e has been one trophy of the war
at which I look with rejoicing; 15,000 Fingoes rescued from slavery is
something to be thankful for. God can bring good out of evil. It may
be that He will give me employment in that direction ere long."

These various remarks, good reader, were uttered some months after the
events recorded in the last chapter, for the death of the great chief of
Kafirland did not immediately terminate the war. On the contrary, the
treaty of peace entered into with Kreli, Hintza's son and successor, was
scouted by the confederate chiefs, Tyali, Macomo, etcetera, who remained
still unsubdued in the annexed territory, and both there, and within the
old frontier, continued to commit murders and wide-spread depredations.

It was not until the Kafirs had been hunted by our troops into the most
impregnable of their woody fortresses, and fairly brought to bay, that
the chiefs sent messengers to solicit peace. It was granted. A treaty
of peace was entered into, by which the Kafirs gave up all right to the
country conquered, and consented to hold their lands under tenure from
the British Sovereign. It was signed at Fort Wilshire in September.

Thereafter Sir Benjamin D'Urban laid down with great wisdom and ability
plans for the occupation and defence of the annexed territory, so as to
form a real obstruction to future raids by the lawless natives--plans
which, if carried out, would no doubt have prevented future wars, and on
_the strength of which_ the farmers began to return to their desolated
farms, and commence re-building and re-stocking with indomitable
resolution. Others accepted offers of land in the new territory, and a
few of the Dutch farmers, hoping for better times, and still trusting to
British wisdom for protection, were prevailed on to remain in the colony
at a time when many of their kindred were moving off in despair of being
either protected, understood, or fairly represented.

Among these still trusting ones was Conrad Marais. Strongly urged by
Hans and Considine, he consented to begin life anew in the old home, and
went vigorously to work with his stout sons.

But he had barely begun to get the place into something like order when
a shell was sent into the colony, which created almost as much dismay as
if it had been the precursor of another Kafir invasion.

Conrad was seated in a friend's house in Somerset when the said shell
exploded. It came in the form of a newspaper paragraph