Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-11-18
TRIBE OF THE BASUTOS
A Thorn in the Flesh of Both Briton and
Boer.
1t Would Make a Powerful EngIisI,
Ally and n Dreaded Boer
Enemy.

| in this Transvaal tragedy. He has been a
| troubling factor since the beginning of
South African civilization. He has warred
with the English. He has warred with the
| Beers. He has broken treaties He has
| upset calculations. He has smashed pol
icfes. He has changed maps. He assisted
at the formation of the Transvaal repub-
! lic He presided over the birth of the
| Orange Free State. He has been a thorn
| in the side of Boer and Englishman.
And new, civilized and prosperous far be-
yond any black people, he wants to NEEDLE
| again. This Basuto problem Is a serious
| one for both English and Beers The Ba-
| suto army is powerful. 1t numbers 30 900
| warriors and includes splendid cavalry.
| They would form a powerful British ally
and dreaded Boer enemy.
This Basuto tribe. now so anxiously
| watched by English eyes. is in many re-
| spects the most remarkable in South At
! RIGA. 1t occupies a rocky tract bounded by
| Natal, Cape Colony and the Orange Free
| State, known as the Switzerland of South
Africa 1t contains 10, 293 square miles and
| Is ribbed with mountain ranges and valleys
| of wonderful fertility.
| BaSutoland is practically a reservation
| and no white men allowed to live there
| except government officials. missionaries
| and limited number of traders. Its ma
| tive population is 230. 1000; its European
| population. 800. 1t is a British crown
! colony with home rule under modified ma
| tive laws
The Basutos are highly civilized for ma
tives. They are Of mixed stock and are
| like the kaffirs. with thinner lips and softer
features. They have welcomed mission
aries. and as people, profess a Calvin
| istic Protestant faith. They have the en-
| tire Bible translated. Their land is dotted
with churches and school houses. They a re
we'll educated. Thousands of them speak
Dutch and English fiuently. Alone of At
rican tribes they build comfortable brick
and stone houses. They have excellent
roads and keep them in repair.
| They are also an industrious people. They
| raise cattle and sheep extensively and af-
| feet improved breeds Their enormously
| fertile valleys yield rich crops of wheat and
| maize. They cultivate wool They have a
| steady market at Cape Colony, and in good
years import thither produce to the value
| Of a million dollars. Coal is mined in the
| mountains
| With these thrifty habits and their civin-
| cation. the Basutos maintain an army of
| high standard Its normal strength is 30
| 600. but they can put 10000 in the field
! without an effort. In spite of disa rmament
| half of these warriors would carry rifles.
| The rest have assegais and battle axes.
The feature of the Basuto army is its cav
| airy. From early times they have fought
on horseback They are daring and skiIlful
horsemen. In their wars with the Beers
| their mounted warriors did great execution.
| Their present chief is Lerothod. brave
man and skilful warrior. His home is a
mountain cave, whose walls are pictured
with hunting scenes and battles. No small
| skill Is shown in these drawings. in all of
| which the Basuto warriors are depicted as
| shapely men and their enemies hideous i'm
| possibilities. Their mountains are full of
great caves. utilized as armores, forts and
| hiding places. Their capital is Thaba Bo-
| sligo, an impregnable mountain stronghold,
| often assaulted but never taken. There is
| no securer retreat in all Africa than this
When the Bo9rs, rCsenting English rule
moved from Cape Colony into Natal and
| there made a stand against English inter
1
| quarrel PretOrians We're beaten and Natal
| seized by the British The Beers refused TO
| stay, and retreated to The Orange river
| country, where they again set up their re-
| publican government. This gave great Of
| Tense to England and it was determined 40
EJECT a barrier of native tribes between
| mem ana civilization with the purpose of
! forcing their return. Moshesh and his Ba-
| sutos We're the principal of these native
| states. Sovereign rights were granted him
! over large tract north of the Orange
river, and he was paid a subsidy. He was
| thus in control of the new land occupied by
| the Beers.
| But the plan failed. The Beers laughed
| at native soVereigns. They remained where
| they were and governed themselves
| Wars sprang up. The whole situation was
| impossible and when Sir Harry Smith ar
rived he determined to break the native
| states incidentally he annexed the Orange
river district, Beers and ALL to the British
domlntons And thus do We get a glimpse
of that early bounding of the Boer by the
Moshesh agreed and the farmers fought
and were beaten. Again rather than sub
NIT to British rule, many of them retreated
"trans-Vaal," across the Wall thus LAYING
the foundations of the Transvaal republic
of today.
Thus were the beginnings of both the
Boer republics The English did not follow
the trans-Vaal emigrants, but they held
sway in the Orange river territory until the
Basutos took hand. Moshesh had never
been satisfied with the REIMBURSEMENT of
| GOV rait
now resolved to get it back To this end he
made war-not with the British. but some
nelghboring tribes. The British took the
bait and sent force to compel order an
offense not only to Moshesh but to the
Boer farmers who still remained Moshesh
was very shrewd
The Beers sent for Commandment Pretori-
us, who had gone across the Vaal with
price on his head, and the Basutos made
common cause with them. The British were
beaten, and in 1852 the Beers with the
help of the Basutos. forced a treaty with
England acknowledging their independence
Ihis was the birth OF the Transvaal 1e-
public.
Beaten by the Beers the British pushed
the war against the BaSutoS. Sir John
Cathcart led an army against Moshesh
The Basuto chieftain retired to his strong
hold and left great herd of cattle on a
convenient plain as a bait The British
drove off four thousand head and found
themselves in ambush. They were
badly defeated at great loss
linen MoSneSn proved MS genius. He sent
note to the defeated British commander
In which he deferentfally begged peace.
You have captured our herds' he
said. You have chastised us. Let it be
enough. l entreat peace from you" The
British army marched triumphantly home
and the Basutos celebrated with much
feasting.
But the victory of the Basutos decided
the English about that troublesome Orange
river country. With willy Moshesh holding
the balance Of power they Were over
matched. The Beers saw their position
and pressed their independence. In 1854
England acknowledged their Independence
ana the Orange Free State Of today came
into existence. The Basutos did it,
Four years later the Beers and the Basu-
tos warred. The question was one of
boundary. The Basuto horsemen made
frightful ravages among the Roer farms
Battles We're fought, ambushes laid. But
in the end the Beers conquered, and the
Basutos lost much splendid farm land. But
this victory was won only with British aid
and in the end the Basutos found them
selves British subjects
And so they remain today, prosperous
civilized. self-governing in large measure,
and envtous of those fair acres that once
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