Rocky Mountain husbandman., 1878-05-02


tobe safe.
SOUTH AFRICA.
We are indebted to our faithful cores
pondent, Jack McGoey, for the following
from the new African Eldorado. G. K. Riale
and w. IL. Lutz left Crook City, Black Hills,
ON the 9TH of last June, for the gold fields,
and this is the first heard from them since
their departure from New York. Riale for
merly did business in Helena, and Lutz' is an
old resident of Meagher county.
j FRIEND McGoEY Il have delayed'writA
ing much longer than expected too ac-
count of not being settled down SO as to
know just where to have my letters directed
to. suppose you got the particulars of our
journey from LutZ, as he wrote to you after
landing,> but, for tear you did not get it, La
will give you a short sketch. We left New
York, July IL, via steamer State OF Indiana,
for Glasgow, Scotland and from there via
Liverpool and London by rail to Sonthamp-
ton, where we took the steamer Danube for
Port Natal, South Africa, arriving there on
the 2Sth ofsAugust, all safe and sound. We
had pleasant trip, with the exception of
heavy storm encountered off Cape St. Fran
CHS, the farthest point south of Africa. We
had .three OF the seamen badly injured, and
a portion of the bulwarks carried away but
we got through all right. There were quite
a number. of women and children on board;
but they all behaved very well, that is, they
did not go about screaming and cryings. as |
have read of them doing under like circum-
stances.
Well, after arriving at Natal and investi-
gatingy the reports from the mines, Ii con-
cluded that | did not want any of them in
mine, so I came out in this direction, while
Lutz went on to the mines via Deleg Bay.
/ got a letter from him some lineage, He
said he was paying $S per week board, and
had not done anything as yet, and had not
been, able to work from slight attack Of
the fever he had on his way into the mines.
He said it was the hardest, place for broke
man that he ever saw, as the Catfres (the
natives) were working for from $l.25 to
| $3.50 per month";. and a white man had no
show for job. He saidihe had lent his gun
to George Willie to go out prospecting, and
that if he had the gun he would start the
next day. He said there were two or three
places that he wanted to prospect, and that
ii he did not start in a week he would write
to me. have not received any letter from
him since, so suppose he mus5ah have left,
and, for what 1 know, he may be in America
before this reaches you. From what can
learn, the mines are very spotted and diff
cult to prospect, and not very extensive, al
though they have taken out some big pay
and some very large,nuggets.~
lam now stopping in 1.-THE bush,' as they
call it here, and am trying to make arrange
ments to work some of the timber up by
machinery, as it is now mostly done by
hand. 1t belongs to the, government, and
they charge So per month license for using
a saw opsaxe. by hand, and l am trying to
get the privilege, of using saw by water
power, and, if succeed in doing so. shall
make enough to take me back to nay native
land again. and to Montana. where [ expect
to make my home if ever get back.
| am about 150 miles from Port Natal, near
the Drakenburg range of mountains. Natal
is a British colony, and is on the east coast
of Africa. They raise almost all kinds of
tropical fruit here, such as oranges, lemons,
bananas, etc. Along the, coast il. never