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1799] join the column again. A temporary camp was hardly formed when an attack was made upon it by Cungwa's people, who on this occasion exhibited great bravery, rushing forward in masses with their assagai shafts broken short so that they could be used as stabbing weapons. These charges were met with volleys of musket balls and grape shot, that covered the ground with bodies, until at length the Gunukwebes turned and fled.

Meantime Lieutenant Chumney's party was surrounded, and, after making a desperate defence, all were killed except four men who managed to escape in a waggon. When these reached the main column the general resumed his march to the neighbourhood of Algoa Bay, and formed a camp on the farm of Thomas Ignatius Ferreira. In the month of May he called out two large burgher commandos to take the field against the Xosas: one from the district of Swellendam, under Commandant Tjaart van der Walt, the other from the district of Graaff-Reinet, under Commandant Hendrik van Rensburg.

While the commandos were assembling, a number of farmers appealed to the general for assistance against their late Hottentot servants. Many of these were roaming about the district, but several hundreds were at the British camp. General Vandeleur considered it prudent to take from those who were under his immediate protection the guns which they had carried off from their employers, and this excited their suspicion that he was about to betray them. Before the burgher commandos arrived they fled, and forming themselves into three bands led respectively by the captains Klaas Stuurman, Hans Trompetter, and Boesak, they joined the Xosa invaders, and with them spread over the district, pillaging everywhere and murdering all the white people who could not escape over the Gamtoos.

At the beginning of June the burghers mustered at the Bushman's river, provided for a campaign of two months. It was General Vandeleur's intention that they should drive the Xosas over the Fish river, but not follow them across; and to this effect he prepared instructions, which he submitted to General Dundas.