XXXVII.] THE MAILS ATTACKED. 345 right, and advanced cautiously, with patrols thrown out to the top of a neighbouring hill, on the further slope of which, among large boulders, were posted a number of Kafirs with guns and assegais. I was with the advanced party, and called upon the Kafirs nearest to me to lay down their arms. In reply, a shot was fired at us by a man thirty or forty yards off, and others quickly followed. The troop having come up presently, I ordered the men to dismount, and half to skirmish. The Kafirs, about 100 in number, then began to run down the slope towards the Kabousie, followed for a short distance by our skirmishers. We then mounted, and took up a commanding position about a mile nearer the Draaibosch, from which we could see another party of Kafirs coming from the direction of the Kabousie, with the intention apparently, of getting round our left. Having again dismounted and commenced skirmishing, the enemy retired in haste towards the river. We then turned away sharp to the left, towards Draaibosch, in order to gain a detachment of 40 men, 88th Regiment, under Lieutenant Wood, who were escorting ammunition waggons to Komgha. About two miles from the ruins of Macdonald's canteen, our right patrol came upon a body of about 300 Kafirs, who were advancing in our direction; the troop was ordered to dismount to receive them, but after firing a few shots retired. The Kafirs followed up, and having overtaken one man, Private Glesse, who was dismounted, killed him with assegais, despite the efforts of a few to rescue him. I grieve to say that we were unable to recover the body. Major Moore again wrote under date December 31: I left Komgha yesterday at 11 A.M. with forty men of the 88th Regiment under Captain Acklom, and twenty-one frontier armed mounted police, for the purpose of escorting the mail from the Transkei past Draaibosch. When we approached Savage's Shop, six miles from Komgha, large bodies of Kafirs were seen mustered about a mile to our right, i. e. north. Fearing an attack, I selected a good defensive position on the crown of a hill, about half a mile beyond Savage's Shop, and close to the road. We were not kept long in suspense as to the enemy's intention, for by the time our arrangements were completed about 600 footmen and 50 mounted men (the latter took no part in the action) were seen advancing rapidly and in perfect order. At about 500 yards we opened fire, upon which the bullocks ran off with our ammunition-cart to our rear. The enemy continued to advance, and detached large bodies to both flanks, chiefly to our right, some men also getting to our rear, into whose hands the ammunition-cart fell. The fight lasted from 2.15 to 3.45 P.M., bodies of the enemy being within assegai range; but very few assegais were thrown, nearly all the Kafirs opposed to us being armed with guns and rifles. Our ammunition, of which the troops carried forty rounds, beginning to fall short, matters were becoming critical, and we were obliged to have recourse to frequent bayonet charges, before which the enemy always gave way. We were careful to keep fast hold of the hill top, and the Kafirs at length began to retire from all sides, leisurely making their way in the direction from which they came. The Connaught Rangers, boys though they are—not one of them had ever seen an enemy before--and some of the frontier armed mountain police, behaved admirably well; they repelled attack after attack from large bodies advancing in every direction, charging with a cheer when called on, and held final possession of the well-contested hill-top. Their fire, however, was very mild, to which may be attributed the small number of the enemy accounted for. Major Moore was severely wounded with an assegai as XXXVII.] THREE GENTLEMEN MURDERED. 317 he was standing over the body of a disabled policeman, but notwithstanding this he still continued his command. All accounts concur in stating that the action was a most spirited affair. The onslaught of the Kafirs, personally led by Dhimba and Mackinnon, was repeated with desperate persistence, and nothing but coolness and prudence could have saved the handful of men from being hemmed in and cut to pieces. All were loud in the praises of Major Moore, whose gallantry was no less conspicuous than his careful manipulation of the men under his command. The Connaught Rangers are said to have displayed great readiness and pluck, but the police themselves reluctantly admit that these qualities were rather the exception than the rule among their own force. It is, however, but fair to them to say that some of them were as young as, and less instructed than, the Connaught Rangers. In the beginning of January Mr. R. G. Tainton, Mr. J. H. Tainton, and Mr. W. C. Brown