The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-11-24


eler. At it's base runs the dry
sand river Of the same name, also
the old trading road which begins
in Cape Colony and ends somewhere
in the heart of the interior. The
hill stands about half way between
Mafeking anti Vrybug, and just
north of the border of Stellaland,
since those days merged into the
Crown Colony of Bechulaland. From
the summit of this hiM there is
commanding view of the sur
rounding country; in fact, north,
south, east and west, the prospect
is only bounded by the shadowy
outline of distant hill-ranges.
In spite of Sitlagolis isolation
and the doubtful promise of trade
in the vicinity, Jerry Boyle Sc
lected 1t as a spot suitable for
setting up a trading-store. And Jer-
ry, with his pronounced nose, his
keen black eyes and large figure,
his patriarchial beard was account
ed no mean judge in the art of
money-making. Like most of his
race he worked quietly, making
very little display. His methods
were unique 1t was his custom to
set up a store, Work up a bust.
ness, place it in competent hands,
and move on himself to start an
other elsewhere.
Besides these branch stores old
Jerry owned a large wholesale
house in Kimberly. This he left in
the sole charge of his son, while
he wandered up-country extending
his operations and ever widening
the outlet for his merchandise All
who knew him accepted this as a
plain statement of Jerry Boylee's
business scheme. Nothing else APP
peared for the edifioation of the
inquisitive who love to know what
neighbors are doing, for he rarely
talked of his affairs And yet there
was an under-side to his apparent
ly simple business methods which
was never dreamt of by those who
met him as mere trader.
Curiously enough, his Kaffir trad
ing-stores were started only where
white men were foregathered. 1t
didn't matter to him whether there
was a Kaffir in the neighborhodi
| or not. He owned a dozen of these
little wayside shanties in the Trans,
vaal, besides several others dotted
about Bechuanaland. And each store
had a nice cool produce cellar I'M
| derneath it, which never by any
chance was used for such perishable
stuff. But they had their uses.
Jerry preferred to fill them with
mining implements and an unusually
large store OF dynamite. This was
one Of the many under-sfdes to this
Jews trade Wherever gold might
possibly be discovered this man
would be on the spot. He would lend
money, he would sell tools and
! food and, in the end, hee would
, contrive to own considerable slice
| of the possibly auriferous ground
This was his plan, for he was one
of those far-seeing men who be-
lieved that one day, soon, the coun-
try between the Kalahari Desert
and the eastern coast would be-
come the great gold-producing cen
ter of the world.
And now, like the hermit spider,
! he was sitting just within the door
way Of his store at Sitlagoli watch
ing the ribbon of roadway winding
out in the direction of the Kunwa-
ma Hills.
a group of Kaffirs, for the most
part mean-looking Bushmen from
the kalahari Desert, were crouch.
ing about the stoep outside. But
the group did not consist solely of
these unlersized creatures. There
were other Kaffirs of better caste
mingling with the Bushmen in a
way they would never have done
in their own villages, for the Bush.
man is the legitimate slave of the
Baralong. 1t might have been that
they did not wish to attract the
white mans attention to themselves:
it might have been that. for the
moment, like so many other folk.
they found it convenient to show an
unusual friendliness towards their
interiors.
Three horsemen came into view
along the Kunwana road. Jerry,
whose eyelids had been dnooping.
suddenly became wide awake. He
watched them as they came, and
his face expressed approval The
Kaffirs were interested spectators.
too; at least, the Bara1ongs were.
|