Wars and Rumours of Wars
At the beginning of 1824 we find the Moffats in Cape Town. They had gone thither for the threefold object of seeking medical advice, of obtaining suppHes, and of conferring personally with Dr. Philip about the removal of the station to Kuruman — its present site.
They had with them Peclo the son of Mothibi, a young man who gave good promise, and the heir-apparent of the Batlaping chieftainship; and Teysho, one of the headmen of the tribe. It was an unusual and striking proof of confidence, and spoke well for the influence the missionaries had gained over the native mind.
On the very day that the party reached Cape Town, after more than two months’ journey from Lattakoo, a ship cast anchor in the bay bringing three new men intended for the Bechwana Mission. The coincidence was pleasing, but it was a disappointment that, after all, only one of the three, Mr. Hughes, was allowed at that time to continue his journey. Mr. Edwards was detained in order that his skill as a builder might be made available at some of the Colonial stations, and he did not reach Kuruman till some years later; and Mr. Robson’s health never allowed him to venture into the interior. He eventually took charge (;f a station within the Colony, where he did good work for many years.
The Moffats got back to their station in the month of May, and found Mr. Hamilton pursuing his lonely labours with the quiet patience so characteristic of him. As the final arrangements for the removal of the station were not yet complete, it was thought best that Robert Moffat should meanwhile make his long promised journey to visit Makaba, the chief of the Bangwaketsi. He left on the first of July, and was accompanied by a large party of Griquas, who were going to the more remote part of the country to hunt elephants. Rumours still continued to come of the movements of the Mantatees; but so difficult was it in those times to obtain authentic information of what was going on in the country about other tribes, that nothing could be certainly made out about the truth of these rumours.
The journey to Makaba was unusually interesting and eventful. It has been so fully described by Robert Moffat himself in his “Labours and Scenes,” that it can be lightly passed over here.
Suffice to say that the party — happily as it turned out afterwards — was a strong one, with eleven waggons and a number of horses, and well-armed men, they having turned out for hunting purposes. They took a westerly route along the edge of the Kalahari Desert, but were eventually obliged by want of water to deviate and to call at Pitsana, where a great concourse had gathered, consisting of the different sections of the Barolong tribe who had been driven the previous year from the country along the Vaal River by the Mantatees in the course of the same invasion which had threatened Kuruman.
From Pitsana they went on to Kwakwe, the residence of Makaba and his people. Here they were royally entertained, and started on their return journey, the greater part of the Griquas accompanying the missionary, contrary to their previous plan of remaining to hunt. Their leader could give no explanation of this except that they had changed their minds; but whatever was the cause of their doing so, the result was an exceedingly important one. They had not left Makaba many hours when they were met by messengers from Tauane, the chief of the Barolong, calling them to come and help him as he was on the point of being attacked by the Mantatees. They went on to Pitsana, and found that this was actually the case. The presence of scarcely twenty men armed with guns was the means of repelling an attack which must otherwise have resulted in the utter destruction of the great Barolong town and the flight of its inhabitants into the Kalahari Desert, where thousands who escaped the spears of the ruthless Makari must have perished of thirst and hunger. As it was the Barolong gave way and took to flight, and it was only the effect of a few shots from the Griqua horsemen, who stood their ground, which turned the tide.
