The Lebanon express. (Lebanon, Linn County, Or.) 1887-1898, 1888-11-02

some Very Queer costumes--s Medicine and
onnckery--Dnncing.

The traveller q speak of one who Is
supposed 10 understand Boer speech and
/ habitsl arrives at farm house In, say,
the Orange Free state A farm house
may have one field of forage and stone
kraal, otherwise the farm IL open coun-
| try. He will not of saddle his horse
without receiving permission; this having
been asked for and granted the farmer
leads him through the half doors into tho
main apartment. There IL home made
furniture, numerous pink and white
1 paper flowers, and painted on the
| walls vases of fruit like those seen
| depicted on the London pavements.
| The visitor will proceed to shake hands,
commencing with the stout vrauw
and ending with the baby In arms. This
Is not the English "handshake," but
resting of palm within palm. The coffee.
/ which IL made from sunrise TO sunset. Is
then brought In in bowls, tobacco
| pouches are exchanged, and conversa-
tion, which seldom varies, commences
The visitor and the farmer answer or re-
| ply pretty much ns follows: "The weld Ii
green. The clouds are heavy; there will
/ be a thunderstorm tomorrow. have n
| very fine red horse running Nachtmaai
| (communion) will be next month. NV
yrauw has a cold. The president is "A
fine man. Japie dc villiers prunouuced
Vile, and minus the preilx) has had
rnm born with Ave heads. The English
are thieves. The handshaking cere-
mony is then repeated. the horse fed
and rested, is brought round; the trav-
eler mounts, smacks his sjambock, shows
of his steed and proceeds on his Journey.
The farmers have trained ponies 10 a
specia pace called a .'fripple,' and a
good .trippler' Is always priced. With
this pace no ''porting" of the saddle il
required. and ON "A long journey the trip
pier will arrive each night without turn
ing hair. while the trotting horse, his
comfapion MAY be done up. Distance
Is reckoned by time-six miles to the
hour. If an Englislinian near the hour
OF sunset asks q Dutchman where such a
village lies. he will lie answered by
raised hand and "a little way over that
hill. I" You then ride ten miles and sleep
out In thunder storm. perhaps. You
reach the village the following midday.
Superstition and fear Of contagious dis
eases are great among this people.
The Dutch arc accomplished herbal
lists, doubtless obtaining the knowledge
Of the Hottentots and Bushnien; they
have herb brandies for colics and plants
for sores. They are often the prey Of
-
titioners, who have TO go long distances,
charge heavily. A Dutchman is satisfied
with the treatment SO long rs his medical
adviser brings to the house quart bottle
! Of physic; IL he present him with n small
vial he doubts his skill and sends for an
other man. The dead are buried ON the
farms. and over them travelling masons
erect mausoleuIns Of brick. Dutch wo-
men are enormous in size, good cooks in
their style, gobble sweets and cakes all
day and take little exercise But now
and then Dutch wife and her daughters
may be seen kraaling the sheep at even
ing. A Boer likes his wifes company,
and will leave passengers by his wagon
stuck IN the mud and half starved while
he tracks OF fifty miles with another
vehicle 10 pay n visit to tho vrauw.
Feather bcds are greatly priced by this
, people; they generally carry their beds
with them on Journeys.
The trekkings of the Boers are re-
markahle Annually the farmhouse ON
the Glow veldr is shut up, and the sheep
and cattle are taken scores Of miles up
TO the .'high vcld'' for mountain pas
! ture. Beside some rushing stream the
wagons are carpped, perhaps tents are
pitched. and domestic life goes ON as
usual. Fowls cluck among the wild
grslsses, and the cows are milked beneath
the shadows of mighty mountains. The
general belief in the excellence of Boer
shooting is no delusion.
The people are excessively fond of
music and dancing; concertina, harmo-
MUM and fiddle are their delight A
withered Hottentot dwarf will draw n
. strain from the sole OF an old shoe strung
with sinew, and men and maidens viii
vigorously dance to il for hours. For
dancing there Is no touching the English
Afrikander, and his measures seem quite
; original. The Beers have a bad
men and the women enter
an up country store they are allowed to
carry of small goods like sweets or rib
3 bons, which they unconsciUusly pay FOR
in the bill. The farmers are not often
. rich in money, their wool crops being
mortgaged sometimes To the stores foI
7 two seasons ahead. Young bloods" are
impudent and wild. A smart curyetine
a horse aud hat with white ostrich plume
: usually denote this species. When q
, Boer drinks he Il an entire fool. In
1 order TO l1eep firm hand over the young
1 men riding transport, the elders of the
I free state recently passed n bill prohibit
. ing the sale of liquor at wayside can
teens, ana JncreDg lost q large revenue.
. However, there are smugglers.
The Beers are great religious Journalists
Q end ct certain times they and their fam.
o lilies ride into the villages from great dis
\ tances TO celebrate the Nachtmaal (nighi
meal or coplnunion), their wagons Loaded
with produce-presents for the parsons
At this time business is brisk and ths
: streets are like fair. Yet. where natives
Y and land are concerned, the Boer's con
!, stant violation of the Commandment,
!. does not need pointing out. The Boert
y are by no means modest, and their family
o conversations are at times boisterously
z indecent. Household arrangements, sav,
y on rich farms, ere necessarily nieager
o and the traveller must be prepared TO sleeI
e on the foor in the midst OF four ar Gvl
It sisters and their three or four brothers
q all grown up, while the head couple snor,
Q ON an elevated end ponderous feather beS
It in curtained corner of the room. Wher
n sleeping at superior Transvaal farm
IS house, it is well TO examine the mattress
3 if it rests on sheepskins, throw the skin
o out.-St James Gazette.
n
y Tho Conscientious Newspaper Man.
4