
 
 <\ 
 
 THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 LOS ANGELES
 
 THE RHODES TRUST.
 
 RHODESIA
 
 ANCIENT liUILDING— ZIMi;Ai;\\E
 
 RHODESIA 
 
 PAST AND PRESENT 
 
 m 
 
 S. I. 1)U TO IT 
 
 FOUNDER OF THE AFRIKANDER BL'ND ; REPRESENTATIVE OF 
 THE TRANSVAAL TO LONDON CONVENTION, 1SS3-S4 
 
 WITH SIXTEEN ILLLSTRATIONS FROM 
 PHOTOGRAPHS BY THE AUTHOR 
 
 LONDON 
 
 WILLIAM H E I N E M A N N 
 
 1S97
 
 [.)// rights >rsi-r:r</]
 
 
 PREFACE 
 
 The reader has probably seldom met with more 
 heterogeneous elements in one single book. Some 
 portions were written in our waggon, some under 
 a tree, on a stone, near an ant-heap, on the brink 
 of a river, on board ship, on the beach, in an old 
 mine, amidst ancient ruins ; seldom with the pen, 
 mostly with pencil ; sometimes by the glare of a fire, 
 sometimes by the feeble glimmer of a candle in a 
 lantern, mostly with the inconvenience of a traveller in 
 a new country, often in a hurry to avail ourselves of 
 the scanty chances of postal out-stations; mere fleeting 
 impressions, incoherent but fresh, in the shape of 
 letters to friends. On the contrary, other parts were 
 written in my study, in the midst of a library of 
 books on the North, dealing with the old diggings 
 and ruins, and give a rc'stinic of much reading and 
 reflection, coupled with my own investigations and 
 experience. 
 
 Well then, we give it, and let the reader take it for 
 what it is worth. We always trouble ourselves only 
 about what we wriie, never about what we have 
 
 1128447
 
 vi PREFACE 
 
 lorittai. That is for the reader to judge. What is 
 written, is written. 
 
 One remark only need be added. When we started 
 for the North, the secretary of the Chartered Company 
 kindly supplied us with letters of introduction to all 
 officials of the Company in Mashonaland and Matabe- 
 leland. Not a single one of these letters did we use. 
 We brought them all back. Purposely we avoided 
 coming into contact with the Company's officials as far 
 as possible ; we wanted to see with our own eyes ; 
 to judge impartially and unprejudiced. Whatever 
 deficiencies this book, consequently, may have, of 
 which we are fully conscious, it is written according 
 to our own disinterested observation and honest 
 conviction. 
 
 S. J. DU TOIT. 
 
 Paarl, Scptcmhcy 7, 1S95.
 
 lACB 
 
 CON 1 i: XTS 
 
 LIMTKR I 
 lULLOCK-WAGGON VERSUS RAILWAY 
 
 How the Dutch Pioneer opened the Country with his Ox- 
 The English follvuinf^ with Telegraph and 
 I' -Praises of the " slow but sure" Ox and Ox- 
 waggon — Still indispensable — Difference between former 
 and present Pioneers — Ox -waggon preceding Railway — 
 Rhodes the present Pioneer— Africa the Laud of the 
 Future — Why so long unknown— High and healthy — 
 No W'atertiays, auailing the Railnay — From Cape to 
 Cairo — Two Signboards — Co-operation of English and 
 Dutch 
 
 LKTTKR II 
 
 FROM VRYHURG TO MAFEKING 
 
 Bechuanaland's Population increasing — The Trade Route 
 — Transvaal exclusive Policy— Means of Transport from 
 Vryburg to Salisbury— '' He is only a Kaffir''— Trans- 
 vaal Incredulity — Moutsioa — The Friend of Trees— 
 Mafeking, the trim Border Town— The Railway just 
 crossing the Border of Civilisation— The increasing 
 Stream of Mahpo 13 
 
 I
 
 viii CONTEXTS 
 
 LETTER 111 
 FROM MAFEKING TO PALLA 
 
 PAGE 
 
 Tlnrc hundred miles per O.x-icaf;<f^on — 11'//// the 'Bus to 
 Btilawayo — Bush Country — Game and Birds — Guinea- 
 fold Hunting by Night — Pleasures and Sorrows of 
 Hunters— What arc these Trees for? — A Raihvay 
 through the Bush Country— Fire continually Burning 
 — A Fruitful and Habitable Country — Translation of 
 Kaffir Names 21 
 
 LETTER IV 
 FROM PALLA TO PALAPYE 
 
 Another 105 miles through Bush country — ''Every one 
 goes to Bulawayo" — Through a ''Thirst Land" — The 
 upper end of the Kalahari — Water and " Veldt''' — Chris- 
 tianity and Civilisation amongst the Kaffirs — Kaffirs as 
 ^~" Labourers — A Hint for our Labour Commission . . 28 
 
 LETTER V 
 FROM PALAPYE TO TATI 
 
 Palapyc as Toivn — Chama as Christian and Ruler — A 
 Smouldering Fire — The Tropic passed — Hidden ]\'ater 
 — More Lions — Opening for Industry . . . • 58 
 
 LETTER \T 
 
 THE TATI GOLD-ITELDS OF THE PAST 
 
 First Gold Discoveries — The " Voortrekkers" here, also 
 the Pioneers — Salkats and Lobcn fear the Gold — First 
 Gold-seekers — The Tati Concession — Why there is no 
 greater Success 47
 
 CONTEXTS ix 
 
 LETTER \TI 
 THE TATI GOLD-FIELDS OF THE PRESENT 
 
 I'AGE 
 
 Reality equal to a Novel — Plan of Novel concerning Solo- 
 mon s Mining Works here — Amongst Game and Beasts 
 of Prey — Great Mining Works in the far Interior . . 54 
 
 LETTER VIII 
 
 SALKATS, THE FOUNDER OF THE 
 MATABELE EMPIRE 
 
 The Boundaries of Matabeleland — The Descent of Salkats 
 — Salkats and Chaka — Salkats and the Boers — Salkats 
 and the Mashonas, Makalakas, and Baroets — His Death 
 and Successor — The Poor Matabeles — Their Miserable 
 State and Humiliation 63 
 
 LETTER IX 
 
 LOBENGULA, THE DESTROYER OF THE 
 MATABELE EMPIRE 
 
 Contrast between Salkats and Lobengula — The Weak- 
 nesses of Lobengula — Lobengula the Victim of English 
 Policy — Downing Street does u'hat Pretoria refused to do 
 — Not the Boer, but the Englishman acquires the North- 
 • — First by Diplomacy, then by Gold Concessions, finally 
 with the Maxim — The Grobler Murder — " Bobejaun " 
 sent to the White Queen — England's Suzerainty acknon'- 
 ledged — ^^ Protection,'" which in Five Years' time annihi- 
 lated the Empire — His Birthright sold for a Pottage of
 
 CONTEXTS 
 
 lAGE 
 
 Lentils, or Lobcufiula's Concession Policy — Concession 
 first towards North-cast, then South-west — More and 
 larger Concessions — The Chartered Company tcith Rights 
 on One-eleventh of Africa, or One Million square Miles — 
 Had Rhodes the Right to make War?— The War com- 
 menced — Had it been against Salkats ! — Assegai or 
 l^ifc — The Entrance Gates not Guarded — What happened 
 at Manqwe — The Shangani Battle — Two clever Scouts — 
 Wilson idolised, Forbes censured — The Dembezi Battle — 
 iSight and Dazcn in Matahclcland 76 
 
 LETTER X 
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO THE QUEEN'S REEF 
 
 Further Travelling Plan— The old City of Murder— 
 The Imbezi Military Kraal — Lobeugula's Picked Regiment 
 — Interview with a fen' of these Warriors — Umfasi 
 Matiho — Severe Morality of the Kaffirs — Its Weakening 
 by Civilisation — Old Mining Works — The Ancients icere 
 good Prospectors — Their lead is uoikJ being followed — 
 The Queen's Reef — In the Paarl Camp . . . .92 
 
 LETTER XI 
 FROM THE gUEEN'S REEF TO SHANGANI 
 
 Burning of the ^^ Veldt,'' and Prospector's Tracks through 
 Matabeleland — With Donkeys and in Grass Huts — The 
 Trader follows the Gold-seeker — Prices in Matabeleland 
 — Dees' heads in Sugar — In a forsaken Orchard — The 
 Subjection of the Matabele — Missions without Success — 
 Lions — On the Road by -which Lobengula fled — Thirteen 
 days without Whites — Eight -without seeing Kaffirs — 
 What -we saw and found along the Shangani — Books and 
 Papers thro-wn a-way — Fishing amongst Crocodiles — Back 
 from the -wrong Road 99
 
 CONTEXTS xi 
 
 LETTER XII 
 FROM SHAXGANI TO GWELO 
 
 Stuck in the Forest — Open Roads icith eight Tracks ! — 
 Baobab and Mahogany Trees — Post Pole along the Road 
 — One Matabele ivith eight Wives — Hon' the Ancients 
 crushed the Quartz — Ma)iy thousands of Labourers — ' 
 Nightly Visitors — A Sunday Dinner — A Wild Boar — 
 A cheeky Matabele Petty Chief — A Prospector's Camp 
 destroyed by a Dynamite Explosion — Important Informa- 
 tion — Gwelo and its Prospects — The Surroundings of 
 
 Gwelo . . . . . . . . . .109 
 
 LETTER XIII 
 ANOTHER 350 MILES PER OX-WAGGON 
 
 Retrospect — Thirteen hundred Miles per Ox-icaggon — 
 Back by Three Roads — Why we chose the Beira Route — 
 The Selukwe Gold-fields — The Paarl also here icell repre- 
 sented — Beautiful Scenery — Forests of li'ild Loquats — 
 New Roads in a new Land — The Victoria District suit- 
 able for Agriculture and Cattle farming — Testimonies of 
 Farmers from the Colony, Free State, the Transvaal, 
 and Natal — Fort Victoria — The Country surrounding 
 Zimbabwe — At the Grave of l]'ilson and his brave Com- 
 pany — " Morgenster," the first Mission Station of the 
 Dutch Reform Church in Rhodesia — Mashona Tonus on 
 Granite Koppics — Hoiv the Mashonas cultivate their 
 lands — Back to Bnlawayo ..... 121
 
 xii COX TK NTS 
 
 LETTER XIV 
 
 HOW WILSON AND HIS MEN PERISHED 
 A Tragical Episode in the Matabele War 
 
 PAGE 
 
 First and last Fights at the Shaiigani — Ttiv renowned 
 American Scouts and their Wonderful Deeds of Recon- 
 noitring — Meeting and Interview with Burnham — Chief 
 Adventures of the Expedition which pursued Lobengula — 
 Burnham's Account of that memorable Night and Morning 
 —Close on Lobengula' s Heels — " No European shall cross 
 the Shangani'" — Reconnoitring with Wilson and twelve 
 men across the Shangani — Through thousands of Kaffirs 
 in the Night — The 'whole Matabele Nation and Army with 
 Lobengula — Almost surrounded by Kaffirs — Three Men 
 sent to ask Forbes to cross at once with the ivhole Force, in 
 order to attack Lobengula at Daybreak — Seeking in the 
 Night for three men who had strayed amongst the Kaffirs — 
 Following tracks on a dark and rainy Night — All out in 
 the Night as Spies — The Kaffir impis, being misled, march 
 past to Forbes — Waiting for Forbes — Burrows arrives 
 with Twenty Men, without a Maxim — Hopeless Condition 
 — Consultation : '■'■How best to Die " — Wilson's Tactics, a 
 Bold Move — Directly on the King and his Chief Indunas 
 — Tlie Waggons empty — Attacked and almost surrounded 
 by Kaffirs — Shoot straight and waste no Ammunition — 
 Good Shooting in Danger — Behind a great Ant-heap — 
 Retreating with closed up Ranks — Where does Forbes 
 Tarry? — Burnham, Ingram, and Gooding break through 
 dense 7nasses of Kaffirs towards Forbes — Mislead the 
 Kaffirs by Detours — A Race for Life — The last they 
 heard of Wilson — Sicimming the River with tired Horses 
 — Through the midst of the Enemy to the Laager — Dis- 
 satisfied with Forbes's behaviour — Why Raaff took the
 
 CONTEXTS xiii 
 
 I'AGE 
 
 Command — What the Kaffirs relate — Wilson's heroic 
 Death— A Magician who could not be killed — A Death 
 song in the midst of Death — Did they Shoot themselves ? — 
 The Representation by Forbes and his Distortion of Facts 
 — Burnham well Rewarded ; an energetic Inhabitant of 
 the Country • ^33 
 
 LETTER XV 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO SALISBURY 
 
 How you obtain Travelling Tickets at Bulawayo — Leav- 
 ing Thirty Hours behind Time — Passing a Night on the 
 Omnibus between the Baggage — The Twin-Commando 
 Road — How the two Columns formed Laagers — African- 
 ders as Post Contractors — Discomforts on the Journey , 151 
 
 LETTER XVI 
 SALISBURY VERSUS BULAWAYO 
 
 Self-conceit of the Johannesburgers — What a Digger's 
 Paper dares to say — Full Hotels and Crammed 'Buses 
 — The Contractor gives us his oicn Seat — Already Fifty 
 prosperous Farmers in the District — Amongst them 
 Men from the Paarl, now our Fellow-Travellers — Build- 
 ing, Building, and no " To Lets " — A Town Hall costing 
 £40,000 — Danger and Loss for Church and Nation- 
 ality — Journalism in Zambesia — The Twin City-— 
 Salisbury and Bulawayo — Two Dogs for one Bone — 
 According to -which Standard to Judge — A big T and a 
 big Pear 162
 
 xiv CONTEXTS 
 
 LETTER XVII 
 FROM SALISBURY TO UMTALI 
 
 PAGE 
 
 /// through Fatigue — A good u;ay through a beautiful 
 ^^ Country — A recently laid-out Farm in a Neiv Country — 
 ^^ Here I could live'' — Laurencedalc — Unifali in a beau- 
 tiful Valley — Where the Roads divide — A new Highland 
 — Old Viaducts discovered— Were these the Grain Fields 
 of the Ancients? — Are these their Catacombs ?— An 
 interesting Conversation in the evening, during vjhich 
 the Fatigue of the Journey is forgotten .... 173 
 
 LETTER XVIII 
 FROM UMTALI TO BEIRA 
 
 The Descent from Umtali to the Sea coast — The Height 
 of Salisbury, Umtali, Chimoio and Fontesvilla — Distances 
 and Time per Ox-waggon — Railway and River-boat — - 
 The Omnibus with Oxen wins — We descend the Moun- 
 tains — Tropical Vegetation — Hozv far is this Country 
 habitable ? — Resembles Loiver Egypt — Africa built in 
 Terraces — Hence no Navigable Rivers, but healthy High- 
 lands — To be opened by Railways — Open Land for super- 
 fluous Population of Europe — Raihcay Terminus not 
 Bulawayo, but Cairo — Midnight at Chimoio — £1 for 
 every Five Miles per Ox-zcaggon — This is due to the 
 Tsetse Fly — Down the Mountains by Rail — Beautiful 
 Tree groicth — Stately Palm Trees — Game on the Flats — 
 What the Game teaches us — The Wliiic Rhinoceros not 
 yet extirpated — Protection necessary — List of Game — 
 Fontesvilla a Village on Poles, sometimes a small Venetia 
 — Two Days without Food on the Pungwe — Subsisting 
 on Pisangs (Bananas) — Adventures — Railway versus 
 River-boat . 184
 
 CONTEXTS XV 
 
 LETTER XIX 
 THE COMTETING SEAPORTS 
 
 rAGE 
 
 Bcira and Delagoa the best natural Ports of South Africa 
 — Contrast with Durban and East London — The calum- 
 niated Portuguese Government defended — Advantages of 
 the two Portuguese Havens — Deira as Town, Trading 
 Place, and Haven — Sofala, Solomon's Port — German 
 Steam Navigation on the East Coast — Delagoa — False 
 Reports — Durban, including Theatre, ''to lef' — A 
 Model Tram Service — A good Word for the Coolies in 
 Natal — Fruit Export to the Cape Colony — Natal not 
 feared as Competitor in the Trade to the Interior — Beira 
 the Natural Port of Rhodesia, Delagoa of the Transvaal 
 — Eloquent and Stubborn Figures — Geographical P'acts 
 — Comparison of the Distances by Land and Sea — Pre- 
 sent Prices of Transport — Future of Eastern, or Suez 
 Sea Route — Advantage of having Rhodes as our Premier 
 lit present 199
 
 I
 
 ILLUSTRATIONS 
 
 /'a££ 
 
 AmicHt Btiiltlin^, Zimbiibuc 
 
 Anl-luiip near the Soti<iini Ricer 
 
 Mahoj^cniy Tree, Palapye . 
 
 Reiiutants uj a Jiaitijitet. Buhrutiju 
 
 At liiilauuiyo .... 
 
 On the Shaugitiii 
 
 Forest near the Shaiij^aiii . 
 
 Store. Hartley Hills 
 
 At the Seltik-ue GoU-tields 
 
 Native Huts, Ziiiibabii'e 
 
 Ziiubabice ..... 
 
 Hut Building. Selukice 
 
 Granite Wall, Zimbabice 
 
 Ruins at Zimbabice . 
 
 At Zimbabwe .... 
 
 Outer Wall. Zimbabue 
 
 . /■>,» 
 
 tis/'iei 
 
 
 
 > -> 
 
 
 
 • 3^3 
 
 
 
 5- 
 
 
 
 74 
 
 
 
 8o 
 
 
 
 88 
 
 
 
 94 
 
 
 
 IU4 
 
 
 
 128 
 
 
 
 144 
 
 
 
 148 
 
 
 
 160 
 
 
 
 1 68 
 
 
 
 178 
 
 
 
 214
 
 RHODESIA 
 
 LETTER I 
 
 BULLOCK-WAGGON VERSUS RAILWAY 
 
 How the Dutch Pioneer opened the Country with Jiis Ox- 
 waggon — The English following with Telegraph and 
 Railway — Praises of the "slow but sure'' Ox and Ox- 
 waggon — Still indispensable — Difference between former 
 and present Pioneers — Ox-waggon preceding Railway — 
 Rhodes the present Pioneer — Africa the Land of the 
 Future — Why so long unknown — High and healthy — 
 No Waterways, awaiting the Railway — From Cape to 
 Cairo — Tivo Signboards — Co-operation of English and 
 Dutch, 
 
 Ramoutsa, July 20, 1894. 
 
 Dear Friends, — Sketches of our travels once more. 
 
 On a former occasion we took you first through. 
 
 England, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, and Italy ; 
 
 from there to Egypt and Palestine ; thence through 
 
 Turkey, Austria, France and Belgium, and then via 
 
 England back to our beloved fatherland. Afterwards 
 
 we gave you an extensive description of our " Travels 
 
 through Bible Lands." And on a later occasion we 
 
 related our experiences as a member of the Transvaal 
 
 Deputation to England, Holland, France, Belgium, 
 
 A
 
 2 RHODESIA 
 
 Portugal and Germany, whereby we were enabled to 
 introduce you to the courts of these various States. 
 
 This time we describe oiir own country. Latterly 
 tlic opening up of the Northern regions drew so 
 much attention, especially those regions between the 
 Limpopo and the Zambesi, that we decided to go and 
 see for ourselves and give you a true description of 
 our own experiences and observations. 
 
 Our journey goes in the first place to Bulawayo 
 via Vryburg and Mafeking. Naturally the first half 
 is done by rail, as far as Vryburg, the extension to 
 Mafeking being still under construction. Our light, 
 but strongly built spring-waggon, with tent affixed, 
 was forwarded a few days in advance, together with 
 a good supply of tinned and other provisions, and 
 Thursday evening, July 5, Mr. G. J. Malherbe and 
 myself left the Paarl station by rail for Vryburg, where 
 we arrived on Saturday evening. 
 
 Monday afternoon we left Vryburg for Mafeking, a 
 distance by rail of 102 miles, but with the winding 
 waggon road about 125 miles. Thus travelling with 
 the slow ox-waggon, after leaving the train, and along- 
 side the construction train — spending four days on 
 the distance traversed by the train in a few hours — 
 we immediate!}' had time for observation, reflection, 
 and conversation, of which we give 3'ou a glimpse. 
 
 What a contrast when you exchange the train for 
 the bullock-waggon ! The boiling locomotive is so 
 much faster than the slow ox. From the Paarl to
 
 BULLOCK-WAGGOX J'ERSUS RAILWAY 3 
 
 Vryburg — a distance of 774 miles — it took us 46 
 hours. We get so accustomed to speed. But it 
 does not need a very strong memory to recollect 
 the time when it required good travelling to cover the 
 distance between the Paarl and the Orange River 
 in a month. 
 
 But we should be guilty of the usual superficialness 
 of our time (so often condemned by us), if we were 
 satisfied with this general observation, as if the ox- 
 waggon were now completely superseded by the train 
 in South Africa. 
 
 The old Dutch pioneer opened up the country with 
 his ox-waggon, the English now do it with telegraph 
 and railway. We live in a time of transition from the 
 ox-waggon to the railway. What can be more suitable 
 than to reflect for a moment what the ox-waggon 
 and the railway have respectively done for the opening 
 of the country and the development of its resources ; 
 in how far they reciprocally require each other ; and 
 in how far the Dutch farmer and the Englishman 
 ought, under the same guidance of providence, to 
 labour harmoniously together for the development of 
 our great and good countr}', this land of the future. 
 
 Where is the African poet, who will worthily sing 
 what the ox and ox-waggon have done for the opening 
 up and development of our country ? Poets have 
 extolled in song the merits of the good-tempered 
 camel, that ship of the desert ; poets have painted, in 
 beautiful images, the virtues of the fleet and noble
 
 4 RHODESIA 
 
 horse ; the usefulness of the locomotive has often been 
 extolled as high as the heavens, in song ; and far be it 
 from me to deny their virtues and usefulness. But 
 who will contradict me when I venture to state, that 
 for the opening and development of South Africa the 
 " slow but sure " ox-waggon has done more than 
 camel, horse, and railway combined ? 
 
 The ox-waggon I It was not only the means of 
 transport, but also the habitation, the travelling tent, 
 the altar, the fort of the emigrant. That waggon 
 contained his furniture, some provisions and ammuni- 
 tion, and on the top of that his wife and children found 
 a seat; in the box-seat was his Bible, and in the tent 
 of the waggon his gun hung suspended, and with that 
 he entered the unknown interior ! If the lion threatens 
 him, the gun is ready to hand. If the Kaffirs attack 
 him., the waggons are quickly drawn close together in 
 a circle, the openings are firmly closed up with thorn- 
 bushes and the wheels fastened together with the iron 
 chains belonging to each waggon (which are used 
 instead of "breaks") and his impregnable "fort" is 
 ready. When Sunday or a festive day comes round, 
 the Bible is brought out and the head of the family is 
 at once prophet and priest, in a thorough patriarchal 
 manner. So, you see, to him his waggon is everything. 
 
 In or alongside that waggon many a promise of 
 marriage was blushingly given, quite as honestly 
 meant and as sweet as those given in the most 
 courthke halls ; in or alongside that waggon many a
 
 lU'LLoCK-WAGGOX J'ERSrs kAIlAV.W 5 
 
 honeymoon was spent quite as pleasant and sweet as 
 any spent in large hotels and cities. In that waggon 
 many children first saw daylight, and in that waggon 
 many a dearly beloved drew the last breath. 
 
 Even the first omnibus traflic between the Transvaal 
 and Mashonaland and now again between Mafcking 
 and Bulawayo is carried on with oxen. And how shall 
 our pioneers occupy Matabeleland, Mashonaland and 
 the region of the lakes, without the ox-waggon ? And 
 what would the railway do without the <»x-waggon, 
 which has to transport produce and goods to and from 
 the nearest station? P'or proof of this statement just 
 look at the teams of ox-waggons loading or unload- 
 ing the trucks of the train. 
 
 This proves that tiie ox is " slow and sure," but 
 also that he is not too slow. See, in four days we 
 have travelled about 125 miles from Wyburg to 
 Mafeking, and in three and a half days — S3 miles — from 
 Mafeking to Ramoutsa, from which place we write this. 
 
 So you see, reader, that there is at present no 
 urgent necessity to close up our waggon-manufactories. 
 He must be very superficial and ungrateful, who thinks 
 that we have already exchanged the ox-waggon for 
 the train. 
 
 For that waggon, the tame, patient, and strong ox 
 was the only possible animal. The noble horse could 
 not in that rough and unexplored interior keep up its 
 reputation, deprived of suitable stable and forage ; and 
 to crown all it had often to succumb to the very
 
 6 RHODESIA 
 
 mucli feared " horse-sickness ; " and the same applies 
 to the mule. The ox and the ox alone has scaled 
 those mountains, traversed those valleys and opened 
 the first roads. Without the ox the opening up of the 
 interior regions — Natal, the Free State, the Transvaal^ 
 was an impossibility. 
 
 Even now we simply can't do without the ox.* He 
 remains the true pioneer in the opening up of new 
 regions. After the ox comes the horse, and after the 
 horse the train ; this is the order, at least in our 
 countr}'. However, the man who sticks to his ox- 
 waggon alone and will have nothing to do with tele- 
 graph and railway is just as onesided as he who forgets 
 its merits. 
 
 How should we manage to-day with the ox-waggon 
 alone, if we had not the train to Kimberley, Bloem- 
 fontein, Johannesburg, and Pretoria? How could the 
 diamond fields and the gold-fields have been developed 
 without railways ; and what would the development of 
 South Africa have been without the diamond and gold 
 fields ? 
 
 Consequently our conclusion is : both are to us in- 
 dispensable — the ox-waggon precedes and the railway 
 follows. Yes, the painter who wishes to depict the 
 development of South Africa will have to conmiit the 
 
 * What a commentary on these reflections does the rinder- 
 pest now furnish, the transport rates, with mules and donkeys, 
 having risen from £i to ^"5 los. between Mafeking and 
 Bulawayo !
 
 BULLOCK-WAGGOX J'EA'Si'S RAILWAY 7 
 
 seeming folly of letting the ox-waggon precede the 
 railway I 
 
 But even in this order some change has come. The 
 emigrant and pioneer opened up Natal, the Free State, 
 and the Transvaal with the ox-waggon ; but Rhodes 
 opens up Zambesia with the telegraph and railway. 
 How much quicker everything is done now' ! The de- 
 velopment of the country now makes greater strides 
 in a few mouths than it formerly did in as many years, 
 during the time of the first "trek." Oh, how the 
 poor pioneer had to contend with unopened roads and 
 impassable rivers ; and now j-ou are carried along on 
 smooth rails and across iron bridges. Formerly they 
 had a continual fight with lions and savages ; now you 
 no longer hear the lion's roar, and the power of the last 
 great heathen empire is broken. Then it took months 
 to convey any tidings — now this sketch will travel the 
 1000 miles to the Paarl in five days. 
 
 And what has caused this difference ? Then the 
 Englishman was the strong opponent of emigration 
 ("trek) and noii.\ in the person of Mr. Rhodes, he 
 takes the initiative and assists. Then the pioneer's 
 supply of ammunition was hindered — if not stopped — 
 and the Kaffirs (sometimes on the sly and often openly) 
 assisted in their fight against these noble pioneers of 
 civilisation ; now Rhodes first breaks the tyranny, he 
 places police everywhere for protection, he has wells 
 dug all along the route and then invites the " Boer " to 
 come in and live in these new regions. Then the poor
 
 8 RHODESIA 
 
 farmer had no market for his produce ; he could only 
 breed cattle and exchange or sell them to traders ; now 
 the railway opens the gold mines and the gold mines 
 introduce the train, and both combined give the farmer 
 a market for his produce. The road is read}' and the 
 market waits. 
 
 Thus the opening of the interior is done more 
 rapidly. And still we do not see the end — ah ! who 
 can tell where it will end ? At first the Berg River 
 was the boundary of civilisation, afterwards the Orange 
 River, then the Vaal River, then the Limpopo, then 
 the Zambesi — but where will it end ? Shall it be at 
 Uganda or Cairo ? . . . . We must here refer the 
 reader to what we wrote in "Africa, the Land of the 
 Future," written in 1890, from which we cull a few 
 excerpts : 
 
 For long ages our southern hemisphere remained totally 
 unknown. Only four centuries ago America and South Africa 
 were discovered, and as regards Africa only during the last 
 four years ha.s this vast continent drawn the attention of the 
 civilised world. 
 
 Not long ago we visited the " Stanley and African Exhibi- 
 tion " in London. There were exhibited the maps of Africa 
 of all centuries, and looking at them you could scarcely with- 
 hold a laugh. Yes, this was first an nnknown, then a dark 
 continent. Even the most fantastic forms were given to this 
 land. And of that vast hinterland, what fancy dictated was 
 marked down : and for the rest all was marked as — a desert ! 
 
 But now the daylight begins to dawn over this dark con- 
 tinent, thanks to those intrepid explorers — a Livingstone and 
 De Chaillu, a Mauch and Holub, a Stanley, an Emin, a Peters 
 — but where will it end ? Exploring is still in its infancy.
 
 BULLOCK-WAGGON VERSCS RAILWAY 9 
 
 Tliis long unknown and unsought for Africa is now drawing 
 attention everywhere; it fills the columns of dailies and 
 periodicals; it opens up a new and strange world to the 
 novelist, and a new field of exploit to the trader and 
 
 speculator 
 
 Even the Powers of Europe are busily engaged dividing 
 this immense continent between themselves. It is really 
 remarkable to note how now most of Europe's great Powers 
 vie with each other to secure the largest share of Africa's 
 11,000,000 square miles of area. About 5,000,000 of it are 
 already appropriated, and about 3,000,000 are still put down 
 as desert. Thus only 2,500,000 remain, and only 1,000,000 
 of that is still available. 
 
 Germany has appropriated to itself 600,000 square miles in 
 East, and 300,000 in West Africa ; France has assumed 
 500,000 square miles ; the Congo Free State has gradually 
 absorbed 1,000,000 square miles, and Italy is grasping at 
 
 2,000,000 
 
 More than once we have questioned ourselves why Euro- 
 pean nations and States thus vie with each other to secure 
 the greatest possible share at the apportionment of Africa. 
 Does this competition arise from an "ahnung" or presenti- 
 ment that Africa is the land of the future, the field for their 
 over-population and over-production ? 
 
 But here the query arises : Why did this country, now so 
 eagerly sought after, remain for such a long time unknown 
 and closed to Europe ? The simple answer is because the 
 whole hinterland of this vast continent forms one plateau of 
 3000 to 5000 feet elevation. This is a great disadvantage, 
 because for this reason Africa's interior has got no watemays, 
 our rivers not being navigable, as they rush down seawards 
 over steep declines and rocky cataracts. For that reason the 
 hinterland remained closed to civilisation, and wherever it 
 tried to penetrate, it was hampered and obstructed in its 
 development. 
 
 On the other hand, the high elevation is a great advantage,
 
 lo RHODESIA 
 
 which thus far has only heen too much overlooked. Now 
 this elevated plateau is extraordinarily healthy, situated as it 
 is on both sides of the equator. Now Africa has got all the 
 advantages of a tropical and sub-tropical climate, coupled 
 with a fertile soil, and healthy, comparatively temperate 
 atmosphere. Now we can boast of unv Mountains of the 
 Moon, with eternal snows on their summits, and eternal 
 springs on their slopes. If Africa were a level country, we 
 would have had our navigable rivers as waterways, but of 
 what use would they be in an unhealthy, uninhabitable 
 country ? 
 
 Now we have got a vast, fertile, and healthy continent, only 
 waiting to be opened up — by railways. Yes, the iron way and 
 the locomotive Africa requires more than any country in the 
 world for its opening up and development, for the very reason 
 of its high elevation. And already beginnings are made ; 
 from north, south, east, and west railways are piercing deeper 
 
 and deeper into the interior 
 
 But however useful these different lines from the different 
 coasts may be, the trunk line is still wanting, and as yet 
 nobody seems to think about it. A short time ago, being in 
 the city of London, and entering No. 5 Throgmorton Avenue, 
 our attention was drawn to two brazen signboards on two 
 doors adjoining each other. On the one was engraven, 
 " Consulate of the South African Republic," and on the 
 other, " Trans-African Railway Company." On investigation 
 we '"ound that the railway was only a short Portuguese line 
 on the west coast, and, as we all know, " the South African 
 Republic " covers only a very small patch. But are both 
 titles not prophetic ? A railway or trunk line right across 
 Africa, from the Cape to Cairo, and a vast South African 
 Republic — are they the dreams of a heated imagination, or 
 the realities of the future ? Time will show. 
 
 We make one final remark. About twenty years 
 ago, we, with our own hand, wrote in the original
 
 Bl^LLOCK-WAGGOX J'ERSUS RAILWAY ii 
 
 constitution of the Africander Bond, the motto, ** A 
 united South Africa under its oivu Jlag^ 
 
 L'p to the present we have remained true to that 
 watchword, with this shght modification, "yi united 
 South Afriea under British Coast Protectioti." And 
 even this last not with the remotest idea of driving 
 out of the country, in a revolutionary manner, the law- 
 fully established supremacy of England. No ! but we 
 wish (as has before been said) to grow up to a national 
 self-existence in a constitutional way and in God's own 
 good time. 
 
 Let us not ignore the guidance of providence. God 
 has given us England as a guardian, a more considerate 
 one than Israel found in Pharoah of old. And we had 
 need of England, especially of English capital and 
 English industry. Again, what would the colony have 
 done with its diamond fields and the Transvaal with its 
 gold-fields, if England had not provided the millions of 
 mone}' with which the mines were opened and worked ? 
 
 And still we have need of England. The opening 
 of Mashonaland and Matabeleland has already cost 
 upwards of a million, and will cost several millions 
 more before railways and telegraphs are opened, towns 
 and bridges are built, and the gold-mines are in full 
 working order. IVc have not the money for all this. 
 God has ordained England to educate us as a nation, 
 and to open up our country for us. We shall gratefully 
 review all this when the day of our majority dawns. 
 
 One more remark with regard to this. Let us draw
 
 12 RHODESIA 
 
 a distinction between the English Imperial Government 
 and the Englishman who has taken our land as his 
 land. Suppose that England's power in Europe were 
 broken (which might speedily happen), and that Ger- 
 many or France would dominate in South Africa, then 
 should we, Englishman and Africander, be one, and 
 soon be free and independent. It is quite natural that 
 the Englishman, in the fight for our national liberty, 
 would not only go with us, but what is more, take a 
 leading part. Therefore, let us all look up to God and 
 let each one do his duty. 
 
 But now we have to break off our reflections so as to 
 be able to give you in our next sketch some of our 
 travelling experiences.
 
 LETTER II 
 
 FROM VRYBURG TO MAFEKING 
 
 Dechiianaland's Population increasing — Tlic Trade Route 
 — Transvaal exclusive Policy — Means of Transport from 
 Vryhurg to Salisbury — '■'He is only a Kaffir" — Trans- 
 vaal Incredulity — Montsioa — The Friend of Trees — 
 Mafeking, the trim Border Totcn — The Railway just 
 crossing the Border of Civilisation — The increasing 
 Stream of Malopo. 
 
 Ramoitsa, July 20, 1894. 
 We would not like to pass \'ryburg, the capital of our 
 only crown colony in South Africa,* without mention- 
 ing that it has been considerably extended since we 
 visited it in 1890, and has been greatly improved by 
 the abundant supply of good fresh water. Backed by 
 the fruitfulness of the soil and the energy of the Town 
 Council, this promises much for the future. 
 
 The town has especially advanced since it has 
 become a railway terminus and trading centre. This, 
 however, has now an end, the line being extended to 
 Mafeking. But still the town will continue to progress, 
 because the population of Bechuanaland daily increases, 
 
 * At that time, but Bechuanaland has been since annexed 
 to the Cape Colony.
 
 14 RHODESIA 
 
 by the influx of sheep-farmers from the Free State and 
 the colony, who come in to occupy tlie vacant farms. 
 As an instance we may mention that a Mr. Moolman, 
 an elder of the Dutch Reformed Church at Vryburg 
 (living at " Lcemospruit "), informed us that the 
 members of the Dutch Reformed Church at Vryburg 
 amounted to upwards of lOOO, that there are per- 
 haps quite 500 who have not yet handed in their 
 certificates of membership, and that the stream of 
 immigration still continues. In a fortnight's time three 
 "treks" passed his farm, one consisting of sixty-eight 
 persons all counted. Consequently the farms along 
 the " Leeuw River" are rising in value, and as much 
 as 15s. or £1 are already paid for a morgen, although 
 these farms are more suitable for cattle than for sheep- 
 farming. 
 
 Almost the whole distance from Vryburg to Mafe- 
 king we travelled along the Transvaal border, with the 
 milestones to our right, so you see the road borders 
 Bechuanaland. This involuntarily reminded us how 
 in London, as member of the Transvaal Deputation in 
 1883 and 1884, we took part in a diplomatic battle 
 lasting nearly five months, in which we tried to extend 
 the boundaries of the Transvaal more to the west. 
 l)Ut the "Grand Old Man" and Lord Derby were 
 willing to concede everything and on every point (so 
 they said from the outset), only upon this point they 
 could not give in. They would keep the Trade Route 
 to the north open. To-day we see that they were not
 
 FROM VRYBURG TO MAFEKING 15 
 
 fighting for a chimera in taking up that determined 
 position, having been enhghtened by Mr. McKenzie 
 and others. For we now not onl}^ see those trains of 
 ox-waggons travclHng northwards from Vryburg, but 
 we also feel what the difficulty would be if we, on 
 passing the Transvaal border, had to open every 
 carpet-bag and box, and to pay duty on every pipe of 
 tobacco and every tin of food. But now we also see 
 how the Transvaal, with its narrow-minded policy, was 
 the cause that the " trade route," including the railway, 
 runs just outside its border, to open up Rhodesia in 
 the north, whereas otherwise the route would naturally 
 have gone right through the Transvaal. 
 
 At the great pan of Malapoch, whilst we were busy 
 cooking a wild goose (the first piece of game our driv^er, 
 Henry Cloete, had shot), we had a conversation with 
 one of these transport-riders, an Englishman. He in- 
 formed us, amongst other things, that he was on his 
 way from Vryburg to Salisbury with three waggons ; 
 that he thought of being on the road for three months ; 
 that each waggon carried p.m. 9000 lb., and that he 
 was paid at the rate of ;^i 135. per 100 lb.;* that 
 the road further on was not very heavy ; that the 
 grazing along the road was not bad, and that there was 
 no great danger of losing any oxen. 
 
 Naturally we cannot give 3'ou information about all 
 
 * For a distance of about Sco miles, whilst after the rinder- 
 pest £5 los. was to be paid from Mafeking to Bulawayo, for 
 only 500 miles.
 
 t6 RHODESIA 
 
 our conversations along the road, neither of all experi- 
 ences and observations. Still, it tends to keep up the 
 relation between our travelling company and the reader 
 if we communicate a few particulars. 
 
 As to our company on the journey only Mr. Malherbe 
 and myself left the Paarl : a couple of friends who 
 intended to accompany us were prevented. At Vry- 
 burg we were joined by our driver, Henry Cloete, a 
 born Transvaaler, who, as a prospector, had also seen 
 a good deal of gold-digging, and spoke most of the 
 Kaffir dialects. There we also had to hire our leader. 
 Just as we were busy loading our waggon two young 
 natives appeared on the scene, one a Kaffir and the 
 other a Koranna ; this was the first time they had 
 come from Bloemhof to earn something. We chose 
 the Koranna, though he refused to go farther than 
 Mafeking. And we were not disappointed in our 
 choice ; he pleased us, and apparently he was pleased 
 with us. He had no inclination to leave us when we 
 arrived at Mafeking, and preferred going with us, but 
 we had then already made other arrangements. 
 
