The Stark County Democrat. [volume] (Canton, Ohio) 1833-1912, 1899-06-23
AFRICAN HORSES HANDY.
Animals That Possess Remarkable
Endurance and Power
to Travel.


One of the first things that strike
the wanderer in the great expanses of
the southern hemisphere is the
strength and endurance of the horse.
Though to look at they are the sor-
riest scrags l ever set eyes on, yet
they appear to be possessed of a power
of getting over the ground that is lit
tie short of miraculous and so aston
ishing in its persistence as to seem
automatic. A very striking instance
came under my notice only few days
after landing in Cape Town in 1868.
I was sitting one Saturday afternoon
on the stoop of Parks hotel, which oc-
cupied the corner of Adderley and
Strand streets, when a dust-covered
horseman stopped and dismounted.
His horse was taken 10 the stables and
in the course of conversation in the
bar / learned that he was member
of a legislative assembly for an up
country district. There was no rail-
way communication with the interior
in those days and he had ridden in
from his home at Colesberg in less
than six days, having started the previ-
Gus Monday.
Now Colesberg is more than 500 miles
from Cape Town and the country is
very rough going, much of it being
heavy sand and other parts very noun
famous. No English-bred horse, fed
according to English methods, could
have accomplished such a ride as this,
more especially when we consider the
temperature of the Cape Colony.
went to look at the animal on which
the journey had been performed and
found it to be a little roam schimmel
barely ID hands and apparently as
fresh as paint. Another very remark
able ride that came under my notice
was performed by Boer who lived a
few miles from Graytown, in Natal.
His wife was taken i'll and a particular
medicine, not to be obtained in Gray
town, was imperative. So in the early
hours of the night he started for Mar
tiZberg, IS miles distant, through an
extremely billy country, and was back
on his farm in 16 hours. The remark
able thing in this ride was that this
Boer weighed over II stone.
In my own experience many in
stances of the wonderful staying pow
ers of African horses have occurred.
To mention one, in 1866, had been APP
pointed honorable secretary for the
first athletic sports held in the Umboti
country of Natal. They were to be
held in Graytown on boxing day, which
fell on a Monday. All preparations,
etc, were concluded early in December,
when I received an urgent request to
60 to the Transvaal to look after a
friend who was lying very i'll in his
wagon with no attendants but a cou
pie of raw KafIirs. l rode as hard as
| could and found him among the
kepjes of the Drakensberg, between
Lydenberg and Wakkersthoom, very
bad with fever, which he had contract
ed somewhere in the low country to
the northwest. tended him for some
days until he was clearly out of dan
ger and then suddenly remembered
that had to be in Graytown on Mon
day morning. l was then sitting on the
wagon box drinking my morning coffee
at six o'clock Saturday morning. Gray
town was 220 miles away, but was at
my post there at ten a. m. and in addi-
tion took a second prize both in running
and jumping competitions.-African
Life,