The Sun.
London, England, 1846-10-22 00:00:00

TaE KAFIR WAR.

Intelr

la -ligence from the Cape of Good Hope to the
..til August inclusive, has been received. From the
scenes of hostilities in Kafirland, there is not much
11e/va of particular importance. The events are, how-
ler, distressing., though the general aspect of affairs
tat't greatly altered. A day or two more were ex-
clted to bring all the divisions upon the Buffalo
Where it was confidently believed that the main
Hof the Rafirs would be assailed and brought to
of Isis Excellency the Governor was on the Bth
,August at Pierie, ready to move either upon the
dkni t
Th:Leol, or upon the upper spruits of the Buffalo.
xt re had been a good deal of skirmishing with the
6rs, but no general engagement. The results do
t-et appear to have been very important. The ac•
b„.llats Mention 70 of the enemy as killed by Colonel
41/Ire's division, and 57 by Sir A. Stockenstrom's ;
to le the loss on our side is said not to amount
, more than ten or twelve killed, and a
few
.Wounded. Both Colonel Somerset and Captain
ba(rilgs..llt, aide-de-camp to the Lieutenant-Governor,
tothe"een struck with spent balls, but not injured. A
r sharp affair took place on Sunday, Aug. 9,
tlvii" some Stellenbosch Burghers and the Kafirs,
notorious liloof called Hell Poort. The hand-
nllteril L.
c't
brave men were hemmed in by the Kafirs in aPo r
W aootpath, from both sides of which the savages
Pour -e" upon them a deadly fire, and five fell mortally
n 0
beit(l)""ed• The interesting details will be found
Itio We., We learn by this arrival that Sir Cornwallis
k-. 81 of her Majesty's ship Helena, had recovered
con,
mil severe indisposition. Several of the crew
ere seriously ill in hos. e are also apprised
ef the
Fort Cox. death of Lieutenantpital Lewes,Wßegimen 27th Regim, at
w the South African Commercial Advertiser of
The late August 19.)
nth Au„ intelligence from headquarters is
_dated
'tad ugust• The forces, estimated at 3,oooinfantry
district horse, were moving in three columns on that
er of
Rbee the.
rugged
country at the sources of the Buffalo,
t7e main strength of the Gaika Kafirs is supposed
toinCnaeentrated. A few days more will settle this
afireln the meantime, it is reported that a body of
the b are attempting to interpose themselves. between
eoti,,.°°Ps and the colony, with the view of intercepting
the 113' end acting by small parties on various parts. of
tueeNatier. In this last they have been, unhappily,
loss •u for though their parties generally suffer great
atitei,nl killed and wounded, they have carried. off great
side 7,4 21f cattle and sheep, and the loss of life on the
014 tile colonists has been unusually severe—five
ale brave
men of the Stellenbosch levy having fallen
;le skirmish.
kiti sntithe above date the General was encamped on the
littr Mountains. On the sth, Colonel Somerset left
reev4uarters to co-operate with Colonel Hare, in a
leek ent on the Kafirs in the Amatola. Very little
tperse.tO have been done by the troops. Colonel So-
slight!' was struck by a spent ball in the leg,. but onityo
114 A hY hurt. Captain Wright, of the 91st, is said
fight hug
beset by Kafirs, and also to have received a
l'eil7'ur• Colonel Somerset was expected at Fort.
tillitecilu !lithe troop horses were to be sent there, being
tele •lint for service. The General, it is stated, was
nito winter quarters in Kreili's country.
M. (From the Frontier Times of Aug. 11.) _
rsou, 11
,PA Y. ste rd ay, during the morning service,, the
that Itul tidings were received from Niemand 's kraal
;equine ',31. the Stellenbosch Burghers had fallen on
.that
~..0044.;- an encounter with the enemy in the neigh-
hThe 44 of the favourite Kafir haunt, " Hell Poort. '
is i 3 of this tragical event are given below.
olio the heaviest casualty that has been sustained at
keecend'e en our side in the colony since the war
et:luta:
teti4 Immediately upon the receipt of this inf
the
„'aler O'Reilly dispatched a detachment of
Ad
subs it under Ensigns Harvey and Salis to the spot,
'4Afrte„equently Captain Samson, of the Liberated
