Complex sentence: After a brief sojourn back in England he returned to South Africa and arrived at Boekenhoutfontein shortly before Christmas 1877, seven months after leaving; he had never spent such a long time away from home.
Split into simpler sentences: After a brief sojourn back in England he returned to South Africa and arrived at Boekenhoutfontein shortly before Christmas 1877, seven months after leaving. He had never spent such a long time away from home.