premacy. This was done.
The chief T'slambi was driven from his villages, and no fewer than
11,000 head of cattle were handed over to Gaika. While this was going
on at the eastern frontier, the Kafirs invaded the colony at other
points, drove in the small military posts, ravaged the whole land, and
even attacked the military headquarters at Grahamstown, where, however,
they were defeated with great slaughter. After this a large force was
sent to drive them out of their great stronghold, the Fish River bush.
This was successfully accomplished, and then, at last, the right thing
was done. The Governor met the Kafir chiefs, when it was agreed that
they should evacuate the country between the Great Fish River and the
Keiskamma, and that the territory so evacuated should form _neutral
ground_. So matters stand at present, but I have no faith in Kafirs.
It is their pride to lie, their business to make war, and their delight
to plunder."

"But is it not the same with _all_ savages?" asked Considine.

"Doubtless it is, therefore _no_ savages ought to be trusted, as
civilised men are trusted, till they cease to be savages. We trust them
too much. Time will show.--By the way, I hear that a new move is about
to be attempted. Rumour says that your Government is going to send out
a strong party of emigrants to colonise the eastern frontier. Is this
true?"

"It is," replied Considine; "I wonder that you have not heard all about
it before now."

"Good reasons for that. For one thing, I have just returned from a long
trip into the north-western districts, and I have not been in the way of
hearing news for some time. Besides, we have no newspapers in the
colony. Everything comes to us by word of mouth, and that slowly. Tell
me about this matter."

"There is little to tell," returned Considine, replenishing the fire
with a thick branch, which sent up a magnificent display of sparks and
scared away a hyena and two jackals that had been prowling round the
camp-fence. "The fact is that there is a great deal of distress in
England just now, and a redundant population of idlers, owing to the
cessation of continental wars. This seems to have put it into the heads
of some people in power to encourage emigration to the eastern part of
this colony. In the House of Commons 50,000 pounds have been voted in
aid of the plan, and it seems that when the proposal was first made
public, no fewer than 90,000 would-be emigrants applied