The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-06-24
SOUTH AFRICA TRAVEL.
As 1t Was Before Railroads Began
Their work of Civilization.

Their work of Civilization.
From South Africa.
To the ordinary traveller or tourist who
now visits South Africa the word travel
will have little more meaning than what il
invokes in other lands. The railway now
runs to most parts of the country, and a
more or less tedious journey in a comfort
able compartment will carry him TO his
destination. Such was not, however, al
ways the case, and it is not so long since
those who through pleasure or necessity
were forced to travel had to avail them
selves of the facilities offered by post carts
or transport wagons. 1t is true that in
some remote dorps in the Transvaal and
Free State the scream of the railway whis-
tie has never been heard and probably
never will be; but these phases are out OF
the way of the ordinary traveller. and
rarely visited by him. In the old days the
traveller who had to trust himself TO the
tender mercies of the post contractor did
so as a rule in fear and trembling. There
were, as in all else, degrees in the various
services, but the man who could have
found pleasure in a trip even on the best
roads must have indeed possessed a dis
position of which Mark Tapley might have
been proud.
In some of the services on the principal
routes from Cape Colony and Natal the
carts were well horsed, the drivers were
thoroughly up to their work, and the con-
diuons We're made as desirable as was pos
sible under the circumstances. But the
carts had been built to suit the roads. the
spafe was strictly limited and the mails
would absorb a considerable quantity Of
this space, and the unfortunate passep-
r.aFs ief, Il f,1
unfortunates his knees compressed against
pile Of bags and his back sore from
constant friction against the seat would
sit in silent agony until his destination
was reached-the onUrelief obtainable be-
ing when the cart stopped for the night
ana the weary traveller could throw him
self partly dressed on a bed TO snatch a
few hours sleep before the drivers call
at the earliest dawn warned him that the
dread hour had arrived for him to again
Take his seat in the cart
The start from the town was ALWAYS OF
the same nature. The four or six horses
would stand paving the ground while a
couple of Hottentois would hang on to
their heads, the driver would gather IN
the reins and crack his whip, the boys
would spring TO one side, and the equiDage
would disappear in a cloud of dust in the
distance. On some lines this would hold
good at all the various stopping places,
but In others once the first halt was
reached, and civilization left behind. a
span of weary mules would be dragged
reluctantly forth, and the travellers heart
would sink into his boots. and he would
glance reproachfully al the driver The
mules would be inspanned and a fresh
start made, and the drivers assistant
would bring forth his short siambok and
prepare for business. Tender-hearted
travellers would at first sympathize with
the mules; later on the sympathy would
be transferred to the wretched boy who
had to urge them on, by jumping down
from the cart every few minutes and run
ming alongside the animals and belabor-
ing them After a time the traveller
sympathy for both would have vanished
and he would mentally consign both to
the neither world. When the boy climbed
on the cart at intervals the passengers
would draw deep breaths. "Everything
comes to him who waits" and al length
a stage would be reached on the confines
of civilization where span of horses
would be produced and a better start
made. Like the Irish jarvey. The post
cart driver firmly believed in Saving a
trot for the avenue" and the coach would
wheel into the village in blaze of glory,
the driver awakening the echoes with a
shrill blast from his bugle.