▁French ▁H ug uen ot ▁and ▁German ▁descent ▁known ▁as ▁Vo ort re kk ers ▁( l ater ▁named ▁Bo ers ▁by ▁the ▁English ) ▁emer ged ▁from ▁the ▁Cape ▁Col ony , ▁seeking ▁past ure ▁for ▁their ▁f lock s ▁and ▁to ▁escape ▁British ▁government al ▁o vers ight , ▁sett ling ▁in ▁the ▁country . ▁Up ▁to ▁this ▁time ▁the ▁few ▁Europe ans ▁who ▁had ▁crossed ▁the ▁Orange ▁had ▁come ▁mainly ▁as ▁hun ters ▁or ▁as ▁mission aries . ▁These ▁early ▁migr ants ▁were ▁followed ▁in ▁ 1 8 3 6 ▁by ▁the ▁first ▁parties ▁of ▁the ▁Great ▁Tre k . ▁These ▁em igr ants ▁left ▁the ▁Cape ▁Col ony ▁for ▁various ▁reasons , ▁but ▁all ▁shared ▁the ▁desire ▁for ▁independence ▁from ▁British ▁authority . ▁The ▁leader ▁of ▁the ▁first ▁large ▁party , ▁Hend rik ▁Pot gi eter , ▁concluded ▁an ▁agreement ▁with ▁Mak w ana , ▁the ▁chief ▁of ▁the ▁B ata ung ▁tribe ▁of ▁B ats w ana , ▁c eding ▁to ▁the ▁far mers ▁the ▁country ▁between ▁the ▁V et ▁and ▁Va al ▁rivers . ▁When ▁Bo er ▁families ▁first ▁reached ▁the ▁area ▁they ▁discovered ▁that ▁the ▁country ▁had ▁been ▁dev ast ated , ▁in ▁the ▁northern ▁parts ▁by ▁the ▁chief ▁M zil ik azi ▁and ▁his ▁Mat abe le ▁in ▁what ▁was ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁M f ec ane , ▁and ▁also ▁by ▁the ▁D ifa q ane , ▁in ▁which ▁three ▁tribes ▁ro amed ▁across ▁the ▁land ▁attack ing ▁settled ▁groups , ▁absor bing ▁them ▁and