Shortly afterwards, Sir G. Wolseley changed his tactics, and, instead
+of attempting to imprison Pretorius, offered him a seat on the Executive
+Council, with a salary attached. This was a much more sensible way
+of dealing with him, and he at once rose to the bait, stating his
+willingness to join the Government after a while, but that he could
+not publicly do so at the moment lest he should lose his influence with
+those who were to be brought round through him. It does not, however,
+appear that Mr. Pretorius ever did actually join the Executive, probably
+because he found public opinion too strong to allow him to do so.
+
+In December 1879, a new light broke upon the Boers, for, in the previous
+month Mr. Gladstone had been delivering his noted attack on the policy
+of the Conservative Government. Those Mid-Lothian speeches did harm, it
+is said, in many parts of the world; but I venture to think that they
+have proved more mischievous in South Africa than anywhere else; at any
+rate, they have borne fruit sooner. It is not to be supposed that Mr.
+Gladstone really cared anything about the Transvaal or its independence
+when he was denouncing the hideous outrage that had been perpetrated
+by the Conservative Government in annexing it. On the contrary, as he
+acquiesced in the Annexation at the time (when Lord Kimberley stated
+that it was evidently unavoidable), and declined to rescind it when he
+came into power, it is to be supposed that he really approved of it, or
+at the least looked on it as a necessary evil. However this may be, any
+stick will do to beat a dog with, and the Transvaal was a convenient
+point on which to attack the Government. He probably neither knew
+nor cared what effect his reckless words might have on ignorant Boers
+thousands of miles away; and yet, humanly speaking, many a man would
+have been alive and strong to-day, whose bones now whiten the African
+Veldt, had those words never been spoken. Then, for the first time,
+the Boers learnt that, if they played their cards properly and put
+on sufficient pressure, they would, in the event of the Liberal party
+coming to office, have little difficulty in coercing it as they wished.
+
+There was a fair chance at the time of the utterance of the Mid-Lothian
+speeches that the agitation would, by degrees, die away; Sir G. Wolseley
+had succeeded in winning over Pretorius, and the Boers in general
+were sick of mass meetings. Indeed, a memorial was addressed to Sir G.
+Wolseley by a number of Boers in the Potchefstroom district, protesting
+against the maintenance of the movement against Her Majesty's rule,
+which, considering the great amount of intimidation exercised by the
+malcontents, may be looked upon as a favourable sign.
+
+But when it slowly came to be understood among the Boers that a great
+English Minister had openly espoused their cause, and that he would
+perhaps soon be all-powerful, the moral gain to them was incalculable.
+They could now go to the doubting ones and say,--we must be right about
+the matter, because, putting our own feelings out of the question,
+the great Gladstone says we are. We find the committee of the Boer
+malcontents, at their meeting in March 1880, reading a letter to Mr.
+Gladstone, "in which he was thanked for the great sympathy shown to
+their fate," and a hope expressed that, if he succeeded in getting
+power, he would not forget them. In fact, a charming unanimity prevailed
+between our great Minister and the Boer rebels, for their interests were
+the same, the overthrow of the Conservative Government. If, however,
+every leader of the Opposition were to intrigue, or countenance
+intrigues with those who are seeking to undermine the authority of Her
+Majesty, whether they be Boers or Irishmen, in order to help himself to
+power, the country might suffer in the long run.
+
+But whatever feelings may have prompted Her Majesty's opposition, the
+Home Government, and their agent, Sir Garnet Wolseley, blew no uncertain
+blast, if we may judge from their words and actions. Thus we find
+Sir Garnet speaking as follows at a banquet given in his honour at
+Pretoria:--
+
+"I am told that these men (the Boers) are told to keep on agitating in
+this way, for a change of Government in England may give them again
+the old order of things. Nothing can show greater ignorance of English
+politics than such an idea; I tell you that there is no Government, Whig
+or Tory, Liberal, Conservative, or Radical, _who would dare under any
+circumstances to give back this country_. They would not dare, because
+the English people would not allow them. To give back the country, what
+would it mean? To give it back to external danger, to the danger of
+attack by hostile tribes on its frontier, and who, if the English
+Government were removed for one day, would make themselves felt the
+next. Not an official of Government paid for months; it would mean
+national bankruptcy. No taxes being paid, the same thing recurring again
+which had existed before would mean danger without, anarchy and civil
+war within, every possible misery; the strangulation of trade, and the
+destruction of property."
+
+It is very amusing to read this passage by the light of after events.
+On other occasions Sir Garnet Wolseley will probably not be quite so
+confident as to the future when it is to be controlled by a Radical
+Government.
+
+This explicit and straightforward statement of Sir Garnet's produced
+a great effect on the loyal inhabitants of the Transvaal, which was
+heightened by the publication of the following telegram from the
+Secretary of State:--"You may fully confirm explicit statements made
+from the time to time as to inability of Her Majesty's Government to
+entertain _any proposal_ for withdrawal of the Queen's sovereignty."
+
+On the faith of these declarations many Englishmen migrated to the
+Transvaal and settled there, whilst those who were in the country now
+invested all their means, being confident that they would not lose
+their property through its being returned to the Boers. The excitement
+produced by Mr. Gladstone's speeches began to quiet down and be
+forgotten for the time, arrear taxes were paid up by the malcontents,
+and generally the aspect of affairs was such, in Sir Garnet Wolseley's
+opinion, as justified him in writing, in April 1880, to the Secretary of
+State expressing his belief that the agitation was dying out.[*] Indeed,
+so sanguine was he on that point that he is reported to have advised the
+withdrawal of the cavalry regiment stationed in the territory, a piece
+of economy that was one of the immediate causes of the revolt.
+
+The reader will remember the financial condition of the country at the
+time of the Annexation, which was one of utter bankruptcy. After three
+years of British rule, however, we find, notwithstanding the constant
+agitation that had been kept up, that the total revenue receipts for
+the first quarter of 1879 and 1880 amounted to 22,773 pounds, and 44,982
+pounds respectively. That is to say, that, during the last year of
+British rule, the revenue of the country more than doubled itself, and
+amounted to about 160,000 pounds a-year, taking the quarterly returns at
+the low average of 40,000 pounds. It must, however, be remembered that
+this sum would have been very largely increased in subsequent years,
+most probably doubled. At any rate the revenue would have been amply
+sufficient to make the province one of the most prosperous in South
+Africa, and to have enabled it to shortly repay all debts due to the
+British Government, and further to provide for its own defence. Trade
+also, which in April 1877, was completely paralysed, had increased
+enormously. So early as the middle of 1879, the Committee of the
+Transvaal Chamber of Commerce pointed out, in a resolution adopted by
+them, that the trade of the country had in two years, risen from almost
+nothing to the considerable sum of two millions sterling per annum, and
+that it was entirely in the hands of those favourable to British rule.
+They also pointed out that more than half the land tax was paid by
+Englishmen, or other Europeans adverse to Boer Government. Land, too,
+had risen greatly in value, of which I can give the following instance.
+About a year after the Annexation I, together with a friend, bought a
+little property on the outskirts of Pretoria, which, with a cottage
+we put up on it, cost some 300 pounds. Just before the rebellion we
+fortunately determined to sell it, and had no difficulty in getting 650
+pounds for it. I do not believe that it would now fetch a fifty pound
+note.
+
+     [*] In Blue Book No. (C. 2866) of September 1881, which is
+     descriptive of various events connected with the Boer
+     rising, is published, as an appendix, a despatch from Sir
+     Garnet Wolseley, dated October 1879. This despatch declares
+     the writer's opinion that the Boer discontent is on the
+     increase. Its publication thus--_apropos des bottes_--nearly
+     two years after it was written, is rather an amusing
+     incident. It certainly gives one the idea that Sir Garnet
+     Wolseley, fearing that his reputation for infallibility
+     might be attacked by scoffers for not having foreseen the
+     Boer rebellion, and perhaps uneasily conscious of other
+     despatches very different in tenor and subsequent in date:
+     and, mindful of the withdrawal of the cavalry regiment by
+     his advice, had caused it to be tacked on to the Blue Book
+     as a documentary "I told you so," and a proof that, whoever
+     else was blinded, he foresaw. It contains, however, the
+     following remarkable passage:--"Even were it not impossible,
+     for many other reasons, to contemplate a withdrawal of our
+     authority from the Transvaal, the position of insecurity in
+     which we should leave this loyal and important section of
+     the community (the English inhabitants), by exposing them to
+     the certain retaliation of the Boers, would constitute, in
+     my opinion, an insuperable obstacle to retrocession.
+     Subjected to the same danger, moreover, would be those of
+     the Boers, whose superior intelligence and courageous
+     character has rendered them loyal to our Government."
+
+     As the Government took the trouble to publish the despatch,
+     it is a pity that they did not think fit to pay more
+     attention to its contents.
+
+I cannot conclude this chapter better than by drawing attention to a
+charming specimen of the correspondence between the Boer leaders and
+their friend Mr. Courtney. The letter in question, which is dated 26th
+June, purports to be written by Messrs. Kruger and Joubert, but it is
+obvious that it owes its origin to some member or members of the Dutch
+party at the Cape, from whence, indeed, it is written. This is rendered
+evident both by its general style, and also by the use of such terms
+as "Satrap," and by references to Napoleon III. and Cayenne, about whom
+Messrs. Kruger and Joubert know no more than they do of Peru and the
+Incas.
+
+After alluding to former letters, the writers blow a blast of triumph
+over the downfall of the Conservative Government, and then make a savage
+attack on the reputation of Sir Bartle Frere. The "stubborn Satrap" is
+throughout described as a liar, and every bad motive imputed to him.
+Really, the fact that Mr. Courtney should encourage such epistles as
+this is enough to give colour to the boast made by some of the leading
+Boers, after the war, that they had been encouraged to rebel by a member
+of the British Government.
+
+At the end of this letter, and on the same page of the Blue Book, is
+printed the telegram recalling Sir Bartle Frere, dated 1st August 1880.
+It really reads as though the second document was consequent to the
+first. One thing is very clear, the feelings of Her Majesty's new
+Government towards Sir Bartle Frere differed only in the method of their
+expression, from those set forth by the Boer leaders in their letter
+to Mr. Courtney, whilst their object, namely, to be rid of him, was
+undoubtedly identical with that of the Dutch party in South Africa.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER V
+
+THE BOER REBELLION
+
+_Accession of Mr. Gladstone to power--His letters to the Boer leaders
+and the loyals--His refusal to rescind the annexation--The Boers
+encouraged by prominent members of the Radical party--The Bezuidenhout
+incident--Despatch of troops to Potchefstroom--Mass meeting of the 8th
+December 1880--Appointment of the Triumvirate and declaration of
+the republic--Despatch of Boer proclamation to Sir O. Lanyon--His
+reply--Outbreak of hostilities at Potchefstroom--Defence of the
+court-house by Major Clarke--The massacre of the detachment of the 94th
+under Colonel Anstruther--Dr. Ward--The Boer rejoicings--The Transvaal
+placed under martial law--Abandonment of their homes by the people
+of Pretoria--Sir Owen Lanyon's admirable defence organisation--Second
+proclamation issued by the Boers--Its complete falsehood--Life at
+Pretoria during the siege--Murders of natives by the Boers--Loyal
+conduct of the native chiefs--Difficulty of preventing them from
+attacking the Boers--Occupation of Lang's Nek by the Boers--Sir George
+Colley's departure to Newcastle--The condition of that town--The attack
+on Lang's Nek--Its desperate nature--Effect of victory on the Boers--The
+battle at the Ingogo--Our defeat--Sufferings of the wounded--Major
+Essex--Advance of the Boers into Natal--Constant alarms--Expected attack
+on Newcastle--Its unorganised and indefensible condition--Arrival of the
+reinforcements and retreat of the Boers to the Nek--Despatch of General
+Wood to bring up more reinforcements--Majuba Hill--Our disaster, and
+death of Sir George Colley--Cause of our defeat--A Boer version of the
+disaster--Sir George Colley's tactics._
+
+When the Liberal ministry became an accomplished fact instead of a happy
+possibility, Mr. Gladstone did not find it convenient to adopt the line
+of policy with reference to the Transvaal, that might have been expected
+from his utterances whilst leader of the Opposition. On the contrary, he
+declared in Parliament that the Annexation could not be cancelled, and
+on the 8th June 1880 we find him, in answer to a Boer petition, written
+with the object of inducing him to act up to the spirit of his words and
+rescind the Annexation, writing thus:--"Looking to all circumstances,
+both of the Transvaal and the rest of South Africa, and to the necessity
+of preventing a renewal of disorders which might lead to disastrous
+consequences, not only to the Transvaal, but to the whole of South
+Africa, our judgment is, that the _Queen cannot be advised to relinquish
+her sovereignty over the Transvaal;_ but, consistently with the
+maintenance of that sovereignty, we desire that the white inhabitants of
+the Transvaal should, without prejudice to the rest of the population,
+enjoy the fullest liberty to manage their local affairs. We believe that
+this liberty may be most easily and promptly conceded to the Transvaal
+as a member of a South African confederation."
+
+Unless words have lost their signification, this passage certainly means
+that the Transvaal must remain a British colony, but that England will
+be prepared to grant it responsible government, more especially if it
+will consent to a confederation scheme. Mr. Gladstone, however, in a
+communication dated 1st June 1881, and addressed to the unfortunate
+Transvaal loyals, for whom he expresses "respect and sympathy,"
+interprets his meaning thus: "It is stated, as I observe, that a promise
+was given to me that the Transvaal should never be given back. There is
+no mention of the terms or date of this promise. If the reference be
+to my letter, of 8th June 1880, to Messrs. Kruger and Joubert, I do not
+think the language of that letter justifies the description given. Nor
+am I sure in what manner or to what degree the fullest liberty to manage
+their local affairs, which I then said Her Majesty's Government desired
+to confer on the white population of the Transvaal, differs from the
+settlement now about being made in its bearing on the interests of those
+whom your Committee represents."
+
+Such twisting of the meaning of words would, in a private person, be
+called dishonest. It will also occur to most people that Mr. Gladstone
+might have spared the deeply wronged and loyal subjects of Her Majesty
+whom he was addressing, the taunt he levels at them in the second
+paragraph I have quoted. If asked, he would no doubt say that he had not
+the slightest intention of laughing at them; but when he deliberately
+tells them that it makes no difference to their interests whether they
+remain Her Majesty's subjects under a responsible Government, or become
+the servants of men who were but lately in arms against them and Her
+Majesty's authority, he is either mocking them, or offering an insult to
+their understandings.
+
+By way of comment on his remarks, I may add that he had, in a letter
+replying to a petition from these same loyal inhabitants, addressed
+to him in May 1880, informed them that he had already told the Boer
+representatives that the Annexation could not be rescinded. Although
+Mr. Gladstone is undoubtedly the greatest living master of the art of
+getting two distinct and opposite sets of meanings out of one set of
+words, it would try even his ingenuity to make out, to the satisfaction
+of an impartial mind, that he never gave any pledge about the retention
+of the Transvaal.
+
+Indeed, it is from other considerations clear that he had no intention
+of giving up the country to the Boers, whose cause he appears to have
+taken up solely for electioneering purposes. Had he meant to do so,
+he would have carried out his intention on succeeding to office, and,
+indeed, as things have turned out, it is deeply to be regretted that he
+did not; for, bad as such a step would have been, it would at any rate
+have had a better appearance than our ultimate surrender after three
+defeats. It would also have then been possible to secure the repayment
+of some of the money owing to this country, and to provide for the
+proper treatment of the natives, and the compensation of the loyal
+inhabitants who could no longer live there: since it must naturally have
+been easier to make terms with the Boers before they had defeated our
+troops.
+
+On the other hand, we should have missed the grandest and most
+soul-stirring display of radical theories, practically applied, that
+has as yet lightened the darkness of this country. But although Mr.
+Gladstone gave his official decision against returning the country,
+there seems to be little doubt that communications on the subject were
+kept up with the Boer leaders through some prominent members of the
+Radical party, whom, it was said, went so far as to urge the Boers to
+take up arms against us. When Mr. White came to this country on behalf
+of the loyalists, after the surrender, he stated that this was so at a
+public meeting, and said further that he had in his possession proofs of
+his statements. He even went so far as to name the gentleman he accused,
+and to challenge him to deny it. I have not been able to gather that Mr.
+White's statements were contradicted.
+
+However this may be, after a pause, agitation in the Transvaal suddenly
+recommenced with redoubled vigour. It began through a man named
+Bezuidenhout, who refused to pay his taxes. Thereupon a waggon was
+seized in execution under the authority of the court and put up to
+auction, but its sale was prevented by a crowd of rebel Boers, who
+kicked the auctioneer off the waggon and dragged the vehicle away. This
+was on the 11th November 1880. When this intelligence reached Pretoria,
+Sir Owen Lanyon sent down a few companies of the 21st Regiment, under
+the command of Major Thornhill, to support the Landdrost in arresting
+the rioters, and appointed Captain Raaf, C.M.G., to act as special
+messenger to the Landdrost's Court at Potchefstroom, with authority
+to enrol special constables to assist him to carry out the arrests.
+On arrival at Potchefstroom Captain Raaf found that, without an armed
+force, it was quite impossible to effect any arrest. On the 26th
+November Sir Owen Lanyon, realising the gravity of the situation,
+telegraphed to Sir George Colley, asking that the 58th Regiment should
+be sent back to the Transvaal. Sir George replied that he could ill
+spare it on account of "daily expected outbreak of Pondos and possible
+appeal for help from Cape Colony," and that the Government must be
+supported by the loyal inhabitants.
+
+It will be seen that the Boers had, with some astuteness, chosen a very
+favourable time to commence operations. The hands of the Cape Government
+were full with the Basutu war, so no help could be expected from it. Sir
+G. Wolseley had sent away the only cavalry regiment that remained in the
+country, and lastly, Sir Owen Lanyon had quite recently allowed a body
+of 300 trained volunteers, mostly, if not altogether, drawn from among
+the loyalists, to be raised for service in the Basutu war, a serious
+drain upon the resources of a country so sparsely populated as the
+Transvaal.
+
+Meanwhile a mass meeting had been convened by the Boers for the 8th
+January to consider Mr. Gladstone's letter, but the Bezuidenhout
+incident had the effect of putting forward the date of assembly by a
+month, and it was announced that it would be held on the 8th December.
+Subsequently the date was shifted to the 15th, and then back again
+to the 8th. Every effort was made, by threats of future vengeance, to
+secure the presence of as many burghers as possible; attempts were
+also made to persuade the native chiefs to send representatives, and to
+promise to join in an attack on the English. These entirely failed. The
+meeting was held at a place called Paarde Kraal, and resulted in the
+sudden declaration of the Republic and the appointment of the famous
+triumvirate Kruger, Joubert, and Pretorius. It then moved into
+Heidelberg, a little town about sixty miles from Pretoria, and on
+the 16th December the Republic was formally proclaimed in a long
+proclamation, containing a summary of the events of the few preceding
+years, and declaring the arrangements the malcontents were willing to
+make with the English authorities. The terms offered in this document
+are almost identical with those finally accepted by Her Majesty's
+Government, with the exception that in the proclamation of the 16th
+December the Boer leaders declare their willingness to enter into
+confederation, and to guide their native policy by general rules adopted
+in concurrence "with the Colonies and States of South Africa." This was
+a more liberal offer than that which we ultimately agreed to, but then
+the circumstances had changed.
+
+This proclamation was forwarded to Sir Owen Lanyon with a covering
+letter, in which the following words occur:--"We declare in the most
+solemn manner that we have no desire to spill blood, and that from our
+side we do not wish war. It lies in your hands to force us to appeal
+to arms in self-defence. . . . . We expect your answer within twice
+twenty-four hours."
+
+I beg to direct particular attention to these paragraphs, as they have a
+considerable interest in view of what followed.
+
+The letter and proclamation reached Government House, Pretoria, at
+10.30 on the evening of Friday the 17th December. Sir Owen Lanyon's
+proclamation, written in reply, was handed to the messenger at noon on
+Sunday, 19th December, or within about thirty-six hours of his arrival,
+and could hardly have reached the rebel camp, sixty miles off, before
+dawn the next day, the 20th December, on which day, at about one
+o'clock, a detachment of the 94th was ambushed and destroyed on the
+road between Middelburg and Pretoria, about eighty miles off, by a force
+despatched from Heidelburg for that purpose some days before. On the
+16th December, or the _same day_ on which the Triumvirate had despatched
+the proclamation to Pretoria containing their terms, and expressing in
+the most solemn manner that they had no desire to shed blood, a large
+Boer force was attacking Potchefstroom.
+
+So much then for the sincerity of the professions of their desire to
+avoid bloodshed.
+
+The proclamation sent by Sir O. Lanyon in reply recited in its preamble
+the various acts of which the rebels had been guilty, including that
+of having "wickedly sought to incite the said loyal native inhabitants
+throughout the province to take up arms against Her Majesty's
+Government," announced that matters had now been put into the hands of
+the officer commanding Her Majesty's troops, and promised pardon to all
+who would disperse to their homes.
+
+It was at Potchefstroom, which town had all along been the nursery of
+the rebellion, that actual hostilities first broke out. Potchefstroom as
+a town is much more Boer in its sympathies than Pretoria, which is,
+or rather was, almost purely English. Sir Owen Lanyon had, as stated
+before, sent a small body of soldiers thither to support the civil
+authorities, and had also appointed Major Clarke, C.M.G., an officer
+of noted coolness and ability, to act as Special Commissioner for the
+district.
+
+Major Clarke's first step was to try, in conjunction with Captain Raaf,
+to raise a corps of volunteers, in which he totally failed. Those of the
+townsfolk who were not Boers at heart had too many business relations
+with the surrounding farmers, and perhaps too little faith in the
+stability of English rule after Mr. Gladstone's utterances, to allow
+them to indulge in patriotism. At the time of the outbreak, between
+seventy and eighty thousand sterling was owing to firms in Potchefstroom
+by neighbouring Boers, a sum amply sufficient to account for their
+lukewarmness in the English cause. Subsequent events have shown that the
+Potchefstroom shopkeepers were wise in their generation.
+
+On the 15th December a large number of Boers came into the town and took
+possession of the printing-office in order to print the proclamation
+already alluded to. Major Clarke made two attempts to enter the office
+and see the leaders, but without success.
+
+On the 16th a Boer patrol fired on some of the mounted infantry, and the
+fire was returned. These were the first shots fired during the war, and
+they were fired by Boers. Orders were thereupon signalled to Clarke by
+Lieutenant-Colonel Winsloe, 21st Regiment, now commanding at the fort
+which he afterwards defended so gallantly, that he was to commence
+firing. Clarke was in the Landdrost's office on the Market Square with a
+force of about twenty soldiers under Captain Falls and twenty civilians
+under Captain Raaf, C.M.G., a position but ill-suited for defensive
+purposes, from whence fire was accordingly opened, the Boers taking up
+positions in the surrounding houses commanding the office. Shortly after
+the commencement of the fighting, Captain Falls was shot dead whilst
+talking to Major Clarke, the latter having a narrow escape, a bullet
+grazing his head just above the ear. The fighting continued during
+the 17th and till the morning of the 18th, when the Boers succeeded in
+firing the roof, which was of thatch, by throwing fire-balls on to
+it. Major Clarke then addressed the men, telling them that, though
+personally he did not care about his own life, he did not see that
+they could serve any useful purpose by being burned alive, so he should
+surrender, which he did, with a loss of about six killed and wounded.
+The camp meanwhile had repulsed with loss the attack made on it, and was
+never again directly attacked.
+
+Whilst these events were in progress at Potchefstroom, a much more awful
+tragedy was in preparation on the road between Middelburg and Pretoria.
+
+On the 23rd November Colonel Bellairs, at the request of Sir Owen
+Lanyon, directed a concentration on Pretoria of most of the few soldiers
+that there were in the territory, in view of the disturbed condition of
+the country. In accordance with these orders, Colonel Anstruther
+marched from Lydenburg, a town about 180 miles from Pretoria, on the 5th
+December, with the headquarters and two companies of the 94th Regiment,
+being a total of 264 men, three women, and two children, and the
+disproportionately large train of thirty-four ox-waggons, or an
+ox-waggon capable of carrying five thousand pounds' weight to every
+eight persons. And here I may remark that it is this enormous amount of
+baggage, without which it appears to be impossible to move the smallest
+body of men, that renders infantry regiments almost useless for service
+in South Africa except for garrisoning purposes. Both Zulus and Boers
+can get over the ground at thrice the pace possible to the unfortunate
+soldier, and both races despise them accordingly. The Zulus call our
+infantry "pack oxen." In this particular instance, Colonel Anstruther's
+defeat, or rather, annihilation, is to a very great extent referable to
+his enormous baggage train; since, in the first place, had he not lost
+valuable days in collecting more waggons, he would have been safe in
+Pretoria before danger arose. It must also be acknowledged that his
+arrangements on the line of march were somewhat reckless, though it can
+hardly be said that he was ignorant of his danger. Thus we find that
+Colonel Bellairs wrote to Colonel Anstruther, warning him of the
+probability of an attack, and impressing on him the necessity of keeping
+a good look-out, the letter being received and acknowledged by the
+latter on the 17th December.
+
+To this warning was added a still more impressive one, that came to
+my knowledge privately. A gentleman well known to me received, on the
+morning after the troops had passed through the town of Middelburg on
+their way to Pretoria, a visit from an old Boer with whom he was on
+friendly terms, who had purposely come to tell him that a large patrol
+was out to ambush the troops on the Pretoria road. My informant having
+convinced himself of the truth of the statement, at once rode after
+the soldiers, and catching them up some distance from Middelburg, told
+Colonel Anstruther what he had heard, imploring him, he said, with
+all the energy he could command, to take better precautions against
+surprise. The Colonel, however, laughed at his fears, and told him that
+if the Boers came "he would frighten them away with the big drum."
+
+At one o'clock on Sunday, the 20th December, the column was marching
+along about a mile and a half from a place known as Bronker's Spruit,
+and thirty-eight miles from Pretoria, when suddenly a large number of
+mounted Boers were seen in loose formation on the left side of the road.
+The band was playing at the time, and the column was extended over more
+than half a mile, the rear-guard being about a hundred yards behind
+the last waggon. The band stopped playing on seeing the Boers, and the
+troops halted, when a man was seen advancing with a white flag, whom
+Colonel Anstruther went out to meet, accompanied by Conductor Egerton,
+a civilian. They met about one hundred and fifty yards from the column,
+and the man gave Colonel Anstruther a letter, which announced the
+establishment of the South African Republic, stated that until they
+heard Lanyon's reply to their proclamation they did not know if they
+were at war or not; that, consequently, they could not allow any
+movements of troops which would be taken as a declaration of war. This
+letter was signed by Joubert, one of the Triumvirate. Colonel Anstruther
+replied that he was ordered to Pretoria, and to Pretoria he must go.
+
+Whilst this conference was going on, the Boers, of whom there were
+quite five hundred, had gradually closed round the column, and took up
+positions behind rocks and trees which afforded them excellent cover,
+whilst the troops were on a bare plain, and before Colonel Anstruther
+reached his men a murderous fire was poured in upon them from all sides.
+The fire was hotly returned by the soldiers. Most of the officers were
+struck down by the first volley, having, no doubt, been picked out by
+the marksmen. The firing lasted about fifteen minutes, and at the end of
+that time seven out of the nine officers were down killed and wounded;
+an eighth (Captain Elliot), one of two who escaped untouched, being
+reserved for an even more awful fate. The majority of the men were also
+down, and had the hail of lead continued much longer it is clear that
+nobody would have been left. Colonel Anstruther, who was lying badly
+wounded in five places, seeing what a hopeless state affairs were in,
+ordered the bugler to sound the cease firing, and surrendered. One of
+the three officers who were not much hurt was, most providentially, Dr.
+Ward, who had but a slight wound in the thigh; all the others, except
+Captain Elliot and one lieutenant, were either killed or died from
+the effects of their wounds. There were altogether 56 killed and 101
+wounded, including a woman, Mrs. Fox. Twenty more afterwards died of
+their wounds. The Boer loss appears to have been very small.
+
+After the fight Conductor Egerton, with a sergeant, was allowed to walk
+into Pretoria to obtain medical assistance, the Boers refusing to give
+him a horse, or even to allow him to use his own. The Boer leader also
+left Dr. Ward eighteen men and a few stores for the wounded, with which
+he made shift as best he could. Nobody can read this gentleman's report
+without being much impressed with the way in which, though wounded
+himself, he got through his terrible task of, without assistance,
+attending to the wants of 101 sufferers. Beginning the task at two P.M.,
+it took him till six the next morning before he had seen the last man.
+It is to be hoped that his services have met with some recognition. Dr.
+Ward remained near the scene of the massacre with his wounded men till
+the declaration of peace, when he brought them down to Maritzburg,
+having experienced great difficulty in obtaining food for them during so
+many weeks.
+
+This is a short account of what I must, with reluctance, call a most
+cruel and carefully planned massacre. I may mention that a Zulu driver,
+who was with the rear-guard, and escaped into Natal, stated that the
+Boers shot all the wounded men who formed that body. His statement was
+to a certain extent borne out by the evidence of one of the survivors,
+who stated that all the bodies found in that part of the field (nearly
+three-quarters of a mile away from the head of the column), had a bullet
+hole through the head or breast in addition to their other wounds.
