Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/110

 90 History of the Cape Co tony. [1878 under Colonel Lambert was not cooperating with that under Commandant Frost, having received its instructions from General Cunynghame, while the latter had received his from the honourable Mr. Merriman, a member of the ministry. It consisted of one hundred and twenty- two soldiers of the eighty-eighth regiment, fifty-eight men of Sansom's horse, four sailors and five artillerymen with two seven-pounders, and a large number of Fingos. On the 14th of January it left Komgha, and in the afternoon of the 16th completed its task, having captured in round numbers twelve thousand head of horned cattle and eight thousand sheep and goats, and having killed at least sixty of the rebels, with a loss to itself of only one Fingo killed and three wounded. While the valley was being scoured, its exit on the side of the Kei was guarded by a body of troops under Colonel Glynn, and at its western extremity Commandant Edward Yewd Brabant with the East London volunteers kept watch, so that escape was cut off in both directions. The next operation of any importance was an expedi- tion sent against Gongubela by the ministry, and was conducted by Mr. John Hemming, civil commissioner of Queenstown. It consisted of three hundred and seventy- three European and thirty-eight coloured volunteers, that marched from Queenstown on the 22nd of January. At the Bolotwa it was reinforced by fifty special constables and two hundred blacks, but on nearing its destination that number was found insufficient, for it was ascertained that some Hottentots and many of Anta's Gaikas, who had been regarded as loyal, were with Gongubela. On the 24th a sharp engagement took place on the bank of the Kei, when, after his ammunition was nearly all expended, Mr. Hemming was obliged to retire. His camp was then attacked by a body of Tembus under Umfanta, a brother of Gangelizwe, but who was at feud with that chief. The attack was made so suddenly and unexpectedly that fifty horses were captured and driven