 We had, however, to be taught one lesson by Klaas 
 before he left us ; for long ago we have made it our 
 aim to learn a lesson from every person with whom w^e 
 come in contact. My travelling companion once asked 
 him whether the other boy who was with him at 
 Vryburg was his brother? He indignantly replied, 
 " No, he is only a Kaffir." We looked at each 
 other, and could not help laughing. But here there is
 
 FROM VRYBURG TO MAFEKING 17 
 
 something more than mere amusement. If even the 
 Koranna is proud of his fast disappearing nationahty, 
 what an eternal disgrace is it then for Afrikanders to 
 be ashamed of their nationahty ! Truly, this Httle 
 Koranna, with his strong national feeling, stands higher 
 in our estimation than these unprincipled Afrikanders 
 who ape the English. 
 
 Another small incident. At Maritzani, about noon, 
 my travelling companion and myself were dozing in 
 the waggon. I heard a knock on the waggon-chest, 
 and, on looking out, I saw an elderly woman with her 
 daughter. She apologised for disturbing us, but she 
 thought that the writer of this was a missionary-, and 
 consequently that he would have some medicine with 
 him, for the daughter of her brother-in-law, whose 
 house was close by, was seriously ill from inflammation. 
 We told her that we were neither missionary nor 
 doctor ; however, we took our medicine chest and 
 accompanied the woman, to see whether wc could 
 render any aid ; this we tried to do as well as we 
 could. 
 
 We relate this specially on account of the conversa- 
 tion which was carried on between us from our waggon 
 to the house, which clearly reflects the opinion and 
 feeling common amongst Transvaalers. When she 
 heard that we were going to Bulawayo, she began, in 
 a motherly way, to pity us. "O dear me," she said, 
 " still more food for the assegais of the Matabele ! " 
 However much we tried to convince her that the power 
 
 B
 
 i8 RHODESIA 
 
 of the Matabeles was broken, and that Lobengula was 
 dead, she would not behev^e us, and was astonished to 
 find that we were foohsh enough to credit it. All the 
 English who had gone and were still going would only 
 be food for the assegais of the Matabele. Only a few 
 days ago Kafiirs had passed there and had told her 
 evei'ything. She stuck to that statement. 
 
 But they lived just within the border of the Trans- 
 vaal, and naturally participated in the general feeling 
 of the Transvaal, which thinks that she and she only 
 could fight the Kaffirs with success. 
 
 At Mafeking our travelling company was completed, 
 for there we were joined by Mr. H. J. le Riche, from 
 Campbell, and his small Griqua boy, also a " Klaas," 
 who came with his double-barrelled shot gun to act as 
 our leader, and at the same time to shoot small game 
 for us. 
 
 Mafeking is situated on the Malopo, and is the 
 border town of British Bechuanaland. She is a twin 
 city, consisting of a great Kaffir city, the city of 
 Montsioa, notorious for his fights with the " Free- 
 booters " of Land Gosen, as the English called them, 
 but Moshette's " Volunteers," accordmg to the Trans- 
 vaal view, and of a flourishing commercial town, with 
 large stoi'cs, which at present has a lively appearance 
 with the completion of the railway. As, however, 
 the bridge is not yet finished, the train stops on this 
 side of the river Malopo, which is the main border 
 line between Bechuanaland and the Protectorate, or
 
 FROM VRYBURG TO MAFEKIXG 19 
 
 between civilised South Africa and the vast uncivihsed 
 continent to the north. 
 
 Few inland towns have made such rapid strides as 
 Mafeking. The town will advance still more rapidly 
 for some time to come, at least as long as it remains 
 a railway terminus, for the transport from here to the 
 north is something enormous. 
 
 At Mafeking we were especially struck by the 
 beautiful trees along the banks of the Malopo, be- 
 tween which the Kaffir huls are totally or partially 
 hidden. 
 
 Although we do not admire Montsioa in every re- 
 spect, in this one we praise him. He has laid it 
 down as a rule that no branch of a tree, not even a 
 dead branch, may be broken or cut oft". There is, at 
 least, some principle in this, and to the carrying out 
 of that principle is to be attributed the fact that 
 Mafeking, surrounded by the light green of the 
 " Kareeboom," and the dark green of the wild olive, 
 is far more beautifully situated on the banks of the 
 Malopo than most of the Kaffir towns, ay, and also 
 than most of our towns. 
 
 How stately those trees are ! Our waggon stood 
 close to one of these " karee " trees from Friday till 
 Monday, the same tree beneath which we ten years 
 ago had met Montsioa and his council to conclude a 
 treaty of peace, in which we, as the Special Commis- 
 sioner of the Transvaal, appeared as mediator betwxen 
 the " Freebooters " and Montsioa.
 
 20 RHODESIA 
 
 One more particular. The Malopo, which in former 
 years often liad no running water, has now a stream, 
 hke the Orange River, in dry seasons. We found, 
 from information gathered, that during the last four 
 years the flow of the river has been continually in- 
 creasing, so that it has already formed a large lake 
 below in the Kalahari, where formerly tliere was no 
 water. This, however, is not inexplicable, if we bear 
 in mind that the Malopo is only one of the rivers which 
 have their origin in the great subterranean river which 
 crosses the Transvaal from east to west, and from 
 which spring, amongst others, theApiesrivier, Kliprivier, 
 Mooirivier, and Malmani, besides many other copious 
 springs.
 
 LETTER III 
 
 FROM MAFEKING TO PALLA 
 
 Three hundred miles per Ox -waggon— With the 'Bus to 
 Bulawayo—Bush Country — Game and Birds— Guinea- 
 foii'l Hunting by Night— Pleasures and SorroK^s of 
 Hunters— What are these Trees for ?—A Raihi'ay 
 through the Bush Country— Fire continually Burning 
 —A Fruitful and Habitable Country— Translation of 
 Kaffir Names. 
 
 Palla, July 30, 1894. 
 This time I shall try to give you an idea of the journey 
 by ox-waggon. We have from Vryburg to here (Palla) 
 travelled about 300 miles in three weeks' time with this 
 slow mode of conveyance, and about 300 miles still lie 
 before us ere we reach Bulawayo. Had any one 
 told me beforehand that travelling would be so slow, 
 I would in despair have asked, " How shall we pass 
 the time ? " and still we did not feel bored for a single 
 day. 
 
 As this mode of travelling will soon belong to the 
 past, now that the railway is already completed over 
 the first 100 miles of the road we traversed, and in a 
 few years no one will travel the 200 miles from
 
 22 RHODESIA 
 
 Mafeking to here per ox-waggon,* as every one would 
 prefer to be whirled through this limitless bush 
 country by the train, it is not devoid of interest to give 
 a cursory description of the manner in which convey- 
 ance was conducted in this continent in former years. 
 
 There is already another mode of conveyance from 
 Mafeking to Bulawayo — a distance of about 500 
 miles. In eight days' time the mails and passengers 
 are carried per omnibus and horses from Mafeking to 
 Mochudi, from there again (on account of the heavy 
 sandy roads) with a large cart and oxen to Tati, and 
 from there again per omnibus and horses up to Bula- 
 wayo. Also that part which is traversed by ox-cart is 
 covered in a comparatively short time, as fresh relays 
 of oxen are got everywhere, and the travelling is done 
 by day and night. For the same distance a train of 
 transport waggons takes about two months, the more 
 so as, on account of the heavy road between Gaberones 
 and Palla, they have to make use of a circuitous route 
 along the Mariko and Crocodile Rivers. 
 
 With regard to the nature of the country we may 
 state that from Mafeking you travel through a level 
 bush countr}^, thrice crossed by low ridges. The 
 aspect of this bush country is somewhat monotonous, 
 especially in winter, when the trees are leafless, and 
 consequently have a black appearance. Still, it is not 
 quite devoid of variety and charm. At first we travel 
 
 * This expectation is already verified, as the railway is 
 completed thus far, and will soon run up to Bulawayo.
 
 I. 
 
 ANT-HEAP NEAR THE XOTWANI RIVER 
 
 [See f>a«^e 23)
 
 FROM MAFKKIXO TO PALLA 23 
 
 all the way along the banks of the Notwani River, into 
 which the Monopolole discharges itself at Mochudi. 
 Almost at every outspan you are close to the river, 
 with its great holes of water, in which crocodiles 
 probably still live in undisturbed rest, and also full of 
 fish (we, however, could spare little time for fishing), 
 and bordered with beautiful high trees, differing in 
 kind and growth from the rest of the bush veldt, and 
 consisting mostly of white, black, and yellow mimosas. 
 Then, again, you have ant-heaps in the most fantastic 
 forms, some in the shape of chimneys, others like 
 towers, others like our usual ant-heaps, but many of 
 them much higher than our waggon. We shall take 
 photographs of a few. 
 
 You also have here a great variety of birds, which 
 enliven the view and charm the ear with their sweet 
 song (whilst I am writing this a feathered choir is 
 singing beautifully in the trees along the river). Some 
 of these birds have such beautiful colours, that the 
 Paris " modiste " would eagerly covet their vari-coloured 
 plumage. And towards evening you can see the nimble 
 night apes jumping from branch to branch. 
 
 The passionate hunter finds his paradise here in the 
 abundance of game. Large game, as '^wilde beest, 
 koedoes," &c., must be here still in great numbers, at 
 least judging from the footpaths and footprints going 
 towards the river. But, naturally, it requires some 
 time and trouble to hunt them, as they recede from the 
 great road, and for that we had no time.
 
 24 KMIODKSIA 
 
 But I never thought that I should see so many 
 pheasants and partridges as I have seen in the last two 
 weeks. Consequently you need not even climb down 
 from the waggon to shoot your game for dinner. 
 Guinea-fowls you find here by thousands. At our last 
 outspan we bagged fifteen of these wild fowl, as fat as 
 fattened poultry, apparent!}' on account of the locust 
 eggs with which their crops were filled. 
 
 Shooting these wild fowl in the trees by night is 
 very romantic. I have often thought, if only our 
 friends at home who are so fond of hunting were 
 here! But tlien the difficult}- arises, they would over- 
 load our waggon with so much game that we could not 
 possibly use it, for it is really no pleasure to a hunter 
 to see game and not to shoot. At present we have 
 twelve wild fowl, enough to last us for four or five 
 days, so that we have io curb our inclination for 
 hunting. Could we send you these birds per telegraph, 
 we should take pleasure in shooting them. 
 
 One great enjoyment is making fire. Every evening 
 we have an illumination, and I am sure that, though 
 you travel with oxen for four or five hours at a stretch, 
 you would find the fire at the last outspan still burning, 
 when the lire at the next has alrcatly boiled our water 
 to make coffee. Of course there is no necessity to go 
 hunting for wood, in a few minutes a huge pile of wood 
 for fuel can be gathered. We several times spoke of 
 the twofold use these trees could be put to when the 
 railway was to be built through this part. In the first
 
 FROM MAFEKING TO PALLA 25 
 
 place, most of the trees that grow here are very durable. 
 The houses which were built by the pioneers with this 
 wood are still in existence, and their children are now 
 living in them ; for instance, Jan Blignant in Marico. 
 Why, then, could these trees not be used as sleepers 
 to lay the rails of the line on ? Then, again, most 
 of these trees are unsurpassable as fuel, at all events 
 better than bad coal. Such a log burns during the 
 whole night, and when it is entirely consumed leaves 
 only a little whitish ash, whereas it gives out very 
 great heat. For the railway, sleepers could be got 
 everywhere, whilst the wood for fuel is, humanly 
 speaking, inexhaustible. Besides this, it is a level 
 country, so that the railway could be surveyed and 
 built at an exceedingly low expense. Moreover, Kaffir 
 labour is very cheap all along the road. 
 
 Let no one think that there would he no traffic for 
 the railway through this part of the country. Between 
 this and Mafeking, from where we started, we did not 
 see a single strip of land uninhabitable or unfit for 
 cultivation. .For a small part of the road we travelled 
 in Transvaal territory ; and there along the Notwani 
 River the farms were situated closely together. The 
 ground all around is exceedingly fertile. You have only 
 to look at the great Kaffir towns we passed — Mafeking, 
 Ramoutsa, Gaberones, and Mochudi. Thousands and 
 thousands of Kaffirs live there, and have abundance 
 of grain, even for two or three years in advance. 
 
 Machudi is a town having between 100,000 and
 
 26 RHODESIA 
 
 200,000 inhabitants, and in a radius of six miles enough 
 grain is produced to suffice for the present and the 
 future. It is now three months since they commenced 
 reaping, and from the early morning till late in the 
 evening they are busy carting in their grain with ox- 
 waggons, with which nearly every Kaflir is supplied 
 already. In our opinion almost anything would thrive 
 here, as for mstance orange and nartjc trees, and pos- 
 sibly also coffee, tea, and sugar-cane. 
 
 As regards the production of grain, at one store at 
 Pitsani Pitclogo, where you have no Kaffir towns in 
 the immediate vicinity, we saw some hundreds (possibly 
 thousands) of bags of grain piled up. Only the railway 
 must open up the country ; the resources are unlimited. 
 The Kaflirs inhabit and cultivate only a small portion 
 of the country. Therefore, if the Chartered Company 
 should build a railway through here and give out 
 farms on both sides of the line from Mafeking up to 
 Bulawayo, a large farming population could thrive 
 here, whilst the Kaffirs keep their grounds and rights 
 within the limits of certain locations. 
 
 Speaking of Kaffirs, we have understood that there 
 is some plan of levying hut tax to pay for the protection 
 of Britain, which they so earnestly desired, and there is 
 some fear that L3nchwe, amongst others, will refuse to 
 pay. We do not think that this fear is quite ground- 
 less. Lynchwe is reported to have 15,000 to 20,000 
 fighting men, and in his town (Machudi) he has grain 
 stored up for three years. And his twofold prohibition
 
 FROM MAFEKIXG TO PALLA 27 
 
 creates still more suspicion : (i) his people may not 
 sell a single bag of grain ; (2) they may not keep 
 fowls and pigs (which, of course, are also fed on grain). 
 Furthermore, his town is situated in a ridge full of 
 almost impregnable caves, and his people are said to 
 be well armed and to be good shots. But his is in fact 
 the last fastness of barbarity that will have to cave in, 
 either voluntarily or by force. 
 
 Finally we give you a list of a few Kaffir names of 
 places with the meanings attached : 
 
 Ramatlabama = the hand of the father is blessed. 
 
 Pitsani Pitclogo = bitter buck. 
 
 Palla = redbuck. 
 
 Kumana = red. 
 
 Mopani = flat. 
 
 Maropong = blunt. 
 
 Macloutsi = elephant. 
 
 Bulawa^'o* = city of murder. 
 
 * Erroneously spelt '' Buluwayo," as the name is derived 
 from hulala — "to kill."
 
 LETTER IV 
 FROM PALLA TO PALAPYE 
 
 Aiiotlier 105 miles tlirough Bush country — '■'Every one 
 goes to BuhiK'ayo" — Tlirough a "Thirst Land'' — The 
 upper end of the Kalahari — Water and " Veldt" — Chris- 
 tianity and Civilisation amongst the Kaffirs — Kaffirs as 
 Labourers — A Hint for our Labour Commission. 
 
 Palapye, August 6, 1894. 
 Once more we must take you through bush country for 
 quite 105 miles, from Palla to Palapye. This time, 
 however, not along the banks of the river, but through 
 a comparative thirst land. 
 
 At Palla the Notwani flows into the Crocodile River, 
 which, at this point, has already a strong stream of 
 water. Here the great transport road, which at 
 Gaberoncs had branched off to the Mariko and Crocodile 
 Rivers, again joined the shorter but heavier road which 
 we had travelled with our light waggon. Erom Palla 
 to Shashe we travelled only thirteen and a half miles 
 with the great transport road along the banks of the 
 Crocodile River. There we again branched off into a 
 shorter but more heavy way, in order to reach Bula-
 
 FROM PALLA TO PALAPYE 29 
 
 wayo over Palapye and Tati, whilst the heavy transport 
 waggons continue to travel along the Crocodile River 
 for about 100 miles, so as to reach Bulawayo over 
 Macloutsi camp. 
 
 Every one you see along the road is going to Bulawayo, 
 unless he is returning from there. But very few come 
 back. The trains of transport waggons have pulverised 
 the road. They go there heavily laden and return 
 empty, or laden with skins and grain. The omnibus, 
 or great post-cart, also goes there well filled, to return 
 empty. At Palla two of the B.B. police came to 
 interrogate us, as they do everywhere, to see whether 
 we were bringing any guns without paying los. duty 
 on every barrel. One of them asked us whether we 
 were going to Bulawa3'0. On our affirmative reply 
 the other said, " Such a question is almost superfluous ; 
 at present every one goes to Bulawayo." 
 
 A little beyond Shashe we turned away from the 
 Crocodile River, in order to travel to Palapye through 
 a comparative " thirst land " (called by the farmers 
 "thirst"), which really is the upper part of the Kala- 
 hari desert. This part has a twofold significance for 
 us, firstly to experience what it means to travel through 
 a "thirst land," but especially to become acquainted 
 with the nature of the country in case the Chartered 
 Company allotted farms in that part, and the more so 
 as the railway and the trade route to Tati and Bulawayo 
 would unavoidably have to go through this part of the 
 country.
 
 30 
 
 RHODKSI A 
 
 Willi rcgartl to the waters the distances are as 
 follows : 
 
 Shashe to Dopperspan 
 
 From there to Magalapsi Kivcr 
 
 Wcirdrani 
 
 Miles. 
 i6 
 1 1 
 
 ,, ,, Dwarspad .... 6 
 
 ,, ,, Mopanipan . -30 
 
 ,, Letjapan .... 7 
 
 „ Palapye .... 6 
 
 It" you consider that tired oxen can cover only two 
 miles an hour and cannot be kept in yoke for more 
 than four hours without outspanning, and then require 
 from one to three hours to seek their food in the veldt, 
 you will acknowledge that under these circumstances 
 it is no easy matter to travel thirt}' miles without 
 water. It takes fifteen hours to cover thirty miles ; 
 divide this into live journeys of six miles each, then 
 you have four outspannings of two hours each, antl 
 you will lind that the oxen have to go without water 
 for about twenty-four hours, a whole day and night. 
 Usually the oxen are allowed some rest before and after 
 the journey ; the start is made shortly after noon and 
 the march continued through the whc^lc night, so that 
 the next water is reached the following day about noon. 
 
 The water is fairly good. The three above-named 
 pans (lakes) are not filled with rainwater (there are 
 many pans in these parts which in summer during the 
 rainy season have water, but at present arc dry), but
 
 FROM PALLA TO PALAPYE 31 
 
 by strong subterranean wells, emptying themselves in 
 these hollows, and not flowing out, because the country 
 is too level. At the last of these natural hollows (or 
 pans) the fountain is visible, sending out a stream 
 strong enough to turn a mill, and would give four 
 times that amount if the eye of the fountain was 
 properly opened up. Understand, however, that this 
 pan with its fountain is in a hollow quite a mile long, 
 and from fifteen to twenty feet deep, and lying lower 
 than the surface. This shows that, on account of the 
 level surface of the country, the water cannot discharge 
 itself in fountains or streams, but also that the water 
 cannot be very far below the surface. A proof of this 
 we found in the middle of the "thirst land," where 
 (presumably by Kaffirs) a hole about six feet deep had 
 been dug, which yields beautifully clean water, where 
 every traveller can get an abundant supply for his own 
 use, but alas, on account of the small opening, cattle 
 cannot drink, though the supply seems to be in- 
 exhaustible. 
 
 Consequently there is no reason why wells should 
 not be dug everywhere and farms laid out. As a rule, 
 it is not necessary to dig deeper than ten or twelve feet, 
 and with an ordinary pump there would be sufficient 
 water not only for cattle, but also for irrigation. For 
 the ground is exceedingly fertile, as can be seen from 
 the natural vegetation and the gardens of the Kaffirs. 
 
 It is a fine grazing country, for even now in the 
 worst season the cattle are fat. For sheep and goats
 
 32 RHODESIA 
 
 the country is rather too rougli, thougli the sheep and 
 goats seemed to do fairly well and were fit for 
 slaughtering. 
 
 \Vc, however, saw strips of country as well suited 
 for sheep-farming as any part of South Africa. For 
 instance, between Shashe and Dopperpan we passed 
 through a calcareous strip of country, similar to the 
 districts of Hopetown, Philipstown, and Griqualand 
 West, w'ith various kinds of sweet grass and small 
 shrubs, varied with very good large bush and trees, 
 as " knoppiesdoorn," " vaalbrach," "rozyntjes'-bosch," 
 "Zvvarthaak," " noem-noem," "quarri," 6cc. 
 
 The Kaftirs in these parts are rich in cattle. 
 Lynchwe and Chama, the two paramount chiefs, live 
 about 1/5 miles apart, but their cattle stations adjoin 
 each other ; this is especially the case along the Croco- 
 dile and Notwani Rivers. Still these parts are for the 
 most part uninhabited. These cattle stations are very 
 scattered. Around these large pans you find thousands 
 of cattle girded by a circle of " kraals." Here 3'ou see 
 their attachment to their chiefs. They go a distance 
 of several days in the country and remain there for 
 months, herding the cattle of their chief. We asked 
 one of Lynchwe's goat-herds what punishment he got 
 if he lost one of the goats, to which he replied, " I am 
 beaten with a 'sjambok.'" 
 
 We spoke about these two chiefs. There is a great 
 difference between the two and their respective people, 
 though both have been baptized and are under the
 
 FROM PALLA TO PALAPYE 33 
 
 influence of the missionaries. We cannot deny that 
 formerly we had no very great predilection for Chama, 
 especially on account of the part he is supposed to have 
 taken in the murder of Grobler, &c. Still, we must 
 acknowledge that the influence of Christianity has 
 penetrated his people far more than any other native 
 tribe we know in South Africa. We have noticed the 
 following good peculiarities amongst them : 
 
 I. The}' are very courteous; every one salutes you 
 and is willing to render assistance to travellers. Por 
 instance, at the Magelapsi River, which at present is 
 dry, is a small " kraal." Whilst we were outspanned 
 there, the petty chief, April, came to our waggon, 
 dug water for us in the sand of the river, watered our 
 oxen, and went to fetch water, and had the goats 
 milked for us (he had no cow-milk, for which we had 
 asked). On leaving we, of course, gave him some- 
 thing, saying that we very gratified at the kindness 
 and readiness to help which Chama's people had shown, 
 whereupon he answered that those were the orders of 
 his chief; they had to assist travellers. And oh ! how 
 proud he was when we showed him the portrait of his 
 chief in a book. Here we see how great is the influence 
 which the word of the chief exercises over his people. 
 
 2. The Bamangwato (Chama's people) in general use 
 no intoxicating liquor. He has strongly forbidden the 
 liquor traffic amongst his people. As a result of this 
 prohibition we were here for the first time asked for 
 coffee. Now, in principle we are no teetotalers ; but 
 
 c
 
 34 RHODESIA 
 
 every one who knows wliat ruin brandy lias wrought 
 amongst the Kaflirs (especially the brandy they get, 
 adulterated with pepper, tobacco, «S:c.) — people who 
 were accustomed to the nourishing Kaffir beer and 
 cannot be moderate with brandy— will acknowledge the 
 blessing brought about by this prohibition. He who 
 knows how addicted to brandy the Kadir becomes (and 
 Chama's people come in contact with it on the gold 
 and diamond fields) cannot fail to notice the great 
 influence he has over his people, inasmuch as he is 
 able to enforce that law. 
 
 3. Another good law is that the people are forbidden 
 to work or travel on Sunda3's. This law, as well as 
 the former, applies also to whites travelling in his 
 country. He does not allow travellers or transport 
 riders to enter or leave his town on Sunday. In this 
 he puts many a Christian government to shame. 
 
 4. The acknowledgment of the rights of women 
 struck us still more as the influence of Christianity. 
 Here is an instance. A somewhat elderly Kafiir came 
 to treat with us about exchanging our ten tired oxen 
 for eight fresh ones. Having seen our oxen, he said 
 he would now first go and consult his " Missis," and 
 would then bring us his reply. We asked him : " Is 
 your wife your 'Missis?'" He replied with the 
 counter-question : " Are your wives not your 
 ' Missis' ? " We replied : " Can you not see that we 
 exchange our oxen without consulting our wives ? " 
 " Ah ! " he said : " that is because your wives are not
 
 FROM PALLA TO PALAPYE 35 
 
 present, otherwise you would surely consult them." 
 This Kaffir can teach many a white man a useful 
 lesson. 
 
 5. That these Kaffirs were christianised by English 
 missionaries is proved by the fact that they are es- 
 sentially a race of traders. Not one of the people of 
 Moshete, Montsioa, Magus, or Lynchwe came to offer 
 us anything for exchange or for sale, but as soon as 
 we entered Chama's territory, they came with milk, 
 pumpkins, &c. At Mochudi we could get no oxen in 
 exchange, here they came to offer them. Otherwise 
 trading is a characteristic of the Kaffir. But more of 
 this later on. 
 
 6. Chama's people are good labourers. Many of the 
 Kaffirs in the service of transport riders or on the 
 diamond and gold fields come from here. We even 
 met some going to procure work on the railway exten- 
 sion to Mafeking. 
 
 This made us consider how far the Kaffirs are 
 already, and ma}^ in the future become, the labourers of 
 our countr3\ The thousands of workmen in our mines 
 are Kaffirs ; the servants of the transport riders are 
 mostly Kaffirs ; the hundreds on the railway works are 
 Kaffirs ; three-fourths of the servants of our cattle 
 farmers are Kaffirs. What would become of all this if 
 there were no Kaffirs ? and how would our mining 
 industry and our farming in the North be developed 
 without Kaffir labour ? And how the labour of these 
 thousands of Kaffirs could be extended, if they could
 
 36 RHODESIA 
 
 only be subjected and if they were not spoiled by mis- 
 placed philanthropy and erring civilisation ! 
 
 This leads us to another remark. The complaint of 
 scarcity of labour is general in South Africa. Provi- 
 dence is not to blame for this, for it has provided 
 millions of labourers, who are accustomed to the 
 climate, the food, &c. of this country, and consequently 
 are suited to be our labourers. The mistake must be 
 sought in our legislation and our government. This 
 raises the twofold question : (i) What is the mistake? 
 (2) How can it be remedied ? 
 
 That England by wrong interference has greatly 
 damaged our relation to the natives cannot be denied. 
 But have we also not taken the matter up quite wrongly ? 
 The method pursued up till now has been to break the 
 power of the great chiefs (naturally not without cause), 
 for instance Kreli, Ketswa3'0, Sekukuni, Mapoch, 
 Massona, Lobengula, «S:c. The policy of the Dutch 
 and also of the English in India was to use the influ- 
 ence of the chiefs for their own benefit, by gaining 
 them to their side, and making them virtually servants 
 of the State. Such native chiefs have unlimited in- 
 fluence amongst their people. This policy properly 
 applied can become a factor for good. 
 
 Suppose the chiefs were allowed to retain their influ- 
 ence over the people, that that influence was confirmed 
 and strengthened, that a location was given to the 
 chief large enough for his people to dwell in, which 
 right he retains as long as l:e fulfils the following
 
 FROM PALLA TO PALAPYE 37 
 
 conditions: (0 pays taxes, and (2) supplies workpeople 
 according to the extent of the ground he occupies. 
 For instance, if a chief has 50,000 morgen allotted to 
 him, he must pay ;^50 per annum as a tax and supply 
 fifty men as labourers, under supervision and protection 
 of the government, not only for the service of the 
 government and public works, but also as farm labourers 
 within a certain radius. Does this seem to be forced 
 labour? \*ery well, we say again, what we have said 
 before, without compulsory service, compulsory educa- 
 tion, of which so much is said nowadays, can never 
 be carried out. Moreover, when the Dutch and the 
 English governments in a similar manner got labourers 
 for the public works in India, was not that "compulsory 
 service?" And that was done not only for public 
 works, but also for coflce plantation and for private 
 companies. But this is only a hint written beside our 
 travelling waggon in m}' notebook on my knee. 
 
 Here at Palachur we leave the low, level bush 
 country, and begin to climb the higher, more mountain- 
 ous parts. To this point we have already ascended 
 about 800 feet from the Crocodile River. Before 
 leaving the Bushveldt we give the reader a photograph 
 of one of the giant mahogany trees growing here.
 
 LETTER V 
 FROM PALAI'VE TO TATI 
 
 Palapye as Town — Chama as Christian .am! Ruler — A 
 Snioiildcri)i,i^ Fire — The Tropic passed — Hidden Water 
 — More Lions — Opening for Industry. 
 
 Tati. August II. 1S94. 
 Mv former sketch 1 wrote at Lctja pan, seven miles 
 from Palapye. I must now first tell you something 
 about the renowned chief town of Chama. It is 
 prettily situated on the north side of a high ridge, 
 almost as high as Magaliesberg at Pretoria. Nature 
 all around is very beautiful. The trees, among which 
 are many kinds of wild fruit, are exceedingly luxu- 
 riant in their growth. Hut for seven miles the roads 
 on both sides are so sandy and rocky that our adverse 
 judgment of the town is perhaps to be attributed to 
 that. The town is built on thick sand and stones; and 
 then not picturesquely arranged on a slope, but spread 
 over a large area, in groups of small and dirty huts. 
 No, as town it cannot be compared to Mochude, 
 Mafeking, or Ramoutsa, and we cannot sec the beauty 
 which, by some English writers, is ascribed to it. 
 
 Perhaps the unfavourable building and laying out of
 
 FROM PALAPYE TO TATI 39 
 
 the town is to be attributed to the haste with which it 
 was founded. Formerly Chama Hved at Shoshong. 
 Owing to the enormous increase of the population the 
 water supply became insufficient, and a few years ago 
 the whole town was transplanted. Two years ago the 
 ravages of the influenza epidemic were so serious, and 
 so many died, that Chama has again given up a part of 
 the town and placed it higher on the slopes of the ridge. 
 The remains of the half-circular walls within which 
 the huts were built are still to be seen. 
 
 Our time was so occupied with writing and other 
 affairs, that we had no time to pay Chama a visit, which 
 to us was a great disappointment. We were, however, 
 compensated for this by the more or less casual ac- 
 quaintance we made with Mr. Frank Elliott Lochner, 
 who invited us to supper, and with whom we spent a 
 few very pleasant hours. Owing to his manifold and 
 protracted experiences and observations as officer in 
 the Bechuanaland Border Police, as special deputy to 
 Barotsiland, when he acquired for the Chartered Com- 
 pany the extensive region of 225,000 square miles 
 north of the Zambesi, as officer in the expedition 
 against Lobengula, and as inhabitant of Palapye for 
 some time, he was able to give us important information, 
 which he also did with the greatest kindness. We 
 shall relate part of what he told us. Mr. Lochner really 
 believes in the Christian principles of Chama, of which he 
 gave us some important proofs, from his own experience 
 and that of others. Thirty-five years ago Chama
 
 40 
 
 RHODESIA 
 
 was baptized, not by an English, but by a German 
 missionary, and remained steadfastly true to his con- 
 fession. His prohibition of drink applies not only to 
 strong liquor, but also to Kaffir beer ; and lie has 
 enough influence amongst his people to enforce his 
 prohibition. He is, moreover, something of a diploma- 
 tist. For instance, foreseeing that sooner or later a 
 hut tax would be levied, and that its sudden introduc- 
 tion might give rise to unpleasantness and difficulties, 
 he prepared his people for it by levying a tax himself, 
 making every man pay according to the extent of land 
 he cultivated. 
 
 There is, however, something smouldering between 
 Chania and Lynchwe, we observed, and in this our 
 opinion was strengthened by the fact of Chama calling 
 his people in from the out-stations ; and the very day 
 we were there (Aug. 6) two regiments (about 5CX30 
 mounted men) went out, on a hunting expedition, it 
 was said. But it is possible that there is something 
 else behind this. It is just possible that they might 
 meet a similar expedition of Lynchwe in the hunting 
 field ! 
 
 The case is this : Chama lays claim to an immense 
 tract of country, from the Crocodile or Limpopo River 
 to the Zambesi, wherein his people live scattered, 
 divided in three sections: (i) a portion with him at 
 Palapye, (2) another portion in the Chopong Hills, 
 sixty miles east of Shoshong, and (3) a third portion 
 at Selika, on the Limpopo. Towards the Zambesi,
 
 FROM PALAPYE TO TATI 41 
 
 however, there are vast uninhabited regions, where 
 game is still abundant. There Lynchwe's people go 
 a-hunting, and the result is constant quarrels ; but the 
 representative of the Imperial government prevents a 
 collision. The strain is becoming worse and worse, 
 and a collision seems almost inevitable. 
 
 The one thinks that he is quite a match for the 
 other. Still we fear that a war would have bad results 
 for both, as regards their supremacy ; for Britain is 
 sure to interfere, and then it becomes simply "two 
 dogs fighting about a bone, whilst the third carries it 
 off." Well, perhaps that is the best. 
 
 From Palapye to Tati we had to pass 100 miles 
 through another bush country, but not so monotonous. 
 True, the country remains somewhat level, but still 
 there is a gradual rise, and everywhere amongst the 
 woods you find peculiar granite " koppies " (knolls), 
 from 50 to 200 feet high, like watch-towers, from the 
 top of which 3'ou have a splendid view all round. One 
 evening at sundown we ascended one of the highest 
 of these " koppies." What a rare sight ! A sea of 
 woods, melting awa}' in the interminable distance, with 
 innumerable little watch-towers, arising like small 
 islets out of this sea of verdure. 
 
 We said that there is now a gradual rise. That 
 comes in well, for we have now passed the tropic and 
 begin to feel the tropical climate. At Gaberones, 303 
 miles from here, we saw the last frost. In daytime 
 we have to seek the shade of the trees, of which some
 
 42 RHODESIA 
 
 arc already in full bloom, and many a night \vc cannot 
 sleep under our " caresses " (velkonibaars). The last 
 few days and nights have been cooler. 
 
 On this side of Palapswe we had again to cross a 
 "thirstland" (" dorst "), which in former years formed 
 a good dividing line between the tribes of Lobengula 
 and Chama, the Matabelcs and the Bamangwatos. 
 Here are the distances to be crossed without water: 
 
 
 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Palapye 
 
 to Lotsani River 
 
 • 7 
 
 From th 
 
 ere 
 
 to Seruli River . 
 
 . 20 
 
 
 
 Boesmanputten 
 
 . 16 
 
 
 
 Maropong River 
 
 12 
 
 
 
 Macloutsi River 
 
 • 14 
 
 
 
 Shashi River . 
 
 • 19 
 
 
 
 Tati 
 
 . 6 
 
 Now, bear in mind that the two last mentioned rivers 
 are at this time of the year dry sand rivers, in which 
 you have to dig "gorratjes" (little holes in the sand) 
 to find water. We find, however, that all over this 
 flat country water is to be found not very deep below 
 the surface. There is abundant and beautiful water at 
 the " Boesmanputten " (Bushmen's Wells), not more 
 than six feet below the surface. At the Marapong River, 
 we saw the dripping of a fountain in the bank of the 
 river ; the dripping, however, was absorbed by the 
 sand of the river. 
 
 Another instance : about the middle of the twenty
 
 FROM PALAPYE TO TATI 43 
 
 miles between SeruH and the Boesmanputten we saw a 
 little plank nailed up along the road, on which was 
 written : *' Water one and a half miles east." — Next to 
 this was written with red pencil : " On this side of the 
 Koppies," and with black pencil, apparently still later : 
 " This side of the two highest koppies." But unfortu- 
 nately there is a whole ridge with koppies to the east 
 (the Manani or Mahibi ridge) with two pairs of high 
 koppies and several smaller koppies between them. One 
 pair lay south-east and the other north-east — east was 
 just between them. Two of us went to the north-east 
 koppies, whither the signboard seemed to point ; the 
 water was, however, found at the south-east koppies — 
 a distance of about one and a half miles. Consequently 
 our tired oxen had to be driven a triangle of four and a 
 half miles, which took us the whole afternoon. There 
 was a fountain (" wateraar ") dammed up by the Kaffirs. 
 So far they go for water, which forces itself to the sur- 
 face, whilst everywhere there are signs that the water 
 is immediately below the surface. We saw two or 
 three places at the same distance where even at this 
 dry time of the year moisture showed itself on the 
 surface. What a pity that we had no spade with us, 
 and that our time was so limited, otherwise we would 
 have dug a hole for water, as a trial. 
 
 We, however, tried to assist other travellers by 
 refixing the signboard, so that it pointed to the right 
 koppies and by drawing an arrow on it, and writing 
 beneath it : " Follow this direction to the south-east
 
 44 RHODESIA 
 
 koppies." But we are almost sure that sufficient water 
 will be found at various places at the depth of five to ten 
 feet. It is a good thing that the Chartered Company has 
 decided to sink wells on the road to the lake country. 
 
 The only persons who can here point out the water 
 are the Kaffirs at the "post stables" (stables where 
 fresh relays of horses are kept), but these do their best 
 to hide the water ; they always say that there is no 
 water, and that they have to water the oxen at a great 
 distance, forgetting that the very fact of their being 
 stationed there is sufficient proof that water is close by. 
 
 Yesterday we had a proof of this. A transport rider 
 informed us that between Macloutsi and Shashi, about 
 twelve miles from the first-mentioned river, was a post 
 stable, and that about 500 yards west of the road there 
 was good water, which, however, the Kaffirs tried to 
 hide. And this we found to be true. Providence had 
 opened a spring between large boulders, so that cattle 
 and game could not close it up by trampling upon it, 
 and had also formed a kind of natural reservoir for the 
 water between the rocks, whilst the ants had built an 
 ant-heap, fifteen feet high, as it were a kind of tower to 
 indicate where the water was. About six miles from 
 Macloutsi we found in the same way, on indication, a 
 little pool of beautiful fresh dripping water at the foot 
 of a rock. So providence has made provision, but man 
 has as yet done very little. 
 
 The transport service makes a circuit of nearly 100 
 miles along the Manrika and Crocodile Rivers, on
 
 FROM PALAPYE TO TATI 45 
 
 account of the scarcity of water along the shorter route. 
 What a blessing it would be if the Chartered Company 
 would sink wells fifteen miles apart, via Tati to Bula- 
 wayo, along the road, beginning say from Gaberones, 
 till where it is intended to build the railway ; for this is 
 the natural transport road. 
 
 We passed through a comparatively desolate part of 
 the country, uninhabited, but not uninhabitable. This 
 part of the country will decidedly be inhabited if once 
 the train passes through it. We did not find a single 
 Kaffir kraal between Palla and Palapye (100 miles), 
 nor between Palapye and Tati (also lOO miles). 
 Consequently there is still much game ; all about we 
 found the footprints of wilde beesten and koedoes, &c. 
 A few lions are still found. The day before yesterday, 
 coming from the Marapong River, we saw the footprints 
 of a large and small lion (probably a lioness with her cub) 
 coming along the road in our direction. We also 
 noticed signs all about of the circles of the fires Kaffirs 
 had made around their sleeping place to protect them 
 from the lions ; these circles were plainly to be seen ; 
 for the ash of the wood is very white, and remains 
 visible till the rainy season comes. 
 
 Being still in the bush country we noticed several 
 uses to which these trees could be put ; e.g.^ coffee is 
 made from the roots of the " wilgatboom." Coming 
 near to Tati we saw the mopani or wild turpentine trees 
 denuded of their bark. We were informed that a 
 Mr. Vermack used the bark for tanning, for which
 
 46 RHODESIA 
 
 purpose it is very well suited. Looking at the enormous 
 export of hides from here, and the inexhaustible supply 
 of this bark (for the country for miles and miles around 
 is covered with these mopani trees), one begins to 
 think that with the development of the country a 
 tannery, connected with a shoe and harness making 
 business, would answer very well here. Perhaps one 
 of our enterprising readers may take the hint and make 
 a greater fortune with this business than with gold 
 digging. 
 