+
+The Administrator in the Transvaal in council thus comments on the
+occurrence in an official minute:--"The surrounding and gradual hemming
+in under a flag of truce of a force, and the selection of spots from
+which to direct their fire, as in the case of the unprovoked attack by
+the rebels upon Colonel Anstruther's force, is a proceeding of which
+very few like incidents can be mentioned in the annals of civilised
+warfare."
+
+The Boer leaders, however, were highly elated at their success,
+and celebrated it in a proclamation of which the following is an
+extract:--"Inexpressible is the gratitude of the burghers for this
+blessing conferred on them. Thankful to the brave General F. Joubert and
+his men who have upheld the honour of the Republic on the battlefield.
+Bowed down in the dust before Almighty God, who had thus stood by them,
+and, with a loss of over a hundred of the enemy, only allowed two of
+ours to be killed."
+
+In view of the circumstances of the treacherous hemming in and
+destruction of this small body of unprepared men, most people would
+think this language rather high-flown, not to say blasphemous.
+
+On the news of this disaster reaching Pretoria, Sir Owen Lanyon issued
+a proclamation placing the country under martial law. As the town
+was large, straggling, and incapable of defence, all the inhabitants,
+amounting to over four thousand souls, were ordered up to camp, where
+the best arrangements possible were made for their convenience. In these
+quarters they remained for three months, driven from their comfortable
+homes, and cheerfully enduring all the hardships, want, and discomforts
+consequence on their position, whilst they waited in patience for the
+appearance of that relieving column that never came. People in England
+hardly understand what these men and women went through because they
+chose to remain loyal. Let them suppose that all the inhabitants of an
+ordinary English town, with the exception of the class known as poor
+people, which can hardly be said to exist in a colony, were at an hour's
+notice ordered--all, the aged, and the sick, delicate women, and tiny
+children--to leave their homes to the mercy of the enemy, and crowd up
+in a little space under shelter of a fort, with nothing but canvas tents
+or sheds to cover them from the fierce summer suns and rains, and the
+coarsest rations to feed them; whilst the husbands and brothers were
+daily engaged with a cunning and dangerous enemy, and sometimes brought
+home wounded or dead. They will, then, have some idea of what was gone
+through by the loyal people of Pretoria, in their weak confidence in the
+good faith of the English Government.
+
+The arrangements made for the defence of the town were so ably and
+energetically carried out by Sir Owen Lanyon, assisted by the military
+officers, that no attack upon it was ever attempted. It seems to me that
+the organisation that could provide for the penning up of four thousand
+people for months, and carry it out without the occurrence of a single
+unpleasantness or expression of discontent, must have had something
+remarkable about it. Of course, it would have been impossible without
+the most loyal co-operation on the part of those concerned. Indeed,
+everybody in the town lent a helping hand; judges served out rations,
+members of the Executive inspected nuisances, and so forth. There was
+only one instance of "striking;" and then, of all people in the world,
+it was the five civil doctors who, thinking it a favourable opportunity
+to fleece the Government, combined to demand five guineas a-day each
+for their services. I am glad to say that they did not succeed in their
+attempt at extortion.
+
+On the 23d December, the Boer leaders issued a second proclamation in
+reply to that of Sir O. Lanyon of the 18th, which is characterised by
+an utter absence of regard for the truth, being, in fact, nothing but
+a tissue of impudent falsehoods. It accuses Sir O. Lanyon of having
+bombarded women and children, of arming natives against the Boers,
+and of firing on the Boers without declaring war. Not one of these
+accusations has any foundation in fact, as the Boers well knew; but
+they also knew that Sir Owen, being shut up in Pretoria, was not in a
+position to rebut their charges, which they hoped might, to some extent,
+be believed, and create sympathy for them in other parts of the world.
+This was the reason for the issue of the proclamation, which well
+portrays the character of its framers.
+
+Life at Pretoria was varied by occasional sorties against the Boer
+laagers, situated at different points in the neighbourhood, generally
+about six or eight miles from the town. These expeditions were carried
+out with considerable success, though with some loss, the heaviest
+incurred being when the Boers, having treacherously hoisted the white
+flag, opened a heavy fire on the Pretoria forces, as soon as they,
+beguiled into confidence, emerged from their cover. In the course of the
+war, one in every four of the Pretoria mounted volunteers was killed or
+wounded.
+
+But perhaps the most serious of all the difficulties the Government had
+to meet, was that of keeping the natives in check. As has before been
+stated they were devotedly attached to our rule, and, during the three
+years of its continuance, had undergone what was to them a strange
+experience, they had neither been murdered, beaten, or enslaved.
+Naturally they were in no hurry to return to the old order of things, in
+which murder, flogging, and slavery were events of everyday occurrence.
+Nor did the behaviour of the Boers on the outbreak of the war tend
+to reconcile them to any such idea. Thus we find that the farmers had
+pressed a number of natives from Waterberg into one of their laagers
+(Zwart Koppies); two of them tried to run away, a Boer saw them and
+shot them both. Again, on the 7th January a native reported to the
+authorities at Pretoria that he and some others were returning from the
+Diamond Fields driving some sheep. A Boer came and asked them to sell
+the sheep. They refused, whereupon he went away, but returning with some
+other Dutchmen fired on the Kafirs, killing one.
+
+On the 2d January information reached Pretoria that on the 26th December
+some Boers fired on some natives who were resting outside Potchefstroom
+and killed three; the rest fled, whereupon the Boers took the cattle
+they had with them.
+
+On the 11th January some men, who had been sent from Pretoria with
+despatches for Standerton, were taken prisoners. Whilst prisoners they
+saw ten men returning from the Fields stopped by the Boers and ordered
+to come to the laager. They refused and ran away, were fired on, five
+being killed and one getting his arm broken.
+
+These are a few instances of the treatment meted out to the unfortunate
+natives, taken at haphazard from the official reports. There are plenty
+more of the same nature if anybody cares to read them.
+
+As soon as the news of the rising reached them, every chief of any
+importance sent in to offer aid to Government, and many of them,
+especially Montsoia, our old ally in the Keate Award district, took the
+loyals of the neighbourhood under their protection. Several took charge
+of Government property and cattle during the disturbances, and one
+had four or five thousand pounds in gold, the product of a recently
+collected tax given him to take care of by the Commissioner of his
+district, who was afraid that the money would be seized by the Boers.
+In every instance the property entrusted to their charge was returned
+intact. The loyalty of all the native chiefs under very trying
+circumstances (for the Boers were constantly attempting to cajole or
+frighten them into joining them) is a remarkable proof of the great
+affection of the Kafirs, more especially those of the Basutu tribes,
+who love peace better than war, for the Queen's rule. The Government of
+Pretoria need only have spoken one word, to set an enormous number of
+armed men in motion against the Boers, with the most serious results to
+the latter. Any other Government in the world would, in its extremity,
+have spoken that word, but, fortunately for the Boers, it is against
+English principles to set black against white under any circumstances.
+
+Besides the main garrison at Pretoria there were forts defended by
+soldiery and loyals at the following places:--Potchefstroom, Rustenburg,
+Lydenburg, Marabastad, and Wakkerstroom, none of which were taken by the
+Boers.[*]
+
+     [*] Colonel Winsloe, however, being short of provisions, was
+     beguiled by the fraudulent representations and acts of the
+     Boer commander into surrendering the fort at Potchefstroom
+     during the armistice.
+
+One of the first acts of the Triumvirate was to despatch a large force
+from Heidelberg with orders to advance into Natal Territory, and seize
+the pass over the Drakensberg known as Lang's Nek, so as to dispute the
+advance of any relieving column. This movement was promptly executed,
+and strong Boer troops patrolled Natal country almost up to Newcastle.
+
+The news of the outbreak, followed as it was by that of the Bronker's
+Spruit massacre, and Captain Elliot's murder, created a great excitement
+in Natal. All available soldiers were at once despatched up country,
+together with a naval brigade, who, on arrival at Newcastle, brought up
+the strength of the Imperial troops of all arms to about a thousand men.
+On the 10th January Sir George Colley left Maritzburg to join the force
+at Newcastle, but at this time nobody dreamt that he meant to attack the
+Nek with such an insignificant column. It was known that the loyals
+and troops who were shut up in the various towns in the Transvaal
+had sufficient provisions to last for some months, and that there was
+therefore nothing to necessitate a forlorn hope. Indeed the possibility
+of Sir George Colley attempting to enter the Transvaal was not even
+speculated upon until just before his advance, it being generally
+considered as out of the question.
+
+The best illustration I can give of the feeling that existed about the
+matter is to quote my own case. I had been so unfortunate as to land in
+Natal with my wife and servants just as the Transvaal troubles began,
+my intention being to proceed to a place I had near Newcastle. For some
+weeks I remained in Maritzburg, but finding that the troops were to
+concentrate on Newcastle, and being besides heartily wearied of the
+great expense and discomfort of hotel life in that town, I determined
+to go on up country, looking on it as being as safe as any place in the
+Colony. Of course the possibility of Sir George attacking the Nek before
+the arrival of the reinforcements did not enter into my calculations, as
+I thought it a venture that no sensible man would undertake. On the day
+of my start, however, there was a rumour about the town that the General
+was going to attack the Boer position. Though I did not believe it,
+I thought it as well to go and ask the Colonial Secretary, Colonel
+Mitchell, privately, if there was any truth in it, adding that if
+there was, as I had a pretty intimate knowledge of the Boers and their
+shooting powers, and what the inevitable result of such a move would be,
+I should certainly prefer, as I had ladies with me, to remain where I
+was. Colonel Mitchell told me frankly that he knew no more about Sir
+George's plans than I did; but he added I might be sure that so able and
+prudent a soldier would not do anything rash. His remark concurred with
+my own opinion; so I started, and on arrival at Newcastle a week later
+was met by the intelligence that Sir George had advanced that morning to
+attack the Nek. To return was almost impossible, since both horses
+and travellers were pretty nearly knocked up. Also, anybody who has
+travelled with his family in summer-time over the awful track of
+alternate slough and boulders between Maritzburg and Newcastle, known in
+the Colony as a road, will understand, that at the time, the adventurous
+voyagers would far rather risk being shot than face a return journey.
+
+The only thing to do under the circumstances was to await the course
+of events, which were now about to develop themselves with startling
+rapidity. The little town of Newcastle was at this time an odd sight,
+and remained so all through the war. The hotels were crowded to
+overflowing with refugees, and on every spare patch of land were erected
+tents, mud huts, canvas houses, and every kind of covering that could
+be utilised under the pressure of necessity, to house the many homeless
+families who had succeeded in effecting their escape from the Transvaal,
+many of whom were reduced to great straits.
+
+On the morning of the 28th January, anybody listening attentively in the
+neighbourhood of Newcastle could hear the distant boom of heavy guns. We
+were not kept long in suspense, for in the afternoon news arrived
+that Sir George had attacked the Nek, and failed with heavy loss.
+The excitement in the town was intense, for, in addition to other
+considerations, the 58th Regiment, which had suffered most, had been
+quartered there for some time, and both the officers and men were
+personally known to the inhabitants.
+
+The story of the fight is well known, and needs little repetition, and a
+sad story it is. The Boers, who at that time were some 2000 strong, were
+posted and entrenched on steep hills, against which Sir George Colley
+hurled a few hundred soldiers. It was a forlorn hope, but so gallant
+was the charge, especially that of the mounted squadron led by Major
+Bronlow, that at one time it nearly succeeded. But nothing could stand
+under the withering fire from the Boer schanses, and as regards the foot
+soldiers, they never had a chance. Colonel Deane tried to take them up
+the hill with a rush, with the result that by the time they reached the
+top, some of the men were actually sick from exhaustion, and none could
+hold a rifle steady. There on the bare hill-top, they crouched and lay,
+while the pitiless fire from redoubt and rock lashed them like hail,
+till at last human nature could bear it no longer, and what was left of
+them retired slowly down the slope. But for many, that gallant charge
+was their last earthly action. As they charged they fell, and where they
+fell they were afterwards buried. The casualties, killed and wounded,
+amounted to 195, which, considering the small number of troops engaged
+in the actual attack, is enormously heavy, and shows more plainly than
+words can tell, the desperate nature of the undertaking. Amongst the
+killed were Colonel Deane, Major Poole, Major Hingeston, and Lieutenant
+Elwes. Major Essex was the only staff officer engaged who escaped,
+the same officer who was one of the fortunate four who lived through
+Isandhlwana. On this occasion his usual good fortune attended him,
+for though his horse was killed and his helmet knocked off, he was not
+touched. The Boer loss was very trivial.
+
+Sir George Colley, in his admirably lucid despatch about this occurrence
+addressed to the Secretary of State for War, does not enter much into
+the question as to the motives that prompted him to attack, simply
+stating that his object was to relieve the besieged towns. He does not
+appear to have taken into consideration, what was obvious to anybody who
+knew the country and the Boers, that even if he had succeeded in forcing
+the Nek, in itself almost an impossibility, he could never have operated
+with any success in the Transvaal with so small a column, without
+cavalry, and with an enormous train of waggons. He would have been
+harassed day and night by the Boer skirmishers, his supplies cut off,
+and his advance made practically impossible. Also the Nek would have
+been re-occupied behind him, since he could not have detached sufficient
+men to hold it, and in all probability Newcastle, his base of supplies,
+would have fallen into the hands of the enemy.
+
+The moral effect of our defeat on the Boers was very great. Up to this
+time there had been many secret doubts amongst a large section of them
+as to what the upshot of an encounter with the troops might be; and with
+this party, in the same way that defeat, or even the anxiety of waiting
+to be attacked, would have turned the scale one way, victory turned it
+the other. It gave them unbounded confidence in their own superiority,
+and infused a spirit of cohesion and mutual reliance into their ranks
+which had before been wanting. Waverers wavered no longer, but gave a
+loyal adherence to the good cause, and, what was still more acceptable,
+large numbers of volunteers,--whatever President Brand may say to the
+contrary,--poured in from the Orange Free State.
+
+What Sir George Colley's motive was in making so rash a move is, of
+course, quite inexplicable to the outside observer. It was said at the
+time in Natal that he was a man with a theory: namely, that small bodies
+of men properly handled were as useful and as likely to obtain the
+object in view as a large force. Whether or no this was so, I am not
+prepared to say; but it is undoubtedly the case that very clever men
+have sometimes very odd theories, and it may be that he was a striking
+instance in point.
+
+For some days after the battle at Lang's Nek affairs were quiet, and
+it was hoped that they would remain so till the arrival of the
+reinforcements, which were on their way out. The hope proved a vain
+one. On the 7th February it was reported that the escort proceeding
+from Newcastle to the General's camp with the post, a distance of about
+eighteen miles, had been fired on and forced to return.
+
+On the 8th, about mid-day, we were all startled by the sound of
+fighting, proceeding apparently from a hill known as Scheins Hoogte,
+about ten miles from Newcastle. It was not know that the General
+contemplated any move, and everybody was entirely at a loss to know what
+was going on, the general idea being, however, that the camp near Lang's
+Nek had been abandoned, and that Sir George was retiring on Newcastle.
+
+The firing grew hotter and hotter, till at last it was perfectly
+continuous, the cannon evidently being discharged as quickly as they
+could be loaded, whilst their dull booming was accompanied by the
+unceasing crash and roll of the musketry. Towards three o'clock the
+firing slackened, and we thought it was all over, one way or the other,
+but about five o'clock it broke out again with increased vigour. At dusk
+it finally ceased. About this time some Kafirs came to my house and told
+us that an English force was hemmed in on a hill this side of the
+Ingogo River, that they were fighting bravely, but that "their arms were
+tired," adding that they thought they would be all killed at night.
+
+Needless to say we spent that night with heavy hearts, expecting every
+minute to hear the firing begin again, and ignorant of what fate had
+befallen our poor soldiers on the hill. Morning put an end to our
+suspense, and we then learnt that we had suffered what, under the
+circumstances, amounted to a crushing defeat. It appears that Sir George
+had moved out with a force of five companies of the 60th Regiment, two
+guns, and a few mounted men, to, in his own words, "patrol the road,
+and meet and escort some waggons expected from Newcastle." As soon as
+he passed the Ingogo he was surrounded by a body of Boers sent after him
+from Lang's Nek, on a small triangular plateau, and sharply assailed
+on all sides. With a break of about two hours, from three to five, the
+assault was kept up till nightfall, with very bad results so far as we
+were concerned, seeing that out of a body of about 500 men, over 150
+were killed and wounded. The reinforcements sent for from the camp
+apparently did not come into action. For some unexplained reason the
+Boers did not follow up their attack that night, perhaps because they
+did not think it possible that our troops could effect their escape back
+to the camp, and considered that the next morning would be soon enough
+to return and finish the business. The General, however, determined to
+get back, and scratch teams of such mules, riding-horses, and oxen as
+had lived through the day being harnessed to the guns, the dispirited
+and exhausted survivors of the force managed to ford the Ingogo, now
+swollen by rain which had fallen in the afternoon, poor Lieutenant
+Wilkinson, the Adjutant of the 60th, losing his life in the operation,
+and to struggle through the dense darkness back to camp.
+
+On the hill-top they had lately held, the dead lay thick. There, too,
+exposed to the driving rain and bitter wind lay the wounded, many of
+whom would be dead before the rising of the morrow's sun. It must,
+indeed, have been a sight never to be forgotten by those who saw it. The
+night--I remember well--was cold and rainy, the great expanses of hill
+and plain being sometimes lit by the broken gleams of an uncertain moon,
+and sometimes plunged into intensest darkness by the passing of a heavy
+cloud. Now and again flashes of lightning threw every crag and outline
+into vivid relief, and the deep muttering of distant thunder made the
+wild gloom more solemn. Then a gust of icy wind would come tearing down
+the valleys to be followed by a pelting thunder shower--and thus the
+night wore away.
+
+When one reflects what discomfort, and even danger, an ordinary healthy
+person would suffer if left after a hard day's work to lie all night in
+the rain and wind on the top of a stony mountain, without food, or
+even water to assuage his thirst, it becomes to some degree possible to
+realise what the sufferings of our wounded after the battle of Ingogo
+must have been. Those who survived were next day taken to the hospital
+at Newcastle.
+
+What Sir George Colley's real object was in exposing himself to the
+attack has never transpired. It can hardly have been to clear the road,
+as he says in his despatch, because the road was not held by the enemy,
+but only visited occasionally by their patrols. The result of the battle
+was to make the Boers, whose losses were trifling, more confident than
+ever, and to greatly depress our soldiers. Sir George had now lost
+between three and four hundred men, out of his column of little over
+a thousand, which was thereby entirely crippled. Of his staff Officers
+Major Essex now alone survived, his usual good fortune having carried
+him safe through the battle of Ingogo. What makes his repeated escapes
+the more remarkable is that he was generally to be found in the heaviest
+firing. A man so fortunate as Major Essex ought to be rewarded for his
+good fortune if for no other reason, though, if reports are true,
+there would be no need to fall back on that to find grounds on which to
+advance a soldier who has always borne himself so well.
+
+Another result of the Ingogo battle was that the Boers, knowing that we
+had no force to cut them off, and always secure of a retreat into
+the Free State, passed round Newcastle in Free State Territory, and
+descended from fifteen hundred to two thousand strong into Natal for the
+purpose of destroying the reinforcements which were now on their way up
+under General Wood. This was on the 11th of February, and from that date
+till the 18th, the upper districts of Natal were in the hands of the
+enemy, who cut the telegraph wires, looted waggons, stole herds of
+cattle and horses, and otherwise amused themselves at the expense of Her
+Majesty's subjects in Natal.
+
+It was a very anxious time for those who knew what Boers are capable of,
+and had women and children to protect, and who were never sure if their
+houses would be left standing over their heads from one day to another.
+
+Every night we were obliged to place out Kafirs as scouts to give us
+timely warning of the approach of marauding parties, and to sleep with
+loaded rifles close to our hands, and sometimes, when things looked very
+black, in our clothes, with horses ready saddled in the stable. Nor were
+our fears groundless, for one day a patrol of some five hundred Boers
+encamped on the next place, which by the way belonged to a Dutchman,
+and stole all the stock on it, the property of an Englishman. They also
+intercepted a train of waggons, destroyed the contents, and burnt them.
+Numerous were the false alarms it was our evil fortune to experience.
+For instance, one night I was sitting in the drawing-room reading, about
+eleven o'clock, with a door leading on to the verandah slightly ajar,
+for the night was warm, when suddenly I heard myself called by name in
+a muffled voice, and asked if the place was in the possession of the
+Boers. Looking towards the door I saw a full-cocked revolver coming
+round the corner, and on opening it in some alarm, I could indistinctly
+discern a line of armed figures in a crouching attitude stretching along
+the verandah into the garden beyond. It turned out to be a patrol of
+the mounted police, who had received information that a large number of
+Boers had seized the place and had come to ascertain the truth of the
+report. As we gathered from them that the Boers were certainly near, we
+did not pass a very comfortable night.
+
+Meanwhile, we were daily expecting to hear that the troops had been
+attacked along the line of march, and knowing the nature of the country
+and the many opportunities it affords for ambuscading and destroying one
+of our straggling columns encumbered with innumerable waggons, we had
+the worst fears for the result. At length a report reached us to the
+effect that the reinforcements were expected on the morrow, and that
+they were not going to cross the Ingagaan at the ordinary drift, which
+was much commanded by hills, but at a lower drift on our own place,
+about three miles from Newcastle, which was only slightly commanded. We
+also heard that it was the intention of the Boers to attack them at this
+point and to fall back on my house and the hills beyond. Accordingly, we
+thought it about time to retreat, and securing a few valuables such as
+plate, we made our way into the town, leaving the house and its contents
+to take their chance. At Newcastle an attack was daily expected, if for
+no other reason, to obtain possession of the stores collected there.
+
+The defences of the place were, however, in a wretched condition,
+no proper outlook was kept, and there was an utter want of effective
+organisation. The military element at the camp had enough to do to look
+after itself, and did not concern itself with the safety of the town;
+and the mounted police--a Colonial force paid by the Colony--had been
+withdrawn from the little forts round Newcastle, as the General wanted
+them for other purposes, and a message sent that the town must defend
+its own forts. There were, it is true, a large number of able-bodied men
+in the place who were willing to fight, but they had no organisation.
+The very laager was not finished until the danger was past.
+
+Then there was a large party who were for surrendering the town to the
+Boers, because if they fought it might afterwards injure their trade.
+With this section of the population the feeling of patriotism was
+strong, no doubt, but that of pocket was stronger. I am convinced that
+the Boers would have found the capture of Newcastle an easy task, and I
+confess that what I then saw did not inspire me with great hopes of the
+safety of the Colony when it gets responsible government, and has to
+depend for protection on burgher forces. Colonial volunteer forces are,
+I think, as good troops as any in the world; but an unorganised colonial
+mob, pulled this way and that by different sentiments and interests,
+is as useless as any other mob, with the difference that it is more
+impatient of control.
+
+For some unknown reason the Boer leaders providentially changed their
+minds about attacking the reinforcements, and their men were withdrawn
+to the Nek as swiftly and silently as they had been advanced, and on
+the 17th February the reinforcements marched into Newcastle to the very
+great relief of the inhabitants, who had been equally anxious for their
+own safety and that of the troops. Personally, I was never in my life
+more pleased to see Her Majesty's uniform; and we were equally rejoiced
+on returning home to find that nothing had been injured. After this we
+had quiet for a while.
+
+On the 21st February, we heard that two fresh regiments had been sent up
+to the camp at Lang's Nek, and that General Wood had been ordered down
+country by Sir George Colley to bring up more reinforcements. This item
+of news caused much surprise, as nobody could understand, why, now that
+the road was clear, and that there was little chance of its being again
+blocked, a General should be sent down to do work, which could, to all
+appearance, have been equally well done by the Officers in command
+of the reinforcing regiments, with the assistance of their transport
+riders. It was, however, understood that an agreement had been entered
+into between the two Generals, that no offensive operations should be
+undertaken till Wood returned.
+
+With the exception of occasional scares, there was no further excitement
+till Sunday the 27th February, when, whilst sitting on the verandah
+after lunch, I thought I heard the sound of distant artillery. Others
+present differed with me, thinking the sound was caused by thunder, but
+as I adhered to my opinion, we determined to ride into town and see.
+On arrival there, we found the place full of rumours, from which we
+gathered that some fresh disaster had occurred: and that messages were
+pouring down the wires from Mount Prospect camp. We then went on to
+camp, thinking that we should learn more there, but they knew nothing
+about it, several officers asking us what new "shave" we had got hold
+of. A considerable number of troops had been marched from Newcastle that
+morning to go to Mount Prospect, but when it was realised that something
+had occurred, they were stopped, and marched back again. Bit by bit we
+managed to gather the truth. At first we heard that our men had made a
+most gallant resistance on the hill, mowing down the advancing enemy by
+hundreds, till at last, their ammunition failing, they fought with
+their bayonets, using stones and meat tins as missiles. I wish that our
+subsequent information had been to the same effect.
+
+It appears that on the evening of the 26th, Sir George Colley, after
+mess, suddenly gave orders for a force of a little over six hundred men,
+consisting of detachments from no less than three different regiments,
+the 58th, 60th, 92d, and the Naval Brigade, to be got ready for an
+expedition, without revealing his plans to anybody, until late in the
+afternoon: and then without more ado, marched them up to the top of
+Majuba--a great square-topped mountain to the right of, and commanding
+the Boer position at Lang's Nek. The troops reached the top about three
+in the morning, after a somewhat exhausting climb, and were stationed at
+different points of the plateau in a scientific way. Whilst the darkness
+lasted, they could, by the glittering of the watch-fires, trace from
+this point of vantage the position of the Boer laagers that lay 2000
+yards beneath them, whilst the dawn of day revealed every detail of the
+defensive works, and showed the country lying at their feet like a map.
+
+On arrival at the top, it was represented to the General that a rough
+entrenchment should be thrown up, but he would not allow it to be done
+on account of the men being wearied with their marching up. This was a
+fatal mistake. Behind an entrenchment, however slight, one would think
+that 600 English soldiers might have defied the whole Boer army, and
+much more the 200 or 300 men by whom they were hunted down Majuba. It
+appears that about 10.15 A.M. Colonel Steward and Major Fraser
+again went to General Colley "to arrange to start the sailors on an
+entrenchment" . . . "Finding the ground so exposed, the General did not
+give orders to entrench."
+
+As soon as the Boers found out that the hill was in the occupation of
+the English, their first idea was to leave the Nek, and they began
+to inspan with that object, but discovering that there were no guns
+commanding them, they changed their mind, and set to work to storm the
+hill instead. As far as I have been able to gather, the number of Boers
+who took the mountain was about 300, or possibly 400; I do not think
+there were more than that. The Boers themselves declare solemnly that
+they were only 100 strong, but this I do not believe. They slowly
+advanced up the hill till about 11.30, when the real attack began,
+the Dutchmen coming on more rapidly and confidently, and shooting with
+ever-increasing accuracy, as they found our fire quite ineffective.
+
+About a quarter to one, our men retreated to the last ridge, and General
+Colley was shot through the head. After this, the retreat became a rout,
+and the soldiers rushed pell-mell down the precipitous sides of the
+hill, the Boers knocking them over by the score as they went, till they
+were out of range. A few were also, I heard, killed by the shells from
+the guns that were advanced from the camp to cover the retreat, but as
+this does not appear in the reports, perhaps it is not true. Our loss
+was about 200 killed and wounded, including Sir George Colley, Drs.
+Landon and Cornish, and Commander Romilly, who was shot with an
+explosive bullet, and died after some days' suffering. When the wounded
+Commander was being carried to a more sheltered spot, it was with great
+difficulty that the Boers were prevented from massacring him as he lay,
+they being under the impression that he was Sir Garnet Wolseley. As was
+the case at Ingogo, the wounded were left on the battlefield all night
+in very inclement weather, to which some of them succumbed. It is
+worthy of note that after the fight was over, they were treated with
+considerable kindness by the Boers.
+
+Not being a soldier, of course I cannot venture to give any military
+reasons as to how it was, that what was after all a considerable force,
+was so easily driven from a position of great natural strength; but
+I think I may, without presumption, state my opinion was to the real
+cause, which was the villanous shooting of the British soldier. Though
+the troops did not, as was said at the time, run short of ammunition,
+it is clear that they fired away a great many rounds at men who, in
+storming the hill, must necessarily have exposed themselves more or
+less, of whom they managed to hit--certainly not more than six or
+seven,--which was the outside of the Boer casualties. From this it is
+clear that they can neither judge distance nor hit a moving object, nor
+did they probably know that when shooting down hill it is necessary to
+aim low. Such shooting as the English soldier is capable of may be
+very well when he has an army to aim at, but it is useless in guerilla
+warfare against a foe skilled in the use of the rifle and the art of
+taking shelter.
+
+A couple of months after the storming of Majuba, I, together with a
+friend, had a conversation with a Boer, a volunteer from the Free State
+in the late war, and one of the detachment that stormed Majuba, who gave
+us a circumstantial account of the attack with the greatest willingness.
