This day at 12 o’clock we liberated Kreili, Vadana, his uncle, Sotoo, a councillor, and Nomsa, a councillor, and Piet Chingele, a half-Hottentot villain—Kreili having agreed to fulfil his father’s treaty of peace.
We march to-morrow, leaving Warden with eighty Kat River Legion, one officer and twenty men, Cape Mounted Rifles, eighty of the 72nd Regiment, and one howitzer.
This is the advanced post of my command, and forty-eight miles from my Head Quarters, the Buffalo or William’s Town.
20th May.
Marched from the Kei, and arrived and bivouacked on the Gonoube Hill, above the river of that name, at three o’clock, and immediately chalked out a redoubt to contain fifty men; Lester, 72nd Regiment, to command.
21st May.
All the troops at work at daylight finishing the redoubt, which is named Fort Wellington.
May 23rd, Buffalo River, and our winter quarters, which
is to be called King William’s Town.
The house, as I think I have before stated, has been burnt, but the walls and the chimneys are standing. We will soon, therefore, put a roof on to it, and it will be a snug little box enough. There is a capital garden full of fruit trees, young and flourishing peaches, apricots, plums, apples, pears, some vines; very rich land, and ground enough to grow quantities of Indian and Kafir corn.
The site for the town is beautiful. The main road will run through it, and the river also. It will be perfectly magnificent.