The Promised Land; or, Nine years-gold mining, hunting, and volunteering-in the Transvaal. By E. V. C

Chapter I

"Y\ J ELL Jack, old boy, I am dead tired of '' this hot, sandy town of D'Urban; this broiling coast of South Africa may be very charming to some people, but I vote for a move up country — Gold-fields way, I hear that it's only some seven or eight hundred miles, and heaps of game to shoot at on the road. We have fifty pounds yet left, our guns, ammunition, and good stock of clothes; besides, what can we do if we remained here ? " I asked, for not the first time. " No," answered my companion, Jack Liester, who was seriously studying our hotel bill for the past week. " No, our fifty pounds won't last long at this rate ; just look at these con founded charges. I am quite of your opinion, Scrut, a move must be made, and let it be to A ; or, 2 the Gold-fields, as you propose. " Ted," con tinued my friend, still addressing me, " do you know I have often wondered what the mischief fellows do that 'go to the dogs,' we are in that direction it's certain."

" Oh, hang the dogs," I interrupted, "let's go and see about getting seats in the post-cart that goes to Pietermaritzburg to-morrow, and from there we can travel by wagon." Off we strolled to the booking-office, followed closely by a beautiful black collie dog, called "Wolf," who completed the number of our party. We were not long in finding the office, and asked if there were three seats to be had as far as Maritzburg in to-morrow's cart. "Yes, and you are lucky to get them," replied the clerk. " What names ? " " Liester, Scruttles, and Wolf," money paid and that's settled. " Why should we be so fortunate in getting seats ? " I asked. " Well, you see," answered the clerk, " we was full up, until half-an-hour back, when a party of three that were going up to the Gold fields cried off, and if the news is confirmed of the late finds, we shall be besieged for seats before the cart leaves, so you had better give your friend Wolf a hint to be in good time."

"All right," rejoined Jack, "Wolf is never very far off from where we are. The cart leaves at — ? " " Seven thirty a.m." "All right, and thank you." Now we remembered the scramble there had been for seats in the post-cart the week before, and thought in case of a rush for places, what indignation there will be to see a dog gravely taking a seat. " Never mind," said Jack, "we have paid for Wolf's seat, and he has a right to it ; besides, with his lame paw, it would be cruel to make him keep up with fresh relays of horses. We will keep the seat for our friend Mr. Wolf until the last moment of starting, then call up the old doggie, and it will be a job for more than one man to move him." However, the good people of D'Urban were evidently not greatly excited by any late Gold fields news, and we duly started off in the huge two-wheeled cart, at a great rate, behind four fresh horses.

We started off and, indeed, kept the pace up regardless of what sort of ground the wheels thumped over. Just out of the town, however, the road v/as good, and having lit my pipe, I sat easily back, and throwing one leg over the other, agreed with Jack that this was something like travelling. But it was for a short time only that either of A ; or, 4 us lolled in that post-cart, at the first spruit we crossed we were holding on tightly as birds in a tree during a gale of wind ; how the driver, "Joe Murray," kept his seat — both hands of course being occupied with whip and reins — I can't imagine. Since then I have read many a doleful account describing the horrors of post cart travelling in South Africa, but never an exaggerated one. Smooth bits of road there were, here and there, of a length sufficient to lull the unwary into a feeling of false security, when, bang the heavy cart would plunge into a hollow or jolt with surprising violence over a rock.

Old Wolf, packed away under the seat in great disgust, and growled angrily when annoyed by a fiercer bump than usual. We had nearly reached Pine Town, which is the posting station, half-way between D' Urban and Maritzburg, when our pole broke short off near the cart ; we were going down hill fast, too, at the time, and the cart, of course, tipped for ward. The broken stump of the pole plunging into the ground, in a second, driver, passengers, and dog, shot out, flying. Murray stuck to the reins like a trump, but the sudden peck broke one of the traces, drew out a hold-fast from one of the swingle bars, and threw down two of the horses. After a deal of shouting, scrambling, and some swearing, men, horses and harness straightened out, but for some bruises, no one any the worse ; it was a heavy and nasty spill though, and detained us some time.

A passenger mounted one of the horses and scampered off to Pine Town in search of a fresh pole. He was unsuccessful, and as the stump of the pole that stuck out of the cart was barely eighteen inches long, it seemed to us that the splicing process that Murray at once tackled promised at least one more spill before we covered the twenty-five miles between Pine Town and Maritzburg. Murray worked away with raw-hide, rope, and big clasp-knife like a slave, and in something less than half-an-hour pronounced the fracture to be reduced and bandaged. Gees harnessed up, and off we went again helter skelter. "At the next hill," said Murray, "lean well back, gentlemen, and take the weight off the pole, the road is smooth here, I mean to send 'em along down this slope, and not give the old stick time to think about parting ; sit tight, and if I am parted from the reins one of you freeze on to them."

