meanwhile, had mismanaged the affairs of the Transvaal, alienating their
Afrikaner subjects and failing to create an effective coalition in support of
their administration.
In defeating the Zulu and the Pedi, moreover, the
British had alleviated Afrikaner fears of African military power. Conse-
quently, late in 188o, when a Transvaal farmer refused to pay his taxes, his
action precipitated an armed rising. Commandos quickly cut off the impe-
rial garrisons in the Transvaal and invaded Natal, where they inflicted a
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