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In 1877 my grandparents and family left King William's Town, the border garrison town of Kaffraria, on the advice of Captain Blyth, chief magistrate of Fingoland, who suggested that we should start a trading station in Bacaland, and thus open up the country to European settlement. They left with 3 wagons, their family possessions, goods for barter with the natives and their faithful old native servants. When they reached the Great Kei River, the bridge was in course of construction; the Engineer allowed the family to transport their goods across the foot bridge, while the wagons were drawn through the river by oxen - 16 to a team had to swim and the wagons floated. All were safely across before sunset, the family camped for the night. Imagine their surprise next morning to find that the river had come down in flood and washed the footbridge away. The precipitous hills of the Kei were very difficult to negotiate - in places 2 spans of oxen were used to draw a wagon to the top. As there were no roads as we know them today, they had to travel by chart and compass. The gorgeous red aloes were in bloom, sentinels standing on rocky hillsides - a gruesome reminder of the annihilation of the British Red Coats - Lancers - by the natives at Moordenaar's Kop. They trekked on and reached Umtata, the capital of Tembuland. The journey took 2 weeks - today a matter of about 3 hours - 150 miles. The journey from outspan to outspan continued, but they went towards Shawbury, the Wesleyan Mission Station near Qumbu and crossed the Tsitsa River. (The Falls on this river are 385 ft. high). Then on and across the Tina R. at Eckron's Drift and on to Osborn Wesleyan Mission Station. A Native Administrator lived at Osborn. The family continued their journey and about 7 miles from Osborn, they decided to settle - 3 weeks after leaving King William's Town - a waving expanse of tall grass with a few native huts in the vicinity and a range of mountains in the distance. They lived in their tented wagons and tents until they had built a house of sods and later a shop of similar ilk. These were afterwards replaced by brick buildings. Speculating in cattle and horses was their chief occupation. These were disposed of in Durban. It took my father, Donald McKay, 3 days hard riding with a lead horse to reach Durban, a distance of 200 odd miles. My Grandfather wanted to call the place where they had settled "Good Hope", but after discussion with the Native Administrator's wife, Mrs Garner, they decided to call it Mount Frere, after Sir Bartle Frere, the Governor of the Cape Colony. My father and mother were married in 1878 and my grandparents moved to a farm in the Kokstad district. When the Basuto War broke out in 1878, Sir Evelyn Wood with troops and wagon transport passed through here. The country was blackened by a devastating fire that started near Maclear and only burnt itself out at Umzimkulu - the Cape border. The post was transported in a box on wheels drawn by 2 mules and often took a week to come from Kokstad to Mount Frere, a distance of 60 miles. None of the rivers were bridged. In 1880 the Pondomisi, Qumbu district, became very truculent. Any of the tribe entering a trader's shop simply demanded what they wanted. The traders had no alternative but to accede to their demands, as they knew that they were at their mercy being so isolated. The Magistrate of Qumbu, Mr Hamilton Hope and 3 others met the Pondomisi Chief, Mhlontlo, and tried to reason with him. Then Mhlontlo gave a signal and they were surrounded. 3 of the Europeans were murdered - 1 escaped to the Sulenkama Mission Station. The natives considered that mission stations provided sanctuary, more from a superstitious than a religious point of view. So war broke out. (The news was helio-ed to Kokstad). Meanwhile a few of the Pondomisi had crossed the Tina river and came to our shop and demanded what they wanted. Our old servant advised us to let them have the goods. Unfortunately my father was away. he had gone to see where his wagons were. His station on the Tsitsa R. was looted and burnt by the Pondomisi, but the employee and his wife had sought sanctuary at the Magistracy at old Tsolo. At Mount Frere all Europeans in the district were contacted and a laager was formed. The family made bullets of lead (the lining of tea boxes) and bandoliers of canvas. Troops were hurried from Natal, Willowby's and Baker's Horse; they were guided by Mr Walter Stafford on his magnificent black horse. Ceaseless rains fell, flooding all the rivers. This undoubtedly saved many lives and so ended the rebellion. Europeans were coming into the district; another shop was opened at the top of the hill and an aerated water factory, as crystal clear springs had been found in the natural forest. Bushman caves were also found near this forest. A Post Office and Court House were built in the village. A large troop