spoke of the growing discontent of even the European inhabitants of the country were bullied or snubbed into silence. It became very noticeable that corn in large quantities was being bought up by Secocoeni. The Rev. Mr Merenski took a very prominent part in supplying the common enemy with provisions. In defiance of public opinion and private remonstrance, he sent them on one occasion no less than eight waggon-loads of bread-stuffs. Gunpowder and gun smuggling began again to be an active branch of trade; but as the Lydenberg officials had no troopers at their disposal, even this could not be interfered with, because no war was going on, and seizures could only be made with proper effect when the smugglers had transgressed the border-line.

It was also well known to the Commissioner that the chieftainess Legolani was, in the direct interest of Secocoeni, endeavouring to harry the small tribes under British protection in her neighbourhood. Now it must be remembered that this woman Legolani-or Masselleroom, as she is indifferently called—had during the previous war been entirely submissive to, if not an active ally of, the Republic. It is therefore quite evident that her change of feeling was not uninfluenced by the fact that the border had been left denuded of its armed guardians. Sir Theophilus Shepstone visited Lydenberg in August and September, and himself sent for Secocoeni's messengers, and gravely warned them that any infraction of the peace, or neglect to fulfil the conditions on which peace had been granted, would bring a black cloud over Kafirland. Mr George Eckersley, the acting Native Commissioner of Fort Burgers, warned his Excellency that war might be expected after the coming harvest.

Later on, whilst Sir Theophilus was still on the border, Eckersley, Erasmus, and myself reported that Secocoeni had detached a portion of his tribe to the strong places north and east of Origstadt, and that a Commando of his people were taking positions at Mamloon, close to Hell Poort, in the Drakensberg.

His Excellency, no doubt from sufficient motives, said that he had Secocoeni under his nail-that all was well.

SANGUINARY MURDERS.

245

He also directed the 170 cattle to be sent back to the chief with the following message: "Put the 2000 cattle you owe Government together, and pay them to Captain Clarke without any further delay." Makropetse and the Indunas replied "that Shepstone was their great father, and his child Secocoeni would be glad to hear his message."

Having thus, as he imagined, settled everything satisfactorily, Sir Theophilus started for the Utrecht border, taking with him his escort, and Captain Clarke, his Special Commissioner for Lydenberg district, who was desirous to proceed to Natal to raise a force of Zulu armed constabulary, and for other purposes.

The day after their departure from Lydenberg, it was reported at the office of the Landdrost that three British subjects had been murdered at Mapoch's. Now, as I have said before, Mapoch had during the previous war been a faithful ally of the Dutch Government. His location is far inside the border-line, being almost on the main road from Middleburg to Lydenberg, and situated on undoubted Transvaal territory.

The Landdrost of Lydenberg, Mr George Roth, a man of eighteen years' official experience, who had succeeded to Mr Cooper on his dismissal the previous year, sent a sub-sheriff to demand the murderers from Mapoch-but, in the absence of Captain Clarke, very properly, with instructions not to be provoked into any hostilities. The sub-sheriff duly arrived at the chief's place, and there were given to him three persons supposed to be guilty in the matter. But on his attempting to leave the village, and proceed with his prisoners to Lydenberg, a mob of Kafirs handed arms to them, and threatened the escort. Seeing that a fight would become unavoidable if he persisted in taking the men, he again sought the assistance of the chief, who endeavoured to soothe him with much talk, and eventually sent him away unharmed, but without being able to accomplish his mission. Thus, under British Government, for the first time Mapoch found himself in a position to resist the law because it was not supported by mounted forces. On the 11th of September, Mr Winterbush and the acting field-cornet of Waterfall complained that the Kafirs had threatened their labourers, and

warned them to quit their farms. At this early date Landdrost Roth and myself were so certain that an early outbreak must occur, that we warned Mr Eckersley, and indicated the Waterfall as his proper line of retreat should he be molested.

A few days afterwards, in quite an opposite direction, another and still more terrible defiance of the law took place. Mr Bell, the New Scotland Commissioner, was murdered by the inhabitants of a kraal situated on his own lands. With Mr Bell were stabbed several policemen and others in the execution of their duty. This outrage, though apparently uninspired by any of the greater Kafir chiefs, is yet important as showing the increasing excitement in the minds of the natives living even immediately under the direction of the British authorities. It also shows how feeble was the hand of authority, and how little respected the law when unsupported by adequate armed force. Although Mabekana, the perpetrator of Bell's murder, was caught and hanged, and his people broken up, the impression occasioned by this affair was widespread and fatal to authority. Captain Clarke was detained and kept away from his district till the end of January in this present year 1878, by which time not a little uneasiness and alarm had become prevalent amongst the settlers.

