The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1889-09-08

wa yon contai ing their baggage and pro-
visions, drawn by ten oxen A little naked
boy marched at the head of the oxen as
their guide, and they were driven by hot
tentot, armed with tremendous whip Of
length, made OF plated hide fas-
tened to the top of bamboo pole. After
a fourteen mile march the troop reached
the Zwart Kop river, and, crossing the
ford, encampad among the scat
mimosaS, and numerous wait-a-bit thorns.
Tee horses We e len battered. and they are
the oxen were tur ned out to feed until night.
The next days march was very long one,
and for the most part across sandy
de ert, to the Sunday river, sluggish
sire am in which, as soon as the fonts, We're
pitched, the whole party enjoyed bath.
Tomorrow we shall reach the Ad1Oo
Bush. Blunt" one of his comrades. who
knew the country well. remarked This
is near the boundary of what you may call
the kafiir country, although don't think
they have their kraals as far south as this,
thou Oh there WAS fighting here II the last
war, and may be again"
But thought our territory extended as
far as the kei riverp
$50 it does nominally," the other said.
All the country as far as that was de-
clared to be forfeited; but in point of fact
the KaifirS remained in possession of the
country, on c1n1itiod that they declared
their allegiance TO the crown, and that
each chief was made responsible for any
cattle or other robberies, the spoor of which
could be traced to his kraal. OF course
they agreed to this, as in fact they would
agree to anything, resolving, naturally, to
break the conditions as soon as 1t suited
them. Local magistrates and commission
ers are scattered about among them, and
there have been lot of schools and mis-
si)nary stations started. They say that
they are having great success Well, we
shall see about that. In the last war the
so-called christian natives were among the
first to turn against us, and l expect it will
be the same here, for it's just the LATEST aud
worst of the natives who plete I'd 10 be-
come christians. They get patcheS # lard
given them, and help in building their nuts
and all sorts Of privileges. In about half
days work each week they can raise
enough food to live upon, and all that is
really required of them is to attend services
on Sunday: The business a,tlY suits
them, but as a rule there are a great many
more Hottent)ts than kaflirs among the con-
converts can give a specimen of tae sort
of men they are. Not long since a gentle
man was coming down with a wagon and a
lot of bulocks from King Williamstown.
The drivers all took it into their head to
desert one day-it's a way these fellows
have, one of them thinks he will go, and
lu6u Jtl0 WlOlo lbL 10, anu
a settler wakes up in the morning and finds
that there isl't a single hani left on his
place. and he has perhaps ADO or 500 cows
To be mllke1 aud twice as many oxen and
horses to look after. Well, this happened
within a mile or SO of the missionary sta
ton, so the gentleman rode over there ami
asked if some of the men would 60 with
him down to Beaufort, couple of days
march. Nobody would go; he raised his
IF L. Al
usual rate of pay, but no. one of the lazy
brutes would move, and he had at last to
drive the whole lot down himself with the
aid of native or two he picked up on the
way. II Owever, there has been pretty good
order along the frontier for the las two
years. partly due to the chiefs having to
pay for all cattle tracsd to their kraals
partly to the fact that we have got 400
katlir police-and an uncommon smart t of
smart fellows they are-scattered all along
the frontier, instead of being like us kept
principally in towns. You see, we are CON
Sldered more as military body. OF course
we have much easier time of it than if
we were knocking about in small parties
among the border settlements; but there is
lot more excitement in that sort of life,
and hope that if there is trouble they will
send us out to protect the settlements
II hope So" Ronald said cordially. ''Bar-
i dCh llAO az u Quil llIIle Town Is Tue SlOWeSL
thing IN tine world. | would never have
enlisted for that sort of thing.a
"Well, if what the settlers say turns out
right, you will have plenty of excitement
l can tell you. l was in the last war, and |
don't know that [ want TO go through an
other, for these beggars fight a great deal
too well for it to oa peasant, can tell you.
The job of carrying dispatches or escorting
wagons through a Dush where these fellows
afsT lrv,sa 70
a one as man can wish At any moment
without the least notice, you may have half
dozen assegais stuck in your body. And
they can shoot straight, too; their guns are
long and clumsy, but they carry long dis
tances-quite as far as our rifles, while as
for the line muskets, they haven't chance
with them"
Two more davs' marching aud the troop
arrived at Grahamstown. Here they en-
camped near Fort England, whore
wing of the Niuety-frst regiment
was CHARTERED, and the next
fortnight was spent in constant drills. The
Rifles were then ordered forward to King
WllllamStown, where two days later they
were joined by the infantry
Before starting, tbs adjutant had spe-
cially called the attention of Capt. Twenty
man, who commanded the troop, to his last
joined rec uit.
You will find that man Blunt, who
joined us yesterday, a good soldier
Twentyman. 1t may be he has been an
officer and has got into some row at home
and been obliged to leave the service. Of
course you noticed his horse on parade this
morning; we have nothing like it in the
corps. The farmer who owned 1T offered it
to us yesterday afternoon, and wanted 9120
for it. He said that bo h It's sire and dam
were English hunters, the sire he had
bought from an English officer, and the
grandsire was a thoroughbred horse The
man has large farm, about twenty-five
miles from Capetown, and goes in for horse
breeding; but | have seen nothing before
OF mis- as good as that [ expect the young
fellow has spent his last penny in buying
it. OF course | don't know what he will
turn out in the way of conduct; but you will
find, If he is all right In that respect,
that he will make 6rst-rate non
commissioned officer, and mounted as he is,
will, at any rate, be a most useful man for
carrying dispatches and that sort If thing.
J confess | am very much taken with him.
He has steady, resolute sort OF face; looks
pleasant and good-tempered, too. Keep
your eye upon him."
Capt. Twentyman had done so during the
voyage and on the line of march, and Rom
AIDS quickness, alacrity, and acquaintance
with his duty convinced him that the adiu-
tant's supposition was q correct one.
by Joye, Twentyman," an officer of the
Ninety-frst said as he was standing beside
him when Ronald rode up and delivered a