"And so you've discovered a secret magazine of our friend Paul Kruger,
have you, Jack?" exclaimed Mr Hunter when the adventure of the previous
night had been narrated to him. "Well, the existence of arms in that
part of the country is more than I or any one of us had guessed. That
ammunition and guns of all description are pouring into the Transvaal,
and have been pouring in for the past three years, there is no doubt.
They come openly from Delagoa Bay, and from the south under cover of
some other name. Yes, we all know what is going on; but now the fact of
there being a big magazine close to the Natal border opens my eyes. I
have often heard it said that the Boers are ready to fight for their
independence, but would not attack their neighbours till they were
compelled to do so. Then I have heard it rumoured, and very often too,
that the government at Pretoria has bigger schemes in view.
"Cecil Rhodes has, as is well-known, a strong desire to see a United
South Africa under the British flag; and if I make no mistake, Kruger
and his underlings are scheming to trample that spotless banner under
foot and replace it with the vierkleur. In my opinion they are capable
of anything, and I feel positive that a United South Africa under the
Boers, with Kruger president of all, and with a population solely
composed of Dutch, is aimed at. To oust the British is what they have
in view, and for that purpose they are hatching a gigantic conspiracy,
the result of which will be a terrible war."
"But surely, Mr Hunter, they would not dare to attack the English,"
Jack interposed. "We are the strongest nation on the face of the earth;
so strong, indeed, that no other European race would declare war upon us
if an honourable settlement were possible."
"Ah, Jack! you have learnt a deal since you came to Johnny's Burg, but
not enough yet of Boer ambitions and Boer cunning to be able to say
exactly what they would be capable of. For my own part, I believe what
I have said. England is face to face with a vast and dangerous
conspiracy, and these hardy and resolute Boers will yet prove a thorn in
her side. But to return to your adventure. You have certainly escaped
from a difficult position, and I congratulate you, my lad, on the pluck
and coolness you evidently showed. Had they put you against a wall and
shot you immediately you were discovered it would have been only what
might have been expected, for you undoubtedly possess a secret of theirs
which they have been jealously guarding. Supposing my theory of a war
with England is correct, that huge accumulation of war material close to
the border would enable them to despatch a force of Boers by train, and
post them and the guns on the passes, and upon the mountains which
separate us from Natal, within a few hours of the declaration of
hostilities. We could not possibly be ready, and instead of our manning
every rock and stone, and so preventing their passage into the country,
they would pour through the passes in their thousands, and the colony of
Natal would be invaded and in the hands of the enemy before our
countrymen had had time to recover from the surprise.
"Yes, it is a most important secret, and I fear you will be a marked
man. You have already made an enemy of Piet Maartens, and Hans Schloss
bears no better reputation than he. And you have wounded him, a fact
which he will never forget. But there are the others too. They will
have a score against you. Altogether, Jack, I think you will be wise to
leave us and get back to England as quickly as you can."
"You say there will be trouble soon, Mr Hunter?" Jack asked, after a
few moments' silence, during which he considered what he should do in
the circumstances.
"Yes, I firmly believe there will be an awful struggle between England
and the Boers before many weeks are past," replied Mr Hunter earnestly.
"Then, if that is the case," said Jack decisively, "we are likely to get
the worst of it for a time, and every man in South Africa will be
wanted."
"That is precisely what I think, Jack. Some, no doubt, would scoff at
me as a pessimist. But I speak from some experience and many years'
knowledge of the Boers. England, it is my firm belief, will be aghast
at the huge armaments and the large force opposed to her, and she will
require every man that can be found able and willing to shoulder a
rifle."
"Then I shall stay, Mr Hunter," Jack said quietly. "I've no great wish
to get back to a crammer's at present. A few months later will do just
as well, so I shall wait and see what happens. There is nothing I
should like better than to take part in a campaign. Not necessarily
against the Boers, for some of them seem good fellows, but in some war
alongside of British troops. Meanwhile, if the Transvaal has become too
dangerous a place for me to stay in, I can easily run down to Kimberley.
A few weeks amongst the mines would be excellent fun."
"Well, Jack, you must do just as you wish," answered Mr Hunter. "If
you stay in the country, you will do well to go to Kimberley, or one
dark night you will be having a bullet flying after you, for the Boers
are not apt to stick at trifles. They are men whom it is not well to
play with, and the code of honour is not so high amongst them as to
prevent their murdering one who possesses a secret likely to endanger
their future plans."
