SOUTHERN AFRICA. S91 



" knob -nosed Kafirs." Returning- hence by a nearer route 

 with the account of their success, and of the discovery of a 

 land flowing- with milk and honey, they found their camp 

 totally deserted, and the g-round strewed with the mutilated 

 bodies of their friends and relatives ! The mig-ratory far- 

 mers had been attacked three days before, by Moselekatse^ 

 and twenty-eig-ht of their number had been butchered. 



It will have been seen, from the foreg-oing- pages, that the 

 country over which this powerful and despotic prince claims 

 sovereig-nty, is of g-reat extent, and is bounded on the south 

 by the Likwa or Vaal river, one of the two principal branches 

 of the Gareep. From that direction he had been repeatedly 

 attacked by Jan Bloem, a notorious and often successful 

 freebooter, and by other leaders of predatory bands of Gri- 

 quas, who had scoured his territories, and swept away his 

 cattle. In 1831, it has been shown, he was last attacked by 

 a strong- commando of Barend Barend's Griquas, who suc- 

 ceeded in obtaining" possession of the whole of the Matabili 

 herds ; and, all the regular warriors of Moselekatse being- 

 absent at the time on an expedition to the northward, the 

 ruin of the tribe had nearly been accomplished. Owing-, 

 however, to a want of proper precaution on the part of the 

 invaders, they were sig-nally defeated by a mere handful of 

 irreg-ulars, who attacked them during- the nig-ht, and ere 

 the day dawned, had slaug-htered the greater part of them. 



Since that occurrence, Moselekatse had publicly and posi- 

 tively prohibited any trader or traveller from visiting- him, or 

 entering- his territories from that quarter : whilst, to g-uard 

 ag-ainst the inroads of his enemies, strong- armed parties were 

 frequently sent to scour the country watered by the Likwa. 

 But, on the other hand, he declared his willing-ness to receive 

 as friends, those visitors who mig-ht find it convenient to ap- 

 proach him by way of Kuruman, or New Litakoo, having- 

 the most imphcit confidence in Mr. Moffat, the enlig-htened 



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