He Therefore Resolved To Take His Family To Cape Town,
And Thence Send Them To England, While He Returned Alone To The Interior,
With The Purpose Of Making His Way Either To The East Or The West Coast.
He reached the Cape in April, 1852, being the first time during eleven years
that he had visited the scenes of civilization, and placed his family
on board a ship bound for England, promising to rejoin them in two years.
In June he set out from Cape Town upon that long journey which was to occupy
five years. When he approached the missionary stations in the interior,
he learned that the long-threatened attack by the Boers had taken place.
A letter from Sechele to Mr. Moffat told the story. Thus it ran:
"Friend of my heart's love and of all the confidence of my heart,
I am Sechele. I am undone by the Boers, who attacked me,
though I had no guilt with them. They demanded that I should be
in their kingdom, and I refused. They demanded that I should prevent
the English and Griquas from passing. I replied, These are my friends,
and I can not prevent them. They came on Saturday, and I besought them
not to fight on Sunday, and they assented. They began on Monday morning
at twilight, and fired with all their might, and burned the town with fire,
and scattered us. They killed sixty of my people, and captured women,
and children, and men.
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