Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1795 to 1872, Volume 1 (4th ed, 1915).djvu/60

36 The Xosas in the colony were to be treated differently. The landdrost was instructed to try to induce them to return to their own country, and he was to be careful that no encroachment was made by Europeans on territory beyond the Fish river, that the white men then living beyond that river should be required to come back to are molested in their possessions and expelled, which would be directly against the justice and humanity of his Majesty, wherefore the landdrost is to guard against such encroachments.

"The proper Bushmen inhabit a very extensive tract of land behind the Zeekoe river; they feed upon venison and the produce of their fields, digging out of the ground certain anthills full of ant eggs which they call rice and which serve them for a great part of their food, but they keep no cattle. Even the cattle which some of them steal from our inhabitants they do not keep for breeding, but consume immediately with the greatest profusion, according to the known custom of savages. Of these, some robbers have … come down into the Roggeveld and the Hantam. These are therefore in every possible manner to be compelled to return to their own country. … If these people would by gentle means be persuaded to do so it would be fortunate, and a great deal of human blood would thereby be saved, but finally some means will be unavoidable for self-preservation, especially if their considerable procreation is considered, which according to reports thereof is inconceivable, notwithstanding their wild and uneasy manner of life and the disasters to which they are continually subject.

"It is said that sixty years ago … some Bushman kraals were surrounded, the principal Bushmen thereof apprehended, transported to this town, and given to understand what would be the consequences of their not retreating immediately into their own country; that thereupon they were dismissed with some presents, and that the said manner of proceeding had very fortunately caused the greatest part of them to retreat. Should the like measures be once again adopted, they might produce a very good effect, and the landdrost, from a principle of humanity, should undertake something of this kind prior to his proceeding to order a general expedition of the inhabitants for the purpose of forcibly expelling the Bushmen. But should we be obliged to adopt such a deplorable expedient, then the landdrost is particularly required to take care that in such expeditions a more humane treatment be observed than that which I am informed sometimes on these occasions takes place."