We got down the incline very quickly, but safely, and at Pine Town managed to have the broken pole more firmly secured. After resting a short time, and getting a very good luncheon at Pine Town, we completed the remainder of our tiring drive. As to the beauties ; or, of the road between D'Urban and Peitermaritz burg we saw none of them, the dust was too thick, and our attention too fully taken up with the necessity of holding on to notice much about scenery, but I think we had excellent and varied impressions both of the post-cart and also the road it travelled over. The time of the drive was eight hours, if I remember rightly, the sun simply blazing hot, and we were very pleased to leave the cart and be at the end of that journey. We went straight to the Royal Hotel, and never before did I so thoroughly appreciate the luxury of a good wash.

We arrived at a good time — dinner hour — and did justice to excellent fare. After dinner, while taking coffee — which, in Natal, I may mention, has a strong taste of paraffin oil — we commenced talking of places at home, and presently an old fellow, who was seated opposite to us, and so placed could not avoid hearing much of our conversation, bent forward and asked, " Am I mistaken, gentle men, but I fancy one at least of you must come from Berkshire ? The names of many places that you mention are well known to me." Any person who has been away from home with but little hope of returning, may understand the quick attraction to one, although a stranger, coming from or near the dear old place. His enquiries were soon answered, and we learned that he had, years before, farmed a portion of an estate adjoining that of Jack's father.

Letters of introduction we had in some number, but none of them produced a warmer, and certainly not one so useful, a friend to us as Tom Line, of Pietermaritzburg. " Come to my house, and stay as long as you like," was his kind offer ; " my wife is away, but I can give you a bachelor's welcome, store your luggage, and perhaps some useful hints if you think of going up country, besides," added the good-hearted old chap, "there are many you can give me news about that I long to hear of." Line would not take no for an answer, and a very pleasant two days' stay we had under his roof, leaving with him, on our departure, four portmanteaux of clothes, and a lot of odds and ends that had come on after us from D' Urban by wagon. Six years afterwards I wrote Line from the Gold-fields asking, if any of my things had escaped the white ants, to forward me a box with a few shirts, &c. I duly received all four portmanteaux, their contents in perfect order, and the two cases of odds and ends as well.

On the third morning of our stay in Maritz burg, Line introduced us to a transport rider then loading up for the Gold-fields, who gra ciously gave us permission to travel with his ; or, wagon, provided that we paid him the usual rate — about 4d. per pound — for anything we wished to put on the conveyance, and did not object to lend a hand in case of a " stickfast." " Lend a hand," I said ; " of course, but if your eighteen oxen can't move the wagon, we can't be of much assistance ! " " Oh, yes, you will," he answered ; " in such a case we half empty the wagon, and carry that part of the load over the bad place." We accepted his offer, but did not much fancy the appearance of the load as hand baggage — sacks of flour, weighing two hundred apiece ; pockets of sugar of some sixty to eighty pounds ; big bundles of long-handled shovels, and various "sich like" trifles.

" I see two terrible-looking whips," Jack remarked to me in an undertone ; " and if they are properly applied I doubt our having 'to see stars' over those heavy bags." But Jack was wofully in error. The name of the wagon owner was Lowe, and that one word, his name, describes the owner so perfectly that I need not waste words about his character. " The wagon will be outspanned at the foot of the town hill this evening, and I hope to get up it to-morrow, so you two had better sleep by the wagon to-night," said Lowe. " Very good," we agree, and gave a contented glance at the strong canvas-covered tilt, or tent, as it is called in South Africa, that covered the stern end of the wagon. Back we then went to Tom Lines, there to finish packing our kits for the road. Our bedding consisted of rugs and blankets, and our united wardrobe filled One large portmanteau.

What about commissariat, wras the next ques tion. Bacon, biscuit, tea, sugar, coffee, flour, and a large junk of fresh meat comprised the list. We also bought a canvas tent, eight feet by ten, and two strong hammocks. Having seen all these things carefully stowed away on the wagon, we agreed to have one last com fortable feed under a roof before leaving the neighbourhood of Maritzburg. I am not likely to forget our first night camping out, for so it proved in earnest. When we returned to the wagon, about nine o'clock, we proceeded to open the back of the tent, intending to climb in and make our beds, but were greeted by — "All right, all right, Mr. Scruttles, don't undo the sail, you will find your bedding under the wagon." " Shall we," said Jack ; " but how are we to come in without undoing the tent ?

