The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1899-11-18

lie had to make his own roads, ford
rapid rivers, scale rugged mountains.
light savage animals and still more
savage human beings. When l think
Of the fortitude and bravery shown by
the Boer during his exodus from civil
lzatlon. he has my unqualified admir-
alton; but having conceded him this
1 nave given him all he is entitled to.
AS pioneer the Boer is a decided sue
cess; as a civilizer he is a pronounced
failure. 1 admit readily that this criti-
clsm is captious, for the Boer does not
pretend to civilize anything.
When the Boer was seeking a home
where he hoped to be free from the i'm
pertinent intrusion of English philan-
thropy, strange thing happened to
him. A race of men. infinitely inferior
TO the Beers. because their skins were
black. had the inconceivable audacity
to resent losing their land and liberty.
These benighted heathens imagined
that by right of conquest and occupa-
ton they should be allowed to remain |
IN undisturbed possession of their herds |
and fields. OF course, this was the
sheerest nonsense. England has no
right to take an inch of land from the
Beers. but the Beers had the clearest
possible right to tage it all from the
kaffirs, because they were doing it TO
benefit the poor negro. The most dan
gerous foes the Beers had to contend
with were the bushmen or BOsiesmen.
a wandering tribe of aboriginal Ish-
maelites. short in stature and speaking
an utterly untranslatable language. re-
sembling more the clicks and gutturals
81 the anthropoid apes than any known
human speech. These Bushmen lived
Principally IN caves and decayed tree
trunks and were hopelessly untamable !
Kafirs Hate the Beers.
Their hatred of the Beers exceeded that
of the Beers towards the English. for {
they hated the white man indiscrim- I
lnately and individually, parent and j
son, root and branch. The pioneering 7
Dutchmen used to organize hunting f
parties for the purpose of exterminat- a
ing these BuShmen, just as they hunted r
lions and leOpaTds. No mercy was L
shown or expected on either side. An n
old Boer once showed me the scar. of
wound in his thigh. which he had [
received during one Of these raids
against the Bushmen. He had acct
dentaliy been separated from his com
panions and was endeavoring to rejoin
them when Bushman. seated in the
branches of large tree, sent an arrow
into the Beers thigh. The Boer i'm
shot the Bushman. and then
sitting down, deliberately carved the
flesh around the wound. taking the ar
ROW head out entire. He then cauter-
lsed the wound by placing a handful
OF gunpoWder in it and setting fire IN
the same. His companions found him
ABOUT Two hours afterwards in half
fainting condition and carried him
home. Investigation proved that The
Boer had saved his life by his pronpt
action, as the poison on the Bush
mans arrow was perfectly fresh and
had the BOer not acted as he did he
would. in all probability, nave died in
he course Of three or four hours after
'eceiving his wound. Had the poison
lsed by the Bushman been, say. two
lays OLD, It's effect would not neces
iarily have been fatal but the I-ic+i,,,
would have suffered from it for the
est Of his life. I mention the incident
IS illustrative Of the pluck and grim
etermination shown by the Boer in
rs pioneering days. The vollnoar
5e@rs OF the present day are more Of
enllnate than their ancestors We're
uI lhey are descendants Of stern.
ardy stock, and should occasion e,,o,,
rise, are likely to display the same
rants which made the early Boer a
dccessful pioneer. w
Growth of Transvaal.
1t is unnecessary to follow The Re-. vi
J detail in their occupation of tba i r%'
We VIII consider +bero IN
ON the time when the objections of TIL
ne native owners Of the soil had haen for.
~ - !, 9.ieiiceu ny ilile and lash, TrS
lorlty. They were a small commn- ,yo,
W, more, as it We're, one large fam Ir,,
y and they parceled the land out aTt
,ti+le,7 't ~ each pioneer being Boz
len a-,,.os ." rim 80 III " o'OVt morgen or gov
'chal style. Each Boer had his own et,,.
lie following. As his sons grew nm We,
ey putt houses near the pafernal roof ~
70 married, or married first and huiIt s sre
ost conx-enie,,t 81 happened to be alw
innate IN ~ 'fo,...I vne magnificent mot
mnnlDifv ere7T ,.ai,i,,il IsdhsNaal the phil
y nShips We're selected, and the lots sh EN-
~ oy public auction. generaIiy on sile;
i1 pulSiiasef erected defs