Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1889-01-31
Habits Of Dutch Beers.
Medicine Rated by Quantity More than
0uality-Feather Beds Carried on
Journeys Some VERY Queer
Custums.
All People Are Queer Whose Ways
Are Not Like Ours.


supposed to understand Boer speech and
habits) arrives at a farmhouse in, say,
the Orange Free State. A farmhouse
may have one field of forage and stone
kraal; otherwise the farm is open coun-
try. He will not off saddle his horse
without receiving permission; this having
been asked for aud granted, the farmer
leads him through the half doors
into the main apartment. There
is homemade furniture. numerous
pink and white paper flowers, and
painted on the walls vases of fruit like
those seen depicted on the London pave
ments. The visitor will proceed to shake
hands, commencing with the stout frau
and ending with baby in arms. This Is
Rot the English iandshake but a resting
of palm within palm. The coffee, which
is made frcm sunrise to sunset, is then
brought in in bowl; tobacco pouches are
exchanged and conversation which sell
dom varies, IS commenced. The visitor
ard the farmer answer or reply pretty
much as follows: "The field is green;
the clouds are heavy; there will be
thunder storm tomorrow. | have a very
foe red horse running. Nechtmaal will
be next month. My frau has a cold. The
president is a fne man. Japis De Villitr
has had q ram born with five heads. The
English are thieves The handwriting
ceremony is then repeated, the horse,
fed and rested, is brought out; the travel
err mounts, smacks his sjambock, shows
off his steed and proceeds on his jour
neY,
The farmers have trained ponies to a
special pace called q Cripple" and
good "trIppler" is always priced. With
this pace no parting of the saddle is re-
quired; and on long journey the trip
pier will arrive each night without tnrn
ing a hair, while tine trOtting horse, his
com panion, may be done up. Distance
is reckoned by time-six miles to an hour.
If an Englishman near the hour of sun
set asks a Dutchman where such village
lies, he will be answered by raised hand
and "a little way over that hill.' You
then ride ten miles and sleep out in a
thunderstorm, perhaps.
You reach the village the following mid
day. Superstition and fear of contagi
Gus diseases are great among the people.
Outside Pochefstroom there is a leper
an Indian coolie-dwelling in the
earthworks so finely defended Ly British
has erected a cone OF parafliae tins, be-
meath which he orouohes; and the inhahit
ants OF the town daily bring ont mealies,
milk and bread, placing them on the
ground at distance. So the poor crea-
ture Is fed. Many years back, when rid
ing from the gold fields to Natal, | was
nigh starved out of life. The Beers be
lieved ] had come from DelagOa Bay,
where smallpox was prevalent among ma
tives, and could obtain neither food nor
shelter. The love of gain, so strong with
the Boer, overcame the difficulty at Mid
dleburg, where the provisions | asked for
were deposited Oh the ground, ard | was
allowed TO drop the money in a basin of
water. Inter marriage of near kindred,
obtaining in some cases 70 an unnatural
degree, produces sad tf1iictious for the
offspring.
The springs near Lake Chrissie Grams
vaal) are a sort of Pool Sloan. On the
bare grass rises and round the rocky
pools families are camped at certain
seasons, attempting to cure their rheu-
matism and straighten their contorted
limbs of their children. The spring is
sulphurous, boiling hot, and the pools
can only be used for bathing by leading
a cold stream into them. At this spot |
had to pay shillings for leay. As to
superstition, there are several deserted
farmhouses to be met with in the country,
ia spite of the presence of the valued
spring. If You inquire TO reason a Beer
viii tell you There is spook there"
A spook is ghost.
The Dutch are accomplished herbalists,
doubtless obtaining the knowledge of the
Hotteutots and Bushmen; they have herb
brandie5 for cohcs and plants for sores.
They are often the prey of quack doc
tors; the more as genuine practitioners,
who have 10 go long distances, charge
heavily. Dutchman is eatished with the
treatment so long a. his medical adviser
brings to the house quart bottle of
physic; if he presents him with a small
vial ne doubts his skill aud sends for
another man. The dead are buried on
the farms, and over them travelling
masons erect mausoeums of brick. Dutch
women are enormous in size, good cooks
in their style, gooble sweets and cake
all day and take little exercise. But pow
and thsn a Dutch wife and her daughters
may be seen kraaling the sheep at eve
ming. Boer likes his wife's company,
and will leave passengers by his wagon
stuck in the mud and half starved while
he traoks off fifty miles with another
vehicle to pay a visit to the vrauw.
Feather beds are greatly priced by this
people; they generally carry their beds
With them on journeys.
The trekkings of the Beers are remark
able. Annually the farm houses on the
low weld is shut up, and the sheep and
cattle art taken scores of miles up 10 the
high weld for mountain pasture. Beside
some rushing stream the wagons are
camped, perhaps tents are pitched, and
domestic life goes on as usual, Fowls
cluck among the wild grasses, ana the
COWS are MIXED among the shadows OF
mighty mountains. The general belief in
the excellence of Boer shooting is no de
lusiou. I was once with a Dutchman on
q high mountain road near the De Klap;
three bucks lept down the rocks TO a low
kopje by the way; with a Martini Henry
rifle he brought down two ont OF the
three. Hunting at Louewe Pan Lion
PAM Bechuanaland Captain y. went out
l. Il