"I should think not, indeed, Father," chimed in Wilfred. "Look at the
mean tricks they played in the last war--firing on white flags and
ambulances, and saving their own skins by running away. You have often
told me how they treated our soldiers, and everyone here knows how they
bully the natives."
"They are a curious and, I believe, unique race," replied Mr Hunter;
"and if you two lads care to listen I will tell you what little I know
about them, and what are the precise difficulties which have led to such
friction here between the Boer Government and the Uitlander population."
"Do, by all means!" both lads cried.
"Well, I will; but first we'll have another glass of this cool stuff.
Tom Thumb!" he shouted. "Here, I want you."
A moment later the big Zulu appeared, clad in light check trousers and a
striped flannel shirt.
"Bring more `squashes' and a cigar," said Mr Hunter.
"Alright, Baas! I bring him plenty quick," Tom Thumb replied, turning
on his bare heels, and striding noiselessly into the pantry close by,
where soon the sound of popping soda-water-bottles told that he was
carrying out his master's orders.
A few minutes later the drink was placed on the arm of each chair, Mr
Hunter had lit his cigar, and was leaning back, puffing clouds of smoke
from his lips, and staring thoughtfully at the ceiling.
"Light up, boys!" he said at last. "It's a bit of a yarn, and wants to
be followed closely. Now, to start the ball rolling, as it were, I must
tell you who and what our neighbours are, and from what race they derive
their origin. You must know that the first whites to visit this vast
continent of Africa in its southern parts were of Dutch nationality.
They were servants of the Dutch East India Company, who placed a colony
of their countrymen at Table Bay to form a depot, where vessels could
put in and replenish their provisions and water with some degree of
safety. They were joined many years after by a band of French
Protestants who had been driven from their own country.
"In 1795 the Colony was taken over by the British by request of the
Stadtholder of Holland, who had been dethroned. But in seven years'
time we handed the country back again.
"Later on, however, our forces returned once more and ousted the Dutch,
setting up a government on the site which is now occupied by Cape Town.
Naturally, many of the Dutch and French immigrants had become possessed
of property, and had commenced to farm the land; and these stayed on
under the new rule. In process of time they intermarried, and by the
commencement of this century numbered about 75,000 souls all told. That
is the origin of the present Boer nation. They are sprung from the
union between Dutch and French settlers, who were the pioneers of
Africa.
"Then the British immigrant arrived and sat down by the side of the
Boers, and together, in perfect unity and good fellowship, they pushed
farther into the country, fighting one long continuous fight against
hordes of natives and against lions and other savage beasts. Every step
they advanced had to be fought for; for, just as the Bed Indians in
America have persistently resisted the onflow of strangers into their
hunting-grounds, so have the natives of South Africa fought to resist
the onward progress and invasion of the white settlers into the land
which they considered theirs by right of birth.
"But now--to hark back for one moment to that time when England stepped
in and took possession of the colony--a factor arose to upset the peace
and general agreement of Boer and Briton. The fact that they had been
handed over by their own government to the British, like so many sheep,
had roused the fiercest anger amongst the Boers. And now this
resentment was inflamed by the restraining hand which our government
laid upon them with regard to the natives.
"Years before, the Boer settlers had become accustomed to slave labour,
and as they pushed on into the country, natives were pressed into their
service. And these they had punished as each man considered the case
deserved. Probably because there was a plentiful supply of Kafirs and
Hottentots our Boer friends had not stopped at whipping the poor
fellows. They treated them with absolute brutality, even going to the
length of taking their lives.
"Such barbarous doings awoke in England a storm of anger, for, thank
God, our country has long been opposed to slavery. Freedom and equality
has been our motto for many years, and we have sustained it at no small
cost to ourselves.
"When the tales of Boer brutality became known to the folks at home, the
indignation it caused resulted in the emancipation of all slaves, and
from that date the `Baas', as the master is called, and the native `boy'
had equal rights; and to injure one of them was a crime punishable by
the same laws as hold good in England.
"You can imagine, my lads, what rage this new arrangement caused in the
hearts of the Boers. For years they had been free to do as they chose,
and now their slaves were theirs no longer, and the natives, who had
been in their masters' eyes like mere cattle, were now their equals in
point of law, and were not to be ill-treated with impunity.
