ome 30,000 Kafirs perished of hunger or
disease. This frightful catastrophe, which carried many thousands
westward into Cape Colony in search of work, and left large tracts
vacant, led to the establishment in those tracts of white settlers, and
ultimately, in 1865, to the union of British Kaffraria with the Colony.
It also so much weakened the Kosas that for the unprecedentedly long
period of twenty years there was no Kafir war. In 1877 and 1880 some
risings occurred which were suppressed with no great difficulty; and in
1894 the boundaries of the Colony, which had been advancing by a series
of small annexations, were finally rounded off on the eastern side by
the addition of the territory of the Pondos, which made it conterminous
in that direction with the Colony of Natal.

To complete the chronicle of native wars, we ought now to turn to Natal,
on whose borders there arose, in 1879, a conflict with the greatest
native power--that of the Zulus--which the British had yet encountered.
Before that year, however, a momentous change in British colonial policy
had occurred, and I must go a little way back to describe the events
which gave rise to it.

The reader will recollect that in 1852 and 1854 Britain had abjured all
purpose of extending the boundaries of her dominion towards the interior
by recognizing the independence of the two Dutch republics, which date
their legal rise from the two conventions concluded in those years. She
had done so quite honestly, desiring to avoid the expense and
responsibility which further advances must entail, and with the wish of
leaving the two new republics to work out their own salvation in their
own way. For some years nothing occurred to create fresh difficulties.
But in 1858 a war broke out between the Orange Free State and the Basuto
chief Moshesh, who claimed land which the Free State farmers had
occupied. The Free State commandos attacked him, and had penetrated
Basutoland as far as the stronghold of Thaba Bosiyo, when they were
obliged to return to protect their own farms from the roving bands of
horsemen which Moshesh had skilfully detached to operate in their rear.
Being hard pressed they appealed to the Governor of Cape Colony to
mediate between them and Moshesh. Moshesh agreed, and a new frontier was
settled by the Governor. However, in 1865 fresh troubles broke out, and
there was again war between Moshesh and the Free State. The Governor of
Cape Colony was again invoked, bu