The Wisconsin tobacco reporter. (Edgerton, Wis.) 1877-1950, 1904-01-08
DANE COUNTY BOYS AMONG NATIVES or SOUTH AFRICA.
Life in Far Off Country Interestingly Told Commercial Pursuits Differ
From Those Our Country Women Till the Soil.
(ARTHUR ELLIcKsoN IN THE MADISON STATE JoURNAL.)


sity of Wisconsin last winter that |
would be in Central Africa within a few
months in the interests of tobacco syn
dictate.
NY friend, Mr.. o. Lee and left our
home at Cambridge, Wis, on the 23d of
February. After spending week in
London, England, we were off for sew
enteen days ocean voyase to Cape Town
only calling at the Island of MADEIRA.
Travelling by rail in South Africa is not
to be compared with England or Amer
lea. You have to make up your mind to
wait till you get there, as you can Judge
when the distance from the Cape to
Salisbury is only seventeen hundred
miles and it took US five days and half
to make the trip. Time passed quite
rapidly though when viewing the differ
emit kinds of scenery from level plains
and vast forests to huge mountains.
AS rule the trees are very small and
shrubby. There was scarcely any sign
of mealies (corn). and watermelons cult
waited by the natives for their own con-
sumption, though in some places the
soil was undoubtedly quite fertile.
Grapes are quite extensively cultivated
in Cape Colony. Everything is in rather
a dull state in Africa this year, due to
the severe drought of last season. We
passed a number of battlefelds of the
late Boer war, as Modder and Orange
Rivers, Mafeking and Kimberly. The
block houses for the protection OF the
railway were still to be seen all along
the lines. The natural Notifications,
cone-shaped mountains with huge rocks
protruding from the sides, formed an
ideal fighting ground for the Beers, who
knew the lay of the country.
Leaving Salisbury on the 18th of April
we rode on a one-horse railway to LON
agundi, distance of sixty-seven miles.
This beat all previous rides. The train
caught fire twice from sparks from the
engine and this was the first trip that it
had made for long time without jump
ing the track. Ii we had not been pre-
pared or expecting it, we would have
been thrown from our seat more than
once. This is the terminus of the road,
and general starting point for expedi-
tons going north It was from this place
that our experiences with natives began;
learning their ways and how to treat
them.
There were four of US, Mr.. Wyllie, Mr..
Nichols, Mr.. Lee and myself, besides IS
boys to carry our necessaries for the trip
and stay on the plantation. Each boy
carries from fifty to sixty pounds quite
readily on his head. And right here [
might state that while boy can carry
a bucket full of water on his head with
out holding it, he will come as if walking
on the edge of two-inch plank when
bringing plate Of soup or cup of tea
or coffee.
We had one horse and two bicycles
with US. The bicycles must have been
the first ones up through, as it fairly
made the niggers hair stand on end
when we rode full speed into village.
They couldn't exactly see how we could
go on one of those things and keep an
eye on them when we set them away.
There are no wells or windmills along the
road, so each days journey depended a
great deal upon the distance OF one pool
or stream from another. The road in
reality is only path, about fifteen
inches wide, great deal like COW path
only far from being straight. Very
crooked and il there are any hills, the
path is sure to lead over the biggest in
the bunch. We slept on cots with the
stars and the heavens as our shelter,
and the boys having no blankets would
build fires and four or five of them sleep
around each fire.
Tracing is done with calico, and what
little food we did get, we paid for in cal
leo. AS [ have stated before, the season
being so dry, it was difficult to even trade
for enough to feed our boys. So when
we came to big pools in the rivers, we
would throw in dynamite and when the
fish came to the surface the boys would
plunge in to get them. At one place we
got about seven hundred, more than we
could eat or really wanted, but the boys
fried them over the fire in the evening,
and when they can get fish or meat they
are willing to carry once again as much
as their pack The Hunyani was the
largest river we crossed until we arrived
at the Zambesi. The boys waded across
and we rode horseback
The natives live in villages, some very
large and others smaller; and each viii
lage has chief, or as they call him.
Tuduna. These villages are sometimes
called kraals, which is very appropriate
as the huts are all so low that they have
10 bend down or crawl into the door
The rank grass and vegetation is allow
ed to grow to within few feet of their
huts and not being able to see far ahead
the first sign one has of nearing vii
lage is the sweet strains Of crying "pic-
caninies' (of which the color does not
seem to change the key, or the Growing
of rooster, unless you chance to see
some of their fields 1t is customary for
the Tuduna and the older men of the
village to salute a white man. Their
modes of salutation differ, but the most
common is to lay down whatever they
may have in their hands, step up to you
within few PAGES, scratch their feet on
the ground, raise their hand to side of
face and say ''morro." It is also consid-
cred very rude if the Tuduna does not
present you with a present of ufa,
4ground mapira) mealies or a fowl-if he
he has anything to spare whatever.
And then you are supposed to show your
generosity by returning the compliment
and giving him some calico.
A boys ration is: Two pounds of ufa
per day. which he cooks in water, and
calls it ''insema." This is about as light
as the plum pudding which our cook
made by receipt which we gave him
from memory Nevertheless the nippers