SOUTHERN AFRICA. 319 



CHAPTER XLIII. 



DEMOLITION OF THE ZOOLOO NATION — CONVENTION 



WITH DINGAAN ;~AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE 



EMIGRANTS AT PORT NATAL. 



Early in the ensuing" spring*^ hostilities were renewed on 

 the part of the Zooloos by a most vigorous attack^ in which 

 Dingaan^ turning- to account the acquisitions recently made 

 to his stud^ contrived the novel exhibition of no less than 

 one hundred mounted warriors, equipped with muskets as 

 well as assagais. Contemptible equestrians, however, the 

 barbarian cavalry were driven back with frig-htful slaug'hter, 

 thouo-h not before the flocks and herds of the emio-rants had 

 been extensively despoiled. This attack was directed prin- 

 cipalty ag'ainst the encampment of Jacobus Potg'eiter, who 

 lost only one man, althoug-h the number of bo} s and worn 

 out old men found among'st the slain on the enemy's side, 

 would indicate that Ding-aan had mustered on this occasion 

 every disposable warrior. In addition to the havoc committed 

 by the long- barrels of the Dutch farmers, the ranks of the 

 Zooloo army had recently been thinned by other hands. 

 Nervously apprehensive of a second invasion from the Ama- 

 boro, as he styled his white enemies the Boors, Ding-aan 

 had sent the ^ lig-hi of his eyes,' his much adored herds, 

 under a strong" escort into the interior, where they offered to 

 his watchful savag-e neig-hbours, a bait too tempting- to be 

 resisted. Down poured the plumed and kilted hosts of his 

 hereditary foe, " the great black one," " countless as the 

 spikes of g-rass that wave on the plains of the wilderness '^ 