Robert Moffat got back home to find that his wife had been in a position of most intense anxiety. Not only had she heard of the Makari invasion on the north-east, which she knew was in the track of his journey, but dangers were threatening from an opposite quarter. A horde of evil characters, runaways of mixed blood from the Cape Colony, with Korannas, Bushmen, and Namaquas, had established themselves in the mountains to the westward of Griqua Town, and had been joined by renegade Criquas who resented the rule and discipline of Waterboer and the other Griqua chiefs. These people were carrying on a series of marauding excursions, and had attacked the Batlaros, a tribe to the south-west of Kuruman, destroying some of their villages and carrying off their cattle. They were atrociously cruel; they were mounted, and armed with guns, and consequently no Bechwanas could stand against them. They were contemplating a visit to the Kuruman. Nothing but strong faith and a sense of duty kept Mary Moffat at her post in this crisis. On one occasion so great was the alarm that she was aroused at midnight by the chief. Mr. Hamilton, with the men attached to the mission, was at the site of the new station about eight miles away. All that she could do was to write and send a note to him, and to put a few things together so as to be ready to flee with her two babes and two little Bushmen children if it became absolutely necessary. In her solitude Mary Moffat had written and sent off at hazard the following letter on the twenty-eighth of July:
“It is with a faint, faint hope that you will ever see this, that I take up my pen, it being so very improbable that you will meet with the Barolong who take it; but the possibility of such a thing compels me not to neglect the opportunity, anxious as I am to convey to your affectionate heart tidings of our welfare. Our covenant God has graciously protected us and all about us ever since you left; and I have strong confidence that He has also been with you. But oh, my dear, I find it requires the exercise of some fortitude to be calm and serene under such a separation, in such circumstances and at such a time in a land of barbarians. In vain has my heart fluttered when I have seen a strange face, hoping he would pull out from under his kaross a letter, no post yet having arrived from you, and I begin to think that I must not have that exquisite pleasure till the living epistle burst in upon me himself. You know I dreaded your departure exceedingly. I had many fears about your health from that ugly cough. I had also fears on account of the tumultuous state of the land. I expected also to suffer a good deal myself from low spirits in my great solitude, but in this I was mistaken, having been remarkably composed and very seldom in a melancholy mood. When I feel it coming on I make great efforts to dispel it, and have been successful. I feel very thankful for the support I have had, and derive encouragement from it that all is well with you, and that your journey is under the smiles of our Heavenly Father. I have also great liberty at the throne of grace, for you and the cause of Christ.
“Our dear little Mary and Ann are well. Mr. Hamilton is also well. He took away most of his goods yesterday and many trees, but will come as usual on Saturday till you return. Mr. Hughes has not yet come, nor do we hear anything from them. About ten days after your departure two hastily written notes from Mr. Helm to Mr. Hamilton arrived, bearing different dates, the last of them the 6th inst., saying that an immense body of Mantatees was rapidly approaching Griqua Town, that the Koranna Mission was destroyed, that Mr. Edwards had been to call a commando, that Edwards and Melville were gone out with the Griquas and had been three days away. Borumelo is since come from Campbell, and says that they were not yet returned, but had sent for a fresh supply of ammunition, and had also sent to Mr. Stockenstrom for help. The Mantatees were not the same people who fought at Old Lattakoo. You will easily conceive how I felt with regard to you, but was enabled in the confidence of faith to commend you to our covenant God. The idea of any of them on their return falling in with your single waggon is truly shocking.
“Since you left, Jacob Cloete, with a number of armed Korannas on horses, besides a number of Bushmen, has been making terrible ravages at a town beyond Lehaise’s, has taken a great number of cattle, killed eight chiefs, besides others, and women and children. By all accounts he has acted most barbarously; the people here were much alarmed, as he threatened to come here to get powder. Of course I had some fears, but am happy to say he has gone back to his place....
“I know you will excuse the brevity of this letter when you reflect on the uncertainty of getting it. I will promise the man a few beads if he brings it to you, as well as tobacco.”
On Robert Moffat’s return things had settled down a little, but only for a time. The marauders began to repeat their operations. The Batlaros appealed to their neighbours the Batlaping for help. The latter sent out a party, but, heathen-like, instead of joining hands with their own kindred in repelling the common enemy, they took the opportunity to carry off a large quantity of cattle belonging to the Batlaros. From this time things went from bad to worse. The missionaries had moved to the new station, but they had scarcely done so when the Batlaping whom they had left at the lower place were attacked, not only by the marauders, but by the Batlaros, who might have been their friends but for their own folly.
