fully armed and in a famishing condition upon the colony. There were
those who neither believed the predictions nor looked for success in
war, but destroyed their last particle of food in unquestioning
obedience to their chief's command. Either in faith that reached the
sublime, or in obedience equally great, vast numbers of the people
acted. Great kraals were also prepared for the promised cattle, and huge
skin sacks to hold the milk that was soon to be more plentiful than
water. At length the day dawned which, according to the prophecies, was
to usher in the terrestrial paradise. The sun rose and sank, bat the
expected miracle did not come to pass. The chiefs who had planned to
hurl the famished warrior host upon the colony had committed an
incredible blunder in neglecting to call the nation together under
pretext of witnessing the resurrection. This error they realized too
late, and endeavoured by fixing the resurrection for another day to
gather the clans, but blank despair had taken the place of hope and
faith, and it was only as starving suppliants that the Amaxosa sought
the British. The colonists did what they could to save life, but
thousands perished miserably. In their extremity many of the Kaffirs
turned cannibals, and one instance of parents eating their own child is
authenticated. Among the survivors was the girl Nongkwase; her father
perished. A vivid narrative of the whole incident will be found in G.M.
Theal's _History and Geography of South Africa_ (3rd ed., London, 1878),
from which this account is condensed. The country depopulated as the
result of this delusion was afterwards peopled by European settlers,
among whom were members of the German legion which had served with the
British army in the Crimea, and some 2000 industrious North German
emigrants, who proved a valuable acquisition to the colony.

_Sir George Grey's Governorship._--In 1854 Sir George Grey became
governor of the Cape, and the colony owed much to his wise
administration. The policy, imposed by the home government, of
abandoning responsibility beyond the Orange river, was, he perceived, a
mistaken one, and the scheme he prepared in 1858 for a confederation of
all South Africa (q.v.) was rejected by Great Britain. By his energetic
action, however, in support of the missionaries Moffat and Livingstone,
Sir George kept open for the British the road through Bechuanaland to
the far interior. To Sir George was also due the first attempt,