Under the auspices of a white flag, the Basuto’s gained access to many homesteads and murdered many farmers in the Free State and stole their livestock. Their cries for help reached their fellow boers and the line in the sand were drawn. This is the account of the battle of Tanjesberg and the victory of Chief commandant Pausegrouw.
The Seqiti War. The word seqiti refers to the sound made by the new cannon the Boers used to crush the Basotho strongholds, manily in the present day Free State Province. One of these battles were that of Tandjesberg.
On 28 January 1868, Tanjesberg was taken by storm by Chief Commandant Pausegrouw.
This stronghold was attacked in the same manner as Makwai’s mountain. Commandant Van der Merwe with the Fauresmith bhurghers was sent to make a feint at the north-eastern point while Commandant Jooste with a strong detachment crept up the south-western extremity. An hour before daybreak Van der Merwe, under a heavy fire of cannon, pretended to storm the mountain, his burghers keeping up a continual discharge of rifles, but not exposing themselves unnecessarily.
The ruse succeeded. Poshuli’s men were drawn towards the threatened point, and Jooste seized the opportunity to climb up to the top of the great mound. The rooks there were full of seances, the first of which was in possession of the burghers before the enemy was aware of what was
taking place.
Even then the position of Poshuli’s men would have been impregnable if they had not lost heart. In some places the burghers had to scale steep rocks to attack the seances, but in their enthusiam they surmounted every obstacle, and early in the morning they were in fnll possession of the stronghold, from which the Basuto had fled in a panic. Though only six burghers were wounded, the conquerors counted one hundred and twenty-six dead bodies of their enemies.
How many more of the Basuto were killed and how many were wounded cannot be stated with accuracy, but the number of the latter was very considerable. The movable spoil consisted of 106 horses, 140 head of horned cattle, 1,070 sheep, and a very large quantity of grain.
Among those who fell at Tandjesberg was the commander of the garrison, Moshesh’s brother Poshuli, the most renowned robber captain in South Africa. He was wounded in the leg, and was endeavouring to get away with the assistance of one of his sons and two or three of his councillors, when he found himself exposed to a fire of musketry from the front. To lighten himself he unbuckled his ammunition pouch and gave it with his rifle to his son. The party then tried to escape into a gorge leading down the mountain, but they had only proceeded a few yards when a ball entered between Poshuli’s shoulders and
passed through his chest, killing him instantly.
His son and councillors managed to conceal the body in a cave until nightfall, when they carried it away for burial. In the engagement one of the inferior half brothers of Moshesh also fell, and two of Poshuli’s sons were wounded. The loss of Tandjesberg was considered by the Basutos the severest blow they had received since the formation of the tribe by Moshesh.
From its fall the cry of the old chief to the High Commissioner was earnest and unceasing, to come quickly or it would be too late. The burghers were in a corresponding degree inspirited. The young corn was now so far grown that it could be easily destroyed, and they were doing their utmost to cut it down. Their hope was strong that with a little further exertion Moshesh’s power would certainly be broken, and the tribe which had so long menaced their very existence be scattered in fragments too weak to be dangerous.
