The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1900-02-01
COMMUNICATING IN NATAL.

COMMUNICATING IN NATAL.
An interesting narrative has been sen
home to friends in England by an Eng
fish lady who was called upon to hole
the family roof tree against the Boer!
while her father was detained as a pri
soner in their camp in the neighbor
hood of Estcourt:
The road to MOOT river was alive with
a crowd of horsemen, wagons, spiders
&c. l cannot compare it to anything
but a swarm of black ants; they were
always on the move, coming and going
just as ants pass in a line along q
track! About IL o'clock the Beers open
ed the ball by four of them riding UP
to the gate and asking if we had any
horses to sell. / will tell you, to start
with, every one carried a loaded Mauser
4 across his knee, and his hand on the
trigger, with two bandoliers full OF
cartridges. ! got used to looking down
rifle barrels! We said we did not want
to sell any horses SO this man said they
must have them, as they wanted horses
very badly and he would give us re-
ceipt for them. OF course, there was
nothing to be done, so thsy took my trap
horse and fathers pony. From the
house we saw the wretches budding up
our wether flock and catching and kill
| ing them by dozens
Parties kept on coming, asking for
horses; they were civil, certainly; but
we always kept the pack gate shut, and
did not allow them inside. About IL
o'clock three Free Staters rode up. One
called Bester spoke English perfectly,
and looked quite gentleman. They
wanted yoke and gear for fourteen OK
en-. We told them that they could not
have it. In the meantime the oxen had
been driven up the hills, and to our dis
Father demonstrated, and said we had
been told that if people staid quietly
on their farms they would not be mo-
Tested, and yet our stock was being
looted and killed So Bester said, "Why
did not father go and see the General,
and represent to him, and he was quite
sure the stock would be returned, and
he (Bester) would guarantee his safety"
1t seemed chance to save our property,
so father saddled up Charley" and
they went up to camp at the foot Of the
cutting. l began to suspect something
after a bit and about shutdown very
civil young Dutchman came from the
camp with note from father, saying
"as Bester had taken him into the camp
and he had seen the guns &c, they
must detain him until the camp moved
on. They seemed very kind, and he was
all right
All this time parties Of Beers, always
in threes and fours, had been continual
ly coming, wanting bread, butter, eggs,
and milk. I never knew anything like
the length of those days; they were
last dark came. We left lights burn
ing all night not to give any excuse for
thinking there was no one in the house.
Wednesday we were up by 5, and af-
ter breakfast our visitors began to re-
appear, and we had another day on the
rack. about midday Capt. Bedsley and
his assistants from the Johannesburg
Ambulance came. They wanted to buy
bread &c. Some was cooking, so they
waited for it. He was evidently big
swell, and gentlemanly, so we thought
it polite to ask him to wait in the
front veranda, and I brought them out
tea and cake, which was much appreci-
ated. Capt. Beksley asked my name.
and said he was very glad to find we
had remained on our farm, as the ruin
and desolation in these deserted home
steads was past description, and most
hideous and terrible He said he hoped
I had not been molested in any way. I /
said: mo; personally his people had /
been civil enough, but their requests
wer always urged with loaded rifles
across their knees and fingers on the |
trigger, which was not exactly pleas /
anti He regretted it should be neces-
sary, but In some cases their people had
been fired at. and they were bound to
guard against surprise. l told him my
father had been taken into their camp
On guarantee of safety, to try and
protect our stock from further mol sta
ion, and had been detained prisoner, at
which he protested himself much griev-
3D.
On Sunday evening all our Kafirs
,ame back. They lett mere without a
pass, and were detained at Moot river
~ the police. Monday, in the evening
Is we were at dinner the door opened
nd father walked in, You may imagine
ny relief, They relased him the previ-
us night, and he left at in the morn
ng with pass from Slim Piet''
Father and uncle have been going
Trough the stock to-day and they have
aiken 10 head of cattle and nearly 100
read of sheep. We do not quite know
What horsese are gone yet; they have
eft us 10 young broken-in oxen, and as
he mealies are well up and a little for
ge also, things might have been worse.
HE sheep, too, were shorn, and the |
noney for the wool safely in the bank.
London News. IL