Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1894-05-24

delicious. The country as a whole is
not very well watered; at one time We
Travelled two days without water and
then had to buy it. We passed a
Methodist mission called Good Hope
where they were educating the kaffers
OF the Busutah tribe in Dutch
and English. Mining towns are plenty
but lew show the thrift that usually
designates a mining camp.
From here we journeved to the Linn
papa or Crocodile river, where we
stayed for ten days hunting, fishing
and having rare sport. The LImpapa
is within the tropics, the latitude be-
ing 22 degrees south, and is the boun-
dairy between the South African Re
public and Bechuanaland. The vege-
tation it of tropical variety, ferns
palms and cactus, many OF the latter
standing twenty feet high. Early in
September we crossed the river and
made start for Fort Tulu, which is
on the border between Bechuanaland
and Mashonaland.
Four years ago Mashonaland was
leased by "A British company for min
ing purposes, the company being
known as the British South African
or Chartered company. Some years
ago the Matabele tribe conquered the
Mashonas and imposed a heavy tax,
from time to time raiding their kralls,
stealing stock and killing everyone ex-
cept unmarried girls whom they took
as slaves. The Chartered company
could not help this although they did
grievance, until about the middle ol
July last party of Matabeles came
into Fort Victory AMI began stabbine
the poor Mashonas on tine streets
with their assegais or spears). The
Mashonas were in the employ OF the
company who felt duty bound to af
ford protection, and fight ensued
which resulted in thirty of the Mata
beles being killed. This was the real
cause of the war in which | served as
a volunteer. The company made
speedy preparation, getting horses
and calling for volunteers from the
Transvaal and other parts. The
party we joined numbered fifty white
men and the same number of blacks
who served as drivers, etc. We had
| 100 head OF oxen but they being III
poor condition it took us almost one
month to travel 200 miles. In these
parts kaffer rice and sweet potatoes
are plenty, handful OF salt or a
string of beads purchasing "a bucket
| full of rice. We crossed the Boobe
river and few days later the Lundt
river. On the latter four years age
pioneers were detained by the swollen
waters and many lost their lives Will
| fever. The graves numbered about
100, not one of which cont aimed a
coffin and many had not even board
to mark their last resting place. Or
the north bank OF the Lunda are the
remains OF strong prehistoric build
ing, the walls of which are of granite
the masonry being six or seven feet
high and ten feet thick, resembling the
foundation OF fallen tower. There
are many of these ruins in Mashona
land and the wonder OF the day is the
Zimbabye ruins, fifteen miles from
Fort Victory, the masonry OF which
would compare favorably with any o.
the present day. Here they are sup
posed TO have worked all the payable
gold reefs ages ago, their old working
having been traced for hundreds o
miles over the gold belt. This is called
by many the Land of Ophir or Kin,
Solomon's mines. We arrived in Vic
tory on the 9th OF October and ther'
heard that a column 400 strong unde
l Commander Raft had left Fort Tulr
on its way to Bulawayo, the capita
of Matabeleland, also that Malo
Forbs' column 300 strong had lef
Fort Salisbury for Bulawayo. Sails
bury is 200 miles north of Victory
Bulawayo lays 200 miles west OF Vic
tory and the two columns were time,
so as to meet at the former place.
Having nothing else to do and tn
( Victory column being just ready t.
march with Major Wilson for com
mander, sold my donkeys and Val
, and joined the scouts under Captain