 This brings us to the last observation. We have 
 now entered Tati, the land of minerals. Yesterday 
 evening already we passed some old copper mines, pro- 
 bably worked by the Mashonas in former years. We 
 do not, however, allow ourselves the time for a closer 
 investigation, the more so as we intend to spend more 
 time at Tati in the exploration of the mineral richness 
 of the land. More anent this in our next commu- 
 nication.
 
 LETTER VI 
 
 THE TATI GOLD-FIELDS OF THE PAST 
 
 First Gold Discoveries— The " Voortrekkers " here, also 
 the Pioneers — Salkats and Loben fear the Gold — First 
 Gold-seekers — The Tati Concession — Why there is no 
 greater Success. 
 
 Manque, August i8, 1894. 
 BEFORt; I relate my own observations on the Tati 
 gold-fields I must give you a short history of this 
 concession and of the prospecting for gold in this part 
 of the country. I trust by doing so to render you 
 good service, for the Tati gold-fields seem to be one 
 of those things about which every one seems to know 
 somct/iifig, but no one the exact /;■/////. On most of the 
 maps of South Africa Tati is noted down, and on the 
 geological and mineralogical maps it is simply coloured 
 yellow, as if the whole region was gold bearing. And 
 it really is our o/dcsi goldfield, and may become our 
 /a?'gcsL 
 
 And where do we find trustworthy narratives about 
 them ? One hardly knows which to recommend. The 
 fullest information, though not always the most trust- 
 worthy, is to be found in the works of Mather : " Golden
 
 48 RHODESIA 
 
 South Africa " and " Zambcsia." But, however excellent 
 as compilations of almost everything that has been 
 written about this subject up to the present time, we 
 cannot recommend them as altogether accurate. For 
 instance, " The Monarch " is described as a reef of 
 eighty to ninety feet wide, and gold-bearing all through, 
 whereas we have convinced ourselves that it is only a reef 
 of twelve to fifteen feet, ending in a few inches width, and 
 not gold-bearing throughout. If our object was only to 
 rouse enthusiasm, then we had simply to take these data 
 as given by him ; but our object is to acquaint you with 
 the real state of affairs by personal inspection. Do 
 not, however, fear that we shall make all your fine 
 expectations of the northern gold-fields end in smoke. 
 No, for your assurance we here state that we devoted a 
 whole week to the Tati gold-fields, and that our belief 
 with regard to their future was rather strengthened 
 than otherwise. 
 
 The gold-fields of Tati and Mashonaland were simul- 
 taneously discovered. Our hunters knew of the exist- 
 ence of these gold-fields long ago. Man}' a time we 
 ourselves heard the late Mr. Jan Viljoen, of Mariko, 
 speaking enthusiastically about them. Ever}' time he 
 offered to take us to these regions before his death, and 
 during Lobengula's lifetime, with whom he was well 
 acquainted, so that we could give a description of them 
 for the following generation. But for that object he 
 required two years ; so much time we could never spare, 
 and till the present day it grieves us that that opportunity
 
 TATI G0LD-FIP:LDS of the past 49 
 
 is now passed for ever. We Africanders were not the 
 
 first to describe these regions, though also here we were 
 
 the pioneers. See what the Enghsh writer, Raine, 
 
 relates : 
 
 We had heard for many years, among the Dutch emigrants, 
 rumours of gold found beyond the Zoutpausberg, and about 
 1865 Mr. H. Hartley, while hunting in Matabeleland, observed 
 groups of ancient diggings, and connecting these with the 
 current stories, he invited Herr Carl Mauch to accompany 
 him on his next trip ; and in 1866 the then young and almost 
 unknown traveller announced the discovery of a gold-field 
 eighty miles in length by two or three miles in breadth. 
 
 That gold was first actually discovered at Tati is to 
 be ascribed to the strong prohibition of Salkats, and 
 later of Lobengula to prospect for gold in Matabeleland. 
 Many of our old hunters have told us how these tyrants, 
 when they gav'e permission to hunt, always sent an 
 escort of their people with them, ostensibly to go and 
 show them the game, but actually to see that they did 
 not carry away a stone out of the country. And still 
 the gold was there, it is discovered, and the white man 
 is master of the country. That is the reason that the 
 commencement was at Tati. 
 
 The first gold explorations are thus related in 
 Mathers' "Zambesia," p. 204 : 
 
 Various companies, or rather exploring parties, were de- 
 spatched, one of the first being headed by Captain Beach, and 
 another of ten men under Captain McNeil, of Durban, Natal, 
 besides many smaller ones. A party of thirty-four Australians 
 was equipped in Natal in 1869 and sent up to test the rich- 
 ness of the reputed gold-field. A party was also sent up 
 
 D
 
 50 Ix'IK )I)l-:si.\ 
 
 from I\)rt ICIi/ubttli, but it is not on record that it cliscmcrcd 
 much at Tati. In iSGS the London and Limpopo Mining 
 Company, headed by Sir John Swinburne, Bart., and Cap- 
 tain Arthur Lionel Levert, left England, taking with them an 
 expensive equipment, including a traction engine, which, 
 however, was left and subsequently sold in Natal. They 
 reached the Tati on April 27, i86g, set up their steam engine 
 and opened a store. Sir John and Mr. Levert proceeded to 
 Inyati. The former obtained leave to proceed to the 
 northern gold-fields, the latter returned to Natal, and had a 
 stamping machine constructed there by Mr. Gavin, of 
 Durban. About this time quite a little village had arisen 
 on the west bank of the Tati River, and nine companies 
 were at work digging for gold. A company of thirty-five 
 Australians, sent up from Durban, went about thirty-two 
 miles up the river and located themselves on " Todd's 
 Creek." Several of the shafts were fifty feet deep ; but 
 though 150 tons of quartz, some of it apparently rich, had 
 been got out, the crushing machines that had been extem- 
 porised did not succeed. Nevertheleps. specimens had been 
 sent home, and Messrs. Johnson, Matthcy. and Company, 
 assayers to the Bank of England, certified witli others that 
 over 120 ounces were soon produced. Most of the working 
 parties being unprovided with funds sufficient for the long 
 and laborious processes of mining till they reached the gold, 
 and then requiring to provide machinery to crush it, had 
 sold out or abandoned their claims, and yielded to the more 
 brilliant attractions of the diamond fields. 
 
 Thus the way was prepared for the " I'ati Concession 
 and Trading Company, Limited," which, as the parent 
 company here, still continues its work along with the 
 " Blue Jacket Syndicate," as a subsidiary company. 
 More of both anon. 
 
 The Tati Concession was granted by Lobengula on
 
 TATI GOLD-FIELDS OF THE PAST 51 
 
 a region practically uninhabited, and situated between 
 him and Chama. It includes about 2000 square miles, 
 situated between the Shashie and Ramaquabaun Rivers, 
 from the origin to the conflux of those two rivers. In 
 the middle, this region is intersected by the Tati River. 
 
 Two series of gold reefs seem to run through the 
 length of this region: (i) Along the Tati, partially 
 explored ; (2) along the Ramaquabaun, as yet quite 
 unexplored. That there are numerous gold-bearing 
 reefs in both belts, and that some are very rich, as also 
 that there are many old diggings, cannot be denied ; 
 concerning these we shall relate more presently. 
 
 But then the question arises : If this be so, how is 
 it to be explained that these gold-fields have not 
 created greater interest ? To take away all prejudice, 
 we shall first try to answer this question and give 
 some of the causes which hindered the success of 
 these gold-fields ; some of them have already been 
 removed, and others stand a good chance of being 
 speedily removed ; so that a better future seems to 
 be in store for Tati. We point out these obstacles 
 to the earlier success the more readily, because the 
 Tati Company has thrown open its grounds to gold 
 seekers, and evidently now carries on its own mining 
 operations with great energy : 
 
 I. The first and principal obstacle to the development 
 of these gold-fields was, undoubtedly, their geogra- 
 phical situation, being 1275 miles from Cape Town. 
 Now, bear in mind, in the early days there was no
 
 52 RHODESIA 
 
 railway at all, and what enormous sums of money 
 the transport of heavy machinery and victuals, and 
 the carrying on of mining operations at a distance 
 of 500 miles from the nearest white population, would 
 cost ; and every one will readily understand that gold- 
 mining under such circumstances could not pay unless 
 the reefs were extraordinarily rich. This difficulty is 
 being gradually done away with, now that the railway 
 is already completed as far as Mafeking, about 400 miles 
 from here, and a stream of transport passes through 
 to Bulawayo.* 
 
 2. Another obstacle was Lobengula's reign of 
 terror. He had given a concession to dig here, but 
 not every digger or capitalist had such implicit con- 
 fidence as to risk his person and his capital in it. This 
 obstacle has been removed. Lobengula is no more ; his 
 kingdom is broken up. Gold digging here is quite as 
 safe at present as wine-making at the Paarl. 
 
 3. Some also were surely kept back by the reports 
 of the unhealthiness of these parts, on account of the 
 fever. But although Tati is not as healthy as the 
 highlands of Matabeleland, and the fever is undeniably 
 rampant in the summer, still it has now been proved 
 that the fever is not an insurmountable obstacle, as 
 the rate of mortality is very low. At any rate, the 
 country is not more subject to fever than Barberton 
 was formerly. Regular living and preventive medi- 
 
 * And the railway is shortly expected to reach the " Moni 
 arch,"
 
 TATI GOLD-FIELDS OF THE PAST 53 
 
 cines are sufficient ; and if seized by the fever good 
 treatment will soon cure it. That, at least, is the 
 experience of the local doctor. 
 
 4. Most of the earliest gold-diggers have given it up 
 for want of capital. Many were under the impression 
 that gold was to be picked up on the surface ; but to 
 dig for gold you require gold and steel. Now we 
 know better. 
 
 5. That the parties who had some capital to spend 
 did not succeed better is mainly to be attributed to 
 two causes : (i) Bad management, which is not to be 
 wondered at, the directors and shareholders being so 
 far away ; and (2) the loss of gold on account of im- 
 perfect machinery, and more or less incapable amalga- 
 mators. It will appear later on that there is now 
 improvement in both. 
 
 6. The discovery of the diamond fields cooled the 
 ardour of the first gold seekers here and lured many 
 awa3\ This cannot be denied. 
 
 But enough. In our next we hope to inform you 
 about the work that is being done here at present, and 
 also about the prospects of these gold-fields, besides 
 relating our experiences. Time is up, and writing in a 
 travelling waggon is anything but comfortable.
 
 LETTER VII 
 
 THE TATI GOLD-FIELDS OF THE PRESENT 
 
 Reality equal to a Novel — Plan of Novel conceruiug Solo- 
 mon's Mining Works here — Amongst Game and Beasts 
 of Prey— Great Mining Works in the far Interior. 
 
 Paarl Camp, August 27, 1894. 
 In our last sketch we wrote about the past of the Tati 
 gold-fields ; we must now, according to promise, acquaint 
 you with the work that is done there a/ present and 
 with its results. 
 
 In order to see as much as possible of the gold-fields 
 and their present opening up, we did not go straight 
 through the Tati territory, with the main road from 
 Palapye to Bulawayo, as most travellers do. No ; the 
 road crosses the Tati River just at the original settle- 
 ment (Tati Settlement), where you have a post and 
 telegraph office, police-station, and a well-supplied 
 store, right in the middle ot the " Blue Jacket Syndi- 
 cate's " holdings. But thirty-six miles out of the road, 
 in a north-westerly direction, you find the centre of 
 the real Tati Company's operations, and the renowned 
 reef " the Monarch." We took this circuitous road, 
 and came again to the main road with a slanting road
 
 TATI GOLU-KIELDS OF THE PRESENT 55 
 
 about thirty-six miles long, thus forming a more or less 
 rectangular triangle, and crossing quite seventy-two 
 miles of the Tati territory, including both series of the 
 reefs. 
 
 Our experiences on this circuitous road were so 
 romantic that we are afraid that, if we described them 
 literally, you would involuntarily come under the impres- 
 sion that you were reading a novel. For this reason, 
 and because I find that I am getting behindhand with 
 my sketches, I shall wait with a description of this part 
 of our journey, so rich in adventures, till I am safely 
 back, when I shall try to write a romance about the 
 working of these old mines in the time of Solomon, 
 when the Queen of Sheba reigned here. I am now busy 
 collecting material for that novel. I shall at present 
 only mention that it look us a week to make this round ; 
 that, guided by two Makalakas, we had to travel through 
 bush country for about three days on two almost invisible 
 waggon-tracks, which we lost about fifty times, when 
 we all had to seek for them, sometimes almost half an 
 hour before finding any indication, and this through a 
 bush country where the mopani and other trees form 
 quite a forest, and through sprints and rivers, one of 
 which, the dry bed of the Ramakwabaun, for instance, 
 is 200 yards broad, with no sign of a ford, whilst we 
 had neither pick nor spade to make a ford ; that we saw 
 no human being during those three days, not even a 
 sign of a Kaffir habitation, while the veldt was trodden 
 down by big game : wildebeesten, koedoes, kwaggas.
 
 $6 RHODESIA 
 
 elands, &c. (of the last-mentioned Ilcnry shot two in 
 one day), but also we saw the clear proofs that they 
 were still pursued by their natural enemies, for we 
 found many footprints of lions and tigers. At a hole of 
 water in a dr}- river wc could plainly see in the sand 
 how a tiger had shortl}' before caught a buck which had 
 come there to slake its thirst. On another occasion we 
 saw three wild dogs chasing a buck past our waggon at 
 about fifty yards. ICven elephants and ostriches are 
 still to be found here ; of the last wc ofien saw the foot- 
 prints, and the feeding-places of the first-mentioned, 
 where they had broken down the branches of the mopani 
 trees. Add to all this the interesting conversation 
 with the Kaffirs (for Ilenr}' Cloete is a good interpreter) 
 about the old mining works, and the last war, lVc, and 
 you will see tliat wc were able on this journey to collect 
 a good deal of material for a novel. 
 
 More of this later on. At present the " Tati Mining 
 and Trading Company, Limited," the mother company, 
 works on the Tati fields, as does also its daughter, the 
 " Blue Jacket Syndicate/' established more for the 
 purpose of exploration ; fur the greater part, however, 
 both belong to the same shareholders. 
 
 As already mentioned, we visited first the " Blue 
 Jacket Syndicate's " diggings in the vicinity of the Tati 
 Settlement, where the main road crosses the Tali River. 
 The Syndicate works on seven leefs, the principal of 
 which are the "Blue Jacket " and "New Zealand " reefs, 
 both of which wc visited.
 
 TATI GOLD-FIELDS OF THE PRESENT 57 
 
 One can plainly see that the formation is changed 
 here. You will remember that we wrote about those 
 thousands of granite " koppies " (knolls). This is now 
 quite changed. The koppies and ridges are now mostly 
 of sandstone, while between is slate formation, inter- 
 sected by quartz reefs ; the surface, however, is very 
 much broken up, so that loose pieces of quartz are 
 scattered all over the surface. 
 
 Of the New Zealand we could not see much, as they 
 were busy pumping the water out of the shaft, showing 
 that it was intended to recommence the work, although 
 we were informed this pumping had been going on for 
 some time already, and would still go on for a long 
 while. From this we were confirmed in our conclusion 
 that there is much water in these parts beneath the 
 surface. Unhappily the manager of these works was 
 ill at the time, and, besides, he had no instructions to 
 show us over the mines, so we had to be content with 
 what we could see for ourselves. 
 
 At the " Blue Jacket," about three miles from there, 
 we were more fortunate. The pumping-shaft is sepa- 
 rate and deeper than the level which is now being 
 opened at a depth of ninety feet. The breadth of this 
 reef varies, but it is evidently in quality and quantity 
 considered to be payable. 
 
 But what interested us most were the old mining- 
 works of former ages, with which we here became 
 acquainted for the first time. This reef was discovered, 
 as is the case almost everywhere in Matabeleland, by
 
 58 RHODESIA 
 
 the old open mining-places on the surface. These, how- 
 ever, had fallen in everywhere. But when the main 
 shaft was sunk to intersect the reef, which runs in a 
 slanting direction, it was found that the ancients had 
 been down to the same depth beforehand and had taken 
 out the best quartz ; these excavations below were open 
 still. We went in for some distance with candles. 
 These ancients have taken out the quartz in a very 
 irregular manner, sometimes at a width of seven to 
 eight feet, then again at only two feet, so that it gave 
 some trouble to pass through them ; whether they left 
 parts of the reef because the quartz was poorer, or 
 because they wanted them as supports, or props, to 
 prevent the falling in, or for both reasons, is diffi- 
 cult to determine ; most likely the last-mentioned was 
 the case. 
 
 Recently an old mining place was discovered not far 
 from there, which had also fallen in, and in it were dis- 
 covered some stone implements, indicating how very 
 ancient these mines are, and also, on the other hand, 
 some pieces of mopani wood (a very durable wood), in 
 wliich the indents made by axes are still visible. A skull 
 was also found, evidently of a bushman. This confirmed 
 us in our opinion that at these old mines a superior race 
 ruled, which used better implements, whilst the native 
 slaves used their primitive stone implements. 
 
 At the IjIuc Jacket we met an Africander family 
 that had been living in Matabeleland for the last twenty- 
 one years, and were now busy building a dwelling-
 
 TATI GOLD-FIELDS OF THE PRESENT 59 
 
 house here — viz., Mr. P. Oosthinzen, with his two 
 sons-in-law Mr. J. Engelbrecht and Mr. Elliott. They 
 gave us some valuable information. 
 
 After little more than one day's travelling we reached 
 the centre of the operations of the Tati Company, 
 on the celebrated " Monarch " reef. This is a small 
 village in the veldt, consisting of about twenty or thirty 
 little houses, and built very regularly on an elevation, 
 between the Tati and one of her tributaries. 
 
 The general manager had died just a month before. 
 But the acting general manager, Mr. Edwards, showed 
 us extreme kindness, took us all over the works, and 
 gave us all required information. Here active mining 
 operations are carried on day and night ; real work is 
 done, and the mine properly developed. 
 
 We shall not give a detailed description of these 
 mining works. Most of our readers know what such 
 mining works are like, on the Rand and elsewhere, so 
 that they will be able, from the few facts we shall men- 
 tion, to judge of what has been done and is still being 
 done here ; only they must bear in mind what difficulties 
 work in the interior has to contend with. 
 
 The " Monarch " is, indeed, the king amongst the 
 known gold reefs, and has been worked for the past five 
 years. At first the quartz was taken out by means of 
 " open works." A hole, 100 feet long and 1 5 feet broad, 
 is still to be seen, from which the quartz was taken that, 
 with an old-fashioned stamping machine (now taken 
 over by the Blue Jacket Syndicate) yielded gold to the
 
 6o RHODESIA 
 
 value of ^7000, whilst (according to Mathers, in his 
 " Zambesia ") about 90 per cent, was lost. 
 
 Now, however, the Tati Company has a complete 
 battery with thirty stamps and all the requisites in an 
 immense building, wherein another thirty stamps can be 
 put up if necessary. Along with this they have a com- 
 plete apparatus to pump the water out of the Tati River 
 for about a thousand yards. At the river two boilers 
 are placed, where a shaft 60 feet deep has been sunk, 
 with a tunnel 180 feet long below the bed of the river, 
 out of which an abundant supply of clean water can be 
 pumped. 
 
 As yet this machine does not work, for here they have 
 the same experience which so many companies on the 
 Rand have had, that the machine was ready before the 
 mines were sufiiciently opened. The manager is hard 
 at work opening this mine with two shifts of workmen, 
 working day and night. 
 
 He has a main shaft 140 feet deep, at which level he 
 makes a drive to another shaft about 400 yards from 
 there ; both works are nearly completed. As soon as 
 both shafts are connected they will begin to stope the 
 140 feet quartz to the surface. 
 
 The reef itself runs perpendicularly down, and is of 
 regular formation, from twelve to fifteen feet broad. 
 From the first-mentioned sliaft the reef is also opened 
 westward with a drive at a depth of 140 feet, but there 
 it ends with a width of about one inch. 
 
 With regard to the quartz at the last-mentioned
 
 TATI (;()1.I)-1IK1J)S OF THE PRESP:XT 6i 
 
 south-eastern shaft, where the open works arc, it is 
 very ricli in free gold, and llic deeper 3'ou go the richer 
 it becomes ; but at the north-western sliaft, from where 
 the drive is now being made, the quartz contains httle 
 free gold, but is full of refractory gold, which, however, 
 cannot be obtained in the usual way on plates. Some 
 thousand tons of this quartz were lying near the 
 machine, and we look forward with great interest to 
 the crushing, which will be commenced in a few months' 
 lime. In any case, we have good expectations of the 
 " Monarch." 
 
 The company is hard at work with twenty whites 
 and 100 natives. Besides the "Monarch," the com- 
 pany is also opening up the " New Prospect," about 
 four miles to the south-west of the " Monarch," where 
 a depth of 100 feet has been reached, also on old 
 workings, and a good reef of two feet width has been 
 struck. In our former sketches we wrote about the 
 state of health and other dillicuhies. We can only add 
 to this that there are peculiar facilities here ; for instance, 
 an abundant supply of fuel for the machines and for 
 timber in the mines, is close at hand. Then the com- 
 pany has an advantage here in that it has the monopoly 
 of the trade, by which it makes immense gains. The 
 ground rights, which will be very valuable when the 
 railway passes through the place, also belong to the 
 Company. 
 
 Finally, we have to refrain from again expressing our 
 gratitude for the kindness shown us by the acting
 
 (M k'lloDKSlA 
 
 manager and all the officials of the compan}'. We 
 wish the conipan}' success. It has still large tracks 
 quite unexplored, of which, Judging from the surface 
 indications we have seen, we have the highest expec- 
 tations.
 
 LETTER VIII 
 
 SALKATS, THE FOUNDER OF THE MATABELE 
 EMPIRE 
 
 The Boundaries of Matahdeland — The Descent of Salkats 
 — Salkats and Chaka — Salkats and the Boers — Salkats 
 and the Mashonas, Makalakas, and Baroets — His Death 
 and Successor — The Poor Matabeles — Their Miserable 
 State and Humiliation. 
 
 Queen's Reef, 30 Miles N.E. of Bulawayo, 
 August 30, 1894. 
 
 Returning from Tati we came again in the main road 
 at the Manialula Hills, a habitable and apparently 
 healthy region, well provided with water ; at least imme- 
 diately before coming into the road we saw, at the foot 
 of the " koppies," two fairly strong fountains which, 
 even in this dry season, formed a small morass. Nature 
 hereabouts is picturesque, with those beautiful knolls 
 and luxuriant vegetation ; and the trees do not form 
 here an impenetrable barrier of shrubs of " hauk- 
 doorns," as is mostly the case in the bush country ; no, 
 high trees with good grass below, and now and then an 
 open grass flat. 
 
 Here our two guides took their leave, after we had
 
 64 KIIODKSIA 
 
 given them small presents, and especially enriched with 
 the game we had shot along the road, and which we 
 could not use ; they had hidden it to take along with 
 them on returning. "Who will leave meat?" our 
 old Makalaka had asked us. Upon our remark : " But 
 the meat will become old," he answered : " We are 
 accustomed to eat meat that smells." When at our 
 parting we asked the old man about the water supply 
 further on along the road he answered naively : *' Why 
 do you ask so much about the water ? Do you not see 
 the appearance of the country, it is full of water every- 
 where." And so it proved. We now entered a more 
 undulating country, with many rivers, rivulets, and 
 brooks, and in almost all of them there was water, even 
 in this dry season of the year. It is a " land of foun- 
 tains and water courses," this Matabeleland, which we 
 have now fairly entered. 
 
 The real Matabeleland extends from the Macloutsi 
 River on the south to about sixty miles from the Zam- 
 besi to the north, and from Muzilasland (or the Sabi 
 River) on the east to the Nata River and the Makari- 
 Kari salt pans to the west, whilst the Zambesi forms 
 the north-western boundary from the Victoria W'ater- 
 falls to the Zambe. The territory over which Loben- 
 gula reigned is more than 160,000 square miles in 
 extent ; in the centre of this territory Bulawayo (the 
 city of murder) is situated. 
 
 The distance from Cape Town is : up to Yryburg 
 775 miles, from there to Mafeking 102 miles, from there,
 
 SALKATS, THE FOUNDER 65 
 
 taken by cyclometer, to Gaberones 100 miles, from there 
 to Palla 104 miles, from there to Palapye 33 miles, from 
 there to Tati 94 miles, from there to Bulawayo 120 
 miles, altogether about 1385 miles; about the half of 
 this we travelled by ox- waggon, viz., from Vryburg to 
 Bulawayo, 611 miles. We left Vryburg on July 9, 
 and arrived at Bulawayo on August 23. Deduct one 
 week for our little excursion trip in Tati, then it appears 
 that we did not spend quite a month on this part of the 
 journey, which is considered to be ver}' good. Add to 
 this that not one of our oxen was even ill, whilst other 
 travellers lose about one-third of their oxen, and you 
 must acknowledge that we have cause for gratitude that 
 our journey had been so prosperous. 
 
 We have now already passed Bulawayo, and I am 
 writing at the Queen's Reef, in the Bembezi gold belt, 
 thirty miles north-east of Bulawayo. But before I offer 
 any opinion on this countr}^ and its suitableness for 
 agriculture and cattle breeding, or on its mineral riches, 
 we shall proceed higher up through the Bembezi gold belt 
 to Gwelo, about 120 miles ; from there over Gwelo to the 
 southern gold belt, to return by that route to Bulawayo. 
 
 Meanwhile we can keep you profitably employed by 
 giving you some information about the Matabele nation, 
 the old mining works and ruins, and what the latest 
 historians relate about them. 
 
 Matchobana, the father of Umsiligaze (better known 
 amongst us as Moselikatse, or abbreviated, " Salkats "), 
 was an independent chief, whose territory' lay to the 
 
 E
 
 66 RHODESIA 
 
 north-east of Natal. He was conquered by a neigh- 
 bouring tribe, and fled with the remnant of his people 
 to Chaka, the valiant Zulu king, and was taken up 
 amongst Chaka's people. 
 
 About the year 1827, when the bloodhound Chaka 
 had reached the summit of his glory, Matchobana's son, 
 Salkats, served as induna, or commander of a regiment of 
 the Zulu king. Though young, he proved himself a cou- 
 rageous commander, and was placed by Chaka at the head 
 of one of his best regiments, which, however, for the 
 greater part consisted of men of Salkats' tribe. On one of 
 his pillaging excursions to the north, Salkats captured a 
 vast numberof cattle, and retained a considerable part for 
 himself and his people. Thereupon Chaka sent an impi 
 (a regiment) against him to defeat him and to capture the 
 cattle. A desperate fight followed. Salkats was beaten, 
 and fled north-east with his people, "eating up" all the 
 small tribes in that direction. I le proceeded as far as the 
 great Mariko River, where he established himself. The 
 peaceful Bahuroetsi and Abahathi tribes were conquered 
 b}' him, and he established himself there, having his 
 chief town to the north of Zccrust. He speedily became 
 so strong that he was the terror of all the surrounding 
 tribes, and was able to repel the repeated attacks of 
 Dingaan, Chaka's successor. 
 
 For about ten years he continued strengthening his 
 army and exterminating the surrounding tribes. Then 
 he heard of the emigrant farmers, who had advanced 
 gloge to the Vaal River, and at once sent an army of
 
 SALKATS, THE FOUNDER 67 
 
 5000 of his best warriors to exterminate these farmers 
 also. 
 
 At the first unexpected attack twenty-eight whites 
 were killed, almost all their cattle captured, and even 
 some women and children carried away. How the Boers 
 took revenge and drove Salkats to the north is well 
 known. Salkats, with his people, disappeared into the 
 unknown north. 
 
 Later it became known that he marched as far as the 
 Zambesi, but had to return because he could not cross 
 it with his followers. He conquered the Matabele high- 
 lands, then inhabited by the Makalakas and Mashonas, 
 and established himself at Bulawayo, that being a 
 healthy part. 
 
 The eye of Salkats was, however, constantly turned 
 to the north of the Zambesi. It is related that he once 
 made every preparation to cross the Zambesi with his 
 army and conquer Baroetsiland on the other side. To do 
 this he entered into an agreement with Wanki, a petty 
 chief, who lived on the southern bank of the river, to 
 put him and his army across the river. Wanki took 
 Salkats and his army in boats (canoes) and landed them 
 on an island in the middle of the river, with the promise 
 to come and take them further on the morrow. But he 
 fled to the Baroetsi and left Salkats and his men on the 
 island. Many were drowned in their attempts to swim 
 back, the crocodiles caught many, but Salkats and a 
 portion of his army succeeded in recrossing the river 
 and reaching Bulawayo again.
 
 68 RHODESIA 
 
 When Salkats returned, lie found that liis people, 
 thinking he was dead, had, during his absence, acknow- 
 ledged Kurunianc as his successor. Being very much 
 annoyed at this, he had the indunas who had taken part 
 in the matter executed, and sent Kurumane as an exile 
 to Umbigo, a chief he thought to be loyal to him. 
 
 Salkats, as a barbarian, was a Hannibal, or Alexander 
 the Great. What he founded was, however, not a 
 nation with tendency for national development and pros- 
 perity, but a military organisation. The system by which 
 Bismarck and Von Moltke strengthened the German army, 
 and in which some European Powers have followed 
 them, has alread}', though under different circumstances, 
 been carried out by Chaka in Zululand and by Salkats 
 in Matabeleland, with this addition, that they made the 
 sexual passion, whicli is very strong among the natives, 
 co-operate to the attainment of their object. The young 
 Kafhrs were not allowed to marr}' before they had 
 washed their assegais in blood. 
 
 This was done in the following manner : As de- 
 scendants of Ishmael (more of this later on) they are 
 circumcised upon reaching manhood. This is accom- 
 panied by many ceremonies and mysteries, called 
 "school" by them. They are separated from society 
 for a time, the young men and young women in separate 
 groups, and instructed in the secrets of married life and 
 in the whole of the Kaflir morals. When they come 
 back from this " school " the Kaffir girls are marriage- 
 able, and wear as a sign thereof a peculiar head-dress.
 
 SALKATS, THE FOUNDER 69 
 
 The young men, however, may not as yet marry, 
 but are drilled and form a regiment. Then follows 
 the great annual dance, after which the chief throws 
 his assegai, and in that direction the young regi- 
 ment marches to go and wash their assegais in the 
 blood of weaker tribes. All the aged are killed and 
 the younger brought home as slaves, and all the cattle 
 are captured. Thus they return with rich spoil. If 
 they have made a good raid they get consent to marry, 
 otherwise they must remain one year longer unmarried 
 in a military kraal. Only after their marriage they 
 are allowed to enter society with their families. But 
 even then they still belong to their regiment, and must 
 at times take part in the drill and, when called out, 
 go to war. 
 
 All these military kraals are more or less arranged 
 in the same way. The military kraals of Bulawayo 
 and of the renowned Imbezi regiment we have seen 
 already. Of course it is now burned down. The 
 following description b}' Maude, in his lecture " Mata- 
 beleland, the Future Goldfields of the World," gives 
 us a fair idea of such a kraal : 
 
 An immense circular space, about three-quarters of a mile 
 in circumference, is enclosed by a high and strong fence, 
 formed of poles planted in the ground. About twenty yards 
 inside of this there is a similar fence, and between the two 
 walls of poles the city is built. At four points, north, south, 
 east, and west, are four public entrances or gates. Within 
 this double wall of poles is an immense space, quite a quarter 
 of a mile in diameter, which is used as a parade or drill
 
 70 RHODESIA 
 
 ground for the regiment living in the kraal ; and in the 
 middle, surrounded by another wall of poles, are the quarters 
 of the king, including the kraal for the cattle belonging to the 
 tribe, as also the revered goat kraal. Passing into this 
 through the entrance, you come into a large enclosure, along 
 the walls of which, if the king is at home, large numbers of 
 councillors and soldiers are seated. Great heaps of ox-horns 
 give evidence of the great meat feasts which are from time to 
 time held here. In the front there is a neat wall of poles 
 intersecting this space ; passing through the entrance of this 
 you come to the sanctuary, the private quarters of the king. 
 This description applies to all military kraals, excepting that 
 at Bulawayo in the inner circle are two squarely built houses, 
 the one a waggon house, the other the king's residence. This 
 inner space in every military kraal is the king's sanctuary, 
 and no one may enter it excepting the members of the king's 
 court when he is absent. 
 
 The subjects of Salkats and Lobengula arc not 
 all Malabeles or Zulus b}' descent. The nation is 
 divided into three classes, very clearly described by 
 Moffat : 
 
 Salkats has shown his genius in the success wherewith he 
 formed one nation out of the least promising material, and 
 inspired them with his own martial spirit. There are three 
 different classes amongst the Matabele: (i) The original 
 Zulus, who came with him, and their children. Of those who 
 crossed the Drokensberg with him only a few arc left, and 
 they have very few children, for marriage was not acknow- 
 ledged under the former military rule of Salkats, when he 
 fought for his existence. This first or aristocratic class is 
 small, but naturally very influential. They are known as 
 the " Bczaiisi," i.e., "those coming from the low coastland." 
 (2) The middle class is large, and consists of men in the zenith 
 of life, who were taken up in the tribe during the early days of
 
 SALKATS, the founder 7X 
 
 its fofmafioiiv They are mostly Basutos and Bechuanas, and 
 can still say to which tribe they belonged, although they were 
 taken prisoners in their youth. And yet they are quite 
 different from the members of that tribe. They are physi- 
 cally better developed, and quite as accustomed to military 
 rule as the Zulus. Any one who doubts that the charac- 
 teristics of a race can be altered, or almost totally changed in 
 one generation, has only to go and compare the Bechuanas 
 and their families in their huts, with their relations who 
 were taken prisoners in their youth by Salkats, and brought 
 up as brave and strong soldiers. This middle class is called 
 the Beula, or " people of the highlands." They cannot boast 
 of the distinction which the Bezansi enjoy, but then they are 
 animated with the national spirit, and look down with great 
 contempt upon their brethren, the Basholo. (3) The third 
 and lowest class, known as the Magole or " bushmen," are the 
 slaves taken as captives from the Makalakas and Mashonas 
 in later wars. They now serve their apprenticeship, and 
 later become warriors like their predecessors. Even these 
 young men become Matabeles, with heart and soul, after they 
 have overcome the bitterness of the first months of exile ; 
 they sing their war songs, and, swinging their knobkieries 
 behind the cattle, extol the glory of Machobana. This 
 mysterious personage is the father of Salkats and the national 
 deity of the Matabeles. 
 
 As we have said, Salkats was the founder of a military 
 organisation, not the founder of a nationality. The 
 Matabeles ploughed and sowed very little ; in the way 
 of digging and working of metal they did nothing like 
 the Mashonas and Makalakas ; they did not breed 
 cattle like the other Kaffirs, Whilst other Kaffirs love 
 their cattle and seldom eat meat, the Matabeles lived 
 mostly on meat, but then it was the meat of captured
 
 72 RHODESIA 
 
 cattle. In reality they lived like beasts of prey, robbing 
 the surrounding tribes in their annual raids. 
 
 Consequently, now that their military power is 
 broken, they are in a worse position than the other 
 Kaffirs. Their cattle arc taken from them as a war" 
 indemnity, their little Kaffir corn and mielics arc taken 
 to feed the horses of their conquerors or to be burnt. 
 They cannot work, not being accustomed to it. A Mata- 
 bele being asked to work, showed his hands and said: 
 " How can I ? My hands are softer than those of a white 
 woman." We witnessed how they came to exchange 
 the few cattle that had been left them, or that they 
 had hidden, giving a big slaughter ox for three-quarters, 
 and a cow with a calf for half, a bag of Kaffir corn. In 
 addition to this pitiful state the Makalakas and 
 Mashonas, who formerly were their slaves, now take 
 their revenge, mocking and jeering at them wherever 
 they meet them, especially when working together. So 
 great is the strain, that when the two races work 
 together, a separate Kaffir must be kept for each party 
 as cook ; they do not eat together ; the Matabele does 
 not eat what the Mashona has cooked, and vice versa. 
 It is not to be wondered at that the conquered Mata- 
 beles now hide themselves ; one hardly sees them : 
 judging from that, you would scarcely think that you are 
 in Matabeleland. Their great kraals arc burned, they 
 now live in some kraals far away from the roads. 
 Some seem to think of " trekking " across the Zambesi, 
 to seek a new home, as Salkats did. Only they have
 
 SALKATS, THE FOUNDER 73 
 
 no leader, there is even no successor to the throne. 
 There is consequently hopeless confusion on this point. 
 One Matabele told us that they would certainly cross 
 the Zambesi to found a new kingdom there. To our 
 remark : " But the Baroetsies are hostile to you, and 
 you have no weapons," he replied : ** We will go with 
 only our knobkierris : if the Baroetsies only see us, they 
 run away." Another Matabele, however, being interro- ( 
 gated by us, gave just an opposite reply; he said: 
 " Where shall we go ? When the Boers beat us we 
 came here ; but where shall we go now ? No, we 
 must just stay here and work for the farmers." When 
 we remarked that the Boers had not beaten them this 
 time, he answered : " Yes, but the Boers are at the 
 bottom of it, they have only used the English." 
 
 In any case the Matabele are now completely sub- 
 jected ; their power is broken ; the farmer can live 
 unmolested on his farm, and the digger with pick and 
 spade can explore the country. The bloodthirsty 
 dynasty of Salkats and Lobengula lasted for only half 
 a centur}'. Moreover, as we have seen, their military 
 organisation had no national foundation. 
 
 But let us resume the thread of our history. Salkats, 
 like another Alexander the Great, has conquered the 
 world known to him ; northward, from the Limpopo to 
 the Zambesi; eastward, from Umzila to the lake G'Nami. 
 When he had firmly established his power he became 
 fond of ease, he did not accompany the raids person- 
 ally : he married more wives, who at his death numbered
 
 74 RHODESIA 
 
 500. On account of this easy life he became sickly in 
 his old age, and suffered especially from gout. He 
 remained on good terms with the Boers, and always 
 received them kindly on their hunting expeditions, only 
 he would not allow prospecting for minerals in his 
 country. He feared the gold, and gold was one of the 
 causes of the downfall of the dynasty he had estab- 
 lished. 
 
 His influence among his people was so great that, 
 even in his old age, his power was unlimited : they 
 crawled before him in the dust as before a god. His 
 death was kept a secret for some days, and when it 
 could no longer be hidden and he was buried, people 
 hardly dared to say that he was dead. 
 
 Salkats died in 1868. Kurumane was the heir to 
 the throne, but as we have seen, he had been exiled by 
 his father, and hit; uncle, Umbogate, made it known 
 that he was murdered, and that he himself had taken 
 part in it. But Umbigo, head of the great military 
 kraal, Zwangenduba, declared that Salkats had secretly 
 banished him. Parties were sent out to seek him, but 
 he was nowhere to be found. Umbogate and his 
 Council were no longer able to curb such a headstrong 
 people. Differences arose and revolution and anarchy 
 were imminent. 
 
 Umbogate saw the necessity that a king should be 
 appointed at once and chose Lobengula (the defender), 
 as being the best beloved son of Salkats, though not of 
 the royal wife. At first Lobengula refused, saying :
 
 I < 
 
 ^ ?
 
 SALKATS, THE FOUNDER 75 
 
 " Try first to find Kurumane. Send messengers to 
 Natal, write to Shepstone, and then if you do not find 
 him, I shall consent to be king." 
 
 The attempt, however, was futile, and in 1870 
 Lobengula was anointed king. But Umbigo declared 
 that he would acknowledge no other king than Kuru- 
 mane, and several of the strongest regiments joined 
 him. Lobengula saw that the time for decided action 
 had come. He decided to allow them no time ; as- 
 sembled as strong an army as possible ; defeated them, 
 and so stamped out the revolt. 
 
