LIFE IN BONAPARTE'S PRISON.
In order to reach Broadbottom Camp we had to ascend a remarkably rocky
cliff named "Jacob's Ladder," the face of which was cut into a
multitudinous series of steps. Having reached the summit we found a
pleasing view of the Island opened before us. We now discovered that
St. Helena was not the totally-barren rock we had at first been led to
suppose. Patches of trees and greenery met our gaze, and in the midst
of a carefully-cultivated plantation we espied a beautiful house, the
habitation of the Governor of the Island. On our way we encountered a
party of our fellow-prisoners, who, having been guilty of
insubordination, were being taken to the dreary fort at High Knoll for
punishment. Amongst these unfortunates we recognised several friends,
but were not permitted to talk to them.
At sundown our destination was reached at Broadbottom Camp, which is
situated under High Peak. Before us stretched a large space enclosed
by four encirclements of barbed wire containing the tents and houses
which formed the temporary homes of the prisoners-of-war. Sentries
were posted at every hundred paces. There were 2,000 prisoners
stationed here, and as they wandered aimlessly round they forcibly
reminded me of the Israelites in exile.
On entering the camp I was received by the commandant, Colonel Wright,
a typical Briton, who made no pleasant impression upon me. I shall not
be querulous, although the Colonel very bluntly notified to me that he
had no instructions but to treat me in the same manner as the ordinary
prisoners, and added that as my name had appeared in the list of Boer
officers who were sentenced to banishment, he doubted whether I was
entitled even to the treatment accorded to the ordinary
prisoners-of-war. However, a tent was erected for me, and I and my
companions in adversity were given beds and culinary utensils. My bed
consisted of two khaki blankets and a waterproof sheet, and my kitchen
utensils comprised a pot, a washing basin, a pail, two enamelled
plates, two large mugs, and a spoon. This is a complete inventory of
the articles with which I was provided. I and the prisoners who had
accompanied me had not tasted food throughout the whole day, and we
would have gone supperless to bed had it not been that some
compassionate brother prisoners ministered to our inner needs by
providing us with some bully beef and bread, which, though but a
frugal meal, was very welcome to us.
Camp life of the kind I now experienced was wearisome indeed. There
was nothing to do, and we tried to while away the time by singing
psalms and songs. At night the camp and its environments were rendered
almost as bright as day by the glaring light of huge naphtha flares
and by large search-lights which played round, making attempts at
escape hopeless. It appeared to me that the search-lights were
continually being turned in my direction, and I can assure you that I
wished these glaring abominations at Hades. The buzzing and roaring
noise given forth by the naphtha lamps, the monotonous chanting of the
prisoners, the perpetual "All's well" of the sentries, and the
intermingling notes of the bugle calls suffused the air with their
distracting sounds and made me feel as if my head were in a maelstrom.
The bugler was so amiable a person that he always made it a point of
standing close to my tent when launching forth to the world his
shrieking calls. Happily I became acclimatised to my distasteful
surroundings, or I fear I should have soon graduated as a patient for
a lunatic asylum.
I unhappily became at an early date acquainted with Colonel Price,
commanding the troops on the Island. I shall never forget his
demeanour towards me, for from the first his attitude was arrogant,
cruel, and generally unbearable. He refused me parole, and declined to
give me a pass beyond the confines of the camp. The unreasonableness
of this hard treatment will be seen when it is remembered that not the
slightest possibility of escape from the Island existed. The close
confinement began to play havoc with my health, and I was in the fair
way to the hospital, when a friendly doctor intervened and restored me
to health once more. The rigid discipline and the stern regulations
that were enforced can only be likened to what is experienced in
monastic life. The "red-tape" curse prevailed everywhere.
Subsequently Colonel Price modified his tone towards me and allowed me
parole. He was also gracious enough to permit me and some companions
to occupy a little house 400 paces from the camp. This was a very
agreeable change, for now we were no longer subjected to the harsh
treatment of the "Tommies." Our little residence rejoiced in the
pleasantly-floral name of the "Myrtle Grove," and was rented by us
from an old coloured lady who vigorously insisted upon the punctual
payment of the rent, and drew our special attention to the fact that
plucking pears in the garden was strictly prohibited.
We had been told that the "Myrtle Grove" was haunted by ghosts, but
the ghosts, if any there were, must have been pro-Boers, since they
never disturbed us. But though we had no ghostly visitors we certainly
had some of another kind. The house was perfectly infested by
particularly large and bold rats. These thieving rodents, not
satisfied with robbing our larder, had the audacity to sup off our
fingers and ears while we were asleep. We waged vigorous war against
the vermin, and after considerable difficulty managed to get the
residence exclusively to ourselves. With the addition of some
furniture, with which Colonel Wright was good enough to provide us, we
made our house so comfortable that we felt ourselves almost in a
position to invite the Governor to dinner.
Our landlady, Mrs. Joshua, was the proud possessor of several donkeys,
which were turned loose in our garden, and a large number of fowls. I
may say that Mrs. Joshua was very ill-advised in keeping her fowls so
near our house, for our cook, who had been trained in commando, was
unable to resist the temptation of appropriating eggs. It did not,
however, take our landlady long to find out what was happening, and we
were informed that it was very much more Christianlike to purchase
eggs. We took the hint, and adopted as far as we could Christianlike
methods, though we found it extremely difficult to subscribe to all
the principles of Christianity practised by the Islanders.
We whiled away the time by taking daily walks, and, by making
excursions to the house at Longwood tenanted by Napoleon Bonaparte for
six and a half years, and to the grave where his remains were interred
for 19 years. I noticed that both places were being preserved and kept
in order by the French Government. We used to sit by the little
fountain, where the great French warrior so frequently sat, and read.
