Year: 1879

The war in South Africa against the
miserable, half-starved, unclad KafIirs
and Busbmen 10y the British, appears
to be carried on with great barbarity,
as instanced in the following letter to
the Cape Town Argi1s, by a young vol
unteer, with more tender care for hu-
rnanity than bis fellows:


Cup to the present we have had it
pretty hard, and since ] last wrote, we
have been out on patrol. We started
from here (Keegas) on the morning Of
the 29th Of October, and saddled off at
place three and half hours distant.
We fell in with the enemy on the morn
ing Of the 30th Our captain and his
men were stationed on the Kobie, and


-'s men underneath. Capt.--s
men then crossed the river to see if
they could trace the spoor They came
back with the news that the footprints
were going toward Langeberg, and con-
sisted Of Bushmen and Kaifirs with
horses, goats and one OK. We were
on the Kobje when we received word
that the enerny were in the bush,
about 900 yards away, ,iCapt.--'s
men then being underneath us in the
bush. We then had orders to cross
the river, and---'s men opened fire
on some Of the Bushmen in the north
ern part Of the bush, whom they found
sitting down enjoying the stolen OK
which they had slaughtered. They
were laughing and singing, seeming to
be very happy, when suddenly they re-
ceived bullets TO flavor the meat. They
then ran through the bush, expecting
to reach the mountains on the opposite
nide Of the river, but when they came
to the edge of the river they saw Yer
moulen's men opposite, 30 they we're
completely hemmed in, and thus per
ished forty-one Of them, and thirty
four We took prisoners Six Of our
men got leave to cross, as we were anx-
ious To be in it, and we then went
myself being one Of the Dnmber--to
the other side of the river, the bullets
from our own men wliizzing about our
heads by hundreds When we came to
the bush, We saw what | do not wish
TO see again. Women with children
lying there shot through and through,
no mercy having been shown to then.
! came to one place, and Bushmen
gets up. raised my gun, but the
man said in Dutch please master.
don't shoot me" / then saw that
he had already been wounded, and
would have been left TO die; but, as
was speaking to him, gun was put
quite close to my ear and fired. The
fellow gave one spring and then fell
dead at my feet. On turning round l
discovered one of--s men, who
said 'The--must not live /
was glad to have it out Of my hands,
as | did not wish TO kill him after be-
ing wounded. They then drew lots as
70 who had to shoot the prisoners; /
mean those who could not walk we had
orders to shoot, and am glad to say
that was fortunate enough to be out
Of it. One girl was wounded in the
upper part of the leg and could not
walk. As soon as she saw the man
with me, there being only two of us at
that time present, she recognized him
as having oace been her master, whom
she had served for three years. He
wished to help her and bring her to
the camp, but some of our fellows went
through the bush TO see what they
could do as TO killing any of the
wounded that the captain had over
looked. They shot this girl while she
was binding up her leg with handker-
chief that her former nasi er had given
her, and which he had taken of his
hat, all of us having red handkerchiefs
around our hats. No one escaped"