70 
RETALIATION ON BOERS. 
only inhabitants it seems ever to have had were baboon*. 
I left at tho end of the upper branch one of Father Mathew** 
leadon teetotal tickets. 
I nover saw tho Bakwains looking so haggard and loan 
as at this time. Most of their cattle had been swept away 
by tho Boers, together with about eighty fino draught-oxon; 
and much provision loft with them by two officers, Cap- 
tains Codrington and Webb, to servo for their roturn jour- 
ney south, had been carried off also. On their return those 
officers found tho skeletons of tho Bakwains where thoy 
expoctod to find their own goods. All tho corn, clothing, 
and furnitnro of tho people, too, had been consumed in the 
flames which tho Boers had forced tho subject tribes to 
apply to the town during tho fight, so that its inhabitants 
wore now literally starving. 
Sochelo had given orders to his people not to commit any 
act of rovengo ponding his visit to tho Queen of England; 
but somo of tho young men ventured to go to meet a party 
of Boers returning from hunting, and, as tho Boors became 
terrified and ran off, thoy brought their wagons to Lituba- 
ruba. Tim seems to have given the main i >dy of Boors 
an idea that ‘he Bakwains meant to begin a gu -rilla war 
upon thorn. This “Caffro war” was, however, only in 
embryo, and not near that Btago of development in which 
tho natives have found out that the hide-and-seek system is 
tho most successful. 
The Boors, in alarm, sent four of their number to ask for 
poaco ! I, being present, hoard tho condition : — “Sechelo’s 
children must be restored to him.” I never saw men so 
completely and unconsciously in a trap as theso four Boors 
woro. Strong parties of armed Bakwains occupied overy 
pass in tho hills and gorges around; and had thoy not pro- 
mised much more than they intended, or did porform, that 
day would have been their ,ast. The commandant Schols 
had appropriated the children of Sechele to bo his own 
domestic slaves. I was present when one little boy, Khari, 
aon of Sechele, was returned to his mother ; tho child had 
