After dividing Zululand into districts and appointing a chief to rule
over each, General Wolseley marched his force against Secoceni, the
chief whose hostile attitude had caused the Boers to accept the
protectorate of England. This chief had maintained his defiant
attitude, and, relying upon the strength of his hill-stronghold, had
kept up an irregular war upon them, aided by the Swazis who came down
from the north to assist him.
Sir Garnet Wolseley attacked Secoceni's mountain. His men fought
bravely, but were altogether unable to resist the attack of the English.
The place was carried, his warriors killed or dispersed, and his power
altogether broken. As the lads were not present at this affair--being
well contented to stay for a while and assist their fathers in the
farm--it is not necessary to enter into further details of it.
A few months later three teams of waggons drove up to the farm. It was
late in the evening, and their owner, who had met Mr Humphreys several
times at Newcastle, knocked at the door.
"I have made a long march," he said, "to-day, and the oxen are knocked
up; so if you will take me in, I will halt here for the night instead of
going on. The roads have proved heavier than I had expected, and I have
done a very long day's journey."
Mr Humphreys at once invited the speaker to enter. Mr Harvey was a
trader, one of those who are in the habit of taking long expeditions far
into the interior, with his waggons laden with cotton, beads,
tower-muskets, powder, lead, and toys prized by the natives, returning
laden with ivory, ostrich feathers, and skins. He was now about to
start upon such a journey, having stocked his waggons at Durban.
After supper was over, the trader told many stories of his adventures
among the natives, and the profits which were gained by such journeys.
"Generally," he said, "I go with six waggons, but I was very unlucky
last time; the tze-tze-fly attacked my animals, most of which died, and
the natives took advantage of my position to make an attack upon me. I
beat them off, but was finally obliged to pack all my most valuable
goods in one waggon, to make my way back with it, and abandon everything
else to the natives. Now, Humphreys, why don't you join me? You have
got a waggon, and you can buy stores at Newcastle, not of course as
cheap as at the seaside, but still cheap enough to leave a large
marginal profit on the trip."
"I cannot leave the farm," Mr Humphreys said.
"Nor can his wife spare him, Mr Harvey," Mrs Humphreys put in.
"Well, why don't you send your son, here, with the waggon?" Mr Harvey
asked. "The man who generally travels with me as partner broke his leg
the other day, down at Durban, and I should be very glad of one or two
white companions. Two or three white men together can do anything with
the natives, but if there is only one, and he happens to knock up, it
goes very hard with him."
"Well, I don't know," Mr Humphreys said, as Dick looked eagerly towards
him; "it is a sort of thing that wants thinking over."
"Oh! father," Dick exclaimed excitedly, "it would be a glorious trip,
especially if Tom Jackson would go too. I heard Mr Jackson only
yesterday say that his draught-oxen are eating their heads off, and that
he must put them on the road to do some freighting. You see, if Mr
Jackson did not care about going in for the trading himself--and I know,
from what he said the other day, that his money is all employed on the
farm--you might hire his waggon for the trip. In fact that and your
own--"
"That sounds easy and satisfactory enough, Dick," Mr Humphreys said,
laughing; "but one does not jump into these things in a moment. There,
you go off to bed, and I will talk the matter further over with Mr
Harvey."
Dick went to bed in high glee. When his father once said that he would
talk a thing over, Dick felt that the chances were very strong that he
would give in to his wishes. Mr Humphreys was less influenced by the
idea of making a good trading speculation than by the consideration that
a journey of this kind would not only give great pleasure to his son,
but would be of real benefit to him. It was Mr Humphreys' opinion that
it is good for a lad to be placed in positions where he learns
self-reliance, readiness, and promptness of action. For himself his
farm-work occupied all his thoughts, and he needed no distraction; but
for a lad change is necessary. Had Dick had--as would have been the
case at home--a number of school-fellows and companions of the same age,
he would have joined in their games and amusements, and no other change
would have been necessary, or indeed desirable; but in the farm in Natal
it was altogether different. The work of looking after a number of
Kaffirs planting and watering trees was monotonous, and unbroken, as it
generally was, by the sight of a strange face from the beginning to the
end of the week, it was likely to become irksome to a boy.