 Lobengula was now king, not on the ground of 
 succession, but chosen out of the people. He began 
 his reign with great caution, and gradually established 
 his rule. One by one and at intervals he removed the 
 old indunas of his father, mostly on the charge of 
 witchcraft. In their place he appointed his favourites. 
 But he never had that power over the people which his 
 father had. In our next we shall relate more about his 
 rule and downfall.
 
 LETTER IX 
 
 LOBENGULA, THIC DESTROYER OF THE 
 MATABELE EMPIR1-: 
 
 Contrast bcticccn Salkats and Lobengiila — The Weak- 
 nesses of Lobengiila — Lobengiila the Victim of English 
 Policy — Downing Street does -what Pretoria refused to do 
 — A't>/ the Boer, but the Englishman acquires the North 
 — First by Diplomacy, then by Gold Concessions, finally 
 li'ith the Maxim — The Grobler Murder — " Dobejaun " 
 sent to the White Queen — England's Suzerainty acknoic- 
 ledged — " Protection,'" which in Five Years' time annihi- 
 lated the Empire — His Birthright sold for a Pottage of 
 Lentils, or Lobengula's Concession Policy — Concession 
 first towards North-east, then South-west — More and 
 larger Concessions — The Chartered Company with Rights 
 on One-eleventh of Africa, or One Million square Miles — 
 Had Rhodes the Right to make War? — The War com- 
 menced — Had it been against Salkats! — Assegai or 
 Rijle — The Entrance Gates not Guarded — What happened 
 at Manqwe — The Shangani Battle — Two clever Scouts — 
 Wilson idolised, Forbes censured — The Bembezi Battle — 
 Night and Daicn in Matabeleland, 
 
 As remarked in my previous letter, the Matabele 
 dynasty remained in existence only for half a centur}', 
 under the rule of two tyrants, each of whom governed 
 for about a quarter of a century. The career of Salkats
 
 LOBENGULA, THE DESTROYER 77 
 
 I briefly described in my last sketch ; this time I 
 must describe the adventures of Lobengula, the de- 
 stroyer of the Matabele empire. Mis name means 
 " Defender," but for the Matabele nation he was the 
 " Destroyer." 
 
 He continued the mih'tary rule of his father, but he 
 never personally took part in the wars. Those imme- 
 diately surrounding him, as well as all his people, had 
 to cringe and crawl before him and honour him as a god, 
 but this homage was only external ; he never possessed 
 the respect they had for Salkats ; on the contrary, he 
 had to kill all the members of the royal family, because 
 he did not trust his own power, and always feared a 
 revolution. 
 
 On two points especially he showed his weakness. 
 Salkats had once experienced what the guns of the Boers 
 could accomplish, and he remained on terms of friend- 
 ship with the Boers up to the day of his death. But 
 Lobengula wanted, with double-faced policy, to play off 
 the Englishman against the Boer. But he was not 
 enough of a diplomatist for that role, and he became the 
 victim of English polic3^ If he had, like his father, 
 steadfastly adhered to the side of the Boers, he would 
 probably to-day still have been in possession of his 
 kingdom. 
 
 For — and here is his second weakness — the English 
 were the first to obtain gold rights in his country, and 
 afterwards the country itself. And he was the prime 
 cause of it. Salkats foresaw the danger of the gold,
 
 78 KI1()I)1-:S1.\ 
 
 and would not allow even the friendly Boer to take a 
 piece of quart/, out of his dominions. But Lobengula 
 gave one concession after the other on the mineral rights 
 in all parts of the country under the authority of the 
 Matahcle. This was the originating cause of the war 
 that cost him his country. 
 
 Both points are of too great historical worth to pass 
 them In* without conmicnt. Therefore a short expla- 
 nation. 
 
 By the London Convention the Transvaal bound 
 itself to enter into no treaty with the natives to the east 
 or west of the Republic without the sanction of England, 
 the )tiirth was, for good reasons, left unmentioned. In 
 that direction the Transvaal consequently had the right 
 to extend its borders, and there la}' Lobengula's king- 
 dom. But how washe disposed towardsBoer and English- 
 man ? Immediately after the London Convention a 
 dispute arose between England and the Transvaal about 
 the western boundary, in connection wilii the two new 
 Republics, '* Stellalantl " and "Land Goscn." Sir 
 Charles Warren, accompanied by the political mis- 
 sionary McKenzie, was sent out to take Mankoroanc, 
 Montsioa, and other tribes under British " prolcclion.'" 
 Well, they came. Mankoroane, Montsioa, Sechcli, 
 Lynchwe, Gasibone, Chama all kept under the English 
 wing for protection. But these two Commissioners 
 were not satisfied ; they wished to take Lobengula and 
 the Matabele also under their protection. They did not 
 venture to go to him personally, therefore they sent
 
 LOBENGULA, THE DESTROYER 79 
 
 Maund with a deputation to sound Lobengula, as to 
 whether he would also come under British protection. 
 Lobengula gave them to understand that he could pro- 
 tect himself if only England would not continue arm- 
 ing Chama, whom he looked upon as a disloyal petty 
 chief. Being asked whether the duumvirate should come 
 to him to treat, he answered naively (so the story runs) 
 in true Kaffir style : " I have long ago heard that a big 
 snake is coming, with his head to the north, but I am 
 accustomed to cut oft' the heads of snakes." 
 
 It is needless to say that the two ambitious heroes did 
 not venture to go to Lobengula, nor did they take him 
 under the blessed protection of England. 
 
 But something quite different might have happened. 
 Lobengula had inherited from his father respect for the 
 Boers. He remained amicably disposed towards them. 
 But when he heard of the heroic deeds and the victories 
 of the Boers, he sent two of his indunas to Pretoria, 
 after the war of independence, with an elephant tusk, to 
 congratulate them upon their success, and to ask Kriiger 
 and Joubert to come to him and to enter into a treaty of 
 friendship. Later on, when he saw how Chama was 
 being armed against him, after the Warren expedition, 
 he again sent a deputation to the Transvaal with an 
 elephant tusk, to ask Kriiger " for his hand," now that 
 Britain had given its hand to Chama, meaning again 
 that he wished to enter into a treaty of friendship and 
 alliance with the Boers. 
 
 It is not our intention to make an abuse of State
 
 8o k'ii()i)i-:si.\ 
 
 secrets, but siinpl}- to mention historical facts, by stating 
 that Joubeit was on both occasions in favour of such a 
 treaty, and was ready to go in person to Hulawayo with 
 that object in view. But Kriigcr was against it, and it 
 ended in nothing being done. 
 
 Had Joubert gone at that time and concluded a treaty 
 with Lobengula, the history of Matabeleland would 
 doubtless have been quite different. Kriigcr's policy 
 was the cause of the Groblcr murder and of the foolery 
 that took place when Lobengula sent Babyaan to 
 England to kiss the hand of the great Queen, after 
 Kriiger had refused him his hand. 
 
 But this was not all. KrOger's hesitation inveigled 
 Lobengula still further into the nets of the English, 
 On February ii, 1888, Lobengula signed the following 
 treaty with the English : 
 
 The Chief Lobengula, ruler of the tribe known as the Aman- 
 debele, together with the Mashona and Makakalaka, tributaries 
 of the same, hereby agrees to the following articles and con- 
 ditions: • 
 
 That peace and .unity sli.iil coiitinui' for ever between her 
 Britannic Majesty, her subjects, and the Aniandebele people; 
 and the contracting Chief Lobengula engages to use his utmost 
 endeavours to prevent any rupture of the same, to cause the 
 strict observance of this treaty, and so to carry out the spirit 
 of the treaty of friendship which was entered into by his late 
 father, the Chief Umsilagaas, with the then Governor of the 
 Cape of Good Hope, in the year of our Lord 1836. 
 
 It is hereby further agreed by Lobengula, chief in and over 
 the Aniandebele country, with its dependencies as aforesaid, 
 on behalf of himself and people, that he will refrain from 
 entering into any correspondence or treaty with any foreign
 
 LOBEXGULA, THE DESTROYER 8i 
 
 State or Power to sell, alienate, or cede, or permit, or counte- 
 nance any sale, alienation, or cession of the whole or any part 
 of the said Amandebele country under his chieftainship, or 
 upon any other subject without the previous knowledge and 
 sanction of her Majesty's High Commissioner for South 
 Africa. 
 
 The thin edge of the wedge had been got in. Scarcely 
 five years had passed and this huge savage empire has 
 been rent to shreds ! 
 
 Still more through his concession policy did Loben- 
 gula dig a grave for himself and for his people ; as 
 regards time he was even in advance of Kriiger in this 
 respect. May the reward of his Esau's policy — selling 
 his birthright for a pottage of lentils — be a warning 
 example to Kriiger, the Transvaal, and the whole of 
 South Africa ! 
 
 As we hav^e seen, Salkats feared the gold ; scarcely 
 had Lobengula got the reins of despotism in his hand 
 before he began to give concessions for the digging of 
 gold. This reminds us of a similar contrast in the 
 Transvaal. In the early days of the Republic, a farmer 
 was fined 80 rix dollars because he came to show the 
 '' landsvaders " samples of quartz containing visible 
 gold, and at present the Transvaal government eagerly 
 proclaims one gold-field after the other. 
 
 But to return to Lobengula. In 1870, almost imme- 
 diately after his succession to the government, he 
 promised Mr. Baines, on behalf of the South African 
 Goldfields Exploration Company, Limited, such a 
 concession on the minerals in a part of his country. 
 
 F
 
 82 kHoDKSlA 
 
 Tlic company, however, wanted to liave a written docu- 
 ment, and Lobcngula gave one on August 29, 1871, 
 wherein he granted the company the " full right of 
 exploring, prospecting, and digging for ^old in the 
 whole region lying between tlic Gwailo River south- 
 west and the Ganiana north-cast, which grant includes 
 the right to build houses and stores, to put up machinery 
 for stamping quartz and for other purposes ; the free use 
 of the roads through his country for conveying machinery, 
 provisions, material, and other necessaries, and for the 
 transport of the gold thus obtained, besides all other 
 little items connected with gold digging." The only 
 consideration he got for all this was that he "should 
 annually receive such a present as seemed to them 
 suitable and acceptable to him." But Lobengula took 
 care to add the following stipulation : " By granting 
 this concession I do not alienate this or any other part 
 of my kingdom, but retain the sovereignty of my king- 
 dom unimpaired." 
 
 This concession, after being transferred from one 
 hand to another, is at present in possession of the 
 British South Africa Company. 
 
 The next concession is that of Tati, granted in 1872, 
 concerning which we wrote formerly. 
 
 The third concession was given to Wood, Francis, 
 and Chapman, in the " disputed territory," to which 
 both Lobengula and Chama lay claim, and which is 
 situated between the Shashi and Macloutsi Rivers, on 
 condition of the payment of ^lOO. This concession
 
 LOBEXGULA, THE DESTROYER 83 
 
 was afterwards repudiated by Lobengula, when he 
 heard that those gentlemen had, for the sake of security, 
 obtained a similar concession from Chama. 
 
 Then followed several smaller concessions, mostly 
 verbal, and some of dubious value. Be it enough to 
 state that the British South Africa Company took over 
 all these concessions in a liberal manner, and amalga- 
 mated them all. 
 
 Now about the last concession. Hitherto Lobengula 
 had given concessions on regions lying outside the 
 country actually inhabited by his people — i.e., outside 
 Matabeleland proper. But like a mouse he was enticed 
 into a trap, and like a bird in a net. 
 
 In February 1888, Lobengula signed the agreement 
 with the British Government, and in October of the 
 same year he gave the concession which put an end to 
 his kingdom. This concession he gave to Rhodes, 
 Rudd and Co., after he had given a similar promise to 
 Mr. Maund for another company. 
 
 This concession was properly sanctioned by the 
 British Government, and a charter of privileges given to 
 the British South Africa Company, not only for the 
 carrying out of the rights therein mentioned, but within 
 certain limitations also transferring the British power of 
 administration over the parts of the country situated 
 within the sphere of British influence, even north of 
 the Zambesi. Hence it is generally called " The 
 Chartered Company." And in order to further establish 
 the authority of this company other concessions were
 
 84 RHODESIA 
 
 taken over and acquired from the chief of the Baroetsi 
 by means of Mr. Lochner (whom we had met at 
 Palapye) and from other chiefs, so that the authority of 
 the company extends from British Bechuanaland and the 
 Transvaal on the south to the German and Portuguese 
 territory to the west, the Congo State in Central Africa 
 to the north, and Portuguese territory to the east ; about 
 1,000,000 square miles, or one-eleventh part of the 
 whole of Africa. It is not only a large, but also a rich 
 country, so that this company, under the administration 
 of a man like Mr. Rhodes, has a great future. 
 
 But let us return to Lobengula and Matabeleland. 
 According to the concession we have quoted before, 
 Lobengula gave all the mineral rights, not only of 
 Matabeleland, but of all his dependencies, viz., Mashona- 
 land and the parts inhabited by the Makalakas, into 
 the hands of this company, leaving out only the Tati 
 territory. 
 
 " But this concession gave rights only with regard to 
 the minerals. What right, then, had Mr. Rhodes and ] 
 
 the Chartered Company to make war with Lobengula ? " 
 Thus the opponents of Mr. Rhodes speak. Taken in 
 the abstract, Mr. Rhodes had no such right ; but then, 
 taken in the abstract, war is in no case justifiable 
 according to the strong principles of justice. 
 
 We are not writing a history of the late Matabele 
 war, nor a defence of the Chartered Company. We 
 only take a practical view of the case. Lobengula 
 had given the company not only the right to the
 
 LOBEXGULA, THE DESTROYER 85 
 
 minerals, but also to mine and to do anything that stood 
 in connection therewith. When the company had 
 spent ;i^500,000 in opening up the country, Lobengula 
 sent (according to his old custom) his inipis to levy 
 taxes, as he said, but really to murder the Mashonas 
 and to capture their cattle by force. We were told by 
 eye-witnesses that they killed Mashonas in the service 
 of Europeans, even in Fort \'ictoria, and even in the 
 Sunday school. Well, then, how is it possible to dig 
 gold ? What company will spend thousands of pounds 
 if the barbarous Matabele can at any time come and 
 murder their labourers ? Then comes the claim of 
 humanity. How the opponents of Mr. Rhodes would 
 have cried "shame" if he had allowed the Matabele to 
 murder the Mashonas under the very eyes of his police 
 force ? . . . . But, besides that, the cup of the Mata- 
 bele was full. Vengeance for all the innocent blood 
 they had shed had to come, and did come. 
 
 Hence it is that Lobengula showed his weakness in 
 the war itself even more than in being the originating 
 cause of it. " Whom the gods have destined to 
 destruction they smite with blindness." So said the 
 ancient Greeks ; so it was here. 
 
 Lobengula could not avoid the war even if he wanted 
 to. The whole of his bloodthirsty people and his 
 rapacious government hurried on his downfall. But he 
 might have waged the war in a more worthy manner. 
 Certain it is that, if the company had had to carry on 
 the war against Salkats, when he was still in his prime,
 
 86 RHonp:siA 
 
 the victory would, in any case, not have been obtained 
 so easily. 
 
 We have spoken with many of the volunteers who 
 had taken part in the war (perhaps we shall give an 
 interview we had with a few) ; what we write is thus 
 founded not only on what we read in the newspapers 
 at the time, but on the evidence of trustworthy e3'e- 
 witnesses from both sides (for we have also inter- 
 viewed the Matabeles), and on personal inspection of 
 the country where the war was waged. Both in the fool- 
 ishness of the Matabeles and in the good luck which 
 attended the assailants, we see the avenging hand of 
 God over all the innocent blood which had been shed 
 by that tribe. 
 
 The first weakness shown by Lobengula was that, 
 instead of arming his force with the assegai only, he 
 sought strength in the rifle. Cetchwayo said : " The 
 man who invented the gun was a coward," and Isandula 
 and Zlobane have given proof how formidable a Zulu 
 army is when armed with assegais, even against a 
 force with guns and cannons. Salkats established this 
 powerful kingdom with the assegai ; Lobengula de- 
 stroyed it by the clumsy use of rifles. Just fancy 
 what folly : a steamboat with cannon on the Zambesi, 
 and looo rifles with ICX),000 rounds of ammunition for 
 his 20,000 warriors! Of course he intended to use 
 the steamboat against the Baroetsi and the rifles 
 against Chama, but when he went out to war against 
 the company he wanted to fight them with the arms
 
 LOBENGULA, THE DESTROYER 87 
 
 he had got from her. That was the chief cause of his 
 defeat. The Transvaal farmer says : " The Zulu with 
 his assegai is an enemy to be feared, but with a gun he 
 is worth nothing. Had Lobengula stuck to the assegai, 
 and had he attacked the incoming force in the mountain 
 passes and forests, especially by night, the result would 
 have been different, at least in the beginning." 
 
 This was his second mistake. Instead of stopping 
 the enemy on his inaccessible borders with his chief 
 regiments, he presumptuously enticed them into the 
 open country, and attacked them there at first with 
 light young regiments, probably thinking that, having 
 been enticed into the country, he could easily anni- 
 hilate them with his veteran regiments. 
 
 It is also to be borne in mind that Matabeleland is a 
 territory with no roads and almost inaccessible borders. 
 Really there was only one waggon road made by the 
 hunters, crossing the country in a slanting direction 
 from Mangwe on the south-west across Bulawayo to 
 the Hartley Hills on the north-west. The Transvaal 
 lies to the south, to the south-east and east is the 
 impenetrable Matopo range, to the north the unhealthy 
 lowlands of the Zambesi. In fact the country could 
 only be attacked from two sides, on the east from 
 Mashonaland and on the south-west from British 
 Bechuanaland through the impregnable Mangwe pass. 
 If he had concentrated his forces on these two points, 
 900 or 1000 volunteers would not so soon and so easily 
 have conquered the country.
 
 88 khodp:sia 
 
 But now sec what he did. The Mangwc pass for 
 twenty miles runs tlirough a mountain range full of 
 granite koppies and bush. Then Lobengula put only 
 one regiment at the entrance ; and had Colonel Goold- 
 Adams marched in there, probably not a single man 
 would have returned ; this all the men who served 
 with him as volunteers acknowledge. Luckily tlie 
 Colonel had Selous and Raaf with him, and these 
 marched by a detour to the north-west in order to 
 draw out the Matabele, who were actually presumptu- 
 ous enough to go six miles out in the open to attack 
 the Colonel. There they had to be beaten back, 
 and still had Selous and Raaf not been present the 
 result might have been fatal to the volunteers. For 
 the Matabele were beaten oft" (and this was at the time 
 not publicly mentioned) only after four waggons with 
 provisions and ammunition had been taken and burned, 
 and Selous, by whom chiefly worse results were pre- 
 vented, had been wounded. \Vc saw some of the 
 ironwoik of the burned waggons at Mangwe. And 
 still that regiment held the pass and would have held 
 it, had not the reports of the defeats sustained by the 
 Matabeles against the Mashonaland column discouraged 
 them, and caused them to retreat voluntarily and leave 
 that pass open to the invaders. 
 
 And how did the combined columns of Salisbury and 
 Victoria, under command of Majors Forbes and Wilson, 
 fare ? First of all, the Matabele allowed the columns 
 to com.bine and enter the country unmolested. Here
 
 
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 LOBENGULA, THE DESTROYER 89 
 
 must be mentioned that the two American scouts, 
 Burnam and Ingram, did excellent service by recon- 
 noitring the country in advance, and informing the 
 column by heliograph where the Kaffirs were, whereby 
 the combined column was able to enter the country 
 safely, avoiding the forests and ridges occupied by the 
 Kaffirs. Still there was opportunity enough to attack 
 the column. But the first attack was made by the 
 Matabele at Shangani, on a comparatively open space, 
 early in the morning, just before dawn. 
 
 And here also the attack might have been fatal to 
 the column had it been made by one of Lobengula's 
 choice regiments. For Major Forbes had given orders 
 to the sentries, who were posted 100 yards apart, at 
 some distance from the lager, to continue parading up 
 and down till they met each other. The Matabeles, 
 who came creeping along, could plainly distinguish 
 the sentries against the sky as they were walking to 
 and fro, and there were openings enough to crawl 
 through without being noticed, as every one will under- 
 stand who knows that a sentry standing still, or lying 
 down, can more easily notice an approaching enemy in 
 the dark, than one who walks up and down ; whilst the 
 moving sentry is easily perceived by the approaching 
 enemy. 
 
 The result was that the Matabele had crawled 
 through between the sentries, and w^ere already busy 
 murdering the Mashonas before they were perceived 
 by a single sentry. The first they heard was the
 
 90 RHODESIA 
 
 screaming of the Mashonas, who ran into the lager 
 followed by the Matabeles. Major Forbes at once 
 gave the order to fire, though not a single sentry had 
 yet entered the camp, but Major Wilson waited with 
 his firing till all his sentries were back in the camp 
 (they trekked in two rows of waggons during the day 
 and encamped in a dual camp at night). And wonder- 
 ful to relate, all the sentries came back into the camp 
 unhurt by the firing of their comrades. 
 
 Here is perhaps the best place to mention that Major 
 Wilson was the idol of all the volunteers, whilst we did 
 not meet a single one who spoke well of Major Forbes. 
 On the contrary, every one seemed to think that 
 matters would have gone worse had Wilson not been 
 there, and if Forbes had had his own way in every- 
 thing, though he was the commander-in-chief. 
 
 But thanks to the fright caused amongst the young 
 Matabele warriors by the shooting of rockets a night 
 before, thanks to the good work done by the Maxim 
 guns, and, above all, thanks to a watchful Providence, 
 the day soon dawned, and the young Matabele were 
 beaten back. 
 
 Then followed one more, and that one the decisive 
 battle at the Bembezi, in which twoof Lobengula's choice 
 regiments were engaged. This time the Matabeles made 
 the attack at 3 i-.m., after the column had drawn up in 
 lager. The attack was made in an open space, where 
 the Maxims had an open range of at least 700 yards. 
 The Matabele attacked bravely — especially the Imbezi
 
 LOBENGULA, THE DESTROYER 91 
 
 Regiment, some of whom fell only eighty yards from 
 the laager. 
 
 This settled the war. The Matabele power was 
 broken. Lobengula burned Bulawa3'o, and fled down 
 the Shangani. Later, more about this important episode 
 of the war, when we describe our journey through that 
 part of the country.
 
 LETTER X 
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO THE QUEEN'S REEF 
 
 Further Travelling Plan — The old City of Murder — 
 The Imhezi Military Kraal — Lobeugula's Picked Regiment 
 — Interview with a few of these Warriors — Umfasi 
 Matiho — Severe Morality of the Kaffirs — Its Weakening 
 by Civilisation — Old Mining Works — The Ancients icere 
 good Prospectors — Their lead is now being folloiced — 
 The Queen's Reef — In the Paarl Camp. 
 
 GwELO, September i6, 1894. 
 You will already' have noticed that we do not give you 
 a journal similar to those you have often seen, men- 
 tioning day and date and the places where we in- and 
 out-spanned. Our object is rather to let you participate 
 as much as possible in our experiences along the road, 
 so that you may have the same benefit from them that 
 we have, and that, having come to the end of the book, 
 you may know as much as we do ; and then if you wish 
 to know still more, very well. 
 
 On the other hand, we do not wish to confine our- 
 selves to the natural condition, climate, and mineral 
 wealth of the country, for then you would probably 
 begin to think that we were giving you an imaginary
 
 FROM BL'LAWAYO TO QUEEN'S REEF 93 
 
 description, like those written by Jules Verne in his 
 study. No, I assure you that every page was written 
 on my knee sitting under a tree, or on the riverbank, 
 or by a stone, and written with a pencil (the poor com- 
 positors will acknowledge it to be so). That is the 
 reason we now and again give you extracts out of our 
 journal, which I wrote with the object of making use of 
 it now and later on as a source from which to draw 
 material. 
 
 We begin then from the time of our arrival at Bula- 
 wayo. The plan for our further journey was to travel 
 thirty miles to the north of Bulawayo, over the Queen's 
 Reef, to see something of the Bembezi gold-fields ; then 
 to go north-east past the Inyati Mission Station to the 
 lower Gvvelo gold-fields, about 140 miles from Bulawayo, 
 and seventy-five miles from the township of Gwelo, 
 from there up along the Gwelo River, over the village 
 (where we write this) to the Selukwe gold-diggings, or 
 about twenty-five miles south from here ; and then to 
 return to Bulawayo after some round-about excursions. 
 
 We left Bulawayo about four o'clock in the after- 
 noon of August 24. The first thing that struck us was 
 that you have not to go far to find goldreefs and the 
 pegs of the claimholders. At Bulawayo we could 
 already hear the dynamite shots of the diggers, and 
 there we were also told of the many goldreefs in the 
 vicinity of the town. 
 
 That same night we passed the old city of murder, 
 the Bulawayo of Salkats and Lobengula, which was
 
 94 RHODESIA 
 
 bui'iied down, and is now a ruin. When wc describe 
 the new Bulawayo we shall possibly say something 
 about this old city of murder. Let it suflice to mention 
 tliat we first rode through the military kraal on horse- 
 back, and then inspected the ruins of the city in the 
 twilight, especially the ruins of Lobengula's house, 
 blown up by the explosion of ammunition. It was 
 already dark wlien we reached the outspan and found 
 our friends who had travelled on with the waggon. 
 We saw no ghosts, but in the closing twilight many 
 of the dark scenes of the past rose before our imagi- 
 nation, scenes about which we had so often read and 
 heard. 
 
 Early next morning we passed first Lobengula's 
 slaughter kraal, or abattoirs, the scene of those savage 
 beef orgies, where there are still pyramids of bones piled 
 up, and afterwards the military kraal of the picked 
 Imbezi regiment, whose ornament was ostrich plumes, 
 and who had formerly been the terror of Matabeleland 
 and the surrounding tribes. The kraal is formed by a 
 circle of huts (now burned down) similar to those we 
 have described before, only larger. We could not, even 
 after climbing on the stem of a tree, see the circular 
 walls of the burned down huts on the other side. We 
 should not be surprised if this kraal measured about two 
 miles in diameter. 
 
 And all these warriors have cither perished or have 
 fled away in shame. We were informed that one of the 
 leaders of this regiment, after the futile attack at the
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO QUEEN'S REEF 95 
 
 Bembezi, hanged himself, whilst one of the warriors in 
 his confusion cried : " What shall we say to Lobengula, 
 after we, who have eaten the fat of the land, allowed 
 ourselves to be beaten by boys ? " 
 
 But then an attack in the open country, with bush 
 only on one side, and from there still an open space of 
 700 yards, covered by the Maxims, at three o'clock in 
 the afternoon, after the waggons had been formed in 
 lager, was indeed very hazardous. It was simply folly 
 on their part. 
 
 That same day we met two who had fought in that 
 engagement, at a little kraal along the road, where we 
 had outspanned. We asked them why they had 
 attacked the column in broad daylight, whilst Lobengula 
 had ordered them only to attack in the night. They 
 acknowledged having acted against orders, but said 
 that they were sitting eating on a hill six or eight miles 
 distant when the volunteers threw a bomb among them. 
 At first they only laughed when they saw the smoke of 
 the gun at such a distance, but when the bomb burst 
 among them, wounding and killing some, they decided 
 to put an end at once to all the whites by charging and 
 stabbing them. But they were grievously mistaken. 
 They did not know the Maxims yet. 
 
 That same day we passed the Umfasi Matiho (preg- 
 nant woman) mountain, called thus because Lobengula 
 had all the pregnant wives of a regiment that had not 
 yet washed their assegais in blood murdered on this 
 mountain. Perhaps it is not out of place to remark
 
 (/) RHODESIA 
 
 here the strict morality among tlic Kaffirs in tlieir 
 natural state. Adulter}' is severely punished, even by 
 death ; it consequently seldom occurs, and then only 
 after they have been civilised (?) on missionary sta- 
 tions and in villages and towns. There only you may 
 see a '' half-caste '" Kafhr child, never will you find one 
 in a Kaffir kraal. 
 
 That evening we reached the Queen's Reef, where 
 we stayed for six days, (i) because it w\is the first 
 acquaintance we made with the mining works of 
 former ages, which were now being re-opened, and (2) 
 because the Paarl Matabeleland Syndicate has forty 
 claims on this reef, and we, consequently, stood in the 
 Paarl Camp, of which Mr. Jan Derkscn is the manager. 
 He had met us at Bulawayo and guided us hence. He 
 is assisted by Mr. Isak Minnaar, also from the Paarl, 
 and MoUer, who has taken part in the whole Matabele 
 expedition, and also in the unfortunate expedition to 
 catch Lobengula. 
 
 Of the old mining works we shall give a more de- 
 tailed description later on. Let it suffice at present to 
 state that of the 10,000 claims pegged off in Matabele- 
 land and Mashonaland, almost all are pegged on the 
 sites of the old mining works, or on the supposed exten- 
 sion of the reefs worked by the ancients. These ancients 
 were undoubtedly good prospectors. Remains of their 
 mining works are still found in the Transvaal, Zwaziland, 
 Gazaland, Mashonaland, Matabeleland, and who knows 
 how much farther on ? With the exception of the
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO QUEEN'S REEF 97 
 
 banket formation, on Witwatersrand, nothing has as 
 yet been discovered excepting on their tracks. What 
 has up till now been called " prospecting" in Matabele- 
 land has been nothing else than hunting up these old 
 mining places, and even then only under the direction 
 of the Kaffirs. For instance, Sir John Willoughby, 
 immediately after the war, sent out waggons, laden 
 with articles for Kaffir trade, to all parts of the 
 country to hunt up these old mining places, for which 
 he rewarded the Kaffirs with merchandise ; in this 
 way he got hundreds of claims pegged off for his 
 syndicate. 
 
 Thus, also, on the Queen's Reef sixty claims were 
 pegged off for him, as far as the old mining works go. 
 Later on the Paarl Matabeleland Syndicate pegged off 
 forty claims on the western extension of the reef, and 
 the contractors of Willoughby's Syndicate sixty claims 
 on the eastern extension, and on both sides the reef has 
 already been found. 
 
 This is the first reef which we thoroughly examined. 
 It has already been opened for about 2000 or 3000 
 yards ; it is from 2 feet to 6 feet broad, and on the whole 
 yields very well. And the reef becomes broader and 
 richer the deeper you go. There is at most places a 
 fair show of visible gold, but good pan washings at every 
 place ; so that we have here in any case a good payable 
 reef that will yield at least from i to 2 ounces per ton 
 on the plates. This reef shows two good signs : (i) it 
 is solid, not honeycombed ; (2) the visible gold is not in 
 
 G
 
 98 . RHODESIA 
 
 hollows or cracks, but in the solid quartz ; (3) the gold 
 is not flaky, but in solid bits. In any case, the lirst 
 reef we examined in Matebeleland is good, even 
 rich, and will doubtless pay well, especially if the 
 country is opened by a railway. And that must and 
 will come.
 
 LETTER XI 
 
 FROM THE QUEEN'S REEF TO SHANGANI 
 
 Burning of the " Veldt,'" and Prospector's Tracks through 
 Matabeleland — With Donkeys and in Grass Huts — The 
 Trader follows the Gold-seeker — Prices in Matabeleland 
 — Bees' heads in Sugar — In a forsaken Orchard — The 
 Subjection of the Matabele — Missions ■without Success — 
 Lions — On the Road by which Lobengula fled — Thirteen 
 days without Whites — Eight without seeing Kaffirs — 
 What we saw and found along the Shangani — Books and 
 Papers thrown away — Fishing amongst Crocodiles — Back 
 from the wrong Road. 
 
 Selukwe Goldfields, September 25, 1894. 
 In our former sketch we took you only a distance of 
 thirty miles from Bulawayo. Since then we have 
 travelled about 300 miles from Bulawayo to where we 
 are now — viz., on the Sulukwe goldfields, close to the 
 borders of Mashonaland ; we covered that distance in 
 about one month's time. We have seen much in that 
 time, more, at any rate, than we can relate in one or 
 two sketches. Hence, only a fragment here and there. 
 Saturday, August 31, we left the Paarl camp on the 
 Queen's Reef, and arrived at the Bembezi River, after 
 travelling quite four miles along a prospector's road.
 
 TOO RHODESIA 
 
 Let me mention here that the whole of Matabeleland is 
 now under prospection, and for that reason the high 
 grass is almost everywhere burned, so that both the 
 traveller and the poor Matebele find it hard to procure 
 pasture for their cattle, and the country is intersected 
 with tracks and hardly distinguishable roads. The 
 prospectors travel either with Scotch carts or with 
 donkeys carrying their belongings, and where they camp 
 they get the Kaffirs to build them round huts of poles 
 covered with grass, and some plastered with clay below. 
 
 From the Bembezi to the Inyate mission station we 
 travelled along the road formerly used by the hunters, 
 now known as the Hartley Hill road. We now had 
 occasion to notice how trade follows the gold-digger. At 
 the Bembezi were two stores, and one at the Inyate, 
 and so on almost everywhere, where a few months ago 
 only barbarians were to be found. But you ought to 
 see in what sort of grass huts these stores are kept, 
 generally with a flag flying at the top, and with a great 
 signboard, "Store and Canteen." Let us go inside. 
 Very primitive ! Bottles in abundance. The store con- 
 sists of a lot of tinned provisions, a few bags of meal, 
 and not much more. 
 
 And still such a shop is of so much importance 
 that you sometimes, at a distance of miles from the 
 store, at a cross-road, find a board informing you where 
 such a shop is to be found. Every Kaffir can show you 
 the way to the store, and you are sometimes only too 
 glad to reach such a store when 3-ou require anything. 
 We could not resist the temptation to take a few photos
 
 FROM QUEEN'S REEF TO SHANGAXI loi 
 
 of one of these stores, so important that prospectors 
 send to it from a distance of fifty miles, and told us that 
 we would obtain there some coffee and meal. 
 
 But now note the prices paid in this country. It may 
 interest, probably amuse you. Of course, Bulawayo is 
 an exception now, though not long ago — say six months 
 — it was quite different. Then ;^i per bottle was paid 
 for liquor of any kind ; one month before it was £2 ; 2s. 
 for a glass of wine, and French brandy 25. 6d. Milies 
 fetched £2 155., and they were glad to get it at that 
 price ; paper, which happened to be scarce at the time, 
 was sold for 15s. a packet of note paper with fifty enve- 
 lopes ; cigarettes is. per packet, &c. We give a list of 
 the average prices : 
 
 
 
 Bulawavo. Country Stores. 
 
 
 £ s. 
 
 d. 
 
 / s. d. 
 
 Coffee, per lb. 
 
 3 
 
 6 . 
 
 4 
 
 Tea „ . . . 
 
 
 3 
 
 6 . 
 
 4 
 
 Sugar „ 
 
 
 I 
 
 . 
 
 I 
 
 Rice ,, . . . 
 
 
 I 
 
 . 
 
 I 6 
 
 Meal „ 
 
 
 
 
 8 . 
 
 9 
 
 Flour ,, 
 
 
 
 
 9 • 
 
 i 
 
 Boer Tobacco 
 
 
 3 
 
 . 
 
 3 6 
 
 Butter . 
 
 
 3 
 
 . 
 
 
 Kaffir Meal, per bag 
 
 
 I 17 
 
 6 . 
 
 250 
 
 Milies 
 
 
 I 17 
 
 6 . 
 
 200 
 
 Kaffir Corn 
 
 
 I 17 
 
 6 . 
 
 200 
 
 Eggs, per doz. 
 
 
 9 
 
 . 
 
 — 
 
 Fowls, each . 
 
 
 2 
 
 6 . 
 
 — 
 
 Cape Jams, per tin 
 
 
 I 
 
 9 • 
 
 2 
 
 Cape Brandy, per bottle 
 
 10 
 
 . 
 
 10 
 
 Wine, per glass 
 
 I 
 
 . 
 
 I 
 
 Whisky and Gin, per glass 
 
 I 
 
 . 
 
 I 6 
 
 French Brandy „ 
 
 
 2 
 
 . 
 
 2
 
 102 RHODESIA 
 
 Even at that price it is not always to be bad, and tbe 
 question always is, JJlia/ do you get ? Tbe fowls of 
 the Mashonas and Makalakas (the Matabele have no 
 fowls, they breed only cattle) are almost as small as 
 bantams, and then cost 25. 6(/. ! One pound sterling 
 was offered for four of our usual barn fowls, but was 
 refused. We paid ;^i for 20 lb. of sugar at Inyate ; it 
 was sugar such as we used to sec in our youth— so full 
 of bees' heads and legs that it had to be put in warm 
 water to remove the dirt before it was fit for use. It 
 seems as if everything that cannot be sold elsewhere is 
 sent to the shops on the border. But then, as we have 
 said, the countr}' is young, far distant, transport is ex- 
 pensive and takes a long time ; it is surprising that the 
 country is what it is. 
 
 We spent the Sunday at Inyate. About one mile on 
 the western side of the river, whence we came and 
 camped, the police camp is situated, about half a 
 mile on one side of the road, and at the same dis- 
 tance on the other side the store. We camped close to 
 the river ; we drew our \vaggon and pitched our tent 
 beneath a lane of " sering " trees ("Pride of India," 
 just then in full blossom), near the ruins of a former 
 trading-station, which had been vacated by the trader, 
 after he had lost his wife and two children through the 
 fever. Presumably he took his stand too near the river, 
 for the country seems to be healthy and good. The 
 remains of the orchard, however, give proof that any 
 kind of fruit can be cultivated here. There are still
 
 FROM QUEEN'S REEF TO SHAXGAXI 103 
 
 rows of pomegranate and fig, orange and peach trees, 
 &c., in full blossom and with young shoots, and though 
 they lie quite unprotected and uncared for, trodden down 
 by cattle and damaged in every possible way, still they 
 grow and blossom. 
 
 An interview with some of the obliging policemen 
 showed us how totally the Matabele nation has been 
 subjected. Just fancy, there are seventeen men here, 
 and the nearest police camp is at Gwelo, seventy miles 
 distant ; to the north there is not a single camp, and still 
 they keep the Matabele in perfect control. All the 
 national cattle (which formerly belonged to Loben- 
 gula) are registered by them ; the Kaffirs must herd 
 them, and must give account of them when they are 
 fetched. 
 
 Mission work here and elsewhere in Matabeleland 
 was not successful thus far. Just on the opposite side, 
 about two miles from the river, along a slope, is a mis- 
 sion station ; it lies quite solitary and separated, and in 
 twenty-five years no Matabele became a Christian, not 
 even by the outward sign of baptism. And yet two 
 missionaries labour here ; one is here at present, the 
 other has gone to England. 
 
 From here we intended to go to the lower Gwelo gold- 
 fields, situated on the Gwelo River, eighty or ninety miles 
 below the new village. We inquired after the road, and 
 the storekeeper told us that about four miles from here 
 we had to turn out of the old road of the hunters into 
 a new prospectors' track, along which sixteen Scotch
 
 I04 RHODESIA 
 
 carts had already travelled, and then there was only one 
 road, so that we could not go wrong. 
 
 Calmly we travelled on our solitary way, where 
 during thirteen days we saw no European, and no 
 Kaffir during eight days, and no one of us knew 
 the Matabele language (Henry stayed at the Paarl 
 camp and Derksen accompanied us further), and no 
 one of us thought of further inquiring about the road. 
 Thus we travelled on a scarcely perceptible track as 
 far as the Shangani River. We passed much game of 
 almost every kind, and here and there we saw splendid 
 specimens of the baobab tree, some about forty feet in 
 circumference, and some mahogany trees of gigantic 
 growth, out of which beautiful planks could be sawn, 
 and several kinds of wild fruit trees. The fruit of the 
 wild orange, which was ripe just then, has a very 
 pleasant taste. 
 
