the days of my life-第45章

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obinson　＇as　to　an　appointment　he　desired　at　the　time。　—　H。　R。　H。＇；　and　was　asked　to　dinner　at　Hilldrop　with　Rider　and　Louisa。　The　latter　did　not　attend。　Among　the　guests　at　the　table　were　Sir　Henry　de　Villiers　and　President　Brand　of　the　Free　State。
Enclosed　in　this　letter　is　one　from　Sir　Evelyn　Wood　to　my　brother；　in　which　he　states　that　“I　do　not　myself　anticipate　remaining　Governor　of　Natal。”　His　dissent　from　the　report　of　the　Royal　mission　will　suggest　a　reason　why。
I　do　not　remember　much　of　President　Brand；　for　some　reason　he　made　no　great　impression　on　my　mind；　but　Sir　Henry　de　Villiers　I　recall　very　well　indeed；　for　we　rode　together　and　talked　a　good　deal。　He　an；　pleasant　and　able；　but　of　course　Dutch　by　blood；　and　therefore；　although　he　may　not　have　known　it　himself；　naturally　in　sympathy　with　Dutch　aims　and　ambitions。　In　him　the　Boers　had　an　advocate　of　the　best　class。　Sir　Hercules　Robinson　was　a　most　agreeable　Irish　gentleman。　Also　he　was　an　official；　and　not　of　the　strongest　sort。　As　a　Royal　missioner　theoretically　he　was　in　an　independent　position；　but　he　had　a　notable　example　before　his　eyes　in　the　instance　of　Sir　Bartle　Frere　of　what　happened　to　Colonial　Governors　who　dared　to　take　a　line　of　their　own。　Of　this　mission　Sir　Evelyn　Wood　was　the　only　really　independent　member；　and　he　dissented　from　its　most　important　findings。
Never　shall　I　forget　the　scene　on　the　market　square　of　Newcastle　—　it　must　have　been　about　the　21st　or　22nd　of　March　—　when　it　became　known　that　peace　had　been　declared　as　a　corollary　of　our　defeats；　and　that　the　restoration　of　the　Transvaal　was　practically　guaranteed　within　six　months。　Some　thousands　of　people　were　gathered　there；　many　of　them　refugees；　among　whom　were　a　number　of　loyal　Boers；　and　with　these　soldiers；　townsfolk；　and　natives。　I　saw　strong　men　weeping　like　children；　and　heard　English…born　people　crying　aloud　that　they　were　“b　——　y　Englishmen”　no　more。　Soldiers　were　raging　and　cursing；　and　no　one　tried　to　stop　them；　natives　stood　stupefied；　staring　before　them；　their　arms　folded　on　their　breasts；　women　wrung　their　hands。
Then　an　idea　struck　the　crowd；　they　made　a　rude　effigy　of　Mr。　Gladstone　and；　as　was　done　in　most　of　the　other　loyal　parts　of　South　Africa；　burnt　it　with　contempt　and　curses。　It　was　a　futile　and　perhaps　a　foolish　act；　but　excuses　must　be　made　for　the　ruined　and　the　shamed。　They　could　not　believe　their　ears；　in　which　still　echoed　the　vehement　declaration　of　Sir　Gar　Wolseley　that　no　Government　would　dare　under　any　circumstances　to　give　back　the　Transvaal；　and　the　statements；　in　the　House　of　Lords；　by　telegram；　and　in　other　ways　of　various　members　of　the　Administration　to　the　same　effect。
And　now　I　have　done　and　am　glad　to　have　done　with　the　matter　of　this　great　betrayal；　the　bitterness　of　which　no　lapse　of　time　ever　can　solace　or　even　alleviate；　and　will　return　to　its　results　upon　my　own　life。
On　July　30；　1881；　I　sent　to　my　father　what　I　suppose　was　the　last　letter　that　I　wrote　to　him　from　South　Africa。　It　was　in　answer　to　one　from　him　enclosing　a　munication　from　the　late　Mr。　Blake；　who　was　at　that　time　my　lawyer；　in　which　for　various　reasons；　both　personal　and　connected　with　our　property；　they　remended　our　return　to　England。
My　dear　Father；　—　I　have　delayed　replying　to　your　kind　letter　of　June　22nd　in　order　that　I　might　have　time　to　give　it　full　consideration；　and　also　to　enable　me　to　try　to　arrive　at　some　satisfactory　conclusion　as　regards　the　probable　course　of　events　in　this　country。　I　must　now　tell　you　that　after　thoroughly　thinking　the　matter　over　I　have　made　up　my　mind　to　return　to　England　next　month。　This　will　probably　seem　a　somewhat　eccentric　announcement；　but　my　reasons　are　briefly　as　follows。　First　I　have　given　due　weight　to　what　you　and　Mr。　Blake　write　to　me；　and　admit　that　there　is　a　great　deal　in　what　you　say。　What　brings　me　back　in　such　a　hurry　however　is　the　state　of　the　country。
I　can　only　trust　that　I　have　arrived　at　a　wise　decision。　Of　course　you　will　understand　that；　under　the　circumstances；　if　we　are　to　go；　the　sooner　we　go　the　better。
