The Sun.
London, England, 1848-01-29 00:00:00

THE KAFIR WAR.

The following is An extract from a letter by an
(,fficer of the Royal Artillery engaged in the Kafir
war :

" Fort Hare, Eastern Frontier, Nov. 18, 1847.
" I received your letter of the filst of July, which
afforded me the greatest pleasure, as it reminds me
that there is civilization somewhere, which perhaps I
might otherwise forget, seeing nothing here but things
the most savage.
" Immediately Sandilli gave himself up proceedings
were taken to reduce Pato, the other rebellious Kafir
chief, whose dominions are across the Kei River. A
patrol was ordered, consisting of the Cape Mounted
Rifles, two companies of the 91st, and a demi-
battery of artillery. Hill and myself were again
on the move with the demi-battery, and left this
on the Ist of November to join Colonet Somerset's
camp on the Deke flats, about twenty-five miles
from here. We left there on the 3d of November,
it was raining vs usual. I was riding one horse;
and had another with my patrol tent, some grub,
brandy, &c. On the morning of the sth of November
we came to the banks of the far-famed Kei. No
enemy had yet made his appearance, but we now saw
on the rocks on the other side about 2,000 Kafirs and
the hills covered with cattle. The Kei, from the
heavy rains, had become a torrent, as is always the
case here ; so fast do the rivers rise that I have
walked dry-footed over one in the morning, and at
night, without there being any rain where I was, but
from the rain in the mountains, it has become impass-
able even for horses.

" Here we were, then, with the enemy in front,
taking long shots at us ; lots of cattle to tempt a cross-
ing, but the river impassable. After finding a place
we could ford, Colonel Somerset ordered the Cape
Mounted Rifles to cross ; Hill to unlimber, and fire
from the bank ; I, with the drivers of the guns to disen-
gage their horses, to cross with the Rifles, and act as
Light Dragoons. I can tell you there are more pleasant
things than crossing a river running at a good pace on
horseback. All the time your horse is not out of his
depth he is stumbling about over great stones or sinking
in the mud, and, when swimming, the motion, to-
gether with the water about your legs and underneath
You, produces a giddiness very similar to sea-sickness.
The whole of my party got across safe ; one man had
his sword- belt cut in two by a ball. The Rifles were
not so successful ; one man was knocked off his horse,
another, his horse becoming unmanageable, was car-
ried down the stream, and getting ashore some 200
yards below us, had his throat cut very dexterously
by the Kafirs, who immediately appropriated his
horse, &c. The Kafirs retired into the bush as we
advanced.

" I now saw my man, who was mounted on a troop
horse, and leading my pack horse, struggling in the
stream, not being able to manage the two. The Kafirs
commenced.popping at him ; to save himself, there-
fore, he had to let go my horse, and I had the plea-
sure of seeing him, my tent, and all the little comforts
for the patrol, carried down the river ; the only part
the Katirs would care about were the brandy and
g rub.

" The liafirs commenced very pluckily' at first,
calling out they ►ere all ready, and for us to come
on, but we soon sent them running, killing 14 of them.
Two men of the Cape Mounted Rifles were killed,
and one of my men had an assagai through his arm.
We then made good use of our time, and captured
about 2,000 head of cattle. We encamped, at least
those who had tents, on the banks of the river.

"Next morning three of Pato's councillors came in
to talk of peace. It is a very fine thing to hear
these fellows talk ; they will go on for hours, never
being in want of a word. They commence in a very
low tone, and gradually getting excited talk louder
and louder, suiting their actions to their words. In this
interview Numba, one of their chiefs, got into a fix
by a question Colonel Somerset put to him, and was
hesitating what to say, when Kona, one of the minor
chiefs, got up and spoke to give Namba time to consider.
Colonel. Somerset said, Who is that speaking ?'
Upon being told, he said, Tell Kona I consider him.
a minor chief, and to hold his tongue.' The answer
of Kona was—' Tell the great captain it is not Kona
that is speaking, but the heart of Pato.' These fel-
lows are a complete set of lawyers, and one young
chief I think was the handsomest man I ever saw.
When you get acccustomed to it I think the dress
becomes them, the blanket hanging round the
shoulders, their necklaces of tigers' and lions' teeth,
and ivory rings round their arms.
" Suspecting that Flarta, one of the chiefs who
came in, had my horse, &c., I got the interpreter to
tell him that tie great captain would listen to him
more favourably if he gave up my horse and pack-
saddle. lie looked at me in a very condescending
manner, and said, What does the man want ? Tell
him I came here to talk of peace and war, and not of
old saddles and horses.' We came to no terms
however.

" We encamped on the banks of the Kei, and lived
the usual rough life for a week, at the end of which
time not a Kafir nor head of cattle was to be seen;
and now comes the most disagreeable part of my
story.
" Not having seen anything of the Kafirs for a
week, we had suspected they had retired up the
country, and taken all the cattle, &c. But not a bit
of it, they were close to us all the time. On the
night of the 14th a sentry placed over the horses at
grass was murdered, and seven horses stolen,
my only remaining one amongst the number,
all of them being officers' horses. We were on

the spoor, or track, of them the next day, but after
five hours' tracking we lost it in the high grass. '
Coming back hot as furnaces and smothered with
sand, the 73d fellows proposed a bathe in the Kei, and
this is the most marvellous escape I ever had.
The fellows had been laughing about people
not being able to swim, so I made an ex-
cuse fur not going with them to the Kei, it
being out of my depth. Those who went were
Captain Baker, Lieut. Faunt, Ensign Burnop, and
Dr. Campbell, of the 73d, and Dr. Loch, of the 7th
Dragoon Guards. I went to bathe in a little stream
close to our camp, and when I came back to tile camp,
after talking to the officers a short time, we thought
it time the other officers should have returned. We
went down to see whether any accident had happened,
and as a precaution took a guard of the Cape Corps.
On proceeding to the banks of the Kei, we found
the whole of them with their throats cut and
mutilated in the most dreadful manner. You may
imagine our horror at finding five men who had
been living with us day and night, and whom I had
not left two hours, thus suddenly pounced upon by
these infernal rascals and brutally killed. The Kei
was not three-quarters of a mile from our camp, but
some bush permitted the approach of the Kafirs with-
out being seen. If I had been a swimmer I should
certainly have been one of the number, although I
should not at the time hare cared much about it,
being so disgusted at the loss of both my horses,,&c.;
but such is the fortune of war. Baker and I aunt
were two excellent fellows, and as good-natured and

obliging as any men I ever met.
" Several patrols have been sent into Pato's and
Creilli's country, of the dangers of which I have not
partaken, being hers du combat for want of horses. I
remember when in England hearing people talk about
the Kafirs being like a lot of sheep, and as easily
killed; I wish seine of those talkers were here, and
had to deal with them a few months. To-day it is
wretched here. When I arrived yesterday the wind
blowing as if out of a furnace, the sand in dense
masses, and the heat 105 deg. in the shade ; the sand
and the heat together are intolerable."

LINCOLN'S INN, JAN. 28,—The following gentle-
men were this day called to the degree of barristers-at-
law by the Honourable Society cif Lincoln's-inn, viz.:—
Robert thaftou Rosseter, Esq. ; Robert Malcolm Kerr,
; Cha;Ps Hansard Keene, Esq. ; Francis Nonue
; John Graham]. Esq. ; Henry
Robert Vaughan Johnson, Esq. ; Frederic Weyinoutn
Gibbs, Esq. ; Emihus Watson Taylor, Esq. ; and the
Honourable Win. Cecil Spring Rice.