 For more than two days we followed our often almost 
 imperceptible way, down all along the Shangani River, 
 having only two old waggon tracks sunk deeply in the 
 wet ground and several lighter tracks of Scotch carts 
 to guide us, and through grass which in some places 
 was higher than our oxen. But our road became more 
 rough and impassable as we went on. 
 
 Everywhere we found camping-places, sometimes of 
 Kaflir commandos with temporary huts, and one pecu- 
 liarly shaped long hut, and then again the camps of the 
 volunteer force, till we made the discovery that we were 
 on the track along which Lobengula fled with his two
 
 FROM QUEEN'S REEF TO SHANGANI 105 
 
 waggons, and on the track of his pursuers, Forbes and 
 Wilson. But at last the rocky ridges along the 
 Shangani River became so rough that we saw no 
 chance of going on further. At first we had cut down 
 trees and rolled stones out of the road, but at last we 
 could do that no longer. Now it became clearly 
 apparent that we were on the road followed by the 
 fugitive king and his pursuers. We now and then 
 found assegais, then again we found the skeletons of 
 horses and even human beings. At last we halted. 
 We had always still hoped that the road would cross 
 the Shangani and lead on to the Gwelo gold-fields (the 
 camp of Roos), but now we also gave up that hope, 
 for we had alread}- almost reached the confluence of 
 the Shangani and Gwelo Rivers. We decided to halt 
 with our waggon. Derksen took supplies for three 
 days, and returned on horseback to obtain information 
 about the road. 
 
 During that time we could look about a little. Close 
 to us, on a little hill, we found the camp of Forbes 
 when he retreated to Bulawayo, after Wilson and his 
 thirty-two braves, who had gone to catch Lobengula, 
 had been killed. 
 
 There still lay the bones of the knocked-up horses, 
 which they had shot for food. Here they had thrown 
 away everything they did not absolutely require. We 
 found many books, much spoiled by the rain, and 
 whose leaves had been blown about by the wind. 
 Here is a book of instruction in the Kaffir language,
 
 io6 RHODESIA 
 
 the title-page of which we wrote dow'n in our note- 
 book : ^* Iiicwadi Yckukgala Yokufiinda I Kcindczelwe 
 Esikolwcni NgitscnikoDiaiizi, Eiialal. 1870." In the 
 hour of danger the poor volunteer had lost his inclina- 
 tion to study the Kaffir language. A little further on 
 we found an instruction book in the tactics of war, of 
 which we found the leaf containing the " Contents," 
 which w^e took with us. The contents are : " Con- 
 tents, Part IV. — Transport, General Regulations, 
 Laagers and Regulations for the Formation and Move- 
 ments of the Transport Service ; Outspans. Column 
 of Sections — Irregular Formations, Night Formations, 
 Laagers, Sudden Attacks," &c. This handbook pro- 
 bably belonged to one of the officers. But here he 
 evidently found that theory fails among the bushes and 
 rocks along the Shangani River when pursued by 
 Kaffirs. For, as we were told by eye-witnesses, the 
 whole company would have come to grief, had not 
 Commandant Raaf with his practical experience con- 
 ducted them back. For instance, shifting by night 
 with his laagers, he continually misled the Kaffir spies. 
 Of course the object of the Kaffirs was to attack them 
 during the night. But towards evening Raaf used to 
 pitch his laager as if for the night, whereupon the 
 Kaffirs prepared to attack him there. But as soon as 
 darkness fell the hoofs of the horses were bound up 
 with bits of hides, and so they quietly in the dark 
 went on to a place suitable for encamping. That wa? 
 decidedly not found in a theoretical handbook.
 
 FROM QUEEN'S REEF TO SHANGANI 107 
 
 But whatever they threw away, food they must 
 have. Here we saw the remains, not of empty 
 tins, but the bones of horses and the shells of tor- 
 toises, &c. 
 
 During the days wc remained at the Shangani, we 
 could observe a great deal. For miles we walked down 
 the river, which is full of pools of water in the sand, 
 large and small, and in the red granite rocks, some- 
 times very picturesque. In the sandy bed of the river 
 you can see the footprints of almost every kind of 
 game and beasts of prey ; especially noticeable were 
 the numerous footprints of lions and tigers, but mostly 
 of crocodiles, with the easily distinguished trail of their 
 tails. Often you can see the places where, lying down 
 on the sand, the}- had basked in the sun. Once one of 
 us came across a young crocodile which jumped into 
 the water right before him. 
 
 It was very warm here, for we had descended more 
 than 3000 feet, and that the climate is tropical is 
 proved by the many wild dwarf palms which grow 
 here, and which are thought to be a sign of an 
 unhealth}' climate. In Spain, however, we noticed that 
 as soon as 3'ou descended the mountains to the beautiful 
 regions of Andalusia the wild dwarf-palm almost covered 
 the slopes of the hills. And who can for a moment 
 think of calling Andalusia unhealthy ? 
 
 Fishing in the Shangani was an agreeable change. 
 White and yellow fish, "bawers" and carps, and a 
 nice fish curry on Sunday. So one can be amused on
 
 io8 RHODESIA 
 
 a lost road and the solitary veldt where not even a 
 Kaffir is to be seen ! 
 
 After three days Mr. Derksen, who had gone back to 
 inquire after the road, came back with the information 
 that we had taken the wrong road even before we came 
 to the Shangani, and we thus had to go back up the 
 Shangani for two days, along the track we had come, 
 and then still some distance through the bushy veldt 
 and over stony ridges without any tracks. Well, then, 
 we courageously turn back ! But of our further expe- 
 riences more later on ; we shall also give a sketch 
 of the Shangani expedition in pursuance of Lobengula, 
 and the unfortunate Wilson disaster, of which we saw 
 and heard so much here.
 
 LETTER XII 
 FROM SHANGANI TO GWELO 
 
 Stuck in the Forest — Open Roads with eight Tracks ! — 
 Baobab and Mahogany Trees — Post Pole along the Road 
 — One Matabele with eight Wives — How the Ancients 
 crushed the Quartz — Many thousands of Labourers — 
 Nightly Visitors — A Sunday Dinner — A Wild Boar — 
 A cheeky Matabele Petty Chief — A Prospector's Camp 
 destroyed by a Dynamite Explosion — Important Informa- 
 tion — Gwelo and its Prospects — The Surroundings of 
 Gwelo. 
 
 Selukwe, August 8, 1894. 
 I WRITE this sketch at the Selukwe gold-fields, on our 
 return journey to Bulawayo, though in my last sketch I 
 left you on the road by which Lobengula had fled. I 
 must therefore hasten on in order not to leave you too 
 far behind, for since then we have again travelled 
 120 miles with our ox-waggon, over rough roads, and 
 for a great part without any road at all. We have just 
 reckoned up the distance we have travelled with the 
 slow ox. What number of miles do you think ? 
 About 1 175 miles! I postpone detailed description, 
 and give a very short rcsinnc of our experiences on the 
 journey.
 
 I TO RHODESIA 
 
 In the meantime we turned back along the Shangani 
 River, then to the Gwelo gold-fields, almost lOO miles 
 to the north of the village of Gwelo, from there up 
 along the Gwelo River across another gold belt, twenty- 
 five miles from the village, from there to the Selukwe 
 gold-fields ; then to Fort Victoria and Zimbabwe and 
 back here. 
 
 On August II, we commenced our return journey 
 from the wrong road, on which we had followed the 
 fleeing Lobengula, across ridges, through forests, down 
 along the Shangani. We had to travel back quite 
 forty miles over that rough country. We had now, 
 however, become wiser, at least so we thought ; we 
 should not follow these tracks across rough ridges and 
 through thick forests and uneven country alongside the 
 river ; we should leave the river and find a better road. 
 At first we were successful. We found an open grass 
 flat between the bushy ridges, such as is often found 
 in Matabeleland, and travelled prosperously for about 
 six miles. But alas ! we speedily found that our grass 
 valley tended too much in a westerly direction and 
 took us too much away from the river and out of our 
 direction, and became gradually narrower. 
 
 Halt ! We have come to a standstill and cannot go 
 on ; the open space ends in a wedge-like shape. Wc 
 are surrounded by forests on every side ; not shrubs, 
 but trees ; not scattered sparsely, but very dense. 
 What now ? Turn back ? No, not that ! We shall 
 outspan and seek or make a road through the forest •
 
 FROM SHANGAXI TO GWELO in 
 
 straight on is impossible, the wood is too dense. Some 
 distance back we had noticed a Kaffir footpath, winding 
 in the direction of the river; for these dense forests 
 are among the few places where we still met a few real 
 Matabele. 
 
 Three of us went with saw and axe to cut a road 
 three or four miles through the forest, back to our 
 former track along the river, and after a delay of a few 
 hours we could resume our journey. We relate this 
 incident as an example of the often repeated experience 
 in a countr}^ which has only been entered by vehicles 
 during the last six months, and where you involuntarily 
 learn to take notice of every track. 
 
 As a reminiscence we took a photo of our waggon 
 and the forest in which we got stuck. Add to this that 
 all this road-seeking and road-making happened on a 
 very warm day and with a burning thirst, and you can 
 form some idea of the pleasure of travelling in an un- 
 opened countr}'. And then such a new road winds 
 through the forest ; here a knock over a trunk of a cut- 
 down tree, there the scraping of a branch on the tent of 
 waggon, then hard rocks to the right and left, not to 
 speak of the crossing of innumerable rivers and brooks 
 by fords which have not yet been properl}' made. On 
 Wednesday we reached the road we had lost after two 
 days of very hard work. What a deliverance ! Here 
 again we at last had something of a road. On the 
 sandy bed of the river we could easily count the tracks, 
 eight Scotch carts had passed by this road. This is
 
 112 RHODESIA 
 
 called here a well-opened way. On that day we en- 
 countered nothing particular, except the fresh footprints 
 of a lion, who, howxvcr, did not trouble us. 
 
 Thursday we crossed the plateau between the 
 Shangani and Gwelo Rivers. At half-past ten in the 
 morning we passed the Umvingo River, which a little 
 lower down flows into the Shangani. The whole region 
 between the Shangani and Gwelo Rivers forms a healthy, 
 good plateau, but we crossed it rather low towards the 
 north. Parts of it are very well adapted for cattle- 
 farming, but not for agriculture, on account of the 
 scarcity of water. Here we passed seven baobab trees 
 in a clump, also a few beautiful specimens of mahogany 
 trees, real giants, of which we took photos. 
 
 The small and large game we saw here would have 
 thrown every enthusiastic hunter into raptures. A good 
 thing that we are not hunters, for hunting means loss 
 of time on a journey. Still we always had sufficient 
 game for use in our waggon. 
 
 Something that drew our attention was a pole we 
 found at the Umvingo, with a white flag attached to the 
 top. Upon reaching it we found it to be a postpole, 
 with an open letter to some one who would come along 
 this road. We met that person on the lower Gwelo 
 gold-fields, whilst his letter was all the time waiting for 
 him. You find more of these postpoles along the road, 
 and sometimes they are of great service. 
 
 On Friday morning we came to a " spruit " with 
 pools of water, having spent the previous night without
 
 FROM SHANGANI TO GWELO 113 
 
 water, and after having passed in the morning some 
 pegged off reefs. Here a Kaffir, with his eight wives, 
 came to fetch water; they had basins filled with wild 
 fruit ; we got some in exchange, and found it very 
 palatable. This meeting gave us an idea on the present 
 state of the Matabele. It was plain that this family 
 came a great distance to this solitary region, where they 
 are at present in hiding. The eight wives of one man 
 prove how plenteous the women are at present, after 
 so many men, who also had full harems, had perished 
 in the war ; for the Matabele, in their raids, always 
 brought the women with them as their property. But 
 here we also see in what a pitiful state they are now. 
 How emaciated the poor women are ! An end has been 
 put to their robbery, and they must now subsist on the 
 wild fruit, which at this time of the year is very 
 scarce. 
 
 Towards noon we arrived at the Gwelo River, at an 
 old prospector's camp, where we outspanned alongside 
 the river, beneath a clump of high mopani trees. The fol- 
 lowing day (Saturday) we went to inspect the gold-fields, 
 six miles lower down, where the Paarl Matabeleland 
 also has twenty claims. This gold belt lies about ninety- 
 five miles to the north-west of the village of Gwelo, lower 
 down the river, and seems to be very rich, especially 
 the Leopard, Rose, and Van Blerk reefs, all of which 
 have been pegged off on the old mining works. 
 
 What strikes us here is that almost every stone along 
 the river is hollowed out, showing how many thousands 
 
 H
 
 114 KHODESIA 
 
 of workmen were employed here in former ages crush- 
 ing quartz. Mr. Richard, a prospector, who drew our 
 attention to this, showed us how in these hollows, made 
 by the grinding of the quartz with round stones (as 
 the Kaffirs still grind their corn), grooves had been cut 
 apparently with some hard metal implements, either to 
 facilitate the grinding process, or perhaps to retain the 
 gold, which is heavier ; also how some of these holes 
 for grinding are deeper than others (about eight inches 
 deep), probably to grind the quartz more finely, which 
 in the other holes had been only roughly broken. 
 Higher up along the Gwelo, at the next goldbelt, 
 there arc ten such mortars, hollowed out regularly in 
 the rock in two rows of five each. Mr. Richard told us 
 how he had found 600 of these grinding hollows in the 
 rocks at a prospecting place a little lower, alongside the 
 river. He also showed us a very simple iron imple- 
 ment, found by him in the old mining works, with which 
 the miners took out the quartz, whilst, as a rule, they 
 used stone implements ; also that they first crumbled the 
 quartz by heating the mines with fire, and then suddenly 
 cooling it down with water. This is the reason why char- 
 coal is so often found in the mines, and they mined 
 down to the water level only. 
 
 How many thousands of labourers these ancients 
 must have employed in order to work these extensive 
 mines in such a primitive manner for hundreds of miles 1 
 More of this later on. 
 
 Here the old works reach a depth of fifty feet, where
 
 FROM SHANGAXI TO GWELO 115 
 
 the reefs are very rich, especially in visible gold, of 
 which, however, these gentlemen would give us no 
 samples, presumably because they wish to peg off more 
 claims for themselves, though one prospecting party 
 already possesses 200 claims on the old workings in the 
 vicinity. 
 
 These gold-fields are situated about ninety-five miles 
 to the north-west of the village of Gwelo, and still fifty 
 miles further north-west extensive old works were dis- 
 covered, containing very rich quartz. The ancients 
 sorted their quartz very carefully ; the poor quartz was 
 left, and onl^^ the rich parts carried to the rivers to be 
 crushed and washed. And even of this quartz, which 
 they left in heaps at the mines as being not rich enough, 
 we saw samples full of visible gold, which gave rich 
 panwashings, up to three ounces per ton. 
 
 Of the solid quartz taken out from the Leopard reef 
 at a depth of fifty feet, we saw big lumps full of visible 
 gold ; the gold, however, is somewhat flaky, and it is 
 therefore possible that it appears richer than it is in 
 reality. 
 
 That Saturday evening we came back to our mopani 
 trees, where we had encamped the previous night, and 
 spent the Sunday there. We had camped here three 
 nights, and the result was that the little night apes 
 began to look upon us as their companions ; at least 
 the last evening and morning they came and amused us 
 by jumping from tree to tree, and from branch to 
 branch. They even came to sit in the low shrubs, close
 
 ii6 KHODKSIA 
 
 to our fire, as if challenging us to catch them, but as 
 soon as we attempted to do so they simply flew up the 
 trees. We also had other nightly visitors. Every night 
 we could hear the roaring of two lions, coming nearer 
 every time. But they never molested us. 
 
 One more small incident I will mention. On Friday 
 afternoon, having some time to spare, we went fishing 
 in a large pool of water close to our waggon ; but 
 instead of catching fish we caught three gigantic turtles, 
 one of which measured about two feet round the middle 
 and three feet lengthways. They served for a splendid 
 Sunday dinner. 
 
 We began to be in want of some provisions, and 
 were informed that the nearest store was fifty-two miles 
 distant ; we had to go forty-two miles up along the 
 Gwelo River in a southern direction ; there we should 
 again come into the Hartley Hills road ; with that road 
 we had to cross the river, then travel nine or ten miles 
 in an easterly direction, and so reach the store by 
 following the Crocodile River ; from there ten miles 
 south again to the Gwelo goldbelt, which lies twenty- 
 five miles north of the village of Gwelo. 
 
 On Monday, travelling along the Gwelo, we saw 
 many quartz reefs, oftentimes with old mining works 
 on them, some of which had already been pegged off. 
 We had no time for prospecting, but in passing we 
 could see plainly enough that this is a vast unexplored 
 goldbelt. Besides that, the country here is higher, 
 healthier, and better, whilst splendid agricultural farms
 
 FROM SHANGANI TO GWELO 117 
 
 could be laid out here with open veldt and bushy ranges 
 intermixed. Now we had to travel the whole day on 
 one Scotch cart track, and when we lost that we got 
 into an old waggon track, which first led us through 
 and then over a very rough rocky ridge. This was 
 followed by a strip of granitic country. 
 
 On Tuesday morning we soon passed through the 
 granite belt and came into a gold formation. Here 
 we again found a deserted prospector's camp, and from 
 there a few more tracks and, for us, now an open road. 
 Our supply of game was running short, and one of our 
 travelling companions shot a large wild boar, of which 
 we took the skin of the head, with the famous tusks 
 with us as a memento. 
 
 Wednesday before dawn we reached the Hartley 
 Hills road. 
 
 What a blessing to have an open road once more ! We 
 reached the important store early in the morning, and 
 there we bought a little coffee and sugar, which we were 
 in want of. We were glad to get a pound of coffee at 4s., 
 and a pound of Boer meal at ()d. The building in which 
 this store was kept was about as large as our spring 
 waggon. We took a photo of the store to be able to 
 show in later years with what kind of stores the land 
 was opened up. 
 
 That same evening we went as far as the Black 
 River, where the Matabele Chief Mavin lives ; he took 
 no active part in the war because he awaited the in- 
 coming column, with his regiment, at the Hartley Hills,
 
 ii8 RHODESIA 
 
 and they travelled by another route. The consequence 
 is that he and his people still live here, but are so 
 impudent that it has already been necessary to give 
 them a little proof of what the Maxim can do. 
 
 The country here is ver}^ good ; the cattle and sheep of 
 the Kaffirs are in good condition ; there is abundance 
 of water; and splendid agricultural farms can be laid out 
 along the Black River, with the gold-fields close by. 
 
 That evening, between nine and ten o'clock, we heard 
 a loud dynamite explosion. In the morning we saw 
 that there were prospectors' camps about. Here we 
 had to see the prospector Lennock, in order to obtain in- 
 formation about two goldfarms of the Paarl Matabeleland 
 Syndicate. Mr. Derkscn went on horseback to inquire 
 after Mr. Lennock, and came back with Mr. Rooke, the 
 partner of Lennock. He told us that they had both 
 gone to Bulawayo, that he had returned the previous 
 evening with a store of provisions and dynamite, &c. ; 
 that the Kaffir hut wherein the dynamite was placed took 
 fire in the night, and when he awoke he had to flee for 
 his life : he was only just out of reach when the explosion 
 which we had heard, occurred. He said that all their 
 provisions, &c., had been burned, and that he was now 
 bereft of everything and quite solitary ; that he expected 
 Mr. Lennock the following da}'; that the goldfarms of the 
 Paarl Syndicate were situated about fort}' miles to the 
 north of this ; that both he and his partner had claims 
 on those farms, and that they were just ready to go 
 there, as soon as Mr. Lennock was back from Bula-
 
 FROM SHAXGAXI TO GWELO 119 
 
 wayo ; that the farms lay between two rivers, on both 
 of which were large alluvial diggings, and that the farms 
 were intersected by old mining works on reefs ; also 
 that those fields here were most promising, and that 
 the reefs on the other side of the river, especially the 
 Shamrock, Irene, and Rose of Sharon (in the last of 
 which the Paarl Syndicate also has a share), were very 
 rich ; and finally, that there was an important old fort in 
 the vicinity, although it unluckily lay somewhat out of 
 our way, 6>:c. 
 
 After this important information wc decided to go 
 straight to the village of Gwelo with our waggon, whilst 
 Mr. Derksen would go on horseback to the claims on 
 the other side, and bring us a report. 
 
 The following day (Friday) wc arrived at Gwclo, a 
 village barely two months old, but with a fair show of 
 houses, with a healthy and beautiful situation against a 
 well-wooded slope, just where the Gwelo takes its rise, 
 though here it has water at present only in pools. This 
 is the great objection against the village. The pools 
 might prove unhealthy, and they dr}' up in the dry sea- 
 sons. Otherwise the situation is healthy, 4500 feet high, 
 and the water can be got from the surrounding farms. 
 
 We believe that this village has a great future, 
 situated in one of the best and healthiest parts of Mata- 
 beleland, with rich gold-fields for twenty- five miles on 
 both sides (the Selukwe fields are situated about 
 twenty-five miles south), being besides on the main road 
 from Bulawayo to Charter and Salisbury, and on the
 
 120 RHODESIA 
 
 watershed along which the railway must in future run. 
 Towards evening Mr. Derksen came back, bringing 
 highly favourable reports, and also some samples of 
 rich quartz from the Gwelo gold-fields, where we parted 
 from him. 
 
 That same evening we went to a farm of the Faarl 
 Syndicate adjoining the commonage of Gwelo. The 
 farm lies on the plateau of Gwelo, and we found four 
 " spruits " in the part over which we went, with running 
 water. The grass is short and sweet, the same as on 
 the high veldt of the Transvaal, Ermelo, and Standerton, 
 which arc known as the best cattle districts in the 
 Transvaal. Besides the many kinds of sweet grass, 
 we also saw several kinds of small shrubs resembling 
 our **schaapboschjes." It is an open country, with just 
 sufficient bushy ridges to make it suitable for cattle 
 farming. 
 
 Enough for this time. 
 
 1
 
 LETTER XIII 
 
 ANOTHER 350 MILES PER OX-WAGGON 
 
 Retrospect — Thirteen hundred Miles per Ox-naggon — 
 Back by Three Roads — Why zee chose the Bcira Route — 
 The Selukwe Gold-fields — The Paarl also here well repre- 
 sented — Beautiful Scenery — Forests of ivild Loquats — 
 Neii' Roads in a neic Land — The Victoria District suit- 
 able for Agriculture and Cattle farming — Testimonies of 
 Farmers from the Colony, Free State, the Transvaal, 
 and Natal — Fort Victoria — The Country surrounding 
 Zimbabwe — At the Grave of Wilson and his brave Com- 
 pany — '^ Morgenstcr,'' the first Mission Station of the 
 Dutch Reform Church in Rhodesia — Mashona Towns on 
 Granite Koppies — How the Mashonas cultivate their 
 lands — Back to Bulawayo. 
 
 BuLAWAYO, October ig, 1894. 
 I WRITE this sketch at Bulawayo, after a tour of eight weeks 
 through Matabeleland and Mashonaland. Here we take 
 leave of our ox-waggon, after having travelled 1300 
 miles with it in three and a half months' time. The 
 whole journey was very prosperous ; we had no adver- 
 sity worth mentioning, none of us were seriously ill, 
 and wc lost but one of our oxen, which strayed and 
 was not recovered. If we compare this with the 
 difficulties and losses others had to contend with ; if
 
 122 RHODESIA 
 
 wc think through what impassable regions \vc passed, 
 and by what impossible roads, sometimes on one or two 
 tracks, and sometimes through the veldt and across ridges 
 without any track at all, through rivers without fords, 
 through forests and barren regions, where lions, tigers, 
 &c., i-oani about, then, indeed, wc have cause for grati- 
 tude. Roughly taken, the way we travelled was as 
 follows : From Vryburg to Bulawayo (with the circui- 
 tous road over Tati), 670 miles ; from Bulawayo over 
 the Bembezi, Shangani, Gwelo, and Selukwe gold-fields 
 to Victoria and Zimbabwe, and back again to Bulawayo, 
 about 635 miles. 
 
 Now our travelling company separate. Mr. Malherbe 
 goes from here, per omnibus, to Pretoria, and from 
 there per rail to the Paarl ; Mr. le Riche goes per mail- 
 cart to Mafeking, and from there by rail to Kimberlcy ; 
 and 1 go from here per omnibus across Gwelo and 
 Charter to Salisbury and Uintali ; from there by cart to 
 Chimoio ; from there, so I am informed, I shall have to 
 walk some distance (some say fifteen, others twenty-five, 
 others fifty, and others eighty miles) to the Beira railway, 
 which brings me to the Pungwe River; then down the 
 river to Beira, and then by steamboat to Delagoa Bay, 
 Durban (Natal), East London, Port Elizabeth, to take 
 the train from there to the Paarl. 
 
 I choose this route, which will take me a longer time, 
 because it is the more important one, with regard to 
 the approaching tariff war about the transport to the 
 interior from the colonial ports, Durban, Delagoa, and
 
 JOURNEY BY OX- WAGGON 123 
 
 Beira, and also because I shall then have a better oppor- 
 tunity of seeing the best part of Mashonaland. Later 
 on more about this. 
 
 We must take you this time over a distance of 350 
 miles — viz., from the village of Gwelo to the Selukwe 
 gold-fields, from there to Victoria and Zimbabwe and 
 back, and from there, by a short roundabout way, via 
 the Queen's Reef, to Bulawayo. 
 
 From the village of Gwelo to the Selukwe gold-fields 
 is about twenty-five miles. For the first half of this 
 distance you remain on the same open, level highland ; 
 then you enter the Selukwe ranges ; here the country 
 falls quite 1000 feet, for the tops of the Selukwe range 
 are about 5000, and the Intebckwe River about 4000 
 feet above the sea level. This sudden sinking of 
 the highland to a lower level has as result a region of 
 wooded mountain ridges, intersected by deep gullies, 
 each of which has a beautiful stream of water. On 
 account of its being so high this mountainous region is 
 very health}', and nowhere in South Africa did we see 
 more beautiful scenery. 
 
 The whole region is densely wooded, especially with 
 the wild loquat, which generally grows as thick as our 
 pine forests ; it bears a very palatable fruit ; its wood 
 is excellent for fuel and for timber, which is of great 
 advantage to the gold-fields. For here is a gold-bearing 
 region fifty miles long and twenty-five miles broad. 
 
 Almost all these mountain ridges are formed of quartz 
 and intersected by old mining-works, with ruins of forts
 
 124 RHODESIA 
 
 on the mountain tops. The prospectors of the present 
 day have here also followed the lead of the ancients, 
 and have pegged ofT almost the whole of this region. 
 Here you find the largest digging population of Rho- 
 desia, and here most work is done also. The European 
 population on these diggings is estimated as between 
 200 and 300. The prospects of these fields are excep- 
 tionally good, on account of the extensiveness and the 
 richness of the reefs, and especially on account of the 
 mining facilities ; here is a supply of fuel and timber 
 wood for years (the wood of the wild loquat tree has 
 been found in the old mines, sufficient proof of its dura- 
 bility), and also on account of its very favourable 
 situation. Most of these properties can be opened up 
 and worked by making tunnels from below the rivers in 
 the deep " kloofs," and thus two or three levels of from 
 200 to 300 feet deep can be " stopped " out underneath 
 the ridges, and in this way the quartz can be worked 
 out from below and then carried with gravitation force 
 in "trollies" or "trucks" to the machines at the 
 water. 
 
 Our Paarl friends will be glad to hear that the Paarl 
 Matabeleland Syndicate has thirty claims on these gold- 
 fields, also on yet unopened but very promising reefs, 
 on which old mining works are to be found; also that a 
 few young men from the Paarl (two brothers, Malherbe, 
 Moll, Solomon, and three others) have the most flourish- 
 ing trading business here, besides farms and claims. 
 
 But I must hurry on. Here we decided to make a
 
 JOURNEY BY OX-WAGGON 125 
 
 little expedition to Fort Victoria and Zimbabwe. Mr. 
 McKinnon kindly assisted us with a team of fresh oxen. 
 This gentleman owns seventy claims on the Intebekwe 
 reef, with important old mining works, undoubtedly one 
 of the best properties on this gold-field, besides the Dun- 
 raven and Bonsor. 
 
 From here to Fort \'ictoria is quite eighty miles. 
 First of all we had to descend the mountain ridges, 
 along a new and fearfully rough road, over stones and 
 the trunks of trees that had been cut down. This descent 
 lasted about twelve miles and took us almost a whole 
 day. The surveyor, Fairbridge, accompanied us that 
 day, and that evening we stood close to his camp, where 
 he was busy surveying farms. We spent the evening 
 with him, and as he is well acquainted with Matabele- 
 land and Mashonaland, he gave us valuable information, 
 also some articles written by himself, of which we hope 
 to make use later on. 
 
 Now a small incident on this journey. At twilight, 
 having reached the bottom of the hills, we found our 
 way blocked up with branches of trees. A square piece 
 of the bark of a tree along the road had been cut out 
 and on the bare wood was written, *' Road to Victoria 
 direct through both the Tebekwe Rivers." Here we 
 stayed for the night, and decided next morning to follow 
 the new road. We soon noticed there was only one 
 waggon track before us, and that the trees had only 
 recently been cut down, and towards noon we met the 
 brothers Long, who had outspanned in the veldt. They
 
 126 RHODESIA 
 
 told us that they were the new road-makers ; that they 
 thought by taking this direction to shorten the way by 
 twenty miles, as the other road had been made by fol- 
 lowing the cart-track of a prospector, and that we could 
 not now branch off, as we were prevented by a rough 
 range and a long distance. Nothing remained but to 
 travel with them and to help them cut and construct the 
 road till close to Victoria, which caused us a delay of a 
 few days. Coming back we preferred taking the open 
 road of the prospector. So you have to travel in a new 
 country. 
 
 The district of Victoria through which we now 
 travelled is situated in Mashonaland, and though we de- 
 scended a good bit this region lies more than 4000 feet 
 above the sea level. And if we consult the experience 
 of the old " Voortrekkers " this region cannot be un- 
 healthy, for the " sugar-bosch " and "waggon-boom" 
 grow everywhere. And we must say that in the whole 
 of Matabeleland we did not see any part better adapted 
 for cattle farming and agriculture than this region. The 
 country is broken — i.e.^ open grass country', varied by 
 wooded ridges. The " veldt " is not rough ; everywhere 
 you see various kinds of short sweet grass. And then 
 for agriculture ! The open valleys have fertile soil and 
 streams of water, whilst the produce in the villages and 
 gold-fields fetches exorbitant prices ! Really, if you see 
 this, and think that three years ago farms could be 
 selected here merely on payment of a fair quit-rent 
 then you cannot help being amazed and feehng
 
 JOURNEY BY OX-WAGGON 127 
 
 sorry that many of our farmers slave, yea, toil them- 
 selves to death and become poor, on a small patch of 
 ground, or on the ground belonging to another (for the 
 high bonds on properties make our colonial farmers in 
 reality the slaves of the capitalists). 
 
 At Victoria we met eight Dutch farmers coming from 
 the Free State, the Transvaal, Cape Colony, and Natal, 
 who live between \'ictcria and Charter. They declared 
 unanimously that the country was excellently adapted 
 for cattle farming of any kind and also for agriculture ; 
 that a certain Mr. Potgieter, amongst others in their 
 neighbourhood, possessed a flock of merino sheep from 
 which he had already got a crop of excellent wool, and 
 that he would not sell a single one of his sheep at any 
 price ; that they were healthy, prosperous, and happy, 
 and had no thought of going back ; on the contrary, 
 they had written to their friends and relatives also to 
 come there, especially now that Lobengula was out of 
 the way ; that not one of their families had as yet died 
 of fever, though some had had slight attacks, as mostly 
 happens in a new country ; that they were quite satis- 
 fied with the liberal rule of the Chartered Company, &c. 
 &c. The unanimous testimony of men from different 
 parts is of great importance. 
 
 Victoria is situated on a hill between two rivers, and 
 appears to be fairly healthy, though the inhabitants 
 acknowledge that most of the Europeans are every 
 j-ear attacked by the fever, but in a mild form, as is 
 the case in most regions which have been recently
 
 128 RHODESIA 
 
 inhabited. In Zoutpansberg, Waterberg, Marico, and 
 Lydenburg in the Transvaal, the fever was at first much 
 worse, and now these regions are inhabited and no 
 more is heard of the fever. 
 
 From Victoria to Zimbabwe is about eighteen miles, 
 over a beautiful country, mostly open grass flats varied 
 in places with beautiful woods. When you are close 
 by these interesting remains of the long past, you find 
 the granite ridges among which these gigantic ruins 
 are situated. A detailed description of these important 
 ruins we reserve till later on. Only let us mention 
 that they are not situated (as we supposed) in a rough 
 and unapproachable region, but in a beautiful part of 
 the country, where we can easily imagine a large town 
 to have stood, with a numerous population, as these 
 ruins seem to show. 
 
 Our stay at Zimbabwe was short, only two days 
 (Oct. 2 and 3), and yet we count these two days 
 amongst the most important of our life. For the 
 present we take leave of this subject, but we promise 
 later on to give some impressions which we wrote down 
 that evening at the grave of Major Wilson and his 
 brave companions who perished whilst pursuing 
 Lobengula across the Shangani. That grave lies 
 between the Fort and the ancient Temple, and is 
 enclosed with barbed wire ; a wreath of ferns and wild 
 flowers is laid upon it. 
 
 During our short stay we embraced the opportunity 
 to visit the first mission station of the Dutch Reformed
 
 JOrRXP:Y BY OX-\VAGGOX 129 
 
 Church in Rhodesia. The Revs. Messrs. Louw and 
 Helm (medical missionary) labour there, whilst the 
 farming is attended to by Mr. Euvrard. They not only 
 received us kindly, but Mr. Louw and his wife came 
 also to pay us a visit at Zimbabwe. 
 
 The mission station '' Morgenster " (Morning Star) 
 is situated about one and a half hour's walk from the 
 Zimbabwe ruins. The station lies high and seems to 
 be healthy. Up to date no one on the station had 
 caught the fever. The indefatigable diligence of Mr. 
 Euvrard gives abundant proof of the suitability of the 
 country for agriculture. Oak, orange, and blue-gum 
 trees grow luxuriantly, and the vegetable garden is a 
 pleasure to the eye. Onions, carrots, tomatoes, beet- 
 root, sweet potatoes in abundance, and as large as we 
 seldom before saw them. A plentiful supply was given 
 us, which we greatly appreciated, the more so as we 
 had tasted no vegetables for the last three months. 
 The Rev. Mr. Louw and Mr. Euvrard with their newly 
 married wives (Mr. Helm is unmarried) appeared to 
 be very happy. We wish these pioneers in the 
 mission field of Rhodesia every success. 
 
 What struck us in the vicinity of this mission 
 station and Zimbabwe was the beautiful granite 
 "koppies," with their fantastic shapes, and the huts 
 nestled between those boulders, and on their tops, 
 where the Mashonas, along with their cattle, used to 
 hide themselves from the Matabele. 
 
 Of course we took some photos of such hills, and the 
 
 I
 
 130 RHODESIA 
 
 Kafiirs with their goats and fowls, &c., round about 
 them, also of the Zimbabwe ruins, the mission 
 station, &c. 
 
 With regard to the Mashonas living on these hills 
 we noticed two things: (i) How they, by means of a 
 certain kind of clay, fastened their huts to the rocks, so 
 that the wind cannot blow them away ; (2) That these 
 localities were chosen, not only through fear of the 
 Matabele, but also on account of their healthiness 
 and to escape the many insects swarming in the lower 
 parts. Probably, therefore, they will continue this 
 troublesome way of living even after the power of the 
 Matabele is broken. 
 
 The Mashonas have a peculiar way of cultivating 
 their lands. In the middle they leave a strip of about 
 one foot wide which they do not turn over, then they 
 turn over the soil about half a foot on both sides of the 
 strip thus left and throw it on the top of it, covering it 
 with the loosened soil, so that the grass of the turned 
 up soil lies on the grass of the strip which was left 
 standing. 
 
 This they do in the rainy season when the grass is 
 about one foot high. Those double layers of grass 
 with soil on the top rot and fertilise the ground. 
 When the rainy season comes this ground is turned 
 over and sown mostly with "manna;" mealies and 
 Kaffir corn are not sown to any extent. In low, 
 moist parts they make beds (like our seed-beds) and 
 sow them with rice.
 
 JOURNEY BY OX- WAGGON 131 
 
 But in consequence of not manuring, and thus 
 exhausting the soil, they continually have to make new 
 lands and give the old ones rest. This also they do in 
 a very simple and practical manner. For these lands 
 they choose the best wooded parts, as being the most 
 fertile. But do not for a minute think that they uproot 
 the trees or even cut them down low on the ground. 
 No ; they have not the implements to do that. With 
 their small axes, which they make themselves, they 
 chop away the thin branches (they let thicker ones 
 remain with the stem), and as soon as these are dry, 
 they heap them up against the stem of the tree and 
 set fire to it. The bark of the tree is burned away and 
 the tree is dead ; the roots no longer draw nutrition 
 from the ground and the shadow of the bare branches 
 does no harm, whilst the ground is at the same time 
 manured. Is this not a very practical way ? 
 
 And still the}' have sufficient grain and vegetables, 
 &c. ; though everything is smaller with them, even 
 their cattle and fowls. We took some photos of their 
 new agricultural lands, over whose unharrowed furrows 
 we were jolting along, for the Mashonas have no 
 respect for the new roads of the prospectors, but pick 
 right across them, and the prospectors on the other hand 
 make their roads right across the cultivated land of the 
 Mashonas. We also took some photos showing how 
 they cut down the branches of the trees and burn 
 them. 
 
 From Zimbabwe and Victoria we returned over the
 
 132 RHODESIA 
 
 Selukwe gold-fields across a comparatively open high- 
 land (where, after travelling three months through a 
 bush country, we had again to use dung for fuel), and 
 passed the Shangani battlefield and the Queen's Reef 
 to Bulawayo, where we close this sketch, after having 
 had an important interview with the renowned American 
 scout, Burnham, especially about the tragical expedition 
 in pursuit of Lobengula, and the sad fate of the brave 
 Wilson and his company, when Burnham also had a 
 narrow escape. Of this interview, and thus of the 
 whole tragic episode, we give in our next sketch a 
 fuller description than has yet been given. 
 
 Here we take a final leave of our ox-waggon, after 
 travelling in it for three and a half months. From here 
 we return with the omnibus and horses.
 
 LETTER XIV 
 
 HOW WILSON AND HIS MEN PERISHED 
 
 A Tragical Episode in the Matabele War 
 
 First and last Fights at the Shangani — Two renowned 
 American Scouts and their Wonderful Deeds of Recon- 
 noitring — Meeting and Intervieiv ivith Burnham — Chief 
 Adventures of the Expedition which pursued Lohengula — 
 Burnham" s Account of that memorable Night and Morning 
 —Close on Lohengula' s Heels — " No European shall cross 
 the Shangani" — Reconnoitring with Wilson and twelve 
 men across the Shangani — Through thousands of Kaffirs 
 in the Night — The whole Matabele Nation and Army with 
 Lobengula — Almost surrounded by Kaffirs — Three Men 
 sent to ask Forbes to cross at once with the whole Force, in 
 order to attack Lobengula at Daybreak — Seeking in the 
 Night for three men who had strayed amongst the Kaffirs — 
 Following tracks on a dark and rainy Night — All out in 
 the Night as Spies — The Kaffir impis, being misled, march 
 past to Forbes — Waiting for Forbes — Burrows arrives 
 with Twenty Men, without a Maxim — Hopeless Condition 
 — Consultation : ^'How best to Die " — Wilson's Tactics, a 
 Bold Move — Directly on the King and his Chief Indunas 
 — The Waggons empty — Attacked and almost surrounded 
 by Kaffirs — Shoot straight and waste no Ammunition — 
 Good Shooting in Danger — Behind a great Ant-heap — 
 Retreating with closed up Ranks — Where does Forbes 
 Tarry ? — Burnham, Ingram, and Gooding break through 
 dense masses of Kaffirs towards Forbes — Mislead the
 
 134 RHODESIA 
 
 Kaffirs by Dctouvs — A Race for Life — The last they 
 heard of Wilson — Sivimming the River with tired Horses 
 — Through the midst of the Enemy to the Laager — Dis- 
 satisfied with Forbes's behaviour — Why Raaff took the 
 Command — What the Kaffirs relate — Wilson's heroic 
 Death— A Magician who could not be killed — A Death 
 song in the midst of Death — Did they Shoot themselves ? — 
 The Representation by Forbes and his Distortion of Facts 
 — Burnham well Rewarded ; an energetic Inhabitant of 
 the Country. 
 
