occupied before the Mfecane and far less than Governor Napier had recog-
nized as coming under Moshoeshoe's sway in 1843. The Sotho were pro-
foundly disappointed with that outcome. They still refer to the lost lands as
"the conquered territory" (map 6).82
By the time the agreement was signed, Moshoeshoe was ailing, and he
died on Thaba Bosiu on March
II,
1870. He had experienced all the
crucial changes that had taken place on the highveld-from
the com-
parative stability of his youth, through the anarchy of the Mfecane, to the
intrusion of French missionaries, Afrikaner farmers, and British officials.
More skillfully than other Africans 'confronted with similar problems, he
had managed to create a kingdom out of chaos and to steer that kingdom
through manifold dangers to what was probably the best destiny open to it
in the changed world of the late nineteenth century. 83
In December 1867, the British cabinet thought they were authorizing
the resumption of responsibilities in the interior because to fail to do so
would risk further instability, with repercussions throughout the region.
They were not doing it because they believed the area had great economic
promise. But in that very month a prospector named Carl Mauch was in