Occasionally indeed Dick and Tom Jackson would meet and go out on a
shooting expedition together; but Tom could seldom be spared, as his
father, being shorter-handed than Mr Humphreys, found him of
considerable use.
Soon after daylight Dick was aroused by his father.
"Jump up at once, Dick; I want you to ride over with a letter to Mr
Jackson. We have pretty well settled that you shall go with Mr Harvey,
and I am writing to make an offer to Mr Jackson for the use of his
waggon for six months."
Dick gave a shout of delight, and in a very short time had dressed
himself, and, having saddled his horse, was dashing at full speed across
the veldt. Early as the hour was when he arrived, Mr Jackson was
already out in his fields. Dick soon found him, and handed him the
letter, and while he was reading it explained in low, excited words to
Tom the mission on which he had come.
"Well, I don't know," Mr Jackson said, when he had finished the letter;
"your father makes me a very liberal offer, Dick, for my waggon and team
for six months, on the condition that I allow Tom to accompany them, and
he points out that in his opinion a journey of this kind will be likely
to develop the boy's character and teach him many things that may some
day be of use to him. It comes upon me suddenly, and it seems he wants
the waggon and team to be at Newcastle this evening, ready for a start
in the morning. He himself is going to ride over there to purchase
goods to freight it directly he receives my reply. I must go in and
consult with mother before I come to any decided conclusion."
So saying he strode off towards the house.
Dick, leading his pony, walked after, by the side of Tom, to whom he
explained all he knew of the character of the proposed journey.
"Mr Harvey says, Tom, that of course he goes to trade, but that at the
same time he does a lot of shooting, both for the sake of the skins and
for the meat for the men. He says that he often meets with lions,
hippopotami, and sometimes elephants--sometimes they meet with hostile
natives."
Altogether the expedition promised an immense variety of adventure. The
boys remained chatting outside the house until Mr Jackson came to the
door and called them in.
"So you are not contented to stop at home, Dick," Mrs Jackson said,
"and you want to take Tom rambling away with you again? Of course I
cannot say no, when my husband is inclined to let him go, but I shall be
terribly anxious until he is back again."
"I won't let him get into any scrapes, Mrs Jackson," Dick said
confidently.
"I have no faith whatever," Mrs Jackson said, smiling, "in your keeping
him out of scrapes, but I do think it possible that you may get him out
of them after he is once in them. Do be careful, my boys, for the sakes
of your fathers and mothers! I know Mr Harvey has been making these
journeys for a good many years and has always got back safely, and I
have great faith in his experience and knowledge,--but there, Dick, I
must not keep you. Here is my husband with an answer to your father's
letter, and as you will have lots to do, and your father will be waiting
for this letter before he starts for Newcastle, you had better ride off
at once. Good-bye, my boy, for I shan't see you again before you start.
I trust that you will come back safe and well."
Two minutes later Dick was again galloping across the country, arriving
home in time for breakfast.
Mrs Humphreys was in better spirits than Dick had feared he should find
her; but her health had improved immensely since her arrival in the
colony, and she was more active and energetic than Dick ever remembered
her to have been. She was able therefore to take a far more cheerful
view of the proposed expedition than she could have done the year
before, and her husband had had comparatively little difficulty in
obtaining her consent to Dick's accompanying Mr Harvey.
"Your father thinks that it will be for your good, my boy," she said,
"and I have no doubt that you will enjoy yourself greatly,--but be sure
to be careful, and don't let your high spirits get you into scrapes;--
remember how valuable your life is to us!"
"While you are away, Dick," his father said, "you will remember that you
are absolutely under Mr Harvey's orders. As the head of the expedition
he stands in the position of the master, and he must receive ready and
explicit obedience from all. He is not a man unnecessarily to curb or
check you, and you may be sure that he will not restrain you unless for
the good of the expedition. You must beware how far you stray from the
caravan; the country you are going to is very different from this.