+He said that when it was discovered that the English had possession
+of the mountain, they thought that the game was up, but after a while
+bolder counsels prevailed, and volunteers were called for to storm the
+hill. Only seventy men could be found to perform the duty, of whom he
+was one. They started up the mountain in fear and trembling, but soon
+found that every shot passed over their heads, and went on with greater
+boldness. Only three men, he declared, were hit on the Boer side;
+one was killed, one was hit in the arm, and he himself was the third,
+getting his face grazed by a bullet, of which he showed us the scar. He
+stated that the first to reach the top ridge was a boy of twelve, and
+that as soon as the troops saw them they fled, when, he said, he paid
+them out for having nearly killed him, knocking them over one after
+another "like bucks" as they ran down the hill, adding that it was
+"alter lecker" (very nice). He asked us how many men we had lost during
+the war, and when we told him about seven hundred killed and wounded,
+laughed in our faces, saying he knew that our dead amounted to several
+thousands. On our assuring him that this was not the case, he replied,
+"Well, don't let's talk of it any more, because we are good friends now,
+and if we go on you will lie, and I shall lie, and then we shall
+get angry. The war is over now, and I don't want to quarrel with the
+English; if one of them takes off his hat to me I always acknowledge
+it." He did not mean any harm in talking thus; it is what Englishmen
+have to put up with now in South Africa; the Boers have beaten us, and
+act accordingly.
+
+This man also told us that the majority of the rifles they picked up
+were sighted for 400 yards, whereas the latter part of the fighting had
+been carried on within 200.
+
+Sir George Colley's death was much lamented in the Colony, where he was
+deservedly popular; indeed, anybody who had the honour of knowing that
+kind-hearted gentleman, could not do otherwise than deeply regret his
+untimely end. What his motive was in occupying Majuba in the way he did,
+has never, so far as I am aware, transpired. The move, in itself, would
+have been an excellent one, had it been made in force, or accompanied
+by a direct attack on the Nek--but, as undertaken, seems to have been
+objectless. There were, of course, many rumours as to the motives that
+prompted his action, of which the most probable seems to be that, being
+aware of what the Home Government intended to do with reference to the
+Transvaal, he determined to strike a blow to try and establish British
+Supremacy first, knowing how mischievous any apparent surrender would
+be. Whatever his faults may have been as a General, he was a brave man,
+and had the honour of his country much at heart.
+
+It was also said by soldiers who saw him the night the troops marched
+up Majuba, that the General was "not himself," and it was hinted that
+continual anxiety and the chagrin of failure had told upon his mind. As
+against this, however, must be set the fact that his telegrams to the
+Secretary of State for War, the last of which he must have despatched
+only about half-an-hour before he was shot, are cool and collected,
+and written in the same unconcerned tone,--as though he were a
+critical spectator of an interesting scene--that characterises all his
+communications, more especially his despatches. They at any rate give no
+evidence of shaken nerve or unduly excited brain, nor can I see that
+any action of his with reference to the occupation of Majuba is out of
+keeping with the details of his generalship upon other occasions. He was
+always confident to rashness, and possessed by the idea that every
+man in the ranks was full of as high a spirit, and as brave as he was
+himself. Indeed most people will think, that so far from its being a
+rasher action, the occupation of Majuba, bad generalship as it seems,
+was a wiser move than either the attack on the Nek or the Ingogo fiasco.
+
+But at the best, all his movements are difficult to be understand by
+a civilian, though they may, for ought we know, have been part of an
+elaborate plan, perfected in accordance with the rules of military
+science, of which, it is said, he was a great student.
+
+
+
+CHAPTER VI
+
+THE RETROCESSION OF THE TRANSVAAL
+
+_The Queen's Speech--President Brand and Lord Kimberley--Sir Henry de
+Villiers--Sir George Colley's plan--Paul Kruger's offer--Sir George
+Colley's remonstrance--Complimentary telegrams--Effect of Majuba on the
+Boers and English Government--Collapse of the Government--Reasons of
+the Surrender--Professional sentimentalists--The Transvaal Independence
+Committee--Conclusion of the armistice--The preliminary peace--Reception
+of the news in Natal--Newcastle after the declaration of peace--Exodus
+of the loyal inhabitants of the Transvaal--The value of property in
+Pretoria--The Transvaal officials dismissed--The Royal Commission--Mode
+of trial of persons accused of atrocities--Decision of the Commission
+and its results--The severance of territory question--Arguments _pro_
+and _con_--Opinion of Sir E. Wood--Humility of the Commissioners and
+its cause--Their decision on the Keate award question--The Montsoia
+difficulty--The compensation and financial clauses of the report of the
+Commission--The duties of the British Resident--Sir E. Wood's dissent
+from the report of the Commission--Signing of the Convention--Burial of
+the Union Jack--The native side of the question--Interview between
+the Commissioners and the native chiefs--Their opinion of the
+surrender--Objections of the Boer Volksraad to the Convention--Mr.
+Gladstone temporises--The ratification--Its insolent tone--Mr.
+Hudson, the British Resident--The Boer festival--The results of
+the Convention--The larger issue of the matter--Its effect on the
+Transvaal--Its moral aspects--Its effect on the native mind._
+
+When Parliament met in January 1881, the Government announced, through
+the mediumship of the Queen's Speech, that it was their intention to
+vindicate Her Majesty's authority in the Transvaal. I have already
+briefly described the somewhat unfortunate attempts to gain this end by
+force of arms: and I now propose to follow the course of the diplomatic
+negotiations entered into by the Ministry with the same object.
+
+As soon as the hostilities in the Transvaal took a positive form,
+causing great dismay among the Home authorities, whose paths, as we all
+know, are the paths of peace--at any price; and whilst, in the first
+confusion of calamity, they knew not where to turn, President Brand
+stepped upon the scene in the character of "Our Mutual Friend," and, by
+the Government at any rate, was rapturously welcomed.
+
+This gentleman has for many years been at the head of the Government of
+the Orange Free State, whose fortunes he had directed with considerable
+ability. He is a man of natural talent and kind-hearted disposition, and
+has the advancement of the Boer cause in South Africa much at heart. The
+rising in the Transvaal was an event that gave him a great and threefold
+opportunity: first, of interfering with the genuinely benevolent object
+of checking bloodshed; secondly, of advancing the Dutch cause throughout
+South Africa under the cloak of amiable neutrality, and striking a
+dangerous blow at British supremacy over the Dutch and British prestige
+with the natives; and, thirdly, of putting the English Government under
+a lasting obligation to him. Of this opportunity he has availed himself
+to the utmost in each particular.
+
+So soon as things began to look serious, Mr. Brand put himself into
+active telegraphic communication with the various British authorities
+with the view of preventing bloodshed by inducing the English Government
+to accede to the Boer demands. He was also earnest in his declarations
+that the Free State was not supporting the Transvaal; which, considering
+that it was practically the insurgent base of supplies, where they had
+retired their women, children, and cattle, and that it furnished them
+with a large number of volunteers, was perhaps straining the truth.
+
+About this time also we find Lord Kimberley telegraphing to Mr. Brand
+that "if _only_ the Transvaal Boers will desist from armed opposition to
+the Queen's authority," he thinks some arrangement might be made. This
+is the first indication made public of what was passing in the minds
+of Her Majesty's Government, on whom its radical supporters were now
+beginning to put the screw, to induce or threaten them into submitting
+to the Boer demands.
+
+Again, on the 11th January, the President telegraphed to Lord Kimberley
+through the Orange Free State Consul in London, suggesting that Sir
+H. de Villiers, the Chief Justice at the Cape, should be appointed a
+Commissioner to go to the Transvaal to settle matters. Oddly enough,
+about the same time the same proposition emanated from the Dutch party
+in the Cape Colony, headed by Mr. Hofmeyer, a coincidence that inclines
+one to the opinion that these friends of the Boers had some further
+reason for thus urging Sir Henry de Villiers' appointment as
+Commissioner beyond his apparent fitness for the post, of which his
+high reputation as a lawyer and in his private capacity was a sufficient
+guarantee.
+
+The explanation is not hard to find, the fact being that, rightly or
+wrongly, Sir Henry de Villiers, who is himself of Dutch descent, is
+noted throughout South Africa for his sympathies with the Boer cause,
+and both President Brand and the Dutch party in the Cape shrewdly
+suspected, that, if the settling of differences were left to his
+discretion, the Boers and their interests would receive very gentle
+handling. The course of action adopted by him, when he became a member
+of the Royal Commission, went far to support this view, for it will be
+noticed in the Report of the Commissioners that in every single point he
+appears to have taken the Boer side of the contention. Indeed so blind
+was he to their faults, that he would not even admit that the horrible
+Potchefstroom murders and atrocities, which are condemned both by Sir H.
+Robinson and Sir Evelyn Wood in language as strong as the formal terms
+of a report will allow, were acts contrary to the rules of civilised
+warfare. If those acts had been perpetrated by Englishmen on Boers, or
+even on natives, I venture to think Sir Henry de Villiers would have
+looked at them in a very different light.
+
+In the same telegram in which President Brand recommends the appointment
+of Sir Henry de Villiers, he states that the allegations made by the
+Triumvirate in the proclamation in which they accused Sir Owen Lanyon
+of committing various atrocities, deserve to be investigated, as they
+maintain that the collision was commenced by the authorities. Nobody
+knew better than Mr. Brand that any English official would be quite
+incapable of the conduct ascribed to Sir Owen Lanyon, whilst, even
+if the collision had been commenced by the authorities, which as it
+happened it was not, they would under the circumstances have been amply
+justified in so commencing it. This remark by President Brand in his
+telegram was merely an attempt to throw an air of probability over a
+series of slanderous falsehoods.
+
+Messages of this nature continued to pour along the wires from day
+to day, but the tone of those from the Colonial Office grew gradually
+humbler; thus we find Lord Kimberley telegraphing on the 8th February,
+that if the Boers would desist from armed opposition all reasonable
+guarantees would be given as to their treatment after submission, and
+that a scheme would be framed for the "permanent friendly settlement of
+difficulties." It will be seen that the Government had already begun
+to water the meaning of their declaration that they would vindicate Her
+Majesty's authority. No doubt Mr. Chamberlain, Mr. Courtney, and their
+followers, had given another turn to the Radical screw.
+
+It is, however, clear that at this time no idea of the real aims of the
+Government had entered into the mind of Sir George Colley, since on the
+7th February he telegraphed home a plan which he proposed to adopt on
+entering the Transvaal, which included a suggestion that he should grant
+a complete amnesty only to those Boers who would sign a declaration of
+loyalty.
+
+In answer to this he was ordered to do nothing of the sort, but to
+promise protection to everybody and refer everything home.
+
+Then came the battle of Ingogo, which checked for the time the flow of
+telegrams, or rather varied their nature, for those despatched during
+the next few days deal with the question of reinforcements. On the 13th
+February, however, negotiations were reopened by Paul Kruger, one of
+the Triumvirate, who offered, if all the troops were ordered to withdraw
+from the Transvaal to give them a free passage through the Nek, to
+disperse the Boers and to consent to the appointment of a Commission.
+
+The offer was jumped at by Lord Kimberley, who, without making reference
+to the question of withdrawing the soldiers, offered, if only the Boers
+would disperse, to appoint a Commission with extensive powers to develop
+the "permanent friendly settlement" scheme. The telegram ends thus:
+"Add, that if this proposal is accepted, you now are authorised to agree
+to suspension of hostilities on our part." This message was sent to
+General Wood, because the Boers had stopped the communications with
+Colley. On the 19th, Sir George Colley replies in these words, which
+show his astonishment at the policy adopted by the Home Government, and
+which, in the opinion of most people, redound to his credit--
+
+"Latter part of your telegram to Wood not understood. There can be no
+hostilities if no resistance is made, but am I to leave Lang's Nek in
+Natal territory in Boer occupation, and our garrisons isolated and short
+of provisions, or occupy former and relieve latter?" Lord Kimberley
+hastens to reply that the garrisons must be left free to provision
+themselves, "but we do not mean that you should march to the relief of
+garrisons or occupy Lang's Nek, if an arrangement proceeds."
+
+It will be seen that the definition of what vindication of Her Majesty's
+authority consisted grew broader and broader; it now included the right
+of the Boers to continue to occupy their positions in the Colony of
+Natal.
+
+Meanwhile the daily fire of complimentary messages was being kept up
+between President Brand and Lord Kimberley, who alternatively gave
+"sincere thanks to Lord Kimberley" and "fully appreciated the friendly
+spirit" of President Brand, till on the 21st February the latter
+telegraphs through Colley: "Hope of amicable settlement by negotiation,
+but this will be greatly facilitated if somebody on spot and friendly
+disposed to both, could by personal communication with both endeavour
+to smooth difficulties. Offers his services to Her Majesty's Government,
+and Kruger and Pretorius and Joubert are willing." Needless to say his
+services were accepted.
+
+Presently, however, on 27th February, Sir George Colley made his last
+move, and took possession of Majuba. His defeat and death had the effect
+of causing another temporary check in the peace negotiations, whilst Sir
+Frederick Roberts with ample reinforcements was despatched to Natal.
+It had the further effect of increasing the haughtiness of the Boer
+leaders, and infusing a corresponding spirit of pliability or generosity
+into the negotiations of Her Majesty's Government.
+
+Thus on 2d March, the Boers, through President Brand and Sir Evelyn
+Wood, inform the Secretary of State for the Colonies, that they are
+willing to negotiate, but decline to submit or cease opposition. Sir
+Evelyn Wood, who evidently did not at all like the line of policy
+adopted by the Government, telegraphed that he thought the best thing
+to do would be for him to engage the Boers, and disperse them _vi et
+armis_, without any guarantees, "considering the disasters we have
+sustained," and that he should, "if absolutely necessary," be empowered
+to promise life and property to the leaders, but that they should be
+banished from the country. In answer to this telegram, Lord Kimberley
+informs him that Her Majesty's Government will amnesty _everybody_
+except those who have committed acts contrary to the rules of civilised
+warfare, and that they will agree to anything, and appoint a Commission
+to carry out the details, and "be ready for friendly communications with
+_any persons_ appointed by the Boers."
+
+Thus was Her Majesty's authority finally re-established in the
+Transvaal.
+
+It was not a very grand climax, nor the kind of arrangement to which
+Englishmen are accustomed, but perhaps, considering the circumstances,
+and the well-known predilections of those who made the settlement, it
+was as much as could be expected.
+
+The action of the Government must not be considered, as though they were
+unfettered in their judgment; it can never be supposed that they acted
+as they did, because they thought such action right or even wise,
+for that would be to set them down as men of a very low order of
+intelligence, which they certainly are not.
+
+It is clear that no set of sensible men, who had after much
+consideration given their decision that under all the circumstances,
+the Transvaal must remain British territory, and who, on a revolt
+subsequently breaking out in that territory, had declared that Her
+Majesty's rule must be upheld, would have, putting aside all
+other circumstances, deliberately stultified themselves by almost
+unconditionally, and of their own free will, abandoning the country,
+and all Her Majesty's subjects living in it. That would be to pay a
+poor tribute to their understanding, since it is clear that if reasons
+existed for retaining the Transvaal before the war, as they were
+satisfied there did, those reasons would exist with still greater force
+after a war had been undertaken and three crushing defeats sustained,
+which if left unavenged must, as they knew, have a most disastrous
+effect on our prestige throughout the South African continent.
+
+I prefer to believe that the Government was coerced into acting as
+it did by Radical pressure, both from outside, and from its immediate
+supporters in the House, and that it had to choose between making an
+unconventional surrender in the Transvaal and losing the support of
+a very powerful party. Under these circumstances it, being Liberal in
+politics, naturally followed its instincts, and chose surrender.
+
+If such a policy was bad in itself, and necessarily mischievous in its
+consequences, so much the worse for those who suffered by it; it was
+clear that the Government could not be expected to lose votes in order
+to forward the true interests of countries so far off as the South
+African Colonies, which had had the misfortune to be made a party
+question of, and must take the consequences.
+
+There is no doubt that the interest brought to bear on the Government
+was very considerable, for not only had they to deal with their own
+supporters, and with the shadowy caucus that was ready to let the lash
+of its displeasure descend even on the august person of Mr. Gladstone,
+should he show signs of letting slip so rich an opportunity for the
+vindication of the holiest principles of advanced Radicalism, but
+also with the hydra-headed crowd of visionaries and professional
+sentimentalists who swarm in this country, and who are always ready
+to take up any cause, from that of Jumbo, or of a murderer, to that of
+oppressed peoples, such as the Bulgarians, or the Transvaal Boers.
+
+These gentlemen, burning with zeal, and filled with that confidence
+which proverbially results from the hasty assimilation of imperfect
+and erroneous information, found in the Transvaal question a great
+opportunity of making a noise: and--as in a disturbed farmyard the bray
+of the domestic donkey, ringing loud and clear among the utterances of
+more intelligent animals, overwhelms and extinguishes them--so, and
+with like effect, amongst the confused sound of various English
+opinions about the Boer rising, rose the trumpet-note of the Transvaal
+Independence Committee and its supporters.
+
+As we have seen, they did not sound in vain.
+
+On the 6th of March an armistice with the Boers had been entered into
+by Sir Evelyn Wood, which was several times prolonged, up to the 21st
+March, when Sir Evelyn Wood concluded a preliminary peace with the Boer
+leaders, which, under certain conditions, guaranteed the restoration of
+the country within six months, and left all other points to be decided
+by a Royal Commission.
+
+The news of this peace was at first received in the Colony in the
+silence of astonishment. Personally, I remember, I would not believe
+that it was true. It seemed to us, who had been witnesses of what had
+passed, and knew what it all meant, something so utterly incredible that
+we thought there must be a mistake.
+
+If there had been any one redeeming circumstance about it, if the
+English arms had gained a single decisive victory, it might have been
+so, but it was hard for Englishmen, just at first, to understand that
+not only had the Transvaal been to all appearance wrested from them by
+force of arms, but that they were henceforth to be subject, as they well
+knew would be the case, to the coarse insults of victorious Boers, and
+the sarcasms of keener-witted Kafirs.
+
+People in England seem to fancy that when men go to the Colonies they
+lose all sense of pride in their country, and think of nothing but their
+own advantage. I do not think that this is the case, indeed, I believe
+that, individual for individual, there exists a greater sense of
+loyalty, and a deeper pride in their nationality, and in the proud name
+of England, among Colonists, than among Englishmen proper. Certainly
+the humiliation of the Transvaal surrender was more keenly felt in South
+Africa than it was at home; but, perhaps, the impossibility of
+imposing upon people in that country with the farrago of nonsense about
+blood-guiltiness and national morality, which was made such adroit use
+of at home, may have made the difference.
+
+I know that personally I would not have believed it possible that I
+could feel any public event so keenly as I did this; indeed, I quickly
+made up my mind that if the peace was confirmed, the neighbourhood
+of the Transvaal would be no fit or comfortable residence for an
+Englishman, and that I would, at any cost, leave the country,--which I
+accordingly did.
+
+Newcastle was a curious sight the night after the peace was declared,
+every hotel and bar was crowded with refugees, who were trying to
+relieve their feelings, by cursing the name of Gladstone, with a vigour,
+originality, and earnestness, that I have never heard equalled; and
+declaring in ironical terms how proud they were to be citizens of
+England--a country that always kept its word. Then they set to work
+with many demonstrations of contempt to burn the effigy of the Right
+Honourable Gentleman at the head of Her Majesty's Government, an
+example, by the way, that was followed throughout South Africa.
+
+Even Sir Evelyn Wood, who is very popular in the Colony, was hissed
+as he walked through the town, and great surprise was expressed that
+a soldier who came out expressly to fight the Boers, should consent
+to become the medium of communication in such a dirty business. And,
+indeed, there was some excuse for all this bitterness, for the news
+meant ruin to very many.
+
+But if people in Natal and at the Cape received the news with
+astonishment, how shall I describe its effect upon the unfortunate loyal
+inhabitants in the Transvaal, on whom it burst like a thunderbolt?
+
+They did not say much however, and indeed, there was nothing to be said,
+they simply began to pack up such things as they could carry with them,
+and to leave the country, which they well knew would henceforth be
+utterly untenable for Englishmen or English sympathisers. In a few weeks
+they came pouring down through Newcastle by hundreds; it was the
+most melancholy exodus that can be imagined. There were people of all
+classes, officials, gentlefolk, work-people, and loyal Boers, but
+they had a connecting link; they had all been loyal, and they were all
+ruined.
+
+Most of these people had gone to the Transvaal since it became a British
+Colony, and invested all they had in it, and now their capital was lost
+and their labour rendered abortive; indeed, many of them whom one had
+known as well to do in the Transvaal, came down to Natal hardly knowing
+how they would feed their families next week.
+
+It must be understood that so soon as the Queen's sovereignty was
+withdrawn the value of landed and house property in the Transvaal went
+down to nothing, and has remained there ever since. Thus a fair-sized
+house in Pretoria brought in a rental varying from ten to twenty pounds
+a month during British occupation, but after the declaration of peace,
+owners of houses were glad to get people to live in them to keep them
+from falling into ruin. Those who owned land or had invested money in
+businesses suffered in the same way; their property remains, neither
+profitable or saleable, and they themselves are precluded by their
+nationality from living on it, the art of "Boycotting" not being
+peculiar to Ireland.
+
+Nor were they the only sufferers, the officials, many of whom had taken
+to the Government service as a permanent profession, in which they
+expected to pass their lives, were suddenly dismissed, mostly with a
+small gratuity, which would about suffice to pay their debts, and told
+to find their living as best they could. It was indeed a case of _vae
+victis_,--woe to the conquered loyalists.[*]
+
+     [*] The following extract is clipped from a recent issue of
+     the "Transvaal Advertiser." It describes the present
+     condition of Pretoria:--
+
+     "The streets grown over with rank vegetation, the water-
+     furrows uncleaned and unattended, emitting offensive and
+     unhealthy stenches, the houses showing evident signs of
+     dilapidation and decay, the side paths, in many places,
+     dangerous to pedestrians; in fact, everything the eye can
+     rest upon indicates the downfall which has overtaken this
+     once prosperous city. The visitor can, if he be so minded,
+     betake himself to the outskirts and suburbs, where he will
+     perceive the same sad evidences of neglect, public grounds
+     unattended, roads uncared for, mills and other public works
+     crumbling into ruin. These palpable signs of decay most
+     strongly impress him. A blight seems to have come over this
+     lately fair and prosperous town. Rapidly it is becoming a
+     'deserted village,' a 'city of the dead.'"
+
+The Commission appointed by Her Majesty's Government consisted of Sir
+Hercules Robinson, Sir Henry de Villiers, and Sir Evelyn Wood, President
+Brand being also present in his capacity of friend of both parties,
+and to their discretion were left the settlement of all outstanding
+questions. Amongst these, were the mode of trial of those persons who
+had been guilty of acts contrary to the rules of civilised warfare, the
+question of severance of territory from the Transvaal on the Eastern
+boundary, the settlement of the boundary in the Keate-Award districts,
+the compensation for losses sustained during the war, the functions of
+the British Resident, and other matters. Their place of meeting was at
+Newcastle in Natal, and from thence they proceeded to Pretoria.
+
+The first question of importance that came before the Commission was
+the mode of trial to be adopted in the cases of those persons accused
+of acts contrary to the usages of civilised warfare, such as murder.
+The Attorney-General for the Transvaal strongly advised that a special
+Tribunal should be constituted to try these cases, principally because
+"after a civil war in which all the inhabitants of a country, with very
+few exceptions, have taken part, a jury of fair and impartial men, truly
+unbiassed, will be very difficult to get together." It is satisfactory
+to know that the Commissioners gave this somewhat obvious fact "their
+grave consideration," which, according to their Report, resulted in
+their determining to let the cases go before the ordinary court, and be
+tried by a jury, because in referring them to a specially constituted
+court which would have done equal justice without fear or favour,
+"the British Government would have made for itself, among the Dutch
+population of South Africa, a name for vindictive oppression, which no
+generosity in other affairs could efface."
+
+There is more in this determination of the Commissioners, or rather of
+the majority of them--for Sir E. Wood, to his credit be it said, refused
+to agree in their decision--than meets the eye, the fact of the matter
+being that it was privately well known to them, that, though the Boer
+leaders might be willing to allow a few of the murderers to undergo the
+form of a trial, neither they nor the Boers themselves, meant to
+permit the farce to go any further. Had the men been tried by a special
+tribunal they would in all probability have been condemned to death, and
+then would have come the awkward question of carrying out the sentence
+on individuals whose deeds were looked on, if not with general approval,
+at any rate without aversion by the great mass of their countrymen. In
+short, it would probably have become necessary either to reprieve them
+or to fight the Boers again, since it was very certain that they
+would not have allowed them to be hung. Therefore the majority of
+the Commissioners, finding themselves face to face with a dead wall,
+determined to slip round it instead of boldly climbing it, by referring
+the cases to the Transvaal High Court, cheerfully confident of what the
+result must be.
+
+After all, the matter was, much cry about little wool, for of all the
+crimes committed by the Boers--a list of some of which will be found in
+the Appendix to this book--in only three cases were a proportion of the
+perpetrators produced and put through the form of trial. Those three
+were, the dastardly murder of Captain Elliot, who was shot by his Boer
+escort while crossing the Vaal river on parole; the murder of a man
+named Malcolm, who was kicked to death in his own house by Boers, who
+afterwards put a bullet through his head to make the job "look better;"
+and the murder of a doctor named Barber, who was shot by his escort on
+the border of the Free State. A few of the men concerned in the first
+two of these crimes were tried in Pretoria: and it was currently
+reported at that time, that in order to make their acquittal certain
+our Attorney-General received instructions not to exercise his right of
+challenging jurors on behalf of the Crown. Whether or not this is true
+I am not prepared to say, but I believe it is a fact that he did
+not exercise that right, though the counsel of the prisoners availed
+themselves of it freely, with the result that in Elliot's case, the jury
+was composed of eight Boers and one German, nine being the full South
+African jury. The necessary result followed; in both cases the prisoners
+were acquitted in the teeth of the evidence. Barber's murderers were
+tried in the Free State, and were, as might be expected, acquitted.
+
+Thus it will be seen that of all the perpetrators of murder and other
+crimes during the course of the war not one was brought to justice.
+
+The offence for which their victims died was, in nearly every case, that
+they had served, were serving, or were loyal to Her Majesty the Queen.
+In no single case has England exacted retribution for the murder of
+her servants and citizens; but nobody can read through the long list
+of these dastardly slaughters without feeling that they will not go
+unavenged. The innocent blood that has been shed on behalf of this
+country, and the tears of children and widows now appeal to a higher
+tribunal than that of Mr. Gladstone's Government, and assuredly they
+will not appeal in vain.
+
+The next point of importance dealt with by the Commission was the
+question whether or no any territory should be severed from the
+Transvaal, and kept under English rule for the benefit of the native
+inhabitants. Lord Kimberley, acting under pressure put upon him by
+members of the Aborigines Protection Society, instructed the Commission
+to consider the advisability of severing the districts of Lydenburg and
+Zoutpansberg, and also a strip of territory bordering on Zululand and
+Swazieland from the Transvaal, so as to place the inhabitants of the
+first two districts out of danger of maltreatment by the Boers, and to
+interpose a buffer between Zulus, and Swazies, and Boer aggression, and
+_vice versa_.
+
+The Boer leaders had, it must be remembered, acquiesced in the principle
+of such a separation in the preliminary peace signed by Sir Evelyn Wood
+and themselves. The majority of the Commission, however (Sir Evelyn Wood
+dissenting), finally decided against the retention of either of these
+districts, a decision which I think was a wise one, though I arrive
+at that conclusion on very different grounds to those adopted by the
+majority of the Commission.
+
+Personally, I cannot see that it is the duty of England to play
+policeman to the whole world. To have retained these native districts
+would have been to make ourselves responsible for their good government,
+and to have guaranteed them against Boer encroachment, which I do not
+think that we were called upon to do. It is surely not incumbent
+upon us, having given up the Transvaal to the Boers, to undertake the
+management of the most troublesome part of it, the Zulu border. Besides,
+bad as the abandonment of the Transvaal is, I think that if it was to
+be done at all, it was best to do it thoroughly, since to have kept some
+natives under our protection, and to have handed over the rest to the
+tender mercies of the Boers, would only be to render our injustice more
+obvious, whilst weakening the power of the natives themselves to combine
+in self-defence; since those under our protection would naturally have
+little sympathy with their more unfortunate brethren--their interests
+and circumstances being different.
+
+The Commission do not seem to have considered the question from these
+points of view, but putting them on one side, there are many other
+considerations connected with it, which are ably summed up in their
+Report. Amongst these is the danger of disturbances commenced between
+Zulus or Swazies and Boers, spreading into Natal, and the probability
+of the fomenting of disturbances amongst the Zulus by Boers. The great
+argument for the retention of some territory, if only as a symbol that
+the English had not been driven out of the country, is, however,
+set forth in the forty-sixth paragraph of the Report, which runs as
+follows:--"The moral considerations that determine the actions of
+civilised Governments are not easily understood by barbarians, in whose
+eyes successful force is alone the sign of superiority, and it
+appeared possible that the surrender by the British Crown of one of its
+possessions to those who had been in arms against it, might be looked
+upon by the natives in no other way than as a token of the defeat and
+decay of the British Power, and that thus a serious shock might be given
+to British authority in South Africa, and the capacity of Great Britain
+to govern and direct the vast native population within and without her
+South African dominions--a capacity resting largely on the renown of her
+name--might be dangerously impaired."