So general was the confusion, that a second time did the missionaries find it necessary to take refuge at Griqua Town, where we find them at the end of the year.
In July, during her husband’s absence in the interior, Mary Moffat had written:
“I feel my solitude very much, Mr. Hamilton having removed to the new station to build himself a house, and has the men with him,
They come home, however, on Saturday evenings and stop Sabbaths over; but, trying as it is, I feel a satisfaction in sacrificing my dear husband’s company when I reflect that it is for the cause of Christ, and I feel persuaded that these journeys into the interior are of enormous importance to the kingdom of our Lord, as they prepare the way for the spread of the gospel. Poor Mr. Hamilton is heavily afflicted. Whilst he was away at Griqua Town last October, his whole premises were burnt to ashes. The Bechwanas were, however, active in endeavouring to save his property, and succeeded pretty well, but it may be easily conceived that his loss was considerable.”
After detailing the alarming rumours from the north-east, she goes on to say:
“Since we came home the Bushmen took at one time fifty head of cattle from the post of one of our chiefs, but we do not hear that they are projecting a commando against them. We now hear that the Batlaros to the westward of us are visited by a company of depredators, joined by some rebel Griquas, and they have taken the poor people’s cattle. I cannot vouch for the truth of this report; but a man was here yesterday who said he heard the firing of the guns. Thus you see we are surrounded on every hand. It requires some little fortitude to live at rest in such a tumultuous land, amidst barbarians, but we trust that ‘He who hath delivered will deliver.’
“How truly descriptive of the natives of this country is the prophecy, His hand shall be against every man, and every man’s hand shall be against him.’ And if we will allow ourselves to reflect on the train of miseries which such a mode of life brings with it, how conclusively may we argue against that vain philosophy which declaims against the efforts of missionaries in such a country by saying that the natives live a quiet, harmless, and peaceable life, attending to their flocks and herds, and know nothing of the miseries of refined society. Oh how futile are such reasonings! When I allow myself to conceive of the feelings of the natives of this wretched country in their most elevated state, I shudder. Methinks the condition of the very beasts is enviable in comparison of theirs. They know that they must die, and the dread idea of annihilation strikes them through like a barbed airow. To talk of death makes them almost frantic.
“The hundreds who perish annually from hunger in this state of society is another argument against such reasonings, and a convincing proof that even feelings of common philanthropy would induce many to exert themselves even for the temporal good of these sons of humanity. Horror and devastation reign over the whole land, darkness covers it, and gross darkness the people. The longer we live in it the more convinced we are of the necessity of missionaries being here, being fully persuaded that it is only the gospel of peace which can raise the degenerate sons of Adam. How transcendently blessed will those missionaries be who live to seethe thick gloom which covers them dispelled by the beams of the vSun of Righteousness. I scarcely expect to witness it myself, but feel confident that the time will come, because the promises of Jehovah are yea and amen in Christ Jesus. It is not conferring with flesh and blood to live amongst these people. In the natives of South Africa there is nothing naturally engaging; their extreme selfishness, filthiness, obstinate stupidity, and want of sensibility, have a tendency to disgust, and sometimes cause the mind to shrink from the idea of spending the whole life amongst them, far from every tender and endearing circle. But when we recollect that the Saviour of men has said, ‘Deny thyself, take up thy cross and follow me,’ we blush for harbouring such a feeling. He left the heaven of heavens, the bosom of His Father, to carry through a life of unparalleled suffering, ignominy, and scorn on this base and sinful earth. Oh how imperfectly do we follow Him! Pray for us that we may have grace ever to keep His example in view.
“At present there is no appearance of a work of grace among the Bechwanas. As may be expected, they are very friendly, and consider themselves privileged. They are by no means unanimous about going with us, but we believe many will go, at least next year, as we advise them not to go till the water ditch is made.
“Peclo was received with loud and joyful acclamations, and Teysho and he have made the people wonder with their accounts. We are confident their visit to the Cape will have a good effect.”