"This was too much for the Dutchmen. The very sight of an Englishman
roused their anger and hate, and rather than be forced to live side by
side with them and be governed by their laws, they struck out a line for
themselves and trekked away north into the unexplored wilds. Taking
their wives and children with them, and driving their flocks, they set
out for the unknown, seeking isolation from the British, and a country
they could call their own.
"Thousands joined in what is known as the `Great Trek of 1837'. Some of
the more daring of them pushed on as far as the Vaal River, which, of
course you know, is the southern boundary of the Transvaal, or South
African Republic, as it is called nowadays. They paid dearly for their
temerity, for the Zulus came down in swarms against them and massacred
every one of them. But the staunch Boer, with his dogged pluck, in
which he much resembles our countrymen, was not the man to be deterred
by first failures. He pressed on, but in greater numbers and with more
caution, and when the Zulus attacked again, beat them off and drove them
out of the neighbouring country.
"Others of the Trekkers settled on the Zand River, in what is now the
Orange Free State, while others pushed across the veldt, and finally
crossed the passes of the Drakenberg Mountains and came to a halt in
Natal.
"But these last were also to meet with trouble from the Zulus, for
whilst their leaders were bargaining with Dingaan, the chief of that
fierce native tribe, they were fallen upon with barbarous ferocity and
slaughtered to a man.
"Well, you have often heard it said that when the black man sees blood,
no power on earth can keep him in check. That was what happened now.
The fierce Zulu warriors had dipped their assagais in the blood of their
white foes, and they were not to be held back. Like a wave they burst
over the smiling landscape of Natal, and when the tide had ebbed
hundreds of hapless men and women had been sent to their last account.
"That was the commencement of all the bitter hate which the Boer of the
present day has for the native race.
"I think you have seen, my lads," proceeded Mr Hunter, "that dogged
stubbornness of purpose and undoubted pluck were characteristics of that
old Boer people. They never knew when they were beaten, and no amount
of danger and hardship would prevent them from pushing on for that
promised land which was to be theirs alone, and where they might live in
freedom and solitude, with no thought for to-morrow, and with no cares
to upset the calm and peace of the life for which they longed.
"They banded themselves together and marched against the treacherous
Dingaan, only to be beaten. But again they gathered their forces under
the leadership of Andries Pretorius, and on December 16th, 1838, gave
the Zulus a tremendous thrashing, killing three thousand of them.
"Then, having settled the natives, they built their farms and appointed
from their number certain men who were to form the Volksraad or
parliament of their new possessions. But again the British stepped in
and intimated that they would not allow an independent state to be
formed in the colony. The Boers resisted, and hoisted their flag, but
reinforcements were sent up-country, and in May, 1842, the whole of
Natal was taken over as a British colony.
"Now, had these hardy pioneers cared to live under British rule, they
were free to stay on their farms in Natal. But hatred of all things
English was as prominent in their hearts as their enmity for the
natives. Britons should not rule them, they swore; nothing but absolute
independence would suit them, and so once more they trekked away and
joined their brothers on the Zand River.
"One really admires the persistence and pluck of those brave fellows.
To an Englishman freedom and independence is a birthright for which he
is ever ready to give his life, and to these uneducated Boers
interference of any sort was detestable. Brought up in a strictly
religious way, the Bible was the only book they ever cared to read.
They had no ambition, no wish to rise in the world, and no desire for
riches. Give each one a wife and children and a farm right away on the
lonely veldt, where he could ride for miles on miles with his gun across
his shoulder and never see a house or man, then he was happy. He was
independent, could go and come as he liked, and had no cares and worries
to destroy his happiness. It was not much to ask for, and had he but
acted as our countrymen have always done, his simple, pastoral existence
would never have been disturbed. But again ill-treatment of the natives
roused the ire of the British Government, and the Queen's authority was
asserted over the whole of the Orange Free State.
"It always strikes me as remarkable that men so devoutly inclined, whose
honour and integrity were in those days characteristic of them, and
whose private lives were almost always so upright and correct, should
still forget that after all a native is but one of God's creatures,
placed in this world to live in happiness. But they could not realise
it. The Bible spoke of slavery, and that was good enough for them.
