The Florida agriculturist. [volume] (DeLand, Fla.) 1878-1911, 1890-03-05

edEu VI TIC OSOS lay one Oh my DrOL0GrSs
They all looked as though they were
asleep, and they all had flowers in their
hands. Ny father told me to kiss them
all. becaus, should not see them any
more, and did SO. though l was very
frightened. Ibid not know why. Then
he took me in his arms and kissed me.
"The Lord hath given" he said, land
the Lord hath taken away; blessed be
the name of the Lord"
cried very much, and he took me
downstairs, and after that have only
confused memory of men dressed in
black carrying heavy burdens towards
the gray churchyard.
Next comes vision of a great ship
and wide tossing waters. My father
could no longer bear to live in England
after the loss that had fallen on him,
and made up his mind to emigrate to
South Africa. We must have been poor
at the time; indeed, believe that a large
portion Of our income went from my
father on my mothers death. At any
rate we travelled with the Storage pas
sengers. and the intense discomfort Of
the journey with the rough ways of our
fellow emigrants still remain upon my
mind. At last it came to an end, and
we reached Africa, which was not to
leave again for many, many years. In
those days civilization had not made any
great progress in southern Africa. My
father went up the country and became
a missionary among the Kaffirs, near to
where the town of Cradock now stands,
on6 h0po I t0 manhood T1,ops0
were few Boer farmers in the neighbor-
hood, and gradually little settlement
of whites gathered round our mission
station--a drunken Scotch blacksmith
and wheelwright was about the most in
teresting character, who, when he was
sober, could quote the Scottish poet
Burns and the ''Ingoldsby Legends lit
orally by the page. 1t was from him
that contracted fondness for the lat
ter amusing writings which has never
left me.
Burns / never cared for so much,
probably because Of the Scottish dialect,
which repealed me-. What little educa-
ton got was from my father, but
never had much leaning toward books,
= norshe much time to teach them to me.
= On the other hand, / was, always keen;
observer of the ways of men and ma
ture. BY the time that I.was 90 could
speak Dutch and three or four Kaffir
dialects perfectly, and I doubt if there
was anybodyin South Africa who I'M
derstood native ways of thought and
action more completely than did. Also
was really good shot and horseman,
and think-as, indeed, my subsequent
career proves to have been the Casa
great deal tougher than the majority Of
men.
1t may be wondered that did not run
absolutely wild in such surroundings,
but ! was held back from this by my
fathers society. He was one of the gen.
tlest and most refined men that ever
met: even the most savage Kaffir loved
him, and his influence was very good
one for me. He used to cali himself one
of the worlds failures. Would that there
were more such failures Every evening
when his work was done he would take
his prayer book, and, sitting on the little
stoop of our station, would read the even
ing psalms to himself. Sometimes there
was not light enough for this, but it made
no difference, he knew them all by heart.
When he had finished he would look out
across the cultivated lands where the
mission Kaffirs had their huts.
But knew it was not these he saw, but