404 
TRAVELS IN 
Kaffer country, eastward of the Great Fish River, on accmint 
of some enmity subsisting between them and their King 
Gaika, with whom I had, in vain, attempted, in company 
of the Landrost, to bring about a reconciliation two years 
before. As the position he now occupied not only encroached 
very much upon the territorial rights of the colony, but was 
also far within the line actually inhabited by the Dutch 
boors, we deemed it expedient to endeavour to prevail upon 
him to move towards the eastward ; and for this purpose, we 
sent ct messenger to request that he would give us the meet- 
ing. The answer brought back signified, that he did not care 
to come alone, and that he desired to know, if we had any 
objections to receive him at the head of a certain number of 
his people. The messenger being told he might bring with 
him any number of his attendants not exceeding thirty, he 
shortly made his appearance at the head of a party to that 
amount, each armed with a hassagay or spear. 
On being told how necessary it was, for the sake of pre- 
serving tranquillity, that he should quit his present station 
among the boors, he replied with great firmness, that the 
ground he then stood upon was his own by inheritance, for 
that his father had been cheated out of it by a Dutch Land- 
rost of Graaf Reynet; that, however, being desirous of re- 
maining in friendship with the English, he would remove 
eastward in the course of three days ; but that it was impos- 
sible for him to cross the Great Fish River, as there was a 
deadly hatred, or, as he expressed it, there was blood between 
Gaika and himself; and that Gaika was then much too 
powerful for him. 