+
+These words coming from so unexpected a source do not, though couched
+in such mild language, hide the startling importance of the question
+discussed. On the contrary, they accurately and with double weight
+convey the sense and gist of the most damning argument against the
+policy of the retrocession of the Transvaal in its entirety; and
+proceeding from their own carefully chosen commissioners, can hardly
+have been pleasant reading to Lord Kimberley and his colleagues.
+
+The majority of the Commission then proceeds to set forth the arguments
+advanced by the Boers against the retention of any territory, which
+appear to have been chiefly of a sentimental character, since we are
+informed that "the people, it seemed certain, would not have valued the
+restoration of a mutilated country. Sentiment in a great measure had
+led them to insurrection, and the force of such it was impossible to
+disregard." Sir E. Wood in his dissent, states, that he cannot even
+agree with the premises of his colleagues' argument, since he is
+convinced that it was not sentiment that had led to the outbreak, but a
+"general and rooted aversion to taxation." If he had added, and a hatred
+not only of English rule, but of all rule, he would have stated the
+complete cause of the Transvaal rebellion. In the next paragraph of
+the Report, however, we find the real cause of the pliability of the
+Commission in the matter, which is the same that influenced them in
+their decision about the mode of trial of the murderers and other
+questions:--they feared that the people would appeal to arms if they
+decided against their wishes.
+
+Discreditable and disgraceful as it may seem, nobody can read this
+Report without plainly seeing that the Commissioners were, in treating
+with the Boers on these points, in the position of ambassadors from a
+beaten people getting the best terms they could. Of course, they well
+knew that this was not the case, but whatever the Boer leaders may have
+said, the Boers themselves did not know this, or even pretend to look at
+the matter in any other light. When we asked for the country back, said
+they, we did not get it; after we had three times defeated the English
+we did get it; the logical conclusion from the facts being that we got
+it because we defeated the English. This was their tone, and it is not
+therefore surprising that whenever the Commission threatened to decide
+anything against them, they, with a smile, let it know that if it did,
+they would be under the painful necessity of re-occupying Lang's Nek.
+It was never necessary to repeat the threat, since the majority of the
+Commission would thereupon speedily find a way to meet the views of the
+Boer representatives.
+
+Sir Evelyn Wood, in his dissent, thus correctly sums up the matter:--"To
+contend that the Royal Commission ought not to decide contrary to the
+wishes of the Boers, because such decision might not be accepted, is
+to deny to the Commission the very power of decision that it was agreed
+should be left in its hands." Exactly so. But it is evident that the
+Commission knew its place, and so far from attempting to exercise any
+"power of decision," it was quite content with such concessions as
+it could obtain by means of bargaining. Thus, as an additional reason
+against the retention of any territory, it is urged that if this
+territory was retained "the majority of your Commissioners . . . would
+have found themselves in no favourable position for obtaining the
+concurrence of the Boer leaders as to other matters." In fact, Her
+Majesty's Commission appointed, or supposed to be appointed, to do
+Her Majesty's will and pleasure, shook in its shoes before men who had
+lately been rebels in arms against Her authority, and humbly submitted
+itself to their dicta.
+
+The majority of the Commission went on to express their opinion, that
+by giving away about the retention of territory they would be able to
+obtain better terms for the natives generally, and larger powers for the
+British Resident. But, as Sir Evelyn Wood points out in his Report, they
+did nothing of the sort, the terms of the agreement about the Resident
+and other native matters being all consequent on and included in the
+first agreement of peace. Besides, they seem to have overlooked the
+fact that such concessions as they did obtain are only on paper, and
+practically worthless, whilst all _bona fide_ advantages remained with
+the Boers.
+
+The decision of the Commissioners in the question of the Keate Award,
+which next came under their consideration, appears to have been a
+judicious one, being founded on the very careful Report of Colonel
+Moysey, R.E., who had been for many months collecting information on the
+spot. The Keate Award Territory is a region lying to the south-west
+of the Transvaal, and was, like many other districts in that country,
+originally in the possession of natives, of the Baralong and Batlapin
+tribes. Individual Boers having, however, _more suo_ taken possession
+of tracts of land in the district, difficulties speedily arose
+between their Government and the native chiefs, and in 1871 Mr. Keate,
+Lieutenant-Governor of Natal, was by mutual consent called in to
+arbitrate on the matter. His decision was entirely in favour of the
+natives, and was accordingly promptly and characteristically repudiated
+by the Boer Volksraad. From that time till the rebellion the question
+remained unsettled, and was indeed a very thorny one to deal with. The
+Commission, acting on the principle _in medio tutissimus ibis_, drew a
+line through the midst of the disputed territory, or, in other words,
+set aside Mr. Keate's award and interpreted the dispute in favour of the
+Boers.
+
+This decision was accepted by all parties at the time, but it has not
+resulted in the maintenance of peace. The principal Chief, Montsoia, is
+an old ally and staunch friend of the English, a fact which the Boers
+were not able to forget or forgive, and they appear to have stirred
+up rival Chiefs to attack him, and to have allowed volunteers from
+the Transvaal to assist them. Montsoia has also enlisted some white
+volunteers, and several fights have taken place, in which the loss of
+life has been considerable. Whether or no the Transvaal Government
+is directly concerned it is impossible to say, but from the fact that
+cannon are said to have been used against Montsoia it would appear
+that it is, since private individuals do not, as a rule, own Armstrong
+guns.[*]
+
+     [*] I beg to refer any reader interested in this matter to
+     the letter of "Transvaal" to the "Standard," which I have
+     republished in the Appendix to this book.
+
+Amongst the questions remaining for the consideration of the
+Commissioners was that of what compensation should be given for losses
+during the war. Of course, the great bulk of the losses sustained
+were of an indirect nature, resulting from the necessary and enormous
+depreciation in the value of land and other property, consequent on the
+retrocession. Into this matter the Home Government declined to enter,
+thereby saving its pocket at the price of its honour, since it was upon
+English guarantees that the country would remain a British possession,
+that the majority of the unfortunate loyals invested their money in
+it. It was, however, agreed by the Commission (Sir H. de Villiers
+dissenting) that the Boers should be liable for compensation in
+cases where loss had been sustained through commandeering seizure,
+confiscation, destruction, or damage of property. The sums awarded under
+these heads have already amounted to about 110,000 pounds, which sum has
+been defrayed by the Imperial Government, the Boer authorities stating
+that they were not in a position to pay it.
+
+In connection with this matter, I will pass to the Financial clauses of
+the Report. When the country was annexed, the public debt amounted
+to 301,727 pounds. Under British rule this debt was liquidated to
+the extent of 150,000 pounds, but the total was brought up by a
+Parliamentary grant, a loan from the Standard Bank, and sundries to
+390,404 pounds, which represented the public debt of the Transvaal on
+the 31st December 1880. This was further increased by moneys advanced by
+the Standard Bank and English Exchequer during the war, and till the
+8th August 1881, during which time the country yielded no revenue, to
+457,393 pounds. To this must be added an estimated sum of 200,000 pounds
+for compensation charges, pension allowances, &c., and a further sum of
+383,000 pounds, the cost of the successful expedition against Secocoeni,
+that of the unsuccessful one being left out of account, bringing up the
+total public debt to over a million, of which about 800,000 pounds is
+owing to this country.
+
+This sum, with the characteristic liberality that distinguished them in
+their dealings with the Boers, but which was not so marked where loyals
+were concerned, the Commissioners (Sir Evelyn Wood dissenting) reduced
+by a stroke of the pen to 265,000 pounds, thus entirely remitting an
+approximate sum of 500,000 pounds, or 600,000 pounds. To the sum of
+265,000 pounds still owing, must be added say another 150,000 pounds
+for sums lately advanced to pay the compensation claims, bringing up the
+actual amount now owing to England to something under half a million, of
+which I say with confidence she will never see a single 10,000 pounds.
+As this contingency was not contemplated, or if contemplated, not
+alluded to by the Royal Commission, provision was made for a sinking
+fund, by means of which the debt, which is a second charge on the
+revenues of the States, is to be extinguished in twenty-five years.
+
+It is a strange instance of the proverbial irony of fate, that whilst
+the representatives of the Imperial Government were thus showering gifts
+of hundreds of thousands of pounds upon men who had spurned the benefits
+of Her Majesty's rule, made war upon her forces, and murdered her
+subjects, no such consideration was extended to those who had remained
+loyal to her throne. Their claims for compensation were passed by
+unheeded; and looking from the windows of the room in which they sat in
+Newcastle, the members of the Commission might have seen them flocking
+down from a country that could no longer be their home; those that
+were rich among them made poor, and those that were poor reduced to
+destitution.
+
+The only other point which it will be necessary for me to touch on in
+connection with this Report is the duties of the British Resident and
+his relations to the natives. He was to be invested as representative of
+the Suzerain with functions for securing the execution of the terms
+of peace as regards: (1.) The control of the foreign relations of the
+State; (2.) The control of the frontier affairs of the State; and (3.)
+The protection of the interests of the natives in the State.
+
+As regards the first of these points, it was arranged that the interests
+of subjects of the Transvaal should be left in the hands of Her
+Majesty's representatives abroad. Since Boers are, of all people in the
+world, the most stay-at-home, our ambassadors and consuls are not likely
+to be troubled much on their account. With reference to the second
+point, the Commission made stipulations that would be admirable if there
+were any probability of their being acted up to. The Resident is
+to report any encroachment on native territory by Boers to the High
+Commissioner, and when the Resident and the Boer Government differ,
+the decision of the Suzerain is to be final. This is a charming way of
+settling difficulties, but the Commission forgets to specify how the
+Suzerain's decision is to be enforced. After what has happened, it can
+hardly have relied on awe of the name of England to bring about the
+desired obedience!
+
+But besides thus using his beneficent authority to prevent subjects of
+the Transvaal from trespassing on their neighbour's land, the Resident
+is to exercise a general supervision over the interests of all the
+natives in the country. Considering that they number about a million,
+and are scattered over a territory larger than France, one would think
+that this duty alone would have taken up the time of any ordinary
+man; and, indeed, Sir Evelyn Wood was in favour of the appointment of
+sub-residents to assist him. The majority of the Commission refused,
+however, to listen to any such suggestion--believing, they said, "that
+the least possible interference with the independent Government of the
+State would be the wisest." Quite so, but I suppose it never occurred
+to them to ask the natives what their views of the matter were! The
+Resident was also to be a member of a Native Location Committee, which
+was at some future time, to provide land for natives to live on.
+
+In perusing this Report it is easy to follow with more or less accuracy
+the individual bent of its framers. Sir Hercules Robinson figures
+throughout as a man who has got a disagreeable business to carry out,
+in obedience to instructions that admit of no trifling with, and who has
+set himself to do the best he can for his country, and those who suffer
+through his country's policy, whilst obeying those instructions. He has
+evidently choked down his feelings and opinions as an individual, and
+turned himself into an official machine, merely registering in detail
+the will of Lord Kimberley. With Sir Henry de Villiers the case is very
+different, one feels throughout that the task is to him a congenial one,
+and that the Boer cause has in him an excellent friend. Indeed, had he
+been an advocate of their cause instead of a member of the Commission,
+he could not have espoused their side on every occasion with greater
+zeal. According to him they were always in the right, and in them he
+could find no guile. Mr. Hofmeyer and President Brand exercised a wise
+discretion from their own point of view, when they urged his appointment
+as Special Commissioner. I now come to Sir Evelyn Wood, who was in the
+position of an independent Englishman, neither prejudiced in favour
+of the Boers, or the reverse, and on whom, as a military man, Lord
+Kimberley would find it difficult to put the official screw. The results
+of his happy position are obvious in the paper attached to the end of
+the Report, and signed by him, in which he totally and entirely differs
+from the majority of the Commission on every point of importance. Most
+people will think that this very outspoke and forcible dissent deducts
+somewhat from the value of the Report, and throws a shadow of doubt on
+the wisdom of its provisions.
+
+The formal document of agreement between Her Majesty's Government and
+the Boer leaders, commonly known as the Convention, was signed by both
+parties at Pretoria on the afternoon of the 3d August 1881, in the same
+room in which, nearly four years before, the Annexation Proclamation was
+signed by Sir T. Shepstone.
+
+Whilst this business was being transacted in Government House, a curious
+ceremony was going on just outside, and within sight of the windows.
+This was the ceremonious burial of the Union Jack, which was followed to
+the grave by a crowd of about 2000 loyalists and native chiefs. On the
+outside of the coffin was written the word "Resurgam," and an eloquent
+oration was delivered over the grave. Such demonstrations are, no
+doubt, foolish enough, but they are not entirely without political
+significance.
+
+But a more unpleasant duty awaited the Commissioners than that of
+attaching their signatures to a document,--consisting of the necessity
+of conveying Her Majesty's decision as to the retrocession, to about a
+hundred native Chiefs, until now Her Majesty's subjects, who had been
+gathered together to hear it. It must be borne in mind that the natives
+had not been consulted as to the disposal of the country, although they
+outnumber the white people in the proportion of twenty to one, and that,
+beyond some worthless paper stipulations, nothing had been done for
+their interests.
+
+Personally, I must plead guilty to what I know is by many, especially
+by those who are attached to the Boer cause, considered as folly if not
+worse, namely, a sufficient interest in the natives, and sympathy with
+their sufferings to bring me to the conclusion, that in acting thus we
+have inflicted a cruel injustice upon them. It seems to me, that as
+they were the original owners of the soil, they were entitled to some
+consideration in the question of its disposal, and consequently and
+incidentally, of their own. I am aware that it is generally considered
+that the white man has a right to the black man's possessions and land,
+and that it is his high and holy mission to exterminate the wretched
+native and take his place. But with this conclusion I venture to differ.
+So far as my own experience of natives has gone, I have found that in
+all the essential qualities of mind and body, they very much resemble
+white men, with the exception that they are, as a race, quicker-witted,
+more honest, and braver, than the ordinary run of white men. Of them
+might be aptly quoted the speech Shakespeare puts into Shylock's mouth:
+"Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs, dimensions, senses,
+affections, passions?" In the same way I ask, Has a native no feelings
+or affections? does he not suffer when his parents are shot, or his
+children stolen, or when he is driven a wanderer from his home? Does he
+not know fear, feel pain, affection, hate and gratitude? Most certainly
+he does; and this being so, I cannot believe that the Almighty, who
+made both white and black, gave to the one race the right or mission of
+exterminating, or even of robbing or maltreating the other, and calling
+the process the advance of civilisation. It seems to me, that on only
+one condition, if at all, have we the right to take the black man's
+land; and that is, that we provide them with an equal and a just
+Government, and allow no maltreatment of them, either as individuals or
+tribes: but, on the contrary, do our best to elevate them, and wean them
+from savage customs. Otherwise, the practice is surely undefensible.
+
+I am aware, however, that with the exception of a small class, these
+are sentiments which are not shared by the great majority of the public,
+either at home or abroad. Indeed, it can be plainly seen how little
+sympathy they command, from the fact that but scanty remonstrance
+was raised at the treatment meted out to our native subjects in the
+Transvaal, when they were, to the number of nearly a million,
+handed over from the peace, justice, and security, that on the whole
+characterise our rule, to a state of things, and possibilities of wrong
+and suffering which I will not try to describe.
+
+To the chiefs thus assembled Sir Hercules Robinson, as President of the
+Royal Commission, read a statement, and then retired, refusing to allow
+them to speak in answer. The statement informed the natives that "Her
+Majesty's Government, with that sense of justice which befits a great
+and powerful nation," had returned the country to the Boers, "whose
+representatives, Messrs. Kruger, Pretorius, and Joubert, I now," said
+Sir Hercules, "have much pleasure in introducing to you." If reports are
+true, the native Chiefs had, many of them personally, and all of them by
+reputation, already the advantage of a very intimate acquaintance with
+all three of these gentlemen, so that an introduction was somewhat
+superfluous.
+
+Sir Hercules went on to explain to them that locations would be allotted
+to them at some future time; that a British Resident would be appointed,
+whose especial charge they would be, but that they must bear in mind
+that he was not the ruler of the country, but the Government, "subject
+to Her Majesty's suzerain rights." Natives were, no doubt, expected to
+know by intuition what suzerain rights are. The statement then goes on
+to give them good advice as to the advantages of indulging in manual
+labour when asked to do so by the Boers, and generally to show them how
+bright and happy is the future that lies before them. Lest they should
+be too elated by such good tidings, they are, however, reminded that it
+will be necessary to retain the law relating to passes, which is, in
+the hands of a people like the Boers, about as unjust a regulation as
+a dominant race can invent for the oppression of a subject people, and
+had, in the old days of the Republic, been productive of much hardship.
+The statement winds up by assuring them that their "interests will never
+be forgotten or neglected by Her Majesty's Government." Having read the
+document the Commission hastily withdrew, and after their withdrawal
+the Chiefs were "allowed" to state their opinions to the Secretary for
+Native Affairs.
+
+In availing themselves of this permission, it is noticeable that no
+allusion was made to all the advantages they were to reap under
+the Convention, nor did they seem to attach much importance to the
+appointment of the British Resident. On the contrary, all their
+attention was given to the great fact that the country had been ceded
+to the Boers, and that they were no longer the Queen's subjects. We
+are told, in Mr. Shepstone's Report, that they "got very excited," and
+"asked whether it was thought that they had no feelings or hearts, that
+they were thus treated as a stick or piece of tobacco, which could be
+passed from hand to hand without question." Umgombarie, a Zoutpansberg
+Chief, said, "I am Umgombarie. I have fought with the Boers, and have
+many wounds, and they know that what I say is true. . . . I will never
+consent to place myself under their rule. I belong to the English
+Government. I am not a man who eats with both sides of his jaw at once;
+I only use one side. I am English, I have said." Silamba said, "I belong
+to the English. I will never return under the Boers. You see me, a man
+of my rank and position, is it right that such as I should be seized
+and laid on the ground and flogged, as has been done to me and other
+chiefs?"
+
+Sinkanhla said: "We hear and yet do not hear, we cannot understand. We
+are troubling you, Chief, by talking in this way; we hear the Chiefs say
+that the Queen took the country because the people of the country wished
+it, and again that the majority of the owners of the country did not
+wish their rule, and that therefore the country was given back. We
+should like to have the man pointed out from among us black people who
+objects to the rule of the Queen. We are the real owners of the country;
+we were here when the Boers came, and without asking leave, settled down
+and treated us in every way badly. The English Government then came and
+took the country; we have now had four years of rest and peaceful
+and just rule. We have been called here to-day, and are told that the
+country, our country, has been given to the Boers by the Queen. This is
+a thing which surprises us. Did the country, then, belong to the Boers?
+Did it not belong to our fathers and forefathers before us, long before
+the Boers came here? We have heard that the Boers' country is at the
+Cape. If the Queen wishes to give them their land, why does she not give
+them back the Cape?"
+
+I have quoted this speech at length, because, although made by a
+despised native, it sets forth their case more powerfully and in happier
+language than I can do.
+
+Umyethile said: "We have no heart for talking. I have returned to the
+country from Sechelis, where I had to fly from Boer oppression. Our
+hearts are black and heavy with grief to-day at the news told us, we are
+in agony, our intestines are twisting and writhing inside of us, just as
+you see a snake do when it is struck on the head. . . . We do not know
+what has become of us, but we feel dead; it may be that the Lord may
+change the nature of the Boers, and that we will not be treated like
+dogs and beasts of burden as formerly, but we have no hope of such a
+change, and we leave you with heavy hearts and great apprehension as
+to the future." In his Report, Mr. Shepstone (the Secretary for Native
+Affairs) says: "One chief, Jan Sibilo, who has been, he informed me,
+personally threatened with death by the Boers after the English leave,
+could not restrain his feelings, but cried like a child."
+
+I have nothing to add to these extracts, which are taken from many such
+statements. They are the very words of the persons most concerned, and
+will speak for themselves.
+
+The Convention was signed on the 3d August 1881, and was to be formally
+ratified by a Volksraad or Parliament of the Burghers within three
+months of that date, in default of which it was to fall to the ground
+and become null and void.
+
+Anybody who has followed the course of affairs with reference to the
+retrocession of the Transvaal, or who has even taken the trouble to read
+through this brief history, will probably come to the conclusion that,
+under all the circumstances, the Boers had got more than they could
+reasonably expect. Not so, however, the Boers themselves. On the 28th
+September the newly-elected Volksraad referred the Convention to a
+General Committee to report on, and on the 30th September the Report
+was presented. On the 3d October a telegram was despatched through
+the British Resident to "His Excellency W. E. Gladstone," in which the
+Volksraad states that the Convention is not acceptable--
+
+(1.) Because it is in conflict with the Sand River Treaty of 1852.
+
+(2.) Because it violates the peace agreement entered into with Sir
+Evelyn Wood, in confidence of which the Boers laid down their arms.
+
+The Volksraad consequently declared that modifications were desirable,
+and that certain articles _must_ be altered.
+
+To begin with, they declare that the "conduct of foreign relations does
+not appertain to the Suzerain, only supervision," and that the articles
+bearing on these points must consequently be modified. They next attack
+the native question, stating that "the Suzerain has not the right to
+interfere with our Legislature," and state that they cannot agree to
+Article 3, which gives the Suzerain a right of veto on Legislation
+connected with the natives, to Article 13, by virtue of which natives
+are to be allowed to acquire land, and to the last part of Article
+26, by which it is provided that whites of alien race living in the
+Transvaal shall not be taxed in excess of the taxes imposed on Transvaal
+citizens.
+
+They further declare that it is "infra dignitatem" for the President of
+the Transvaal to be a member of a Commission. This refers to the Native
+Location Commission, on which he is, in the terms of the Convention,
+to sit, together with the British Resident, and a third person jointly
+appointed.
+
+They next declare that the amount of the debt for which the Commission
+has made them liable should be modified. Considering that England had
+already made them a present of from 600,000 pounds to 800,000 pounds,
+this is a most barefaced demand. Finally, they state that "Articles 15,
+16, 26, and 27, are superfluous, and only calculated to wound our sense
+of honour" (sic).
+
+Article 15 enacts that no slavery or apprenticeship shall be tolerated.
+
+Article 16 provides for religious toleration.
+
+Article 26 provides for the free movement, trading, and residence of all
+persons, other than natives, conforming themselves to the laws of the
+Transvaal.
+
+Article 27 gives to all the right of free access to the Courts of
+Justice.
+
+Putting the "sense of honour" of the Transvaal Volksraad out of the
+question, past experience has but too plainly proved that these Articles
+are by no means superfluous.
+
+In reply to this message, Sir Hercules Robinson telegraphs to the
+British Resident on the 21st October in the following words:--
+
+"Having forwarded Volksraad Resolution of 15th to Earl of Kimberley, I
+am desired to instruct you in reply to repeat to the Triumvirate
+that Her Majesty's Government cannot entertain any proposals for a
+modification of the Convention _until after it has been ratified_, and
+the necessity for further concession proved by experience."
+
+I wish to draw particular attention to the last part of this message,
+which is extremely typical of the line of policy adopted throughout
+in the Transvaal business. The English Government dared not make any
+further concession to the Boers, because they felt that they had already
+strained the temper of the country almost to breaking in the matter. On
+the other hand, they were afraid that if they did not do something, the
+Boers would tear up the Convention, and they would find themselves face
+to face with the old difficulty. Under these circumstances, they have
+fallen back upon their temporising and un-English policy, which leaves
+them a back-door to escape through, whatever turn things take. Should
+the Boers now suddenly turn round and declare, which is extremely
+probable, that they repudiate their debt to us, or that they are sick
+of the presence of a British Resident, the Government will be able
+to announce that "the necessity for further concession" has now been
+"proved by experience," and thus escape the difficulty. In short, this
+telegram has deprived the Convention of whatever finality it may have
+possessed, and made it, as a document, as worthless as it is as a
+practical settlement. That this is the view taken of it by the Boers
+themselves, is proved by the text of the Ratification which followed on
+the receipt of this telegram.
+
+The tone of this document throughout is, in my opinion, considering from
+whom it came, and against whom it is directed, very insolent. And it
+amply confirms what I have previously said, that the Boers looked upon
+themselves as a victorious people making terms with those they have
+conquered. The Ratification leads off thus: "The Volksraad is not
+satisfied with this Convention, and considers that the members of the
+Triumvirate performed a fervent act of love for the Fatherland when
+they upon their own responsibility signed such an unsatisfactory state
+document." This is damning with faint praise indeed. It then goes on to
+recite the various points of object, stating that the answers from the
+English Government proved that they were well founded. "The English
+Government," it says, "acknowledges indirectly by this answer (the
+telegram of 21st October, quoted above) that the difficulties raised
+by the Volksraad are neither fictitious nor unfounded, inasmuch _as it
+desires from us the concession_ that we, the Volksraad, shall submit
+it to a practical test." It will be observed that English is here
+represented as begging the favour of a trial of her conditions from the
+Volksraad of the Transvaal Boers. The Ratification is in these words:
+"Therefore it is that the Raad here unanimously resolves not to go into
+further discussion of the Convention, _and maintaining all objections
+to the Convention_ as made before the Royal Commission or stated in the
+Raad, and for the purpose of showing to everybody that the love of peace
+and unity inspires us, _for the time and provisionally_ submitting the
+articles of the Convention to a practical test, _hereby complying with
+the request of the English Government_ contained in the telegram of the
+13th October 1881, proceeds to ratify the Convention."
+
+It would have been interesting to have seen how such a Ratification as
+this, which is no Ratification but an insult, would have been accepted
+by Lord Beaconsfield. I think that within twenty-four hours of its
+arrival in Downing Street, the Boer Volksraad would have received a
+startling answer. But Lord Beaconsfield is dead, and by his successor it
+was received with all due thankfulness and humility. His words, however,
+on this subject still remain to us, and even his great rival might
+have done well to listen to them. It was in the course of what was, I
+believe, the last speech he made in the House of Lords, that speaking
+about the Transvaal rising, he warned the Government that it was a very
+dangerous thing to make peace with rebellious subjects in arms against
+the authority of the Queen. The warning passed unheeded, and the peace
+was made in the way I have described.
+
+As regards the Convention itself, it will be obvious to the reader that
+the Boers have not any intention of acting up to its provisions, mild
+as they are, if they can possibly avoid them, whilst, on the other hand,
+there is no force at hand to punish their disregard or breach. It is all
+very well to create a Resident with extensive powers; but how is he to
+enforce his decisions? What is he to do if his awards are laughed at and
+made a mockery of, as they are and will be? The position of Mr. Hudson
+at Pretoria is even worse than that of Mr. Osborn in Zululand. For
+instance, the Convention specifies in the first article that the
+Transvaal is to be known as the Transvaal State. The Boer Government
+have, however, thought fit to adopt the name of "South African Republic"
+in all public documents. Mr. Hudson was accordingly directed to
+remonstrate, which he did in a feeble way; his remonstrance was politely
+acknowledged, but the country is still officially called the South
+African Republic, the Convention and Mr. Hudson's remonstrations
+notwithstanding. Mr. Hudson, however, appears to be better suited to
+the position than would have been the case had an Englishman, pure and
+simple, been appointed, since it is evident that things that would
+have struck the latter as insults to the Queen he represented, and his
+country generally, are not so understood by him. In fact, he admirably
+represents his official superiors in his capacity of swallowing rebuffs,
+and when smitten on one cheek delightedly offering the other.
+
+Thus we find him attending a Boer meeting of thanksgiving for the
+success that had waited on their arms and the recognition of their
+independence, where most people will consider he was out of place. To
+this meeting, thus graced by his presence, an address was presented by
+a branch of the Africander Bond, a powerful institution, having for its
+object the total uprootal of English rule and English customs in South
+Africa, to which he must have listened with pleasure. In it he, in
+common with other members of the meeting, is informed that "you took
+up the sword and struck the Briton with such force" that "the Britons
+through fear revived that sense of justice to which they could not be
+brought by petitions," and that the "day will soon come that we shall
+enter with you on one arena for the entire independence of South
+Africa," i.e., independence from English rule.
+
+On the following day the Government gave a dinner, to which all those
+who had done good service during the late hostilities were invited, the
+British Resident being apparently the only Englishman asked. Amongst the
+other celebrities present I notice the name of Buskes. This man, who
+is an educated Hollander, was the moving spirit of the Potchefstroom
+atrocities; indeed, so dark is his reputation that the Royal Commission
+refused to transact business with him, or to admit him into their
+presence. Mr. Hudson was not so particular. And now comes the most
+extraordinary part of the episode. At the dinner it was necessary that
+the health of Her Majesty as Suzerain should be proposed, and with
+studied insolence this was done last of all the leading political
+toasts, and immediately after that of the Triumvirate. Notwithstanding
+this fact, and that the toast was couched by Mr. Joubert, who stated
+that "he would not attempt to explain what a Suzerain was," in what
+appear to be semi-ironical terms, we find that Mr. Hudson "begged to
+tender his thanks to the Honourable Mr. Joubert for the kind way in
+which he proposed the toast."
+
+It may please Mr. Hudson to see the name of the Queen thus
+metaphorically dragged in triumph at the chariot wheels of the
+Triumvirate, but it is satisfactory to know that the spectacle is not
+appreciated in England: since, on a question in the House of Lords, by
+the Earl of Carnarvon, who characterised it as a deliberate insult, Lord
+Kimberley replied that the British Resident had been instructed that
+in future he was not to attend public demonstrations unless he had
+previously informed himself that the name of Her Majesty would be
+treated with proper respect. Let us hope that this official reprimand
+will have its effect, and that Mr. Hudson will learn therefrom that
+there is such a thing as _trop de zele_--even in a good cause.
