THE BASUTO WAR, 1879–80.

The Amnesty had scarcely been proclaimed among the Griquas, before a far more formidable conflict began with the Basutos, who had been at peace with the British since the action at Berea 1852. In 1868, Basutoland was declared to be a portion of Cape Colony, and this was confirmed by an Act of the local Parliament in 1871. The Basutos are divided into tribes, and at this time were supposed to number about one hundred and fifty thousand. The troubles began with an old 217warrior called Moirosi, and his son Dodo, chief of a tribe known as the Baphutis; who resisted the payment of a hut tax, which they had agreed to pay, in return for the protection of the Government. After a trifling skirmish with the Cape Mounted Rifles, Moirosi and his people retired to an almost inaccessible mountain near the Orange River, which some time before he had strongly fortified and provisioned, and now believed to be impregnable. Three sides of this mountain were perpendicular, and the fourth was protected by a series of walls, and traverses from eight to ten feet high, loopholed for musketry. The Baphutis were excellent marksmen, artillery proved useless against their traverses, and Moirosi for nine months defied the whole forces of the Colony. Several gallant attacks in this stronghold were repulsed, but at length an old brass mortar obtained from the Cape Town Museum, made such havoc among the defenders, by the shells thrown from it over their walls, and exploding behind them, that the place was stormed with but little loss, and Moirosi was among the slain. Dodo escaped, but the Baphutis were decimated; the fortifications were blown up, and the mountain abandoned to its pristine solitude.

An Act for the disarming of the native tribes, kindled the flames of war fiercer than ever. The musket of a Basuto is dearer to him than wealth, wife, or child, and he will consent to part with it, only when reduced to the last extremity. The Colonial Government had made a great error in allowing firearms to be sold to the natives, “but blinded by a desire to secure cheap labour,” about four hundred thousand muskets and rifles, many of them breechloaders, had been conveyed into the country. The Basutos proved themselves to be admirable horsemen; very skilful in the construction of stone defences, and fought with much more courage and daring than had been expected. The Imperial troops in the Colony in 1879, were the 3rd. Buffs 2nd. battalion, 1st. battalion of the 13th. (Somersetshire Light Infantry), 1st. battalion 24th. (Warwickshire Regt.), and some Artillery, but other regiments soon arrived from England, and before the war was ended, the Imperial and Colonial forces in the field amounted to fifteen thousand men. Early in the contest, the Basutos till that time considered loyal, joined their countrymen, and the Tambookies, a tribe numbering over ninety thousand, also helped to swell the ranks of the rebels. In fact, the whole of the native tribes were in a state of dissatisfaction and ferment, and a racial war seemed to be imminent. The Frontier Armed Police, which had been changed into the Cape Mounted Rifles, about six hundred and fifty strong, under Colonels Carrington and Bayley, were the first in the field, but their numbers were too few to act with effect against the overwhelming force of the enemy. The first skirmish was with the followers of a rebel chief named Letherodi. The Rifles routed the enemy, but the latter being strongly reinforced, surrounded and besieged the Colonial troops at a place called Matafeng, which they made desperate attempts to carry by storm. Their attacks failed, and Matafeng was relieved by a force under Colonel Clarke. Colonel Bayley was surrounded at Maseru, in October, but after several hours fighting, the Basutos retreated. On November 10th. Colonel Carrington severely defeated the enemy at Golah Mountain, and the war afterwards was little more than a succession of skirmishes; in which a few hundreds of white men with native allies more or less doubtful, withstood the onset of thousands of Kaffirs, repelling their attempts to beleaguer them, and routing them in the open field, generally with great loss, with wonderfully few casualties among themselves. Some of the rebel chiefs were slain, others fled, and Letherodi who was one of the principal instigators of the revolt, was anxious to submit to the Government. In April 1881, a treaty of peace, and general amnesty was proclaimed, by which the Basutos gained nearly all they demanded before the commencement of the war.

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