Here, go where you will, you are sure in a short time to come upon some
farmhouse, where you may get directions as to your way. There, once
lost, it is upon yourself alone you must depend to recover the track.
The beasts of prey are formidable opponents, and a lion or an elephant
wounded, but not killed, could rend you into pieces in a moment;
therefore you must be prudent as well as brave, obedient as well as
enterprising. You have already shown that you have plenty of presence
of mind, as well as of courage, and in nine cases out of ten the former
quality is even the more necessary in a country such as that you are now
going to. Courage will not avail you when a wounded leopard is charging
down upon you, and your rifle is already discharged, but presence of
mind may point out some means of escape from the danger. And now, if
you have finished breakfast, you had better ride over with me to
Newcastle--I have a very large number of goods to buy. Mr Harvey, who
went on the first thing, will meet me there and show me the kind of
goods most likely to take with the natives; it will be well that you
should not only know the price of each article, but that you should see
everything packed, so as to know the contents of each bale by its shape
and markings--a matter which may save you much trouble when you begin to
trade."
The shopping did not take up so long a time as Mr Humphreys had
anticipated; the large storekeepers all kept precisely the kind of goods
required, as they were in the habit of selling to the Boers for barter
with the natives.
In the afternoon the waggon was sent away, and an hour before daybreak
next morning Dick, having bade farewell to his mother, started with Mr
Humphreys.
Tom and Mr Jackson arrived there a few minutes later, and the work of
loading the waggons at once commenced, and was concluded by nine
o'clock; then they joined the waggons of Mr Harvey, which were already
waiting outside the town.
Their fathers rode with them to the ford across the river, and then
after a hearty farewell returned to their farms, while the caravan of
five waggons crossed into the Transvaal.
Each waggon was drawn by sixteen oxen, with a native driver and leader
to each. There were three Swazis who had accompanied Mr Harvey on
previous expeditions, all good hunters and men who could be relied upon
in every emergency. The eldest of these natives was a very tall and
muscular man, of some five and forty years of age; the left side of his
face, his shoulder, and side were deeply seamed with scars, the relics
of a fight with a wounded lioness. He had a very long and difficult
name, which had been Anglicised and shortened by Mr Harvey into "Jack."
The second of the trio was a man so short as to be almost deformed, a
very unusual circumstance among the natives. His head was set low
between his shoulders, and his long sinewy arms reached almost to his
ankles. Mr Harvey told the lads he was immensely strong, and the
expression of his face was quick and intelligent. He was about
twenty-four years of age; he had been found by Mr Harvey's father, who
had also been a trader, deserted and apparently dying, a baby of only a
few months old. Among savage people infants who are in any way deformed
are generally deserted and left to perish, and this was the fate
evidently intended for the child when the mother became convinced he
would not grow up tall and straight, like other men. Mr Harvey had
picked it up, fed and cared for it, and it grew up full of a passionate
attachment for him, following him everywhere, and ready at any moment to
give his life for him. He was called Tony, and spoke English as
fluently as the native language.
The third of the hunters was a tall, slight figure, a man of about five
and thirty, with muscles like whipcord, who could, if it were needed, go
for 100 miles without a halt, and tire out the swiftest horse. In
addition to these were ten natives, who assisted with the cattle,
pitched the tent, cooked and skinned the game, and did other odd jobs.
The road was fairly good, and two days after leaving Newcastle they
arrived at Standerton, a rising place, inhabited principally by English
traders and shopkeepers. Here three roads branched: the one led to
Utrecht on the east; another to Pretoria, the capital, to the
north-west; while the third, a track much less used than the others, led
due north. This was the one followed by the caravan.
As they proceeded, the Dutch farmhouses became more sparsely sprinkled
over the country, and several large native kraals were passed. Over the
wide plains large herds of deer roamed almost, unmolested, and the lads
had no difficulty in keeping the caravan well supplied with provisions.