 Zimbabwe, October 2, 1894. 
 
 When I related how we lost our road along the 
 Shangani, and so came to the scene of the last struggles 
 in the Matabele war, I promised to give you later on a 
 description of the sad fate that overtook Wilson and 
 his brave companions. I will now fulfil that promise. 
 
 The war began on the Shangani River (higher up) 
 and ended at the Shangani. On the Shangani the 
 Matabele made the first attack on the inmarching 
 column, determined that the white warriors should not 
 penetrate further, and on the Shangani they made their 
 last stand, quite as determined that no white man 
 should pursue their king any farther. The first as 
 well as the last fight began in the night and lasted till 
 the morning. 
 
 In these respects they were similar, but in others 
 there was a difference. In thejirsl fight on the Shan- 
 gani the combined column fought against only a portion 
 of the Matabele impis ; in the lasf fight the whole of 
 the Matabele army fought against 150 whites. In the
 
 HOW WILSON AND MEN PERISHED 135 
 
 first fight Majors Wilson and Forbes were together 
 and had Maxim guns; in the last fight Major Wilson 
 was alone and had no Maxim. At the first fight the 
 Kaffirs were presumptuous and ventured too much, 
 the last fight showed presumptuousness on the part of 
 the hitherto victorious Europeans. In the first fight 
 the Europeans were completely victorious, in the last 
 fight victory was on the side of the Kaffirs, for W' ilson 
 with all his men perished, Forbes escaped with the 
 remainder, his retreat being conducted by Raaff, and 
 still the vanquished remained victors, and with that 
 lost battle the war was concluded actually in their 
 favour. 
 
 The closer you view these last scenes of the war, 
 the more important they become. In order to be able 
 to give a complete and accurate description of them, 
 we have interviewed several persons who acted a pro- 
 minent part in them, and one person who played a 
 principal part in the whole war, but especially in this 
 expedition, viz., the American scout, Burnham, known 
 as "Yankee Burnham." 
 
 We have heard wonderful accounts related about 
 the two scouts, Burnham and Ingram ; how they led 
 the combined columns into Matabeleland ; how they 
 by day and night reconnoitred the country miles and 
 miles in advance ; how they in day time, miles in 
 advance, informed the column where water was to be 
 found, where the Kaffirs were and what they did ; how 
 in the night they went amongst the Kaffirs to spy out
 
 136 RHODESIA 
 
 what they were about ; how everything happened as 
 they had foretold, Sec. 
 
 Burnham is especially praised as a scout. As he 
 accompanied the expedition which pursued Lobengula ; 
 as he was with Wilson and his gallant band and fought 
 with them, and only at the very last escaped as it were 
 out of the jaws of death, and as he as scout was well 
 informed of everything, we were very glad to meet 
 him at the office of the Maiabckland Nezvs, and to 
 have an interview with him at his house. 
 
 Burnham is small of stature, but of a lively and 
 energetic appearance, very courteous and free in his 
 manners, perhaps older than he looks, anyhow below 
 the forties, and married to a charming wife. After he 
 had first shown us a valuable collection of antiquities, 
 collected at Zimbabwe and Fort Regina, and after an 
 interesting conversation about the ancient mining works 
 and ruins of the country, upon which wc were perfectly 
 agreed, I brought the conversation to the expedition 
 sent to catch Lobengula. lie was quite willing to 
 oblige, and gave us as livel}^ a description as even an 
 eye-witness can give ; we took full notes at the time, 
 which we now reproduce here. We shall begin his 
 description from the time that the expedition came 
 to the Shangani River. 
 
 What happened prior to this is not of great import- 
 ance, and all writers are agreed upon it. The facts of 
 which we shall give a short rc'sitnic are mainl}' as 
 follows : As we formerly mentioned, the first fight was
 
 HOW WILSON AND MEN PERISHED 137 
 
 at the Shangani River, but only tlie light impis of 
 Lobengula were there. 
 
 The decisive battle v;as fought close to the Bembezi 
 River, not far from Bulawayo ; then Lobengula's best 
 impis were defeated. As soon as Lobengula was in- 
 formed of this, he fled to the mission station Shilo, 
 taking with him two waggons and as much ammunition 
 as he could carry, and from there he fled to the north. 
 The day after his flight the approaching column saw 
 the smoke of the city, to which the Kaffirs had set fire, 
 and heard the explosion of the cartridges which had 
 been left behind and which had also been set on fire. 
 
 As soon as the combined column had arrived at 
 Bulawayo, the town was left in command of Colonel 
 Goold Adams, and Majors Forbes and Wilson marched 
 with an expedition to capture Lobengula, if possible, 
 and so put an end to the war. They were misled by 
 Kaffirs informing them that Lobengula was at the Inyati 
 mission station ; the}' consequently marched thither 
 first, which caused some delay. Hearing afterwards 
 that they had been misled, they marched in a slanting 
 direction towards Shilo, and from there they then 
 followed his track with 150 men. In order to form a 
 correct estimate of the privations these men had to 
 undergo, you have to bear in mind that the order at 
 Bulawayo was to equip themselves for three days, and 
 the expedition lasted for about six weeks ; so that 
 towards the latter end the men had to sleep in the rain 
 on the wet ground, without blankets ; later on they
 
 138 RHODESIA 
 
 had no provisions left, and had to eat the knocked 
 up horses ; some were without boots and had to 
 go barefoot through bushes and shrubs and over 
 rocks. 
 
 But we cannot describe all the incidents of this 
 romantic expedition. We shall let Mr. Burnham him- 
 self give us, in vivid colours, a sketch of what happened 
 during that memorable night and morning. Here 
 it is : 
 
 " We followed the tracks of Lobengula's two wag- 
 gons to the Shangani, about forty or jfifty miles below 
 its confluence with the Gwelo. For a few miles the 
 tracks went down along the river, and there, at a suit- 
 able place, they crossed the river, at a sandy ford. We 
 reached the river at about 4 p.m. Judging from the 
 freshness of the tracks and the ashes of their camp- 
 fires, which were still warm, we knew that they could 
 not be far in advance. We were all very anxious to 
 bring the war to a close b}' capturing Lobengula, because 
 our provisions were running very short, our horses 
 were worn out, and it was already late in the season 
 for these unhealthy parts. After a short council of war, 
 Major Wilson was ordered to cross the river imme- 
 diately and follow up the waggon tracks, to reconnoitre 
 the country and cither to return that same night, or, if 
 the occasion seemed favourable, to capture Lobengula, 
 send report to that effect, so that the whole column 
 could cross that night, in order to attack Lobengula on 
 the following morning. Forbes asked me to accompany
 
 HOW WILSON AND NFEX PERISHED 139 
 
 the expedition as scout. I told him my horse was 
 knocked up. He gave me his horse and I went." 
 
 " Did you not know that there was a great force of 
 Matabeles with Lobengula ? " 
 
 " Yes, we knew that the Kaftirs had said that they 
 would not allow one European to cross the Shangani, 
 and that consequently the last decisive battle would 
 have to be fought there. This is explained later on by 
 the fact that Lobengula had sent ;^iooo, with messages 
 of peace ; two of our men received this money and hid 
 it without communicating the message, so that the 
 Kaffirs could not but think that the object of the 
 expedition was to kill Lobengula ; that is the reason why 
 they fought so desperatel}' here. I myself proved to 
 Major Forbes, from the great number of cattle that had 
 been slaughtered at Lobengula's camping-places, that 
 he must be accompanied by a great number of Kaffirs. 
 Some thought that he had at the outside a few hundreds 
 with him, and others thought a still smaller number. I 
 thought that he might have 1000 or 1500; but I had 
 no idea that his force was so strong. 
 
 "We followed the tracks for about five or six miles. 
 Before reaching his camp, however (it was already 
 dark), we noticed a koppie full of Kaffirs. We rode up 
 close to them and called out in Kaffir : ' We have not 
 come to kill you, we only wish to see the king and to 
 take him with us to Bulawayo, to see and speak with 
 our induna.' 
 
 "One of the Kaffirs then came to us, and upon our
 
 I40 RHODESIA 
 
 asking, how many men Lobengula had with him, he 
 answered : * Only a few.' He offered to guide us to 
 the waggons. I at once suspected him as a traitor, 
 who wanted to lead us into an ambush, and rode along- 
 side of him, as he advanced quickly, determined to shoot 
 him, as soon as he tried to run away. 
 
 " Following the Kaffir guide, we noticed that the 
 hills and woods were full of Kaffirs ; in fact, the 
 whole Matabele nation, with their women and children, 
 and that there were 7000 or 8000 warriors. The 
 Kaffirs did not fire upon us. They were amazed and 
 could not understand how such a handful of men dared 
 venture amongst them. We saw Kaffirs and fires all 
 around us, but we rode on till we were so close to the 
 waggons that we could hear them speak. We repeated 
 the same words we had used at the first koppie, viz. : 
 * that we did not wish to kill any one, only to see the 
 king and take him with us to treat with our induna at 
 Bulawayo.' 
 
 " We got no answer ; but we noticed that the Kaffirs 
 closed their ranks behind us, in order to cut off" our 
 retreat. We did not shoot, because we wished to 
 avoid a fight, but retreated as quickly and silently as 
 we could. 
 
 "When we were clear of the Kaffirs, we turned 
 aside into a wood and held a consultation. We 
 immediately decided to send a report to Major Forbes 
 by Messrs. Bain, Robertson, and Captain Napier. 
 Wilson's order was ' that Major Forbes should cross
 
 HOW WILSOX AND MEN PERISHED 141 
 
 with the whole force, so that the whole force could 
 attack Lobengula in the morning and capture him.'" 
 
 " Do you think there was anj^ chance of a good 
 result, if Forbes had done this ? " 
 
 " Decidedly, as the Kaffirs so greatly feared the 
 Maxims." 
 
 " Do you think that Wilson's force could have kept 
 their position or forced a retreat if Forbes had sent one 
 Maxim with the reinforcements ? " 
 
 " I have not the least doubt, though this might 
 have been less in accordance with military tactics." 
 
 " What had Forbes to do, according to the general 
 opinion of Wilson and his men ? " 
 
 "We were all of opinion that, if he did not 
 wish to cross the river in the night with his whole 
 force, he should have sent word to us to return at 
 once." 
 
 "But go on." 
 
 " As soon as these three men had left for Forbes we 
 discovered that three of our men had strayed during our 
 hasty retreat from Lobengula's waggon. Wilson asked 
 me whether I could follow the footprints of our horses 
 in the dark back to Lobengula's waggon, to seek these 
 three men. (It was a dark, rainy night.) I said I 
 would try, but he must send some one with me. There- 
 upon he answered that he himself would go with me. 
 In order to follow the * spoors ' of the horses I crept 
 on my knees, as I usually do, every time feeling with 
 my fingers for the following ' spoor,' whilst I kept my
 
 142 RHODESIA 
 
 feet on the last one. The three strayed men were 
 Hofmeyer, Cahoun, and Bradbourne. 
 
 " Thus we crept back on our horses' * spoors,' 
 steahng through the Kaffirs unnoticed, till about forty 
 yards from Lobengula's waggons, so that we could hear 
 them speak in the waggons. We went back about 
 200 yards and called out loudly to the three men. 
 Thereupon the Kaffirs began to yell frightfully. The 
 young warriors wanted to flee, thinking we were now 
 going to attack them ; but the older warriors restrained 
 them, sa3'ing : it was only the howling of wolves. The 
 three lost men answered our call ; we sought them and 
 brought them back to the tree where we had left the 
 other men. 
 
 '* Then Wilson again sent me to find out what the 
 Kaffirs were about. I went and heard great numbers 
 of Kaffirs going towards the river in the direction of 
 Forbes's camp. Apparently they were looking for our 
 troop, but could not find us, and came to the conclusion 
 that we had also gone back. 
 
 " I came back and reported to Wilson what I had 
 seen. He then ordered me to go back on the tracks 
 with which we had come from Forbes, and there to 
 await the arrival of Forbes with the main force, lest he 
 should not find us in the dark. I did so, and towards 
 dawn I heard them advancing, and went back imme- 
 diately to inform Wilson of this. I found him sleeping 
 with his head in the mud. I touched him and said : 
 ' Major, the column is advancing.'
 
 HOW WlLbOX AND MEN PERISHED 143 
 
 " He at once jumped up and speedily, with his brave 
 troops, stood awaiting the arrival of Forbes with the 
 main force. We were very much disappointed when 
 we found that Captain Burrows with only twenty men 
 had arrived, guided by my companion and fellow-scout 
 Ingram ; they had brought no Maxim, and informed us 
 that Forbes would advance with the main force at the 
 break of day. (Two of his men had also strayed in 
 the darkness.) We at once perceived that this meant 
 certain death to us, as our position was now hopeless ; 
 for the day dawned, the Kaffirs were in dense masses 
 between us and the main force, and we had not suffi- 
 cient ammunition to defend our position till the arrival 
 of Forbes. 
 
 " The officers held a council in our vicinity, so that 
 we could hear most of what was spoken. I heard 
 Captain Burrows say : ' I did not know that affairs 
 were in such a state,' proving plainly that Forbes had 
 not informed him of the true state of affairs before 
 sending him with his twenty men to certain death. I 
 also heard Captain Jutt say : • It is all up with us.' All 
 were agreed that our position was hopeless, and the only 
 question was how wc could most dearly sell our lives. 
 
 " Some (and at first I also) were of opinion that we 
 should try and force our way through the dense masses 
 of Kaffirs which intervened between us and the main 
 force, and so try to effect co-operation with Forbes. 
 Wilson, however, held another opinion, and after he 
 had spoken we all acknowledged that he was right.
 
 144 RHODESIA 
 
 According to his opinion, the main force of the Kaffirs 
 was not with Lobengula, but between us and Forbes, 
 and that it consequently was impossible for us to force 
 our wa}^ through them, as we should all perish. But as 
 the chief impis of the Kaffirs were in the direction of 
 the Shangani and our headquarters, there would not be 
 a strong force with Lobengula. We must make a 
 desperate attack and try to capture Lobengula and his 
 chief councillors, were it only to keep them as hostages, 
 in order to save our lives. And if we fell we at least 
 would sell our lives dearly by also killing the king and 
 his chief indunas. 
 
 ** All agreed with this opinion, and we advanced 
 straight on Lobengula's waggons. When we reached 
 the waggons we found them empty, at least we could 
 see through one waggon and could see no one in it, and 
 there was no screen in which Lobengula could have hid 
 himself. We thought that Lobengula, with the indunas 
 and Kaffirs that were with him, were hiding in the 
 forest. We called out again as on the preceding 
 evening : * We did not come to fight or kill any one, we 
 only came to see the king and to take him with us to 
 treat with our induna at Bulawayo.' But the Kaffirs 
 called back from the forest : * If you do not come here 
 to fight, we do,' and they immediately began charging 
 us and firing upon us, 
 
 "Wilson called out to us : ' Shoot carefully and do 
 not waste your ammunition.' We did so, took only 
 the best chances and aimed well.
 
 HOW WILSON AND MEN PERISHED 145 
 
 " Wc let the Kaffirs come to witiiin sixty yards and 
 aimed well, so that almost every shot told. Fighting 
 thus we retreated ; first to an open space, and then 
 further back in the direction of Forbes, as we saw that 
 we were too greatly outnumbered. 
 
 " The Kaflirs, however, continued following us, and 
 were continually reinforced. We at last took our 
 position behind a big ant-licap, and Wilson called out : 
 ' Let every iran choose his Kaffir.' A great many 
 Kaffirs fell. I had sometimes three times to choose 
 another Kaflfir, for as soon as I aimed at one he fell 
 before I could shoot. 
 
 " By this good firing we drove the Kaflirs back. 
 The shooting ceased for a while. But the Kaflirs, 
 being reinforced, again attacked us. Thereupon we 
 decided to retreat further in the direction of Forbes. 
 Five of our horses were killed and three men seriously 
 wounded at that ant-heap. My own rifle was knocked 
 out of my hand by a bullet, and a splinter of the bullet 
 struck my eye. 
 
 " We retreated with closed ranks, with the wounded 
 and infantry in the middle ; Wilson, Ingram, and 
 Burrows in the rear, whilst Captain Jutt, Gooding and 
 m3self formed the vanguard. We knew that Forbes 
 would march at dawn, and that left us a faint hope 
 that we might break through the Kaflirs and effect a 
 joint action with Forbes. The Kaffirs let us march for 
 about three-quarters of a mile in this way. We as 
 
 K
 
 146 RHODKSIA 
 
 yet licard no shooting at Forbes ; though he might 
 have then alread}' have been attacked. 
 
 "The Kanirs kept massing more densely in front of 
 us. Wilson asked whether I saw no chance of forcing 
 my way through their ranks in order to inform Forbes 
 of our situation and to urge him to prompt action and 
 co-operation. I said I did not think so, for before I had 
 advanced five hundred yards the Kaffirs would attack 
 me; but if he would send another man with me, I 
 would try. Captain Borrows hearing this, rode up to 
 Major Wilson and said : 'Let Gooding go with him, 
 he has a good horse.' Wilson agreed, and ordered 
 Gooding to accompany me. But I asked to have my 
 mate Ingram with me. Wilson consented, and we 
 three left, riding through a densely wooded strip of 
 country, where we saw no Kaffirs. We had hardly 
 gone five hundred yards before the Kaffirs opened fire 
 upon us ; happily they aimed too high, and the bullets 
 whistled through the branches over our heads. We 
 rode on as fast as we could, and the Kaffirs chased us 
 with their assegais. Our way lay through a thick 
 mopani bush, so the Kaffirs remained close on our 
 heels, beating their assegais and shouting ; they 
 sometimes were as close as twenty yards. Afterwards 
 they began to drop in the rear and commenced firing 
 upon us. But we rode on, without returning their fire, 
 or allowing ourselves to be detained. 
 
 "As soon as we were well away from them, we 
 heard that the Kaffirs were again attacking Wilson.
 
 HOW WILSON AND MEN PERISHED 147 
 
 We rode for two hours before we reached Forbes ; we 
 misled the Kaffirs who were pursuing us by riding in 
 winding ways. This gave us a quarter of an hour's 
 time, of which we made good use. We now approached 
 the river and could hear Forbes and his men fighting ; 
 more especially we could distinguish the firing of the 
 Maxims, and from that we could make out that the 
 attacks of the Kaffirs were made at intervals, and were 
 not ver}^ desperate. Probably the}^ had then already 
 noticed that Wilson's party was attacked, and their 
 object was only to prevent Forbes from sending 
 help. 
 
 " We found the river full when we reached it, and 
 having sought a suitable place, made our horses swim 
 through in a slanting direction down the stream. 
 When we reached the opposite bank, we saw the 
 Kaffirs still fighting with Forbes ; we rode right 
 through their ranks into the camp, where we came with 
 the last breath of our horses. Shortly afterwards the 
 Kaffirs retreated. 
 
 "At the time of our arrival there was great dissatis- 
 faction among the troops, because Forbes would not 
 allow them to use trees and ant-heaps as a natural 
 shelter, and the result was that five men had been 
 wounded and sixteen horses killed. The men openly 
 refused to obey the commands of Forbes any longer, 
 upon which Raaf assumed the orders. He led us 
 back ; had Forbes continued in command, probably not 
 a single man would have escaped."
 
 148 RHODESIA 
 
 " What was the last you heard about Wilson with 
 his thirty-two men ? " 
 
 "We could hear them fighting all the time; but just 
 before we reached the river there was perfect silence 
 for a time, then a tremendous volley, and then all was 
 quiet." 
 
 " The rest of course we must learn from the Kaffirs. 
 But as you know they have so many different stories. 
 Out of all these what do suggest up as most pro- 
 bable ? " 
 
 "According to the information obtained from the 
 Kaffirs, Wilson fought for three or four hours, shooting 
 carefully all through, so that every shot should tell. 
 The first cessation in the shooting was when they sent 
 for Gambo's impi as a reinforcement. During that 
 pause they saw Wilson's men tearing up their shirts to 
 bandage the wounds of their companions. 
 
 " Thereupon they began singing. Some Kaffirs say 
 it was like the singing of the whites which they heard 
 at the church in Victoria. After the singing of that 
 song the fighting was resumed with the reinforcements 
 the Kaffirs had received. 
 
 " They give a thrilling description of Wilson's bravery 
 up to the last. They say : The tall induna with broad- 
 brimmed hat and the large moustache stood straight up 
 fighting after all his men had been killed, or were lying 
 down wounded. One of the wounded kept handing him 
 the guns which he had loaded. He had many bullet- 
 wounds, but he remained standing and shooting till he
 
 ^1 ,v 'f^ 
 
 I ' *\:^ »- «::,
 
 HOW WILSON AND MEN PERISHED 149 
 
 could no longer raise his arms, then a young Matabele 
 rushed up to him and pierced him with an assegai. 
 Wilson reeled. The young Kaffir withdrew his assegai 
 and pierced him a second time, whereupon Wilson fell 
 down dead ! 
 
 "After they had returned, thinking all were now 
 tlead, one of the wounded rose and walked away, with 
 a revolver in each hand. Tiicy repeatedly shot at him, 
 without being able to hit him, and they consequently 
 took him for a magician. Hut a shot from far away in 
 the valley struck him through the hips, whereupon he 
 sank down. In this sitting position he kept on firing 
 over his shoulder, for he could not turn himself. lie 
 was a man with a grey beard (probably Robertson)." 
 
 " But we have also heard the Kaffirs say that they 
 found only one wounded man, whom they brought to 
 Lobengula and wished to keep alive, but that he died 
 of his wounds; also that, after singing of the hymn by 
 Wilson's men, they heard only one volley and then all 
 was still ; from that and the fact that almost all had been 
 shot througii the head, they drew the conclusion that 
 Wilson, after the ammunition had been exhausted, gave 
 orders to load the guns with the last cartridge, and that 
 after singing the hymn, every one shot himself through 
 the head rather than fall into the hands of the Kaffirs." 
 
 " I cannot believe this ; for when the corpses were 
 fetched, they were found lying in a circle, with one man 
 at a little distance, and that the last shooting was of 
 such short duration was, I think, because the Kaffirs
 
 150 RHODESIA 
 
 charged and killed the men with assegais ; hence that 
 last volley and the succeeding quietness." 
 
 Hereupon we took our leave. Our interview lasted 
 a few hours and was one of the most important we had 
 during our whole journey. We can add to this that Mr. 
 Burnham was liberally rewarded for his inestimable 
 services ; that he intends remaining in Matabeleland, 
 and takes an energetic part in the development of the 
 country, so that in all likelihood our readers will again 
 hear from him.
 
 LETTER XV 
 FROM lULAWAYO TO SALISBURY 
 
 How you obtain TnivcllUif; Tickets at Dulawayo—Lcav- 
 itig-Thirty Hours behind Time— Passing a Sight on the 
 Omnibus beticeen the Baggage— The Tu.'in-Commando 
 Roaii—Hou- the ti.v Columns formed Laagers— African- 
 ders as Post Contractors— Discomforts on the Journey. 
 
 The last sketch which you read was written and posted 
 at Bulawayo. It is more than a month since I arrived 
 at home. I shall now relate the return journey from 
 Bulawayo across Salisbury, Beira, Delagoa Bay, Durban, 
 East London, and Port Elizabeth. 
 
 We have already told you why we chose this route for 
 our return journey ; because we wished thoroughly to 
 study the burning question of transport from the several 
 ports to the centres of trade in the interior. 
 
 This route is not short and easy, but, on the other 
 
 hand, it is very important and interesting. We had 
 
 to travel 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Per 'bus from Bulawayo to Chimoio . . 525 
 
 ,, railway, Chimoio to Fontisvilla . .118 
 
 „ boat, Fontisvilla to Port Flizabeth . 1234 
 
 ,, railway, Port Elizabeth to Paarl . . 839 
 
 2716
 
 152 RHODESIA 
 
 The whole journey lasted from October 24 to November 
 24, about a month, whilst by travelHng per 'bus across 
 Mafeking and Pretoria it could have been done in 
 eight or nine days. From this, however, w^e have to 
 deduct a delay of fourteen or fifteen days along the road, 
 so that in reality the journey itself took no more than 
 half a month. We shall first give our readers a sketch 
 of the whole way, then relate some particulars of our 
 experiences on that journe}-, and, finally, come to a 
 conclusion on the probable trade routes of the future. 
 
 The distance from Bulawayo to Salisbury is 300 
 miles, which we covered in four days, partly with mules 
 and partly with oxen ; but then we travelled day and 
 night, delays being deducted. 
 
 From Salisbury to Chimoio the distance is 225 miles, 
 which we covered with oxen in three days, travelling 
 day and night, delays deducted. 
 
 From Chimoio to Fontisvilla is a distance of 118 
 miles, which took us fifteen hours by rail ; but a part 
 of the road was still being constructed. 
 
 The journey with the river boat on the Pungw'e, 
 from Fontisvilla to Beira, seventy-five miles, ought to 
 have taken from six to eight hours, but it lasted forty- 
 eight hours, as we were, ow^'ng to the ebb, a few times 
 stranded on sandbanks, and our steam engine was 
 defective. 
 
 From Beira to Delagoa is about 500 miles ; a swift 
 boat could do it in one da}-, but the slow Coiirland 
 took about sixty hours.
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO SALISBURY 153 
 
 The distance from Delagoa to Durban is 300 miles ; 
 for that the Conrland took thirty hours. 
 
 At Durban we shipped over into the Hawardcn Costle, 
 which, though not the swiftest boat, took us to East 
 London, a distance of 253 miles, in sixteen hours, and 
 from East London to Port Elizabeth, a distance of 131 
 miles, in six hours. From there to the Paarl, a distance 
 of 839 miles, the train took two days and two nights. 
 This route is, therefore, not to be commended for swift 
 travelling. 
 
 The expenses of the journey are : Per omnibus from 
 Bulawayo to Mafeking ;i^20, to Pretoria _;^22 105., the 
 train expenses every one can calculate for himself. 
 Along the eastern route the travelling expenses are : 
 To Salisbury per omnibus £12 ; from there to 
 Chimoio £g; the train £2 \os. ; the river boat £\ \os. ; 
 and the voyage to Port Elizabeth £g los. The 
 travelling tickets amount to ;^33, besides other expenses. 
 Travelling along this route is thus not very cheap. 
 
 But this eastern route is ver}^ interesting, as the 
 reader will readily perceive when we more circum- 
 stantially relate our travelling experiences. 
 
 One thing deserves notice, and that is, that the 
 northern extension under Mr. Rhodes gives various 
 opportunities and openings to young Africanders, 
 even in the Transvaal, where the English took the 
 lead. Take for instance the passenger transport to and 
 from Bulawayo. The best line is Zeederberg's to 
 Pretoria ; the second best is Symington's from Salis-
 
 154 RHODESIA 
 
 bury to Chimoio ; the third best, Bezuidenhout's from 
 Bulawayo to Salisbury ; these three are Africanders ; 
 whilst the worst line is that of Wirsing Bros, to 
 Mafeking. Compare with this the passenger transport 
 in the IVansvaal, where Gibson Bros, and Geo. Hays 
 almost monopolised the whole service. 
 
 Unhappily we had to commence our journey with the 
 worst passenger service, which is under the manage- 
 ment of an Africander, and that for the longest part of 
 the road. Just think, struggling on to Salisbury for 
 four days and four nights without sleep ! We use the 
 word " struggling " advisedly, for from Bulawayo we 
 had an old 'bus* called " Lobengula," just as unwieldy 
 and rickety as the gouty old Lobengula himself. 
 
 And then we had no white men for drivers, but two 
 inexperienced coloured boys as coachmen or drivers, 
 who in turn jumped down and ran alongside the spoiled 
 mules, beating them with the stambok, to get them to 
 trot ; but as soon as the driver got on the waggon the 
 mules began crawling along again. Well, mules 
 usually do that. The best way to spoil them is to get 
 down and beat them. They come to the conclusion 
 that, seated on the waggon, you cannot manage them 
 and you cannot keep up with them when walking 
 on the ground. 
 
 But still worse. The mules were so spoiled that as 
 soon as the driver got down, they left the road and 
 rushed with the 'bus across the veldt. What jolting ! 
 And then, halt ! . . . . Something has broken, either
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO SALISBURY 155 
 
 the harness, or something else ; and so there is a delay 
 at every 200 or 300 yards ; for it is an old and worn 
 gear. 
 
 And still we have not come to the worst. Before we 
 reached the first outspan we noticed that the tires were 
 loose ; one of them threatened to come off continually. 
 Every time we had to stop and knock it into its place 
 witli stones, and wherever we found water the wheels 
 had to be wetted. 
 
 But our troubles and difficulties did not end with 
 this. Our waggon must be greased. There was 
 quite a row between the drivers and the grooms at the 
 stables, as to whose duty it was to do this. After a lot 
 jawing, interspersed with many a curse, the 'bus was 
 greased at last and we struggled on again ; the farther 
 we got away from Bulawayo the worse the mules 
 became. And this cannot be wondered at, for there is 
 no grass, everything is burned away, and one of the 
 grooms at the stables told us that they had no mielies 
 for several weeks already. On what then had these 
 poor animals to exist ? And then the stables where 
 the spans of mules were exchanged were twenty-five 
 miles apart, so that at last the poor mules could scarcely 
 go any farther. 
 
 Thus we jolted along in an uncomfortable coach. 
 After going three limes I had at last secured my place, 
 a back corner in the 'bus ; but when w'e had to leave 
 I got a corner place in the front of the 'bus ; the prefer- 
 able back corner seats, where there is a chance of getting
 
 15^ RHODESIA 
 
 a snooze on the mail-bags, were given to friends who 
 had arrived at the last moment without tickets. This 
 is the way things are managed in a new country ! 
 
 And still we have not reached the end of the sorrows 
 of our journe3\ We had to leave Bulawayo on 
 Tuesday, October 29, at 6 a.m., for it is the mail 
 service, and still we only got away on Wednesday morn- 
 ing at 10 o'clock. So we had to wait for thirty hours. 
 And why ? We had to wait for the still worse conducted 
 mail service between Mafeking and Bulawayo ; for the 
 mails for the whole of Matabeleland are now sent by 
 rail from Cape Town to Mafeking, and from there per 
 ox-cart to Bulawayo ; this is a very big cart, or rather 
 a waggon on two wheels, and is usually behind time. 
 The arrangement is that the Salisbury 'bus has to wait 
 no longer than six hours. When, therefore, telegrams 
 arrived saying that the waggon was broken and was 
 thirty hours behind time, we received notice from the 
 agent that we would be able to leave at the proper 
 time. We had to be ready. At last came a telegram 
 from the Postmaster-General from Salisbury, stating 
 that we had to wait for the arrival of the mail from 
 Mafeking, no matter how long, for the people were 
 displeased because the mail was always behind time on 
 that route. We only mention this incident to let you 
 see what travelling in a new country means. 
 
 We may here mention that arrangements have been 
 made to have two mails per week from next April, 
 which will make the journey from Mafeking to Bula-
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO SALISBURY 157 
 
 wa3'0 in five days (instead of eight days), and from 
 Bulawayo to Salisbury in three days (instead of four 
 days). Notice further how Mr. Rhodes encourages the 
 traffic with the colon}'. Formerly all the traffic and 
 also the mails went over Pretoria, Zoutpansberg, and 
 Tati to Victoria, Charter, and Salisbury. But as soon 
 as Bulawayo was taken Mr. Rhodes had the mails 
 carried over Mafeking and Bulawayo to Charter and 
 Salisbury, with a branch line to Victoria, which arrange- 
 ment caused delay and no little unpleasantness. Here 
 is proof that the colony is benefited by the dual position 
 of Mr. Rhodes. But more of this later on. 
 
 The result of our late departure (thirty hours 
 overdue, and along the road we lost more than we 
 gained) was that we were late at every station. There 
 is very scanty accommodation along the road between 
 Bulawayo and Salisbury (only cars here and there), 
 and when we came to these places, where we might 
 have got something to eat, we were always so much 
 behind time that nothing was ready for us. 
 
 And so it became evening — the first day ; '' Loben- 
 gula " is a flat 'bus. There are no seats on the top, the 
 baggage of the passengers is placed there, as also the 
 mail-bags. The writer of this cannot very well do 
 without sleep, and could not sleep sitting in the 'bus, 
 so he determined to make an earnest attempt to get a 
 place to lie down during the night between the baggage 
 and the mail-bags on top of the 'bus, and so to try and 
 get some sleep. At an outspan, at about 1 1 p.m., we
 
 15^ RHODESIA 
 
 took our kaios (rug of skins) and climbed on the top. 
 It cost a lot of trouble to get a small opening between 
 the portmanteaux, boxes, and bags; and then it was so 
 small that I was (|uitc cramped. The roads are bad 
 and the waggon jolted so that I had, after I had 
 covered myself, to fasten a strap around me to prevent 
 myself from falling off. 
 
 I could not sleep, but still I could in a way lie 
 down. But another unforeseen misery arises. At 
 some places the road goes through woods, and every 
 now and then a branch of a thorn tree sweeps across 
 the waggon and I have to cover my face with my rug. 
 The rest the reader can imagine. 
 
 The next morning two of my fellow-passengers 
 climbed on the top to enjoy the fresh morning air. 
 They looked about ; I was so well hid and lay so still 
 
 that one of them called out : " By he has 
 
 fallen off." I then uncovered my head and told them 
 that I was safe and well. But when they saw how I 
 had fastened myself, they said that they would not 
 have ventured it for all the money in tlie world ; for if 
 the 'bus capsized there was no chance of escape. 
 
 These two gentlemen were Mr. King, who, on behalf 
 of the Irish Archaeological Society, accompanied Mr. 
 Bent in his investigations of the old ruins, the other 
 was the discoverer and owner of the rich Ayrshire 
 reef. With these two we could have a pleasant con- 
 versation in the morning air — with the last-named 
 about the gold-fields of northern Mashonaland, and
 
 FROM BULAWAYO TO SALISBURY 159 
 
 with the first-named about the investigations, &c., 
 which he had made along with Mr. Bent. 
 
 From this you see that such a journey has also its 
 bright side. I venture to say that we had good 
 travelling companions. I have said that there was 
 very little accommodation on the four days' journey. 
 We knew that this would be the case, so each had 
 provided himself with something for the road, and 
 soon we lived in community of propert}'. Thus we 
 had at the outspanning coffee, tea, and cocoa, and 
 several kinds of tinned provisions. O, yes, you can 
 make yourself comparatively happy, or unhappy, under 
 all circumstances. 
 
 The road along which we travelled is known as the 
 "Column road," because this is the road along which 
 Forbes and Wilson marched to Bulawayo. As we 
 have said before, formerly there was only one waggon 
 road in Matabcleland, from Mangwe on the south-west 
 to the Hartley Hills on the north-east, and these two 
 entrances were held by the Matabele impis. The 
 attacking column took quite a different road. 
 
 But this new " Commando road " is not very straight. 
 For, as we have said before, two American scouts were 
 always a few miles ahead, and signalled with the 
 heliograph where the Kaffirs were, and where water 
 and grass were to be found, for the Kaffirs had burned 
 all the grass. Thus the column had to march in a 
 winding manner so as to avoid the Kaffirs, and to find 
 a good road. The road from Bulawayo to Gwelo could
 
 i6o RHODESIA 
 
 be shortened by at least twenty-five miles (or a 
 quarter of the whole length) if it was made more in a 
 straight line. 
 
 This road is not quite a year old, and when we 
 passed over it, it was broad and well worn and had 
 the appearance of having been used quite as much as 
 the mainroads to Pretoria and Bloemfontein. 
 
 Another peculiarity of this road which deserves 
 notice is, that it is a twin-road — i.e., two roads running 
 parallel at a distance of twenty-five to fifty yards from 
 each other. Thus the two columns marched in order 
 not to form such a long train of waggons and to be 
 able quickly to form a laager when the alarm was 
 given ; they could thus form a laager in about ten 
 minutes' time. 
 
 This was done in the following manner : the waggons 
 of the two columns travelled parallel at a certain distance 
 from each other. Immediately the alarm was given the 
 two hindermost waggons were immediately stopped 
 and the w-aggons in front of them came round on the 
 outside in a circle till the first waggon came to the last 
 waggon which had stood still, thus forming two circles 
 or camps, near each other. A thousand Mashonas 
 accompanied the waggons, each one carrying a branch 
 of a thorn tree on his back, and as quickly as the 
 waggons formed the circle they fixed the thorn branches 
 between the wheels and the poles of the waggons. The 
 cattle were put in the open space between the two 
 laagers, whilst the Mashonas made a hedge on both
 
 FROM lULAWAYo TO SALISHrRV lOr 
 
 sides with their thorn bushes from layer to layer. Wc 
 herein see, according to our opinion, the prudent tactics 
 of the brave Wilson, who managed everything with 
 skill. 
 
 You will excuse us from giving further particulars. 
 The journey from Gwelo further on was much worse. 
 We had oxen instead of mules and a much smaller 
 waggon, so that we had not even proper room to sit. 
 W'c now had while tirivcrs, but alas ! wc were worse 
 oft" than before ; for in all my life and during all my 
 travels, I have not heard so much cursing and profane 
 language as I heard from these white drivers on the 
 road from Gwelo to Salisbury. 
 
 We arrived at Salisbury on Sunday afternoon, and 
 left again at ten o'clock the same evening. In our 
 next we shall speak of Salisbury itself and discuss the 
 question : Which of the two, Bulawayo or Salisbury, 
 will ultimately become the capital of Zambcsia?
 
 LETTER XVI 
 
 SALISBURY VERSUS BULAWAYO 
 
 Self-conceit of the Johannesburgers — What a Digger's 
 Paper dares to say — Full Hotels and Crammed 'Buses 
 — The Contractor gives us his own Seat — Already Fifty 
 prosperous Farmers in the District — Amongst them 
 Men from the Paarl, now our Fellow-Travellers — Build- 
 ing^ Building, and no " To Lets " — A Totcn Hall costing 
 £40,ocx) — Danger and Loss for Church and Nation- 
 ality — Journalism in Zamhesia — The Tuin City — 
 Salisbury and Dulazcayo—Tzco Dogs for one Bone — 
 According to cchich Standard to Judge — A big T and a 
 big Pear. 
 
 In our last communication we promised to tell you 
 something about Salisbury and her claims to be the 
 chief town of Zambesia, in opposition to the claims 
 made by the New Bulawayo, which is being rapidly 
 built on the ruins of the old ** City of Murder." 
 
 In Bulawayo we happened to come across a number 
 of the Staiuhird and Diggers News, of Johannesburg. 
 Therein it was insolently stated: "The whole of 
 Matabeleland is a failure, not a single gold reef has as 
 yet been discovered ; Salisbury is quite forsaken ; 
 Rhodes must now only praise up Bulawayo and
 
 SALISBURY VERSUS BULAWAYO 163 
 
 Matabeleland : that is all that now remains for him 
 to do." 
 