were murdered at Berlin, about eleven miles from King William's Town. These gentlemen were imprudently placed in the power of the Kafirs, and this tragic result was the consequence. The sad story told by the Fingo orderly of Mr. R. G. Tainton is as follows: I was near the river when I heard a school Kafir woman cry, "Look! they are being surrounded," and I saw a number of armed natives gathering in the bushes; running up I saw three gentlemen go into the hut and get their guns and ammunition, and I got mine also. The enemy were then quite close to us, and advanced menacingly upon our party. We were told not to shoot, and Mr. R. G. Tainton advanced towards the Kafirs, who were then about fifty yards off, saying, "Do not fire; we are not here to fight; go back," and other words to this effect. I think that they quieted a little; they were right round us, and one of the police madly fired his rifle off (this, however, is not corroborated by the others), and it was at once answered with a volley from the Kafirs. Some twenty of the men of our party then bolted without firing a shot, and the Kafirs cried: "See, they are leaving their great chiefs;" but the rest of us fired. I saw Mr. R. G. Tainton shoot a Kafir in the neck, who fell dead; but, as he was in the act of putting another cartridge in his gun, a Kafir shot him from behind, striking him in the groin; he did not fall, but slowly sank stoopingly over the gun, and several Kafirs rushed in stabbing him with assegais in the back of the head and neck, thus killing him. Mr. John Tainton, on seeing his brother fall, ran to his assistance, shooting one of the murderers, who was within a few inches of the muzzle of his gun, but before he could reload he was also stabbed to death. Mr. Brown was also surrounded by these remorseless savages, and after bringing down one or two of the enemy, he too was assegaied in a similar manner. Seeing my masters were killed, I dived away into a bush, injuring my leg in doing so. I heard the Kafirs kill a policeman in a kloof, who asked loudly for mercy. I then got away as quickly as I could; some of the horses we managed to catch and bring away, but guns and many other things we had fell into the hands of our enemies. I consider that we let them get too close before firing, but Mr. Tainton was anxious not to fight. The headman evidently agreed to settle the matter, because he wanted to gain time to make an attack on us. They gave the war cry as they advanced upon us. This circumstance created a great sensation on the eastern frontier. The Gaikas then began to throw off all semblance of respect for authority. I visited my camp in the east of Galeka land, and in con XXXVII.] GANGELESWE'S "GREAT WIFE." 349 junction with Captain Nixon, the senior officer of the Royal Engineers, selected suitable positions for erecting posts. I also visited the "Idulchwa" reserve, where a large force of Tambookies was stationed under Major Elliott. These natives were in charge of their chief Gangeleswe. During the war he had done good service to the Government. This, however, was not so much to be wondered at, as he was a bitter foe of Kreli's. It will be remembered that I described how of their quarrel began. It originated in Gangeleswe's ill-treatment of his wife, Kreli's daughter. When the Galeka chief subsequently became a fugitive and a hunted outcast in his own country, and when his family was starving, his daughter was persuaded again to seek an asylum in Tembu land. Gangeleswe had made continual endeavours to effect her return to him, not at all on account of any repentance for his former conduct, or from any affectionate feelings towards her, but for the following reason. The ceremony of circumcision is a positive obligation in his tribe. By native custom or law this rite can not be undergone except in the presence of the mother, should she be alive, so that nothing could exceed his delight in recovering her in whose presence alone this ceremony could be legally performed upon his sons. Not long after her arrival at the chief's kraal, fresh quarrels arose, and this "great wife" caused him to be summoned to appear before a Council of Indunas or Elders. She accused him of beating her eight different times, thrice with knobkerries and five times with his hand; she showed the marks of his blows, and she complained that he had not properly furnished her house. The first accusation, he replied, was not true, he had only beaten her four times; and in regard to the furniture she was fastidious. He asked, had he not presented her with a mat and a calabash, and given her two cows, and what more could she desire? He added that the chastisement which he had given her was justified by her continued use of improper and insulting |