+
+The Convention is now a thing of the past, the appropriate rewards have
+been lavishly distributed to its framers, and President Brand has at
+last prevailed upon the Volksraad of the Orange Free State to allow him
+to become a Knight Grand Cross of Saint Michael and Saint George,--the
+same prize looked forward to by our most distinguished public servants
+at the close of the devotion of their life to the service of their
+country. But its results are yet to come--though it would be difficult
+to forecast the details of their development. One thing, however, is
+clear: the signing of that document signalised an entirely new departure
+in South African affairs, and brought us within a measurable distance
+of the abandonment, for the present at any rate, of the supremacy of
+English rule in South Africa.
+
+This is the larger issue of the matter, and it is already bearing fruit.
+Emboldened by their success in the Transvaal, the Dutch party at the
+Cape are demanding, and the demand is to be granted, that the Dutch
+tongue be admitted _pari passu_ with English, as the official language
+in the Law Courts and the House of Assembly. When a country thus
+consents to use a foreign tongue equally with its own, it is a sure
+sign that those who speak it are rising to power. But "the Party"
+looks higher than this, and openly aims at throwing off English rule
+altogether, and declaring South Africa a great Dutch republic. The
+course of events is favourable to their aspiration. Responsible
+Government is to be granted to Natal, which country not being strong
+enough to stand alone in the face of the many dangers that surround her,
+will be driven into the arms of the Dutch party to save herself from
+destruction. It will be useless for her to look for help from England,
+and any feelings of repugnance she may feel to Boer rule will soon be
+choked by necessity, and a mutual interest. It is, however, possible
+that some unforeseen event, such as the advent to power of a strong
+Conservative Ministry, may check the tide that now sets so strongly in
+favour of Dutch supremacy.
+
+It seems to me, however, to be a question worthy of the consideration
+of those who at present direct the destinies of the Empire, whether it
+would not be wise, as they have gone so far, to go a little further and
+favour a scheme for the total abandonment of South Africa, retaining
+only Table Bay. If they do not, it is now quite within the bounds of
+sober possibility that they may one day have to face a fresh Transvaal
+rebellion, only on a ten times larger scale, and might find it difficult
+to retain even Table Bay. If, on the other hand, they do, I believe
+that all the White States in South Africa will confederate of their own
+free-will, under the pressure of the necessity for common action, and
+the Dutch element being preponderant, at once set to work to exterminate
+the natives on general principles, in much the same way, and from much
+the same motives that a cook exterminates black beetles, because she
+thinks them ugly, and to clear the kitchen.
+
+I need hardly say that such a policy is not one that commands my
+sympathy, but Her Majesty's Government having put their hand to the
+plough, it is worth their while to consider it. It would at any rate
+be in perfect accordance with their declared sentiments, and command an
+enthusiastic support from their followers.
+
+As regards the smaller and more immediate issue of the retrocession,
+namely, its effect on the Transvaal itself, it cannot be other than
+evil. The act is, I believe, quite without precedent in our history,
+and it is difficult to see, looking at it from those high grounds of
+national morality assumed by the Government, what greater arguments
+can be advanced in its favour, than could be found to support the
+abandonment of,--let us say,--Ireland. Indeed a certain parallel
+undoubtedly exists between the circumstances of the two countries.
+Ireland was, like the Transvaal, annexed, though a long time ago, and
+has continually agitated for its freedom. The Irish hate us, so did the
+Boers. In Ireland, Englishmen are being shot, and England is running the
+awful risk of bloodguiltiness, as it did in the Transvaal. In Ireland,
+smouldering revolution is being fanned into flame by Mr. Gladstone's
+speeches and acts, as it was in the Transvaal. In Ireland, as in the
+Transvaal, there exists a strong loyal class that receives insults
+instead of support from the Government, and whose property, as was the
+case there, is taken from them without compensation, to be flung as a
+sop to stop the mouths of the Queen's enemies. And so I might go on,
+finding many such similarities of circumstances, but my parallel, like
+most parallels, must break down at last. Thus--it mattered little to
+England whether or no she let the Transvaal go, but to let Ireland go
+would be more than even Mr. Gladstone dare attempt.
+
+Somehow, if you follow these things far enough, you always come
+to vulgar first principles. The difference between the case of the
+Transvaal and that of Ireland is a difference not of justice but of
+cause, for both causes are equally unjust or just according as they
+are viewed, but of mere common expediency. Judging from the elevated
+standpoint of the national morality theory however, which, as we know,
+soars above such truisms as the foolish statement that force is a
+remedy, or that if you wish to retain your prestige you must not allow
+defeats to pass unavenged, I cannot see why, if it was righteous to
+abandon the Transvaal, it would not be equally righteous to abandon
+Ireland!
+
+As for the Transvaal, that country is not to be congratulated on its
+success, for it has destroyed all its hopes of permanent peace, has
+ruined its trade and credit, and has driven away the most useful and
+productive class in the community. The Boers, elated by their success in
+arms, will be little likely to settle down to peaceable occupations,
+and still less likely to pay their taxes, which, indeed, I hear they
+are already refusing to do. They have learnt how easily even a powerful
+Government can be upset, and the lesson is not likely to be forgotten,
+for want of repetition to their own weak one.
+
+Already the Transvaal Government hardly knows which way to turn for
+funds, and is, perhaps fortunately for itself, quite unable to borrow,
+through want of credit.
+
+As regards the native question, I agree with Mr. H. Shepstone, who,
+in his Report on this subject, says that he does not believe that the
+natives will inaugurate any action against the Boers, so long as the
+latter do not try to collect taxes, or otherwise interfere with them.
+But if the Boer Government is to continue to exist, it will be bound
+to raise taxes from the natives, since it cannot collect much from its
+white subjects. The first general attempt of the sort will be the signal
+for active resistance on the part of the natives, whom, if they act
+without concert, the Boers will be able to crush in detail, though with
+considerable loss. If, on the other hand, they should have happened,
+during the last few years, to have learnt the advantages of combination,
+as is quite possible, perhaps they will crush the Boers.
+
+The only thing that is at present certain about the matter is that there
+will be bloodshed, and that before long. For instance, the Montsoia
+difficulty in the Keate Award has in it the possibilities of a serious
+war, and there are plenty such difficulties ready to spring into life
+within and without the Transvaal.
+
+In all human probability it will take but a small lapse of time for
+the Transvaal to find itself in the identical position from which we
+relieved it by the Annexation.
+
+What course events will then take it is impossible to say. It may be
+found desirable to re-annex the country, though, in my opinion,
+that would be, after all that has passed, an unfortunate step; its
+inhabitants may be cut up piecemeal by a combined movement of native
+tribes, as they would have been, had they not been rescued by the
+English Government in 1877, or it is possible that the Orange Free State
+may consent to take the Transvaal under its wing: who can say? There is
+only one thing that our recently abandoned possession can count on for
+certain, and that is trouble, both from its white subjects, and the
+natives, who hate the Boers with a bitter and a well-earned hatred.
+
+The whole question, can, so far as its moral aspect is concerned, be
+summed up in a few words.
+
+Whether or no the Annexation was a necessity at the moment of its
+execution,--which I certainly maintain it was--it received the
+unreserved sanction of the Home Authorities, and the relations of
+Sovereign and subject, with all the many and mutual obligations involved
+in that connection, were established between the Queen of England and
+every individual of the motley population of the Transvaal. Nor was this
+change an empty form, for, to the largest proportion of that population,
+this transfer of allegiance brought with it a priceless and a vital
+boon. To them it meant--freedom and justice--for where, on any portion
+of this globe over which the British ensign floats, does the law even
+wink at cruelty or wrong?
+
+A few years passed away, and a small number of the Queen's subjects in
+the Transvaal rose in rebellion against Her authority, and inflicted
+some reverses on Her arms. Thereupon, in spite of the reiterated pledges
+given to the contrary--partly under stress of defeat, and partly
+in obedience to the pressure of "advanced views"--the country was
+abandoned, and the vast majority who had remained faithful to the Crown,
+was handed to the cruel despotism of the minority who had rebelled
+against it.
+
+Such an act of treachery to those to whom we were bound with double
+chains--by the strong ties of a common citizenship, and by those claims
+to England's protection from violence and wrong which have hitherto
+been wont to command it, even where there was no duty to fulfil, and
+no authority to vindicate--stands--I believe--without parallel on our
+records, and marks a new departure in our history.
+
+I cannot end these pages without expressing my admiration of the
+extremely able way in which the Boers managed their revolt, when once
+they felt that, having undertaken the thing, it was a question of
+life and death with them. It shows that they have good stuff in them
+somewhere, which, under the firm but just rule of Her Majesty, might
+have been much developed, and it makes it the more sad that they should
+have been led to throw off that rule, and have been allowed to do so by
+an English Government.
+
+In conclusion, there is one point that I must touch on, and that is the
+effect of the retrocession on the native mind, which I can only describe
+as most disastrous. The danger alluded to in the Report of the Royal
+Commission has been most amply realised, and the prevailing belief in
+the steadfastness of our policy, and the inviolability of our plighted
+word, which has hitherto been the great secret of our hold on the
+Kafirs, has been rudely shaken. The motives that influenced, or are said
+to have influenced, the Government in their act, are naturally quite
+unintelligible to savages, however clever, who do believe that force
+is a remedy, and who have seen the inhabitants of a country ruled by
+England, defeat English soldiers and take possession of it, whilst those
+who remained loyal to England were driven out of it. It will not be
+wonderful if some of them, say the natives of Natal, deduce therefrom
+conclusions unfavourable to loyalty, and evince a desire to try the same
+experiment.
+
+It is, however, unprofitable to speculate on the future, which must be
+left to unfold itself.
+
+The curtain is, so far as this country is concerned, down for the moment
+on the South African stage; when it rises again, there is but too much
+reason to fear that it will reveal a state of confusion, which, unless
+it is more wisely and consistently dealt with in the future than it has
+been in the past, may develop into chaos.
+
+
+
+
+APPENDIX
+
+
+
+I
+
+THE POTCHEFSTROOM ATROCITIES, &C.
+
+There were more murders and acts of cruelty committed during the war
+at Potchefstroom, where the behaviour of the Boers was throughout both
+deceitful and savage, than at any other place.
+
+When the fighting commenced a number of ladies and children, the wives
+and children of English residents, took refuge in the fort. Shortly
+after it had been invested they applied to be allowed to return to their
+homes in the town till the war was over. The request was refused by the
+Boer commander, who said that as they had gone there, they might stop
+and "perish" there. One poor lady, the wife of a gentleman well known in
+the Transvaal, was badly wounded by having the point of a stake, which
+had been cut in two by a bullet, driven into her side. She was at the
+time in a state of pregnancy, and died some days afterwards in great
+agony. Her little sister was shot through the throat, and several other
+women and children suffered from bullet wounds, and fever arising from
+their being obliged to live for months exposed to rain and heat, with
+insufficient food.
+
+The moving spirit of all the Potchefstroom atrocities was a cruel wretch
+of the name of Buskes, a well-educated man, who, as an advocate of the
+High Court, had taken the oath of allegiance to the Queen.
+
+One deponent swears that he saw this Buskes wearing Captain Fall's
+diamond ring, which he had taken from Sergeant Ritchie, to whom it was
+handed to be sent to England, and also that he had possessed himself
+of the carriages and other goods belonging to prisoners taken by the
+Boers.[*] Another deponent (whose name is omitted in the Blue Book for
+precautionary reasons) swears, "That on the next night the patrol again
+came to my house accompanied by one Buskes, who was secretary of the
+Boer Committee, and again asked where my wife and daughter were. I
+replied, in bed; and Buskes then said, 'I must see for myself.' I
+refused to allow him, and he forced me, with a loaded gun held to my
+breast, to open the curtains of the bed, when he pulled the bedclothes
+half off my wife, and altogether off my daughter. I then told him if I
+had a gun I would shoot him. He placed a loaded gun at my breast, when
+my wife sprang out of bed and got between us."
+
+     [*] Buskes was afterwards forced to deliver up the ring.
+
+I remember hearing at the time that this Buskes (who is a good musician)
+took one of his victims, who was on the way to execution, into the
+chapel and played the "Dead March in Saul," or some such piece, over him
+on the organ.
+
+After the capture of the Court House a good many Englishmen fell into
+the hands of the Boers. Most of these were sentenced to hard labour and
+deprivation of "civil rights." The sentence was enforced by making them
+work in the trenches under a heavy fire from the fort. One poor fellow,
+F. W. Finlay by name, got his head blown off by a shell from his own
+friends in the fort, and several loyal Kafirs suffered the same fate.
+After these events the remaining prisoners refused to return to the
+trenches till they had been "tamed" by being thrashed with the butt end
+of guns, and by threats of receiving twenty-five lashes each.
+
+But their fate, bad as it was, was not so awful as that suffered by Dr.
+Woite and J. Van der Linden.
+
+Dr. Woite had attended the Boer meeting which was held before the
+outbreak, and written a letter from thence to Major Clarke, in which he
+had described the talk of the Boers as silly bluster. He was not a paid
+spy. This letter was, unfortunately for him, found in Major Clarke's
+pocket-book, and because of it he was put through a form of trial, taken
+out and shot dead, all on the same day. He left a wife and large family,
+who afterwards found their way to Natal in a destitute condition.
+
+The case of Van der Linden is somewhat similar. He was one of Raaf's
+Volunteers, and as such had taken the oath of allegiance to the Queen.
+In the execution of his duty he made a report to his commanding officer
+about the Boer meeting, and which afterwards fell into the hands of the
+Boers. On this he was put through the form of trial, and, though in
+the service of the Queen, was found guilty of treason and condemned to
+death. One of his judges, a little less stony-hearted than the rest,
+pointed out that "when the prisoner committed the crime martial law had
+not yet been proclaimed, nor the State," but it availed him nothing. He
+was taken out and shot.
+
+A Kafir named Carolus was also put through the form of trial and shot,
+for no crime at all that I can discover.
+
+Ten unarmed Kafir drivers, who had been sent away from the fort, were
+shot down in cold blood by a party of Boers. Several witnesses depose to
+having seen their remains lying together close to Potchefstroom.
+
+Various other Kafirs were shot. None of the perpetrators of these crimes
+were brought to justice. The Royal Commission comments on these acts as
+follows:--
+
+"In regard to the deaths of Woite, Van de Linden, and Carolus, the
+Boer leaders do not deny the fact that those men had been executed, but
+sought to justify it. The majority of your Commissioners felt bound to
+record their opinion that the taking of the lives of these men was an
+act contrary to the rules of civilised warfare. Sir H. de Villiers was
+of opinion that the executions in these cases, having been ordered by
+properly constituted Court Martial of the Boers' forces after due trial,
+did not fall under the cognisance of your Commissioners.
+
+"Upon the case of William Finlay the majority of your Commissioners felt
+bound to record the opinion that the sacrifice of Finlay's life, through
+forced labour under fire in the trenches, was an act contrary to the
+rules of civilised warfare. _Sir H. de Villiers did not feel justified
+by the facts of the case in joining in this expression of opinion_
+(sic). As to the case of the Kafir Andries, your Commissioners decided
+that, although the shooting of this man appeared to them, from the
+information laid before them, to be not in accordance with the rules of
+civilised warfare, under all the circumstances of the case, it was not
+desirable to insist upon a prosecution.
+
+"The majority of your Commissioners, although feeling it a duty to
+record emphatically their disapproval of the acts that resulted in
+the deaths of Woite, Van der Linden, Finlay, and Carolus, yet found it
+impossible to bring to justice the persons guilty of these acts."
+
+It will be observed that Sir H. de Villiers does not express any
+disapproval, emphatic or otherwise, of these wicked murders.
+
+But Potchefstroom did not enjoy a monopoly of murder.
+
+In December 1880, Captain Elliot, who was a survivor from the Bronker
+Spruit massacre, and Captain Lambart, who had been taken prisoner by the
+Boers whilst bringing remounts from the Free State, were released from
+Heidelberg on parole on condition that they left the country. An escort
+of two men brought them to a drift of the Vaal river, where they refused
+to cross, because they could not get their cart through, the river being
+in flood. The escort then returned to Heidelberg and reported that the
+officers would not cross. A civil note was then sent back to Captains
+Elliot and Lambart, signed by P. J. Joubert, telling them "to pass the
+Vaal river immediately by the road that will be shown to you." What
+secret orders, if any, were sent with this letter has never transpired;
+but I decline to believe that, either in this or in Barber's case, the
+Boer escort took upon themselves the responsibility of murdering their
+prisoners, without authority of some kind for the deed.
+
+The men despatched from Heidelberg with the letter found Lambert and
+Elliot wandering about and trying to find the way to Standerton. They
+presented the letter, and took them towards a drift in the Vaal. Shortly
+before they got there the prisoners noticed that their escort had been
+reinforced. It would be interesting to know, if these extra men were not
+sent to assist in the murder, how and why they turned up as they did and
+joined themselves to the escort. The prisoners were taken to an old and
+disused drift of the Vaal river and told to cross. It was now dark, and
+the river was much swollen with rain; in fact, impassable for the cart
+and horses. Captains Elliot and Lambart begged to be allowed to outspan
+till the next morning, but were told that they must cross, which they
+accordingly attempted to do. A few yards from the bank the cart stuck on
+a rock, and whilst in this position the Boer escort poured a volley into
+it. Poor Elliot was instantly killed, one bullet fracturing his skull,
+another passing through the back, a third shattering the right thigh,
+and a fourth breaking the left wrist. The cart was also riddled, but,
+strange to say, Captain Lambert was untouched, and succeeded in swimming
+to the further bank, the Boers firing at him whenever the flashes of
+lightning revealed his whereabouts. After sticking some time in the mud
+of the bank he managed to effect his escape, and next day reached the
+house of an Englishman called Groom, living in the Free State, and from
+thence made his way to Natal.
+
+Two of the murderers were put through a form of trial, after the
+conclusion of peace, and acquitted.
+
+The case of the murder of Dr. Barber is of a somewhat similar character
+to that of Elliot, except that there is in this case a curious piece of
+indirect evidence that seems to connect the murder directly with Piet
+Joubert, one of the Triumvirate.
+
+In the month of February 1881, two Englishmen came to the Boer laager
+at Lang's Nek to offer their services as doctors. Their names were Dr.
+Barber, who was well known to the Boers, and his assistant, Mr. Walter
+Dyas, and they came, not from Natal, but the Orange Free State. On
+arrival at the Boer camp they were at first well received, but after
+a little while seized, searched, and tied up all night to a disselboom
+(pole of a waggon). Next morning they were told to mount their horses,
+and started from the camp escorted by two men who were to take them over
+the Free State line.
+
+When they reached the Free State line the Boers told them to get off
+their horses, which they were ordered to bring back to the camp. They
+did so, bade good-day to their escort, and started to walk on towards
+their destination. When they had gone about forty yards Dyas heard the
+report of a rifle, and Barber called out, "My God, I am shot!" and fell
+dead.
+
+Dyas went down on his hands and knees and saw one of the escort
+deliberately aim at him. He then jumped up, and ran dodging from right
+to left, trying to avoid the bullet. Presently the man fired, and he
+felt himself struck through the thigh. He fell with his face to the men,
+and saw his would-be assassin put a fresh cartridge into his rifle and
+aim at him. Turning his face to the ground he awaited his death, but the
+bullet whizzed past his head. He then saw the men take the horses and go
+away, thinking they had finished him. After waiting a while he managed
+to get up, and struggled to a house not far off, where he was kindly
+treated and remained till he recovered.
+
+Some time after this occurrence a Hottentot, named Allan Smith, made
+a statement at Newcastle, from which it appears that he had been taken
+prisoner by the Boers and made to work for them. One night he saw Barber
+and Dyas tied to the disselboom, and overheard the following, which I
+will give in his own words:--
+
+"I went to a fire where some Boers were sitting; among them was
+a low-sized man, moderately stout, with a dark-brown full beard,
+apparently about thirty-five years of age. I do not know his name. _He
+was telling his comrades that he had brought an order from Piet Joubert_
+to Viljoen, to take the two prisoners to the Free State line _and shoot
+them there_. He said, in the course of conversation, 'Piet Joubert het
+gevraacht waarom was de mensche neet dood geschiet toen hulle bijde
+eerste laager gekom het.' ('Piet Joubert asked why were the men not shot
+when they came to the first laager.') They then saw me at the fire, and
+one of them said, 'You must not talk before that fellow; he understands
+what you say, and will tell everybody.'
+
+"Next morning Viljoen told me to go away, and gave me a pass into the
+Free State. He said (in Dutch), 'you must not drive for any Englishmen
+again. If we catch you doing so we will shoot you, and if you do not go
+away quick, and we catch you hanging about when we bring the two men to
+the line, we will shoot you too.'"
+
+Dyas, who escaped, made an affidavit with reference to this statement in
+which he says, "I have read the foregoing affidavit of Allan Smith,
+and I say that the person described in the third paragraph thereof as
+bringing orders from Piet Joubert to Viljoen, corresponds with one of
+the Boers who took Dr. Barber and myself to the Free State, and to the
+best of my belief he is the man who shot Dr. Barber."
+
+The actual murderers were put on their trial in the Free State, and, of
+course, acquitted. In his examination at the trial, Allan Smith says,
+"It was a young man who said that Joubert had given orders that Barber
+had to be shot. . . . It was not at night, but in the morning early,
+when the young man spoke about Piet Joubert's order."
+
+Most people will gather, from what I have quoted, that there exists a
+certain connection between the dastardly murder of Dr. Barber (and the
+attempted murder of Mr. Dyas), and Piet Joubert, one of that "able"
+Triumvirate of which Mr. Gladstone speaks so highly.
+
+I shall only allude to one more murder, though more are reported to have
+occurred, amongst them--that of Mr. Malcolm, who was kicked to death by
+Boers,--and that is Mr. Green's.
+
+Mr. Green was an English gold-digger, and was travelling along the main
+road to his home at Spitzcop. The road passed close by the military camp
+at Lydenburg, into which he was called. On coming out he went to a Boer
+patrol with a flag of truce, and whilst talking to them was shot dead.
+The Rev. J. Thorne, the English clergyman at Lydenburg, describes this
+murder in an affidavit in the following words:--
+
+"That I was the clergyman who got together a party of Englishmen and
+brought down the body of Mr. Green who was murdered by the Boers and
+buried it. I have ascertained the circumstances of the murder, which
+were as follows:--Mr. Green was on his way to the gold-fields. As he was
+passing the fort, he was called in by the officers, and sent out again
+with a message to the Boer commandant. Immediately on leaving the camp,
+he went to the Boer guard opposite with a flag of truce in his hand;
+while parleying with the Boers, who proposed to make a prisoner of him,
+he was shot through the head."
+
+No prosecution was instituted in this case. Mr. Green left a wife and
+children in a destitute condition.
+
+
+
+II
+
+PLEDGES GIVEN BY MR. GLADSTONE'S GOVERNMENT AS TO THE RETENTION OF THE
+TRANSVAAL AS A BRITISH COLONY
+
+The following extracts from the speeches, despatches, and telegrams
+of members of the present Government, with reference to the proposed
+retrocession of the Transvaal, are not without interest:--
+
+During the month of May 1880, Lord Kimberley despatched a telegram
+to Sir Bartle Frere, in which the following words occur: "_Under
+no circumstances can the Queen's authority in the Transvaal be
+relinquished._"
+
+In a despatch dated 20th May, and addressed to Sir Bartle Frere, Lord
+Kimberley says, "That the sovereignty of the Queen in the Transvaal
+could not be relinquished."
+
+In a speech in the House of Lords on the 24th May 1880, Lord Kimberley
+said:--
+
+"There was a still stronger reason than that for not receding; it was
+impossible to say what calamities such a step as receding might not
+cause. We had, at the cost of much blood and treasure, restored peace,
+and the effect of our now reversing our policy would be to leave the
+province in a state of anarchy, and possibly to cause an internecine
+war. For such a risk he could not make himself responsible. The number
+of the natives in the Transvaal was estimated at about 800,000, and
+that of the whites less than 50,0000. Difficulties with the Zulus and
+frontier tribes would again arise, and, looking as they must to South
+Africa as a whole, the Government, after a careful consideration of
+the question, came to the conclusion _that we could not relinquish
+the Transvaal_. Nothing could be more unfortunate than uncertainty in
+respect to such a matter."
+
+On the 8th June 1880, Mr. Gladstone, in reply to a Boer memorial, wrote
+as follows:--
+
+"It is undoubtedly a matter for much regret that it should, since the
+Annexation, have appeared that so large a number of the population of
+Dutch origin in the Transvaal are opposed to the annexation of that
+territory, but it is impossible now to consider that question as if it
+were presented for the first time. We have to do with a state of things
+which has existed for a considerable period, during which _obligations
+have been contracted, especially, though not exclusively, towards
+the native population, which cannot be set aside_. Looking to all the
+circumstances, both of the Transvaal and the rest of South Africa, and
+to the necessity of preventing a renewal of disorders, which might lead
+to disastrous consequences, not only to the Transvaal but to the whole
+of South Africa, _our judgment is that the Queen cannot be advised to
+relinquish the Transvaal_."
+
+Her Majesty's Speech, delivered in Parliament on the 6th January 1881,
+contains the following words: "A rising in the Transvaal has recently
+imposed upon me the duty of _vindicating my authority_."
+
+These extracts are rather curious reading in face of the policy adopted
+by the Government, after our troops had been defeated.
+
+
+
+III
+
+THE CASE OF INDABEZIMBI
+
+This is a case which came under my own notice. The complainant is now
+a tenant of my own. When Indabezimbi appeared before Mr. Cochrane and
+myself, his appearance fully bore out his description of the assault
+made upon him. We did everything in our power to help him to recover his
+son and his property, but without effect. The matter was fully reported
+to Sir Hercules Robinson and Sir E. Wood, and a question was asked on
+the subject in the House of Commons. I append Mr. Courtney's answer.
+This case, which is perfectly authentic, will prove instructive reading,
+as showing the treatment the Kafir must expect at the hands of the Boer,
+now that he is no longer protected by us. It must be remembered that the
+vast majority of such incidents are never heard of. The Kafirs suffer,
+and are still. The assault and robbery of Indabezimbi took place in
+Natal territory.
+
+
+Statement of Indabezimbi
+
+"I used to work on Mr. Robson's son's place, and on his death I went to
+Meyer's (in the Utrecht district of the Transvaal) about a year ago. I
+took all my property with me. There lived on the farm old Isaac Meyer,
+Solomon Meyer, who died during the war, young Isaac Meyer, Jan Meyer,
+Martinus Meyer, also a man called Cornelius, a 'bijwooner,' who loved in
+Solomon's place after he died.
+
+"According to custom, I sent my son to work for old Isaac Meyer, as
+I lived on his place. When the war began all the Meyer family moved
+further into the Transvaal, my son going with them as herd. I went up
+to Klip River with them as driver, where the river forms the boundary
+between the Free State and Transvaal. I returned at once, leaving my son
+with the Meyers. He was a small boy about twelve years of age. At the
+termination of the war the Meyers sent for me to drive them down. I met
+them a day's journey this side of Klip River. I asked them where my son
+was. Old Isaac Meyer told me he had sent him to look for horses; he did
+not return; and another boy was sent who brought the horses. The horses
+were found close by. No one went to look for my son. I asked old Isaac
+Meyer for leave to go and offer a reward amongst the Kafirs for my son.
+He refused, saying I must drive him home, and then he would give me a
+pass to come back and look for him. On our arrival at the farm I and my
+wife again applied to old Isaac Meyer to be allowed to go and see about
+my son. He refused, saying I must first shear the sheep. I replied that
+he well knew that I could not shear sheep. I said, 'How can I work when
+my heart is sore for my son?' Meyer said again that I must wait awhile
+as the rivers were full. I said how could that matter, seeing that both
+in coming and going with the waggons we crossed no rivers? As he refused
+me a pass, I started without one to seek my son. On arrival at Mavovo's
+kraal I met my brother, who told me that I must go no further, or the
+Boers would shoot me. Having no pass I returned. On my return my wives
+told me that the Meyers had come every morning to look for me with
+guns to shoot me, telling them that 'it was now no longer the days for
+sjamboking (flogging with hide whips) the natives, but the days for
+shooting them.' On hearing this I collected my goods, and by morning
+had everything on the Natal side of the Buffalo River--on Natal ground.
+About mid-day Martinus Meyer overtook us by Degaza's kraal and asked
+me what I was doing on the Natal side of the river. I told him I was
+leaving for Natal, because I found it altogether too hot for me in
+the Transvaal. He said that if I came back he would make everything
+comfortable. I refused. He then attacked me with a knobkerrie, and would
+have killed me had not one of my wives, seeing that I was badly hurt,
+knocked him down with a piece of iron. Martinus then mounted his
+horse and galloped off. I then got on my horse and fled. My wives
+hid themselves. In the afternoon there came to the waggon Jan Meyer,
+Martinus Meyer, young Isaac Meyer, and the man called Cornelius. They
+hunted all about for us with the object of shooting us, as they told
+Degaza's Kafirs. My wives then saw them inspan the waggon and take
+everything away. I had a waggon, twelve oxen, four cows, and a mare,
+also a box containing two hundred pounds in gold, a telescope, clothes,
+and other things. My wives found the box broken on the ground and all
+the contents gone. Forty sacks of grain belonging to me were also taken.
