The effects of the hardships, privations, and constant exposure to the extremes of heat and cold, began to tell among our ranks; many of the men went into hospital with diarrhœa, dysentery, and pulmonary complaints; and among others Major Fordyce was obliged to return home on sick leave, his health completely broken up.
During this period constant skirmishes were taking place with the enemy throughout the frontier districts, and almost daily depredations and murders were perpetrated by them on the colonists; the disaffection among the Hottentots increasing rather than otherwise, and the rest of the farmers leaving the frontier with what little remained to them of their herds and property. This state of things, coupled with the report of a wounded rebel prisoner, who stated that the Kaffirs were preparing to attack Graham's Town as soon as they had got together 5,000 men, which force was nearly completed, induced the inhabitants of that place to organize themselves in armed bodies for their own protection; places of rendezvous in different parts of the town being selected from their convenience and capability of defence. The churches and chapels were appointed as refuges for the women and children in case of attack, and the signals were to be the firing of a gun and the ringing of the bells. For the further security of the district, Lieut.-Col. Eyre was stationed in the neighbourhood with a strong force.
To return to our own position in the camp at Reit Fontein, we were during this time resting inactive for want of reinforcements to enable us to attack the enemy in his strongholds. Our routine of camp life, relieved only by sketching and shooting round the immediate neighbourhood, was almost unbroken by any incident, though once or twice we had a little variety in the shape of expected night attacks, ending however in smoke, the guards "turning out" as well as orderly officers at the sound of firing about midnight, which proved on each occasion to have been at the expense of a stray horse or two, doubtless impressing the Kaffirs with a great idea of our vigilance. Some of the mistakes that occasionally occurred were rather amusing, at least to those not personally concerned. A horse of Patton's having broke loose one night, and wandered outside the camp to enjoy a little fresh grass to himself, incautiously advanced straight toward a sentry, by whom he was twice challenged, and not answering was shot through the chest; when the Corporal-of-the-guard visited his post the sentry reported it, and pointed out the direction of the disabled Kaffir, with a quiet remark that "he'd been graning awfu." On another occasion an old soldier, rather deaf, was posted, on a pitch dark and windy night, at an angle of the camp, on the other face of which was an artilleryman. The two had quietly paced their respective beats for some time, wrapped up as usual in their blankets, when old Tait, for some unaccountable reason or other, took it into his head to challenge his fellow sentry, and not hearing any answer concluded at once that he must be a Kaffir, brought him down by a shot in the arm, and running in, held his bayonet steadily at the poor fellow's throat, declaring "he'd rin him through if he offered to budge." Spite of the man's representations, which were all lost on Tait's deaf ear, he kept him down till the Corporal came round, to the 'relief' of both.
A reinforcement of 120 Fingoe Levies arrived from Algoa Bay, and the remainder of the 12th regiment was said to be en route for Beaufort to join our division, which was to move on that place. The rumour was confirmed sooner than we had anticipated, for on the following day "the route" arrived, and was hailed with delight by all, after having been more than two months in this place.
The tents were struck; the dry withered kraals that had encircled our fires were piled over them and set in a blaze as farewell bonfires, and we marched for Fort Beaufort, the cavalry and artillery making a detour by the Klu-Klu to reconnoitre the Kroome. After a hot and dusty march, as we were entering Beaufort our band, which had been stationed here since we last passed through, came out to meet us; its strains sounded strangely full and rich to our ears after the constant skirling of the Pipes, and the effect on the men was most inspiriting as it played us through the long street and square to the plain on the other side of the town, where we encamped with the 12th regiment on the banks of the Kat River.
The Cape Mounted Rifles had their head-quarters here; and after making the best toilet our weather-stained uniform would admit of, we rode over to their mess-house, and once more sat down to the refinement of a civilized table and decent cookery. After our rough camp life, the change from tin cans and clasp knives, on the bare ground, to such luxuries as table cloth, chairs, plate, and glass, was quite perplexing; savoury dishes in place of leathery beef, and sparkling champagne instead of draughts of muddy stagnant water; the merry party, and warm and cordial greetings of old friends whom we somehow felt surprised to find alive, were enjoyed with a zest and heartiness which compensated for many a hard day in the field.
All things, however, have their drawbacks, and we found that the plain was peculiarly fitted for "light drill," of which we had a full benefit during our short rest. Two days after our arrival, a horrible murder was committed on the Provost-Sergeant, by a man of the European Levy. He had followed his victim out of the camp at night, and murdered him in cold blood a few hundred yards off, then quietly re-entering the lines at another point, joined his comrades at their fire. At the court-martial, held two days afterwards, the wretch was condemned to death, but his sentence was afterwards commuted to transportation for life.
Though our patrols were out each day as usual, they now seldom fell in with any of the enemy, whose withdrawal from their former outposts, and reported gathering in the Waterkloof, led us to suspect some intended movement in that quarter. Some Kaffir women captured by the Fingo Levies one morning, on being examined by the General's interpreter, admitted their loss on the day of the Kroome action, September 8th, to have been upwards of 150 killed, besides many wounded.
The weather how became daily warmer; we paraded every morning at six o'clock; and after a couple of hours' light-drill on the plain were right glad to remove the sand and perspiration by a bathe in the shady river. On Sundays divine service was performed at nine o'clock in camp, the men drawn up in hollow square facing inwards, the "Meenister" in the centre, with the big drum as a pulpit. Even at that early hour the heat was often so great that several men fainted during the service. The surface of the plain danced in a wavy indistinct outline, and the distorted bushes quivered in the hot air; yet the Fingoes, bare-headed and without covering, basked in the broiling sun, smoking their large wooden pipes in evident enjoyment.