Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1896-01-11

the same time, all privileges TO have
voice in the government and vote, which
these heavy taxpayers demanded, was
made practically beyond their reach
and this state OF affairs has been grow.
ing worse since 90, until II eliminated
In DR.. IamisDn's fatal expedition on be
halt OF the chartered company's police,
ten days ago. Had the program been
carried out in It's entirety and the min.
ing population, 5 600 strong, risen and
oulhanked the Boer ambush, a new pro
gressive hustling republic would have
been the sequel.
Taken as a class the Beers are a
rough, uncouth lot Of people with very
few exceptions. Af,er being In daily
contact with them for a couple Of years,
! cannot recall any individual bright
ilights Of eloquence or intellect on their
par. From the fact that they are farm.
ers more or less isolated from the out
side word, their conversation never
scars above cattle and horses, lungsick
aud redNater. A big percentage 81 them
can neither read nor write aod when
told about modern inventions and dis
tant lands they smile in an incrcdulous
manner Like the Hoitentois, they are
supefstitious to an absurd extent Mod
ern inventions are looked upon as Tying
In the lace Of Providence. As Tor rail-
ways they are thought to be instigaicd
by the evil one to ruin the transport
riders.
have in my minds eye a typical Boer
farm, say on the karfoo. You have
been riding ior an hour, and on all sides
OF you stretch out the yeldt dotted here
and there with conical shaped hills
called Kopjcs, which apparently are
composed OF huge boulders ranging In
size from a house to a coal oil can, that
appear to have been thus piled three or
four hundred feet high by giant hands.
The whole landscape seems to quiycr
under the brassy sun. Not a sound IS
heard but the occasional chirup oil a
cricket, the squeak OF your saddle and
the patter Of your horses hools. Yes,
there is a faint bark OF a dog heard Ia
the distancel On rounding a spur Of a
kopic, a low looking white stone house,
with It's adjacent sheds, kraals, ostrich
carups and Kaifir huts lies before you.
According to Airicander rules OF hospi.
tality you ride up and dismount amidst
an assortment OF yelping mongrcl ours.
A Hottcniot boy clad IN a fragment OF a
ANaA-bAN SUM- NAAA NNNN W. NhAN
steed. Ten 10 one no one will appear,
so you stride ON to the stoep aud
through the door. Ten TO one again Dom
Paul and family will be sitting In the
room drinking coffee minus milk and
sugar amidst a cloud Of tobacco smoke
and flies (screen doors are unknown In
South Airica). Pater iami.ias grunts
'daag." and you proceed TO make a
circuit and touch the outstfetched hands
Of the entire family, including the juven.
lies who are always omuipresent. They
all sit still aud stare you out Of couute-
nance or make derogatory remarks In
Dutch.
Silence rcigns supreme for minutes
Finally you are offered a cup OF awful
coffee, and by degrees mine host starts
the conversation by asking your name,
occupation, age, destination, state OF
your finances, married or single, and
other questions that would make the
most callous census taker green with
envy. Finally u you happen to be Of
foreign birth, you get nicknamed,
rooinek "rcd.neck," because the way
tenderloot newcomers necks burn In
the sun.
Whilst ON the coffee subject highly
offended Bler family by refusing to
participate. ! caught the frau IN the
very act OF wiping my cup, preparatory
to filling 1t, with a napkin she had been