The Savannah morning news., 1901-01-29
AFRIcA's BEAST OF BURDEN.
Many Uses to which the Trek Oxen
Arc Put by COIODfsts.


From the PaH Mall Gazette.
At the present moment when the eff
cheney of our army in South Africa large
ly depends on the stability of its trans
port. it may not be amlss to consider the
capabilities OF the trek, or transport, OK,
who. after all, despite mules and traction
engines, is the mainstay OF South African
transport The imperial authorities n
the Cape Colony and Natal are now bust
~ engaged IN buying all the available
OK transport they can, as Is testified by
their numerous advertisements Ia colo
NAL papers.
oxen are less expensive than mules.
They are slow, but sure, never doing
more than three miles an hour or twenty
miles a day, which is considered good
trek The Zulu OK is the best bred AMI
NAL but small and unserviceable when
compared with the bastard Zulu or Natal
OK which thrives on both the sour"
veldt or coast grass and the sweet or
up-country veldt Oxen, however, re-
ouirc very careful handing, and must on
No account be overdriven; they must have
at least six hours day for grazing pur-
poses. In the winter, which Is coming
on now, they can find a picking on the
parched veldt where mule or horse
would fail. They are naturally in poor
condition until the green grass of the
spring arrives, In September. They are
very liable to lung sickness and red wa
ter aud whole spans sometimes perish
from these fell diseases. In the winter
time they suffer terribly from the cold.
and on uo account should they be worked
Ia the rain during that season, for, among
other things, the yoke, when wet, gives
them sore necks, thus rendering them USE
less The ox's best work is done at night
time, and moonlight tricks are the usual
thing with transport riders" after their
teams have been grazing al day. They
are never kept under the yoke for more
than eight hours during the day. two
stretches OF four hours each From
O'Clock to in the morning and from 6
o'clock to 10 at night are the favorite
hours for trekking.
As to their haulage capacity. a span"
or team of eighteen oxen will easily draw
a buck wagon (welghing a little over
ton) loaded to 5000 pounds, over the
| South African roads, many of which ars
| little better than tracks across the veldt
| Twenty miles a day for a heavy baggage
column in such country as South Africa
NJ really good going.
One of the great merits of the OK wagon
| Is the simplicity of It's harness. The TWO
nearest the wagon draw from a pole dis
selboom). on which the yoke is fastened,
| and the couples in front are attached 70
| a wire or hide rope, known as the trek
touw to which the Jokes are fastened
by riems, or thongs Of hide. Any break
age or deficiency in such tackle can easi-
" be made good as it. is free from the
complexities Of a set of harness. Prudent
transport riders invariably 'outspan"
their team at the approach Of a thunder
storm, If their trek touw be of wire or
chain, as whole spans have been de-
stroyed by lightning through neglecting
this precaution.
In the conveys to the troops not more
than fifty wagons are dispatched at one
,!me, and II the roads permit six and
more are driven abreast. The second d.
vision usually starts IN half an hour after
the first. Nearly all the wagons in use
In the present campaign are built locally,
made of springs. Only two men are re-
quired to manage each wagon--a driver
and a "voorlooper." or leader of the team
both of whom are nearly always trained
Kaffirs.
At present large numbers Of these wag-
ons are being hired from co.onists at the
rate of 70 TO Il a day. the imperial govern
ment making good any losses that may
occur In the span.