" " What, come inside ! " shouted Lowe ; " why, you sleep underneath, of course. I agreed ; or, 10 that you should travel with the wagon, but that don't mean sleeping inside. Good night to you both." We regarded each other in silent disgust for some time without speaking. There lay our bedding, two grey looking heaps, under the wagon, which was outspanned in the road, and a keen wind whistled by, driving clouds of dust. At last we both found something to say rela tive to the gentleman inside the wagon, and then Jack remarked, " Never mind, Scrut, old chap, I have been worse off before, and never a bit the worse for it ; let's take a brisk walk, get warm, and look for shelter at the same time. We must get out of this dust, but can't afford to sleep at hotels any more. We made up our minds to rough it, and hang me if this is not a beginning."

Off we moved in different directions. Any one that knows the town hill Pietermaritzburor is aware there is precious little shelter to be found on it, and, after about half an hour's stumbling round in the dark, we met to com pare notes at the wagon. Jack, however, who had had some four years' experience of roughing it in New Zealand, soon hit upon a plan. We carried our bedding well away from the road, and unstrapped the two mackintosh sheets that the blankets were rolled in ; these were laree enough to completely cover us over, and held down to windward by a row of heavy stones. It was rather stuffy under the mackintosh, which g-ave off a searching smell, but we were moderately warm, and escaped the dust. I slept soundly until daylight, when Jack awaked me by calling out, " Coffee, Baas, coffee !

" My good-natured mate had been up some time already, fetched wood and water, cooked the kettle, and made coffee; which I drank for the first time out of a tin pannikin. The taste of the new tin was rather an agreeable set-off to the paraffiny flavour, but it was a long while before I could really enjoy the taste of Natal coffee. Then up with the bedding ; blankets done into a roll, with the mackintosh sheets outside strapped tight, and packed back on top of the load. Lowe and his Kafirs had commenced inspanning, and we lit our pipes and looked on with some amusement. A long job it seemed to us, for the oxen were fresh, and some of them rather wild. The Kafir driver — Classe by name — was only lately engaged, and did not know in what part of the team the different bullocks were accustomed to pull.

Eventually the whole string of bullocks were inspanned, standing in line facing the trek tow, and side ; or, 12 on, to the front of the wagon. At the word " Trek," the oxen all went twos right, as they pulled the yokes at right angles with the trek tow. Then the Kafir driver commenced to make unpleasant noises. " Lulargie " — meaning go a-head — he called out to the small Kafir deputed to lead the front pair of oxen by dragging at the rheim — a strip of raw hide rope tied to their horns. " Lurlargie " — then to the oxen, " Trek ; yow, yow, yow, harmbargie;" he clapped his long whip like a pistol, and the heavily-loaded wagon rolled slowly along the road until against the first rise of the mountain. There we experienced the pleasures of a stickfast. Four whole days passed and we had not advanced twenty yards.

Oxen soon find out what sort of a driver they have with them. I believe Classe knew his work, and might have persuaded the brutes, but Lowe, who evidently knew very little about trek-bullocks, said — " No ; my oxen shall not be beaten. I gave eleven pounds a-piece for them. I know they are good oxen, and you " — speaking to Classe — " don't know how to drive." Then there was a row. Dutch, especially low Dutch, is not a pretty language at any time, but during a quarrel sounds horrid. The dispute over, Classe — being on his metal — howled "Bullok" in his most persuasive manner, but all to no purpose. " Seven hundred and odd miles to go," groaned Jack, "and a heap of it hilly country, too ; I suppose this is what they call a stickfast, but they can't expect us to carry the load up the hill on our own backs to please these eighteen idle devils of oxen !"

However, on the morning of the fifth day, Lowe went back into the town for letters, and no sooner was he out of sight, than we retired to a scrubby-looking tree that grew close by, and, with the aid of a chopper, soon cut two formidable sticks. The driver looked ap provingly at our arrangements, and said, " Yarr, Baas " — " Yes, Masters " — while he doubled the lash of his whip. One way and another things looked ugly for the stubborn eighteen. I am not of a cruel disposition, nor is Jack ; so as the driver behaved brutally, I will confine my account to how I and Jack helped to persuade Mr. Lowe's oxen. We took different sides of the team, and each did his level best to make an impression. My stick got used up when about half-way out of the hill ; but being then quite tired of sword exercise, and stones plentiful, I slated the most ; or, 14 idle of the team to the best of my ability.

