The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-08-13
TRIP TO SOUTH gFRIGg
ltontinued From Last lssue)

Continued From Last lssuel
Johannesburg isa ~ pical mining town.
Two ui it, business streets ARE modern
aud we'll built bat on the Iost are only
very plain buildings and On the edge "a
the towneyery thing j" built oi corrugated
iron. even go hotels IL is surprising
here 10 see the amount Of iron used Tor
hulidings and for such things ~ tel
graph pOler. ctc. bar il y considerably
cheaper than wood. the whole supply ol
the ntter coming from Oregon. stand.
/ ing anywh here outside ot Johannesburg.
one may look for miles in every direction
and see the huge piles OF crushed granite,
and the small buildings of the mines. dot
tiug the plains like gigantic ant hills
lrOs,iig the veid Ht times one may see
gang oi "kailir boys coming from up
country OF from the Tow Veltd TO worS
| ia the mines. under contract Tor one of
two years. AT about JOc. a day. They
are dressed ia the most remarkable cor
TUNES Imaginable, donned u comply
with what they understand the white
mans laws 10 require. but they nave
failed 10 catch the spirit of the thing.
Here isone with only apair oi knee pants
lapping around his limbs. another wrap
ped IN a torn jute bag thrown over his
shoulders another wearing the DISCARD
ed scarlet roat of u British army officer.
which strikes him about the waist ana a
yard of cloth, aud 80 they pass. all trot-
ting and in single file. ali carrying "A
bundle of food. etc taking an an indiiirr-
ent manner their first view Oi houses,
trains. or in fact Of any product IL the
masters civilization.
la Johannesburg. ~ in Cape Town, the
heavy traction engines pull trains oi ten
and twelve trucks through the streets.
the rickshaw boy glides silently by. anc.
quite inirequently, "A carriage pulled by
horses PASSES In the market rparr, where
a few years ago negroes were bought ana
sold "a crowd Of mhDy tongues and many
coiors gather each morning and bar
gain with the auctioueer. who holds forth
here selling anything from steam en-
zines To socks. many Of them looking Tor
"a chance to seil the unwary kgilir bau-
BILE that will make him good profit lur
the day.
From .Io'burr | went 10 Durham on the
east coast. distance oi about 100 milrs'
and. though only "a - hour trip, It was
very interesting The country We passed
through was yeltd. rolling away in
scarcely pcrceptible waves and covered
with "a very scanty grass. Late ia The
evening We stopped for an hour AT Lady
smith, very pretty place, situated on
the plain. and bearing many evidences ui
the fearful struggle which recently tpoh
! place around ir Ne then passed through
the lamy'- Mex Tunnel. emerging O" see.
among "A score of kOpjrs, the famed
Naiuba Hills. where the l. err twice de-
f.afed the Engli-b: after this Pritermar-
ei-bnrg. and then we came tu thr most
beautiful part Of South Africa. lie the
country near the coast the chHdge u
most surprising. for instead OF the level
veltd We pass through valleys and over
mountains. ns.s0metimer looking down sev-
eral Thousand feet. and again ineravinr.
where we see only the hill sides. covered
with graas comparatively green ana
bushes few feet high with little buncher
of green foliage at the top. Looking over
miles Of this country. at the PEAKS tine
| rnueeS and chasms. the spectacle l. ho-
solufely magnificent. "a panorama That
ronld only have resulted from some yRst
upheaval Of the earth. Farther On the
road passes through the fruit growing
country. where yellow orange groves
seem to cover the land, or an orchard oi
bright green banana trees, bushes COW
ered with "Naryers' lmango) reddish
yellow in the tropical Lemons. green
as vet upon the trees, or iigsin thousands,
invitingly pink and red, stretching away
for miles.
Durham. far more a city oithe leisnrely
east than OF the more eifete ana busy
west. LAYS by the sea, bright aud pretty
in the tropical sun. the harbOr for many
boats. for il is ia this port that most oi
the up county goods are landed
Boasting trees and flowers in the
ntmost profusion il looks 10 one coming
from The sun burned, sun baked yeltd "a
yeritable paradise OF green and gold Down
lte broad. smooth streets, dressed IN Ian
tastic garb and decorated with headgear
of horns OF bright feathers, the richsnaw
hoy. strong and willing as an ordinary
horse. trots gaily with his burden. Bare
legged. with his belt pulled up under HI
arms and his small FOUND cap strapped
ianntily on the side # his head the native
policeman trots also in the street.
East Indians, fierce and stern, walk
sedately upon the sidewalk peddiing
baskets of fruit or fish, and Japanese, In
their native garb, hurry past or lounge on
the docks. waiting for a berth on the
boat. In the winter the sun shines warm
and bright all day. it's fierce heat temper
ed by the breeze from the sea, and al
night il is Just cool enough TO MAKE
sleep "A pleasure. But, alas there must
be drawbacks. Through this almost
ideal town, with the quaint people and
.edate English cOlOnisr, there stalks tht
dreaded spectre OF the plague, the rack
mo levers and the agOnlzing cholera
Each day from the quarantine Island the
boat goes forth, loaded with the Vlctlih'
of these dread diseases who are 10 mac
their last resting place 10 the waters o
the sea. which, perchance, they nave
crnssed To find home or inture III th'
romantic land OF Rider llaggard' r noVel'
and Stanley 8 search.
We SAW many Beers in the course o
the trip. among them Gen. DE Wet, al
dressed in clothes OF ancient pattern
with sIouch hats bound with crepe pullet
over their eyes, but practically no cult
vated land. cattle, horses or other eVi
dences of active farming; saw whef
some Englishman or progressive Doe
has taken up ostrich farming. A blea'
and uninviting country, in which an Eng
Iishman or American will not live out
side of town. deserted almost now by III
lconauered settlers. burnt by the sun an'
parched by lack ofrain orstreams, Airic'
seems to me country fit only Tor tn
rbiIdlike aud hardy black man, to whom
lis brown. dry yeltd is as much a hom
as farther north, its gigantic woods an'
tangled Jungle, inhabitated by nearl.
every specie Of insect, reptile and aniina
known 10 the world, with hundreds pc
culiar 10 itself. The crops, when b.
GOOD luck one is started, are the prey q
tbe white ant and locust, which, moyini
in aoeks of millions and millions, devas
tate the country over which they pass, 0
on which they settle, as no army OF me
conld do: cursed also with dozen dis
, eases that deplete the herds, its on
, boast is its wealth oigOld and diamonds
In the Kimberly mines it il said the
have enough diamonds to supply th
world thousand years, and an Amer
can engineer has said that around JC
hapDesburg, under whose STREETS is a
untold wealth of gold. and in she ran
alone. there Is more gold than tie rest {
the world has ever produced. But o