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When I started this series off a couple of years ago, it was a dive into the deep end \u2014 although it was the sixth podcast series I\u2019d launched \u2014 this was the biggest gamble.
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\nBut the wonderful response I\u2019ve received overall has been a big surprise, a motivator so thank you for your comments. I have a website www.desmondlatham.blog, which is stuttering along and in the future, shall be more responsive as I incorporate some of the ideas sent through by listeners.
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\nBack to where we left off in episode 126 \u2014 as Gerrit Maritz and Hendrick Potgieter rolled south trying to get away from Mzilikazi Khumalo\u2019s amaNdebele warriors after their audacious raid on his main homestead in the Klein Marico valley. The main target of their raid, Mzilikazi, along with the man known as Kaliphi his 2 IC, were 50 miles north of Marico when they raided and avoided death by Voortrekker musket.
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\nThe returning party of trekkers were exultant, having dealt the amaNdebele a severe blow, 107 horsemen made their way back along with 58 Baralong footmen carrying shields and assegais herding 6 500 cattle and thousands of sheep, two ox-wagons with the three American missionaries, their two wives, and two young children.
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\nThe commando trekked through the entire first night away from Mosego in the Klein Marico valley without taking a break. They rested for an hour at 11 :00 the next morning, then trekked on until late the following night.
\nIt was imperative for Maritz and Potgieter\u2019s men to make it to the south side, so the trekkers built a raft of tree trunks to ferry the missionaries wagons across the river, everything was now wet, and just to add to their suffering, the drizzle turned to heavy rain.
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\nWagons safely across, the commando stopped at Kommando Drift for a few days \u2014 it took that long to herd the remaining cattle across.
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\nThen just to celebrate, the burghers shot an ox to eat and hunted game to add to their meagre rations. A preliminary redistribution of the cattle was conducted at Kommando Drift with the Baralong, the Griqua and the Kora receiving their share of the spoils.
\nThe victorious raiders triumphant return was going well.
\nThe lion share of the raided livestock went to the trekkers, who began divvying up the loot at Blesberg. The Potgieter trek party believed they were owed a greater portion to compensate for the terrible losses at the Vaal River and Vegkop battles.
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\nAs the bickering worsened, the demographics of this area began to change.
\nA week or so after Potgieter trundled off to seek his fortune across the Vet River, something very important took place further south. On the 8th April 1837 Piet Retief crossed the Orange River leading a significant party of trekkers \u2014 100 wagons with 120 men. Size matters folks, and when he heard about this, Maritz eagerly sought Retief\u2019s support. He knew that Retief was respected, a man who had the ear of even the British back in the Cape.
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\nRetief was 57 years old and while not being young, was restless.
\nRetief eventually published a memorable document on 22nd January 1837, his manifesto which functioned as a kind of declaration of independence for the Voortrekker farmers. It has echoed over the ages, and as we cover various political moments in the coming episodes, you\u2019ll hear these echoes. Everything is connected.