The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1896-10-08
AN AFRICAN PIONEER
A kENOSHA BOY AS SUCH WRITES
or METABELE FIGHTING.
THE FUNERAL OF A ooMRADE.
Touching and Enspiriting Scenes in Ma
shonaland Camp Life What the
war by Lobengulas Children
Means to the Miners,
CENTRAL PENHALANGA MINE, near

OmUdlI, MdTSuOudIduu, July OO-AA1S'
EDITOR attempt detailed ac-
count or even an abridged sketch of
my experiences and impressions of
Africa since forsaking Gods country for
the land of gold, fever and Kaffirs,
would be a work for which am little
fitted, and the readers of the TELE-
GRAPH COURIER would be as little in
clined to peruse, fear. But my small
share in the events Of the past few
weeks in this disturbed quarter OF
i" Darkest Africa" may prove Of suffi-
Gent interest to the few to warrant the
boring of the many.
News of the second Matabele war
with it's murder of isolated whites in
the Buluwayo district and the bush
fights, invariably resolving themselves
into irritating and arduous niger
chases, y had reached us in our peaceful
mining camp on the Shemasi late in
March; but Buluwayo is 500 miles
away to our northwest, and with the
large body of troops we knew to be on
the way thither and the ease with
which the Matabele had been subdued
in '93, we thought it but an incident Of
few weeks perhaps, and scarcely gave
the matter a second thought.
The weeks have heightened into
months, however, and still are the chill
dren of Lobengula as bloodThirsty, as
elusive and as paralyzing to trade and
industry of all kinds as were ever the
mighty Zulus in the south, an offshoot
of which nation the Matabele proudly
claims the honor of being. Early in
June disquieting rumors of certain
Mashona chiefs joining the uprising
were rife, which on the Goth received
sudden and terrible confirmation. On
that day were all wires north OF Umtali
cut and soon afterward refugees began
to pour into tOWn-Or post; as Umtali
is more properly with their sad story
of murder and rapine all through north
ern Mashonaland as we'll as in Malta
beleland. Fort Salisbury was known
to be cut off from all communication
with Buluwayo as well as with Umtali,
and the latter could only speak to the
rest of the world through Portuguese
territory via ChimOio and Beira on the
oath. Burgher law was proclaimed,
Umtali went into IGGgeT twas fortified,
that is), and all white men between the
ages of 18 and 80 were compelled to
serve as burghers in the military serV
ice of Her Majesty as represented by
the charter or British South Africa
company, for which service they were
entitled to tour shillings ($D per day
compensations, with raCions as served
by the commissariat at charter COM
pany's expense.
We, in common with all outlying
miners, prospectOrs, ranchers, ct cetera,
were warned by despatch riders to come
into Umtali at once, which warning
reached US on the Both of June. With
as little haste and appearance of ex-
element as possible, in order that our
boys" or natives might not become
alarmed and leave us to shift for our
selves, we collected all tools, bulky
stores and surplus personal baggage
and deposited them sixty feet under
ground, at the bottom of a shaft at the
mine, throwing the rope down after
them and destroying the Windlass.
Then with ten truety boys (the others
we discharged) and three donkeys well
loaded with stores, tents, blankets and
ammunition, we started on I" the glo
rious Fourth" for Umtai, sort Of " on
to Richmond" movement on a small
scale. Arriving at the post ON the 9Th
without adventure more exciting than
the sound of war singing and dancing
at several native kraals passed on The
way and the occasional begging Of q
donkey in some 'doDga,' we pitched our
camp late in the afternoon ON the
square opposite the main laager, and
within a stones throw of the seven
FOUNDER, the only piece of ordnance
the post could boast.
The next morning we were all four
enrolled as burghers in B troop,
mounted infantry, without the mounts)
and | was unlucky enough to be de-
tailed on picket duty for that night ten
minutes after being enrolled. Umtali
all things considered, we found to be in
a very good state of defense, the little
group of government buildings with
their compount or walled courtyard
being surrounded with a formidable
lGdger of bullock wagons and sand
bags, with the seven FOUNDER mounted
at the northwest corner Of the quad
rangle so formed, looking up the Sails
bury road. A main guard of ten men
was on duty day and night at the main
laager, four pickets Of four men each
went on at eight every evening for an
all night sentry go at salient points
from a mile to two miles from the town,
and every burgher had his own position
| in tho 7Tn0o4. a cci nrY1 o6 him RI o0aunU of