QUELLING A MUTINY.

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the night of the 24th January, we succeeded in cutting the mutineers off from all chance of escape, and arresting "The Gunn's" lieutenant-a well-meaning though deluded man, a native of Lancashire, named Styles. On the same day warrants were taken out for the arrest of "The Gunn," and Cooper the prisoner whom he was harbouring. An interview extracted from him a promise that he would proceed without further delay; but on the same night, it being ascertained that thirteen of his men were forelaying the drift on the main waggon-road, with evidently desperate intentions, "The Gunn of Gunn" received notice that he and his men would be treated as rebels in arms if the fellows were not moved from their threatening position and marched at once to the Steelport.

This seems at length to have aroused him to a sense of his danger. The next day he actually commenced his march, and entered the defiles leading to the low country. He was followed by a large force, who carefully watched that none should escape, or conceal any arms, or make away with the valuable property "The Gunn of Gunn" had accumulated, and which accompanied him, loaded on three waggons. When he reached the vicinity of the fort he took up an independent position. His hours of liberty were, however, numbered.

On the second day a peremptory order that he should parade his force for inspection reached him through the adjutant; while, at the same time, a band of mounted men galloped off with his cattle and horses, leaving him without any means of transport whatever. At the moment his squad commenced their march for the parade-ground, another company left the fort and secured his camp. When the now uneasy mutineers formed on the place of inspection, a cannon loaded with grape was run out on their flank, and they found themselves at length face to face with the law. As I could hardly blame the men for having up to this moment strictly obeyed the orders of one who till this moment was undoubtedly their commander, having been placed over them by the President himself, with instructions to hand them over to me on his arrival, I now stepped forward to try their temper and obedience myself. When within eight paces of the

centre of their little line, I told them my rank, the extent of my authority, and my fixed determination to be obeyed. I then gave the word "Attention! Rear rank take open order! March!" instantly followed by "Down with your arms!" (ground arms!) The majority obeyed at once; a few only, with murderous glances, hesitated. With pre

sented rifle I repeated the order, when the last mutineer quailed. "To the left-about turn! Quick march!" brought them a hundred yards from their weapons. I followed them, and was about to have said something harsh, when I felt myself tipped on the shoulder by our quartermaster, who, seeing the trouble over, now lounged up. He whispered in my ear, "Don't be cross, old man! remember we have been all rebels ourselves!" A laugh ended the affair. "The Gunn" and Cooper, with two others who had committed crimes, were imprisoned in different directions; the remainder had their choice to join our corps or go under sufficient escort back to the next settlement. The majority accepted the former proposition.

Even this utter downfall did not suffice to suppress "The Gunn." He attempted to open communications outside the fort, and although offered peace with honour if he would only apologise for his misconduct, began to put on airs, talked of complaining to the British Government, and made himself out a much ill-used person. He was consequently a nuisance, and was removed on horseback to Lydenberg, whence in due course of law he was sent to Pretoria, under the honourable escort of Lieutenant von Steitencron. It is to be regretted that in the capital a great many deluded persons patronised and treated him as a martyr. He was even, after his liberation from jail, appointed captain of a volunteer corps by Colonel Weatherly, a man of amiable disposition, but whose weakness of mind and easily flattered vanity left him open to imposition. "The Gunn" was also taken up for a time by society and the military. He has, however, succeeded in exposing his real self; his alleged want of scrupulosity in matters financial have led to inquiry; he is now, if telegrams are to be believed, a prisoner for sedition, having proved as false and troublesome to the new Government as he was to the old one. Of the band he had gathered

together little need be said. The jail-birds went back to their old avocations; the others had their individuality stamped out, and after a while became assimilated to the other men of the Lydenberg Volunteer Corps. The piper abandoned his martial dress, and relapsed into the condition of an ordinary Lowland Scotchman.

By the beginning of February one-half of the horses supplied to us had died; we had but forty left at the fort. These were barely sufficient to keep open the road, protect waggons, and furnish a mounted guard for the cattle. We intended to wait, before making any attempt on a large scale, till the sickness would abate at the end of the summer, when an expedition in force-of Boers and Swazis-with an advance from the two forts, would bring the war entirely to an end, by the ruin of Secocoeni's tribe, then already starving. The arrival of Sir Theophilus Shepstone at Pretoria, with the distracted state of the country consequent on the intrigues of the Annexationists, unfortunately induced the President to accept the submission of the chief. On the 12th February peace was proclaimed along the border. The neighbouring Kafirs immediately (and this shows how little truth there was in the charges against us of having "embittered the war by atrocities") flocked eagerly to the fort, only taking the precaution of sending as avant-courriers two utterly miserable and starved boys, whom they no doubt imagined would not be likely to tempt our appetites if we were cannibals.

