New-York tribune., 1899-11-18
THE BOER IN FICTION.
A NEW NOVEL, OF LIFE AND CHARACTER
IN THE TRANSVAAL.
Under THE SJAMBOK. A Tale OF the Transvaal.
BY George Hansby Russell. l2mo PIP. SAS H. r.
DuttOn & co.

By George Hansby Russell l2mo. pp S4s. F. r
Dutton Co
The treatment meted out 10 the Beers In Mt
Rider Haggard's various novels Of South Afri-
can life seems the more Just because 1t Is not
apparently colored by prejudice. He writes on
the whole dispassionately, and tacltly adfn's
that there are some Beers who possess virtues
We wish all writer's of fiction in which South
African motives are exploited would snow 'he
same discretion Olive Schrelner came near to
defeating her own purpose in Trooper Peter
Haket Of Mashonaland." through the vehe-
mence with which she drew up her indictment
Of Cecil Rhodes and his party; and now Mr..
Russell threatens to spoil the effect OF his new
novel by piling on too heavily the sinister coors
IN which he has elected to portray the typical
Roer We want something more than sheer ad-
venture. such as we get in NJ. Rosny's South
African tale, "L'Aiguille dor" but we would
take Mr. Russells studies Of character more
conldingly II he left the Boer with some slight
remnant Of humanity. Here is one account that
he offers-taking it from the lips Of one of his
Kafir characters-of the Boer and his terrible
"sjambok," whip Of rhinoceros hide:
All, those were three long days; they did moth
ing but drink and whip the Kaffir boys; | think
ten tied up during that time. Baas Hans
the one 10 use the SJaGTDOK most, Dul TWICE
I saw the Landrost use II himself. and once
Heer De Kock also took the whip. remem-
ber the last one they whipped was Kaiir boy
Masoja The Landrost said he wanted some
milk to put in his GIN but when the boy re-
turned with only half cupful and said the COW
was dry, Baas Hans told him he would not have
his friends nsulted in that way, and tied him
up to the wagon. and gave him twenty-five with
the sjambok Then. as he was letting him go.
he gave him another flve just to let him know,
as he said that his arm not yet tired. but
that ha had str
| hundred Then he called us all, and told us
| the pastor had said ought 10 be mercful.
though at the same time he told us man
| called Solomon said that to spare the SIAM
! box was to spoil the child" but what Solomon
| he meant, Baas. l do not know. but there was
q man OF that name who kept winkel In Kim
| berley.
There is a Jew smuggler in this book who
| describes in vivid terms the methods Of the
Beers on the occasion OF a native rising Such a
rising is impending in the story, and Solomon
| Isaacs observes:
| There amt a Boer farmer for miles round
| Petersburg Marabastadt and Smitsdorp that
| won't ave free labor for years 10 come. Men
| women and children will be parcelled out be-
| tween EN- They calls EN- prisoners Of war In
this country, In others they might call II slavery
and. for pay. they get much stambok az
they can put up with. ard good deal more be-
sides,
| Well, mister, either you are green or you are
try a Bit or you wouldn't speak Zulu or Cape
| Dutch you do and yet you ask me- rs II
possible?' Mister. II is possible. 1t is now, II
| was. and long as the British lion goes tC
| sleep. and them Ultlanders let them Pretoria fe
| lers do what they like. II always will be. Marx
| YOU mister these Boer feers pretty cute
| you won't find what they call prisoners Of wal
| working on the farms the big towns like
| Johannesburg and Pretoria. There the Landrost
| the field cornet and their chums employ the con
| yicts TO do their work. and the more convict:
| they can make, why, the better for 'em. Why
| mister you must remember the time when they
| used to run a Niger in for walking on the side
| path You know this IL true. don't try ant
! get at me any more. | tell you, mister, thai
| nearly every farm in this district Is worked by
| prisoners OF war. and their children that are
| born on the farm go on in the same way. and the
| Boer gets 'is work done for nothing. Did you
| ever know Boer do ard work mself or die
| you ever ear OF i'm paying the niggers that were
| working for I'm? Mister you must ave trav
| elled this country with your eyes shut and your
| ears closed
! II we TO believe Mr.. Russell the ruthless
| despotsm established by the Boer with the aid
OF his sjambok over the unhappy natives is but
an item in the long list Of crimes TO be ascribed
| TO the Dutch In the Transvaal. He paints then
| as corruptionists, as murderers on the slightes
| provocation-or, indeed, on no provocation NJ
all-and monsters of treachery all round Tn,
suppostitious narrator OF this story is an Eng
iishmanwho has spent some years in the Trans
vaal and then returned to England to enjo,