CHAPTER 1. THE BOER NATIONS.

andthentorideawayagainbeforethespearmencouldreachthem.WhenthesavagespursuedtheBoersfled.WhenthepursuithaltedtheBoershaltedandtheriflefirebegananew.Thestrategywassimplebutmosteffective.Whenoneremembershowoftensincethenourownhorsemenhavebeenpittedagainstsavagesinallpartsoftheworld,onedeploresthatignoranceofallmilitarytraditionssaveourownwhichischaracteristicofourservice. Thisvictoryofthe'voortrekkers'clearedallthecountrybetweentheOrangeRiverandtheLimpopo,thesitesofwhathasbeenknownastheTransvaalandtheOrangeFreeState.InthemeantimeanotherbodyoftheemigrantshaddescendedintowhatisnowknownasNatal,andhaddefeatedDingaan,thegreatChiefoftheZulus.Beingunable,owingtothepresenceoftheirfamilies,toemploythecavalrytacticswhichhadbeensoeffectiveagainsttheMatabeli,theyagainusedtheiringenuitytomeetthisnewsituation,andreceivedtheZuluwarriorsinasquareoflaageredwagons,themenfiringwhilethewomenloaded.SixburgherswerekilledandthreethousandZulus.HadsuchaformationbeenusedfortyyearsafterwardsagainsttheseveryZulus,weshouldnothavehadtomournthedisasterofIsandhlwana. Andnowattheendoftheirgreatjourney,afterovercomingthedifficultiesofdistance,ofnature,andofsavageenemies,theBoerssawattheendoftheirtravelstheverythingwhichtheydesiredleast—thatwhichtheyhadcomesofartoavoid—theflagofGreatBritain.TheBoershadoccupiedNatalfromwithin,butEnglandhadpreviouslydonethesamebysea,andasmallcolonyofEnglishmenhadsettledatPortNatal,nowknownasDurban.ThehomeGovernment,however,hadactedinavacillatingway,anditwasonlytheconquestofNatalbytheBoerswhichcausedthemtoclaimitasaBritishcolony.AtthesametimetheyassertedtheunwelcomedoctrinethataBritishsubjectcouldnotatwillthrowoffhisallegiance,andthat,gowheretheymight,thewanderingfarmerswerestillonlythepioneersofBritishcolonies.Toemphasisethefactthreecompaniesofsoldiersweresentin1842towhatisnowDurban—theusualCorporal'sguardwithwhichGreatBritainstartsanewempire.ThishandfulofmenwaswaylaidbytheBoersandcutup,astheirsuccessorshavebeensooftensince.Thesurvivors,however,fortifiedthemselves,andheldadefensiveposition—asalsotheirsuccessorshavedonesomanytimessince—untilreinforcementsarrivedandthefarmersdispersed.Itissingularhowinhistorythesamefactorswillalwaysgivethesameresult.Hereinthisfirstskirmishisanepitomeofallourmilitaryrelationswiththesepeople.Theblunderingheadstrongattack,thedefeat,thepowerlessnessofthefarmeragainsttheweakestfortifications—itisthesametaleoverandoveragainindifferentscalesofimportance.NatalfromthistimeonwardbecameaBritishcolony,andthemajorityoftheBoerstrekkednorthandeastwithbitterheartstotelltheirwrongstotheirbrethrenoftheOrangeFreeStateandoftheTransvaal. Hadtheyanywrongstotell?Itisdifficulttoreachthatheightofphilosophicdetachmentwhichenablesthehistoriantodealabsolutelyimpartiallywherehisowncountryisapartytothequarrel.Butatleastwemayallowthatthereisacaseforouradversary.OurannexationofNatalhadbeenbynomeansdefinite,anditwastheyandnotwewhofirstbrokethatbloodthirstyZulupowerwhichthrewitsshadowacrossthecountry.Itwashardaftersuchtrialsandsuchexploitstoturntheirbackuponthefertilelandwhichtheyhadconquered,andtoreturntothebarepasturesoftheuplandveld.TheycarriedoutofNatalaheavysenseofinjury,whichhashelpedtopoisonourrelationswiththemeversince.Itwas,inaway,amomentousepisode,thislittleskirmishofsoldiersandemigrants,foritwastheheadingoffoftheBoerfromtheseaandtheconfinementofhisambitiontotheland.Haditgonetheotherway,anewandpossiblyformidableflagwouldhavebeenaddedtothemaritimenations. TheemigrantswhohadsettledinthehugetractofcountrybetweentheOrangeRiverinthesouthandtheLimpopointhenorthhadbeenrecruitedbynewcomersfromtheCapeColonyuntiltheynumberedsomefifteenthousandsouls.ThispopulationwasscatteredoveraspaceaslargeasGermany,andlargerthanPennsylvania,NewYork,andNewEngland.Theirformofgovernmentwasindividualisticanddemocratictothelastdegreecompatiblewithanysortofcohesion.TheirwarswiththeKaffirsandtheirfearanddislikeoftheBritishGovernmentappeartohavebeentheonlytieswhichheldthemtogether.Theydividedandsubdividedwithintheirownborders,likeagerminatingegg.TheTransvaalwasfulloflustylittlehigh-mettledcommunities,whoquarreledamongthemselvesasfiercelyastheyhaddonewiththeauthoritiesattheCape.Lydenburg,Zoutpansberg,andPotchefstroomwereonthepointofturningtheirriflesagainsteachother.Inthesouth,betweentheOrangeRiverandtheVaal,therewasnoformofgovernmentatall,butawelterofDutchfarmers,Basutos,Hottentots,andhalfbreedslivinginachronicstateofturbulence,recognisingneithertheBritishauthoritytothesouthofthemnortheTransvaalrepublicstothenorth.Thechaosbecameatlastunendurable,andin1848agarrisonwasplacedinBloemfonteinandthedistrictincorporatedintheBritishEmpire.TheemigrantsmadeafutileresistanceatBoomplaats,andafterasingledefeatallowedthemselvestobedrawnintothesettledorderofcivilisedrule. AtthisperiodtheTransvaal,wheremostoftheBoershadsettled,desiredaformalacknowledgmentoftheirindependence,whichtheBritishauthoritiesdeterminedonceandforalltogivethem.Thegreatbarrencountry,whichproducedlittlesavemarksmen,hadnoattractionsforaColonialOfficewhichwasbentuponthelimitationofitsliabilities.AConventionwasconcludedbetweenthetwoparties,knownastheSandRiverConvention,whichisoneofthefixedpointsinSouthAfricanhistory.ByittheBritishGovernmentguaranteedtotheBoerfarmerstherighttomanagetheirownaffairs,andtogovernthemselvesbytheirownlawswithoutanyinterferenceuponthepartoftheBritish.Itstipulatedthatthereshouldbenoslavery,andwiththatsinglereservationwasheditshandsfinally,asitimagined,ofthewholequestion.SotheSouthAfricanRepubliccameformallyintoexistence. IntheveryyearaftertheSandRiverConventionasecondrepublic,theOrangeFreeState,wascreatedbythedeliberatewithdrawalofGreatBritainfromtheterritorywhichshehadforeightyearsoccupied.TheEasternQuestionwasalreadybecomingacute,andthecloudofagreatwarwasdriftingup,visibletoallmen.Britishstatesmenfeltthattheircommitmentswereveryheavyineverypartoftheworld,andtheSouthAfricanannexationshadalwaysbeenadoubtfulvalueandanundoubtedtrouble.Againstthewillofalargepartoftheinhabitants,whetheramajorityornotitisimpossibletosay,wewithdrewourtroopsasamicablyastheRomanswithdrewfromBritain,andthenewrepublicwasleftwithabsoluteandunfetteredindependence.Onapetitionbeingpresentedagainstthewithdrawal,theHomeGovernmentactuallyvotedforty-eightthousandpoundstocompensatethosewhohadsufferedfromthechange.WhateverhistoricalgrievancetheTransvaalmayhaveagainstGreatBritain,wecanatleast,saveperhapsinonematter,claimtohaveaveryclearconscienceconcerningourdealingswiththeOrangeFreeState.Thusin1852andin1854werebornthosesturdyStateswhowereableforatimetoholdatbaytheunitedforcesoftheempire. InthemeantimeCapeColony,inspiteofthesesecessions,hadprosperedexceedingly,andherpopulation—English,German,andDutch—hadgrownby1870toovertwohundredthousandsouls,theDutchstillslightlypredominating.AccordingtotheLiberalcolonialpolicyofGreatBritain,thetimehadcometocutthecordandlettheyoungnationconductitsownaffairs.In1872completeself-governmentwasgiventoit,theGovernor,astherepresentativeoftheQueen,retaininganominalunexercisedvetouponlegislation.AccordingtothissystemtheDutchmajorityofthecolonycould,anddid,puttheir