Page:George McCall Theal, History of South Africa from 1873 to 1884, Volume 1 (1919).djvu/78

58 History of the Cape Colony. [1877 secretary, and Lieutenant Hodson, acting aide-de-camp, he reached Butterworth, where Colonel Eustace, Mr. Ayliff, Inspector Chalmers, several other Europeans, two of Kreli's principal counsellors, who 'were subsequently joined by two of the chief's own sons, two of his nephews, and several other counsellors, and a great number of Fingos had assembled to meet him. The Fingos all declared their perfect loyalty, and promised to obey implicitly any orders he might choose to give them. He then sent a friendly message to Kreli, inviting that chief to meet him and discuss matters, so as to restore order and harmony. Kreli, however, shrank from meeting the governor, though he said, and probably with truth, that he was very anxious for peace. It was believed that he feared the fate of his father Hintsa if he should present himself, but probably the excitement of his warriors, who were entirely under the influence of his son Sigcawu and of his counsellor Ngubo, was then so great that he could not do anything in direct opposition to their wishes, and they would have regarded his going to meet the governor with the utmost disfavour. They were prepared to lay down their lives for him, but then they expected him to act with what they held to be the dignity of an independent chief, and not go like a hound because a white man called him. Mr. Brownlee, who was very well acquainted with him personally, then rode over to his residence, and re- mained overnight there in Colonel Eustace's quarters, but the chief declined the invitation to meet him. Nothing further could be done to bring about an interview, so after a stay of four days at Butterworth the governor returned to King-Williamstown. The district of Idutywa was found to be in a con- dition of utter lawlessness. Its population was more mixed than that of any other district in Kaffraria, and each of the little clans was opposed to all the others. Mr. Gumming had no control over any of them, so he