Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/138

 CHAPTEE VI. SUPPRESSION OF THE REBELLION OF THE RARABE CLANS. Immediately after the battle of Kentani Sandile with his followers recrossed the Kei and occupied the rugged country along the lower course of the Thomas river, which was well adapted for defensive purposes. There they might hope to hold out as long as their food and ammunition lasted, and that was enough to give them confidence, as they did not look far into the future. Their presence in the Thomas river valley was soon made known to the colonists. On the 23rd of February a detachment of one hundred and eighty Queenstown volunteers, sixty-five Hottentot levies, and a hundred Fingos, under Captain Harvey, that was out on patrol, was at breakfast on the bank of the river, when it was suddenly attacked by from eight hundred to a thousand Gaikas under Sandile's son Matanzima, who rushed upon it in a determined manner. Most of them were armed with assagais only, but some had guns, which they fired without doing any damage, as they almost invariably aimed too high or shut their eyes when they pulled the trigger. The volunteers and levies had their rifles beside them, and were not unprepared, as the insurgents believed they would be. They were therefore able to pour in a deadly fire, which checked the onrush of Matanzima's men, who fell back, but soon rallied and came on again. The ground was of such a nature that the Kaffirs were not fully exposed during the whole of the engagement, which lasted two hours before they fled, carrying their wounded with them. One hundred and twenty-eight dead bodies were counted on the field, equal to one-seventh or one-eighth of the number