"Well, my boys, we now come to the last trek. England took over the
Orange Free State, and the Boers only gave it up after a stern conflict
at Boomplaats, in which they were beaten. With Pretorius, their leader,
they took their wagons and horses, and pushed on in a northerly
direction till they were beyond the 25th degree south latitude. Here
they settled once more, and those hardy pioneers, amongst whom I believe
was President Kruger, are the oldest white inhabitants of this the South
African Republic. At last they were in a country all their own. They
chose the members of their Volksraad, and promptly scattered to lay out
their farms, and commence that life of simple ease for which their
hearts had longed.
"At the same time, too, the English Government handed over the Orange
Free State to the settlers there, and the two young Republics started
into being, the one with Mr Boshof as president, and the other with
Pretorius.
"There you have the history of our neighbours. But before passing on to
tell you about the first Boer war, in which I myself took a part, I must
mention that the Basutos, who have their country wedged as it were into
the Free State, had constant conflicts with the Boers. They are now
happy and contented under our own rule, but they bear an undying hatred
for their neighbours which at any time may lead to further troubles.
"And now, my boys, to get to more recent times, that is to say, the past
twenty years or so. We have, as I have endeavoured to show you, two
Boer republics adjacent to one another, and only sparsely populated.
South of them are Cape Colony and Natal, also populated by Dutchmen and
blood relations of the Boers, while amongst them are many British
settlers.
"I have told you how our neighbours dealt with their native servants.
Now that they had been given their independence they were free to do as
they liked, save that slavery would not have been permitted. But, to
the Boer, native labour is everything. His one aim and object in life
is to live at peace with all the world, to possess vast stretches of
country which shall be all his own, and in the heart of which he may
bury himself away from the world, troubling only to till by means of
native servants sufficient land to supply his wants, and devoting
himself to the rearing of cattle. His daily routine of life since
independence was assured was to rise with the lark, and ride round his
lands counting his herds of cattle. That done he was at leisure all the
rest of the day. His life was simplicity itself; the gaieties and
amusements of cities, and social intercourse with other men, never upset
the serenity of his existence. His soul longed to be free of them all.
He was at last, and determined to be to his dying day, king of the
stretches of plain he owned. No one should oust him from them, and for
his happiness it only sufficed that he should live alone with his own
family, sit the livelong day upon the stoep (step) of his farmhouse,
drinking coffee and smoking incessantly, while he gazed listlessly
across the waving grass and veldt, and busied himself with thoughts the
nature and depth of which could not be great.
"Dressed in rough cloth coat and trousers, and with a dilapidated slouch
hat upon his head, he never troubled to discard his clothing. His beard
and hair were seldom trimmed, and his toilet was a matter of which he
never thought.
"But all the while, though nothing seemed to stir him from his lazy
life, the mere suspicion that his dearly-cherished independence was in
danger brought him to tear himself away from his peaceful farm, and,
rifle in hand, to place himself shoulder to shoulder with his brother
Boer to fight for the Republic.
"For twenty years the Boers maintained a constant succession of disputes
as regards the frontiers of the Transvaal. Now it was with the Orange
Free State, and at another time with the English. But at last they
picked a quarrel with Sekukuni, whose country lies to the northeast of
us, and this led to open warfare.
"Now, all along I have given our neighbours credit for staunch and
dogged pluck, though I am bound to confess that their constant
association with the natives has taught them dishonest and treacherous
habits. But to be really brave our friends must lie behind the rocks.
It is against their nature to fight when exposed in the open. True
guerilla warfare is their motto; to shoot down the enemy unawares, and
without showing so much as a finger.
"For defence these tactics are excellent, but for attack quite useless.
Sekukuni and his followers proved too much for the Boers. Hidden in
caves from which nothing but a frontal attack and absolute disregard of
danger could dislodge them, they laughed at our neighbours, who were far
too careful of their own safety to make a rush.
"The Boers were forced to retire, but only to face more troubles. To
live in idleness and ease is not to make the wherewithal with which to
support a government. Their public money ran out, their coffers were
empty, and hordes of natives pressed upon their borders.
"In this predicament, when only 12 shillings 6 pence remained to their
credit, the British Government stepped in again, for we could not afford
to allow the Zulus to become possessed of land close to our colonies,
and on April 12th, 1877, Sir Theophilus Shepstone annexed the Transvaal.
