CATTLE AS AN ECONOMIC FACTOR IN SOUTH AFRICA. 437 



large a number of men were drawn away from the scattered 

 farms, where they would have been far better employed attending 

 to their stock, and the work of agriculture which was at a stand- 

 still in their prolonged absence, indicates the extent and serious- 

 ness of the menace. Acting under the extreme provocation of 

 the ruthless and wanton Bushman tactics the commandoes were 

 merciless, and the Bushman power was soon broken by the almost 

 complete extermination of the race. This warfare against the 

 Bushmen is a most unfortunate page in our South African His- 

 tory, and one to be contemplated with bowed heads. The only 

 extenuating circumstance is to be found in the extreme and long- 

 continued provocation which must have caused the bitterest 

 enmity and the strongest feelings against this half-human, half- 

 animal, race of people. How great a hindrance all this must have 

 been to the normal development of the northern districts will be 

 at once appreciated. 



While these things were proceeding in the north, and before 

 they had come to a climax, several Amaxosa clans were crossing 

 the Fish River boundary and making incursions at first upon the 

 remnants of the Gonaqua tribe of Hottentots, and later upon the 

 Europeans, driving off the cattle. This led to the first Kaffir war, 

 which proved so great an object lesson to the Kaffirs. In violation 

 of all agreements they had thus renewed their thieving, and so in 

 order to protect themselves and recover their stolen property the 

 farmers had been compelled to band together as they were doing 

 against the Bushmen, thus initiating the commando system, a 

 system which has played so large a part in subsequent South 

 African History. In these days of conscript armies and Machia- 

 vellian battles one smiles to read that only 92 burghers and 40 

 Hottentots were mobilised to thrust the Amaxosa back across the 

 border — and that they did it, capturing in all over 6.000 head of 

 cattle in the process ! Nor are we in the least surprised to know 

 that the capture of all these cattle only made the natives all the 

 more determined to recuperate their losses at the earliest suitable 

 opportunity. This they did whenever a favourable opportunity 

 presented itself, until ten years later the conflict was openly 

 renewed, the second Kaffir war arising primarily out of internal 

 dissensions, but issuing as usual in the loss oif the cattle of the 

 hardy settlers. It seems that Nhdlambe had been selected by the 

 councillors of the boy-chief Gaika. to be regent, and some of the 

 clans refusing to accept him decided to cross the Fish River. 

 This they did in 1789, and finding themselves in close prox'imity 

 to large herds of cattle they helped themselves to nearly all that 

 was readily available. 



Before an adequate force could be gathered to recover this 

 stock instructions came from distant Capetown that peace was 

 to be restored at all costs, and the burghers were required to dis- 

 band, the natives in the meantime having escaped back into 

 Kaff'raria. The Commission dealing with the matter tried to buy 

 ofT the natives, eventually agreeing to allow them to occupy the 



