Part 15 (1/2)

CHAPTER XII

On the road--Heavy rain--Mosquitoes--Natal--Thunderstor--My cash runs out--A halcyon day--Hospitality--D'Urban--Failure to get work--The Fighting Blacksentleman Narrow escape of the latter--East London--Experiences in a surfboat--A Perilous venture--I enter the Civil Service--Further re was heavy, but h It was early in the forenoon of the following day when I reached Lydenburg Having had to purchase boots, socks, flannel shi+rts, and a waterproof, more than half of my 10 had melted away; it would be necessary, therefore, to exercise the strictest econoh the Eastern Transvaal I was fortunate in finding wagons going Natalwards on which I could load ot a lift myself but this I was not particularly anxious for

I had my small Low Country tent withof the kind I have ever seen It weighed with poles, pegs, and whipcord guys about six pounds Its height o feet six inches; its poles were of bamboo which had been split in two and rejoined, the split pieces being relatively reversed Its pegs were ht hich I had found in one of the forests of the Blyde River Valley

When about half-way to the Natal border I encountered heavy rain

One-tenth of the thunderstorms that broke over my luckless head would, had they but visited the mountain saddle a couple of weeks previously, have made an independent man of me This was quite typical of ue in the Transvaal I shall never forget ht close to the source of the Vaal River

The sun was hardly down before the tormentors came out in myriads They seemed to thrive on smoke; at all events they were less incohtly and placed sorass, at the sa at my pipe as furiously as I could 'But all was in vain; the wretched insects crowded in as though they enjoyed the dense reek

Although dead tired after an exceptionally fatiguing day, I struck the tent, repackedThen I left the road and made for a kopje about ae, and was fast asleep almost before I reached a recumbent position It was late in the afternoon when I akened by the heat of the sun Then, after a hearty ain until another 's Nek and Majuba Hill, the slopes of which were destined within a few years to floith the blood of brave men, and to be the scene of feats of arms which startled the world, and, in a certain respect, revolutionized warfare But it ater that was there flowing on the day I passed, for the whole range was lashed by a succession of furious thunder storms

From Newcastle onward I adopted a different system one which enabled me to travel istrate's office, and through the police secured the services of a strong native to act as carrier of s the areed upon with the Chief Constable, to be drahen the native returned with a note fro that he had done his duty It was a wonderful relief to be free fro The distance to Ladysmith is, I think, about a hundred hts

At Ladyss, which was less than a quarter of its value Butout; the heavy rains had on several occasions drivened another native to acco This was necessary; had I attempted to travel alone I should certainly have lost my way

The heat for it was now lyable to get a sheltered place wherein to sleep by day This kind of acco able to secure did not cost anything When I bought food at a farmhouse I would usually ask to be allowed to lie down in one of the sheds

The thunderstorms were a serious embarrassment In the comparatively flat Transvaal they did notthe convoluted hills which are such a salient feature of the Natal landscape, some kloof which ordinarily held atorrent Occasionally I was hung up for hours at a tie, the naet, but whichon the Ladys rain I was forced to take refuge in the hotel Here the cost of accommodation for myself and -point

The weather cleared, and I made another start, but the condition of the roads was such that I was unable to travel at more than half eni River, the rain caht, but was only able to reach the heights from which that town is visible We entered the forest on the left-hand side of the road and caed to kindle a fire andabout, so weblaze and sat as close to it as we could That night was a miserable one; the rain never ceased for a moment, so sleep was quite out of the question

It was still raining e started nextafter a tramp of a couple of hours I went to an hotel on theHe promptly refused to take me in; this did not surprise me in the least, for Ithe situation and producing s, the proprietor relented so far as to let e store He nevertheless insisted on taking away my pipe, tobacco, and matches He wanted to lock me in, but this I would not stand I slept war

In the afternoon the rain ceased, so I again set out My capital was now reduced to one and ninepence Just before sundown I called at a farmhouse a few hundred yards from the road and asked for work Here I was kindly entertained, and given a corner of an outhouse wherein to sleep, and sos and straith toforBefore darkness fell Iand chopped a lot of firewood

After a hearty breakfast of delicious bread, butter, and milk I ht, the sun shoneI wandered slowly along, enjoying the inco that the world, which had hitherto shown an seriously to regard the universe from the standpoint of a professional tra to be said for the philosophy of the un spot I turned out of the road and strolled for a while along the bank of a strea pool Then I washed rass to dry I lit my pipe, laid myself naked under an erythrina tree, and praised the Gods for the gift of life

When my clothes were sufficiently dry I dressed and went on It was now fairly late in the afternoon I caught sight of another farmhouse, so I went to it The men-folk were away, but a dear old lady of aarden ht therein by the heavy weather of the past week I asked for a spade and a rake; within little etables and flowers, which grew side by side in an eccentric jumble, had been flattened out by the rain into aof -case; this I split up, and a judicious use of the frag, soon showed that little irreparable dairl they were grandchildren of the old lady inal talk However, they rather e quantities of biscuits and coffee, being distressed when I was unable to consume all

At dusk the proprietor of the farm, with his wife and a baby, returned in a cart They warmly seconded the old lady's invitation for ht So I slept in a real bed an experience I had not enjoyed for years I hope that kindly roof-tree still stands firm, and that the little children have not alone prospered, but taken after their i I started very early, for I felt I had dawdled enough I passed down the long, lovely Intshanga Ridge, and must have walked well, for I reached Pine Town fairly early in the afternoon Here I otten; he also was about to walk to D'Urban We did not, however, go together, for the reason that I had o by a direct route over the Berea, whilst he had so a more round-about course

I passed a nu in a little pineapple patch I spent ninepence ofthree separate lots of four at three-pence per lot It was late in the afternoon when I reached D'Urban The date was the 27th of January, so I had spent twenty four days on the road Considering the weather I had encountered, I had not done so badly NextI read in a newspaper that the athered on the previous day had died from the effects of the bite of a h the bush close to the town

I kneo men at D'Urban One was Mr Jack Ellis, at present of the firm of Dyer and Dyer, East London The other was a man nahting Blacksth, and was skilled in the use of his fists Mr Ellis was in those days not by any ave ratitude which I shall not forget

SiI walked fro for work, but tily scarce Besides, I knew no trade but , and was utterly without such education as would have fitted me for office employot a job with a roustabout gang ballasting a shi+p, but the wages were only two shi+llings a day; besides, the job did not last The probleet away to East London Once there I would be with o to Si to do

At length tidings of joy Siht he had secured for me a suitable billet Could I drive four horses in a cart, he asked? Well, I had certainly driven a pair of mules in a Scotch cart with fair success and I could, in a way, handle a team of oxen But when Sims explained the situation further, land, had purchased a cart and four and wanted so Willia the Native Territories, where, at that period, the present fine highere not in existence In fact, the only roads were, as I happened to know, a series of criss-cross tracks leading fro station to another over an extremely mountainous country And I had never driven two ars cannot be choosers; moreover, Sims appeared to consider that I was unduly conscientious He thought I should be able to learn how to handle et in driving over the high-roads of Natal before reaching the ht toin this idea, and if Sientleman were prepared to take the risks, why should not I? So a bargain was struck, and I was provisionally hired My remuneration was to be 5 for the trip, plus all expenses while on the road

But on nights I used to be harassed by doubts Which was most likely to be the result, I would ask myself, assassination or suicide? Most probably both, conscience would shriek However, Providence occasionally interferes to protect the innocent; the old gentlee of a step and sprained his ankle severely Thus do unspeakably great blessings soentle his neck