Cochrane　is　ing　home　with　us　on　a　trip。　I　am　sorry　to　say　that　he　is　suffering　from　a　prolonged　attack　of　dysentery；　and　I　think　that　a　rest　and　a　change　of　air　is　the　only　thing　that　will　pull　him　together　again。　The　farm　will　be　left　in　charge　of　George　and　Mr。　North　（our　engineer）；　a　very　respectable　man　who　has　the　advantage　of　experience　of　the　country。　。　。　。
I　must　add　a　few　words　about　our　farming　life。　Our　estate；　Rooipoint；　covered　something　over　three　thousand　acres。　At　any　rate　it　was　a　large　property　lying　between　the　Newcastle　town　lands　and　the　Ingagaan　River；　in　the　centre　of　which　rose　a　great　flat…topped　hill；　the　Rooi　or　Red　Point；　that　gave　it　its　name。　From　the　very　crest　of　this　hill　flowed；　and　doubtless　still　flows；　a　strong　and　beautiful　spring　of　water；　though　why　water　should　appear　at　the　top　of　a　mountain　instead　of　the　bottom　is　more　than　I　can　say。　At　the　foot　of　this　mount　we　erected　the　steam…driven　grinding　mill　which　I　had　bought　in　England；　our　idea　being　that　we　should　make　our　fortunes　or　at　any　rate　do　very　well　as　millers。　Whether　this　anticipation　would　or　would　not　have　been　realised　is　more　than　I　can　tell；　as　we　did　not　keep　the　farm　long　enough　to　learn。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　however；　it　was　a　risky　business　to　import　expensive　machinery　into　a　place　that　was　not　accustomed　to　machinery；　since　it　involved　the　employment　of　an　engineer　and　long　and　costly　delays　if　anything　went　wrong　with　the　parts　of　the　apparatus。
Still　our　efforts　were　by　no　means　confined　to　this　mill。　Thus　we　started　the　making　of　bricks；　for　which　there　was　a　good　market　in　Newcastle。　I　used　to　labour　at　this　business；　and　very　hard　work　it　was。　Our　energy；　I　remember；　astonished　the　neighbourhood　so　much　that　Natal　Boers　used　to　ride　from　quite　a　distance　to　see　two　white　farmers　actually　working　with　their　own　hands。　One　of　the　curses　of　South　Africa　is；　or　used　to　be；　the　universal　habit　of　relegating　all　manual　toil；　or　as　much　of　it　as　possible；　to　Kaffirs；　with　the　result　that　it　came　to　be　looked　upon　as　a　more　or　less　degrading　occupation　only　fit　for　black　men。11　Such；　however；　was　the　Dutch　habit。　The　Boer’s　idea　was　to　sit　on　the　stoep　of　his　house　and　grow　rich　by　the　natural　increase　of　his　flocks　and　herds；　only　cultivating　sufficient　land　to　provide　his　family　with　mealies　and　the　other　fruits　of　the　earth。　This　system；　it　must　be　admitted；　had　its　merits　in　a　country　where　time　was　of　no　object　and　where　land　was　so　plentiful　that　every　son　could　in　due　course　be　acmodated　with　a　farm　of　3000　morgen。
11　From　Mr。　Dawson’s　work　on　South　Africa　（pp。　269　and　343）；　published　in　1925；　it　seems　this　trouble　still　exists。　—　Ed。
Besides　our　milling　and　brick…making　we　were　the　first　to　farm　ostriches　in　that　part　of　Natal。　In　my　experience　the　ostrich　is　an　extremely　troublesome　bird。　To　begin　with　he　hunts　you　and　knocks　you　down。　One　of　ours　gave　Cochrane　a　frightful　drubbing；　and　through　a　pair　of　opera　glasses　I　saw　an　unfortunate　Kaffir　barely　escape　with　his　life　from　its　attentions　by　going　to　earth　in　an　ant…bear　hole　like　a　hunted　jackal。　Of　course　the　ostrich　could　not　follow　him　into　the　hole；　but　it　stood　sentry　at　its　mouth　waiting　for　him　to　e　out　again。　When　attacked　by　an　ostrich　the　only　thing　to　do　is　to　lie　down　quite　flat。　In　this　position　it　cannot　strike　you　with　its　bludgeon…like　foot；　nor　is　its　beak　adapted　to　pecking；　though　it　can　and　does　dance　and　roll　upon　you　and　sit　upon　your　head　as　though　it　were　an　egg　which　it　wished　to　hatch。
These　birds；　so　ferocious　with　human　beings；　are　terribly　afraid　of　dogs。　I　think　that　we　lost　two　of　ours　through　the　visitation　of　wandering　hounds　at　night　that　set　them　running　furiously　till　they　broke　their　necks　in　the　wire　fences。　Its　own　voracity　brought　another　to　its　end：　for　they　will　pick　up　pocket…knives　or　anything　that　attracts　them。　This　fowl　managed　to　swallow　a　huge　sharp…pointed　bone　which　fixed　itself　across　the　gullet　in　such　a　position　that　it　would　go　neither　up　nor　down。　There　was　only　one　thing　to　be　done　—　operate。　So　we　operated；　with　a　razor　and　without　an　anaesthetic。　I　only　hope　that