We now learned the details of many matters which had been hitherto obscure or doubtful. Amongst others we heard of the fate of a poor fellow named O'Reilly who had been lost from the great Commando in the August of the previous year. This man, finding his horse absent at morning muster, putting his saddle on his head, went heedlessly into the bush in search of the missing animal. This duty should have been only undertaken by a mounted patrol. The poor fellow lost his way, was captured, stripped naked, and roasted alive.

The volunteers and their late enemies met everywhere on very amicable terms; many recognised each other as having been acquainted in the relation of master and servant long before on the Diamond Fields. It was not a little remark

able that the dressed natives who had experienced the influences of civilised labour, and learned, as Mr Trollope puts it, new wants and the value of wages, had been invariably our worst enemies, and were still advocates of a war of extermination against the whites. This was saddening and disappointing. Some of Secocoeni's most astute advisers were well acquainted with European habits, many of which they had adopted, especially a fondness for breeches and breech-loaders, in the use of which they were fairly proficient. In no case did we meet amongst them any who had escaped from domestic servitude under the Dutch.

In another chapter attention will be more fully drawn to the Dutch, in their capacity of masters and civilisers, where, after ten years' experience, I am now prepared to assert they have succeeded better than the English.

Our visitors were lavish in their compliments and praises of the conduct of the volunteers, and especially of Mr Eckersley, whom they christened the Bush Buck (Umbabala), because of his speed and pugnacity.

It will not be out of place here to record a singular instance of conscientiousness on the part of a savage, accompanied by a truthfulness and sacrifice of personal feeling worthy of a white man. Our Kafir Kameel's conduct on many occasions had been open to suspicion. It was asserted that he had twice delayed small forces on the march, and on one occasion with terribly fatal results. There was also evidence that often before delayed expeditions, on the occurrence of which, by the questions asked him as a spy, he might calculate, he had been noted lighting fires in unusual places and absenting himself without leave. It was also said that, knowing how much he had to fear from Schlieckmann's vengeance, he had himself fired the fatal shot that slew our commander. The bore of his gun, which was enormous, helped out this theory. A court was held, and Windvogel, our most faithful ally and Kameel's most deadly enemy, was called in evidence. He hated Kameel, and had killed the prisoner's brother but a short time previously. He knew that the court was strongly biassed against the suspected guide, but he spoke as follows :—

"Captain, you may kill Kameel if you wish; that is but

THE EAST COAST FEVER.

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right-he is your dog; but he has not betrayed you. He should not have been brought to guide us to Mahera's Kloof, where Schlieckmann was killed. His own people lived in that kraal. He had got his wife from there, and knew the way well. It may be that he delayed, thinking the captain would not attack after daylight, but he did not bring the men into a trap. I hate him! I want to kill him myself; but I must tell the truth. He is a great doctor, and his absences were in search of roots and plants, which he would never find elsewhere. The fires he lit, like every Kafir, who, if he can, will make fire, and sit in it on the warmest night. If you like I will take him away and kill him, but it is wrong!"

It is needless to say that this generous defence saved the man's life. He was sent in safety to Kruger's Post, in the neighbourhood of which he is now living, and doing, I fear, notwithstanding the want of evidence against him on the former occasion, considerable mischief to the English settlers.

Having now but few guards to keep, we determined to devote our leisure to a thorough exploration of Secocoeni's country. There were miners and others amongst us who had only joined that they might be in the first flight over this very land, which was currently believed to afford everywhere indications that gold would be found in payable quantities. Leaving the prospectors to prepare the necessary material, accompanied by Ashton I now went to Lydenberg, where we established a hospital in view of coming calamity. By the 27th of February the fever was upon us. Its approach had long been expected. An easterly wind, blowing steadily from the sea, carried deadly vapours through the great poorts (gates, passes, openings) that led up from the lower bushveld into our valleys. Every morning a dull, bluish-grey haze lay along the ground, which rose slowly into the air, and became dissipated as the sun got higher. This haze, first noticed in September-and then only in the lower valleys-week after week rose higher, until, by the middle of February, it flooded all the low grounds, finally beginning to climb even above the level of the fort. The disease seized a man in various ways,-sometimes beginning