140 
SPORT AND WAR. 
CHAP. XVII. 
could easily have fired upon us; hut the Kafir police 
being on the right, had they done so the balls must 
have whizzed over their heads to reach us. This would 
have been a breach of faith to them, for it was after¬ 
wards known that arrangements had been made that 
the Kafir police should go over in a body to"the enemy 
on the first engagement. Overtures had also been 
made to the Cape Mounted Rifles to join the Kafirs. 
Hence it was that the Kafir police and Cape Mounted 
Rifles were permitted to pass through the Boomah 
defile without being attacked; and that is also the 
reason why the enemy did not dare to fire over the heads 
of the police, as it would look as if they were firing 
at them. The Kafir police did nob go over at this 
moment, because Sir Harry Smith had prevented their 
wives from leaving the police barracks at Fort Cox, as 
they had endeavoured to do, and this was duly reported 
to the men. 
Twenty-three soldiers were killed in the pass or fell 
into the enemy’s hands, and were tortured to death. 
Several soldiers were seen to be seized by the Kafirs as 
they discharged their muskets, and were pulled into 
the thick bush and killed. Hone of these poor fellows’ 
bodies were ever recovered. Twenty-three others were 
wounded, but luckily for them were able to keep up 
with the fighting men. 
We had now to push on for two or three miles 
