74 Account of the Fish River Bush, South Africa. 



Keiskamma Bush, of similar character, extending from Kaisa's 

 Station to the mouth of that river, and these connections 

 establish the covered transit for CafFres from CafFraria into 

 the great rendezvous of the Fish River Bush. This Bush, last 

 war, was the scene of the capture of a train of forty govern- 

 ment waggons on the Trumpeter's Hill road ; and this war, 

 it lodged two large camps of CafFres and rebel Hottentots, se- 

 veral thousands strong, in the bushy kloofs east of the river, 

 in the neighbourhood of Committee's Drift, from whence 

 issued frequent numerous commandos to devastate the co- 

 lony. The attack and dispersion of these in August and 

 September 1851, occasioned protracted operations, harassing 

 work, and great loss of life amongst the troops. The Ecca 

 Bush was the scene of the exploits of the notorious rebel 

 Hottentot, Jan Pockbaas, who waylaid and murdered many 

 of our men, and plundered several waggons. The Koonap 

 Hill road through the Bush, near the Koonap Post, has also 

 witnessed roadside robbery and slaughter, and, June last, 

 the capture and plunder of a train of ammunition waggons, 

 with other military stores, and the loss of a considerable 

 number of the escort of Royal Sappers. Various affairs in 

 the neighbourhood of Fort Brown, which is in the centre of 

 a large bushy country, also attest the advantage taken of 

 this cover by the enemy. 



The course of the Fish River, after leaving Somerset, is 

 one of the most tortuous in the whole colony, and doubles 

 upon itself so frequently, as to completely puzzle a stranger 

 to estimate its true course at first sight. The bends it takes 

 amongst the hills may be, some of them, four miles at right 

 angles to the course ; and if following the stream, increasing 

 its length by about ten miles. The river runs in a vast 

 valley, bounded by grass-covered hills, which are in nume- 

 rous places from twelve to sixteen miles or more apart, and 

 it is this entire valley that is covered with bush. The 

 boundaries of that part running due east, are the Fish River, 

 Berg and Botha's Hill on the south, and the Fish River Rand 

 or Caffre Berg on the north. Those of the valley running 

 southerly are formed more by its profundity than by the 

 rise of the neighbouring country. The Bush country above 



