ABSTRACT
Trekkers had generally ignored prohibitions against taking ex-slaves out of the colony. Dingane knew he was the strongest power the trekkers had to deal with. Through most of 1838 he waited anxiously to see whether they would manage a counter-attack. Gerrit Maritz had seized a cannon from the charred remains of Port Natal, which he hoped would spread terror among the Zulu forces. But as most of the Boer horses were in no condition to undertake a long campaign, the planned invasion was delayed until they could fatten on the spring grasses of October and November. Since 1836, lame-duck governor Benjamin D’Urban and the old military clique had taken perverse delight in each disaster which occurred beyond the borders of the British Zone. In their eyes, Britain’s reversal of their aggressive policy on the Xhosa frontier had caused all the trouble, including the trekking movement.
