54 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. IX. 
the Kafirs were 4 fat.’ Two Kafirs, men of some im¬ 
portance among the tribe, stole an axe from a shop¬ 
keeper in the town of Beaufort; they were caught in 
the very act and secured. 
Criminals at the Cape are tried at the circuit 
courts about every six months, but the circuit judge? 
do not go to all the small towns, and the prisoners 
from Fort Beaumont had therefore to be sent for trial* 
to Graham’s Town, a distance of over fifty miles, and 
the main road from the two places ran almost parallel 
with the Kafir border. 
The prisoners were sent from Fort Beaufort in 
charge of civil constables, and when they had got about 
twelve miles on the road they were attacked by a body 
of Kafirs from across the border; and although the con¬ 
stables made a fight for it they were overcome, and 
the prisoners were rescued by the Kafirs. It so hap¬ 
pened that the two Kafirs, whom they were most 
desirous to release, were handcuffed to two other 
prisoners, who were British subjects; and as time was 
precious, in order to escape with their countrymen 
they murdered the two men to whom they were at¬ 
tached, and cut off their arms at the elbow-joint, in 
order to free the Kafir prisoners. Hence the War of 
the Axe. 
The Government demanded that the prisoners should 
be restored and the murderers surrendered; but the 