Troops were despatched against Sekukuni, and he was beaten; and to
follow it up, we entered upon hostilities with the Zulus, the hereditary
foe of the Boers, and after some terribly trying work, broke the power
of the notorious Cetewayo. Rorke's Drift and Ulundi are names which
will never be forgotten at home, and Isandhlwana will for ever be spoken
of with bated breath.
"After annexing the country we garrisoned the different towns, and all
went well for a time. But, though the better-educated Boers had looked
kindly at our government, the ignorant, narrow-minded, and pig-headed
peasants thought only of their independence. Once the much-feared Zulus
had been crushed, their debts paid, and their finances put in order,
they forgot their gratitude to us, and longed to be free again. And,
mind you, my boys, they did not shout or brawl about it. They worked
sullenly and in secret, as a result of which they determined upon revolt
against their English masters.
"They elected a provisional Boer Government, with Kruger, Joubert, and
Pretorius at the head, and opened their rebellion by attacking a convoy
and escort of our soldiers from Lydenburg to Pretoria at Bronkers
Spruit.
"It was a detestable affair. They ordered Colonel Anstruther, who was
in command, to halt and turn back. He persisted in obeying his orders,
and in a moment, from the hills around, the Boers poured in a terrific
fusilade, picking off officers first and men last like so many sheep.
The remainder they took prisoners, compelling them to take the places of
the slaughtered oxen and drag the wagons to Pretoria.
"To cap all this they foully murdered Captain Elliot, one of two
officers to whom they had given permission to leave the country, and
whom they drove into the river Vaal when in flood, pouring volleys into
them as they struggled in the water.
"And now to tell you of my own part in the affair," said Mr Hunter.
"But first of all, pass me another cigar, Jack, and shout to Tom Thumb
for some more of this stuff. It's rather dry work giving you a yarn of
this length."
Tossing away the stump of his old cigar, Mr Hunter carefully selected
another, and having lit it and gulped down a few mouthfuls of
lemon-squash, he placed his feet on the rail of the verandah, leant back
in his comfortable chair, and proceeded with his narrative.
"Wilfred knows all about it, of course," he commenced, "but I dare say
you'll be surprised to hear, Jack, that I was once a soldier of the
Queen. That is to say, I was a gunner with my battery in Africa when
the Boer troubles first began. I look comfortable and fat enough now, I
think you'll agree, and I'm doing as well in the world as I could wish;
but the fact remains that I was once a soldier. I had been a reckless
and restless lad at home in England, and rather than settle down in
trade as a grocer's assistant, I donned the queen's uniform. And let me
tell you, my boys, the army is by far the best place for all such
youngsters as I was. It's a kind of big school where those who like can
climb up the rungs of the ladder, and find themselves, when they go back
to civil life, in far better positions than they might otherwise have
occupied. It does not matter who or what you were before you 'listed;
it's each for himself, and it is the smart, sober lad, who is respectful
and knows his work, who gets promotion to the non-commissioned rank.
"But I'm talking of the Boer War. Well, my battery of six guns was sent
up into Natal, with about 870 men, mostly of the 58th Regiment and the
60th Rifles, with a few of the 2nd Scots Fusiliers and a Naval Brigade,
all under Sir George Pomeroy Colley. We joined hands at Newcastle, some
thirty miles south of Laing's Nek, and marched up there on January 26th,
forming camp at Mount Prospect, three miles from the slopes of the
Drakenberg range, where the Boers were known to be in force.
"Now I am not going to tell you every incident of the engagements we
fought. The memory of three successive defeats is too painful, but to
make matters clear to you I will just mention each in turn.
"Laing's Nek was the first, and on that fatal day we marched out of camp
and up the rugged and zigzag road which leads to the pass of that name.
On either side of us some 1500 Boers were posted, and we attacked those
on the right. Our gallant boys of the 60th Rifles and the 58th Regiment
marched directly against them, whilst we with the guns and the `tars'
with their rockets were posted in the rear. It was a one-sided
conflict. We had only stones to fire at, while our poor lads, many of
them, like myself, mere youngsters, were out in the open, without cover
of any kind, and wearing white helmets, which were simply a series of
bull's-eyes for the enemy.
"I shall never forget that morning. The sun came up over the mountain
peaks, making them look like golden pinnacles. Then, passing down the
green elopes of the hills, it lit up the valley, with its dusty road,
and its little farmhouse nestling on the left at the foot of the steep
incline. And there, moving across the grass in regular order, and with
the rays flashing from their helmets and rifle-barrels, were our brave
fellows, many of them marching to their death.