 Now, we know well enough that the Johannes- 
 burgers — and their newspapers only reflect the general 
 opinion — do not believe that any other place in South 
 Africa can contain gold, or is capable of development, 
 excepting the Rand, with Johannesburg at its head ! 
 That is quite natural for such a plutocratic community. 
 But to say it out so boldly and confidently is very akin 
 to absurdity. 
 
 We should have been very happy to have had that 
 gentleman from Johannesburg with us in the crowded 
 'bus on the road, and during our stay of ten hours in 
 Salisbury. He might then have seen for himself that 
 Salisbury is not forsaken, but indeed one of the most 
 thriving towns in the interior. This will become 
 apparent when we relate our experiences during our 
 short stay there. 
 
 When the 'bus arrived and we got down, tired and 
 dusty, we were at once surrounded by an interested 
 crowd. First of all we inquired after a good hotel ; it 
 appeared that there were two good hotels besides the 
 new " Grand," which can compete with any hotel in 
 Cape Town. We took the nearest, and found it so full 
 that we could only with difficulty find an unoccupied 
 room to wash and refresh ourselves. 
 
 We then sat down to our meal, but were so tired of 
 the jolting of those four days and nights that we could 
 hardly eat anything. We were informed by the pro-
 
 164 RHODESIA 
 
 prietor that the 'bus to UmtaH was already full, but he 
 promised to accompany us after dinner to the contractor, 
 Mr. Symington, to try if we could not manage to secure 
 a seat. At Bulawayo I asked whether it would not be 
 safer to wire to Salisbury to be sure of a seat, but was 
 told that this was not necessary, because there were 
 very few passengers from there to the coast. This is 
 accounted for by the jealousy existing between the two 
 places. 
 
 Immediately after dinner we went to see Mr. Syming- 
 ton. There were only nine seats on the 'bus, and there 
 had been fourteen applicants before me. If Mr. Syming- 
 ton had not been such an obliging man we should 
 have had to stay over for a week, for he had already 
 two extra coaches on the way, to help others on. Still 
 he suggested a plan. He could not let us have one of 
 the seats which had been given to former applicants, 
 but he had kept a seat for himself on the 'bus, to go to 
 his farm in order to have some rest from over-exertion ; 
 this seat he would give to us, and he himself would go 
 a week later. 
 
 Whilst we were still talking, three Africanders who 
 were farming in the district came in. They were to be 
 our fellow-travellers, so we were pleased to make their 
 acquaintance at once. They were Messrs. D. Beyers,* 
 J. de Villiers, both from the Paarl, and Mr. Smalberger, 
 from the Knysna. From them we learned that about 
 lifty farmers had already settled in the district, and that 
 * One of the murdered in the Mashona revolt.
 
 SALISBURY JTRSrS BULAWAYO i6 
 
 D 
 
 they were doing very well as cattle-farmers or agri- 
 culturists. But about this we could talk along the 
 road. 
 
 We gratefully accepted Mr. Symington's kind ofter to 
 have a snooze in his room, for at the hotel there was no 
 room and too much noise. 
 
 We were, however, too tired to sleep, and after a rest 
 of an hour and a half we got up to have a walk and see 
 something of the town. We were at once struck with 
 the many large and splendid buildings which were in 
 the course of erection, among them a town-hall, which 
 is being built at a cost of ;i^40,0(X). 
 
 Truly Salisbury does not seem to be very much for- 
 saken ! We did not see one house which was "To 
 Let." Now, every one knows that this last is a sure sign 
 of decline, whilst building is a sign of the prosperity of 
 a place. In Salisbury there are many houses building, 
 whilst there is not a single one to let. The reader can 
 now judge for himself. 
 
 Our first visit was paid to Mr. Bezuidenhout, father 
 of the post-contractor between Bulawayo and Salisbury, 
 a man who in former years had been a member of the 
 Volksraad and an elder of the Church in the Orange 
 Free State : he is one of the few in this new country 
 who think of the interests of the Church and of religion. 
 We had not been long in his company before Mr, 
 Bezuidenhout, with his manifold experiences, gave a 
 very favourable report of the country ; but the want of 
 spiritual care caused him great anxiety. He himself
 
 i66 RHODESIA 
 
 belongs to the Reformed Cliurcli, but the few members 
 of that Church and the few belonging to the Dutch 
 Reformed Church live so far apart that it is impossible 
 to form a congregation with its own minister. Mr. 
 Bezuidenhout was busy collecting statistics, but that 
 was no eas}' task with a population that was so con- 
 tinually changing. 
 
 After learning the state of affairs we were deeply 
 impressed with the danger which threatens our people 
 in this new country, the danger, namely, that they 
 would be lost not only to our Church, but also to our 
 nationality. 
 
 We asked Mr. Bezuidenhout whether he thought it 
 would be practicable to send in turn a minister of the 
 Reformed Church and a minister of the Dutch Reformed 
 Church to visit the members of both Churches and to 
 preach and dispense the Sacraments, keeping separate 
 registers for baptisms, confirmations, and marriages. 
 He thought it practicable ; and Mr. Symington, though 
 not belonging to the Dutch Reformed Church, pro- 
 mised to give all possible aid for the transport of the 
 ministers. 
 
 Wc only point this out because, as far as we know, 
 no regular work has as yet been commenced amongst 
 the thousand souls belonging to the two Dutch Churches 
 in this country, although Mr. Rhodes has off'ered to give 
 ;^2O0 per annum towards that object. We fear that 
 these people will be gradually lost to our Church and to 
 our nationality. The Episcopal, Roman Catholic, Wes-
 
 SALISBURY JTRSrS BULAWAYO 167 
 
 leyan, and other Churches are already well represented 
 — even the Salvation Army — only the Dutch Churches 
 are not represented. We trust that more zeal will soon 
 be manifested. Here great watchfulness is required. 
 We should send men of experience, not too delicate, 
 and full of courage and enthusiasm. And if anything 
 is to be done, Mr. Bezuidenhout, sen., Salisbury, should 
 be first communicated with.* 
 
 Leaving Mr. Bezuidenhout we went to the editor of 
 the Rlwdcsian Herald, a fairly edited and neatly printed 
 newspaper ; in reality it is a branch of the " Argus 
 Company," like the Bn/aivnyo Chronicle. We were un- 
 luck}' in not finding the editor in, and had to content 
 ourselves with the last edition of the paper, and to find 
 out from the cablegrams and telegrams what was 
 happening in the world, and more especially in Masho- 
 naland. Each edition of this paper proves that Masho- 
 naland is no " failure," and Salisbury not a " forsaken " 
 town. 
 
 From there we went to the Fort on the ridge, on the 
 slopes of which the town is built. From the Fort, 
 which lies about 150 feet higher than the city, we had 
 a beautiful view over the whole town. At our feet 
 lay the twin-city built upon two hills, in the valley 
 between which it is proposed to lay out a park. The 
 business places are situated on the side where we 
 stood and the government buildings on the other side. 
 
 * Something on the lines suggested was done later, but, 
 unfortunately, the revolt soon put a stop to the work.
 
 i68 RHODESIA 
 
 The first buildings were placed on the side where the 
 trade is carried on, and if the object of building 
 on the other side was to entice the traders across, the 
 plan did not succeed. Something is to be said against 
 commencing the building of a town on two opposite 
 sides. But when the valley has been laid out as a park, 
 Salisbury will be one of the most beautiful towns in 
 our country. 
 
 Round about the ridge and also at the back of it plots 
 of ground for villas were sold. One of them, beauti- 
 fully laid out, belongs to Mr. Bezuidenhout, and another 
 to Mr. Botha, brother of the Hon. Botha, M.L.C. in the 
 Cape Colony. We met Mr. Botha on the ridge, and we 
 accompanied him to his neat dwelling situated at the 
 back of the ridge among wild trees, which cannot be 
 surpassed in beauty by any of the trees which we grow. 
 Mr. Botha also gave a very favourable report of the 
 country, and^ that portion of his cattle which he kept 
 there (the greater part was on his farm), and which 
 we saw, was, considering the time of the year and that 
 no rain had as yet fallen, in fair condition. 
 
 We spent a quiet and happy evening with Messrs. 
 Symington and Botha, and resumed our journey at lo 
 P.M. with a full 'bus. But before finally taking leave of 
 Salisbury, we must first consider the respective claims 
 of Bulawayo and Salisbury to become the chief town of 
 Rhodesia. 
 
 Coming to Bulawayo, and seeing what confidence 
 Jews and other speculators must have in the future of
 
 II
 
 SALISRURY J'ERSUS BULAWAYO 169 
 
 the place, when they in one half-year pay upwards of 
 _^"40,ooo for stands only, and thrice that amount for 
 buildings ; how within one year's time a population of 
 5CXX) or 6000 has settled there ; seeing that five news- 
 papers are printed there and how persons and syndi- 
 cates, who know the outs and ins, have large shares 
 in them, then one begins to think that it is not mere 
 presumption on the part of Bulawayo when she deems 
 it certain that the future belongs to her. If, on the 
 other hand, you hear Salisbury pleading its right 
 as firstborn, as being nearer to the natural haven 
 (Beira), pleading its gold-fields, its splendid surround- 
 ings for cattle farming and agriculture, and the assur- 
 ance given by Mr. Rhodes that she would be the chief 
 town, then the hope of Bulawayo seems to evaporate 
 altogether. 
 
 But questions like these usually take their natural 
 course. The real question then is : Which of these 
 two is best situated to be the future chief town of 
 Rhodesia? And then the honest conclusion of the 
 impartial observers is : Neither of the two is suitably 
 situated, judging from its present state and course of 
 development ; so that in this case the old Dutch pro- 
 verb may still be verified : " Two dogs fight over a 
 bone and the third runs off with it." 
 
 The situation of neither of the towns is sufficiently 
 central to become and to remain the chief town. The 
 natural development will later on point out the right 
 place. Up till now^ Gwelo seems to have far the better
 
 lyo RHODESIA 
 
 chance to become the centre. Three things must be 
 kept in view when giving an opinion on this question : 
 (i) the mineral richness and the probable mining 
 operations, and in connection therewith the digger 
 population and markets for trade ; and (2) the adapt- 
 ability of the surrounding country for cattle farming 
 and agriculture ; and in connection with these two (3) 
 the healthiness of the country must be considered. 
 
 If any one wishes to know what Rhodesia really is 
 and will become, it is not necessary merely to find out 
 how much land lies between the Limpopo and Zambesi 
 Rivers, the Portuguese boundary and the Kalihari 
 desert. No, the question is. How far does the healthy 
 and habitable highland extend ? How far is that 
 highland adapted for agriculture and cattle farming, 
 and to what extent is it intersected by paying gold 
 reefs and other metals ? Everything depends upon 
 this. 
 
 As far as we know, no map has been published up 
 to now which gives us this information. We shall try 
 more or less to supply this want in a very simple and 
 primitive way. Lay a chart of Rhodesia before you. 
 On this chart draw a T, by drawing a straight line from 
 Salisbury to Fort Victoria. This line forms the top 
 line of the T. Then draw a straight line from the 
 middle of the top line, a little to the south of Charter 
 down to Bulawayo and you get this : —
 
 SALISBURY TEI^SrS Bl'T AWAYO 
 
 171 
 
 Salisbury 
 
 a 
 H£ — 
 
 "c £ 
 
 Charter 
 
 
 0^ 
 
 Victoria 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 \j 
 
 4960 ft. 
 high 
 
 
 4750 ft. 
 high 
 
 
 g C 
 
 •1| 
 
 
 3^70 ft. 
 
 high 
 
 o 
 
 Bulawayo 
 
 Now, reader, for your own amusement make this T 
 into the shape of a pear, with Bulawayo as the stem, 
 and Salisbury and Victoria as the lower, the thicker end 
 and two projecting elevations to the east where Mani- 
 kaland and Gazaland are marked. That is the high- 
 land of Rhodesia, about 200 miles in width and 300 
 miles long. 
 
 Now you will be able to see that we are justified in 
 saying that neither Bulawayo nor Salisbury is central 
 enough to become the chief town. For all the land 
 represented by this pear is healthy highland, from four 
 to six thousand feet above the sea level, intersected by 
 gold reefs and full of fountains and water courses. 
 
 Now, reader, give every possible consideration to 
 these two competing towns ; grant that Salisbury is 
 situated on a beautiful highland, with rich gold-fields to
 
 172 RHODESIA 
 
 the north, and comparatively near the seaport, being 
 only 225 miles from the railway terminus at Chimoio ; 
 grant to Bulawayo everything to which she rightly or 
 otherwise lays claim ; grant her even in addition that 
 the railway from Cape Town will reach her first, and 
 from there will be extended northward to Baroetsi- 
 land and the region of the lakes, and if required to 
 Cairo, even then it would be difficult for either of them 
 to be the capital of Rhodesia, because their situation is 
 not central enough. 
 
 Gwelo, on the contrary, lies almost in the centre of 
 the large plateau. Gwelo is situated on a healthy 
 highland, has rich and extensive gold-fields twenty-five 
 miles to the south and twenty-five miles to the north, 
 whilst on the ridge on which the village is situated old 
 mining works have been discovered, and through the 
 commonage of the town runs a reef which has been 
 opened and yields two ounces per ton. So it is possible 
 that we might here have a repetition of the old Dutch 
 adage : "Two dogs fighting over one bone, whilst the 
 third runs away with it."
 
 LETTER XVII 
 
 FROM SALISBURY TO UMTALI 
 
 /// through Fatigue — A good u'ay through a beautiful 
 Country — A recently laid-out Farm in a Neic Country — 
 " Here I could live'' — Laurencedale — Umtali in a beau- 
 tiful Valley — Where the Roads divide — A new Highland 
 — Old Viaducts discovered— Were these the Grain Fields 
 of the Ancients? — Are these their Catacombs ?— An 
 interesting Conversation in the evening, during which 
 the Fatigue of the Journey is forgotten. 
 
 The distance from Salisbury to Umtali is 150 miles. 
 We ought to have done it in thirty-six hours, but it 
 took us forty-two hours, travelling night and day. We 
 had a small 'bus, but the horses and mules were 
 good. We are now in the hands of an energetic con- 
 tractor, Mr. Symington. The distances between the 
 several outspans were not too great, the company was 
 pleasant, the road beautiful, so that the journey, com- 
 paratively speaking, was pleasant. 
 
 But now we had another trouble. The fatigue of six 
 days' and six nights' travelling from Bulawayo, drinking 
 so many different kinds of water along the road, and 
 probably also the irregular meals of not the very best 
 food, brought on a disarrangement of the stomach,
 
 174 RHODESIA 
 
 which at last, through continued fatigue and the absence 
 of medicine, threatened to become serious. 
 
 The road from Salisbury to Chimoio, where the 
 train is reached, is really very good. The making and 
 keeping in repair of this road (mostly through moun- 
 tainous parts) is really a great credit to the Chartered 
 Company. 
 
 Travelling by 'bus has this great drawback, that 
 about the half of the road is traversed in the night, so 
 that, of course, the nature of the country cannot be 
 judged. But as much of the country as we could see 
 between Salisbury and Umtali seemed to be well suited 
 for agriculture and cattle farming. 
 
 There is abundance of water, and the grass country 
 is varied by bushy parts. The soil is sandy in only 
 some parts — decomposed granite, like the valley between 
 the Paarl mountain and the Drakensbergen, Coming 
 near to Umtali, however, the country begins to slope 
 down and becomes very bushy and mountainous. It 
 seems suitable for cattle and agriculture, and perhaps 
 also for goats, but we do not think that sheep would 
 thrive here. Goats and Kaffir sheep, however, thrive 
 well at the Kaffir kraals. 
 
 Before we began to descend we visited the farm of 
 Mr. Symington, which lies a short distance out of the 
 road. It is beautifully situated. Imagine a large 
 granite rock on the open field ; in circumference it is 
 about as large as the Britannia rock on the top of the 
 Paarl mountain, but not quite so high ; so that it is
 
 FROM SALISBURY TO U.MTALI 175 
 
 easier to climb tliaii the Britannia. At the foot of the 
 rock the farm is situated, and is well sheltered from the 
 strong winds. Several good buildings have been 
 erected, and in front of the door is a large flower- 
 garden. A clear stream of water, brought a distance of 
 a few hundred yards from a perennial fountain, flows past 
 the dwelling-house into a splendid vegetable garden, in 
 which, though it is only October, you can find nearly 
 all sorts of summer vegetables, for the vegetables, 
 sheltered by this huge rock, are not killed in winter by 
 the frost. Right in front of the garden stood a waggon 
 loaded with oat-sheaves, the finest we have ever seen. 
 It was our usual oats. In the garden we saw a piece 
 of "English oats," about five feet high, the stem and 
 the ear were exactly the same length. As soon as the 
 oats have been reaped the ground is turned over again 
 and planted with summer vegetables. There is also a 
 young orchard, containing various kinds of fruit trees, 
 which grow luxuriantly. 
 
 How unpleasant it v/as to be called out of this 
 splendid garden to come and take our seats again on 
 the jolting 'bus I Every one who sees such a place 
 says : " Here I could live," or, at least : " This begin- 
 ning shows what can be done in this country." 
 
 What a beautiful scene lay before us as we resumed 
 our journey just at sundown ; the sun had sunk behind 
 that huge rock, on the top of which, like one of the 
 Mashona dwellings, stood the covered grave of a Kaffir 
 chief. The custom of burying their chiefs on the top
 
 176 RHODESIA 
 
 of a granite rock, under a heap .of stones, shows the 
 Kaffir's aesthetic feeling. 
 
 Before the twilight changed to darkness our travel- 
 ling companions showed us some other farms in the 
 vicinity, also ** Laurencedale." The energetic Laurens 
 van der Byl, also from the Paarl, began laying out this 
 farm, but, alas, was prematurely carried off by death. 
 We were sorry that we were so much behind time, 
 otherwise our obliging conductor would doubtless have 
 taken us there. We should have liked to see the 
 first vines and fruit trees from the Paarl grow here, and 
 to have stood for a few moments by the grave of this 
 brave " Voortrekker." But it could not be. We had 
 to bow to the inevitable. Still we had seen enough to 
 be able to say with confidence that Laurens van der 
 Byl had chosen a good spot for his settlement at Maren- 
 dula, between Salisbury and Umtali. Here are still 
 some fine farms. But what has become of the spirit of 
 enterprise that animated the old ** Voortrekkers ?" 
 
 We arrived at Umtali on October 30, at four o'clock 
 in the afternoon. This young town is beautifully 
 situated, surrounded by well-wooded mountains similar 
 to those by which the Paarl, Drakenstein, and Welling- 
 ton are surrounded. Out of these mountains brooks 
 of fresh water, almost the size of rivers, flow down. 
 Umtali seems destined by nature to become one of 
 the most beautiful towns of our country. It has a 
 splendid climate, a fertile soil, rich gold-fields round 
 about, the surrounding country is ver}' well adapted
 
 FROM SALISBURY TO UMTALI 177 
 
 for agriculture, and towards the north also for cattle 
 farming. Then the fact must not be lost sight of that 
 Umtali lies only seventy-five miles from the railway 
 terminus at Chimoio, and that it is situated on the 
 main road from the Beira seaport to the interior. This 
 road branches here in three directions : (i) to Gazaland 
 in a southerly direction, where there is a flourishing 
 settlement of Free State farmers ; (2) to Fort Charter 
 in a westerly direction, which road the railway will 
 probably follow to Gwelo and Bulawayo ; (3) to Salis- 
 bury in a north-wester! \- direction, by which road we 
 came. 
 
 Now, already Umtali has a flourishing and thriving 
 appearance. The young town has a good show 
 of houses, and others are continually being built. The 
 two hotels were so full that we were very glad to 
 find accommodation in a hut of a friend of one of our 
 travelling companions, which was kindly placed at our 
 disposal for the night. We met several people of 
 importance that evening, amongst others the editor of 
 the Umtali Herald, for Umtali has her own weekly 
 paper and a fairly well-stocked library. 
 
 But what interested us most was meeting Mr. J. 
 Moodie. He came with his late brother to Gazaland ; 
 but as that region did not please him, he went farther 
 north and has taken a farm in a newly discovered 
 region, about fort}' miles to the north-east of Umtali ; 
 he had just come to fetch his family and then to settle 
 there. Why this meeting was so important to us you 
 
 M
 
 178 RHODESIA 
 
 will understand better after reading an article which 
 has just appeared in the Rhodesia Herald, and which 
 we read on the road between Salisbury and this. This 
 is the article : 
 
 THE INYANGOMBI VALLEY. 
 
 On account of the inflnx into Mashonaland of farmers from 
 Transvaal, Orange Free State, and other parts, it will not be 
 out of place to give a description of an altogether new and, 
 according to Mr. Fotheringham and others who collected the 
 information, a very good district for agriculture. 
 
 The Inyangombi Valley, situated between the Dombo and 
 Inyanga mountains, about fifteen miles from each and about 
 fifty miles from Umtali, was visited and perhaps discovered 
 by Messrs. Fotheringham and Rhys Fairbridge, accompanied 
 by Mr. Webber, to whom the care of the waggon was en- 
 trusted. After leaving Umtali, they first crossed the Odzani 
 River, six miles from Umtali, and then reached Umtassa's 
 kraal, four miles further on. From Umtassa they rode 
 along a highland, till they came to the source of the Hondo 
 River, about five miles from Umtassa's kraal. From the 
 source of the Hondo, which is about twenty-two miles from 
 Umtali, they travelled through a level tract of country about 
 three miles broad, which is followed by a gradual ascent of 
 about ten miles to two granite " kopjes ; " from there you 
 come into a valley bounded on the north by the Odzi River 
 and on the south by a high mountain range. After they had 
 passed through this valley, which is about three miles long, 
 they came to the Odzi waterfalls. The Odzi rises in a valley 
 on the watershed and flows down over broken ground. 
 
 After they had ascended a steep road they came to the 
 watershed, where the " forty-mile tree " is seen. This tree is 
 about forty miles from Umtali. After following this watershed 
 for about 33 miles, they sighted the Pungwe waterfalls. 
 These are indeed splendid ; the river flows down from the
 
 FROM SALISBURY TO UMTALI 179 
 
 Inj'anga mountains, through a narrow gorge, and then falls 
 over 1000 feet, over rocks and between bushes and moun- 
 tains. Although the watershed itself has no trees, the 
 " kloofs" are well wooded and watered. 
 
 The road goes in a north-westerly direction, through a 
 beautiful valley, and then ascends to a plateau 6000 or 7000 
 feet above the level of the sea. The plateau has almost no 
 trees or bush, and is covered by short grass, about nine inches 
 high, mixed with good pasturage for sheep. This plateau, on 
 which a good many farms have been pegged out, is considered 
 excellently suited for sheep-farming, and will be a good 
 source of supply to the rising village of Umtali. Having 
 crossed the plateau in a north-westerly direction for about 
 three miles, and having descended about 500 feet, we reached 
 the Inyangombi Valley about fifty miles from Umtali. 
 
 The Inyangombi, or " Valley of Cattle,'' is thickly populated 
 by wealthy Kafiirs, who possess great herds of Africander 
 sheep, cattle, and goats. The natives, who recognise Um- 
 tassa as their chief, are well disposed towards the whites ; 
 they seem to be laborious, as they have nice huts with 
 gardens and mielie lands ; their kraals are enclosed with 
 green hedges and surrounded by large trees. 
 
 The valley is covered with short sweet grass ; there is very 
 little high grass. The formation of the country is " trap," 
 with a certain quantity of granite. The red ground, which 
 goes to a great depth, is considered very fertile, suited both 
 for agriculture and cattle and sheep-farming. The ground is 
 very dry, in spite of the mass of water that flows towards it 
 from the surrounding mountains, and consequently no morass 
 is formed. 
 
 After inspecting the Kaffir huts, &c., it became evident 
 that the country was not infested by the white ant, but there 
 are ant-heaps of other ants. 
 
 In this valley great aqueducts are found, some several miles 
 in length and five or six feet deep, evidently made by people 
 who knew more of agriculture than the present inhabitants,
 
 i8o RHODESIA 
 
 Mr. Fotheringham, who has pegged out a farm in this valley, 
 sa\-s that he has followed one aqueduct for more than three 
 miles ; and these furrows arc well made, with strong hanks on 
 the lower side. The ground is covered with short good grass 
 and almost quite free from stones and hushes, so that there 
 is nothing to hinder in ploughing. The Kaffirs say that the 
 country is very healthy ; they will not go down to the lower 
 parts, because there the fever attacks them. The rainy 
 season is the same as in Manika. The Inyanga mountains, 
 which arc 8000 feet high, are covered with snow in the 
 winter, whilst in summer they are mostly covered with a fog. 
 
 Behind these Inyanga mountains is a great highland, 
 gradually ascending towards Makombo's mountain in the 
 north. To the west of the mountain are vast flats, covered 
 with granite kopjes, which in former times were all fortified 
 with stone walls, about eight feet high, with a breadth of six 
 feet at the base and three feet at the top. This whole region 
 is suited for horses and sheep, and there is small probability 
 that they will be subjected to any disease, because the situa- 
 tion is so high and the air so clear. The streams have their 
 origin in the north and west of thclnyanga mountains and flow 
 mostly to the Zambesi, whilst those in the south and east 
 flow to the Sabi and Pungwc. 
 
 The country to the east of the Dombo mountain does not 
 seem to have been visited by any one as yet, though Mr. 
 During passed through it a few months ago. It is a pity that 
 such a promising region is not opened up by a road from 
 Umtali, The cost of such a road would be very small, say 
 /"300. Many farms have been pegged out and many farmers, 
 amongst others J. Moodie, intend settling there shortly. 
 
 Mr. Abboth, who has travelled through the country, is of 
 opinion that the same kind of land extends far to the west 
 and north of the Gamba mountain. 
 
 Mr. C. R. Bradley, who has visited this district as far as 
 Macombie's kraal, 150 miles to north of Umtali, says that 
 these aqueducts extend as far as he went north. It is the
 
 FROM SALISBURY TO UMTALI i8i 
 
 best country for farming that he has seen anywhere in South 
 Africa. A gold belt passes through the country, and also a 
 slate formation, and is bounded by '' trap " stone and granite. 
 
 Thus far the article. Any one who carefully peruses 
 this will be interested in such a new country. Our 
 interest was much heightened during our conversation 
 with Mr. Moodie. He had travelled through almost 
 all the northern parts, through the Colony, Natal, Free 
 State, the Transvaal, and Rhodesia, but nowhere had 
 he found a region in the least resembling this region. 
 Just fancy a highland 6000 feet high, intersected by 
 rivers with very low banks, like the Movirivi, 
 Kliprivies, Sterkstroom, &c., in the Transvaal, so that 
 they can everywhere be led out for irrigation purposes 
 — those open grass flats, varied here and there by well 
 wooded ridges extending for miles ; and then the 
 sudden descent to the east, a descent of 4000 or 5000 
 feet, those slopes and ** kloofs " filled with trees of 
 tropical growth ; trees, plants, wild fruit, lemons, 
 bananas, &c. &c. 
 
 What drew our attention most of all were the great 
 aqueducts. We had so often seen them in Oriental 
 countries, for instance around Damascus. We were 
 firmly convinced that the Kaffirs had not made these 
 aqueducts. On our travels through Rhodesia we had 
 seen a hundred places where the ancients had dug 
 gold, where they had lived in their towns, but now it 
 became apparent to us that they had also been agricul- 
 turists. Who were these ancients ? About this later
 
 i82 RHODESIA 
 
 on. This, however, became clear to us, and this is of 
 great importance, that the same ancients who had been 
 digging gold for hundreds of miles around, had their 
 grainfields here, as also their gardens and orchards. 
 These ancients knew what they were about ; they were 
 good prospectors, for up to the present day the 
 diggers follow in their tracks. Would not the farmers 
 do well to follow their lead too ? One thing is certain, 
 they did not choose the worst part. 
 
 And we became still more interested when Mr. 
 Moodie (and the Government Surveyor and others 
 endorsed his statement) told us that they had found 
 two or three entrances to subterranean caves. They 
 did not seem to have been mines. They had not entered 
 them and did not know to what use they had been put, 
 but they were still accessible, &c. 
 
 Ah, we thought, then we have here discovered not 
 only the grainfields of the ancients, but perhaps also 
 their catacombs ! For nowhere have the burial places 
 of these ancients yet been discovered. 
 
 Oh, how we would have liked to stay over a fort- 
 night in order to explore this region with Mr. Moodie ! 
 But we could not spare the time. 
 
 You need then feel no surprise that we sat talking 
 to our friends till eleven o'clock, after having been without 
 sleep for almost six nights. How could we go to sleep 
 before we had arranged with Mr. Moodie that he 
 should peg off ten farms for the Paarl Matabeleland 
 Syndicate in this newly opened region, which lies
 
 FROM SALISBURY TO UMTALI 183 
 
 thirty or forty miles from Umtali and on the north side 
 has an outlet to the Portuguese trading-place Senna, 
 on the Zambesi ? And now good night and happy 
 dreams about those old catacombs, the fertile grain- 
 fields, and those old aqueducts.
 
 LETTER XVIII 
 FROM UMTALI TO BEIRA 
 
 The Descent from Umtali to the Sea coast — The Height 
 of Salisbury, Umtali, Chimoio and Fontesvilla — Distances 
 and Time per Ox-waggon — Raihcay and River-boat — 
 The Omnibus with Oxen wins — We descend the Moun- 
 tains — Tropical Vegetation — Hoisj far is this Country 
 habitable ? — Resembles Lower Egypt — Africa built in 
 Terraces — Hence no Navigable Rivers, but healthy High- 
 lands — To be opened by Railicays — Open Land for super- 
 fluous Population of Europe — Railway Terminus not 
 Bulawayo, but Cairo — Midnight at Chimoio — £i for 
 every Five Miles per Ox-waggon — This is due to the 
 Tsetse Fly — Down the Mountains by Rail — Beautiful 
 Tree growth — Stately Palm Trees — Game on the Flats — 
 What the Game teaches us — The White Rhinoceros not 
 yet extirpated — Protection necessary — List of Game — 
 Fontesvilla a Village on Poles, sometimes a small Venetia 
 — Two Days without Food on the Pungwe — Subsisting 
 on Pisangs (Bananas) — Adventures — Railway versus 
 River-boat. 
 
 HouTBAAi, May i6, 1S95. 
 
 We left you at Umtali and the highlands to the north- 
 east, which in reality is the boundary of the highland 
 of Rhodesia. Umtali itself lies a good bit lower than 
 Salisbury ; the country surrounding Salisbury being 
 about 5000 feet above the sea level, and Umtali only
 
 FROM UMTALl TO BEIRA 185 
 
 3600, although the mountainous flats to the north-east 
 rise to a level of almost 7000 feel. But from Umtali 
 you descend rapidl}' to the sea in an easterly direction. 
 From Umtali to Chimoio, the railway terminus, is a 
 distance of only 75 miles, and in that distance you 
 descend mere than 1500 feet, as Chimoio is only 2140 
 feet above the sea level. From Chimoio to Fontesvilla 
 is 118 miles by rail ; there you come to the Pungwe 
 River, and are carried from there by a small steam- 
 boat to Beira. There you are on the sea level ; for 
 although the distance from Fontesvilla to Beira, with 
 all the windings of the river, is variously estimated at 
 from 50 to 75 miles, still the rising and falling of the 
 ebb is almost the same here as at the mouth of the 
 river. Thus in a distance of 193 miles from Umtali to 
 Fontesvilla the descent is 3600 feet. The distances 
 are divided thus : 
 
 Miles. 
 Umtali to Chimoio, omnibus, with oxen . . 75 
 Chimoio to Fontesvilla, b}' train . .118 
 
 Fontesvilla to Beira, by steamboat . . 50 
 
 Total 243 
 And yet it took us from Wednesday, October 31, 
 8 A.M., to Tuesday, November 6, 5 p.m., to cover that 
 distance. And strange to say, with Symington's "ox- 
 'bus " we travelled almost faster than by train and 
 steamboat. 
 
 We left Umtali on Wednesday morning at eight 
 o'clock. From there the 'bus, or rather the little
 
 i86 RHODESIA 
 
 horse-waggon has to be drawn by oxen, because lower 
 down it is unhealthy for horses and mules. 
 
 Unfortunately our span of oxen could not be found 
 that morning, and the experienced driver, who had 
 gone to look for the oxen, also stayed away. We 
 could wait no longer ; a span of oxen was borrowed or 
 hired, and put in the hands of an inexperienced driver. 
 Helter-skelter we went down the mountain, through 
 sprints and across bridges. A good thing that the 
 road is well made, for which the company deserves 
 praise. But when we had to ascend out of the first 
 kloof it was halt ! The oxen would not proceed and 
 the driver could not get them on. There we were 
 stuck for more than an hour, then it was a broken yoke, 
 then the oxen were spanned about, &c., and if we had 
 not had a few passengers who knew better how to 
 handle oxen than the driver, I do not know when we 
 should have reached Chimoio. Further on, from the 
 first outspan, we got the usual good span of oxen and 
 we made up for the delay. Wednesday we sped well ; 
 that night we had to stay over at Massikessie on 
 account of storm and rain. We did not, however, get 
 much rest, for we arrived late in the evening, ate our 
 piece of bread, and had to spread our blankets in a 
 shed, where wind and rain had free access ; at mid- 
 night we arrived at Chimoio. We covered these 75 
 miles in 40 hours ; deduct 6 hours forced delay, and 
 we find that we did about 2i miles per hour. 
 
 From Chimoio to Fontesvilla is 118 miles per rail,
 
 FROM UMTALI TO BEIRA 187 
 
 and that took us from Friday 7 a.m. till Saturday 
 7 P.M. — />., ^6 hours, or, including several delays, 
 about 3 miles per hour. 
 
 The 50 or 60 miles per steamboat on the Pungwe, 
 took us from Sunday 6 p.m. till Tuesday 5 p.m. — i.e., 
 47 hours, or a little more than one mile per hour. But 
 further particulars will explain this. 
 
 From Umtali you at once notice that you are de- 
 scending the mountains. The road winds down through 
 " kloofs," in which the palm trees grow luxuriantly, 
 and a little lower down bananas, lemons, and other 
 wild fruits and semi-tropical plants, while everywhere 
 beautifully clear streams of water gush down. 
 
 At more than one place we thought, if one were 
 sure that this part was healthy, a more beautiful spot 
 to live in could not be found on earth. And yet the 
 Portuguese live much lower down and are fairly 
 healthy. The fever is very bad at Fontesvilla, but 
 then the situation is very unhealthy, being on the 
 banks of the Pungwe River, which every year sub- 
 merges the country for miles around, and forms shallow 
 lagoons in the rank, rotting grass, which necessarily 
 must result in unhealthiness. But we believe if this 
 country is once thoroughly opened up and is no longer 
 so rough, that it will be inhabited as far as Massi- 
 kessie, the boundary between the Portuguese posses- 
 sions and those of the company, and even lowxr down, 
 as far as Chimoio. It is now already inhabited along 
 the railway line and main road. What really seem
 
 i88 RHODESIA 
 
 to be too unhealthy to be inhabited are the last 25 or 
 30 miles hefore you come to Fontesvilla. Then you 
 are at the foot of the mountains and on the same level 
 with the country which is yearly inundated by the 
 Pungwe. 
 
 And who can tell but even this fertile valley can be 
 made as habitable and productive as the delta of the 
 Nile in Egypt, if it is once intersected by canals to 
 carry off the water of the inundations and leave the 
 land dry. In any case, here is a country that very 
 much resembles Lower Egypt. 
 
 Allow us a small digression. Have you ever noticed 
 that Africa forms a highland, built up with terraces ? 
 Going from Cape Town to the interior you climb a few 
 thousand feet to the top of the Hex River mountains ; 
 then from Beaufort west you ascend a second terrace, 
 bounded by the " Niemovcld " mountains, or more to 
 the west by the " Roggcveld " mountains, without de- 
 scending on the other side. In the same way, going 
 to the interior from Port Elizabeth you ascend the 
 Zuurbergen, but do not descend again. From Natal 
 you have to ascend the Drakensbergen to reach the 
 first terrace. From Delagoa you ascend the Lebombo 
 mountains and after that the northerly extension of 
 the Drakensbergen. Thus from the whole coast of 
 Africa you gradually ascend with large terraces ; for 
 the whole of the interior is a highland. 
 
 This is the reason why Africa has no navigable rivers 
 (excepting the Nile in the flat northern part), because
 
 FROM UMTALI TO BEIRA 189 
 
 the rivers run too steep, and, flowing over rocks, form 
 waterfalls or cascades and cataracts. And that is the 
 reason why Africa has remained so long comparatively 
 uninhabited and unexplored. If Africa had navigable 
 rivers like Europe, the country would not have been 
 allowed to lie fallow up to now. And because we have 
 no navigable rivers the country must be opened by rail- 
 ways. That time has now arrived. The elevated situa- 
 tion of the country has, on the other hand, a great 
 advantage — viz., that lying in the tropics it is never- 
 theless habitable and healthy ; even under the line there 
 are habitable parts, and close to the line are the Moun- 
 tains of the Moon, covered with everlasting snow. 
 Years ago we predicted that the whole of Africa, from 
 the Cape to Cairo, would be intersected by railways 
 and inhabited. And with the present rapid development 
 this may happen sooner than we think. For Africa is 
 the only land that lies open still. Many turn back from 
 North America ; that land can no longer absorb the 
 stream of European emigration. And then the interior 
 of Africa appears to be not only habitable, but also rich 
 in minerals and exceedingly fertile. This makes the 
 present opening up of the country towards the north of 
 such great importance to us. Yes, our railway terminus 
 is not Bulawayo, but Cairo ! 
 
 But let us return to our "oxen-'bus." Down the 
 mountains we mostly travelled at a trot, and just shaved 
 by many a tree. So that even in daylight it was not 
 quite safe travelling. But now it becomes pitch dark
 
 IQO RHODESIA 
 
 and the weather becomes stormy, and then tlirough 
 those forests without tlie light of moon or stars. True, 
 the driver sometimes trots alongsidejiis team, stops them 
 here and turns them there, but it is clearly evident that 
 he has very little control over the team. 
 
 At midnight we arrive at Chimoio — a pitch dark 
 night. There had been an old Chimoio, but the village 
 had been transplanted a few miles nearer to the coast. 
 Now the railway terminus is again being built on the old 
 site, and they were just busy coming back to the old 
 town. 
 
 Do not think to find either hotel or boarding-house. 
 No ; the bar is opened and you can obtain liquor, also 
 anything you wish to buy out of the shop. But in that 
 corner you can spread your blanket, lie down and sleep, 
 if sleep you can. By the kindly exertion of a friend 
 who was known here, we together got a " hartebeest- 
 huisfe " for the night. It was then already two o'clock. 
 
 But we could not go to rest before we had made 
 arrangements for our transport to the train on the fol- 
 lowing morning. We wanted to catch the Goth at 
 Beira. We still have to go five or six miles to the place 
 from where the train starts at lo a.m. We could obtain 
 carriers and then tramp it through the sand for those 
 five miles, but the carriers were all at the terminus, 
 which lay a few miles away. If we had to go and find 
 them next morning we were in danger of not reach- 
 ing the train and so losing a whole day. But we could 
 have a little ox-waggon by each paying ;^5 for five miles.
 
 FROM UMTALI TO BEIRA 191 
 
 We decide to engage the waggon, and go to try and 
 snatch a few hours sleep. 
 
 We were up betimes to get something to eat and then 
 off to the waggon ; it is so small that it can hardl}' con- 
 tain our baggage, and only four of the fourteen or fifteen 
 could wriggle in between the boxes and portmanteaux ; 
 so that in realit}^ we each had to pay ;^i for the transport 
 of our portmanteaux and rugs. But you must bear in 
 mind that from Chimoio you find the tsetse-fly and the 
 oxen used in that distance are written down as dead as 
 soon as the rains fall. 
 
