Page:Africa by Élisée Reclus, Volume 4.djvu/167

CAPE TOWN. 125 they might succeed by the uid of the superimturul. The arms of the living bcin^ impotent, they thought they could rely on those of the dead. Mhlukuzu, a nutivo prophet, traversed the land, announcing to his Ama-Khosa fellow-tribeHmeu that the time waa drawing near when all their departed warriors, all the renowned heroes of their legendary history, would rise from the grave, and that they them- selves would on that grand occasion be transfigured, and again become young, iMjautiful, strong, and invincible. But in order to j>rej)are for victory they were re<juired to give a proof of their unshaken faith by sacrificing all they pfissecscil except their arms. They had to slaughter their cattle, burn their granaries, let their fields lie fallow, and strip themselves of everything, awaiting the hour of the signal to rise. Then the slaughtered herds would suddenly rcaj)pear, but finer and more numerous than ever, and the pluins would be covered by magnificent crops. Most of the Ama-Khosas had implicit faith in the words of the prophet. They slew their cattle and fired their stores of corn, while at the same time preparing vast pens and barns for their future treasures. Thousands of these delude<l victfms, twenty-five thousand according to some writers, fifty thousand, or one third of the Ama-Khosa nation, according to others, actually perished of inanition while awaiting the promised day of redemption. But that day never came, and then despair took possession of the survivors. Tlieir bravest warriors became erest-fjillen mendicants, and their love of freedom, their very manhood, was broken for ever. Soon the depopulated land invited fresh occupants, and the Cape Government introduced over two thousand German immigrants into the vacant territory, which was now definitely annexed to Cape Colony as far as the river Kei. From this time the progress of conquest has never been seriously arrested ; only the annexations, which no longer presented any difficulty, were henceforth peacefully effected by administrative measures. A simple Order in Council sufficed to effect vast political changes. Topography (^f Cape Colony. Cape Town, capital of the Colony and of all South Africa, is the oldest city foundtnl by Europeans south of Benguella. But without having yet become a very large place, it has long outstripped in size and imj)ortance the towns previously founded by the Portuguese on the West African seaboard. Seen from the water Cape Town presents an imposing apjiearance, thanks to the superb amphitheatre of hills encircling it, and esjjecially to the striking aspect of Table Mountain, which forms such a conspicuous feature in the surrounding landscape. West of the city the promontory of the Lion Mountain projects far seawards, sheltering the roadstead from tlie heavy swell rolling in from the Southern Ocean. Here are constructed the pier, the quays, and other harbour works, and here lies the spacious basin which affords ample accommodation for the shipping. The city, disposed in regular squares by broad thoroughfares, sIojk-s gently towards the roots of