Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/75

 i877j The Ninth Kaffir War. 55 make good the number deficient after those that were left were delivered to their owners. Kreli was then appealed to, who threw the whole blame of the occurrence upon Mapasa, and ordered the full restoration of the captured stock of the Fingos, but took no steps to enforce his order. Possibly he was unable to do so, for passion was running so high on both sides that no order, not given by him directly in person, was likely to be obeyed. Mr. Ayliff, the representative of the government with the Fingos, had by this time arrived at the scene of the disturbance, and was doing his utmost to restore order, but could accomplish little more than restraining the people under his charge from massing in a body with arms in their hands ready for war. A number of petty acts of hostility now took place, one party being to blame as much as the other, though each man endeavoured to screen himself before the British officials. Upon the whole, however, it was easier to obtain redress for misconduct from the Fingos than from the Galekas, because they were directly subject to the control of magistrates. Information of the condition of affairs was sent by telegraph to Capetown, when Colonel Eustace was directed to demand from Kreli complete restoration of the stock seized by the Galekas, and he and Mr. Ayliff were instructed to make a close inquiry into the origin of the disturbance. One hundred and fifty men of the frontier armed and mounted police were sent across the Kei to guard the Fingo border and prevent raids from either side, and Mr. Brownlee, the secretary for native affairs, prepared to visit the Transkei and endeavour to arrange matters peaceably. Owing to the events in Natal and in the Transvaal, that will be related in succeeding chapters, the number of British soldiers in South Africa at this time was unusually large. In January 1875 the first battahons of