Extracts from Journal.
“September 13th. Sir Peregrine Maitland is moving with his division towards the Fish River mouth. A report is in circulation that Faku, the Amaponda Chief, has come down upon Kreli’s country. This is not to be desired. Faku is a man of immense power, with a great number of people, who will be ready to creep into the Colony at all points for plunder.
“Among our allies employed with the army are 150 Bushmen, with poisoned arrows. (It was some of these who were exhibited lately in England.) The Kaffirs have great dread of these ‘new assegais,’ which are barbed, and cannot be extracted without additional injury to the wounds they inflict.
“More intelligence has been received relative to Sir Andries Stockenstrom’s expedition to the Kei. The capture of 7,000 head of cattle is cheering and important; but the treaty appears a sorry affair.
“Kama, the Christian Chief, has proved himself worthy of our confidence and respect. With the few followers who have remained true to him and us, he has been, as far as lay in his power, an active and efficient ally in defence of the district to which he was driven by the threat of assassination from his half-brother, Páto. Hermanus, too, has, I am told, been true to us for many years; but of him I know nothing personally. We were always glad to receive Kama in our cottage at Fort Peddie. It is proposed to give these friendly chiefs the land in the ceded territory, hitherto occupied by Tola and Botman—Gaikas.
“September 9th.—We learn that General Maitland has reached the mouth of the Fish River; but he finds it necessary to contract the line of forces, so to speak. Much impatience is manifested by people ‘sitting still’ themselves, at the delay in military operations. It is said, ‘With such a force the Kaffirs ought long since to have been crushed.’ To use a lady’s simile, a skein of thread is a simple thing to unwind when fresh from the weaver’s hands; but, when once entangled, it requires time and patience to unravel it.
“Although the enemy are yet considered to be well supplied with powder, their bullets are often found to be of zinc, taken from the roofs they have destroyed. These are so light that they generally fly over the heads they are intended to strike. The chiefs desire peace, but on their own terms. Macomo has presented himself at Fort Cox to Lieutenant-Colonel Campbell, 91st Regiment. Sandilla is ‘in the bush.’ This wild child of nature dreads our making a prisoner of him. None but Stock have as yet consented to give up their arms. Nonnebe (General Campbell’s great-grand-daughter!) protests that she wishes for peace, but that Seyolo ‘has his hand on her shoulder, and keeps her down.’ Sonto, Stock’s half-brother, calls Stock, ‘a woman;’ and says he, Sonto, is not weary of the war; he has plenty of men, horses, and plunder, and will not give in. The ‘moon is dead,’ and where is the promised cattle from Stock? Colonel Somerset, with his division, consisting of the Cape Corps, some Artillery, part of the 7th Dragoon Guards, and a detachment of the 45th, has gone over to the Keiskama. The troops are to be pitied in these rains; they must encounter difficulties and privations under the floods that are deluging the land.
“Before Stock left Peddie, he sent the double-barrelled gun, which Colonel Somerset restored to him at the Gwanga, as a present to Sir Peregrine Maitland.
“A plan has been submitted to the Governor for the formation of settlements and locations for the coloured population under our Government. The intention is to take in a vast tract of land, and many men will be required to protect so large a territory.
“The inferior Kaffirs must have learned by this time that their chiefs have promised more than they could perform; they find that, although they can harass and evade, they cannot ‘drive the white man into the sea;’ that, although they may occasionally stop our convoys, other roads are readily thrown open. They steal our cattle, nay, the poor oxen die in our service, on the depastured line of march, and lo! ships, ‘sea-waggons,’ present themselves on the coast of Kaffirland! It is deplorable that the 73rd should be driven out of Waterloo Bay. There is no safe harbour there for large vessels, but ships may slip their cables and run out to sea, in case of danger. The 73rd, having made their appearance at Waterloo Bay on the 3rd of September, and been driven back to Simon’s Bay, have landed at Port Elizabeth, and marched from thence on the 21st. While at anchor in Waterloo Bay, they observed the blackened state of the country on both sides of the Fish River mouth, and some of them stating at Simon’s Bay that the grass was burned at Fort Dacres, and opposite to it, a report was raised in Cape Town that Waterloo Bay was burned!