of Cape Mounted Rifles was stationed here and they brightened the lives of the village dwellers with their entertainment. The Baca nation, an off-shoot of the Zulus, after a faction fight at Umzimkulu, divided, one section coming to Mount Frere. They settled in the south-eastern portion of the district under Chief Ncapai. The Bacas were a peaceful tribe but the Pondos were always raiding their cattle, so the chief of the Bacas asked for police protection. The Bacas were never conquered but asked to be taken under the protection of Queen Victoria. Chief Ncapai's chief wife failed to give hospitality to his men after a skirmish; her son, Rholobele, was superseded by Makaula the son of a younger wife and he later became chief. This was a constant source of friction between the half brothers. At Ncube time - the feast of the first fruits - there was invariably a faction fight. Rolobele, on one of his trips to Johannesburg to collect funds from his loyal followers, leant against the carriage door fell out and was killed. His death ended the feud. In 1884, General Gordon, of Khartoum fame, spent a night with us on his way to Egypt. About 1890 there was a faction fight on the borders of Pondoland and the Cape Mounted Rifles were ordered out. They took a number of prisoners, among them Ncibiana Chief Makaula's son. He was taken to the local goal. The tribe rose in revolt at the indignity and demanded his release. It was terrifying to see such a crowd of natives, mounted and armed with assagais and knobkerries, bent on destruction of all Europeans. My father, Donald McKay, went to the Magistrate and said that he would hold himself personally responsible for Ncibiana, if he was allowed out on parole. Nckbiana was placed in my father's custody and spent 4 days in our house until the case was settled and peace was once more restored. Chief Makaula was a most gentle man and very courteous. It was a sad day when he died. In 1894 the Cape Mounted Rifles were sent to Eastern Pondoland to keep order. In 1895 rinderpest (a cattle disease) broke out. The inoculation in those days was not too successful and numbers of cattle were lost. This annoyed the natives; cattle are a sign of their wealth. The Leary Bridge over the Umzumvubu River was opened by my mother in 1897. Umzumvubu means the home of the hippopotamus. In 1899 the Boer War broke out. Native levies under European officers were raised and sent to guard the Maclear - Mount Fletcher borders. There was a great blizzard in 1902; great numbers of stock perished. The village of Mount Frere had increased and there were several traders. Roads were being built. Government regulations forced all stock owners to dip their cattle as it was found that dipping was the only effective way of killing the East Coast Fever tick. Dipping tanks were far apart at first and the natives objected to having to drive their stock such distances. In 1914 they rose in protest, but this was rapidly settled. In 1916 one native defied the authorities and a posse of police with the stock inspector and his assistant were sent out to arrest him. In the evening one of the policeman was sent back to Mandeleni, a trading station belonging to my father, to get provisions for the men. The natives supposed that he was the only survivor and he was stabbed to death within sight of Mandeleni. Later the rest of the police arrived and took shelter in the shop - a stone building - and turned it into a laager. The instigator of the trouble, Mangwana, had been arrested and was held prisoner in the shop. Every time the natives came forward the kestrels (small hawks) flew out of the trees and our dog in the shop barked. The defenders opened fire. The manager of the shop at Mandeleni rode into Mount Frere, 15 miles, to give the alarm that night. In the early morning a loyal native servant arrived to tell us of the murder of the policeman. Within 12 hours men from Matatiele were on the spot with arms; the Transkei Mounted Rifles came out and a local man joined them. They took machine guns out. The culprit, Mangwana, was gaoled for some years, and peace reigned once more. Now in 1955 we have a modern village with most amenities - water, electric light, sports grounds, swimming bath, bowling green, tennis courts, football, cricket field and a fishing pond. We have a school, churches, 2 hotels and a hospital. The National road passes through the village. And so I have seen a village develop from bare veld and watched it grow through the years of war and peace. My grandchildren now live in the village that my father started so many years ago. [From Jean Main, Georgina's daughter: "We had hoped to see the end of century in the little village of Mount Frere, but Mum died in 1969 and my only brother Colin in 1970. And by then the Transkei was on its way to independence. Colin's family is in Pietermaritzburg".] DONALD McKAY and JANE McGREGOR
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