We were permitted to drink a glass of water from this historical
spring.
At Deadwood Camp 4,000 of my compatriots were confined. Some had been
there for over two years, and I could not help admiring their
discipline. It is not for me to criticise the entirely unnecessary
restrictions to which these unfortunate prisoners were subjected, but
I will point out that the severity practised towards helpless
prisoners by armed soldiers created feelings of great bitterness. It
was a stupid policy to pursue and perhaps fateful.
The military authorities were entirely unacquainted with the character
and mannerisms of the Boers, and were advised in this connection by
so-called "Cape" or "English" Afrikanders, who bear an ineradicable
hatred to the Boers, and who always did their utmost to cause the
prisoners to be treated with humiliation and contempt. Happily a
number of English officers whom I met on the Island saw that we were
not so black as we had been painted. Most of the officers who acted as
our custodians here had come direct from England and knew nothing of
South Africa. One of these gentlemen confessed to me that when he
left London for St. Helena he had a sort of idea that he was to be
placed in charge of a troop of wild barbarians, and that he had been
quite agreeably disappointed. He declared, indeed, that he had found
that the Afrikander in some respects was superior to men of his own
nation.
It was undoubtedly a sad error for England to send officers to look
after us, who, not having had any experience of South African warfare,
were entirely ignorant of our idiosyncrasies and manners. The result
of placing these inexperienced men as our guards was that one
misunderstanding followed upon another, and that unnecessarily
rigorous regulations were promulgated to preserve discipline and
order. This treatment had the effect of nourishing within our bosoms
hatred and bitterness.
Not being desirous of having to undergo incarceration with my
insubordinate fellow-prisoners at High Knoll Fort, I carefully
refrained from being unruly, and practised an orderly and amiable
demeanour.
On one occasion I ventured to approach Colonel Price with a view to
obtaining some amelioration in our treatment, and some remission of
the rigorous regulations meted out to us. After keeping me waiting
half an hour he came out of his office to meet me, but instead of
extending a greeting he stared at me with ill-concealed amazement,
probably expecting that I should jump up and salute him. I, however,
merely rose and nodded, and enquired if I had the honour of addressing
Colonel Price. He answered stiffly, "Yes, what do you want?" It was
greatly disconcerting to be thus unceremoniously and discourteously
greeted, and having explained my mission, I withdrew and took care to
fight shy of this arrogant soldier in future.
I may say that our little party at "Myrtle Grove" was a few weeks
later augmented by the arrival of Vaal Piet Uys and Landdrost T.
Kelly.
We had in the meantime improved our acquaintance with Colonel Wright,
who always treated us with cordiality and kindness, and allowed us
frequently the privilege of spending pleasant afternoons at his house.
Mrs. Wright was a charming hostess, and did everything in her power to
lessen the feeling of humiliation with which we regarded our sad
plight.
I should perhaps mention that St. Helena boasts of some elegant
society. A few years before our confinement the Zulu chief, Dinizulu,
was banished within the rocky bounds of this island prison. This son
of Cain had during his detention here been invited to all the
fashionable parties and dances, and had been honoured with an
invitation to the Governor's house. He was feted at dinners and public
festivities--but of course it must be remembered that Dinizulu was a
kaffir and we were only Boers. Fancy, my Afrikander brothers, a
self-respecting English young lady consenting to dance with this
uncivilised kaffir! Imagine, they allowed him to dine at the same
table, and to drive in the same carriage with them! I do not know how
this information strikes my readers, but I must say that when the
Governor of the Island, an elderly gentleman named Sterndale, with 35
years of the Indian Civil Service behind him, informed me that such
had been the case, I was rendered speechless.
I would not have it supposed, however, that we prisoners had any
special ambition to attend balls and dinners, for we were not in the
mood for festivities, and even had we desired we could hardly with
propriety have appeared at these elegant boards and gatherings dressed
in our shabby apparel.
A number of the prisoners received permission from the authorities to
pursue the various crafts and employments with which they were
conversant, at the small daily wage of between sixpence and a
shilling. This pay was a ridiculously small remuneration for the large
amount of work which the men executed. A great diversity of trades
were represented by us prisoners. One was a mason, another a farmer, a
third an apothecary, while a fourth was a goldsmith, and so far did we
go that one man was appointed caterer for the St. Helena Club.
Months had now passed since I had been first brought a captive to this
island prison, and it approached the middle of May. Persistent though
rather vague reports about Peace continually reached us, but owing to
the strictness of the censors, who had an exaggerated idea of their
duties, any news from outside came to our anxious ears in very small
pieces, and gave us a very meagre idea of what was happening in South
Africa and other places outside. That we were all praying earnestly
for Peace needs no telling, especially if I may mention that some of
my comrades had been incarcerated on the island for two years and
eight months. I cannot adequately tell how wearisome their long exile
was to them.
Just before I was liberated from confinement, our old antagonists, the
3rd Battalion of "Buffs," under Colonel Brinckman, were detailed to
the Island. This regiment had seen two years of active service in
South Africa, and they were, therefore, soldiers who did not hold
their enemies in contempt.
I do not feel at this time, in view of the present tension of affairs,
able to pursue my account further; but if encouraged by a sympathetic
public to supplement this effort by a more detailed description of my
imprisonment at St. Helena, I may in the near future again seek their
indulgence.
Meanwhile, I take what I hope will prove but a temporary leave of my
readers, with the following explanatory details and critical comments
on the general characteristics of the War.