The Philipsburg mail. [volume] (Philipsburg, Mont.) 1887-current, 1894-01-04
Our Regular Correspondents
Newsy Letter.
PHILIPSBURG PEOPLE In AFRICA
some Very Curious Animals Found in
That Flr-Off lnnel-Ricla Geld Mine
Owned by an Americana Liz
ard Four Feet LOng--4A Rari-
road for BarbertOn-E Etc.
Regular Correspondence of THE MAIL.

JAMESTOWN, DeKaap, S. A., Nov. s.
AS I feel little lonesome tonight
will write you few lines. The weather
has been fine for some time. I received
letter from Joe Carleton some time ago
He wrote discouragingly from Johannes
burg. I saw Lige Bergeron. He is
working for Mr.. Charles, an American,
in Noodles concession. Lige has had a
bad hand--a sort of a felon in the palm
and has been IN the hospital with it.;
but he is about we'll now. Mr. Charles
has about as good prospect as one ever
sees. He has an ore shoot quo feet long,
and he has crosscut thirty feet and is
not through it yet. You can see gold in
all of it. The ore runs from $40 to $50
per ton. He has new ten-stamp mill
nearly completed.
| think Barberton will have railroad
IN another year. The road is being ex-
tended to the Sheba mill and I think it
will be extended to Barberton. They
are very slow building roads in this
country; in fact, they are slow abou
everything.
What do you think of lizard four
feet long? I ran onto one that length
few days ago and thought had found
the devil sure. I have seen three since
They are very common here and I don't
know why have not seen one before.
We have a curious bird here called the
honey bird. There are plenty Of wild
bees which live in the ground and make
honey the same as tame bees It you
are walking through the bushes and one
OF these birds sees you it will call you.
Ii you answer and go up to the bird and
tell it to Ego on in Kaffir, 1t will hop
along slowly, calling all the time, until it
gets to the nest. Then it will hop up
IN tree and fly down to the nest and
back into the tree and will keep doing SO
until You find the nest. When you take
the honey out it is there waiting for
it's share, The Katfirs always give the
bird piece of the comb. I had heard
OF the bird but never believed the story
until last Sunday, when I was out walk
ing with young farmer, and he showed
me the bird. While we were out we we're
taken to three bees nests, but as it is
not the season for honey we did not dis
turb them.
Ihe crops are looking fine: corn is up
about SIX inches; that which was planted
in the winter and irrigated is just right
for roasting ears. Wild fruit will soon
be ripe. There are lots of wild figs and
grapes and great many kinds [ don't
know the names of. Game IS very
abundant in the shape of small deer
about the size of jack rabbit, but one
can't get them with rifle, as they stay
in the brush One needs shot gun.
| had Kaffir working for me but I
let him go few days ago. I wish had
kept him as it is pretty lonesome. Haye
just had thunder storm, and from the
sounds there will be another soon. The
thunder storms here are nice thing to
20 to sleep BY We get more thunder at
one crack here than you do in Montana
in whole year I don't like thunder
storms in the night and can't sleep. 1t
has just started to rain hard. IF it keeps
up all night I won't be able to get across
the river. The farmers were IN need Of
rain, and from the sounds from the
clouds guess they will be satisfied.
! wish some one from the burg would
just drop in and call on me this evening.
Write often and send me lots of papers.
That last lot you sent arrived all right.
JACK HARTWELL.