The observer., 1900-01-13

II
IN Viii dent of South Africa for
| WIZ several years, my duties as
fA mining engineer in the en-
ploy of the DeBeers Min
ing Company had taken up all my
time, with the exception OF a few
"off" days spent in the veldt country
of the Transvaal hunting African
gazelle and their much larger cousins,
oryx. While I had managed on one
occasion to bring down two of the
former diminutive creatures (but little
larger than an American jack k-rabbit),
was never able to get within ride
shot of the wary oryx.
For number of years foeling of
discomfort had been manifest among
the foreign or "Uitlander" population
of the Dutch republic, caused by the
passage of obnoxious alien laws by
the Beers. This feeling finally re
suited in half-nearted insurreetion,
during which DR.. Jameson, of the
British army, made his since famous
raid into the Trausvaal, which re-
suited in the death Of some fifty Beers
and twice that number Of English
soldiers. Although I had always had
much sympathy for the original set
tiers of the Transvaal, my surround
ings at the time were such that was
forced to take part in the uprising,
and as q result was incarcerated in
the grim, ono-story prison at Johan-
nesburg for several days. When,
through the influence of friends, I
was liberated, I at first thought of
returning to the United States, but as
mining engineers were then scarce in
South Africa, the company at last in
duced me to remain, agreeing to send
me out of the Transvaal at once upon
q prospecting tour into the wilds of
Central Africa.
Making up caravan Of 'kaGln," as
it is called there, for the purpose of
penetrating tho wilderness, is by no
means small undertaking. First
md foremost in Importance is the
selection of competent and faithful
guides aud attendants. [ managed
to get together party of twenty,
composed Of two white mon myself
and an Englishman by the name of
Wilson, who was to take direct charge
of the ka6la), twelve Matabeles, five
Kafirs, and an old Zulu, by name
Gan Liba (which [ soon shortened
into GAM, who was said to be re-
markably expert III hunting large
game. Ho was striking fellow,
several inches above six feet in
height, straight as an arrow, his
chest, back anl limbs covered with
punches of muscles as hard as bone.
Ho was leopard-huuter by "profes-
sion" aud for mtuy years had made
business of riddinS the country OF
these troublesome pests.
We left Johannesburg in the latter
part of April, with instruction to pro-
ceed by rail to Port Lorenzo. where
a small coasting steamer had been
chartered to take us to the mouth of
the Zambesi River, Mozambique. We
wero to follow this stream inland for
about three hundred miles, then move
north TO Lake Baugweolo, latitude ten
degrees ten minutes south, thence
along the eastern border of the Congo
FREQ State ten degrees, and then east
to the coast, striking some of the many
small trading-post between Cape
Dclgado and Zanzibar, whence we
could embark for homo. In addition
to our arms, we had six camels, TWEEN
ty donkoys, and twenty-six ponies,
also one thousand five hundred pounds
of "gcc," ono thousand five hundred
pounds of rice, large assortment of
cooking pots, water-casks, and con
dcnsers, and several hundred small
trinkets for presents. Iu duo time we
were aboard the steamer, and after q
very rough journey Of nearly weeks
duration, were landed "bag and bag
gage upon the barren shores of No
zambiquc, mile north of the Zam-
best.
This is indeed a most desolate
country; the Zambcsi and its flats a
broad ribbon of silver and green. bor-
dcrod here and there by black cliffs -
split the desert from cast to west. To |
the north and east as far rs the eye
can reach stretches waste Of mesa |
land; sand. cactus sand, black rock, |
and more sand-sand that dazzes the |
eye like snow, with here and there
cluster OF palms and jungle grass,
which indicate where periodical |
springs rise out of the blistering earth
to greet Mother Zambesi. To the east |
is the ccascloss wash Of the quiet sea,
vita its short reefs OF gray coral, shin
ing white in the eternal sunshine, and
over all dreary. dcathlike stiffness,
broken cIl ly when the deadly simeon
sweeps the sand in whirling clouds
FROM the ncIth, hurYins all before it.
Looking westward over the dreary
waste of desert. one could hardly be-
iege that but Jew hundred miles