Jack attended to his side of the span in like manner, and the oxen finding that go they had to, went accordingly, and topped the rise in great form. Lowe remarked, when he returned to the wagon that evening, " I told you so ; no beating required to make my oxen travel." He must have noticed some strange marks on the sides of his oxen on the following morning ; but if so, said nothing. The next few days, stickfast after stickfast occurred, and at last, Lowe — who had lately seemed of rather a thoughtful turn of mind — asked me — " Mr. Scruttles, when I went back to the town for letters, I left you and the wagon at the bottom of that town-hill. Pray, how did you get up ? " " Beat the oxen like blazes," I returned ; for both I and Jack were tired of him and his oxen, and did not much care if he cut up rough or not.

However, he took the information quietly, and acted on it, so after my explanation we travelled faster. I do not intend writing a very long account of our journey, and my readers can imagine that after the first novelty of camping out wore off, our trek was uninteresting enough until we reached the high veldt. So we will picture our party over the first part of the road, and the huge wagon safely landed on the commencement of the high veldt district. The next day being Sunday, we did not trek, and prepared for a busy time. A big batch of bread had to be baked, clothes washed, and the hammocks slung under the wagon, for sleeping on the ground was all very well when the wagon stopped over a decently smooth spot, but it very often did not, and my corners were be ginning to feel ill-used. First we got out the shooting-irons, opened cartridge-boxes, and filled belts and pouches ; then having slung the hammocks, we next tackled the bread making.

We made bread by mixing up flour, water and soda into dough, and cooking small lumps of it at a time in the frying-pan. We sat up very late that night smoking, and talking of all we hoped to kill on the morrow. The hammocks swung one on each side of the wagon, and very jolly it was lying in them on a still evening as we smoked the last pipe and listened drowsily to the, jabber-jabber of the Kafirs lying by the fire. We were travelling during the winter months, and the nights were as cold as the days were hot. Transport riders like to inspan about an hour before dawn, the coldest of the twenty-four, for or, 16 they say truly that the oxen are better moving at that time than standing shivering ; but it is hard work turning out then, to dress in the open air, and there always seemed to be an extra cold blast while we were getting our trousers on, and as a matter of fact a small thin breeze often does spring up shortly before dawn.

Previously to those early treks I had deemed the man who smoked before breakfast to be a slave to his pipe ; but soon learned to enjoy the early pipe. Breakfast we rarely did before eleven, sometimes twelve o'clock, and to those who enjoy robust health — as we did — tobacco is a great preventitive to hunger. After helping inspan the oxen, we generally walked on ahead until sunrise, and then climbed up on the front of the wagon, there to enjoy the sunshine while looking out for game. We saw nothing to shoot at that morning until after breakfast, when calling to the dog to follow we turned away from the road and into a patch of tambookie grass. What a beautiful morning that was, and how we pushed through the grass, looking out eagerly on every side ; the collie working the forty or fifty yards between Jack and myself as he ran from the one of us to the other.

For some time we strode along, guns care fully at the ready, and not a word spoken, we were beginning to wonder when the first shot would go ; when away rushed something through the long grass, looking to me like an overgrown hare. Some fifty yards forward the grass was less high and thick, and as the beast was crossing this clearing I loosed off, letting drive as if with a shot gun. " Klop," I heard the bullet strike, but not then knowing the merits of that lovely sound, thought it merely the ground I had fired into. Jack, who was rather ahead at the moment, also got an opening, though rather a lengthy one, and "bang," "bang" went his two barrels of buck shot. " What infernal duffers we are," I groaned. " He's down, he's down ! I've hit him," shouts Jack. Some way on the ground rose, and up the slope and over the top I saw the buck race, with the black dog close to his heels.

" Run ! " I never ran so before, and it seemed to me never got so quickly winded either, but the grass was so high that it was like racing through a field of corn, the sun hot, and we so excited. On top of the ridge we looked anxiously out, and were already telling each other exactly how it happened that each had missed, when we suddenly heard the buck cry out. Off we B ; or, cut once more, and soon found the buck, old Wolf standing over it, but evidently very doubtful if his share of the performance was all correct. We soon put the buck out of its misery. A fine Auribi ram with beautifully straight and sharply pointed black horns of some six inches or more in length. The Auribi is about the size of a goat, but standing higher on the leg, and has a pretty red-brown coat, except on the underside of the belly where the fur is snow white.