 Here we are at the railway. The rails have been laid 
 as far as this. We have to wait for the train. It 
 is warm. We sit down in the shade of some trees to 
 eat something. We are now 113 miles from Fontesvilla ; 
 five miles of rail have still to be laid to Chimoio (that 
 has since been done). The railway has in reality only 
 been opened to the seventy-fifth mile. For three hours, 
 up to the eighty-first mile, we have to sit in an open 
 truck under a scorching sun. After a delay of an hour 
 we went from there in a covered waggon, arranged like 
 a tram waggon, with two long benches on both sides, 
 to the seventy-fifth mile, where we arrived at 5 p m. and 
 stayed over for the night. Here we met a former 
 acquaintance from Stellenbosch, Mr. Krige, who kindly 
 received and entertained us that night and the following 
 morning till we left. Mr. Krige was just busy trans- 
 planting his hotel to Chimoio. Any of our readers 
 who may happen to travel this way and come to
 
 192 RHODESIA 
 
 Chimoio can be sure of being better received than we 
 were. 
 
 We left next morning at 7, and arrived at Fontes- 
 villa at 3 P.M. We had covered these seventy-five 
 miles in eight hours — i.e., ten miles per hour, including 
 delays. 
 
 The Beira railway, of which we shall hear more later 
 on, is of great importance for the future development 
 of Rhodesia. It is a pity that the gauge of the rails is 
 not the same as those of the other railways in South 
 Africa (the usual gauge is 3^ feet, and this is 2|- feet). 
 Otherwise the railway is well built, and answers its 
 purpose well. The well-known Mr. Pauling is the 
 contractor. At the steepest incline the road is made 
 zigzag. In some parts the road had to be cut through 
 dense forests of wild trees. The growth of trees and 
 plants is very luxuriant. There are trees with trunks 
 of forty or fifty feet in circumference, and from seventy 
 to eighty feet high. More beautiful natural scenery 
 than you find here can hardly be imagined. And then 
 after having struggled on for about four months in an 
 ox-waggon, what a pleasant sensation to be once more 
 in a train ! 
 
 Having reached the foot of the mountain, you have a 
 level flat of about twenty-five miles before you reach 
 Chimoio on the Pungwe River. Scenery is not so 
 beautiful here. The stately palm-tree is replaced by the 
 shrublike dwarf palm. But now you are better able to 
 see the big game in the open flats on both sides,
 
 FROM UMTALI TO BE IRA 193 
 
 buffaloes, elands, kwaggas, &c. And they seem to 
 know the train as a harmless enemy ; at least they 
 remain standing at a short distance. 
 
 One of the things which first strike the stranger at 
 Chimoio and Beira is the mass of hides and horns of 
 wild animals, as also the great quantities of ivory 
 brought from the interior. We also were under the 
 impression that big game had been almost extirpated. 
 This, however, is not the case; but if measures for 
 their protection rre not taken there is great danger 
 that several kinds will soon be extinct. In Europe 
 and also here it was thought that the white rhinoceros 
 had been extirpated. On this journey, however, a 
 white waggon-driver told us that when a few years ago 
 he was hunting in the low coast regions north of 
 Delagoa, he had seen amongst large herds of big game, 
 a few small herds of the white rhinoceros. The details 
 he gave about this left no doubt as to the truth of the 
 tale. He could not sufficiently praise the fertility and 
 beauty of those low regions. He spoke especially 
 about the Pisangberg and Rottingberg, which are 
 covered by wild fruit trees. 
 
 Before we took leave of the game we involuntarily 
 thought how game was diminishing, if not quite extir- 
 pated, in the inhabited parts of Africa. The thousands 
 of antelopes and other game proved how well this 
 country was adapted for cattle farming. Had this 
 lesson been learned immediately how many sad experi- 
 ences would have been spared ! For instance, when 
 
 N
 
 194 RHODESIA 
 
 the "voortrckkcrs" entered the Transvaal they found the 
 highlands swarming with game, and the lower wooded 
 parts full of wild fruit, with abundance of water. They 
 chose the latter mentioned parts to live in. But here 
 they suffered great loss of cattle. Nature had pointed 
 out to them that this part where wild fruit trees and 
 shrubs flourished so luxuriantly was suited for agricul- 
 ture, whilst the thousands of game on the highlands 
 proved to them that this was the country adapted for 
 cattle farming. But it took quite a quarter of a century 
 to learn by sad experience what nature itself had in 
 the first instance pointed out to common sense. 
 
 The plan so often mooted by us to enclose a few 
 thousands of morgen and stock it with various kinds of 
 game, and so to propagate the various species, would 
 not only afford pleasure, but yield a good gain. Mr. 
 Rhodes has, only on a small scale, begun to put this 
 plan in execution on his property on the slopes of the 
 Table Mountain, and there is some talk that an English 
 Company intends carrying out this plan on a huge scale 
 in Rhodesia, 
 
 But whilst speaking about game we had reached 
 Fontesvilla. It was three o'clock in the afternoon of 
 November 3, and still so hot (105° in the shade), 
 that we first of all sought a cooling drink to slake our 
 burning thirst, and then took a cold bath. Having 
 rested a little, we went to see the village and to obtain 
 some information about the journey by river to Beira. 
 
 The first disappointment was : there is no boat, and
 
 FROM UMTALI TO BEIRA 195 
 
 at soonest it can only be here to-morrow (Sunday) ; (i) 
 because the river is very low, as there had been no rain 
 for a long time ; (2) because it was the quarter and 
 consequently low water, so that it was difficult to cross 
 the sandbanks. Our first idea w'as to hire a small 
 canoe, with some of our friends, and to go on in that. 
 We had soon gone through the whole village, visited 
 even the omnipresent koelies, but could not find a canoe. 
 A very good thing for us. For a few of our fellow 
 travellers who, the following day, succeeded in securing 
 a canoe, had very hard times. 
 
 So we had leisure to have a good look at the village 
 from Saturday 3 p.m. till Sunday 6 p.m. A few hotels, 
 half a dozen stores, and half a dozen dwelling-houses, 
 and the railway station, that is about all. But the 
 peculiarity of the village is that it is entirely built on 
 poles or stakes. All the houses are built on poles four 
 feet above the surface. The river inundates the 
 country to that height, and the water sometimes 
 remains standing for several days. Then Fontesvilla 
 is like a small Venice, and you have to go about in 
 boats. When the river subsides abundant fish is to 
 be found in the shallow pools, and these pools gradually 
 dry up. This explains why the fever is so virulent 
 here. 
 
 On Sunday evening at six o'clock we left in the 
 Rose, a small tug. Usually it only takes seven or 
 eight hours to Beira. Four of us " formed a Syndi- 
 cate," as we did on the 'bus, and bought a tin of
 
 196 RHODESIA 
 
 biscuits and two bottles of " vino tinto," the usual red 
 Portuguese wine, which is sold here at 2s. or 3.s\ per 
 bottle ; we meant this for a little refreshment on our 
 moonlight trip that evening, for we had dined just 
 before leaving. 
 
 But instead of seven hours our voyage lasted forty- 
 seven hours. At nine o'clock we stuck on a sandbank. 
 There we had to spend the night and aw^ait the tide. 
 The next morning the water was very low, and sand- 
 banks were seen on all sides. And we had no 
 provisions on board. We were still waiting for the 
 tide. We asked the captain for his little boat, and 
 four of us went rowing on the river. First we saw a 
 few large river boats riding at anchor ; we rowed to 
 them. They were loaded with wood, and there w^re 
 only Kaffirs ; we could procure nothing from them. 
 Afterwards we saw a Kaffir canoe along the bank of 
 the river. We rowed to it and got two Kaffirs, who 
 sank up to their waist in the mud, to carry us out ; 
 from them we bought a bunch of bananas, containing 
 about 100, for one shilling, which was a good addition 
 to our provisions. 
 
 Towards midday the tide set in and preparations 
 were made for steaming on, but alas ! our little steam- 
 engine was defective and would not work. Oh, what a 
 bother that whole day and evening. At last the ebb 
 set in, and there we were stuck again, and we again 
 had to spend the nigiit there. Wc really began to feel 
 the pangs of hunger. Two French fellow-travellers
 
 FROM UMTALI TO BEIRA 197 
 
 had a few tins of preserved meat and the captain had 
 some rice, and this constituted our last meal, of which 
 all partook. 
 
 We will long remember those two days and nights. 
 The river is beautiful, broad, and continually increasing 
 in breadth, with well-wooded banks. In the river you 
 sometimes see seacows at play and the crocodiles 
 sleeping on the banks. When the boat moves on a 
 Kaffir is always measuring the depth of the water with 
 a stick and calls out in Kaffir, the water is " navigable," 
 "too shallow," or "deep." A flat-bottomed boat 
 drawing two or three feet could always pass up and 
 down the river. But a steamboat, having a keel, must 
 necessarily get aground as soon as the water is less 
 than four feet deep. The truth of this we found to our 
 sorrow. But we will try and forget this, and only 
 mention one more incident. 
 
 When on Monday at noon we saw that we could not 
 reach Beira that evening, and indeed did not know 
 whether we should ever reach it with our defective 
 machine, bearing in mind that we had no provisions, 
 and that we had a lady with two sick children aboard, 
 we proposed to the captain to send a boat on ahead to 
 Beira, asking the manager of the company to send 
 the other tug, the Kinibcrlcy, with some medicine and 
 provisions, to help us on. Three of us volunteered, 
 and rowed off with a Kaffir who knew the river. 
 Unfortunately the boat had to contend with a head 
 wind, so that they could not reach Beira that night and
 
 iw.S KIIODESIA 
 
 they arrived only llic following afternoon at 3, tired 
 and worn out. The Kimhcrhy was got ready to send 
 to our assistance. But just before she steamed out, 
 our boat, the Rose, was sighted. One of our passengers 
 had some knowledge and experience of steam-engines ; 
 he assisted the engineer and so at last we got moving 
 on, and as the second half of the river was deeper we 
 got on much better. 
 
 Lower down the river becomes deeper and broader, 
 till one can hardly see from one bank to the other. 
 Beautiful islands lie in the middle of the river, and the 
 seacows, sometimes six to eight together, playing in 
 the water, make the scene still more interesting. 
 
 The idea, however, seems to be to do away with the 
 traffic on the river, and to extend the railway from 
 Fontesvilla, with a bridge over the river, and then on the 
 east side of the river to Beira.* We fancy that it would 
 be cheaper and also give cheaper transport, if a few 
 flat bottomed steamboats were built to be used on the 
 river. 
 
 And so at last we have reached Beira, on the sea 
 coast. But with all this delay the Goth has left. Now 
 we have to w^ait for the slow Courland. About the 
 voyage along the east coast and the future trade routes 
 in our next. 
 
 * This railway is being constructed now, and its completion 
 is expected shortly.
 
 LETTER XIX 
 THE COMPETING SEAPORTS 
 
 Beira and Dclagoa the best natural Ports of South Africa 
 — Contrast zcith Durban and East London — The cahini- 
 niated Portuguese Government defended — Advantages of 
 the two Portuguese Havens— Beira as Town, Trading 
 Place, and Haven— Sofala, Solomon's Port— German 
 Steam Navigation on the East Coast— Delagoa— False 
 Reports — Durban, including Theatre, ''to let''' — A 
 Model Tram Service — A good Word for the Coolies in 
 Natal— Fruit Export to the Cape Colony— Natal not 
 feared as Competitor in the Trade to the Interior— Beira 
 the Natural Port of Rhodesia, Delagoa of the Transvaal 
 —Eloquent and Stubborn Figures— Geographical Facts 
 — Comparison of the Distances by Land and Sea — Pre- 
 sent Prices of Transport — Future of Eastern, or Suez 
 Sea Route— Advantage of having Rhodes as our Premier 
 at present. 
 
 HouTBAY, May 17, 1895. 
 
 South Africa has only two naturally good seaports, 
 viz., Delagoa and Beira. The Table Bay has been 
 made into a safe haven by its docks. Algoa remains 
 an open, difficult harbour. East London and Durban 
 cannot even be made good havens on account ot the 
 sand banks. This is apparent from the fact that on 
 each of these ports a million sterling has already been
 
 200 RHODESIA 
 
 spent, and even now it is something quite rare to sec a 
 steamboat, even with a good tide, enter the Port ; 
 whereas the average depth on the bar at Durban is 
 gradually decreasing; in 1892 it was 13 feet 8^, inches, 
 in 1893, 13 feet 4 inches; in 1894, 11 feet 10.'/ inches. 
 But Delagoa and Beira are natural havens, so large 
 and so deep that whole fleets can anchor close to the 
 coast to load and unload. Should it come to a compe- 
 tition between the southern and eastern ports of South 
 Africa, then these two Portuguese ports would have 
 far away the best of it, not only on account of their 
 more favourable geographical position, but also on 
 account of the loading and unloading being safe and 
 cheap. 
 
 Some Cape Colonists comfort themselves with the 
 idea that these ports are badly managed by the Portu- 
 guese and that this is in our favour. Later on we shall 
 give more particulars, but we can state at once, that 
 this is a poor comfort. In addition to the natural 
 advantages, these two ports offer sufficient facilities 
 and conveniences to become dangerous competitors. 
 At Beira, the harbour works are as yet on a small scale, 
 but at present nothing more is required. Loading and 
 unloading are done with the greatest ease and despatch. 
 And at Delagoa the Pier Concession of Cohen is at 
 present in the hands of the enterprising firm of Lewis 
 and Marks, who intend to build a jetty in the shape of 
 a T, so that (such is the depth of the water) four 
 steamboats, two large and two small ones, can be
 
 THE COMPETIXG SEAPORTS 201 
 
 wharfed at the same time, and can load and unload in 
 and out of the railway trucks simultaneously. Where 
 are our landing places that can surpass or even match 
 this ? 
 
 As regards Beira itself, it is a young town, built on a 
 sandy projection, on the broad mouth of the river 
 Pungwe ; it forms a broad bay, across which, even in 
 fair weather, you can hardly see. A few years ago 
 there were only about a dozen houses here ; at present 
 there is a flourishing city three miles long, with a 
 population of 3000 or 4000. Beira is very healthy and 
 is used as a sanatorium by hunters, prospectors, and 
 traders, who in unhealthy parts contract the fever ; with 
 a view to that a large and well arranged hospital has 
 lately been built. One often hears about the un- 
 cleanliness of the Portuguese seaports, viz., Beira and 
 Delagoa. Well, we have made a careful inspection of 
 both places, and all we can say is, that w^e sincerely 
 wish that our seaports could favourably compare in 
 cleanliness and neatness with these two. But we fear 
 we should be beaten by a long way in these respects. 
 
 Beira is situated on a sandy bottom. The coast is 
 protected from the encroachment of the sea by poles 
 being planted in. A tramway runs from the customs 
 offices, which are situated close to the landing-place, 
 through the whole town ; there are no public trams, but 
 the chief hotels and trading stores have their own tram 
 waggons, which are pushed backward and forward by 
 Kaffirs, for the transport of passengers and goods.
 
 202 RHODESIA 
 
 Along the streets hard side-walks have been made. 
 We saw no carriages. 
 
 At the town a small river runs into the sea, so that 
 the town is really situated on a projecting strip of land 
 between the sea and the river, whilst part of the town 
 lies across the river. A bridge of about two hundred 
 yards spans it. The barracks of the troops, on the 
 further side of the river, are a pattern of neatness, as 
 are the convent, the prison, and the graveyard, the last of 
 which looks like a flower garden, and is very well kept. 
 Then there are miles of vegetable gardens, so that there 
 is a plentiful and cheap supply of vegetables for the town 
 and the ships. Abundance of fruit is brought in boats 
 from the farms along the Busi River, which runs into 
 the sea close to the Pungwe (a little to the west). 
 Along the Busi, bananas, lemons, and other fruit grow 
 quite wild. But there are also beautiful farms. 
 
 We had to stay over at Beira from Tuesday 6 p.m. 
 till Saturday (Nov. lo) 2 p.m., waiting for the Cottr- 
 landy as, owing to our delay on the Pungwe, we had 
 missed the Goth. We very much wished to visit the 
 Busi and Sofala, but it was not to be ventured in an 
 ordinary fishing-boat, and the only small steam-tug here 
 suited for such a trip was just then under repair. 
 Still, we had the opportunity of interviewing some 
 people who are well acquainted with the haven of 
 Sofala, and they all declare that the sea has overflowed 
 a part of the land, and that at low water the remains of 
 former buildings, such as forts, tombstones, &c., are
 
 THE COMPETING SEAPORTS 203 
 
 still to be seen under the water ; that golden ornaments 
 and such like, similar to those found at Zimbabwe, are 
 continually being found on the shore, showing that this 
 was the old haven of the ancient miners of the interior. 
 With this agrees the conclusion of etymologists who 
 trace the name Sofala back to Ophir. Of this more 
 later on. 
 
 Beira is an important trading-station. There are 
 large and well stocked trading-stores. We were sur- 
 prised to see the quantity of ivory, hides, horns, and 
 other articles which are brought here from the interior 
 in exchange. It can readily be seen that the coolies 
 draw the largest share of the trade. They have 
 branch businesses and travelling vendors (hawkers), 
 who go about in the interior selling their wares, and at 
 the same time procuring products by exchange. We 
 have never seen so many elephant tusks together as we 
 saw at one coolie-storc in Beira. 
 
 The opening up of Rhodesia is doubtless the cause 
 of the progress Beira has made, for Beira is the natural 
 haven of Zambesia. Let us only mention here that we 
 have observed how for passengers and goods the Eastern 
 route by the German steamers, through the Suez 
 Canal to Europe, is gradually superseding the far 
 longer route round the Cape. Of our travelling 
 company two went, on account of former connections, 
 via Cape Town to Europe, whilst eight went with the 
 German steamboat round the east coast. 
 
 Before leaving Beira, let us with a single word make
 
 204 RHODESIA 
 
 mention of the excellent treatment we received from 
 Mr. Classerath, the courteous host of the Point Hotel. 
 He keeps a very good table ; there is always fresh fish 
 from the Busi River and abundance of fruit ; and, above 
 all, he was ready and willing at all times to give us any 
 information. The hotel is situated close to the landing- 
 place, the terras are moderate, and the treatment is 
 very good ; for these and other reasons we can safely 
 recommend the Point Hotel. The buildings leave 
 much to be desired, but the landlord is not to blame 
 for that. The whole of Beira belongs to the Portuguese 
 Government, excepting a few pieces of ground given to 
 public institutions or corporations. Consequently also 
 the hotel buildings belong to the Government, which 
 up to the present time has not carried out its plan to 
 enlarge the edifice. The Government draws a good 
 rent from all these buildings. 
 
 On Saturday, Nov. lo, at 2 p.m., we left Beira by the 
 slow Courland and arrived at Delagoa Bay on Tuesday 
 at 9 A.M., where we remained till one o'clock. It was 
 just at the time that the troubles with the Kaffirs com- 
 menced. At Bulawayo and Salisbury we had already 
 seen disquieting telegrams in connection with this, and 
 at Beira we got some Natal papers, which gave a very 
 exaggerated account of these troubles. We used our 
 time at Delagoa to obtain the best information with 
 regard to this revolt. Never have we seen a greater 
 concatenation of inaccurate reports than in some 
 English papers — at the expense of Delagoa and the
 
 THE COMPETING SEAPORTS 205 
 
 Portuguese, of course. There was simply nothing of a 
 war panic ; of the barricaded streets nothing was to be 
 seen. On the qutside, forts had been built against a 
 possible attack, but inside the town everything went 
 its usual course, nor was the railway connection with 
 the interior in any way disturbed. 
 
 As regards cleanliness we can here only repeat what 
 we have said about Beira. But Delagoa is far more 
 prettily situated, against a high hill, on which pretty 
 villas are laid out, which reminded us of the Berea at 
 Durban. If any one wishes to invest money in fixed 
 property, we know of no safer and better place in the 
 whole of South Africa than Delagoa. The town has 
 made great progress in the last years and seems likely 
 to continue doing so. As Beira is the natural port of 
 Rhodesia, so Delagoa is the natural port of the Trans- 
 vaal. To shut our eyes to this stubborn fact, is 
 nothing else but the policy of the ostrich. The sooner 
 we properly realise the actual position and act accord- 
 ingly, the better. But more of this later on. 
 
 On Tuesday afternoon at one o'clock we sailed from 
 Delagoa, and on Wednesday evening, just before sunset, 
 we arrived at Durban, where we had to ride at anchor 
 till next morning before we could cross that troublesome 
 bar. We had to stay at Durban till 1 1 a.m. on Saturday. 
 In general Durban has a flourishing appearance. The 
 only bad sign was that we saw so many houses with 
 " to let " on them, even the Theatre Royal was marked 
 " to let," a clear proof that providing public amusements
 
 2o6 RHODESIA 
 
 does not pay over well at Durban. The tram service 
 seems to be admirably arranged, under the manage- 
 ment of the Town Council. These trams run to the 
 top of the beautiful Bcrea, and every one of those 
 scattered villas, covering several miles in circumference, 
 is no more than five minutes' walk from the tram. 
 
 But however well the train, tram, and cab services 
 are arranged, the rickshaw seems to be most in request. 
 Everywhere you see the Kaffirs trotting about with 
 these little double shaft carts and one or two passengers 
 in them. 
 
 We shall not trouble you with the strife of the 
 political parties, which just then was at its height, 
 though it was not unpleasant to follow the movements 
 of Mr. Binns, " the uncrowned king of an unformed 
 opposition." Neither shall we weary you with a 
 description of a sugar factory, which we suppose is 
 already quite familiar to our readers. 
 
 We must only make one remark before taking leave 
 of Natal. So much is said against the importation of 
 coolies into Natal ; but what has been done and is 
 being done to agriculture and industry in Natal, is done 
 by the coolie. There the coolie is not only the retail 
 trader and hawker, but also domestic servant, gardener, 
 and the labourer who cultivates the sugar planta- 
 tions and does all the work in the sugar factories. The 
 English are as little inclined and suited for manual 
 labour as the Kaffirs, and what would Natal be to-day 
 and what would become of Natal but for the coolies ?
 
 THE COMPETING SEAPORTS 207 
 
 As regards the competition for the inland trade, we 
 do not fear Natal so much as Delagoa and Beira ; her 
 bar is against her ; her railway has too many and 
 heavy gradients, too many short curves, and the cost 
 of construction is too high ; besides that, the distances 
 are in favour of Delagoa and Beira. This will be seen 
 later on. 
 
 And yet we may learn something of Natal. On our 
 boat stood three pyramids of boxes for Cape Town, 
 Port Elizabeth, and East London, containing fresh fruit, 
 mostly bananas, oranges, and pine apples, exported by 
 the " Natal Fruit Growers Association." Thus Natal 
 every year draws thousands of pounds from us for 
 fruit. An end ought to be put to this. 
 
 What, however, goes mostly against Natal is the bar. 
 On our arrival even the small Conrlmid could not cross 
 the bar and had to stay outside the bay for one night. 
 And the big boats must remain outside altogether. 
 When we left we carefully noted the delay caused by 
 this. The day before leaving we had to send our 
 luggage aboard. The following morning we had to be 
 at the jetty early ; we left at eleven o'clock in the 
 small tug, and we could only sail at 4 p.m. Thus it 
 took quite five hours to put passengers and mails on 
 board. 
 
 After steaming sixteen hours we arrived at East 
 London on Sunday morning at eight o'clock and stayed 
 there till four o'clock on Tuesday afternoon, Nov. 20. 
 
 Having taken in 1700 bales of wool and a good many
 
 2o8 RHODESIA 
 
 passengers, we steamed on, with a strong south-easter, 
 which raged the whole night, with a very high sea ; 
 most of the passengers were very sea-sick. The 
 following morning we had apparently passed Algoaand 
 were lying still since one o'clock. Nothing could be 
 seen. About six it became light and we began steam- 
 ing again, with many soundings and windings in our 
 course. At half-past eight we were anchored in the 
 bay, but it was quite twelve o'clock before we were 
 landed. What a bother to get out of the ship into the 
 little boat and again to get out of the boat on the jetty ! 
 No, coming from Delagoa and Beira it is painfully 
 apparent what poor ports East London and Port 
 Elizabeth have ! 
 
 At Port Elizabeth we took leave of the steamboat to 
 proceed to the Paarl by rail. We shall not weary our 
 readers with a description of East London and Port 
 Elizabeth, but rather close this chapter with some 
 instructive figures, in answer to the question : " What 
 part will the various ports in future take in the trade 
 and transport to the interior ? " Do not feel fretful 
 about these figures, for they touch a life question in 
 the future development of South Africa — a question 
 which to us was of so much importance that we 
 took this route for our return in order to subject it 
 to a special inquiry, the results of which we shall 
 briefly give. 
 
 Take as starting-point and basis that trade always 
 takes the shortest and cheapest route, unless there are
 
 THK COMPETING SEAPORTS 209 
 
 other more weighty interests, which there are not in 
 this case. 
 
 Take first Rhodesia and let us see which will be her 
 probable trading route or routes in the future. This 
 question is already a grave one, and will probably 
 become of still greater importance. 
 
 The traffic to that lately opened country is already 
 very considerable. In 1894 no fewer than 2000 trans- 
 port waggons arrived at Bulawayo from the south 
 with goods and produce, of which the transport costs 
 amounted to ;^ 140,000. And these did not include 
 heavy machinery for the gold-fields. What then will 
 it be if once the extensive gold-fields are worked ? 
 And then it is only the transport to Bulawayo from the 
 south ; not from the east, from Beira to Umtali, Salis- 
 bury and the eastern villages and gold-fields. 
 
 Taken in general, Bulawayo and Matabeleland import 
 through the ports of the Cape Colon}', and Salisbury 
 and Mashonaland through Beira. Estimated roughly, 
 transport rates from Port Elizabeth to Bulawayo rule at 
 present 21s. 6d. per 100 pounds, or ^23 13s. per ton, 
 the transport by rail from the Bay to Mafeking being 
 86\ per 100 pounds, and from there by waggon 135. 6d. 
 And from Port Elizabeth the transport by train to 
 Mafeking is 85., and further by transport waggon 22s., 
 thus 305. per 100 pounds to Salisbury. 
 
 Transport from Beira to Salisbury is ;^I7 per ton, or 
 15s. 5^?^. per 100 pounds. The waggon transport from 
 Chimoio comes to £\o per ton, or 9s. per 100 pounds, 
 
 o
 
 2IO RHODESIA 
 
 whilst the train tariff is £6 per ton for Ii8 miles, and 
 the colonial railway cost from the Bay to Mafeking, a 
 distance of 708 miles, is only ;^8 i6s. But this is to be 
 attributed to the fact that the railway tariff is still fixed 
 by the contractor, under which you have to pay 105. to 
 ride thirty miles in an open truck, and £7. to be con- 
 veyed further on in an ordinary waggon. But Mr. 
 Rhodes has promised to introduce the colonial tariff as 
 soon as the line is taken over, and then the railway 
 expenses will be reduced to £\ los. or £2^ at the 
 outside, per ton, so that transport from the sea to 
 Salisbury will be about £i\ per ton, or 13s. per 100 
 pounds. 
 
 The merchant at Salisbury, the chief town of 
 Mashonaland, now pays 155. ^d. per 100 pounds for his 
 goods from Beira, whilst he has to pay 305. for goods 
 coming from Port Elizabeth over Mafeking. The 
 result is apparent ; who will prefer the longer route, 
 when he has to pay double for transport, and has to 
 wait much longer ? 
 
 And this difference on the two routes will increase 
 when both lines are extended, which will certainly 
 happen, for the distance is too much in favour of the 
 eastern route. Let us look more closely at this. 
 
 Mr. Fairbridge, who for years has been employed as 
 surveyor in these parts, and with whom we often spoke 
 on this subject, gives the geographical facts, the dis- 
 tances in miles, how far the three chief towns of 
 Rhodesia are situated from Cape Town and Beira : —
 
 THE COMPETING SEAPORTS 211 
 
 
 From Cape 
 
 Town, 
 
 From Beira 
 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Bulawayo . 
 
 1 150 
 
 
 400 
 
 Salisbury . 
 
 1400 
 
 
 270 
 
 Uintali 
 
 1400 
 
 
 180 
 
 These are the distances in a straight Hnc ; add to this 
 25 per cent, for the windings of a railway, then you 
 obtain the followins: : — 
 
 
 From Cape 
 
 Town. 
 
 From Beira 
 
 
 Miles. 
 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Bulawayo . 
 
 1450 
 
 
 500 
 
 Salisbury . 
 
 1750 
 
 
 350 
 
 Umtali 
 
 1750 
 
 
 320 
 
 Consequently the advantage of the Beira route over 
 the Cape Town route is : For Bulawayo as i to 3 ; for 
 Salisbury as i to 5 ; for Umtali as i to 8. 
 
 But these are geographical facts. Let us now take the 
 actual distances as far as railways are already built, and 
 then farther on with the waggon roads in the direction 
 which the railways, which are still to be built later on, 
 will probably follow. Let us take Bulawayo as ter- 
 minating point, as being most favourably situated for 
 Cape Town (although Bulawayo can never become the 
 chief town, much less the centre of trade, because it 
 is not situated centrally enough, as we have already 
 shown), and even then Beira is by far the preferable. 
 See here :
 
 212 
 
 I RHODESIA 
 
 
 Miles 
 
 Cape Town to Mafeking (rail) . 
 
 
 870 
 
 Mafeking to Bulawayo (waggon road) 
 
 • 
 
 500 
 
 
 Total 
 
 1370 
 Miles 
 
 Fontesvilla to Chimoio (rail) 
 
 
 118 
 
 Chimoio to Bulawayo (waggon road) 
 
 
 460 
 
 
 Total 
 
 578 
 Miles 
 
 Cape Town route .... 
 
 . 
 
 1370 
 
 Beira route 
 
 . 
 
 578 
 
 Beira route shorter 
 
 792 
 
 Thus unfavourably the Cape Town route compares to 
 its nearest point in Rhodesia and so favourably the 
 Beira route to its farther point in Rhodesia. But the 
 comparison is still more unfavourable to the Cape if we 
 take Salisbury as terminating point. See here : 
 
 
 Miles 
 
 Cape Town to Bulawayo . 
 
 . 1370 
 
 Bulawayo to Salisbury 
 
 300 
 
 
 Total distance 1670 
 
 Fontesvilla to Salisbury . 
 
 • 343 
 
 Beira route shorter 
 
 • 1327 
 
 If it is contended that the distances of the sea route are 
 in favour of the Cape, tlien two things must be borne in 
 mind : (i) that this makes very little, if any difference,
 
 THE COMPETING SEAPORTS 213 
 
 in the prices of transport ; (2) that a better steamboat 
 service along the east coast threatens to decrease our 
 traffic with Europe. It is especially the last point to 
 which we wish to draw your attention. As Africa is 
 being developed northward, the less will ships use the 
 round about way I'l'd Cape Town, and the more will 
 they follow the shorter route through the Suez Canal. 
 Let us compare the distances by sea. Take Beira as 
 terminating point, and compare the sea routes round 
 the Cape and through the Suez Canal : 
 
 Miles. 
 Beira, via Cape Town to London . , . 7662 
 „ ,, Suez to Naples 4792 
 
 Suez route shorter .... 2870 
 
 Or take a more distant landing-place, as Marseilles, 
 then you find as follows : 
 
 Miles. 
 
 Beira, via Cape Town to London . . . 7662 
 
 „ „ Suez to Marseilles .... 5542 
 
 Suez route shorter . . . .2120 
 
 Even taking Delagoa Bay as starting-point or termina- 
 ting point, the Suez route is preferable by far. See 
 here : 
 
 Miles. 
 Delagoa, via Cape Town to London . . .7112 
 ,, „ Suez to Brindisi .... 5292 
 
 Suez route shorter . . . 1820
 
 214 RHODESIA 
 
 Or take even Marseilles as landing port, and you have : 
 
 Miles. 
 Delagoa, via Cape Town to London . . 71 12 
 
 ,, ,, Suez to Marseilles . . . 6042 
 
 Suez route shorter . . . 1070 
 
 Now bear in mind that this shorter distance means a 
 great deal for the transport of goods, and that the 
 eastern route offers many more advantages to pas- 
 sengers than the western, as it touches at more ports, 
 passes Egypt and Palestine, and at the same time pro- 
 vides for a journey th.rough the Continent (for the 
 German boats along the east coast also give tickets for 
 the journey by land, if so wished) ; and that the train 
 from Naples to London takes only forty-eight hours, 
 and from Marseilles only twenty-four hours. Thus the 
 eastern route offers vast advantages. And we should 
 not be surprised if the Transvaal and the Free State 
 afterwards gave their mail contracts, &c. &c., to this 
 route. And what if the French obtain Madagascar* and 
 extend their navigation along the east coast of Africa to 
 Delagoa Bay ? We should not be at all surprised if in 
 a short time the eastern route surpass the western in 
 importance. For we must not lose sight of the fact 
 that England is not Europe ; England no longer has 
 the monopoly of our trade, and the competition of the 
 Continent grows stronger day by day. 
 
 There is thus no hope that the Cape will retain the 
 
 * As they have since done.
 
 THE COxMPETING SEAPORTS 215 
 
 trade with Rliodcsia in the future. It is, of course, 
 strongly in our favour that Mr. Rhodes is at present 
 premier of the Colony, and that he energetically carries 
 on the railway extension to Mafeking, whilst for the 
 present the Beira railway is stopped at Chimoio. For 
 if he had the 100 miles to Gaberones and the seventy- 
 five mile-^ to Umtali simultaneously constructed, then 
 the natural result would be : (i) that the Beira railway 
 would reach Bulawayo first; (2) that there would no 
 longer exist any necessity to carry the western line any 
 farther, as the eastern takes all the traflic. The build- 
 ing of the Mafeking line is in our favour, because it is 
 built with English capital, the material is carried over 
 our Colonial line and always brings a little more traffic ; 
 and if not extended before the Beira line, it will never 
 be built, and then the trafilc with Rhodesia is quite lost 
 to us. Mr. Rhodes has evidently seen this, and that is 
 the reason that he, even against the wish of the 
 population of Salisbury, pushes on our line, whilst the 
 Beira line is left in abe3-ance. Let us not, however, 
 flatter ourselves with the hope that we shall retain the 
 trade of Rhodesia. 
 
 If Beira is the natural port of Rhodesia, Delagoa is 
 the natural port of the Transvaal. Here we do not 
 require the distances, for the distance by land is 
 known, and the distance by sea we have already given. 
 The distance from Delagoa to Pretoria is, in round 
 numbers, 400 miles, and from Capetown 1000 miles. 
 Then also for half the distance the Delagoa railway
 
 2i6 RHODESIA 
 
 runs through coal-fields. The custom dues at Delagoa 
 are 3 per cent., whilst at the Cape they are 5 per cent, 
 and more, and, besides, the cost of landing is less. 
 
 We do not so much fear the competition of Natal. 
 True, her distance is also shorter than ours, but (i) 
 she has a bad port and consequently the costs of 
 landing are higher ; (2) her custom dues are nearly as 
 high as ours; (3) the gradients on her railways are 
 steeper {i.e., i in 30; with us i in 40), and there are 
 more and shorter curves in the railroad ; (4) the cost of 
 the construction of her railway is much higher than 
 ours (^15,000 per mile), on which interest has to be 
 paid ; and (5) if they wish to use heavier engines, they 
 must necessarily lay heavier rails (weighing seventy 
 pounds per yard) and that will cost ;^400,ooo. For 
 these reasons we do not fear the competition of Natal 
 so much ; her fighting power cannot be compared to 
 ours. But it is equally certain that the Delagoa line 
 will injure us, and the sooner we take this into con- 
 sideration the better for us. Beira and Delagoa are 
 the two ports that will do damage to our trade with 
 the interior. Let this be borne in mind. We have 
 given timely warning. Our onl}' favourable prospect 
 with regard to this state of aftairs is twofold : (i) the 
 McMurdo arbitration still threatens, like the sword of 
 Damocles, both Portugal and the Nethcrland Railway 
 Company ; (2) the fact that the Transvaal, according 
 to the Concession, can at any time take over the line 
 and pay out according to the rate of the profit made,
 
 THE COMPETING SEAPORTS 
 
 :i7 
 
 results in this, that the Company is more intent on 
 making quick proHts than on thinking of a competition 
 which can be injurious to both parties. 
 
 The following comparison given by the Natal Mercury 
 is not unimportant, giving the costs of the three com- 
 peting ports from London to Johannesburg ; we shall 
 therefore close this chapter with a few figures, though 
 they are not in our favour. Taking one ton of 2240 
 pounds weight of rough goods, being ;^50 in value, the 
 costs are as follow : 
 
 VIA DELAGOA BAY. 
 
 Shipping expenses and landing 
 Import dues 3 per cent, on £^0 
 Agencies, &c. 
 Railway, at 4s. zd. per 100 lb. 
 
 £ s. 
 
 d. 
 
 I 12 
 
 6 
 
 I 10 
 
 
 
 15 
 
 
 
 4 13 
 
 4 
 
 8 10 10 
 
 VIA NATAL. 
 
 Shipping expenses and landing . 
 Import dues, 5 per cent, on ;^50 . 
 Agencies, &c. ..... 
 
 Tug fund and wharfage 
 
 Railway transport at 4s. 8^(/. per 100 lb. 
 
 £ 5. d. 
 
 . I 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 . 2 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 5 
 
 
 
 • 5 
 
 5 
 
 6 
 
 9 16 6
 
 2i8 RHODESIA 
 
 VIA PORT ELIZABETH. 
 
 Shipping expenses and landing . 
 Import dues, 5 per cent, on /"50 . 
 Agencies, &c. ..... 
 
 Wharfage, § per cent 
 
 Railway transport at 6s. 8(/. per 100 lb. 
 
 £ 
 . I 
 
 5. 
 7 
 
 d. 
 6 
 
 . 2 
 
 10 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 6 
 
 
 
 . 
 
 3 
 
 9 
 
 • 7 
 
 9 
 
 4 
 
 II 16 7 
 
 So you see, reader, our chances compared with 
 Delagoa do not stand very high. It is no pleasant 
 task to be the messenger of bad tidings. We feel, 
 however, the satisfaction of having given a correct 
 statement of the case, which time will justify. 
 
 Printtd by Ballantyne, Hanson (St' Co. 
 London i-' Edinburgh
 
 The Out^oinor Turk. 
 
 Impressions of a Journey in the Western Balkans- 
 By H. C. THOMSON. 
 
 With Seventy-six Illustrations from Photographs taken by the Author 
 and Others, and Three Maps. 
 
 In One I 'olumc, demy Svo, price i.fs, net. 
 
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 situation in Turkey, and a consideration of the effect likely to be produced 
 upon it by the impending insurrection in Macedonia. 
 
 The Chltral Campaign. 
 
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 With 155 Illustrations from Photographs and Drawings made on the 
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 In One Volume, demy Svo, price 12s, 6d. 
 
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 on the Niger, of the character of the river and the country it waters, of the 
 varied types of people on its banks, of their extensive boat traffic, of their 
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 London: WILLIAM HEINEMANN, 21 Bedford Street, W.C.
 
 The New Africa. 
 
 A Journey up the Chobe and down the 
 Okovango Rivers. 
 
 By AUREL SCHULZ, M.D. 
 
 AND 
 
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 /// One Volume, demy Svo, with many Illustrations. 
 
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 Dr. Schulz's work deals with a portion of South Africa hitherto unex- 
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 pleasant manner. a/^ 
 
 ( 
 
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 Or., The Coming Continent. 
 By FRANK VINCENT. 
 
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 With Map and over loo Neio Illustrations. Demy Svo, 2fs. 
 
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 scenes and sights which he describes from personal knowledge. This 
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 extending over the years 1891-93." 
 
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