+I was robbed of everything I had, with the exception of the horse I
+escaped on. The waggon was one I hired from my brother (a relation); the
+oxen were my own brother's. Eighty pounds of the money I got from the
+Standard Bank in Newcastle for oxen sold to the owner of the store on
+the Ingagane Drift. The rest I had accumulated in fees from doctoring. I
+am a doctor amongst my own people. I come now to ask you to allow me to
+settle on your land as a refugee.
+
+"(Signed) Indabezimbi, his X mark.
+
+"This statement was made by Indabezimbi at Hilldrop, Newcastle, Natal,
+on the Seventeenth of August, Eighteen hundred and eighty-one, in the
+presence of the undersigned witnesses.
+
+"(Signed) H. Rider Haggard.
+A. H. D. Cochrane.
+J. H. Gay Roberts.
+
+"N.B.--The outrage of which Indabezimbi has here given an account
+occurred within a week of the present date, August 17th, 1881."
+
+
+Statement of the woman Nongena, Wife of Indabezimbi
+
+"My master's name is Isaac Meyer; he lives in the Transvaal, south of
+Utrecht. We have lived on the farm about a year. On the farm lived also
+Jan Meyer, Martinus Meyer, and young Isaac Meyer, sons of old Isaac
+Meyer. There was also another man on the farm, whose name I do not know.
+When the waggon went up with the Meyers' family to the centre of the
+Transvaal, when the late war broke out, my husband drove old Isaac
+Meyer's waggon, and my son Ungazaan also went to drive on stock. After
+my husband had driven the waggon to its destination in the Transvaal he
+returned to the kraal, leaving his son Ungazaan with the Meyers. After
+the war was over my husband was sent for by the Meyers to drive back
+the waggons. On arrival of the Meyers at the farm I found my husband
+had returned, but my son was left behind. I asked my master where my son
+was; my master replied, 'He did not know, he had sent to boy to bring up
+horses, but he had not brought them.' Another boy was sent who brought
+the horses. He said he had not seen the boy Ungazaan since he left to
+look for the horses, as they had left the place the morning after the
+boy was missing. My husband asked for a pass to go back and look for
+the boy; Meyer refused, and my husband went without one to look for
+Ungazaan, my son. He returned without the boy, owing, he said, to the
+want of a pass. My husband dared not go into the country without a pass.
+During my husband's absence, the three sons of old Isaac Meyer, namely,
+Martinus, Jan, and Isaac, came every morning to search for my husband,
+saying, 'We will kill him, he leaves our work to go without our leave
+for look for the boy.' They came once with sjamboks, but afterwards with
+guns, saying they would kill him if they found him. On hearing this my
+husband said, 'We cannot then stay here longer.' He then went at once
+and borrowed a waggon and twelve oxen, and during the night we packed
+the waggon three times, and took three loads across the Buffalo River
+to Degaza's kraal, which is on Natal ground, forty sacks of grain, 200
+pounds in a box, with clothes and other things, also mats and skins, and
+four head of cattle and a horse. All these things were at Degaza's kraal
+before sunrise the next morning. The Induna Kabane, at the magistrate's
+office at Newcastle, knows of the money, and from whence it came. All
+the money is our money.
+
+"About mid-day on the day after the night we moved, Martinus came on
+horseback to us at Degaza's kraal, and I saw him beating my husband with
+a kerrie; he hit him also in the mouth with his fist. He hit my husband
+on the head with a kerrie; he beat my husband on the foot when he was
+trying to creep away in a hut, and would have killed him had not one of
+his wives named Camgagaan hit Martinus on the head with a piece of iron.
+Martinus, on recovery, rode away; my husband also fled on a horse.
+
+"I with the other wives fled, and hid ourselves close by in the grass
+and stones. Presently we saw from our own hiding-place three white men,
+armed with guns, seeking for us. Their names were Martinus Meyer, Jan
+Meyer, and Isaac Meyer, all three sons of old Isaac Meyer. They sought
+us in vain. From our hiding-place we heard the waggon driven away; and
+later, when we went back to Degaza's kraal, they told us that the Meyers
+had inspanned the waggon, and had returned with it to the Transvaal side
+of the Buffalo River. The names of those who saw the Boers go away with
+the waggon are Gangtovo, Capaches, Nomatonga, Nomamane, and others.
+The Boers took away on the waggon that night all the last load we had
+brought over from the Transvaal, together with all our clothes; and
+some of the sacks first brought over were loaded up, all our cattle were
+taken, and our box was broken, and the 200 pounds taken away. We found
+the pieces of the box on the ground when we came from our hiding-place.
+We then fled. The people at Degaza's kraal told us that the Boers had
+said that they would return, and take away that which they were forced
+to leave behind when they took the first load. We have since heard from
+Degaza that the Boers came back again and took what remained of our
+property at Degaza's kraal. Degaza saw the Boers take the things
+himself.
+
+"This is all I know of the facts. The assaults and robbery took place,
+as near as I can say, about fourteen days ago."
+
+(Signed) Nongena, her X mark.
+
+Gagaoola, also wife of Indabezimbi, states:--"I have heard all that
+Nongena has told you. Her words are true; I was present when the assault
+and robbery took place."
+
+(Signed) Gagaoola, her X mark.
+
+These statements were made to us at Hilldrop, Newcastle, Natal, on the
+Twenty-second of August, Eighteen hundred and eighty-one.
+
+A. H. D. Cochrane.
+
+H. Rider Haggard.
+
+(Signed) Ayah, her X mark,
+Interpreter.
+
+
+Indabezimbi
+
+"Mr. Alderman Fowler asked the Under Secretary of State for the
+Colonies, whether the British Resident at Pretoria had brought under
+the notice of the Transvaal Government the circumstances of an outrage
+committed in August last, by a party of Boers, on the person and
+property of a Kafir named Indabezimbi, who was at that time residing in
+Natal; and whether any steps had been taken by the authorities of the
+Transvaal either to institute a judicial inquiry into the matter, or to
+surrender the offenders to the Government of Natal.
+
+"Mr. Courtney.--On the 13th of October the British Resident reported
+that, according to promise, the Government has caused an investigation
+to be made at Utrecht, and informed him that the result was somewhat
+to invalidate the statement of Indabezimbi; but that the documents
+connected with the investigation at Utrecht would speedily be forwarded
+to him with a view to correspondence through him with the Natal
+Government. No further communication has been received. It must be
+observed that, in the absence of any extradition convention, a judicial
+inquiry in this case is practically impossible, the outrage, whatever
+it was, having been committed in Natal, and the offenders being in
+the Transvaal. Her Majesty's Government are taking active steps to
+re-establish a system of extradition, in pursuance of Article 29, of the
+Convention. The despatches on this subject will be given to Parliament
+when the correspondence is completed."
+
+
+
+IV
+
+A BOER ADVERTISEMENT
+
+It may be interesting to Englishmen to know what treatment is meted out
+to such of their fellow-countrymen as have been bold enough, or forced
+by necessity, to remain in the Transvaal since the retrocession. The
+following is a translation of an advertisement recently published in the
+"Volkstem," a Transvaal paper, and is a fair sample of what "loyalists"
+have to expect.
+
+
+"WARNING
+
+"We, the undersigned Burghers of the Ward Aapies river, hereby warn all
+loyal persons who have registered themselves with the British Resident,
+that they are not to come into our houses, or into our farms, and still
+less to offer to shake hands. They can greet us at a distance on the
+road _like Kafirs_, and those who act contrary to this notice can expect
+the result."
+
+
+Presumably "the result" that the Englishman who takes the liberty
+to offer to shake hands with a Boer can expect, is to be beaten or
+murdered. This notice is signed by the Justice of the Peace or "Veld
+Cornet" of the district. Anybody who knows the estimation in which a
+Kafir is held by the Boers will understand its peculiar insolence.
+
+
+
+V
+
+"TRANSVAAL'S" LETTER TO THE "STANDARD"
+
+The following letter appeared in the issue of the "Standard" of the 31st
+May 1882, and is dated Pretoria, 27th April. It is signed "Transvaal,"
+probably because the author, were he to put his name at the foot of so
+candid a document, would find himself in much the same position as that
+occupied at the present moment by an Irish landlord who has outraged the
+susceptibilities of the Land League. He would be rigorously "boycotted,"
+and might, in the event of any disturbance, be made into a target. The
+Transvaal Boers are very sensitive to criticism, especially where their
+native policy is concerned. I take the liberty to reprint the letter
+here, partly because I feel sure that I will be forwarding the wishes
+of the writer by assisting to give publicity to his facts, and partly
+on account of the striking and recent confirmation it affords, on every
+point, to my remarks on the same subject:--
+
+"Sir,--In calling your attention to what is going on on the
+south-western border of the Transvaal, I may possibly tell you of some
+things which you may already have heard of, for in the present isolated
+condition of the country, without telegraphs, and with a very imperfect
+postal system, added to the jealousy of the Boer Government in keeping
+their actions secret from the outside world, it is not only very
+difficult to get at the truth of what is happening, but the people in
+one portion of the country are in many cases totally ignorant of what is
+going on in another. Nevertheless, I feel it incumbent on me to call
+the attention of the English people, through your widely circulating
+journal, to what has come under my observation with reference to the
+disgraceful native war which is, and has been, raging on the south-west
+border of this country.
+
+"During the late Boer war, you may be aware of the fact that a very
+large number, if not all, of the natives, were strongly in favour of
+the English Government, and only awaited the signal from it to rush upon
+their old oppressors. But the natives, although forbidden by the English
+Government from joining with them against the Boers (it is hardly
+necessary to say that had it not been for this the war would have had a
+very different ending), nevertheless afforded an asylum and protection
+to the lives and property of refugee Englishmen and loyalists. Notable
+among these natives was a Chief named Montsiou, whose tribe is situated
+just outside the borders of the Transvaal to the south-west. This
+Chief and his people received numbers of refugees who fled to them for
+protection from the rapacity of the Boers, and watched over them and
+their property throughout the war. For this offence the Boers swore to
+be revenged on him, and hardly was the war finished when they commenced
+commandeering in the Potchefstroom district, under the pretence of
+protecting their borders, but with the ostensible purpose of inflicting
+chastisement on this loyal Chief; and, the better to effect their
+purpose, they allied themselves with a neighbouring Chief, who had some
+old grudge against him, and, by promises of assistance and hopes of
+plunder, induced him to commence a war, under cover of which they could
+join, and thus effect the purpose they had in view.
+
+"The Chiefs whom the Boers had instigated to harass Montsiou got
+the worst of it, and the action of the Boers, who were actively
+commandeering in the Potchefstroom (district?), under Commandant Cronge,
+was brought to the notice of the Royal Commission through complaints
+made by loyal Boers, and resulted in an inquiry into the subject, which
+showed that his opponent was the aggressor, and was acting under the
+advice of and assistance from the Boers. The Royal Commission managed to
+patch matters up, but no sooner were their labours over, and the country
+fairly handed over to the Boers, than Moshete and Masouw, instigated by
+the Boers, commenced again harassing Montsiou, with the avowed purpose
+of bringing on a war, and so far succeeded as to oblige Montsiou to take
+up arms in self-defence.
+
+"From that time forward the war has gone on increasing in dimensions,
+until other Chiefs have been drawn into it, and the Boer volunteers
+fighting against Montsiou and Monkoroane are almost equal in numbers to
+the natives. The Boers, while doing all they can to crush Montsiou on
+account of the protection he afforded loyalists during the late war
+against the English Government, are careful not to do it in an official
+way, because that might cause trouble with England, whereas, by
+aiding and assisting it privately, they could do quite as much without
+incurring responsibility. You may naturally ask how I know all this, and
+what proofs I can advance in support of it. Some time after the Royal
+Commission had left the country, and the war had commenced again, Piet
+Joubert, who is Commandant-General, went down to the border with the
+object of putting an end to the war. This, I presume, he did for the
+sake of appearances, for it is well known that he entertains a strong
+hatred against those natives who in any way showed a partiality for
+British rule; and when it is remembered that Piet Joubert's journey did
+not result in a cessation of hostilities, but in an increase, and that
+ever since his journey the war has increased in area and in numbers,
+and that in no single instance has a Boer volunteer been prevented
+from crossing the border, or ammunition for use against Montsiou been
+stopped, the sincerity of his intentions may well be doubted.
+
+"Then, again, officers in the Boer Jagers went about Pretoria
+endeavouring to obtain volunteers to fight against Montsiou, saying
+that they were to have some months' leave from the Government, and that
+subscriptions would be raised to assist those men who had no private
+means. This took place almost immediately after Piet Joubert's return
+from the border, and while he was in Pretoria, and the general opinion
+was that he was at the bottom of it; but as it became rather more public
+than was intended, the British Resident was obliged to take notice of
+it, and the result was that the Boers, though in general treating the
+British Resident with little consideration, thought it wisest to carry
+on their operations in a more private manner, more especially as their
+object could be attained quite as effectually in this way.
+
+"While the Boers are assisting Moshete and Masouw by every means in
+their power, with the sole object of crushing Montsiou and Monkoroane,
+another loyal Chief, the Colonial Government, no doubt under
+instructions from home, are doing their best to prevent volunteers or
+ammunition reaching them, and have already rested men in Kimberley, who
+have been trying to raise volunteers to go to their assistance.
+
+"The result of this is, that the loyal Chiefs are suffering under
+a double disadvantage; for while their enemies are receiving every
+assistance, they are blockaded on all sides, and, through the action
+of the English Government in preventing them obtaining assistance, are
+rapidly falling a prey to the Boers. Those only who know anything of the
+Boer method of warfare against natives will know what this means; and in
+spite of the Boer Government doing all they can to keep things
+secret, horrible tales of the cruelties perpetrated by them leak out
+occasionally.
+
+"It seems to me a disgraceful thing, and a stain on the honour of
+England, that these loyal Chiefs and their tribes should be robbed,
+plundered, and shot down like dogs, simply because they afforded
+protection to the lives and property of Englishmen during the late
+war, and yet these things are going on and are being perpetrated on the
+border of England's Colonies. If England will not step in and insist on
+the Boers putting a stop to this murderous war, then in God's name
+let her not prevent these poor natives from obtaining ammunition and
+assistance to enable them to defend their country. They succoured our
+countrymen, and if we cannot succour them, the least we can do is not to
+interfere to prevent them from protecting themselves!
+
+"Of course, it suits the Boer Government to make out that they have
+nothing to do with the war, and cannot prevent Boer Volunteers from
+fighting these Chiefs; and so long as the English Government rests
+satisfied with these answers, so long will this disgraceful state of
+things go on. Let the English Government be firm, however, and insist
+on the Boers taking no part in this war, and it will cease--a sure proof
+that the Boer Government have the power to stop it if they have the
+will.
+
+"Not only are the Boers wreaking vengeance upon Montsiou and Monkoroane,
+but a friend of theirs, a Chief of the name of Kalafin, whose tribe is
+situated in the Zeerust district, Transvaal, has been robbed by them of
+everything he possessed. This Chief had English sympathies; and as he
+presumed to build a wall round his town he gave the Boers the excuse
+they wanted. He was ordered to take the wall down, which he did, at the
+same time proving that he only built it to prevent his cattle straying
+among the huts. He was then ordered to come to Pretoria, which he did
+accordingly. He was then ordered to pay a fine of three thousand cattle,
+which fine he paid. No sooner was this done than the Boers, bent on
+his ruin, raised the fine to ten thousand head. The poor Chief in vain
+pleaded his inability to pay. It was the old story of the wolf and the
+lamb. Because he couldn't pay, the Boers construed it into an act of
+disobedience, and at once ordered their men to go in and take everything
+he possessed. This tribe is small and weak, which the Boers well knew.
+Eye-witnesses of what followed say it was a heartrending sight. The
+women, with children in their arms, pleaded in vain to the Boers to
+leave them something or they would starve, but the latter only jeered
+at them. What these poor people will do God only knows, for the Boers
+stripped them of every living thing they possessed, and with the
+proceeds of this robbery the Boer Government intend to replenish their
+coffers.
+
+"The British Resident, Mr. Hudson, it is believed, shuts his eyes to
+many things. No doubt his is a difficult position to fill; and doubtless
+he is aware that, if he reports everything to the English Government,
+the Boers have it in their power to make his position anything but a
+pleasant one. In any case, the English portion of the community here,
+while admitting his good qualities socially, have little confidence in
+him officially.
+
+"My object in writing this letter, however, is not so much to show what
+a disgraceful state the Government is in, as to try and awaken sympathy
+in the breasts of my countrymen for the cause of these loyal Chiefs.
+While the Government are writing despatches to the British Resident,
+these Chiefs and their people are being ruined past remedying."
+
+
+
+VI
+
+A VISIT TO THE CHIEF SECOCOENI[*]
+
+     [*] This paper was written just before the Annexation of the
+     Transvaal in 1877.
+
+Towards the end of March I had occasion to visit the Basuto chief
+Secocoeni, in his native stronghold beyond the Loolu Berg, a range to
+the north-east of Pretoria, about 250 miles away; and as this journey
+was typical of travelling in the wilds of South Africa, an account of it
+may prove interesting.
+
+It is perhaps necessary to explain, for the benefit of those who are not
+acquainted with South African politics, that Secocoeni is the chieftain
+who has been at war with the late Transvaal Republic, who drove back its
+forces, capturing some 7000 head of cattle. It is from this raid that
+the present state of affairs has arisen; so that this obscure chief,
+with his 9000 warriors, has materially affected the future destinies of
+South Africa. Negotiations of peace had been set on foot, and it was
+in connection with these delicate matters that the journey was to be
+undertaken.
+
+"Going to Secocoeni at this time of year! Ah!" said one gentleman.
+"Well, look here. I sent five natives through that country in this same
+month (March) last year; out of those five, three died of the fever, and
+the other two just got through with their lives. I only tell you, you
+know, that you may take precautions. This is a bad fever year." However,
+fever or no fever, we had to go. As it was necessary to travel rapidly,
+we could only take four riding-horses, three for ourselves and the
+fourth for a Zulu named "Lankiboy," who also led a pack-horse,
+and carried an enormous "knob-kerry," or shillelagh, stuck in his
+button-hole, as though it were a wedding-bouquet.
+
+Behind our saddles were fastened our saddle-bags, containing a change
+of clothing, and in front we strapped a rug and a mackintosh.
+Our commissariat consisted of four tins of potted ham, and our
+medicine-chest of some quinine, Cockle's pills, and a roll of
+sticking-plaster, which, with a revolver and a hunting-knife or two,
+completed our equipment.
+
+We knew little of our route save that our destination lay due east, so
+due east we steered. After riding for about twenty miles, and crossing
+the Mahaliesburg range, that stretches away north for hundreds of miles,
+we came to a Boer's house, where we off-saddled to feed our horses. It
+must be understood that the Boers were the one certain difficulty, and
+one of the possible dangers, to be encountered on our road, for at no
+time are they are pleasant people to deal with, and just now they are
+remarkably unpleasant towards Englishmen.
+
+For instance, at this first house, we managed to get some forage for our
+horses, before our scowling host found out who we were, but not a bit
+could we get to eat. "Have you no bread, myn Heer?" "We have no bread
+to spare." "Have you any eggs?" "We have no eggs." "Can you let us
+have some milk?" "Susan, have you got any milk to give these carles
+(fellows)?" Finally, we succeeded in buying three cups of milk for a
+shilling, "as a favour," and that is all we got from sunrise to sunset.
+
+Riding, on empty stomachs, for another sixty miles over the plains, we
+came to a Boer's house where we had to sleep. Just before we reached the
+door, I noticed what I have often seen since, some graves in a row, with
+heaps of stones piled over them. It appears that these people do not
+care about bring buried in consecrated ground, their only anxiety being
+to be put in a coffin, and they are generally laid to rest near to their
+doors. There is neither railing nor headstone, and no trees or flowers,
+those green emblematic garments with which civilised people try to hide
+the ugliness of death. I remember once seeing several graves within two
+or three yards of the public road, so that in a year or so the waggons
+will be rumbling over the heads of those who lie beneath.
+
+When you ride up to a Boer's house, the etiquette is to wait until some
+member of the family asks you to off-saddle, and then you must go in
+and shake hands with every one, a most disagreeable custom. None of the
+women--who are very plain--rise to meet one, they just hold out their
+hands. This house was a fair specimen of the sort of habitation indulged
+in by the ordinary Boer. The main room was about eighteen feet square,
+with that kind of door which allows the upper half to open whilst the
+lower remains shut, such as is used in stables in England. The flooring
+is made of cow-dung, into which peach stones are trodden at the
+threshold, in order to prevent its wearing away. The furniture consists
+of a deal table and some chairs, rather nearly made of strips of hide
+fastened to a wooden frame. There is no ceiling, but only beams, to
+which are fastened strips of "biltong," or game's flesh, dried in the
+sun. Out of this room open one or two more, in which the whole family
+sleep, without much attempt at privacy.
+
+Sitting about the room were two or three young mothers, without
+stockings and nursing babies; in the corner, on a chair, made twice as
+large as any of the others, reposed the mother of the family, a woman of
+large size. The whole house was pervaded by a sickly odour, like that of
+a vault, whilst the grime and filth of it baffle description. And this
+was the place we had to eat and sleep in. However, there was no help for
+it; the only thing to do was to light one's pipe, and smoke. After an
+hour or so, supper was put upon the table, consisting of a bowl full of
+boiled bones, a small stack of mealie cobs, and, be it added, some good
+bread-and-butter. The eating arrangements of these people are certainly
+very trying. The other day we had to eat our dinner in a Boer's house,
+with a reeking ox-hide, just torn from the animal, lying on the floor
+beside us, together with portions of the poor beast's head whose flesh
+we were eating. However, on this occasion we were spared the ox-hide,
+and, being very hungry, managed to put up with the other discomforts.
+After a long grace our suppers were served out to us. I remember I got
+an enormous bone with but little flesh on it, which, if I may form an
+opinion from its great size and from a rapid anatomical survey, must
+have been the tibia of an ox. A young Boer sat opposite to me--a
+wonderful fellow. He got through several mealie cobs (and large ones
+too) whilst I was eating half a one. His method was peculiar, and shows
+what practice can do. He shoved a mealie cob into his mouth, gave it
+a bite and a wrench, just like one of those patent American threshing
+machines, brought the cob out perfectly clear of grain, and took
+another. After the supper was over, we had another long grace ending
+with: "voor spijze en drunk de Heer ik dank" (for food and drink the
+Lord I thank).
+
+After supper we went outside in order to escape the feet-washing
+ceremony (all in the same water) which this "simple pastoral people"
+are said to indulge in, and which they might expect the "uitlander"
+(stranger) to enter into with enthusiasm. When we came back, we
+found that the women--who, by-the-by, do not eat till the men have
+finished--had done their meal, and gone to bed, having first made us up
+a luxurious couch on the floor, consisting of a filthy feather-bed, and
+an equally filthy blanket. My heart misgave me when I looked at that
+bed. It may have been fancy, but once or twice I thought it moved.
+However, there was no choice, unless we chose to sit up all night; so in
+we got, looking for all the world like three big sun-burned dolls put
+to bed by some little girl. I, as the youngest, blew out the light, and
+then!--from every side _they_ came. Up one's arms, up one's legs,
+down one's back they scampered, till life became a burden. Sleep was
+impossible; one could only lie awake and calculate the bites per minute,
+and the quantity of blood one would lose before daybreak. Cold as it
+was, I would have turned out and slept in the veldt, only my rug was
+over my two companions as well as myself, so I could not take it. I have
+slept in a good many different places, and in very fairly uncomfortable
+places, but I never had such a night before.
+
+At the first grey dawn of morning the old "frau" came stumbling out of
+the bedroom, and sat down without ceremony in her big chair. Waiting
+till she thought that we had reached a sufficiently advanced stage in
+our toilette--and her idea of what that was must have been a strange
+one--she shouted out to her daughters that they could "com," and in they
+all came. Very glad were we when we had paid our bill, which was a heavy
+one, and were in the saddle once more, riding through the cold morning
+mist that lay in masses on all the ridges of the hills like snow on
+mountains.
+
+It was needful to start early, for we had more than sixty miles to
+cover, and our ponies had done a good journey the day before. The work
+that one can get out of these ponies is marvellous. There was my pony,
+"Mettle," who had my eleven stone to carry, to say nothing of the
+saddle, heavy saddle-bags, and a roll of rugs, who came in at the end
+of his journey as fresh as paint. We cantered easily over the great
+high-veldt prairies, now and then passing clumps of trees, outposts
+of the bush-veldt. These enormous plains, notwithstanding their dreary
+vastness, have a wild beauty of their own. The grass is what is called
+sour grass, and has a peculiar blue tinge, but stock do not like it so
+well as the low-veldt grass, which is sweeter, and fattens them more
+quickly, though it does not put them in such good fettle. The rock here
+is all white sandstone, and thinly overlaps an enormous bed of coal,
+cropping up from beneath the water-washed surface. At this time of year
+there are very few beasts or birds of any sort to be seen, though in the
+winter the veldt is one moving mass of "trek" or migratory game.
+
+Our destination that day was Botsabelo, the most important
+mission-station, and one of the very few successful ones, in
+South-Eastern Africa. As we neared it, the country gradually broke into
+hills of peculiar and beautiful formation, which rendered the last two
+hours of our ride, in the dark, through an unknown country, rather a
+difficult job. However, we stumbled through streams, and over boulders,
+and about nine o'clock were lucky enough to come right upon the station,
+where we were most kindly received by Dr. Merensky. The station itself
+stands on the brow of a hill surrounded by gardens and orchards; beneath
+it lie slope and mountain, stream and valley, over which are dotted
+numbers of kraals, to say nothing of three or four substantial houses
+occupied by the assistant missionary and German artisans. Near Dr.
+Merensky's house stands the church, by far the best I have seen in the
+Transvaal, and there is also a store with some well-built workshops
+around it. All the neighbouring country belongs to the station, which
+is, in fact, like a small independent State, 40,000 acres in extent.
+On a hill-top overshadowing the station, are placed the fortifications,
+consisting of thick walls running in a circle with upstanding towers,
+in which stand one or two cannon; but it all reminds one more of an old
+Norman keep, with its village clustered in its protecting shadow, than
+of a modern mission establishment.
+
+Dr. Merensky commenced his labours in Secocoeni's country, but was
+forced to fly from thence by night, with his wife and new-born baby,
+to escape being murdered by that Chief's orders, who, like most Kafir
+potentates, has an intense aversion to missionaries. Twelve years ago he
+established this station, and, gathering his scattered converts around
+him, defied Secocoeni to drive him thence. Twice that Chief has sent out
+a force to sweep him away, and murder his people, and twice they have
+come and looked, and, like false Sextus, turned back again. The Boers,
+too, have more than once threatened to destroy him, for it is unpleasant
+to them to have so intelligent a witness in their midst, but they have
+never dared to try. The place is really impregnable to Basutus and
+Boers; Zulus might carry it, with their grand steady rush, but it would
+be at a terrible sacrifice of life. In fact, Dr. Merensky has been
+forced, by the pressure of circumstances, to teach his men the use of a
+rifle, as well as the truths of Christianity; to trust in God, but also
+to "keep their powder dry." At a few minutes' notice he can turn out 200
+well-armed natives, ready for offence or defence; and the existence
+of such a stronghold is of great advantage to the few English in the
+neighbourhood, for the Boers know well that should they attack them
+they might draw down the vengeance of Dr. Merensky's formidable body of
+Christian soldiers.
+
+We only passed one night at Botsabelo, and next morning went on to
+Middelburg, or Nazareth, which is an hour's ride from the station. Here,
+too, we met with a warm welcome from the handful of English residents,
+but we were eager to push on as rapidly as possible, for our kind
+friends told us that it would be impossible to proceed to Secocoeni's on
+horseback, because of the deadly nature of the country for horses. So
+we had to hire an ox-waggon, which they provisioned for us, and, much to
+our disgust (as we were pressed for time), were obliged to fall back on
+that dilatory method of travelling.
+
+We decided that we would take the three oldest and least valuable horses
+with us, in order to proceed with them from Fort Weeber, which was our
+next point, to Secocoeni's town, whither waggons could not reach. Few
+English readers are aware that there is a mysterious disease
+among horses in South Africa, peculiar to the country, called
+"horse-sickness." During the autumn season it carries off thousands of
+horses annually, though some are good and others bad years--a bad fever
+year being generally a bad horse-sickness year also, and _vice versa_.
+A curious feature about it is, that as the veldt gets "tamed," that is,
+fed off by domesticated animals, the sickness gradually disappears.
+No cure has yet been discovered for it, and very few horses pull
+through--perhaps, five per cent. These are called "salted horses," and
+are very valuable; as, although they are not proof against the disease,
+they are not so liable to take it. A salted horse may be known by the
+peculiar looseness and roughness of his skin, and also by a
+certain unmistakable air of depression, as though he felt that the
+responsibilities of life pressed very heavily upon him. He is like a man
+who has dearly bought his experience; he can never forget the terrible
+lesson taught in the buying.
+
+On the fourth day from our start we left Middelburg, and, taking a
+north-east course from this outpost of civilisation, overtook the
+waggon, and camped, after a twenty miles' trek, just on the edge of the
+bush-veldt. We had two young Boers to drive our waggons--terrible louts.
