Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1909-06-22
aaliseellansu,1s 8eading.
A BoER FARM.
Before and Since the War With Eng
land.

land.
NV father was quite a young man
when he Joined the famous band OF
"Voortrekkers," the pioneer Beers who
struck out from the Cape Colony to
seek new homes for themselves north
of the Orange river. In what Is now
the Orange Free State he came across
a piece Of land so beautiful that he
called 1t "Lohsnoek," or lovely cor
ner," and here he settled, obtaining a
title to the land direct from the Griqua
chiefs.
Those early days were troublesome
ones for Piet Wiser. There were con-
slant Kaffir risings. Gradually, how
ever, the country began to open up and
the farm prospered. At first it took
fortnight for the great wool wagons to
reach a market and often longer when
the rivers rose in sudden flood. Then
1t was a week; then at last the rail-
way was only three days away. Now
my brothers can leave the farm and
be in Bloemfontein within three hours.
! For over thirty years my father lived
on his farm, and when he died there,
leaving widow and six children to
carry on the management, he had serv-
ed his state as chairman Of the Vols
raad for nearly twenty-five years Of
that time. The old Voortrekkers had
little In common with the shifting mod
ern homesteaders. When they set
tied 1t was for life; when they bought
land they also adopted the country.
trust that 1t may always be so. From
the land and from their love Of the
land my countrymen draw all that Is
best in them, their endurance, their in
dependence, their open hospitality.
When the Boer goes to the city he is
shorn, like Samson, of half his strength.
Life is not lonely or dull on South
African farm, although town folk who
get up at 8 o'clock in the morning and
dawdle through the day pretend to
think it is. There is always something
to be done. Before sunrise my broth
ers were up and out with the men
looking after the fiocks, mending
fences, inspecting here, improving
there. Our farm has 10000 acres and
carries roughly 5000 sheep and per-
haps 1000 head of horses and cattle.
1t might carry more, for at times the
grass Is more than the animals can eat,
but we have to be prepared for the
sudden summer droughts. Then the
uneaten grass cures in the hot sun like
hay and carries the stock over until the
next rains. Such rains-in England
/ they do not know what rain means!
Last year the river-for fine stream
flows through the farm-came and
washed away half our garden. But
such things are only part Of the unex-
pectedness Of South African life, they
do not worry us much.
There is no place for children like
South African farm. We are out In
the open all day long. Every tree on
tina farm = we climbed, and in the Or.
Ichard too, eating the apples before
they were ripe, for which we were
soundly whipped. That also was good,
for the green apples did us no harm,
and the whippings taught us to respect
our elders. In a creek by the river
stood a willow tree which we used like
flip flap. Bending its point over to
the bank one Of us would get on and
be switched across, but II on the other
side the branch was not caught and
held, then the luckless rider would os-
cillate like the pendulum Of a clock, yet
twhen we became still at last, Che or
she) must fall into the water. Then
he would be fished out and we would
all sit on the bank while his clothes
dried in the hot sun.
Every animal on the farm we rode,
ponies and COWS, and even ostriches.
There is nothing so comfortable as an
ostrich, warm and soft, and 1t moves
like a feather bed on springs. You
tuck your knees we'll below the out
stretched wings and take a firm grip,
and when they let the bird go you are
floating in the air. AS for dismounting
it Is quite easy, you have only to fan
off backward.
Far from being lonely, my .ollec-
ton of our home in those early days
is that it was like small hotel. The
farm lies on the high road between
Bloemfontein and Jagersfontein. and
people travelling from one town to the
other seemed to take 1t for granted
that they could stop there for the
night. One night remember we en-
tertained the Hon. st. John Brodrick,
who was at that time making tour
Of South Africa. After supper our talk
turned upon the prickly pear fruit and
our visitor expressed a desire to see
one A Kaffir boy was sent out to get
some and when they were shown to
him Mr.. Brodriek incautiously took one
up and put 1t to his month, converting his
face and hands with the tiny, irritating
prickles. 1 have thought since that
the incident was typical We Beers are
somewhat like the prickly pear, sound
and kind at heart, but sticking all our
spikes into those who handle us the
wrong way.
1t may be supposed that housekeep-
ing under such circumstances was not
very easy, for our Kaffir girls, though
they are plentiful and willing, are very
stupid and need to be constantly over
looked. never heard, however, of any
Boer lady who broke down and had to
indulge herself in a rest cure. The air
of the veldt is in itself better than
any cure" All, such air. When you
breathe it everything seems possible.
even the most impossible things. I
think that was really how the war
that most impossible war-came about.
No one wants to speak about the war
now; only to forget it. { 'e Of my
brothers fought from the first; then,
when we were harder pushed, the sec
ond Joined the commando too. My
third brother, who was doctor, served
on our ambulance. AS for me, was in
England at the time, but 1t did not
seem right for me to live there, so I
went TO Holland where at least they