h,
had treated them with great arrogance. They fought and conquered him,
carrying off, as usual, his cattle. As this was a war between the
Caffres, and confined to their own land, we certainly had no business to
interfere; but the colonial government thought otherwise, and an
expedition was prepared.

"The Caffres sent forward messengers declaring their wish to remain at
peace with the English, but refusing to submit to Gaika, who was only a
secondary chief, and whom they had conquered. No regard was paid to this
remonstrance; the English troops were sent forward, the Caffres attacked
in their hamlets, slaughtered or driven into the woods, 23,000 head of
cattle taken from them, of which 9,000 were given to Gaika, and the rest
distributed to the Dutch boors, or sold to defray part of the expenses
of the expedition.

"Deprived of their means of subsistence by the capture of their cattle,
the Caffres were rendered furious reckless, and no sooner had the
expedition returned, than they commenced hostilities. They poured into
the frontier districts, captured several detached military forts, drove
the Dutch boors from the Zurweld, or neutral territory, and killed a
great many of our soldiers and of the Dutch boors. All the country was
overrun as far as the vicinity of Algoa Bay, and nothing could at first
check their progress."

"Why, it really does not appear that the colonial government, when in
our hands, was more considerate than when it was held by the Dutch,"
replied Alexander.

"Not much, I fear," said Mr. Fairburn.

"The councils of the Caffre chiefs were at that time much influenced by
a most remarkable personage of the name of Mokanna. In the colony he was
usually known by the sobriquet of 'Links,' or the left-handed. He was
not a chief, but had by his superior intellect obtained great power. He
gave himself out to be a prophet, and certainly showed quite as much
skill as ever did Mahommed or any other false prophet. He had often
visited Cape Town, and had made himself master of all that he could
acquire of European knowledge.

"This man, by his influence, his superior eloquence, and his pretended
revelations from heaven, was now looked up to by the whole Caffre
nation; and he promised the chiefs, if they would implicitly obey his
orders, he would lead them to victory, and that he would drive the
English into the ocean. He resolved upon the bold measure of making an
attack upon Graham's Town, and marched an a