Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/115

 1878] The Ninth Kaffir War. 95 counted in only one to ten of themselves, but all in vain. Their guns were only muzzle loaders, and their firing was so wild that the balls passed over the heads of their opponents, only two of whom were killed and nine wounded during the whole battle, while their bravest and best men were picked off by the steady fire and accurate aim of the defenders. At half past ten Captain Robinson's reinforcement arrived, and its appearance on their flank tended to make the enemy lose heart. They gave up the contest, and retreated in confusion, but carried with them their wounded, who numbered many hundreds. About four hundred had been killed. Only two prisoners, both Gaikas, were taken, from whom the particulars of the arrangements made in the early morning were learned. After their defeat Sandile and his Gaikas recrossed the Kei, and occupied the rugged country along the lower course of the Thomas river. As far as Kreli was concerned, the battle of Kentani was a decisive one. He immediately retired across the Bashee into Bomvanaland, where he managed to secrete himself and those followers who would not leave him under any circumstances. The Bomvanas under Moni, though they would not fight ■ ^x him, were very willing to give him shelter, and noc one of them ever thought of betraying him to the Br'ish officials. Here and in Pondoland he wandered about until the 28th of June 1881, when, through the agency of Mr. William Fynn, he met Captain Blyth, chief magistrate of Transkei, on the western bank of the Bashee, and placed himself unreservedly in the hands of the colonial government. He was accompanied by two of his sons, two of his brothers, and about two hundred of his most devoted followers. The unfortunate old man — he was then sixty-five or sixty-six years of age — said he was no longer a chief, meaning that he was in very reduced circumstances, but which was taken to imply that he relinquished his chief-