A BOER AND HIS FAMILY
The farmhouse at which our young friends arrived in such an unclean
state, was a really fine villa, had only lately been built, and was as
comfortable and commodious as any town-built villa, and as good looking
too. A verandah surrounded the house, affording a shady seat at any
time of the day; a convenience which is greatly valued in this country,
especially in December and January, when it is too hot and close to
remain indoors with any sort of comfort.
The rooms inside were comfortably furnished, each spare bedroom being
provided with a feather bed, wash-hand stand, chest of drawers,
surmounted by a mirror, and a couple of chairs. Of course the bedroom
of the father and mother of the house was the bedroom _par excellence_,
and was furnished in style. The dining-room possessed an expanding
dining-table and a suite of morocco covered chairs, also mahogany
sideboard, and a few pictures--sea views--mounted in gilded frames,
adorned the walls.
But the room on which the most money and care had been lavished was the
sitting-room. An upright piano in one corner faced an American organ
in the opposite corner; a thick carpet covered the floor, on which was
distributed a satin-covered drawing-room suite and table to match; a
whatnot and book cabinet occupied the two corners not filled by piano
and organ; innumerable vases, ornaments and nick-nacks completed
the decorations, as far as the furniture was concerned. As to the
walls, they were reserved for the family portraits--grandfathers and
grandmothers, both paternal and maternal--fathers and mothers ditto;
and then came two grand life-size portraits of the present head of the
family and his wife, flanking a family group of the whole existing
family.
The house overlooked a fine valley, through which flowed a rivulet of
bright clear water, from which was irrigated the grand orchard and
ornamental trees which occupied the whole stretch of ground lying
between the rivulet and the house. This orchard was the pride and
care of the mother of the house, who was assisted by a ‘Cape boy’
(bastard), who in turn was assisted by two or three Kaffirs in the
care of the orchard. She had taken particular pride in ordering fruit
trees and vines of the best and latest varieties, as well as roses
and flowering shrubs and ornamental trees, such as her neighbours had
never seen before, from the Cape and Natal. Of course, the father of
the house had enough to do, even with the assistance of the sons, in
looking after the numerous lands lying lower down the fertile valley,
and then he had the care of the large herd of cattle and sheep grazing
on the surrounding hills; besides which cares, he had lately been busy
planting timber and fodder trees. Lately he even had to do without the
assistance of his two sons, as one was studying for some profession in
Edinburgh and the other at Bloemfontein, O. F. S., while he himself had
lately been elected a member of the Volksraad, and was thus obliged to
spend four months of the year in town, assisting at the council of the
nation.
This particular farmer had not always been so well off as now. When he
first married he had this farm--inherited from his father--a couple
of hundred sheep, a dozen or so of cows, a waggon, and one span of
oxen. He and his wife went to live on this farm with no capital
whatever to work this uncultivated and houseless farm. He set to work,
built a _hartebeest house_ (mud house), composed of three little
rooms--kitchen, dining-room and sitting-room combined, and a little
bedroom. Together they worked and economised, saving every penny they
could, made _kraals_, planted trees, sowed the lands, made irrigation
furrows, and tended their flock of sheep, until they got fairly well
off and saved enough even to buy another half farm adjoining theirs.
The discoveries of gold came, gold was found on the lately bought half
farm, and was sold for £20,000 cash, with a quantity of shares in the
company buying it. Thus prosperity came, and our former struggling,
hard-working Boer, who had to put his own shoulder to the wheel and
work hard himself, if he wanted anything done, could take matters easy
and enjoy himself.
What did he do now--live on the fat of the land and let others do the
work? No. Just here I want to point out a peculiarity which I have
noticed in our Dutch farmers in the Transvaal.
In the boom for gold farms, many a formerly struggling farmer has
suddenly found himself a rich man, selling his farm, or one of his
farms, for from £10,000 to £100,000 or more, and yet, amongst them all,
I do not know of one of them that has given up his former simple mode
of life and leads a retired easy life. They may build a larger, finer
and more comfortable house, furnish it better, be more lavish in their
hospitality, but their former occupation is never given up. Still they
sow their lands, still they tend their flocks, still the season’s yield
of wool is taken to town, and from the proceeds thereof the household
requirements are provided. A progressive farmer will spend some of
his thousands to improve his farms, his implements and his stock,
but his occupation is kept, with few exceptions. Even members of the
Government, who formerly farmed, keep their farms going, visiting them
now and then, even though they could not attend to them themselves.
Even so with the particular farmer we have been describing. His wealth
increased his responsibilities and cares, but in nowise decreased his
work.
We have given this description of a farmer of the wealthier classes;
we would give his name, but it would serve no purpose, it might only
displease him, as he, in common with most of his race, dislikes
publicity. Let it suffice that the description given is from life.