The Irish standard., 1900-02-10

explained. "And these are the descend
ants of the Van Ruyters, Van Der Bits
and Van Rensaellaers, you say?" asked
Doortje, the eldest-and most sensible
as far as could be told-of the daugh-
tiers. And when the cost of ball dress
and the various other toilet effects was
explained it produced genuine sensa-
ton. "Why, one such dress costs more
than all the clothes and my sisters get
in two years." said Doortje-pro
nounced '"Dortyea." She said the New
York Dutch must be very rich and was
told some of them were. Their beauty
was commented on, and one Of the girls
said if she could dress like that she
might be pretty, too.
The family residence of these people
was curious. Just how many rooms it
had is uncertain, but about twelve
seemed to be the figure. The walls
were of sun-dried brick, very much like
the southwestern and California adobe
The weather seemed to have no effect
upon it in any way. 1t was rooted with
some kind of patent roofing, just what
could not be clearly described. Good
timber for lumber is scarce there, and
the floors we're of the same material as
the walls, prepared clay, beaten with
heavy wooden mallets until it was per-
fectly hard The cooking was done in
a very primitive way. Having vast
herds of cattle and sheep, OF course
fresh meat is their main food. They
preferred mutton to beef, and liked it
very fat Potatoes and yams-an i'm
mense sweet potato-some of them four
feet long and six inches thick-were in
abundance, with onions and beets. 1t
was in strawberry time, and finer straw
berries one could not desire. They
were served unstemmed and without
sugar or cream. The cooking was fair
ly good and everything was exquisitely
clean, except the people themselves.
Finer young men in physique than
these Beers could not be found any
where. They dress just as the ranchmen
do in Texas and the southwest but
without the ever-present six-shooter Of
the latter The eldest son had been to
high school at Capetown and was fairly
we'll educated. While the others could
all read and write, they did neither very
often. There we're no newspapers, and
four or five books on religious subjects
comprised the family library.
A little incident made me suspect
their restivcness under the English SUI
zerainty that was just being established.
The eldest son was explaining TO his
brothers and sisters how the Americans
had once been under English rule and
that it took seven years war to win
their independence. 1t at once ap-
pearcd that this was an intensely inte
resting question. 1--WE, too, shall have
to do that one of these days." said Jan,
the second of the tall sons. "Sh-h-h,
Sh-h-h," at once went around the circle,
and every one looked at me. The ED
est was asked to say that nothing was
repeated that he saw or heard, by their
guest. and the incident ended. But Pict,
the first time we were alone, referred to
the matter, and then it was learned that
Sir Theoptilus Shcpstone's annexation
scheme of eighteen months before was
anything but popular, and it seemed
that trouble was in the air In less than
six months the whole Orange Free
State frontier was in arms and in a
blaze OF war.
The Beers we're not unreasonable
Those that talked in my presence said
that their career as an independent state
had not been prosperous one. Their
treasury was nearly bankrupt. They
could not keep the Zulus and Basutos
from making their periodical raids and
devasting the frontier. Sekukini, the
great war chief of the Basutos, used to
come down out of his Drakenberg
stronghold and plumber and kill until he
got tired. The Beers actually bought
him off, and it was only when the coun-
try was annexed by Sir Theophilus
Shepstone that his tribute paying was
abruptly ended. Col Redvers Butler
with regiment of British Lancers and
some infantry-not over 200 all told
under Sir Evelyn Wood, crossed the
White Umvaloosi, attacked Sekukini in
his lair, beat him terribly, and then fin
ished up with Cetcwayo, the hitherto
unconquered chief Of the Zulus the best
and most daring fighters OF all Africa
warlike tribes All the Beers conceded
this, but they hated English rule with a
bitter hereditary hatred.
Living on great farms of from 5000
to $4,000 and even 10000 acres, unsocial
seeing only few strangers, the Bocr is
intensely mystical. He is the most pro-
nounced OF all old John Calvin's follow
ers. He believes in foreordination-
that all that happens was decreed from
the beginning. He thinks that he and
his are Gods chosen people, and de-
clares that they have been under the