"Well, well, such things must be, I suppose! England has not done all
the glorious acts for which she is famous without a deal of suffering
and much loss of life.
"When our troops started up the slopes a perfect hail of lead was poured
into their ranks, and every bullet, mind you, was directed by an unseen
hand, and by a hand which, backed up by a steady eye, never failed, even
from the back of a galloping horse, to bring down the swiftest deer that
ever ran.
"But though many of our gallant lads fell, the remainder reached a
ridge, fixed bayonets, and prepared to charge. They were met by a
murderous fire, which almost decimated them, and the same fate befell a
squadron of the 1st Dragoon Guards, who charged the enemy's flank.
"The Boers pressed forward immediately, and we were forced to retire.
"That was the end of that engagement. We sent in a flag of truce in
order that we might gather our wounded, who were unmolested by the
Boers, save in one instance, when a cowardly ruffian was caught in the
act of shooting a helpless soldier, and was promptly bayoneted by one of
the injured man's comrades.
"We were now in a pretty tight hole. Surrounded on all sides by the
Boers, our supplies were cut off completely. But on February 8th we
moved out of camp back towards Newcastle, from which town a convoy was
to set out to join us. It never started, but we were ignorant of that,
and, pushing forward, crossed the Ingogo River, which runs transversely
across that portion of Natal. The guns remained on the other side, and
were at once at it hammer and tongs, throwing shrapnel at the Boers, who
were strongly posted opposite to us.
"It was the same old tale again. There wasn't so much as a hat to be
seen, but every tuft of grass, every mimosa bush and stone sheltered a
keen-eyed and stout-hearted marksman. Yes, my lads, I will give them
their full due. They were roused to desperation in a struggle for
independence, and they were in their element. Themselves in shelter,
save from our shrapnel fire, which searched their hiding-places, they
aimed steadily and coolly at our boys, with fatal results. For six long
hours we stuck to it, and then retired, dragging the guns with us, for
most of the horses had been killed.
"It was our second reverse, and we returned to camp dispirited, drenched
with rain, which had been falling since the afternoon, and thoroughly
exhausted, leaving our wounded under the red-cross flag in charge of the
army surgeons. Our infantry behaved nobly in the face of insurmountable
difficulties, and it was no fault of theirs that they were beaten.
Opposed to us were a host of men, wholly undrilled and unused to modern
warfare. Yet they showed the greatest foresight and cunning in the
selection of their trenches, and no one, not even the most experienced
veteran, could have improved upon their tactics.
"It was a hot day for us at the guns. We were well within rifle range,
and long before the action was over every one of us had been shot. I
had a bullet through my shoulder, but was able to get away with the
others, though most of my comrades were killed. But to show you the
pluck of our brave fellows, when all the gunners were helpless, some of
the infantry manned and served the guns in spite of the heavy losses
they sustained.
"It was a nasty reverse, but not the worst we were to suffer. In a
fatal moment our brave general decided to make a night march and occupy
the crest of Amajuba Hill. With 545 men he set out at nine o'clock,
reaching his destination only as the dawn was breaking. When the Boers
saw our fellows there, they were on the point of bolting, but they
rallied, and, dashing across the open ground on their wonderful little
ponies, were hidden out of sight at the base of the hill long before we
could punish them. Then commenced a conflict for which there was but
one ending. Our poor fellows were too much exhausted by their long
march and arduous climb to entrench themselves, and the slopes below the
summit were not occupied by skirmishers, for whom there was ample cover.
Instead, we manned the edge of a shallow depression which formed the
summit of the hill, and every man of ours was sharply defined against
the sky. Below, seated behind the rocks, the Boers picked them off one
by one, and soon the whole hill was surrounded. Foot by foot they
pushed upwards, and at last with one final rush carried the position.
"That was a bad day for all the poor Englishmen out there, and ever
since it has been an evil day for all our countrymen. It is a smudge,
my lads, upon a slate which has seldom known one before. Our poor
fellows behaved nobly, but they were helpless; the position which, if
entrenched and manned by a sufficient force, should have been
impregnable, was untenable, and those of the troops who survived the
last onslaught ran for their lives as Englishmen have seldom been known
to do.
