To the south bands of Boer adventurers entered Zululand, the first of them as trekkers, the rest as auxiliaries to one of the native chiefs, who were at war with one another.
"Impressions of South Africa"
James Bryce
The trekkers, like the Irish emigrants, nursed a resentment against the British Government which was a source of untold expense and suffering in the future.
"The Framework of Home Rule"
Erskine Childers
As a matter of fact, the greater proportion remained behind, and their descendants formed the majority of the 376,000 whites enumerated in the census of 1891. The Great Trek was really composed of various detachments which started one after another in 1836. Statistics of the numbers of trekkers vary from 5,000 to 10,000. I have not been able to trace whether these figures refer only to adult males, or whether they include the women and children.
"Boer Politics"
Yves Guyot