CHAP. XVII. 
THE BOOMAH PASS. 
157 
cated daughter of one of the oldest and most respected 
missionaries of Kafirland, and had not long been 
married. 
From day to day the post was surrounded by the 
enemy, and we were told each night that the attack 
would be renewed next day; but they must have had 
enough of coming to close quarters, for they never re¬ 
peated the experiment. 
We could, however, hear desperate fighting going on 
at and in the neighbourhood of Fort Hare. Sir Henry 
Somerset, whose head-quarters was there, endeavoured 
to communicate from that post with Sir Harry Smith, 
the Gfovernor and Commander-in-Chief at Fort Cox, 
where his Excellency was still shut up. A strong column 
marched under Major Yarborough, of the 91st Kegiment, 
who had also a field-gun with him; but the party was 
attacked in such force by the Kafirs, after getting 
nearly half-way, that they had to retire fighting the 
whole distance back to Fort Hare. The gun got en¬ 
tangled in one of the fords, and had to be abandoned, 
and two officers and twenty-two men were killed fighting 
hand-to-hand with the enemy. 
A large number were also wounded, and the retreat 
was performed with much difficulty. Charles Somerset, 
of the Cape Mounted Kifles, distinguished himself in 
this affair, as he also did afterwards at the storming 
of Fort Armstrong, an abandoned military post taken 
