Evening journal., 1900-03-12
sorn FARMERS.
They Spend Their Days in Ease and
Content.

With his pipe aud tobacco and his
constantly replenished cup OF so
called coffee the country Boer is con-
tent to spend his days in comparative
idleness. From his homemade chair
OF leather thongs on wooden frame,
Itanding on the verandah of his home.
stead. he shouts directions to the
various boys" or natives at work in
the wagon house or down by the
stream. AS for himself, particularly
II he has grown-up sons, he does lit
tie, If any, manual work, and still less
mental. He vegetables. ruminates and
expectorates in the beatitude Of moth
ing accomplished, nothing done to
earn nights repose.
Very good tobacco is grown In the
Transvaal particularly in the Potchef-
stroom district and under the Maga-
liesberg Mountains, near Rustenberg.
IL Is always home cured and dried.
At first II strikes one as peculiar. and
not altogether palatable, as it is very
dry and almost powdery, with an in
diYidual flavor which is all its own;
but gradually one grows accustomed
TO it. and eventually one refuses to
smoke an. ding else. 1t is absolutely
pure and healthy. Everybody smokes
II all day long, and there is no throat
tickling, no harshness and no heat
about it. The farmer produces 1t for
about IS cents a pound. and it is sent
to the town in great circular rolls
weighing about 40 pounds each. When
cut and unraveled, it is retailed at %
and SO cents a pound, and search the
world over you will find nowhere bet
ter pipe tobacco.
Among the older Beers it was con-
sidered highly indecorous for a wom-
an to allow her hair to be seen even
by her sons or daughters. Il was al
ways, night and day, carefully con.
cealed beneath a gigantic sunbonnet
or "kappie," which projected far in
front Of the face. somewhat after the
fashion Of the old poke bonnet.
The women's dress is almost always
black-of a heavy twill material akin
to baiize or bombazine. 1t sticks out
straight all the way around like a
sort Of crinoline.
On an outlying farm, which may be
anything from 20 to 200 miles from a
town Of any sort, the shopping
from the quarterly visit to Nachtmaal,
OF Holy CommuniOn-is conducted
through the agency of a 'smausr This
is to all intents and purposes, a ped.
dler, who goes from farm to farm with
n tray or jewelry and nicknacks in
front of him and pack upon his back,
ready to deal in anything and every.
thing that will yield a handsome
profit.
A few quaint, homemade medicines
are kept at hand in every farmhouse,
for the Boer is always falling sick OF
some more or less imaginary com.
plant, and wants to be coddled, doc.
tered and physiced with all manner of
extraordinary cOncoctions. A favOritc
remedy for children's commissions Is
dogs blood made hot and mixed with
vinegar, while vulture's fat and jack.
ais liver combined is supposed to
cure ague and shiverlag fever.
The juice Of wild aloes is a sort OF
general all-around tonic. which Is
given frequently and freely for colds
and coughs, and an oinment made
from the fat Of a viahvark or wild
pig. is always used for sprains OF
bruises. All these things are "old
wOmen's remedies" but whether 1t is
that faith has a good deal to do with
a cure, It is quite certain that many
OF them are extraordinarily effica
| cious. Some of the prescriptions foI
| preparations of herbs have been hand
ed down to the Beers by native doc
tors. and are very often successful in
mitigating, IL not in curing, minor
! ailments.
Before the advent OF the railway In
the Transvaal, and even now in those
districts into which the iron horse has
not yet penetrated. the whole of the
| transport, or carrying trade. is con
| Quoted by kurveyors. Every other
/ Boer farmers son is. or was. a kur
veyor. or carrier. Their only stock
In trade was wagon or 16 oxen. Th'
| former. usually built in the Cape Col
/ ony at one or other of the famous
wagon dorps. is a strong. heavy. well
! plt-together concern, either half Ol
! fully tented capable of carrying goods
/ TO a weight of five or six tons, anc
drawn by eight spans, OF two each. Of
patient. meek-eyed oxen. These yer
liable beasts OF burden can walk fol
eight hours a day at a uniform pace
! OF three miles an hour. At the head
OF the team strioes a little, nearly
naked, Kaffir boy. called the "voor
looper." He guides the long string
Of oxen by short riempje, or strap
attached to the horns of the near sid'
leader. On the wagon sits the ker
veyor. hourishing a twenty-foot whiI
az the end of a long bamboo whiI
stick With quite extraordinary dex
terlty he is able to flick any one o
his team on any part of the body.
he thinks that particular OK is lagginl
a bit. or not doing his share of thi
pulling. The worst OK OF the team
the one which always comes in 70
the most punishment, is. in a spiri
OF derisiOn, always called "Engelsch
man." or Engllshman.
Not So Cold as II Looked.