Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/91

 i877] The Ninth Kaffir War. 71 killed and ten others wounded before it reached Bomvanaland. A third large column of mixed Europeans and Tembus, under Major Elliot, crossed the Bashee on the 7th of November. It did not come into contact with the Galekas, however, so it is unnecessary to record its movements. In Bomvanaland immense herds of cattle were seen, but as they were claimed by Moni's people they were not seized, though the colonial forces were morally certain that they belonged to the Galekas. Kreli's people could not be found : it was ascertained that they had broken up into little parties and had gone on towards the Umtata, but every one professed absolute ignorance as to where Kreli or his son Sigcawu was. Hundreds of the people questioned must have known, but no one would tell. All asserted they had never seen either, and did not believe one or the other had entered Bomvana- land. Colonel Griffith then scoured the country to the Umtata, but found only a few stragglers here and there, so he came to believe that the Galekas were completely broken up as a people and that it would be unnecessary to keep the field any longer. With only a portion of his forces therefore he crossed the Umtata into Western Pondoland, where on the 15th of November he had an interview with the chiefs Nquiliso and Gwadiso. Nquiliso, son of Ndamasi, was the governing chief of Western Pondoland. He professed the utmost wilhngness to assist the colonial government in any way that he could, but did not know where Kreli and Sigcawu were, so could not surrender them. Gwadiso was the most powerful sub-chief, or head of a clan, in the district. He was in sympathy with the Galekas, if he was not actually in league with them, but seeing the force at Colonel Griffith's command he dissembled, and surrendered eleven hundred of Kreli's cattle that had