The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1903-08-11
TRIP TO SOUTH aFRIGg.
This Far.0ii Land as Seen BY a
I'rederickSburger.
THE PEOPLE AND COUNTRY
Rich in Geld and Diamond h'nes,
But Otherwise Uninviting, Etc.

But Otherwise Oninsitinq, EXC
To The Free Lance.
la this letter am going togigea pluiu
account Oi my impressions oi Africa jar
ing An extensive trip and - AZ weeks res
idence there. from the time We steamed
into Table Hay early one sunday morn
lnu After nearly tea hours pi anxious
watching the f5g lifted. or ! should rather
s.s descended and 1000 itet above US, inr
t. our lett. We saw the smooth. hat top
Of Table Mountain. A lew moments more
and pryii's Peak and Lion = head, pointed
OF almost solid stone came
out ike spccirrs above the mist. ana
then ~ q gentle breeze eprang up the log
pa-sed -.radually out To sea, ana ou our
Jeff. "a few miles away, a patch OF many
rsiors. lying Ia hall circle AT the base
~ thrse uenks. We saw Cape Town. A
fae hours now and with thr Assistance 1
ui tneny noisy tugs (aiter having run
down and sunk "A sailing rrait ann nearly /.
drowned the two men who composer ,
her crew. we were ashore un the ape
docks. The first thing that appeals G"
ones eve here where goods ana peOple
frnm all the world must he andird. are
the modes oi conveying them-the goods
ON trans ui iron trucks hauled by tr~'-
tion engines that puff. blow and rattle
in A manner 10 shake ones nerves anu
die deem flrrOws in the streets. anu the
messengers ia small hansOms. driven 10y
followers of the Prophet. with start
hugly red lczes above their yelio"
laee- and pulled by llttle South Amefi"Hh
poni~-. winch, though they make good
sp.es are 80 thin that they seem M every
st-p Almost ready to drop. In one 81
,b-se we were driven 10 "a hotel, WHERE
for l6..adav W. were allowed 10 sleep
.nn cots ia a room WitnfJur Others, given
one tal.ow candle 10y which to retire AMI
ii twice a DAY on ham. "buliy bel
and potatoes. varied occasionally b. hsh.
Uere on account of a law shat any per
.on entering any Of the COLONIES recently
ia arms ninst carry a permit we we're /
senfenced 10 stay nbui Tie SLOW "hn
ponderous wheels OF the BRITISH 'vl'hihi
ti1vernment could move sui1cientiy ID
nAs. ON our desrsbihty a. iutureciuz-ns
aud allow u 10 70 up country. IL thr
meantime We enjoyed ourselves hesi
we could.
Cape Town. on Adeerly its main street
presrnts the appearance Oi m9utih
Western town. with buildings oil bflck
and sandstone. almost Ike granite, pref
rs and attractive stores aud "a line oi
tram ears ell sept in good conDiilon
Near the office of the American consul
with whom / passed many pleasant
hhnrs during my stay. arr The ,iarnens'
a p,rk Of tropical trees aud lerns 81
some places almost jungle, Win gih'ei
oaths. where the dense grow IN ofcIhrnn
makes day almost DARK, dozen prett!
.,,,, aims. and filed with many hln1s ul
blr,ls pf brilliant piumege ana uetniiui
s,no- Above this parb ! visited the
u,n.rum where are kept many relics ol
tine Old Dutch DAYS cfnatiye wars. 81 ok
ueditions that Jew years ago went up
where railroads 20 today IN seatcn ni the
white race which rumor rtili says lNes III
the mountain country, and oil many othef
things pertaining to the country Near
Cane Town. AT nOndesbOseh, j. one ol tht
hoines of Africa's most remarEeole ot'
,en Cecil Rhodes. IL is called Groule
schoor and i,s owner has displayed hi-
ecrpntrieitv here ~ in all his actions, Dy
making il remarkable. first, because the
house Instead Of being built ona hil 'ha,
oyerlooks the whole OF Cape Town ana
T.ble Bav. 800 ieet back OF where II now
stands. il built in a hollow immediately
surrounded by a sea Of flowers and then
nv woods. through which view oi thf
! nil mentioned has been cut, and aghin
ba,ausa its owner has been pleased tocOl-
lert end keep here. almost on the noun
ta,n side IA collection OF animals ~ gOOd
a. that IN many zoos. which roam the
,lace almost az their own pleasure
In cane Town one may see natives ol
all the countries in the world, Ma'a!S'
Yellow and gendiy dressed, East Indians,
/ in close fitting coats, robes OI soilD''
/ blue. or costumes much like men nurv'IS'
according 10 theircaste or reilglOS' nrh5
/ in 1urbnns .fnllrieeyed coats ana Dag IKE
uants sometimes wearing the iez ol the
/ followers OF Mobammed. Dutch women
/ invariably of large proportions, aho Jur,
as invariably dressed i, red, yellow ana
/ hlue in some combination, and oi course
the negro. in anything from iute bag
gin0 10 the full uniform OF a british Oi-
/ licer exeept in the pants below the Knee
and the shoes. which they will under no
circumstances wear
After12 dave His Msjesty's Government
decided that we were fit SUBJECTS LOT ms
colonies. though some Americans he1
1 waited as many months) and weengsged
a compartiaent with two very pleasant
Enoii.hmen on the Johannesburg tram
For,upately we had learned some 0i the
cnuntrv's WAYS now, and we carrled I"
tnnch a canvass bag filed with wafer,
as tbe train provides none, ana {. sinal
oil stove. In IA iew honrs alter we ie''
,ape Town We had crossed the ~ ouhtaihs
ana were out on the great hafroo, "a
desert of sand and stone, on "hlcn ha'
tonned hills seem to rise in every dlrec-
,;on ten or twenty miles apart bnt4ook-
;no no more than one or twp mics OF.
aaoount of the clear atmosphere. Aronno
,he h;lls we wound in so many turns ana
,,',;s,s that IL sometimes seemed as thO
,he Low little train was simply wander
inc aimlessly about. Tho 1t never rams
ont here and no blades OF grass or Dusn
ar tree can grow, there ore statiohs u,
severol points. where we stopped ana
lonnd water. brought up by the railroad
and a few half starved kafiirs anu
Dutch. ,o-od
Crossing the muddy stream honorel
with the name OF Orange river, we cant CAM
INTO the Welt. acountry Offarms, believe
Int saw not even bush or tree, mucf
las rrop. and what grass ! saw wa
scarce and psrched, and as a maj urn, trla
,ho ants here have raised mounds oiirOH
one one 70 four feet high and as many IN dla
meter on every yard Of ground until j
seems AZ thoGgb the whole country mus
be undermined u.;.,
Once or twice we saw in the distance
wagon drawn by 16 or Is pairs oI ozsi
crawling across the plains toward eiVili
. zarion or a herd OF springbok like mlnla
ture deercrossing the Welt toward water
Nearing Jo'burg, as they iamlllarly ca
it here we stopped in some better owns ~
among them Bloomfontein, and as -"