+However, they understood how to drive a waggon, and whilst one of them
+drove, the other would sit for hours, with a vacant stare on his face,
+thinking. It is a solemn fact that, from the time we left Middelburg
+till the time we returned, neither of those fellows touched water, that
+is, to wash themselves. The only luxury in the shape of comforts of the
+toilette which they allowed themselves was a comb with a brass back,
+carefully tied to the roof of the waggon with two strips of ox-hide
+thick enough to have held a hundredweight of lead. I don't think they
+ever used it--it was too great a luxury for general use--but they would
+occasionally untie it and look at it. Our own outfit in the waggon was
+necessarily scanty, consisting of a few iron pots and plates, a kettle,
+some green blankets, a lantern, and an old anti-friction grease-can used
+for water, which gave it a fine flavour of waggon-wheels. We also had
+a "cartle," or wooden frame, across which were stretched strips of hide
+fitted into the waggon about two feet above the floor, and intended to
+sleep on; but the less said about that the better.
+
+After we left the great high-veldt plains, over which the fresh breeze
+was sweeping, we dropped down into a beautiful bush-clad valley with
+mountains on either side. It was like making a sudden descent into the
+tropics. Not a breath of wind stirred the trees, and the sun shone with
+a steady burning heat. Scarcely a sound broke the silence, save the
+murmur of the river we crossed and recrossed, the occasional pipe of a
+bird, and the melancholy cry, half sigh, half bark, of an old baboon,
+who was swinging himself along, indignant at our presence.
+
+If the sights and sounds were beautiful, the sun was hot, and the road
+fearful, and we were indeed glad when we reached "Whitehead's Cobalt
+Mine," and were most kindly received by the gentlemen who superintend
+the works. The house used to belong to some Boer, who had deserted
+the place, but left behind him a beautiful orchard of orange and peach
+trees. The place is very feverish and unhealthy, and the white ants
+so troublesome that everything has to be stood in sardine tins full of
+ashes.
+
+On our way from the house we went to see the cobalt mine, which is on
+a hillside a mile away. It has only been established about three years,
+and has existed hitherto under the greatest difficulties as regards
+labour, transport, machinery, danger from surrounding native tribes,
+&c.; but it has already, the proprietor informed me, reduced the price
+of cobalt--the blue dye used to colour such things as the willow-pattern
+plates--by one-half in the English market, bringing it down from
+somewhere about 140 pounds to 80 pounds a ton. We were very much
+astonished to see the amount of work which had been done, as we expected
+to find a pit such as the Kafirs work for copper, but instead of that
+there was a large slanting shaft quite a hundred yards long, to say
+nothing of various openings out of it following branch leads of ore.
+There is also a vertical shaft one hundred feet deep, through which the
+ore comes up, and by which one can ascend and descend in a bucket. After
+we emerged from this awful hole, we went into another, a drive running
+straight into the mountain for more than three hundred feet, following a
+vein of black oxide of cobalt, which is much more valuable than the ore;
+and, though the vein is rarely more than a foot in thickness, pays
+very well. Leaving the mine, we rode on past some old Kafir
+copper-workings--circular pits--which must have been abandoned, to judge
+from their appearance, a hundred years ago, till we came to the banks
+of the great "Olifants'" or "Elephants'" river. This magnificent stream,
+though it is unnavigable owing to frequent rapids, has stretches miles
+long, down which a man-of-war could steam, and after its junction with
+the Elands' River it grows larger and larger till, pursuing a north-east
+course, it at length falls into the mighty Limpopo. It is a very
+majestic but somewhat sluggish stream, and its water is not very good.
+You cannot see the river till you are right upon it, owing to the great
+trees with which its steep banks are fringed, and in the early morning
+it is quite hidden from bank to bank by a dense mass of billows of white
+mist, indescribably strange to look upon.
+
+But, beautiful as this country is, it is most unhealthy for man and
+beast. The close odour, the long creeping lines of mist, the rich rank
+vegetation, the steady heat of day and night, all say one word, "fever,"
+and fever of the most virulent type. The traveller through this sort of
+country is conscious of a latent fear lest he should some day begin to
+feel hot when he ought to be cold, and cold when he ought to be hot, and
+so be stricken down, to rise prematurely old, or perhaps to die, and be
+buried in a lonely grave covered with stones to keep off the jackals.
+We were travelling in the very worst fever-month, March, when the summer
+vegetation is commencing to rot, and throw off its poisonous steam. What
+saved us here and afterwards, at Secocoeni's, was our temperate living,
+hard exercise, and plenty of quinine and tobacco-smoke.
+
+All the country through which we were passing is good game-veldt, but we
+saw very little and killed nothing. This was chiefly owing to the fact
+that we did not dare go out of hearing of the waggon-wheels, for fear
+of getting lost in the bush, a thing very easily done. A few years back
+this veldt swarmed with big game, with elephants and giraffes, and
+they are even now occasionally seen. We managed now and again to get
+a glimpse of some of the beautiful "Impala" buck, or of a small lot of
+blue wilderbeestes vanishing between the trees, like a troop of wild
+horses. There are still plenty of lions about, but we did not hear any:
+whether it was that they had gone to the high-veldt after the cattle, or
+that they do not roar so much in summer, I do not know. Perhaps it is as
+well that we did not, for the roar of a lion is very generally followed
+by what the Dutch call a "skrech." After roaring once or twice to wake
+the cattle up, and make them generally uneasy, the lion stations himself
+about twenty yards to the windward of the waggon. The oxen get wind of
+him and promptly "skrech," that is, break their rims and run madly into
+the veldt. This is just what the lion wants, for now he can pick out a
+fat ox and quietly approach him from the other side till he is within
+springing distance. He then jumps upon him, crushes his neck with one
+bite, and eats him at his leisure.
+
+And so we trekked on through the sunrise, through the burning mid-day
+and glowing sunsets, steering by the sun and making our own road; now
+through tambouki grass higher than the oxen, and now through dense bush,
+till at length, one day, we said good-bye to the Olifants' just where
+the Elands' River flows into it, and turned our faces eastward. This
+course soon brought us on to higher ground and away from the mimosa,
+which loves the low, hot valleys, into the region of the sugar bush,
+which thrives upon the hill-sides. This sugar bush is a very handsome
+and peculiar plant, with soft thick leaves, standing about twenty feet
+high. It bears a brush-like flower, each of which in the Cape Colony
+contains half a teaspoonful of delicious honey; but, curiously enough,
+though in other respects the tree is precisely similar, this is not the
+case in the Transvaal or Natal. At the proper season the Cape farmers
+go out with buckets and shake the flowers till they have collected
+sufficient honey to last them for the winter, a honey more fragrant than
+that made by bees.
+
+After a long ride over the open, which must once have been thickly
+populated, to judge from the number of remains of kraals, we came at
+length to Fort Weeber. The fort is very badly situated in the hollow of
+a plain, and so surrounded by fine hills that it is entirely commanded.
+It consists of a single sod wall about two feet thick and five high,
+capped with loose stones, whilst at two of the corners stand, on raised
+platforms, a six-pounder and a three-pounder Whitworth gun. Inside the
+wall are built rows of mud huts, which are occupied by the garrison,
+leaving an open square, in the midst of which is placed the magazine. We
+found the garrison in a wretched condition. They have not received any
+pay except Government "good-fors" (promissory notes, generally known as
+"good-for-nothings"), so they are in a state of abject poverty; whilst
+they are rendered harmless as regards offensive operations, by the
+death, from horse-sickness, of eighty-two of the ninety horses
+they owned. However, the officers and garrison gave us a very grand
+reception. As we rode up, they fired a salute of twelve guns, and then,
+after we had dismounted and been received by the officers, we were taken
+through a lane made by the garrison drawn up in a double line, and, just
+as we got to the middle, "bang" went the eighty rifles over our
+heads. Then an address was read (the volunteers are great people for
+addresses), but a more practical welcome soon followed in the shape of a
+good dinner.
+
+Next morning we started, a party of seven, including the interpreter,
+to ride over the Loolu Berg to Secocoeni's, a distance of about
+thirty-eight miles.
+
+For the first five miles we passed through the most curious granite
+formation, a succession of small hills entirely composed of rounded
+boulders of granite, weighing from five to 1000 tons, and looking
+exactly like piles of gigantic snow-balls hurled together by some mighty
+hand. The granite formation prevails in all this part of the country,
+and individual boulders sometimes take very curious shapes; for
+instance, in the bush-veldt we passed a great column towering high above
+the trees, composed of six boulders getting smaller and smaller from
+the base up, and each accurately balanced on the one beneath it. Then
+we crossed the range of hills which overlooks the fort, and passing
+Secocoeni's old kraal where he used to live before he retreated to his
+fastnesses, we arrived at a great alluvial valley nine miles broad, on
+the other side of which rises the Loolu. It was on this plain that the
+only real fight between the volunteers and Secocoeni's men took place,
+when the former managed to get between the Basutus and the hills,
+and shot them down like game, killing over 200 men. Leaving the
+battle-field, where the skeletons still lie, a little to our right, we
+crossed the plain and came to the foot of the Loolu, all along the base
+of which stand neat villages inhabited by Secocoeni's people. Some of
+these villages have been burnt by the volunteers, and the remainder are
+entirely deserted, their inhabitants having built fresh huts among the
+rocks in almost inaccessible places. The appearance of these white huts
+peeping out all over the black rocks was very curious, and reminded one
+of the Swiss chalets.
+
+By the stream that runs along past the villages we off-saddled, as both
+ourselves and our horses were nearly exhausted by the burning heat; but
+as there was not much time to lose, after a short rest we started off
+again, and rode on over a bed of magnetic iron lying on the ground in
+great lumps of almost pure metal, until we came to a stretch of what
+looked remarkably like gold-bearing quartz, and then to a limestone
+formation. The whole country is evidently rich beyond measure in
+minerals. All this time we were passing through scenery inexpressibly
+wild and grand, and when we had arrived at the highest spot of the pass,
+it reached a climax of savage beauty. About forty miles in front of us
+towered up another magnificent range of blue-tinged mountains known as
+the Blue Berg, whilst all around us rose great bush-clad hills, opening
+away in every direction towards gorgeous-coloured valleys. The scene was
+so grand and solemn that I do not think it lies in the power of words to
+describe it.
+
+Here we had to dismount to descend a most fearful precipitous path
+consisting of boulders piled together in the wildest confusion, from
+one to another of which we had to jump, driving the horses before us.
+Half-way down we off-saddled to rest ourselves, and as we did so we
+noticed that the gall was running from one of the horses' noses. We knew
+too well what was the matter, and so left him there to die during the
+night. This horse was by far the finest we had with us, and his owner
+used to boast that the poor beast had often carried him, a heavy man,
+from his house to Pretoria, a distance of nearly ninety miles, in
+one day. He was also a "salted" horse. It is a curious thing that the
+sickness generally kills the best horses first.
+
+After a short rest we started on again, and at the end of another hour
+reached the bottom of the pass. From thence we rode along a gulley, that
+alternately narrowed and widened, till at length it brought us right on
+to Secocoeni's beautiful, fever-stricken home.
+
+All three of us had seen a good deal of scenery in different parts
+of the world, and one of the party was intimately acquainted with the
+finest spots in South Africa, but we were forced to admit that we had
+never seen anything half so lovely as Secocoeni's valley. We had seen
+grander views, indeed the scene from the top of the pass was grander,
+but never anything that so nearly approached perfection in detail.
+Beautiful it was, beautiful beyond measure, but it was the sort of
+beauty under whose veil are hidden fever and death. And so we pushed on,
+through the still hot eventide, till at length we came to the gates
+of the town, where we found "Makurupiji," Secocoeni's "mouth" or prime
+minister, who had evidently been informed of our coming by his spies
+waiting to receive us.[*]
+
+[*] Makurupiji committed suicide after the town had been stormed,
+preferring death to imprisonment.
+
+Conducted by this grandee, we went on past the Chief's kraals, down to
+the town, whence flocked men, women, and children, to look on the white
+lords; all in a primitive state of dress, consisting of a strip of skin
+tied round the middle, and the women with their hair powdered with some
+preparation of iron, which gave it a metallic blue tinge.
+
+At length we stopped just opposite a beautiful fortified kopje[*]
+perforated by secret caves where the ammunition of the tribe is hidden.
+No stranger is allowed to enter these caves, or even to ascend the
+kopje, though they do not object to one's inspecting some of the other
+fortifications. Dismounting from our wearied horses, we passed through a
+cattle kraal and came into the presence of "Swasi," Secocoeni's uncle,
+a fat old fellow who was busily engaged in braying a skin. Nearly every
+male Basutu one meets, be he high or low, is braying a hide of some
+sort, either by rubbing or by masticating it. It is a curious sight to
+come across some twenty of these fellows, every one of them twisting or
+chewing away.
+
+     [*] Afterwards stormed in the attack on Secocoeni's town by
+     Sir Garnet Wolseley.
+
+Swasi was a sort of master of the household; his duty it was to receive
+strangers and see that they were properly looked after; so, after
+shaking hands with us furiously (he was a wonderful fellow to shake
+hands), he conducted us to our hut. It stood in a good-sized courtyard
+beautifully paved with a sort of concrete of limestone which looked very
+clean and white, and surrounded by a hedge of reeds and sticks tightly
+tied together, inside which ran a slightly raised bench, also made of
+limestone. The hut itself was neatly thatched, the thatch projecting
+several feet, so as to form a covering to a narrow verandah that ran all
+round it. Inside it was commodious, and ornamented after the Egyptian
+style with straight and spiral lines, painted on with some kind of red
+ochre, and floored with a polished substance. Certainly these huts are
+as much superior to those of the Zulus as those who dwell in them are
+inferior to that fine race. What the Basutus gain in art and handiness
+they lose in manliness and gentlemanly feeling.
+
+We had just laid ourselves down on the grass mats in the courtyard--for
+it was too hot to go into the hut--thoroughly exhausted with our day's
+work and the heat, when in came two men, each of them dragging a fine
+indigenous sheep. They were accompanied by Makurupiji, who brought us a
+message from Secocoeni to the effect that he, the Chief, sent to greet
+us, the great Chiefs; that he sent us also a morsel to eat, lest we
+should be hungry in his house. It was but a morsel--it should have been
+an ox, for great Chiefs should eat much meat--but he himself was pinched
+with hunger, his belt was drawn very tight by the Boers. He was poor,
+and so his gift was poor; still, he would see if to-morrow he could find
+a beast that had something besides the skin on its bones, that he might
+offer it to us. After this magniloquent address the poor animals were
+trundled out by the other gate to have their throats cut.
+
+After getting some supper and taking our quinine, we turned in and
+slept that night in the best way that the heat would let us, rising next
+morning with the vain hope of getting a bathe. Of all the discomforts
+we experienced at Secocoeni's, the scarcity and badness of the water was
+the worst. Bad water, when you are in a hotbed of fever, is a terrible
+privation. And so we had to go unwashed, with the exception of having a
+little water poured over our hands out of gourds. We must have presented
+a curious sight at breakfast that morning. Before us knelt a sturdy
+Kafir, holding a stick in each hand, on which were respectively speared
+a leg and a side of mutton, from which we cut off great hunks with our
+hunting-knives, and, taking them in our fingers, devoured them like
+beasts of prey. If we got a bit we did not like, our mode of dispensing
+of it was simple and effective. We threw it to one of the natives
+standing round us, among whom was the heir-apparent, who promptly
+gobbled it up.
+
+Breakfast finished, a message came from Secocoeni asking for spirits to
+drink. But we were not to be taken in in this way, for we knew well that
+if we sent the Chief spirits we should get no business done that day,
+and we did not care to run the risk of fever by stopping longer than we
+could help; so we sent back a message to the effect that business
+must come first and spirits afterwards. The head men, who brought this
+message, said that they could perfectly understand our objection, as far
+as Secocoeni and ourselves were concerned, since we had to talk, but
+as they had only to sit still and listen there could be no possible
+objection to their having something to drink. This argument was
+ingenious, but we did not see the force of it, as our stock of spirits,
+which we had brought more for medicine than anything else, was very
+limited. Still, we were obliged to promise them a "tot" after the
+talking was over, in order to keep them civil.
+
+Our message had the desired effect, for presently Secocoeni sent to say
+that it was now time to talk, and that his head men would lead us
+to him. So we started up, accompanied by "Makurupiji," "Swasi," and
+"Galook," the general of his forces, a fat fellow with a face exactly
+like a pig. The sun beat down with such tremendous force that, though
+we had only three-quarters of a mile to walk, we felt quite tired by
+the time we reached the Chief's kraals. Passing through several cattle
+kraals, we came to a shed under which sat the heir-apparent dressed in
+a gorgeous blanket with his court around him. Leaving him, we entered an
+inner cattle kraal, where, in one corner, stood a large, roughly-built
+shed, under the shade of which squatted over a hundred of the head men
+of the tribe, gathered together by Secocoeni to "witness."[*]
+
+     [*] As each chief came up to the meeting-place he would pass
+     before the enclosure where Secocoeni was sitting and salute
+     him, by softly striking the hands together, and saying
+     something that sounded like "Marema."
+
+Opening out of this kraal was the chief's private enclosure, where stood
+his huts. As we drew near, Secocoeni, who had inspired such terror into
+the bold Burghers of the Republic, the chief of nine thousand warriors,
+the husband of sixty-four wives, the father of a hundred children, rose
+from the ox-hide on which he was seated, under the shade of a tree, and
+came to the gate to meet us. And a queer sight this potentate was as
+he stood there shaking hands through the gate. Of middle age, about
+forty-five years of age, rather fat, with a flat nose, and small,
+twinkling, black eyes, he presented an entirely hideous and
+semi-repulsive appearance. His dress consisted of a cotton blanket
+over which was thrown a tiger-skin kaross, and on his head was stuck
+an enormous old white felt hat, such as the Boers wear, and known as a
+"wilderbeeste chaser."
+
+After we had been duly introduced, he retreated to his ox-hide, and we
+went and squatted down among the head men. Secocoeni took no active
+part in the proceedings that followed; he sat in his enclosure and
+occasionally shouted out some instructions to Makurupiji, who was
+literally his "mouth," speaking for him and making use of the pronoun
+"I." During the four hours or so that we were there Secocoeni never
+stopped chewing an intoxicating green leaf, very much resembling that of
+the pomegranate, of which he occasionally sent us some.
+
+After the business of the Commission had come to an end, and some of our
+party started on their homeward journey, we were detained by Secocoeni,
+who wished to see us privately. He sent for us to his private enclosure,
+and we sat down on his ox-hide with him and one or two head men. It was
+very curious to see this wily old savage shoving a handful of leaves
+into his mouth, and giving his head a shake, and then making some shrewd
+remark which went straight to the bottom of whatever question was in
+hand. At length we bade Secocoeni good-bye, having promised to deliver
+all his respectful messages to our chief, and, thoroughly wearied,
+arrived at our own hut. Tired as we were, we thought it would be better
+to start for the fort at once, rather than risk the fever for another
+night. So we made up our minds to a long moonlight ride, and, saddling
+up, got out of Secocoeni's town about 3.30 P.M., having looked our last
+upon this beautiful fever-trap, which only wants water scenery to make
+it absolutely perfect. Half-way up, we saw the poor horse we had left
+sick the day before, lying dead, with dry foam all round his mouth,
+and half his skin taken off by some passing Basutu. A couple of hundred
+yards farther on we found another dying, left by the party who had
+started before us. It was in truth a valley of the shadow of death.
+Luckily our horses lasted us back to the fort, but one died there, and
+the other two are dead since.
+
+Beautiful as was the scene by day, in the light of the full moon it was
+yet more surpassingly lovely. It was solemn, weird. Every valley became
+a mysterious deep, and every hill, stone, and tree shone with that cold
+pale lustre which the moon alone can throw. Silence reigned, the silence
+of the dead, broken only once or twice by the wild whistling challenge
+of one of Secocoeni's warriors as he came bounding down the rocks,
+to see who we were that passed. The effect of the fires by the huts,
+perched among the rocks at the entrance to the pass, was very strange
+and beautiful, reminding one of the midnight fires of the Gnomes in the
+fairy tales.
+
+And so we rode on, hour after hour, through the night, till we well-nigh
+fell asleep in our saddles, and at length, about two o'clock in the
+morning, we reached the waggons to find the young Boers fast asleep
+in our bed. We kicked them out, and, after swallowing some biscuits,
+tumbled in ourselves for the few hours' rest which we so sadly needed.
+
+On the following morning, Thursday, two of the party bade farewell to
+our hosts at the fort and started on one of the quickest possible treks,
+leaving our companion to proceed across country to the fort established
+by President Burgers, or "Porocororo," as the Basutus call him, at
+Steelport.
+
+We returned to Middelburg by an entirely different route from that
+by which we came. Leaving the valley of the Olifants to our right, we
+trekked along the high-veldt, and thus avoided all the fever country.
+Roughly speaking, we had about 120 miles of country to get over to reach
+Middelburg, and we determined to do this in three days and two nights,
+so as to get in on the Saturday night, as we were much pressed for time.
+Now, according to English ideas, it is no great thing to travel 120
+miles in three days; but it is six days' journey in an ox-waggon over
+bad country, and we were going to do it in half that time by doubling
+the speed.
+
+Of course, to do this we had to trek night and day. For instance, on the
+first day we inspanned at 10.30 A.M. and trekked till within an hour
+of sundown; at sundown we inspanned, and with one outspan trekked till
+sunrise; outspanned for two hours, and on again, being seventeen and
+a half hours under the yoke out of the twenty-four, and covering
+fifty-five miles. Of course, one cannot do this sort of travelling for
+more than two or three days without killing the oxen; as it was, towards
+the end, as soon as the yokes were lifted off, the poor beasts dropped
+down as though they were shot, and most of them went lame. Another
+great disadvantage is that one suffers very much from want of sleep. The
+jolting of the springless machine, as it lumbered over rocks a foot high
+and through deep spruits or streams, brought our heads down with such a
+fearful jar on the saddle-bags that we used for pillows, that all sleep
+was soon knocked out of them; or, even if we were lucky enough to be
+crossing a stretch of tolerably smooth ground, there was a swaying
+motion that rubbed one's face up and down till the skin was nearly
+worn through, polishing the saddle-bags to such an extent that we might
+almost have used them for looking-glasses as well as pillows.
+
+At Secocoeni's kraal we had engaged two boys to carry our packs as far
+as the fort, who, on their arrival, were so well satisfied with the way
+in which we treated them that they requested to be allowed to proceed
+with us. These young barbarians, who went respectively by the names of
+"Nojoke" and "Scowl," as being the nearest approach in English to their
+Sisutu names, were the greatest possible source of amusement to us,
+with their curious ways.[*] I never saw such fellows to sleep; it is
+a positive fact that Nojoke used frequently to take his rest coiled up
+like a boa constrictor in a box at the end of the waggon, in which box
+stood three iron pots with their sharp legs sticking up. On those legs
+he peacefully slumbered when the waggon was going over ground that
+prohibited our even stopping in it. "Scowl" was not a nice boy to look
+at, for his naked back was simply cut to pieces and covered with huge
+weals, of which everybody, doubtless, thought we were the cause. On
+inquiring how he came to get such a tremendous thrashing, it turned
+out that these Basutus have a custom of sending young men of a certain
+age[+] out in couples, each armed with a good "sjambok" (a whip cut from
+the hide of a sea-cow), to thrash one another till one gives in, and
+that it was in one of these encounters that the intelligent Scowl got
+so lacerated; but, as he remarked with a grin, "_My_ back is nothing, the
+chiefs should see that of the other boy."
+
+     [*] Of these two lads, Nojoke subsequently turned out
+     worthless, and went to the Diamond Fields, whilst Scowl
+     became an excellent servant, until he took to wearing a
+     black coat, and turned Christian, when he shortly afterwards
+     developed into a drunkard and a thief.
+
+     [+] The age of puberty.
+
+We spent one night at Middelburg, and next morning, bidding adieu to our
+kind English friends, started for Pretoria, taking care to end our first
+day's journey at a house where an Englishman lived, so as to ensure a
+clean shakedown. Here we discovered that the horse I was riding (the
+sole survivor of the five we had started with) had got the sickness,
+and so we had to leave him and hire another. This horse, by the by,
+recovered, which is the only instance of an animal's conquering the
+disease which has yet come under my observation. We hired the new horse
+from a Boer, who charged us exactly three times its proper price,
+and then preached us a sermon quite a quarter of an hour long on
+his hospitality, his kindness of heart, and his willingness to help
+strangers. I must tell you that, just as we were going to sleep the
+night before, a stranger had come and asked for a shakedown, which was
+given to him in the same room. We had risen before daybreak, and my
+companion was expatiating to me, in clear and forcible language, on the
+hypocrisy and scoundrelism of this Boer, when suddenly a sleepy voice
+out of the darkness murmured thickly, "I say, stranger, guess you
+shouldn't lose your temper; guess that 'ere Boer is acting after the
+manner of human natur'." And then the owner of the voice turned over and
+went to sleep again.
+
+We had over sixty miles to ride that day, and it must have been about
+eight o'clock at night, on the sixteenth day of our journey, when
+we reached Pretoria and rode straight up to our camp, where we were
+heartily greeted. I am sure that some of our friends must have felt a
+little disappointed at seeing us arrive healthy and fat, without a sign
+of fever, after all their melancholy predictions. It would not have been
+"human natur'" if they had not. When we got to the camp, I called out
+to Masooku, my Zulu servant, to come and take the horses. Next moment
+I heard a rush and a scuttle in the tent like the scrimmage in a
+rabbit-burrow when one puts in the ferrets, and Masooku shouted out in
+Zulu, "He has come back! by Chaka's head, I swear it! It is his voice,
+his own voice, that calls me; my father's, my chief's!"
+
+And so ended one of the hardest and most interesting journeys
+imaginable--a journey in which the risk only added to the pleasure.
+Still, I should not care to make it again at the same time of year.
+
+
+
+VII
+
+A ZULU WAR-DANCE
+
+In all that world-wide empire which the spirit of the English
+colonisation has conquered from out of the realms of the distant and
+unknown, and added year by year to the English dominions, it is doubtful
+whether there be any one spot of corresponding area, presenting so many
+large questions, social and political, as the colony of Natal. Wrested
+some thirty years ago from the patriarchal Boers, and peopled by a few
+scattered scores of adventurous emigrants, Natal has with hard toil
+gained for itself a precarious foothold hardly yet to be called an
+existence. Known chiefly to the outside world as the sudden birthplace
+of those tremendous polemical missiles which battered so fiercely,
+some few years ago, against the walls of the English Church, it is now
+attracting attention to the shape and proportion of that unsolved riddle
+of the future, the Native Question. In those former days of rude and
+hand-to-mouth legislation, when the certain evil of the day had to be
+met and dealt with before the possible evil of the morrow, the seeds of
+great political trouble were planted in the young colony, seeds whose
+fruit is fast ripening before our eyes.
+
+When the strong aggressive hand of England has grasped some fresh
+portion of the earth's surface, there is yet a spirit of justice in
+her heart and head which prompts the question, among the first of such
+demands, as to how best and most fairly to deal by the natives of
+the newly-acquired land. In earlier times, when steam was not, and
+telegraphs and special correspondents were equally unknown agencies for
+getting at the truth of things, this question was more easily answered
+across a width of dividing ocean or continent. Then distant action might
+be prompt and sharp on emergency, and no one would be the wiser. But of
+late years, owing to these results of civilisation, harsh measures have,
+by the mere pressure of public opinion, and without consideration
+of their necessity in the eyes of the colonists, been set aside as
+impracticable and inhuman. In the case of Natal, most of the early
+questions of possession and right were settled, sword in hand, by the
+pioneer Dutch, who, after a space of terrible warfare, drove back the
+Zulus over the Tugela, and finally took possession of the land. But they
+did not hold it long. The same hateful invading Englishman, with his new
+ideas and his higher forms of civilisation, who had caused them to quit
+the "Old Colony," the land of their birth, came and drove them, _vi
+et armis_, from the land of their adoption. And it was not long before
+these same English became lords of this red African soil, from the coast
+up to the Drakensberg. Still there were difficulties; for although the
+new-comers might be lords of the soil, there remained yet a remnant,
+and a very troublesome remnant, of its original and natural masters:
+shattered fragments of the Zulu power in Natal, men who had once swept
+over the country in the army of Chaka the Terrible, Chaka of the Short
+Spear, but who had remained behind in the fair new land, when Chaka's
+raids had been checked by the white man and his deadly weapons.
+Remnants, too, of conquered aboriginal tribes, who had found even
+Chaka's rule easier than that of their own chieftains, swelled the
+amount to a total of some 100,000 souls.
+
+One of the first acts of the English Government, when it took up the
+reins, was to allot to each of these constituent fragments a large
+portion of the land. This might perhaps have been short-sighted
+legislation, but it arose from the necessity of the moment. According
+to even the then received ideas of colonisation and its duties, it
+was hardly possible--danger apart--to drive all the natives over
+the frontier, so they were allowed to stay and share the rights and
+privileges of British subjects. But the evil did not stop there. Ere
+long some political refugees, defeated in battle, fled before the
+avenging hand of the conqueror, and craved place and protection from the
+Government of Natal. It was granted; and the principle once established,
+body after body of men poured in: for, in stepping over the boundary
+line, they left the regions of ruin and terrible death, and entered
+those of peace, security, and plenty.
