Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1888-03-30
NATIVES OF CAPE TOWN,
KAFFIRs ON SHOPPING EXCURr
sIoNS IN SOUTH AFRICA.
The Queer Costumes I'm Which They
are Sometimes Clothed - The
: Malay Men and Women.

80
The Queer Costumes in Which They
are Sometimes Clothed - The
+ Malay Men and Women.
z The manufacturing interests Of Cape
Town, writes a correspondent of the
San Francisco Chronicle, are not as ex-
tensiye as they should be when the cheap
ness of fuel and the rapidly increasing
demand for machinery of all kinds are
taken into consideration. The merchants
here depend on importation to supply
them with their stocks, and as a rule
pay cash for them, or a credit of sixty
days at the furthest, but when they sell
their goods it is quite another thing, for
when the Beers come to town to buy
goods they expect years credit, for
they have no money to pay for anything
until they have sold their crops of wheat
or wool. The system is the curse of the
colony and prevents the development Of
the farming country. This trouble
does not exist between the 'mer-
chant and Kaffir. When Mr.. Kaffir
comes to town he has to pay cash, and yet
some of them are richer than many of
the Beers; but he is not to be trusted;
he has too many wives to feed and
clothe and children running about to put
him up to tricks. When the day comes
to go to town to lay in a supply he puts
on such clothing as some white man
has given him and away he goes
with one of his many wives trotling
behind him to carry the goods home. /
once saw a Kaflir on the street with
nothing on him at all save plug hat a
linen. collar and a swallow-tail coat. Not
a stitch of any other clothing was TO be
seen. Another time saw Kallir astride
of a dilapidated quadruped, bare headed,
an old coat on, the remnants of an UNI
brella over him, and his big toes hooked
in the stirrups of an old saddle. His
wife was running behind, kettle and
bundle on her head and an infant strapped
to her back. They were going shopping
and they paid cash for their purchases.
An industry of no small dimensions is
that of fsh-catching, carried on entirely
by the Malay population and affording a
living to at least 10000 people. The
fisherman leaves the beach at about
o'clock in the morning and returns at
midday, and it is quite an interesting
sight to see the hundreds of men, women
and children strolling about the beach
waiting for the return of the fishermen,
the men dressed in their red jackets with
black sleeves, blue pants and broad brim-
med straw hats of Chinese pattern; the
women in their stiffly starched print
dresses standing out like a hoop skirt of
twenty-five years ago, q handkerchief of
bright orange shade around their Shout
ders and another of sky blue over their
heads. The boys and girls follow the
styles of their parents throughout. Here
are dozens of carts, and to each are
hitched two of those wonderful little
animals, Cape horses. They never grow
higher than twelve and half hands,
are tough, wide-awake, and always
ready to run. A Boer will ride one of
them distance of eighty miles on a
lope, and when fed and watered he will
be as full of the Old Nick as before. AS
soon as the fishermen arrive their catch
is sold at auction to the ishmongers and
away they go at full speed, some to sell
in Cape Town, while others strike out in
the country and sell to the farmers and
the villagers. The Malays are no i'm
portant factor in the matters of Cape
Town. They are not regarded as citi-
zens, and, even though born and raised
there, they are never allowed to vote
This is because they refuse to take part
in any of the native wars, and the Eng
lish, English-like, think if they will not
help defend the colony against intruders
they should not be entitled to the bless
ings of English citizenship. The typical
Malay is tall, erect, black eyed, sallow
compleXioned, stoutlv-built man, with a
disposition that will not brook familiar
ity, especially from white people. He
has more than average intelligence,
and is of an amiable disposition
when not imposed upon, always ready
to do you service; but as quick as a
flash to resent an insult, and deep and
determined to avenge wrong. Many
of them are rich, while many more are
well-to-do, and all, as class, are thrifty
and industrious. The typical Malay
woman is of fine form and dignity of
appearance, but it is only those who
have been so fortunate as to see them
without their face-coverings who can
tell whether or no they are pretty or
beautiful. I have seen many beautiful
face among them. A rich, clear, brown
skin, large, luminous, passionate jet
black eyes, heavy dark eyebrows, long
sweeping eyelashes, a straight nose,
with delicate curves, that gives an ex-
preston of refinement to the face, long,
jet-black hair, red, ruby lips, tritle
thin, perhaps, but beautifully curved,
and teeth such as no other race of hui
mans possesses; add to all this an ex-
preston of high order of intelligence
and a mind of culture, and the result is
the typical Malay woman.