Litchfield enquirer., 1877-11-08
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; The Oapenboer. aasl aespecially'shoi oofs the TransYaal. is a.iereatuEe shsyoad eil sea ssSd spf sss la sfsses E of farm ana stock bounded his care of things subl1nafy.q nd Do 1atehf fihistlifey y0ti' might think that 1t restsda 9a othe. pnress.. limbs. taliowy snd fiaccid, to observe his ox ike eye and movements p0ndefously doubting, you would think him the mild7 est of hn manity. And ii1 each Of these, Fou woald be 4cufioasly mistaken 2a The hoer hasef fesliags,sif mot 4principles. sof such engtlg that he. has sHseFltced bis thfics afrsady he has left homs And flock sather than endure foreign rule. No op- precision weighed Qn him, Ehe ahttle fin7 ss than I our ars Ensiish fa ioins. m ads sS not even protests, asked no redrasp bda rose and went ipte the, ,gildernesss san The piety mistrnsted Sincere it is of it's kind faas-.. man taKas 10 prom rom hypcc igy out Yollder: but adbes anot often abarai hina hom acta that I've eonsid derl eriminall when temptation fiues. nor from snch vice ae his slow imagination can fancy. The simple boer displays an ingenuity quite surprising in fraudulent law practice, and his moral courage in a bad cause would be believed by DO one who had not dealt with him. Yet no man is easier to cheat. Though his own title. deeds be forged, he credits those of his neighbor. had once occasion to look into the tltle of Vooru- itzht-the farm now, christened Klmber- ly. but famous through all time as New Rush Diamond Field. That property was sold upon the strength of registered division or settlement which proved on later investigation to be 8 forgery. There upon the legal heirs brought an action, which they lost on evidence that their own title-deads were false. The partition being forged, and the last title fraudu- lent, new claimants arose, who depended on a gift, which had never been register ed. Vooruitzicht had been lost at cards, the ihignest stake ever played on earth! but the boer. recovering his senses af- ter nap, declined to fulfill the bargain. These claims had all been adjudicated, and half dozen others had cropped up, when Government had stepped in and closed all litigation. paying e1OO.0 for the property. Each of the plaintiffs knew, and was proved to know. that his case rested On a falsehood, In spite of that evidence I am not prepared to dispnte their honesty in general, nor their pro- found sense of religion. Is not the boer beyond understandlng2s a.s4- 5.t1.- ez ioiIt seems likely that his habits and peculIarities will command our attention. of an erspost- factoI sort may be, in 8 very little whlle., Though the boers be slow, the Kafir is monstrous quick, and it is he who drives at present. There Is not in history, perhaps, the record of q peace fui change so great, in so shirt a time, as that effected in South Africa by the discovery of diamonds, Its economical results have scarcely begun to appear, for the bent of a pastoral race in debt be- yond all visible hope of payment is to hoard. But the political effect was mani fest from the beginning, All the Kaffir tribes round, all the Bastards, and Cor rannas. acquired arms by their labors in the diamond fields. fAsc early as 1871. three months after the ''rush," it became evident that the importation of fire arms could not be stopped, nor could the blacks be prevented from earning them. But the boers changed none Of their uac- tics, the nature of which I am about to show in curious tale.a @h8 s7iis'. +'' Returning from South AfricasainT 1872, among my shipmates was shy old Hol' lander who held communication with none of us. A few words of Spanish which chanced to use drew him flom his shen at length. It warmed his heart, he. told me, to catch accents which to my unbiased ear, seem a commingling of lisp and snarl and scream. Speaking no Eng fish and very little French, he could talk with no one but myself. ,,- But our conver- sation Jagged; Dr. T,ekster carried for mality so far as to ask no information when imparting ~none-a fine trait. and in my experience unusual. Where he came from, and what he had been doing in those parts, should never have heard most likely. save for an accident-which have been regretting ever since for good Dr. Trekster has cost me some money and much trouble, as shall show. Shyness and timidity closed over him again, while I felt little inclination to exchange com= French and bad English respectively
 our general conversation, that fortnight how every other passenger had come di-
 
 learning this fact, ho \ ever, he seemed to display a certain curiosity and interest. He began to seek me. his interpreter, and to ha1g about the tunsoir Instead of smoking lonely pipes on deck. It was evident that some special motive infiu- enced him, and asked the question af
 tsr some days. He apologised. as usual, and resumed his solitary habits. But up-
 A4,, cek
 sed to make an exhibition of diamonds- and boxes and gimlet-holes in squares oi wood the gems were brought to view. Each man ranged his treasure in a little pyramid before him, and even the quar- ter-master and the boats " aims mate came to see--eaeh one os whom retired with g firm dermination to desert on his next followed. with mock sales, limitations oi the chief dealers, and an argument be- tween Dutoistpang and New Rqsh-gener- al foolery. in short. Dr. Trekster was immensely interested. His wandering eyes fixed themselves and opened to then fullest. He could not examine the stones too closely; feeling them, counting theil angles. weighing them in his hand and in. quiring their value After this. it became more and more evident to me that the Doctor wished to say something. and vaguely guessed what it. might be. zoB Bnt his timidity asGnato to he, overcome til
 ws had arrived within very few days of England At length. one night Dc said, while smoking on the poop: la' sAts youTquite sure you would know. a. dia-
 mond,, without the, possibility of mis.
 take?S This was spoken all in one breath; after long but agitated silence. sid oi suia y..PerfestlyI Sestainqn I replied tbriskiYg Another pause of sFhey.rs isad,ss hard se distinguish at night's area'l ss;Qaaiity Is hard to idissiHgaish:s 'bu, any child i'm Griqualand1 could tell apdia. mond from any'other stone in the dark ,
 s'I am afraid you will think me an old fool, said the doctor. 'H t'a'A s+nSs ," i">'a sas. V0y6Rs dogc?sI answered. .frA mat lisa fool who does not give himself 2 chanccl If old Reilly, the ostrich hunter had pot ridden into Grahamstonn with Ithat pebble which he thought curious
 Griqaaland would still be q fdesert.g