+
+Thus it is that the native population of Natal, fed from within and
+without, has in thirty years increased enormously in number. Secluded
+from the outside world in his location, the native has lived in peace
+and watched his cattle grow upon a thousand hills. His wealth has become
+great and his wives many. He no longer dreads swift "death by order
+of the king," or by word of the witch-doctor. No "impi," or native
+regiment, can now sweep down on him and "eat him up," that is, carry off
+his cattle, put his kraal to the flames, and himself, his people, his
+wives, and children to the assegai. For the first time in the story of
+the great Kafir race, he can, when he rises in the morning, be sure that
+he will not sleep that night, stiff, in a bloody grave. He has tasted
+the blessings of peace and security, and what is the consequence? He has
+increased and multiplied until his numbers are as grains of sand on the
+sea-shore. Overlapping the borders of his location, he squats on private
+lands, he advances like a great tidal wave, he cries aloud for room,
+more room. This is the trouble which stares us in the face, looming
+larger and more distinct year by year; the great over-growing problem
+which thoughtful men fear must one day find a sudden and violent
+solution. Thus it comes to pass that there hangs low on the horizon of
+South Africa the dark cloud of the Native Question. How and when it will
+burst no man can pretend to say, but some time and in some way burst it
+must, unless means of dispersing it can be found.
+
+There is now at work among the Kafir population the same motive power
+which has raised in turn all white nations, and, having built them up
+to a certain height, has then set to work to sap them until they have
+fallen--the power of civilisation. Hand in hand the missionary and the
+trader have penetrated the locations. The efforts of the teacher have
+met with but a partial success. "A Christian may be a good man in his
+way, but he is a Zulu spoiled," said Cetywayo, King of the Zulus, when
+arguing the question of Christianity with the Secretary for Native
+Affairs; and such is, not altogether wrongly, the general feeling of
+the natives. With the traders it has been different. Some have dealt
+honestly--and more, it is to be feared, dishonestly--not only with those
+with whom they have had dealings, but with their fellow-subjects and
+their Government. It is these men chiefly who have, in defiance of the
+law, supplied the natives with those two great modern elements of danger
+and destruction, the gin-bottle and the rifle. The first is as yet
+injurious only to the recipients, but it will surely react on those who
+have taught them its use; the danger of possessing the rifle may come
+home to us any day and at any moment.
+
+Civilisation, it would seem, when applied to black races, produces
+effects diametrically opposite to those we are accustomed to observe
+in white nations: it debases before it can elevate; and as regards the
+Kafirs it is doubtful, and remains to be proved, whether it has much
+power to elevate them at all. Take the average Zulu warrior, and it
+will be found that, in his natural state, his vices are largely
+counter-balanced by his good qualities. In times of peace he is a
+simple, pastoral man, leading a good-humoured easy life with his wives
+and his cattle, perfectly indolent and perfectly happy. He is a kind
+husband and a kinder father; he never disowns his poor relations; his
+hospitality is extended alike to white and black; he is open in his
+dealings and faithful to his word, and his honesty is a proverb in the
+land. True, if war breaks out and the thirst for slaughter comes upon
+him, he turns into a different man. When the fierce savage spirit is
+once aroused, blood alone will cool it. But even then he has virtues. If
+he is cruel, he is brave in the battle; if he is reckless of the lives
+of others, he regards not his own; and when death comes, he meets
+it without fear, and goes to the spirits of his fathers boldly, as a
+warrior should. And now reverse the picture, and see him in the dawning
+light of that civilisation which, by intellect and by nature, he is some
+five centuries behind. See him, ignoring its hidden virtues, eagerly
+seize and graft its most prominent vices on to his own besetting sins.
+Behold him by degrees adding cunning to his cruelty, avarice to his love
+of possession, replacing his bravery by coarse bombast and insolence,
+and his truth by lies. Behold him inflaming all his passions with the
+maddening drink of the white man, and then follow him through many
+degrees of degradation until he falls into crime and ends in a jail.
+Such are, in only too many instances, the consequences of this
+partial civilisation, and they are not even counterbalanced, except in
+individual cases, by the attempt to learn the truths of a creed which
+he cannot, does not, pretend to understand. And if this be the result
+in the comparatively few individuals who have been brought under these
+influences, it may be fair to argue that it will differ only in degree,
+not in kind, when the same influences are brought to bear on the same
+material in corresponding proportions. Whatever may or may not be the
+effects of our partial civilisation when imperfectly and spasmodically
+applied to the vast native population of South Africa, one thing must,
+in course of time, result from it. The old customs, the old forms, the
+old feelings, must each in turn die away. The outer expression of these
+will die first, and it will not be long before the very memory of
+them will fade out of the barbaric heart. The rifle must replace, and,
+indeed, actually has replaced, the assegai and the shield, and portions
+of the cast-off uniforms of all the armies of Europe are to be seen
+where, until lately, the bronze-like form of the Kafir warrior went
+naked as on the day he was born. But so long as native customs and
+ceremonies still linger in some of the more distant locations, so long
+will they exercise a certain attraction for dwellers amid tamer scenes.
+It is therefore from a belief in the magnetism of contrast that the
+highly-civilised reader is invited to come to where he can still meet
+the barbarian face to face and witness that wild ceremony, half jest,
+half grim earnest--a Zulu war dance.
+
+It was the good fortune of the writer of this sketch to find himself,
+some years ago, travelling through the up-country districts of Natal,
+in the company of certain high officials of the English Government. The
+journey dragged slowly enough by waggon, and some monotonous weeks had
+passed before we pitched our camp, one drizzling gusty night, on a high
+plateau, surrounded by still loftier hills. A wild and dismal place
+it looked in the growing dusk of an autumn evening, nor was it more
+suggestively cheerful when we rode away from it next morning in the
+sunshine, leaving the waggons to follow slowly. Our faces were set
+towards a great mountain, towering high above its fellows, called
+Pagadi's Kop--Pagadi being a powerful chief who had fled from the Zulus
+in the early days of the colony, and had ever since dwelt loyally and
+peacefully here in this wild place, beneath the protection of the Crown.
+Messengers had been duly sent to inform him that he was to receive
+the honour of a visit, for your true savage never likes to be taken by
+surprise. Other swift-footed runners had come back with the present of
+a goat, and the respectful answer, so Oriental in its phraseology, that
+"Pagadi was old, he was infirm, yet he would arise and come to greet his
+lords." Every mile or so of our slow progress a fresh messenger would
+spring up before us suddenly, as though he had started out of the earth
+at our feet, and prefixing his greeting with the royal salute, given
+with up-raised arm, "Bayete! Bayete!"--a salutation only accorded to
+Zulu royalty, to the governors of the different provinces, and to Sir
+T. Shepstone, the Secretary for Native Affairs--he would deliver his
+message or his news and fall into the rear. Presently came one saying,
+"Pagadi is very old and weak; Pagadi is weary; let his lords forgive him
+if he meet them not this day. To-morrow, when the sun is high, he will
+come to their place of encampment and greet his lords and hold festival
+before them. But let his lords, the white lords of all the land from the
+Great Mountain to the Black Water, go up to his kraal, and let them
+take the biggest hut and drink of the strongest beer. There his son, the
+chief that is to be, and all his wives, shall greet them; let his lords
+be honoured by Pagadi, through them." An acknowledgment was sent, and we
+still rode on, beginning the ascent of the formidable stronghold, on the
+flat top of which was placed the chief's kraal. A hard and stiff climb
+it was, up a bridle path with far more resemblance to a staircase than a
+road. But if the road was bad, the scenery and the vegetation were wild
+and beautiful in the extreme. Now we came to a deep "kloof" or cleft
+in the steep mountain-side, at the bottom of which, half hidden by the
+masses of ferns and rich rank greenery, trickled a little stream; now
+to an open space of rough ground, covered only with huge, weather-washed
+boulders. A little further on lay a Kafir mealie-garden, where the
+tall green stalks were fairly bent to the ground by the weight of the
+corn-laden heads, and beyond that, again, a park-like slope of grassy
+veldt. And ever, when we looked behind us, the vast undulating plain
+over which we had come stretched away in its mysterious silence, till it
+blended at length with the soft blue horizon.
+
+At last, after much hard and steady climbing, we reached the top and
+stood upon a perfectly level space ten or twelve acres in extent,
+exactly in the centre of which was placed the chief's kraal. Before we
+dismounted we rode to the extreme western edge of the plateau, to look
+at one of the most perfectly lovely views it is possible to imagine. It
+was like coming face to face with great primeval Nature, not Nature
+as we civilised people know her, smiling in corn-fields, waving in
+well-ordered woods, but Nature as she was on the morrow of the Creation.
+There, to our left, cold and grey and grand, rose the great peak,
+flinging its dark shadow far beyond its base. Two thousand feet and more
+beneath us lay the valley of the Mooi river, with the broad tranquil
+stream flashing silver through its midst. Over against us rose another
+range of towering hills, with sudden openings in their blue depths
+through which could be seen the splendid distances of a champaign
+country. Immediately at our feet, and seeming to girdle the great gaunt
+peak, lay a deep valley, through which the Little Bushman's River forced
+its shining way. All around rose the great bush-clad hills, so green, so
+bright in the glorious streaming sunlight, and yet so awfully devoid of
+life, so solemnly silent. It was indeed a sight never to be forgotten,
+this wide panoramic out-look, with its towering hills, its smiling
+valleys, its flashing streams, its all-pervading sunlight, and its deep
+sad silence. But it was not always so lifeless and so still. Some few
+years ago those hills, those plains, those rivers were teeming each with
+their various creatures. But a short time since, and standing here
+at eventide, the traveller could have seen herds of elephants cooling
+themselves yonder after their day's travel, whilst the black-headed
+white-tusked sea-cow rose and plunged in the pool below. That bush-clad
+hill was the favourite haunt of droves of buffaloes and elands, and on
+that plain swarmed thousands upon thousands of springbok and of quagga,
+of hartebeest and of oribi. All alien life must cease before the white
+man, and so these wild denizens of forest, stream, and plain have passed
+away never to return.
+
+Turning at length from the contemplation of a scene so new and so
+surprising, we entered the stockade of the kraal. These kraals consist
+of a stout outer palisade, and then, at some distance from the first,
+a second enclosure, between which the cattle are driven at night, or in
+case of danger. At the outer entrance we were met by the chief's eldest
+son, a finely-built man, who greeted us with much respect and conducted
+us through rows of huts to the dwelling-places of the chief's family,
+fenced off from the rest by a hedge of Tambouki grass. In the centre
+of these stood Pagadi's hut, which was larger and more finely woven and
+thatched than the rest. It is impossible to describe these huts better
+than by saying that they resemble enormous straw beehives of the
+old-fashioned pattern. In front of the hut were grouped a dozen or so
+of women clad in that airiest of costumes, a string of beads. They were
+Pagadi's wives, and ranged from the first shrivelled-up wife of his
+youth to the plump young damsel bought last month. The spokeswoman
+of the party, however, was not one of the wives, but a daughter
+of Pagadi's, a handsome girl, tall, and splendidly formed, with a
+finely-cut face. This prepossessing young lady entreated her lords to
+enter, which they did, in a very unlordly way, on their hands and knees.
+So soon as the eye became accustomed to the cool darkness of the hut, it
+was sufficiently interesting to notice the rude attempts at comfort with
+which it was set forth. The flooring, of a mixture of clay and cow-dung,
+looked exactly like black marble, so smooth and polished had it been
+made, and on its shining, level surface couches of buckskin and gay
+blankets were spread in an orderly fashion. Some little three-legged
+wooden sleeping-pillows and a few cooking-pots made up its sole
+furniture besides. In one corner rested a bundle of assegais and
+war-shields, and opposite the door were ranged several large calabashes
+full of "twala" or native beer. The chief's son and all the women
+followed us into the hut. The ladies sat themselves down demurely in a
+double row opposite to us, but the young chieftain crouched in a distant
+corner apart and played with his assegais. We partook of the beer and
+exchanged compliments, almost Oriental in their dignified courtesy, in
+the soft and liquid Zulu language, but not for long, for we still had
+far to ride. The stars were shining in southern glory before we reached
+the place of our night's encampment, and supper and bed were even more
+than usually welcome. There is a pleasure in the canvas-sheltered meal,
+in the after-pipe and evening talk of the things of the day that has
+been and those of the day to come, here, amid these wild surroundings,
+which is unfelt and unknown in scenes of greater comfort and higher
+civilisation. There is a sense of freshness and freedom in the
+wind-swept waggon-bed that is not to be exchanged for the softest couch
+in the most luxurious chamber. And when at length the morning comes,
+sweet in the scent of flowers, and glad in the voice of birds, it finds
+us ready to greet it, not hiding it from us with canopy and blind, as is
+the way of cities.
+
+The scene of the coming spectacle of this bright new day lies spread
+before us, and certainly no spot could have been better chosen for
+dramatic effect. In front of the waggons is a large, flat, open space,
+backed by bold rising ground with jutting crags and dotted clumps of
+luxuriant vegetation. All around spreads the dense thorn-bush, allowing
+but of one way of approach, from the left. During the morning we could
+hear snatches of distant chants growing louder and louder as time wore
+on, and could catch glimpses of wild figures threading the thorns,
+warriors hastening to the meeting-place. All through the past night the
+farmers for miles around had been aroused by the loud insistent cries
+of the chief's messengers as they flitted far and wide, stopping but a
+moment wherever one of their tribe sojourned, and bidding him come, and
+bring plume and shield, for Pagadi had need of him. This day, we may be
+sure, the herds are left untended, the mealie-heads ungathered, for the
+herdsmen and the reapers have come hither to answer to the summons of
+their chief. Little reck they whether it be for festival or war; he
+needs them, and has called them, and that is enough. Higher and higher
+rose the fitful distant chant, but no one could be seen. Suddenly there
+stood before us a creature, a woman, who, save for the colour of her
+skin, might have been the original of any one of Macbeth's "weird
+sisters." Little, withered, and bent nearly double by age, her activity
+was yet past comprehension. Clad in a strange jumble of snake-skins,
+feathers, furs, and bones, a forked wand in her outstretched hand, she
+rushed to and fro before the little group of white men. Her eyes gleamed
+like those of a hawk through her matted hair, and the genuineness of her
+frantic excitement was evident by the quivering flesh and working face,
+and the wild, spasmodic words she spoke. The spirit at least of her
+rapid utterances may thus be rendered:--
+
+"Ou, ou, ou, ai, ai, ai. Oh, ye warriors that shall dance before the
+great ones of the earth, come! Oh, ye dyers of spears, ye plumed suckers
+of blood, come! I, the Isanusi, I, the witch-finder, I, the wise woman,
+I, the seer of strange sights, I, the reader of dark thoughts, call ye!
+Come, ye fierce ones; come, ye brave ones, come, and do honour to the
+white lords! Ah, I hear ye! Ah, I smell ye! Ah, I see ye; ye come, ye
+come!"
+
+Hardly had her invocation trailed off into the "Ou, ou, ou, ai, ai, ai,"
+with which it had opened, when there rushed over the edge of the hill,
+hard by, another figure scarcely less wild, but not so repulsive in
+appearance. This last was a finely-built warrior arrayed in the full
+panoply of savage war. With his right hand he grasped his spears, and
+on his left hung his large black ox-hide shield, lined on its inner side
+with spare assegais. From the "man's" ring round his head arose a single
+tall grey plume, robbed from the Kafir crane. His broad shoulders were
+bare, and beneath the arm-pits was fastened a short garment of strips of
+skin, intermixed with ox-tails of different colours. From his waist hung
+a rude kilt made chiefly of goat's hair, whilst round the calf of the
+right leg was fixed a short fringe of black ox-tails. As he stood before
+us with lifted weapon and outstretched shield, his plume bending to the
+breeze, and his savage aspect made more savage still by the graceful,
+statuesque pose, the dilated eye and warlike mould of the set features,
+as he stood there, an emblem and a type of the times and the things
+which are passing away, his feet resting on ground which he held on
+sufferance, and his hands grasping weapons impotent as a child's
+toy against those of the white man,--he who was the rightful lord of
+all,--what reflections did he not induce, what a moral did he not teach!
+
+The warrior left us little time, however, for either reflections or
+deductions, for, striking his shield with his assegai, he rapidly poured
+forth this salutation:--
+
+"Bayete, Bayete, O chief from the olden times, O lords and chief of
+chiefs! Pagadi, the son of Masingorano, the great chief, the leader of
+brave ones, the son of Ulubako, greets you. Pagadi is humble before you;
+he comes with warrior and with shield, but he comes to lay them at your
+feet. O father of chiefs, son of the great Queen over the water, is
+it permitted that Pagad' approach you? Ou, I see it is, your face is
+pleasant; Bayete, Bayete!"
+
+He ends, and, saluting again, springs forward, and, flying hither and
+thither, chants the praises of his chief. "Pagadi," he says, "Pagad',
+chief and father of the Amocuna, is coming. Pagad', the brave in battle,
+the wise in council, the slayer of warriors; Pagad' who slew the tiger
+in the night time; Pagadi, the rich in cattle, the husband of many
+wives, the father of many children. Pagad' is coming, but not alone; he
+comes surrounded with his children, his warriors. He comes like a king
+at the head of his brave children. Pagadi's soldiers are coming; his
+soldiers who know well how to fight; his soldiers and his captains who
+make the hearts of brave men to sink down; his shakers of spears; his
+quaffers of blood. Pagad' and his soldiers are coming; tremble all ye,
+ou, ou, ou!"
+
+As the last words die on his lips the air is filled with a deep,
+murmuring sound like distant thunder; it swells and rolls, and finally
+passes away to give place to the noise of the rushing of many feet. Over
+the brow of the hill dashes a compact body of warriors, running swiftly
+in lines of four, with their captain at their head, all clad in the same
+wild garb as the herald. Each bears a snow-white shield carried on the
+slant, and above each warrior's head rises a grey heron's plume. These
+are the advance-guard, formed of the "greys" or veteran troops. As they
+come into full view the shields heave and fall, and then from every
+throat bursts the war-song of the Zulus. Passing us swiftly, they
+take up their position in a double line on our right, and stand there
+solemnly chanting all the while. Another rush of feet, and another
+company flits over the hill towards us, but they bear coal-black
+shields, and the drooping plumes are black as night; they fall into
+position next the firstcomers, and take up the chant. Now they come
+faster and faster, but all through the same gap in the bush. The red
+shields, the dun shields, the mottled shields, the yellow shields,
+follow each other in quick but regular succession, till at length there
+stands before us a body of some five hundred men, presenting, in their
+savage dress, their various shields and flashing spears, as wild a
+spectacle as it is possible to conceive.
+
+But it is not our eyes only that are astonished, for from each of those
+five hundred throats there swells a chant never to be forgotten.
+From company to company it passes, that wild, characteristic song, so
+touching in its simple grandeur, so expressive in its deep, pathetic
+volume. The white men who listened had heard the song of choirs ringing
+down resounding aisles, they had been thrilled by the roll of oratorios
+pealing in melody, beautiful and complex, through the grandest of man's
+theatres, but never till now had they heard music of voices so weird,
+so soft and yet so savage, so simple and yet so all-expressive of the
+fiercest passions known to the human heart. Hark! now it dies; lower and
+lower it sinks, it grows faint, despairing: "Why does he not come, our
+chief, our lord? Why does he not welcome his singers? Ah! see, they
+come, the heralds of our lord! our chief is coming to cheer his
+praisers, our chief is coming to lead his warriors." Again it rises
+and swells louder and louder, a song of victory and triumph. It rolls
+against the mountains, it beats against the ground: "He is coming, he is
+here, attended by his chosen. Now we shall go forth to slay; now shall
+we taste of the battle." Higher yet and higher, till at length the
+chief, Pagadi, swathed in war-garments of splendid furs, preceded by
+runners and accompanied by picked warriors, creeps slowly up. He is
+old and tottering, and of an unwieldy bulk. Two attendants support
+him, whilst a third bears his shield, and a fourth (oh bathos!) a
+cane-bottomed chair. One moment the old man stands and surveys his
+warriors and listens to the familiar war-cry. As he stands, his face
+is lit with the light of battle, the light of remembered days. The
+tottering figure straightens itself, the feeble hand becomes strong once
+more. With a shout, the old man shakes off his supporters and grasps his
+shield, and then, forgetting his weakness and his years, he rushes to
+his chieftain's place in the centre of his men. And as he comes the
+chant grows yet louder, the time yet faster, till it rises, and rings,
+and rolls, no longer a chant, but a war-cry, a paean of power. Pagadi
+stops and raises his hand, and the place is filled with a silence that
+may be felt. But not for long. The next moment five hundred shields
+are tossed aloft, five hundred spears flash in the sunshine, and with a
+sudden roar, forth springs the royal salute, "Bayete!"
+
+The chief draws back and gives directions to his _indunas_, his
+thinkers, his wise ones, men distinguished from their fellows by the
+absence of shield and plume; the _indunas_ pass on the orders to the
+captains, and at once the so-called dance begins. First they manoeuvre
+a little in absolute silence, and changing their position with wonderful
+precision and rapidity; but as their blood warms there comes a sound as
+of the hissing of ten thousand snakes, and they charge and charge again.
+A pause, and the company of "greys" on our right, throwing itself into
+open order, flits past us like so many vultures to precipitate itself
+with a wild, whistling cry on an opposing body which rushed to meet
+it. They join issue, they grapple; on them swoops another company, then
+another and another, until nothing is to be distinguished except a mass
+of wild faces heaving; of changing forms rolling and writhing, twisting
+and turning, and, to all appearances, killing and being killed, whilst
+the whole air is pervaded with a shrill, savage sibillation. It is not
+always the same cry; now it is the snorting of a troop of buffaloes, now
+the shriek of the eagle as he seizes his prey, anon the terrible cry
+of the "night-prowler," the lion, and now--more thrilling than all--the
+piercing wail of a woman. But whatever the cry, the cadence rises and
+falls in perfect time and unanimity; no two mix with one another so as
+to mar the effect of each.
+
+Again the combatants draw back and pause, and then forth from the ranks
+springs a chosen warrior, and hurls himself on an imaginary foe. He
+darts hither and thither with wild activity, he bounds five feet into
+the air like a panther, he twists through the grass like a snake, and,
+finally, making a tremendous effort, he seems to slay his airy opponent,
+and sinks exhausted to the ground. The onlookers mark their approval
+or disapproval of the dancer's feats by the rising and falling of the
+strange whistling noise which, without the slightest apparent movement
+of face or lip, issues from each mouth. Warrior after warrior comes
+forth in turn from the ranks and does battle with his invisible foe, and
+receives his meed of applause. The last warrior to spring forward with a
+wild yell is the future chief, Pagadi's son and successor, our friend
+of yesterday. He stands, with his shield in one hand and his lifted
+battle-axe--borne by him alone--in the other, looking proudly around,
+and rattling his lion-claw necklets, whilst from every side bursts forth
+a storm of sibillating applause, not from the soldiers only, but from
+the old men, women, and children. Through all his fierce pantomimic
+dance it continues, and when he has ended it redoubles, then dies away,
+but only to burst out again and again with unquenchable enthusiasm.
+
+In order, probably, to give the warriors a brief breathing space,
+another song is now set up, and it is marvellous the accuracy and
+knowledge of melody with which the parts are sung, like a glee of catch,
+the time being kept by a conductor, who rushes from rank to rank beating
+time with a wand. Yet it is hardly like chanting, rather like a weird,
+sobbing melody, with tones in it which range from the deepest bass to
+the shrillest treble. It ends in a long sigh, and then follows a scene,
+a tumult, a melee, which hardly admits of a description in words. The
+warriors engage in a mimic combat, once more they charge, retreat,
+conquer, and are defeated, all in turns. In front of them, exciting them
+to new exertions, with word and gesture, undulate in a graceful dance
+of their own the "intombis," the young beauties of the tribe, with green
+branches in their hands, and all their store of savage finery glittering
+on their shapely limbs. Some of these maidens are really handsome,
+and round them again dance the children, armed with mimic spears and
+shields. Wild as seems the confusion, through it all, even the moments
+of highest excitement, some sort of rough order is maintained; more,
+it would seem, by mutual sounds than by word of command or sense of
+discipline.
+
+Even a Zulu warrior must, sooner or later, grow weary, and at length
+the signal is given for the dance to end. The companies are drawn up in
+order again, and receive the praise and thanks of those in whose honour
+they had been called together. To these compliments they reply in a
+novel and imposing fashion. At a given signal each man begins to softly
+tap his ox-hide shield with the handle of his spear, producing a sound
+somewhat resembling the murmur of the distant sea. By slow degrees it
+grows louder and louder, till at length it rolls and re-echoes from the
+hills like thunder, and comes to its conclusion with a fierce, quick
+rattle. This is the royal war-salute of the Zulus, and is but rarely
+to be heard. One more sonorous salute with voice and hand, and then the
+warriors disappear as they came, dropping swiftly and silently over the
+brow of the hill in companies. In a few moments no sign or vestige
+of dance or dancers remained, save, before our eyes, the well-trodden
+ground, a few lingering girls laden with large calabashes of beer, and
+in our ears some distant dying snatches of chants. The singers were on
+their joyful way to slay and devour the oxen provided as a stimulus and
+reward for them by their chief's liberality.
+
+When the last dusky figure had topped the rising ground over which the
+homeward path lay, and had stood out for an instant against the flaming
+background of the western sun, and then dropped, as it were, back into
+its native darkness beyond those gates of fire, the old chief drew near.
+He had divested himself of his heavy war-dress, and sat down amicably
+amongst us.
+
+"Ah," he said, taking the hand of Sir Theophilus Shepstone, and
+addressing him by his native name, "Ah! t'Sompseu, t'Sompseu, the
+seasons are many since first I held this your hand. Then we two were
+young, and life lay bright before us, and now you have grown great, and
+are growing grey, and I have grown very old! I have eaten the corn of my
+time, till only the cob is left for me to suck, and, _ow_, it is bitter.
+But it is well that I should grasp this your hand once more, oh, holder
+of the Spirit of Chaka,[*] before I sit down and sleep with my fathers.
+_Ow_, I am glad."
+
+     [*] The reader must bear in mind that the Zulu warrior is
+     buried sitting and in full war-dress. Chaka, or T'chaka, was
+     the founder of the Zulu power.
+
+Imposing as was this old-time war-dance, it is not difficult to imagine
+the heights to which its savage grandeur must have swelled when it was
+held--as was the custom at each new year--at the kraal of Cetywayo,
+King of the Zulus. Then 30,000 warriors took part in it, and a tragic
+interest was added to the fierce spectacle by the slaughter of many men.
+It was, in fact, a great political opportunity for getting rid of the
+"irreconcilable" element from council and field. Then, in the moment of
+wildest enthusiasm, the witch-finder darted forward and lightly touched
+with a switch some doomed man, sitting, it may be, quietly among the
+spectators, or capering with his fellow-soldiers. Instantly he was led
+away, and his place knew him no more.
+
+Throughout the whole performance there was one remarkable and genuine
+feature, the strong personal attachment of each member of the tribe
+to its chief--not only to the fine old chief, Pagadi, their leader in
+former years, but to the head and leader for the years to come.
+
+It must be remembered that this system of chieftainship and its
+attendant law is, to all the social bearings of South African native
+life, what the tree is to its branches; it has grown through long, long
+ages amid a people slow to forget old traditions, and equally slow to
+receive new ideas; dependent on it are all the native's customs, all his
+keen ideas of right and justice; in it lies embodied his history of the
+past, and from it springs his hope for the future. Surely even the most
+uncompromising of those marching under the banner of civilisation
+must hesitate before they condemn this deep-rooted system to instant
+uprootal.[*] The various influences of the white man have eaten into the
+native system as rust into iron, and their action will never cease till
+all be destroyed. The bulwarks of barbarism, its minor customs and minor
+laws, are gone, or exist only in name; but its two great principles,
+polygamy and chieftainship, yet flourish and are strong. Time will undo
+his work, and find for these also a place among forgotten things. And it
+is the undoubted duty of us English, who absorb people and territories
+in the high name of civilisation, to be true to our principles and our
+aim, and aid the great destroyer by any and every safe and justifiable
+means. But between the legitimate means and the rash, miscalculating
+uprootal of customs and principles, which are not the less venerable and
+good in their way because they do not accord with our own present ideas,
+there is a great gulf fixed. Such an uprootal might precipitate an
+outburst of the very evils it aims at destroying.
+
+     [*] I do not wish the remarks in this paper, which was
+     written some years ago, to be taken as representing my
+     present views on the Natal native question, formed after a
+     longer and more intimate acquaintance with its
+     peculiarities, for which I beg to refer the reader to the
+     chapter on Natal.--Author.
+
+What the ultimate effect of our policy will be, when the leaven has
+leavened the whole, when the floodgates are lifted, and this vast native
+population (which, contrary to all ordinary precedent, does _not_
+melt away before the sun of the white man's power) is let loose in its
+indolent thousands, unrestrained, save by the bonds of civilised law,
+who can presume to say? But this is not for present consideration.
+Subject to due precautions, the path of progress must of necessity be
+followed, and the results of such following left in the balancing hands
+of Fate and the future.
+
+
+
+
+
+End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Cetywayo and his White Neighbours, by 
+H. Rider Haggard
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