Page:Life of Africaner.pdf/8

 habit of visiting the colony from the upper regions of the Orange River. This gave rise to a long series of severe and sometimes bloody conflicts between the Africaners and the chief Berend and his associates, Berend being impelled by a twofold reward, and Africaner by a desire to wreak his vengeance on the farmers who were once his friends, the instigators of the deeply-laid scheme. Though these two chiefs dreadfully harassed each other, neither conquered; but continued to breathe against each other the direst hatred, till, by the gospel of peace, they were brought to "beat their swords into ploughshares, and their spears into pruning-hooks."

As soon as Africaner had discovered the origin of the plot, which had well nigh over-thrown his power, he visited the boundaries of the colony. A farmer, named Engelbrecht, and a Bastard Hottentot, fell the victims to his fury, and their cattle and other property were carried off, to atone for the injuries inflicted by the machinations of the farmers. Africaner now became a terror, not only to the colony on the south, but also to the tribes on the north. The original natives of the country justly viewed him as a dangerous neighbour, even though he had obtained, by lawful means, a portion of their country. They considered him as the common enemy. This led to pilfering and provocation on their part-conduct which he was sure to pay back, in their own way, with large interest. The tribes fled at his approach. His name carried dismay even to the solitary wastes. "At a subsequent period," says Moffat, "as I was standing with a Namaqua chief, looking at