Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/88

 68 History of the Cape Colony. [1877 two of these to march from the camp at Ibeka in different directions towards the sea. One of them, commanded by himself in person, marched by way of Kentani hill to the mouth of the Kei, and then turned eastward to the source of the Lusizi streamlet just above the Manubi forest, where the other columns were directed to join it. It arrived there on the afternoon of the 22nd. The European section of this column and the artillery found little employment, but the Fingo auxiliaries under the headman Veldman were kept busy scouring the country along the line of march. No opposition whatever was encountered. Attached to the head quarter column after the evening of the 19th was a body of Fingos under Mr. James A.yliff, who marched from the Springs that morning. They had some skirmishes with small parties of the enemy, of whom they killed forty, with casualties to themselves of four men wounded. They burned many huts, and captured one hundred and fifty head of horned cattle and five or six hundred sheep. The second column was commanded by Inspector David Hook, of the frontier armed and mounted police. It consisted of two hundred and fifty-five Europeans and about two thousand Fingos, with one nine-pounder gun. It marched past Kreli's burnt kraal towards Mazeppa Bay, and on the 19th at nightfall reached the source of the Lusizi, where a camp was formed. The ruins of several traders' shops that had been burnt were passed, and some abandoned huts were set on fire, but no enemy was seen. The Fingos scoured the country on each side, and found abundance of maize in store pits. On the 21st two parties of Fingos were sent to the Manubi forest as scouts. They returned with about five hundred sheep and a number of women and children, and reported that the Galekas were not far off in great numbers and that there were many horses and horned cattle in the forest. At about two o'clock in the afternoon of