The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1889-09-20

1ENASzr<rt 1
THE DUTCH m AFRICA.
Osns Of the Queer Custsms OF the Bosl>
In b OnnEe Free State.
fe --
The traveller Il speak, writes ! col.
respondent OF the ST. James Gazette, Of
the one who Is supposed to understand
Boer speech and habits) arrives at .
farmhouse In, say, the Orange FREQ
State. A farmhouse may have ons
aeld OF forage and stone kraal; other,
wise the farm is open country. He will
not off-saddle his horse without per.
mission. This having been asked for
and granted the farmer leads him
through the h%alf-doors OF tie 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 paveinents. The visitor
will proceed to shake hands, com.
mencing with the stout vrauw and
ending with the baby in arms. This
is not the English .'hand-shake," but
a resting of palm with palm. This
coffee, which is made from sunrise to
sunset, is then brought in in bowls.
tobacco pouches are exchanged, and
conversation, which seldom varies,
commences. The visitor and the farm.
er answer or reply pretty much as fol-
lows 1.-THE veidis green. The clouds
are heavy; there viii be q thunder.
storm tomorrow. I have . fine red
horse running. Nachtmaal (com.
munion) will be- next montk. My
yrauw has a cold. The president is a
fne man. Japie do Villiers (pro.
nounced Vile. and minus the prefix
has had q ram born with five heads.
The English are thieves" The hand.
shaking process is then repeated; the
horse. fed and rested, is brought
round; the traveller mounts, smacks his
SHAMROCK, shows of his steed, and pre-.
ceeds on his journey.
The farmers have trained ponies q
a special pace called o. "tripple,n and
= good Cripple is always prized.
With this pace no porting Of the
saddle is required and on . long
journey the tipplier will arrive each
night without turning q hair while thu
trotting horse, his companion, may be
done up. Distance is reckoned by
time-six miles to the hour. If an
Englishman near the hour of sunset
asks a Dutchman where such a village
lies he will be answered by q raised
hand and "a little way oyer that HILL
You then ride ten miles and sleep on,
in a fhfnA o,~.c tOt,r,, >>orIn.,c ".
reach the village the following mid:
day. Superstition and fear 81 eon.
tagious diseases are great among this
people.
The Dutch are accomplished herba.
lists, doubtless obtaining the knowl.
edge of the Hottentots and Bushmen,
they have herb brandies for oolics and
plants for sores. They are often the
prey OF quack doctors; the more az
genuine practitioners, who have to &c
long distances, charge heavily. "A
Dutchman is satisfied with the treat.
ment so long as his medical adviser
brings to the house d quart bottle OF
physic; if he presents him with a small
vial he doubts his skill and sends fe,
another man. The dead are burlod on
the farms, and over them travelling
masons erect mausoleums Of brick.
Dutch women are enormous in size,
good cooks in their style, gobble
sweets and cakes all day, and take
little exercise. But now and then 1
Dutch wife and her daughters NAV be
seen kraaling the sheep at evening, A
Boer likes his wife's company, and
will leave passengers by his wagon
stuck in the mud and half-starved
while he tracks off fifty miles with an.
other vehicle to pay a visit 70 ths
yrauw. Feather beds are greatly
priced by this people; they generally
carry their beds with them on Journeys,
The trekkings of the Beers are re-
markable. Annually the farm-hous,
on the slow weld" is shut up and tn.
sheep and cattle are taken scores o.
miles up to the "high veld'' fol
mountain pasture. Beside some rush.
ing stream the wagons are oamped
perhaps tents are pitched, and do
nestle life goes on as usual. Fowl,
cluck among the wild grasses and tn.
cows are MIXED beneath the shadows
OF mighty mountains. The general
belief in the excellence Of Boer shoot.
ing is no delusion.
The people are excessively fond Of
music and dancing; concertina, har.
monium, and fiddle are their delight.
A withered Hottentot dwarf will draw
a strain from the sole of an old shoe
string with sinew, and men and
maidens will vigorously dance to it fol
hours. For dancing there is no touch.
ing the English Afrikander, and hi,
| ma cr1.nS oanp, quite ,n- IT,
Beers have a bad character for pilfer.
ing. When the men and the women
enter an up-country store they are al.
lowed to carry of small goods like
sweets or ribbons, which they uncon,
sciously pay for in the bill. The farm.
ers arc not often rich in money, theft
wool crops being mortgaged sometimel
to stores for seasons ahead. young
bloods' are independent and wild. A
smart ourveting horse and hat with
white ostrich plume usually denote
this species. When a Boer drinks he
is an entire fool. In order to keep q
firm hand owe the young men riding
transport, the elders of the Free State
recently passed a bill prohibiting the
sale Of liquor at wayside canteens. and
thereby lost a large revenue. How.
ever, there are smugglers.
The Beers are great religious formal.
lists, and at certain times they aud
their famies ride into the villages from
great distances to celebrate the
Nachtmaal (night meal communion),
their wagons loaded with produce
presents for the parsons. At this time
business is brisk and the streets are
like a fair. Yet, where natives and
land are concerned, the Beers con,
slant violation of the commandment.
docs not need pointing out. The
Beers are by no ean modest, and
their family conversations are at times
boisterously indecent. House arrange.
ments, save on rich farms. are neces.
sarily meager, and the traveller must
be prepared to sleep on the floor il
the midst of four or five sisters and
their three or four brothers, all grown
up. while the head couple snore on ar
elevated and ponderous feather bed in
a curtained corner of the room. When