Richmond daily palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1876-1904, 1901-05-27
AFRICA'S BUSH vELDT.
Why Fugitive Bodies of Beers
Are Seeking Asylum There.
FERTILE AND HEALTHY COUNTRY

Not a Denfhtrap- but Safe Haven
For the willy Burgher to Flee to
ter. Grass on the yeIdt Is Brow N
and Parched.
The news that fugitive bodies OF
Beers are trekking toward the bush
veIdt has somewhat hastily been as
sumed to indicate that. finding them
selves driven from pillar to post. the
desperate burghers are seeking a last
fever stricken asylum
The bush veldt is term applied
loosely to a long strip of wooded coun-
try which runs roughly east by west in
a line 80 miles TO the north of Pretoria
Ii lies somewhat lower than the sur
rounding country and for this reason
maintains throughout the year a warm
mean temperature.
People at home have even yet failed
TO grasp the immensely of the Trans
vaal. They seem TO think that because
it is all called by one name IL is all of
one geographical and climatic char;tc-
ter. The truth is that one part of the
Transvaal differs from another just
about as much as California does from
the state of New York.
There are never frosts in the bush
veldt, though on the high tablelands
about Middelburg and Belfast, not 30
miles away. night frosts are both fire.
quent and bitter in the winter sea son.
Similarly the rainfall in the bush veldt
is inches higher than on the plains. In
the depths of winter when the grass
on the veldt is brown. parched and in
edible. ii is green aud fresh and succu-
lent in the bush country. For this rea-
son the willy Boer leaves his farm on
the plains when his animals can no lon
ger find grazing there and tricks labori-
ously off in search of pastures new.
says the London Express. Generally
he takes his entire household with him
wife, children and furniture-the
family lares and penates being heaped
indiscriminately In enormous trek wag-
ons.
This annual trek is sight to be seen
and never forgotten. 1t beats Scotch
''fitting" or an Irish eviction into fits
The male members of the family ride
on horseback. the women and children
sit on the wagons. and all gesticulate
wildly. screaming curses at the Kaffirs
and oxen at the highest pitch of their
voices. Sometimes the trek occupies
fortnight If there is a long way TO go,
and every night the oxen are outspan-
ned and camp is formed. Eight 10 II
miles day is the average rate OF pro
gresson.
The land in the bush veldt is not
taken up I'm the same way as where.
The burgher simply tricks on till he
finds place which suits him and stops
there. He does not build a house. but
lives entirely In his wagons. sometimes
with huge sail thrown over to form a
tent. Some of the richer farmers have
special wagons for this annual picnic. |
Enormous numbering things they are, |
which 30 oxen strain TO move.
From April I'll october life IN tifc !
bush veldt Is pleasant and healthy |
enough In October it begins TO get |
warm. and by the middle OF November |
the heat Is unbearahe. Then fever |
comes and the knowing burgher re- |
turns to health and the spring grass on |
the plains. In the ordinary way trek |
king TO the bush veidt does not com |
mence till May. but there is no reason |
why II should not begin In April. As a /
rule, there is still sufficient grass |
through April TO keep the beasts fat
Therefore il will be seen that what |
ever else the bodies of Beers now re- |
ported TO be trekking to the bush veldt /
are doing they are assuredly not run
ming their heads blindly into a death |
trap II has been stated repeatedly try /
papers which ought to know better that
those who seek asylum in the bus h |
country must necessarily perish of fe
yer This is nonsense. The ordinary
Boer is a great deal more afraid of fe-
yer than he is of the Lee Enfield rifle,
especially If he has a good horse under
him
The Beers are going to the bush veldt
because they know that they may now
do so with safety. They will stay there
just so long as they can with impunily
II e.. till OCtoher-and then they will
come back on the plains. Whether we
can diSlodge them earlier remains to tie
seen The bush veldt is almost impoSsi-
bic country TO move large bodies Of
men in. and 1t is for the most part IN
known We have had maps pretty
bad ones. too-of the rest of the Trans
vaal but we have none of the bush
country.