tattasit..in,waeit_ohrps, and Lieutenant Skead, of the Malay
a party of their people, volunteered to go out
Qu .Ler any assistance in their power. ,
'fr'"Sta'tviTlclar mornipk- last. 9th August, Lieut. Briers,
eorniKurhi f6,,t -Niemand's kraal during the,
i„„afeet72),' Ctptaiii4Veithling, to the Zuurberg, sent out. .
MI PR‘rolnf tviSgy,;e6loured persons, who, it appears,
,t,".; Pith the spoOr-bf-§ome Kafirs which they followed
..fi),bear",4h" be Bruin's poOte-, and came up with five Kafirs
hors e• River, driving fifteen head of cattle and one
t'teat e• The shot One Kafir, wounded another, and re-
kkrthe cattle and horse. They also took the un of the
than ,t,bat vvas killed, who had a large powder-horn more
v31,4-filled with powder, and sixteen bullets.
WLIY after the patrol had left, Lieutenant Briers_ree_
tioti cut with a mounted patrol of 15 men in the d
with the
Reif Poort, where they shortly fell in
1 w d into
cry of the Kafirs and cattle. This theyf?l ("vein the
aentreibuashi kloof, with a rugged stoney ridge
, open,
,Pon which they kept, the. ground being more
4t wuen• they saw some cattle in the ravines below.
'hem same moment nearly, a volley was fired upon
f
.IVaj„,,'ren the bush, and one man, Mr. D. Rossouw,
hal",,aulaker's Valley, slut through the stomach, the
11041c.'aVog through his pouch, and penetrating the
how fft-ue fell from his horse, and his comrades, who
(Ire* C,1,41, themselves surrounded by at least 200 Kafirs,
dyin;Jaeket over his head, and left him either dead
the littlr The Kafirs had by this time quite surrounded
'Attic out I),,rty, who had to fight every inch of their weary
of ttoi of the bush, in doing which they lost four_ late
ofe
‘.l.Einvehr, nUtnber, viz.--Mr. F. de Villiers, la_
rg ; his brother, Mr. Hermanus P. de Villiers,
Vttifi resit.ing with mr. Esterhuizen. w. agonmaker's
tb,„7 ; Mr. J. S. Basson, of. Koeberg , and Mr. P.
afte.matter, of Zwartland.Mr. P. F. de Villiers
r shot through the palm of his left hand,
which, it is.. said, he killed three of the
enemy, and whilst he was getting. upon his horse
be was shot through the back ; his brother Her-
tianus declared he would not stir from the side of his
brother, they having promised each other, he said, to
die together, and he would not leave him—force, it is
acid, was attempted, but of no avail, he remained behind;
J. S. Basson was shot through the back of the neck as
be was getting on his horse, and Hausharner's ea
shot under him. He unfortunately concealed himself in
,doteVirtbush, which was the last time he was observed by the
y. Many daring deeds are reported to have been
by this brava little band of burghers, and we have
Aeard Mr. Bredenkamp, the adjutant, spoken of, amongst
er
81 as having shown great determination and pre-
• onuof of mind. He saw two Kafirs mounted on the
1:1s of the Messrs. Villiers, and watching his oppor-
y, he fired when they were abreast of each other,
?repped them both ; it is also said that whilst he
I(4;seTi g
ainding his gun, after having shot a Kafir, he heard
below him, and on looking down perceived a
oarr.nen the low ground a few feet under him, in the act
which g ; Bredenkamp immediately reversed his gun,
his nearly touched the Kafir's head, and blew out
tv,rnies. Another man named Reid, late a private
v5.48",117th Regiment, who is trumpeter to this force,
• Avhi„,!tOse to a Kafir, he snapped his gun at him,
as,e'l Missed fire, and he instantly closed with the
Run striking him with the butt• end of his
th,sl, which broke the stock ; Lieutenant Briers at the
4;"Z instant shot the Kafir with " loopers" in the
loirtia' Man Y tafirs must have been killed. The fol-
lem, kersons had narrow escapes—Messrs. H. L. Bos-
traz.44ll A• P. Cilliers had balls through their hats, just
Rot tog their heads. The remaining ten men eventually
the int ef the bush, literally fighting their way through
afirs, leaving their dead behind. They went to the
•1;1713,fer a reinforcement, and soon returned with 65
thee:ell and 27 Fingoes, with whom they proceeded to
146 spot of the former conflict, where they found the
ri still - - -

