Stel jou voor 'n donker nag in Afrika in die dae voor elektrisiteit en 'n vuurwerkvertoning soos seker nooit weer gesien sal word nie. Dit was in die Oos-Kaap, ek meen rondom 1830. Daar was oorlog in die land. Die plaaslike swart stamme was in gevegte gewikkel met die Fetcani, wat deur die invallende Zoeloes Suid gejaag is en nou hulle gebied bedreig.
Die sendeling Shaw het later beskryf hoe dit in die nag lyk in 'n kamp van swart krygers:
"After it (sy aandete), Shaw wandered about for a while, looking at the strange scene, 'like a large sylvan city.' Small parties, each round its own fire were scattered everywhere in the wood; more than 2000 Kaffirs, naked but armed, were feasting with incessant loud chatter, laughter and noise; the blaze of innumerable fires lit the dark bodies, sitting or flitting about among the low trees."
Die jong Bertram Bowker beskryf sy eerste militêre veldtog, toe 'n aantal wittes "Dutch and English" die stamme gaan help het teen die Fetcani:
"The young volunteers had no tents and no rations, but were given beads and buttons 'to buy milk and kaffircorn (millet) as we needed it... We now began to come into the burnt and destroyed country where the enemy had been, and gone again. All desolation, all dead men, women and children, cattle and dogs.' That night in the camp, they heard a great noise: The kaffirs, about to march and no longer needing their fires, got into a sham fight by pelting each other with fire-brands and catching them on their shields. 'It was a grand sight to see thousands of fire-brands flying through the dark and bursting on the shields, accompanied by thousands of heathenish yells from about 6000 savages.'"
Dit moes 'n besondere gesig gewees het om te sien. Sover dit die "heathenish yells" betref van duisende "savages", herinner dit nogal sterk aan 'n rugbywedstryd op Loftus.
Varkspek
Bron vir die aanhalings: They came from a far land deur May Bell, uitgegee deur Maskew Miller in 1963.