stance of a Mantatee fighting
wildly against numbers, with ten or twelve arrows and spears pierced in
his body. Struggling with death, the men would rally, raise themselves
from the ground, discharge their weapons, and fall dead, their
revengeful and hostile spirit only ceasing when life was extinct."

"And yet these same people permitted their own country to be taken from
them by the Zoolus."

"Yes, it was so; but want and necessity had turned them into desperate
warriors."

"I wonder they never thought of going back and recovering their own
country. They would have been a match for the Zoolus. Is that the end of
their history, Swinton?"

"No, not quite. But perhaps you are tired?"

"Oh, no. Pray go on."

"The Mantatees, although defeated by the Griquas, soon recovered their
courage, and intelligence came that they were about to make a descent
upon Kuruman, where the missionaries had their station. The Mantatees,
having been informed that the Griquas had gone home, now determined to
revenge themselves upon the Bechuanas, whom they considered but as the
dust under their feet.

"On this information, Mr. M. wrote to Waterboer, who commanded the
Griquas, requesting his immediate return; but Waterboer replied that an
immense body of Mantatees were coming down upon the Griquas by the Val
or Yellow River, and that they were forced to remain, to defend their
own property, advising Mr. M. to retreat with his family to the Griqua
town, and put themselves under their protection.

"As they could no longer remain, the mission station was abandoned, and
the missionaries, with their wives and families, retreated to Griqua
town. They had not, however, been long at Griqua town before news
arrived that both the bodies of Mantatees had altered their routes.
One portion of them went eastward, toward the country from which they
had been driven by the Zoolus, and another, it appears, took possession
of the country near the sources of the Orange River, where for many
years they carried on a predatory warfare with the tribes in that
district. At last a portion of them were incorporated, and settled down
on that part which is now known as the Mantatee new country; the
remainder made an irruption into the eastern Caffre country, where they
were known as the Ficani."

"And what became of them?"

"They defeated one or two of the Caffre chiefs, and the Caffres implored
the assistance of the English colonists, which was granted, and a