Little Falls transcript. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1876-1894, 1884-06-20
LIFE In SOUTH AFRICA.
Experiences in Cape To,yn---Yhe Dsa-
aiaond Eieltis---Aow the People -
:. n WV .IIiYn. -. - - =.

III |&"- .a live. -.3r
A Brooklyn, II. Y, traveller thus de-
tails his experience during q three
wears residence in South Africa to q
Representative of the Brooklyn EaQfe:
II landed,a ut Cape Town he said.
'.This is place of forty thousand in
habitanes, tltree-fourths of whom are
blacks or Maiays. The Malaysshaye
seven wives apiece; that is the most in
teresting and unfortunate thing that
can be said about them. line other
quarter OF the population is European.
4 small cottage there containing four#
OF five rooras will cost 545a month; u
good-sized dwelling will cost three
times that sum. Coal is SIS a tou;
meat from Is 70 IS eouts Il pound;
ale 81 bottle. At the restaurant
good meal can be had for - cculs, con-
'sisting of such things as roast beef,
mutton chops, soup, bread, butter,
coffee, rolls, etc. In October, Noyem-
Der, and Deccnbor there Are terrible
gales that sweep over the town. The
drivers Of vehicles wear green specta-
cles on account Of the dust, and tho
women, at the approach Of the hurri-
cane, sit down promptly Tor fear Of
sailing skyward like go many balloons
II went to South Africa MS |, trader,
II speculatcr, and spent nluchof my time
in fact, the best part OF tin the Back
country. OF course, visited the dia-
Iuond fields. They arc in tho hands Of
the two companies, English and French
who have from the government *:,1S1
privilege OF working the mines 2}24'
are not doing much in them at },&s
present time on account OF the pre-
vailing drliness in the diamond MAR
ket. The mines are worked by blucks,
md I suppose there are about two
thousand at work st the present time,
! about quarter the number that eruld
be found there when. times were good.
: The superintendent and better class
of workers live in houses made Of
sheet-iron; the common delivers III
small brushwood houses. Some OF the
houses hive three rooms and u kitchen;
some have only sleeping places or
hunks. The ZaIu katlirs hs<e in the
meanest kind OF huts They only
work long enough to earn some money
with which to buy guns; then they so
back to their country, four hundred
miles away, and engage in warfare
with some Of the branches of their
tribe. There are LWent: Que tribes OF
Zulu Kaffirs Tic Workmen have few
chances to steal diamonds themselves,
+ but they have been known to slip one
of the valuabIes into the pocket Of
/. some visitor in the hope OF seeing him
Il u hI.,, tn
sale, and the visitor has had the dia-
niond found OFT him by some OF the
officers and been promptly sent oil to
the western coast, there to work from
\ ten to twenty ycars1n the breakWatel
y they are building in that section. The
Il Workmen were once paid s q day;
now they DO not get SO much. #Ine
officers who oversee them used TO get
from $25 to $50 a week; now they get
from $15 to'$25. =# ID; 4:
81 rode into the back country on o
cart, keeping the west coast and en-
tleavorings to trade with the natives for
skins, ostrich feathers. and other
goods, which woAld dispose Of. to the
arriving vessels st Cape Town. The
country is dry and barren;s there are
plenty of stones, but 40 trees; the tall
III est bushes are not over foar feet high.
&3 At the numerous rivers, where they
cross the roads you will now and then
find tree or two standp. together
near the banks. You will often meet
wild animals, tigers, leopards, hyenas,
5s iackals, monkeys and elephants, but
they will not modest you unless YOU ut.
tack them; on the contrary, they are
afraid OF d human being, and will, I'M
less rayenously hungry, run away from
Il you. There are plenty OF poisonou:
/ snakes there six feet long, which .aSs,l1
/ at You and bite you quickly. if ,s..,u Is,
not On the lookout fes t!Hlss. tlI.e .t.y.
tiges eat the meat Oh g.st; b#iit!p aIid
the buck, and hunt ,is'ff Nssiit i:ssriit
for tho sake OF the 4, IS
already tanned betss sss4,a,st 80
'.It is very hot tllett,5s,3 4 Ii. simmer
season, and in sem ~ l,:; tssflipi,a IS ss !;
81 gre at scarcity sof Mates. sfitaiil olis
hundred miles Of Cap I es,vl tsyis
4 find ID nice country and N;.ter 7eisss,ssii
but neyonel that il is iSe. I, lls
winter time when tile rsl.si ts3ss:.. III
swell al, the rivers hke y a "a
might say, you would tlsinkgs.n Hotlit
be drowned. The 5Watef comes quiet
", and at the moment W pes NV 81
everything within it's reach; butl.tht
II country is as dry as ever within Il few
hours. In the hottest sea on$its is l2t
to $50 r. hrenheit; IN the shades--tha
is such shade ms there is; where th,
z. sun j rays strike directly il is from
asss l50 To 15a. rhe ii omen HE sun rise.
ills hot; the ID orient ] & sets III Isl 4euol