NATIVE TROUBLE IN NATAL.

Wairarapa Age, Volume XXIX, Issue 8154, 7 June 1906, Page 7

NATIVE TROUBLE IN NATAL.

A NEW ZEALANDER'S EXPEK-

lEWCES.

Writing to relatives in Christcbuob, Mr A. Ross, an Auckland man, now employed in the Natal Civil Service at Pietermaritzburg, tell of his expeiencea in connection

with the, native trouble. Writing * from Pietermartizburg on April 3, he said:—"! have just returned horre again safe .and sound after nealy two months in the field. It is ■very nice to feel clean and to get into civilian clothes after being in uniform so long and sleeping in it at night. Sometimea we had to roogh it pretty badly, being wet through for a good portion of the day. Very often we had nothing but our saddles to use as pillows, and even in a standing camp we had to let down our tents at night in case of a nigger attack. . . . After we left Pietermaritzburg we went to a place three miles from Thornville Junction, where we eaugh"t four natives who looked suspicious characters. One of them tried to escape, but was shot before going very far. We were called out owing to the murder, of i Sub-inspector and a trooper of the Natal police, also one of our sergeants in the Natal Carbineers, the police chaps having been aqse gaied by an armed body of natives. This was, of course, only a preliminary to the native rising all over Natal, but by the prompt

steps taken by the Government the danger has been averted for a while, though we may expect to be called oat again at any time. We managed to catch fourteen of the and all have been shot, two in my presence. It was a new experience to me watching men being shot, but I did not feel much sympathy for them, knowing that they deserved what they got. . . . Then wo went to a place called txopo to try a chief for inciting rebellion and taking an arms against the Government. A heavy fine in cattle was inflicted, and several of the men ordered to be shot, bat I do not think the death sentence was carried out. After Ixopo we went to High Flats, thence *o Domasa. thence* to Winguto. thence to Ifafa, and finallb to Umtwhalurai. At the last-named place the natives were very troublesome and caused great anxiety amongst the Inhabitants, through going about in large armed bodies ( intimidating the people with threats. We sentenced oue of the natives to death and fined the tribe 1,500 nead of oattle, which I think were all collected before we left. J do not think we are nearly at the end of this trouble, as only to-day I hear that one chief who has been deposed has murdered the chief placed in authority by the Government, A force of 250 Natal police is going out to-night to try conclusions with him. I hope they will succeed in wiping'out the whole tribe. 1 think Natal iB rather a good place to be

away from, and especially now thai they have been playing duoks and drakes with fche Civil Service. If I could get a billet I would return to Auckland and live in peace and security. If the natives got the best of us it is the poor women and children who would suffer. I would rather shoot them than let them fall into the hands of the natives, as they would be tortured without meroy."