"But there! The mention of it sickens me. We were beaten after a
gallant fight, so I will make an end of the matter.
"By this time General Sir Evelyn Wood, who had conducted a share of the
operations in Zululand with such great distinction, had reached
Newcastle with a relieving force, and hoped to have it substantially
increased in the course of a few days. Meanwhile an armistice was
agreed upon for eight days.
"At the termination of that period there is little doubt that this able
leader would have outflanked the Boers and gained a signal success, but
he never had the opportunity.
"All the Dutchmen in Africa were hotly incensed at England's action in
attacking this small state, and in Holland there was the same feeling.
The Orange Free Staters, too, were ready to join with their brothers,
and indeed had already helped to a large extent with men and money.
After a short extension of the armistice, a peace was made, one of the
terms being that England should hold suzerain power over the Transvaal
and control its foreign affairs, and another, that Boers and British
should have equal rights.
"Meanwhile I must tell you that our garrisons in the Transvaal had been
invested by the enemy and had gallantly resisted. And it was at these
attacks that the most outrageous use of the white flag was made. Our
men were lured on by its demonstration, and shot down mercilessly when
they showed themselves.
"When the war was over, our troops were withdrawn, leaving the Boer and
British settlers face to face, distrustful of one another, and holding
themselves apart.
"Hosts of our countrymen, attracted by the wealth of the Transvaal, had
settled there and invested their money, and these were specially bitter
at the manner in which they had been left to the tender mercies of the
Boers.
"There is no doubt about it that had we marshalled our forces and
crushed the enemy then and there, we should have removed a dangerous
thorn from our side. But we were too magnanimous, and we shall have to
pay for it.
"And now to tell you, in as few words as possible, what has happened
since.
"In 1885 gold was discovered in this country, and as with the goldfields
of America, thousands flocked to participate in the wealth to be
obtained. Towns sprang up in every direction, and Johannesburg became a
golden city, the heart of the mining industry. Here, at the present day
there are some 100,000 of us more or less, and in the whole of the
Transvaal there are quite 180,000 Uitlanders, or outsiders, as we are
called. We found the mines, we have opened them, and it is our money
which has worked them and erected the splendid stamps with which to
crush the ore.
"I may tell you that we are a cosmopolitan lot, for amongst us are all
nationalities; and in addition we are a strictly business class of men.
We have come here to make money, and we invest it in the mines or in the
country, for the Transvaal teems with natural riches. Here beneath our
feet we have the gold-bearing quartz, and close at hand there are
excellent coal-mines. There is iron ore in abundance, with coal
alongside it to work it with. Lead, copper, and other metals are to be
found in plenty, and if that were not all, the land has not a rival for
grazing purposes. It is the best corn-producing country known, and in
addition it is blessed with a wonderful climate, which at this altitude
makes it a splendid health resort.
"But do you think our friends the Boers recognise all these things?
Certainly not. They always were and always will be, in the main,
ignorant and illiterate farmers, stubbornly opposed to progress. Even
the best amongst them have, till quite recently, been unable to write an
ordinary letter, and all the public appointments, save the president's
chair and the seats in the all-powerful Volksraad, are filled by
salaried clerks recruited from the Afrikanders of Dutch stock, or from
the Dutchmen of Holland itself.
"These men are under the president and his autocratic government, and I
will, if I can, explain exactly what has happened to cause all the bad
blood between us and our Boer masters.
"Ever since that fatal peace of 1881 the Boer has shown an open contempt
of the Englishman. His arrogance has passed the bounds of belief,
especially in the case of the younger generation, in whom the same ideas
have been instilled.
"We have never got on well together. There has been no sympathy between
us, and while we see them leading indolent lives and spending money
recklessly, we know that that same money comes from our own pockets,
that we, the workers, pay through the nose for the privilege of staying
here and managing the mines, while they look on and live in ease and
luxury.
"The Republic has an income of some five-and-a-half millions per annum.
Think of it! Five-and-a-half millions, when only twenty years ago there
was but 12 shillings 6 pence in their coffers. And of this vast sum
five millions are paid by us, the Uitlander population, while the 70,000
Boers contribute only half a million.