One or two of the Kaffirs generally accompanied them, to carry in the
game; but Mr Harvey and the three hunters, accustomed to more exciting
sport, kept along with the caravan, the former well content that the
lads should amuse themselves with furnishing food for the party.
At Newcastle Mr Humphreys had purchased a couple of small
pocket-compasses, one for each of the boys, and the possession of these
gave them great confidence, as, with their guidance, they were always
enabled to strike the trail of the caravan.
The road had now altogether ceased, and they were travelling across a
bare, undulating country, dotted occasionally by herds and flocks of
Dutch settlers, and by the herds of wandering deer, but unbroken by a
tree of any size, and for the most part covered with tall grass. The
deer met with were for the most part antelopes of one or other of three
kinds, all of which abound on the higher plains. These are known as the
"wilde-beest," the "bless-buck," and the "spring-buck."
The venison which these creatures afforded was occasionally varied by
the flesh of the "stump-pig," which abounded in considerable numbers,
and, as they ran at a great speed, afforded the boys many a good chase.
Generally the caravan halted for the night--while they were still in a
country occupied here and there by Boers--near one of the farmhouses.
It was not that these habitations added to the pleasure of the
halting-place, for the Boers were generally gruff and surly, and their
dogs annoyed them by their constant barking and growling, but for the
most part it was only at these farmhouses that water could be obtained.
A small sum was generally charged by the Boers for the privilege of
watering the oxen of each waggon.
It would seem a churlish action to charge for water, but this fluid is
very scarce upon the veldt. There are long periods of drought, of
which, in a dry season, thousands of cattle perish; it is therefore only
natural that each farmer should hoard his supply jealously, for he
cannot tell how great his own need of it may shortly be. The water is
for the most part stored in artificial ponds, made by damming up hollows
through which the water runs in the wet season.
Sometimes, as the caravan made its slow way along, a young Boer would
dash up upon his horse, and, reining in, ask a few questions as to their
route, and then ride off again. Already the boys had admired the
figures and riding of the Boers whom they had seen in action in
Zululand, but they were much more struck by their appearance as they saw
them now. There are no finer men in the world than the young Boers of
the Transvaal; in after-life they often become heavy, but as young men
their figures are perfect. Very tall and powerfully built, they sit
their horses as if man and animal were one, and are such splendid
marksmen that, while riding at full speed, they can, with almost
absolute certainty, bring down an antelope at a distance of 150 yards.
But the abodes of the Boers, and their manner of living, impressed the
boys far less favourably. However extensive the possessions and
numerous the herds of a Boer, he lives in the same primitive style as
his poorest neighbour. The houses seldom contain more than two, or at
most three, rooms. The dress of the farmer, wife, and family is no
better than that of labourers; whole families sleep in one room; books
are almost unknown in their houses, and they are ignorant and prejudiced
to an extreme degree. Upon his horse and his gun the Boer will spend
money freely, but for all other purposes he is thrifty and close-fisted
in the extreme. Water is regarded as useful for drinking purposes, but
its utility for matters of personal cleanliness is generally altogether
ignored. Almost all sleep in their clothes, and a shake and a stretch
suffice for the morning toilet.
The power of a Boer over his sons and daughters is most unlimited, and
he is the hardest and cruellest of masters to the unfortunate natives
whom he keeps in slavery under the title of indentured apprentices, and
whose lives he regards as of no more importance than those of his sheep,
and as of infinitely less consequence than those of his horses or even
of his dogs. To the unhappy natives the taking over of the Transvaal by
England had been a blessing of the highest kind. For the first time the
shooting of them in cold blood had come to be considered a crime, and
ordinances had been issued against slavery, which, although generally
evaded by the Boers, still promised a happy state of things in the
future.
At the native kraals the travellers were always welcomed when it was
known that they were English. The natives looked to Queen Victoria as a
sort of guardian angel, and not a thought entered their heads that they
would ere long be cruelly and basely abandoned to the mercies of the
Dutch by the government of England.
