28 BOTANICAL EXCURSIONS 
Our host, Rademeyer, had distinguished himself by a very 
gallant action in the late Caffer war, of which I heard the 
following account. He had penetrated, with about forty of 
his countrymen, into a very narrow ravine in the Fish-River 
Bush, when his little party was suddenly attacked and almost 
surrounded by a very superior force of Caffers, who not only 
assailed them with missile weapons, but, confiding in their 
own numbers and in the effect of the surprise, charged them 
with much greater resolution than usual. The Boers, ex- 
cellent at long shots, but not so fond of close fighting, were 
giving way, and, in attempting to effect a retreat, were 
falling into confusion; Rademeyer suddenly threw his hat 
on the ground, and vowed that he would not retreat an inch 
farther; and rallying his men, he made them draw up in a 
close circle, facing the enemy on every side. In this 
situation, animated by his example, they kept up such a fire 
as to repulse the Caffers with heavy loss. Such is the ac- 
count I received, in the colony, of this exploit; and it agrees 
in the main with that given in the United Service Journal; 
but the “Narrative of the Kafir War," published by the 
editor of the Graham's Town Journal, relates the affair 
differenlty, assigning the credit of it rather to the party of 
Boers in general than to Rademeyer in particular. 
April 2.—From the eastern extremity of the Long Kloof, 
(which is not indicated by any distinct natural limit) the 
ground falls considerably to the source of the Kromme River, — 
where we enter the district of Uitenhage. We were met 
here by Captain (now Sir Andries) Stockenstrom, who wasat — 
that time Lieutenant Governor of the Eastern Province; and _ 
in company with him we went on to Meeding's or Jagers- 
bosch, about. forty-four miles from our last station. The _ 
narrow valley of the Kromme River, in which this place is 
situated, is not much superior in appearance to the Long 
Kloof, and is bounded, like that, by rugged, stony, and 
barren hills. Here we remained two days, for it rained hard 
all the 3rd, and though the 4th was fine, yet the swollen 
state of the river barred our progress. The people at 