On the Gold Fields especially, natives had become disrespectful and mutinous. Thefts were not unfrequent, while offenders were seldom brought to justice.

On Saturday, October 13, 1877, some petty cattle-stealing was noticed. This was reported to Captain Clarke, then in Natal. On the 14th an application was in vain made to Captain Clarke for a handful of mounted men, whose mere presence at this time near the outposts would have convinced Secocoeni of the earnestness and strength of the new Government, his respect for which was greatly exaggerated by the men of routine who filled its offices, to the exclusion of practical ability.

On the side of Fort Weeber Legolani's people had threatened Pogwani, telling him he must leave the flats and go into the mountains; and the resident at Fort Weeber had been informed that his life was in danger.

These symptoms of uneasiness induced Captain Clarke to

ARRIVAL OF ZULU POLICE.

247

direct the raising of twenty-five "provisional policemen," whom he subsequently sent to Fort Weeber to encourage the well-affected Kafirs, and to strengthen authority. Then arrived in Lydenberg the Zulu police, a body of dressed and armed savages, intended for the protection of the border, but whose presence and formidable appearance, coinciding closely with the tales everywhere in circulation of their prowess and cruelty, effectually alarmed every Basuto, Swazi, Mapolander, or other native, whether friendly or otherwise, from Lydenberg to the Oliphants River.

The Swazis, for

The effect of this was at once apparent. merly allies of Government, now expressed their abhorrence of those who put breech-loading rifles in the hands of their hereditary enemies. All the wild Kafirs engaged in labour or domestic service fled to their chiefs, and it only required a spark to cause an explosion. This spark was soon supplied. Captain Clarke himself went to Fort Weeber, where he found Masselleroom still plaguing, threatening, and annoying by theft the friendly Kafirs, with whom she was in fact fighting. He sent messengers to Secocoeni, ordering him to desist from violence; and the chief, in his turn, sent to the Landdrost of Lydenberg a haughty message to this effect: "Tell Clarke that Secocoeni is laughed at by evildoers because he does not punish petty chiefs under him who do wrong, make disturbances, and deny his authority. Secocoeni will send out Commandoes to punish them.”

The magistrate simply replied that Secocoeni must do nothing until he heard from Captain Clarke, and that he would send the chief's messages over to Clarke, at Fort Weeber.

The embassy went home, and for a couple of days all was still. In the meanwhile, Captain Clarke, while riding with an orderly between Fort Weeber and the mountains, met ten of Legolani's men armed with guns. These men he disarmed, and compelled them to carry their guns to Pogwani's kraal, where the arms were confiscated to the use of Pogwani's people.

On the 8th March, Mr Eckersley, whose force had been raised to four white men, assisted by twelve of our allies, was summoned to surrender Fort Burgers by a Commando of 500 well-armed Kafirs under Secocoeni's brother. Another

Commando of the enemy occupied the pass leading from Fort Burgers to Origstadt; a third threatened Kruger's Post; whilst a fourth and still larger one invaded the Waterfall valley, and spread out over the country between Lydenberg and Fort Weeber, thus completely cutting off Mr Eckersley from either retreat or help.

The Landdrost Roth sent the Zulu police by the Waterfall valley to help Eckersley, and cover the flight of the inhabitants of the farms. Eckersley succeeded in effecting his escape from the fort under cover of night, and was found at Mrs Beechi's house, which he had fortified and defended until the arrival of the relief. The Dutch inhabitants of the district acted undoubtedly in a brave and highly creditable way on the occurrence of this sudden outbreak. The Dutch field-cornet at Kruger's Post heard at two o'clock on the morning of the 9th that Wainwright's house in Origstadt had been attacked by overwhelming numbers, his cattle driven off, and his family forced to fly into the bush. He immediately went, with four other men, and relieved Wainwright, who, however, had, owing to the unprotected state of the border, suffered a loss which £2000 would not cover. The field-cornet of Crocodile River ward, with his Dutch neighbours, rapidly succoured the inhabitants of the upper Waterfall, recovering and burying the body of their countryman Fenter, who had been shot on the night of the 8th. This removing of the outlying farmers into places of safety occupied nearly a week.

The Landdrost, who was cut off by 120 miles of hostile country from Captain Clarke, did his utmost to preserve the border, and ordered the levy of another body of twenty-five European policeman from the Gold Fields; and on the 13th, Captain Clarke suddenly appeared in Lydenberg, having evacuated Fort Weeber on the Sunday before. He was speedily followed into town by acting Native Commissioner Schultz, in charge of the retreating garrison, which had abandoned some powder and much property to the enemy.

Captain Clarke's next act was to station the provisional police-now amounting to fifty-six men, but who, unfortunately, had only twenty-two horses available for duty-at points most likely to be assailed by the enemy, and where