aring from the Governor, who excused himself under the
pretext that he had no time to receive Pretorius. When the latter
reached the Drakensberg, on his return, he found nearly the whole
population trekking over the mountains away from Natal and away from
British sway. His wife was lying ill in the waggon, and his daughter had
been severely hurt by the oxen which she was forced to lead.

[Sidenote: Suffering in Natal]

Sir Harry Smith, who succeeded Pottinger, thus described the condition
of the emigrant Boers:--"They were exposed to a state of misery which he
had never before seen equalled, except in Massena's invasion of
Portugal. The scene was truly heart-rending."

This is what we had to suffer at the hands of the British Government in
connection with Natal.

We trekked back over the Drakensberg to the Free State, where some
remained, but others wandered northwards over the Vaal River.

FOOTNOTES:

[Footnote 9: Theal, pages 104--130.]

[Footnote 10: Theal, 169.]

[Footnote 11: Theal, 155.]

[Footnote 12: Theal, 179.]

[Footnote 13: Theal, 244.]

THE ORANGE FREE STATE.

[Sidenote: Boomplaats]

[14] Giving effect to Law 6 and 7, William IV., ch. 57, the English
appointed a Resident in the Free State. Pretorius, however, gave him 48
hours' notice to quit the Republic. Thereupon Sir Harry Smith mobilised
an army, chiefly consisting of blacks, against us white people, and
fought us at Boomplaats, on the 29th August, 1848. After an obstinate
struggle a Boer named Thomas Dreyer was caught by the blacks of Smith's
army, and to the shame of English reputation, was killed by the English
Governor for no other crime than that he was once, though years before,
a British subject, and had now dared to fight against Her Majesty's
Flag.

Another murder and deed of shame in South Africa's account with England!

[Sidenote: Annexation of the Orange Free State]

In the meantime Sir Harry Smith had annexed the Free State as the
"Orange River Sovereignty," on the pretext that four-fifths of the
inhabitants favoured British dominion, and were only intimidated by the
power of Pretorius from manifesting their wishes.

[Sidenote: Moshesh]

But the British Resident soon came into collision with Moshesh, the
great and crafty head chieftain of the Basutos.

The Boers were called up to assist, but only 75 responded out of the
1,000 who were called up. The English had then to eat the leek. The
Resident informed hi