Slowly and without incident the caravan made its way north, and at last
encamped upon the banks of the great river Limpopo, the northern
boundary of the Transvaal. This river was too wide and deep to be
forded, but at the spot where they had struck it, there was a large
native kraal. Here Mr Harvey, who had many times before followed the
same route to this spot, was warmly welcomed, and preparations were made
for effecting a crossing. The oxen were first taken across; these were
steered by ropes attached to their horns and fastened to a canoe, which
paddled ahead of them. The beasts were delighted to enter the water
after their long dusty journey, and most of them, after reaching the
opposite bank, lay down for a long time in the shallow water at the
edge. Most of the stores were carried across in canoes. Inflated skins
were then fastened to the waggons, and these also were towed across the
stream by canoes. The passage had commenced at early morning, and by
nightfall the whole of the caravan and its contents were safely across
the stream.
"We are now," Mr Harvey said, "in the Matabele country; the natives are
for the most part friendly, as they know the advantage they derive from
the coming of English traders, but there are portions of the tribe
altogether hostile to us, and the greatest caution and care have to be
exercised in passing through some portions of the country. To the east
lies a land said to be very rich in gold, and there can be little doubt
that it is so, for we frequently find natives who have traded with that
country in possession of gold-dust, but they allow no white men to pass
their frontier on any pretext whatever. They have become aware in some
way how great is the value of gold in the eyes of Europeans, and fear
that if the wealth of the country in that metal were but known a vast
emigration of Europeans would take place, which would assuredly sooner
or later end in the driving out or extirpation of the present
inhabitants of the land."
The news which they had learned at the village where they had crossed,
of the state of affairs among the tribes of the north, was not
encouraging. The natives said that there had been much fighting. Not
only had eruptions taken place with tribes still further north, but the
Matabele had also been quarrelling among themselves.
"This is bad news indeed," Mr Harvey said; "these tribal wars make
journeying very difficult; for, although none of the tribes may be
hostile to Europeans at ordinary times, they view them with distrust
when coming from a tribe with whom they are at war. In peace-time, too,
when each section of the tribe is under some sort of control by the head
chief, each will hesitate to rob or attack an European caravan, because
the whole would consider themselves aggrieved and injured by such a
proceeding. In war-time, on the other hand, each thinks, `If we do not
rob this rich caravan some one else is sure to do so; we may as well
have the plunder as another.' War is injurious to us in other ways;
instead of the tribes spending their time in hunting, they remain at
home to guard their villages and women, and we shall find but little
ivory and few ostrich feathers gathered to trade for our goods. I had
not intended to have encumbered myself with a larger following, but I
think, after what I have heard, it will be wise to strengthen our party
before going further. I will therefore hire twenty men from the village
here to accompany us; they will be useful in hunting, and will cost but
little; their wages are nominal, and we shall have no difficulty in
providing them with food with our rifles. In one respect they are more
useful than men hired from time to time from among the people farther
north for the purpose of driving game, for, as you see, many of them
carry guns, while beyond the river they are armed only with bows and
arrows."
"I am surprised to see so many guns." Dick said; "where could these
people have got the money to buy them?"
"It is the result of a very bad system," Mr Harvey replied. "The Cape
authorities, in spite of all the representations which have been made to
them, of the extreme danger of allowing the natives to possess firearms,
allow their importation and sale to them, simply on account of the
revenue which they derive from it, as a duty of a pound is charged on
each gun imported into the colony. From all parts of South Africa the
natives, Pondos, Basutos, Zulus, and other Kaffirs, go to the
diamond-fields and work there for months; when their earnings suffice to
enable them to buy a gun, a stock of ammunition, and a blanket, they
return to their homes. All these fellows you see carrying guns have
served their six or eight months in the diamond-mines; a dozen of them
would be a strong reinforcement to our fighting power, in case of an
attack."
There was no difficulty in engaging the required number of men. Each
was to be paid on the conclusion of the journey with a certain quantity
of powder and lead, a few yards of cotton, some beads and other cheap
trinkets, and was to be fed on the journey. Thus reinforced the Caravan
proceeded on its way.