asades were strongly posted, but the bodies of their com-
Nirhieil removed. Afi confligain d, in
kyiti deadKafirs were shot erce ;
10, it ct
isa said, we ensue
re seen
)14),.,

-44sca r in one place, and 69 head of catetrlee
laondhealdo
het% e-eaptured. Amongst those cattle w
h Fieg to Messrs. Fichat and Lowen, which must
from
1,,117.7 taken the previous evening by the very
te 'l3a the
Ncltur
Roux. The same
waggons belonging to those gentlemen were
tbsreei„ ed by Messrs. Meurant and teld ib_leaptain Neethling returned
Cfreonimmthe Zuurberg,
Commandant Onk-
tant'Llht-17 sent off an express to
The 1.,.' who had that morning just returneeddtioatßeliyebnepeeka.
ktee.'"(4,ht and worthy commandant, IN itt Of this dispatch (one o'clock Monday morning),
iitaii isWhere
he arrived at daylight. A
Klaafirrgse, rrpoth'' Went into the bush, but only saw five
suc-
tieL, Whom they fired. They, howtevnear,e
men
'whq ih finding all the bodies of the unfovre t
übeen taken
viv ad fallen. Haushamer appears to
his
41 line); alid h d
a 22 assegaais stabs in back ;
received
-;43iVilliers' leg was broken, and he had
Her-
kativehrt,' 8-Baegaai wounds ; the bodies were undressed,a
rir,,,,—"e man had a finger cut off, apparently to getl 1 his
--h, anoth
Allot _ er man, we think
..
itt.u„_,e tvuttinideclrrheaisdfaidrualy. burnt, a fire having evidently been
sulite.....t ..
a..lnformed that on Sunday evening, just before
its ip; , waggon belonging to Mr. Richard Simpson, on
with f.'l,'7'h Fish River (Abraham Espag'3) to
lager wu—atll4..re, which h. d been hid away before hat
riot, was attacked by Kafirs about three-
nuoartters of a mile
eh this side De Bruin's poort. It i 3
tivse likelY these were the Kafirs who had just been
lioenii•j-ir°lll.lltlt,esf dell Pere
and were on their way through the time. The driver was. knocked
ono at the first yolley, and Mr. R. Simpson and
jltveher person escaped into the bush, seeing the
r, as they imagpined, killed. The leader had
%inte asshattered by a ball just above the elbow joi.nt,
wt, seized by the Kafir who had shot him,
‘',en the driver, recovering himself, ran to his assist-
4'.ti and felled the Kafir with the butt end of his mus 7
One of the party then seized the leader and dragged
ii 111 %ay into the bush. These three were closely fill-
-owed ~
th,, L by liafirs, but managed to secrete themselves in
d
,k," "usn, where they remained all night, being oblige
Alicia the throat of their dog to prevent his barking, as
'they could hear the Rafirs all round them during the
teeter part of the night Just before dawn they crept
tZe,.l.°ll towards Niemand 's Kraal, and on emerging from
:14bash into the waggon road, they saw the Kafirs on
,11. id Amon the 100k-out for them. On reaching °
'4t's p they were joined by Mr. Richard Simpson,
• inni his,,,,ettied companion, who had also been all night con-
.the in the bush. The Kafirs were seen to drive off.
'to waggon, 'which they had turned round, back again
I,..Wards De
samehe wounded man arrived in town
1.;41t Ilight in the waggon with the bodies of the
'"'tellenbosch Burghers. Simpson was also wounded
:,...,,_ Lit the hand and leg with buck-shot. The party attacked
1-I,3lkated only of f9vE 4uropeanl, Richard Simpson,

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