We shook hands. We danced round it like two children, our delight was unbounded, then came a friendly discussion as to who had shot it. Oddly, although the first buck we either had ever seen, we both had hit it. My bullet had gone through the hind leg and out at the side, while Jack's buckshot had been so well directed that the wonder was that the little antelope could have travelled a yard so wounded. We carried the antelope to the camp turn and turn about, and arrived there to find the wagon on the point of starting. We climbed up to our usual places, lit pipes, and that Auribi was killed over and over again. Oh the delights of that shooting, I dearly appreciated it, and nowadays in the old country I often " think back " of the wild chases and beautiful sport I have had in South Africa. The following day we got sight of several troops of game, but they were wild and watchful, unless mounted we could do no good, so waited impatiently for a chance.

Towards evening we saw springbok, quagga, and blesbok, and Lowe assured us, we were likely to be well among them on the morrow. That evening we dined like Princes on Auribi stew, our appetites as keen as knives, and we put away a vast quantity of that same stew. Then the hammocks were stretched as usual, and we turned into them with pipes going and again plenty to say about future sport. The wagon was outspanned in long grass that rose some four feet on every side, effectually keeping off the cold wind, and we promised ourselves an extra comfortable night. The Kafirs came in for a share of the buck, and were highly pleased. The driver told us he had not expected us to kill anything, as it was very unusual for a raw Englishman to be successful. I fear we swaggered more than was wise about our shooting powers, for after our recent success we thought it easy to hit, but we had shortly to come down a peg. B ; or, 20

Chapter II. Atext

morning we turned out briskly, and *■ ' had our beds stowed away in good time so as to lend a hand with the inspanning, which we now had learnt something of. After an hour's trek the morning began to break ; but what a change in the appearance of the country. In front of us, as far as the eye could reach, the plains were as black as fire could make them ; the road shewing up ahead like a red line dividing a sea of ink. For the veldt had been burnt some days previously, and on either side of where we now treked, the ashes of the burnt grass lay in black dust, and here and there were sheltered from the wind in feathery looking heaps. The fire leaves the stalk of the grass within a quarter of an inch from the ground in spikes of stiff stubble, and when walking over it reminded us of wheat stubble, barring the colour.

As the light strengthened we gazed curiously out on the black country, which seemed as if covered by a huge and uncanny shadow. Now and then a whirlwind would lift a column of ashes high in the air, " dust-spouts " as Jack called them, and grimy affairs they are to be wrapped in. I wondered wdiere the fire might have driven all the game, but hardly had commenced to grumble when I spotted some springbok, and see against the rise yonder, ten, twelve, fifty buck and more! "Skit, Baas, Skit," shouted Classe, as a troop of springbok scampered across the road close in front, but coming from that side of the road we had not been looking out towards. " Take the rifle, Ted, knock spots off them " — from Jack. " No, no," I said, " you have first shot." Then it was we learned the necessity of keep ing guns and ammunition handy, at a moment's call, when among the game.

The rifle was handled quickly, but the cartridge bag had got jammed against the side of the wagon by the shifting of part of the load. Ruthlessly we hauled at the bag, smashing the stuck-fast strap, but, what with cold fingers and excitement, the rifle was not loaded until too late. Never mind, better luck next time, and both of us being so confoundedly polite about first shot we tossed up for the next. Standing on the load we were raised considerably above the road level, and could see troops of game in ; or, 22 every direction, the larger herds containing some thousands of head. I got out a powerful pair of fieldglasses, and enjoyed a long look at the game. Springbok, blesbok, hartebeeste, quagga and wildebeeste — or gnus. Goodness knows what they found to eat on the "bront," but they mostly appeared to be feeding.

The collie, too, was much interested, and with cocked ears looked earnestly as ourselves at the game. "Why, I do believe the old doggie takes them for sheep," said Jack, " he is as well trained and good a worker as ever rounded up a mob of sheep ; why should not he, at least, drive some of the game within shot of the wagon ? " " Well," I returned, " I never did hear of a collie rounding up antelope, but see how eager he is. Start him off, Jack." Wolf had been considered a good dog in New Zealand, and done a deal of work there muster ing sheep on the hills, so there really seemed some chance that he might get us a shot. At the proper call from Jack off he went at a quiet canter, getting behind, coasting round, and at the same time edging down on a large mob of springbok that soon ceased feeding and drew together facing the dog.