"We should not mind the amount so much, though everything we eat or
drink, or require for the working of our mines, is taxed to the highest;
but what we do grumble at, and what is fast helping to hurry on a
disruption between us, is the fact that we have no voice in its
expenditure. We slave and pay, and they loaf and spend the money
recklessly, investing huge sums in arms and ammunition and defensive
works, and in keeping up a staff of foreigners with which to train their
gunners.
"There is no Government here. It is a corrupt oligarchy, with such
autocratic powers and under such a stubborn and autocratic president
that even the judgments of the courts can be tampered with.
"`Why should you expect citizen rights and representatives in our
Volksraad?' Kruger says when approached on the subject of our
grievances. `You, who came here unbidden to disturb our peace, and come
only with the object of making fortunes and returning home.'
"For years now we have striven for an amicable settlement. It is a
vital question with all of us, for we do not forsake the country after
making money; we invest our wealth here, and we have solid interests for
which we have good cause to fight.
"We even organised a Reform Committee and smuggled in arms. But all our
hopes were dashed by the Jameson raid. That was a fatal mistake. We
wished to press our claims for voting-powers, but not by force. Our
weapons were only for defensive purposes. A few, however, were for
upsetting the present Government by a show of arms, and for this purpose
invited the gallant but reckless doctor to come in with his forces to
their aid, promising to meet him.
"Of course you know he came too soon, riding right away from the
Rhodesian border. We were not even agreed to meet him, and he and his
force suffered defeat at the hands of the Boers. It was a gallant but
an extremely foolhardy movement.
"Since then our grievances have increased. Numbers of necessaries are
monopolies, for which we have to pay a tremendous price, and on top of
all two new laws have been passed. One, the Press Law, makes it
impossible for us to air our grievances in the papers; and the other,
the Alien Expulsion Law, decrees that any foreigner who by word or deed
disturbs the peace of the country shall be expelled without appeal to
the courts.
"It is monstrous! In no other place in the whole of the civilised world
are Englishmen treated so shamefully. We have done all that is
possible, and now we have appealed to our Government, who are carrying
on negotiations with Pretoria.
"And meanwhile the Boer population is becoming more and more openly
hostile. They evince it in every possible action, and they do not
hesitate to show that they are armed to the teeth, while we are
completely without weapons. But do you think all this agitation will
end in peace? Do you think that autocratic, pig-headed Kruger will give
in in the slightest? No, my lads, he will not, I am assured. He cares
nothing for us. Our needs, our grievances, are little to him, and only
serve as a pretext for a rupture with England. He is as sly as a fox,
and has more ambition than any single individual in this world. For
many long years he has waited for a day when the British Lion shall be
engaged in some European war, and then, and only then, has he been
prepared to drive us out, and throw off the suzerain power of England,
that hated power which destroys his sense of independence. But he does
not stop there. A united Africa, a vast republic with Paul Kruger as
its first president or king, is what he aims at; and to bring that about
he is on the eve of defying the might of our great empire. He has the
guns and ammunition, the money lies in abundance beneath our feet, and
the men he will obtain by harping on that independence for which all are
sworn to lay down their lives. Once the fire is kindled, a gigantic and
terrible blaze will sweep over the land, Englishmen who have married
Boer wives and settled here will find themselves opposed to their own
country, throughout Africa there will be treachery, the bad blood of the
Dutch population will be roused, and many of Her Majesty's subjects will
go over to the Boers.
"They do not realise this in England. They think that a few thousand
troops will be sufficient should the emergency arise. But they will not
be. Of that I am certain, for we are face to face with the biggest and
most dangerous conspiracy that we have ever been called upon to meet.
It will be a struggle for supremacy in Africa, and England will have to
put out all her strength. Should she fail--and I trust and firmly
believe that she will not--it will be the first step down on the ladder,
which in the end will mean the dismemberment and the downfall of the
most glorious empire that the world has ever seen.
"But we shall see. If we suffer reverses at first we shall learn by
them, and I prophesy that this coming war will bring out England's
manhood and unanimity. Her sons will flock from the remotest corners of
the world, her colonies will vie with one another to help her, and from
every shore, from every spot which harbours an Englishman all eyes will
be turned towards the great white mother.
"My lads, I am not romancing. I am telling you this in sober earnest.
We are a slow and unemotional race, but we are true, and we are dogged,
even more so than the Boers, and if real danger confronts the nation,
woe to those who have attacked her. We shall want a lot of beating, and
we've yet to find the ones who can do it."