Campaigning in Kaffirland; Or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-52King, William Ross
History
Campaigning in Kaffirland; Or, Scenes and Adventures in the Kaffir War of 1851-52
King, William Ross
South Africa -- History -- Frontier Wars, 1811-1878
In the afternoon we pitched our tents on a burning plain; and never
did I enjoy anything so much as a bathe that evening in the gloomy
crocodile-suggesting-stream, called Sunday River, whose sluggish water,
overhung by deep forest, scarcely moved the twigs that dipped into
it. After this refresher, we all dined together at the little lonely
inn; the rooms of which were covered, from the ceiling to the floor,
with the skins of lions and tigers; shot, as the host assured us,
"within sight of the house." During the night, my tent pole, which had
already shown rickety symptoms, gave way from the overstraining of the
canvass, tightened by the dew, and down came the wet tent on our faces,
nearly smothering C----n, my companion in misfortune. We cut an odd
figure in the moonlight, in our shirts and red woollen caps, creeping
from under the fallen tent, and in that airy costume clearing away
the wreck, turning in again between our blankets on the open plain;
where, at the risk of being walked over by orderly officers and stray
horses, we slept soundly until _réveillé_, when awaking, I found every
article of clothing thoroughly saturated with dew; in spite of which,
it was impossible to resist laughing at the autumnal appearance of my
comrade, whose nightcap, hair, and eyebrows were heavily loaded with
sparkling dewdrops.
After about an hour's marching, the sun rose, and we met a returning
party of traders going down to the Bay with several waggon-loads of
skins, escorted by about a score of naked Fingoes. In the forenoon we
arrived at Commando Kraal, where was an encampment of Fingoe Levies,
stationed at the entrance of the dangerous Addo-bush, in which, a short
time previously, one or two rencounters with the Kaffirs had taken
place. A small party of them joined us, armed with flint-locks and
assegais, and dressed in the most grotesque manner possible.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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