The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1894-07-19
FROM SOUTH AFRICA
An Interesting Letter from
John Jarvis.
FORMERLY RESIDED IN PHILlPSBURG
MIR. Jarvis Gives An EntertafniBg
Description of Trip from Umtali
to the Seventy-Five Mile Peg
in the Portuguese - Down
with the Fever-A Good
Mining Section Etc.

Correspondence of The Mail. "
UMTAL1, Mashonaland, S. A., May 16.-
Some weeks ago sent you copy of the
Rhoderia Herald, extracts from which
may interest your readers. l intended
to accompany it with a short letter but
was prevented by an attack of fever
which kept me in bed for ten days, dur
ing which time I took no solid food.
Nine days after I was better [ started to
walk with another man named Fairbairn
to the seventy-fve mile peg in the
Portuguese territory. We had five
Kat1irs to carry our baggage and pro-
visions. He walked ahead of them and
| brought up the rear. We both had
rifles SO we were quite prepared in case
the niggers attempted to run off with
our property. We were unfortunate as
regards game. We did see lion tracks,
but we were not looking for lions-not
having lost any. Whenever we camped
at night we made scarum enclosure Of
brush and built large fire to keep
them off. On the sixth day I began to
lag behind; the fever was returning; but
fortunately I came up to wagon be-
longing to an Umtali butcher who kindly
offered to take me into town, which I
accepted. That night as I was sleeping
under the wagon the dogs began bark
ing. I awoke and got my rifle. T could
not see as it was pitch dark. I found
that a donkey got loose from the wagon.
After tying him up I returned to bed.
Next morning I found tracks Of a lion
within fifty yards of the wagon. He had
probably been attracted by the cattle
and the donkey. Lions prefer donkeys
and dogs to any other domestic animals
The next day we we're in Umtali, which
is better situated than either Victoria or
Salisbury. No Umtali resident has had
fever this year. The only cases are
those people who come from the coast or
from other parts of Mashonaland. On
arrival here I had to lay up, as the fever
got worse. I took one big dose of quiz
nine twice day for three days, then I
was all right again. Four out Of the five
niggers bolted the day after we arrived
here. Fairbairn was unable to replace
theu, so he left most of his things be-
hind and went on with the remaining
Kaffir
Umtal1 lays in winding valley.
Whatever direction you look there are
mountains. On one of these ranges
the Panhalanga-rich gold discoveries
have been made. The town contains
several stores, one or two canteens
(saloons), postofice, two butchers, a
baker (who is an American negro), a
reading room and library, Episcopal
church and hospital. Six troopers (ot
the Mashonaland mounted police) are
stationed outside the town. They are
needed to keep order among the natives.
This country needs a railroad badly,
To bring merchandise and machinery
from Pretoria or Veyburg is both slow
and costly. The distance is about 800
miles from either point The least time
that it can be made in is three months.
Sometimes it takes six months in the
rainy season. The rivers get too full and
the transport riders have to wait until
the water goes down before they can
ford them. There has been a good deal
of agitating, urging the British South
African company to push the railway
through the fly country. Oxen and
horses cannot live in that part. The
fly stings them and after some time they
die. Last year the company gave a
bonus to pay losses go as to get goods
from the seventy-ive mile peg, but it
was only given to one party, Who did
very little transporting, while those who
risked going to the seventy-fye mile peg
and lost their cattle got nothing except
what they made transporting. The cost
of living here IS very high. Decent
board cannot be had at less than e8 per
month. IT you board yourself it might
be done for less, Everybody here keeps
one or more nigger servants to make the
fires, carry water from the river and go
out and bring in wood for fuel. Their
pay is los PEI month and their food
consisting of Aaf1ir meal (or corn meaD
and meat once or twice week. They
seldom stay more than one month, then