The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1912-08-22

W Union Jack dangled
y over his head, and
he longed for a wilderness where he
could live to his dying day without
seeing SO much as the print OF an
English foot.
He was a farmer of Lichtenburg,
grazing district lying in the west OF
the Transvaal; and it was easy for
him to muster a little company OF kins-
men and friends of like temper to
trek with him out of the Transvaal a
few days after the close of the war.
There were twenty-six whites In his
Marty, men, women and children, and
about a hundred Kaffirs, most of whom
had been attached by years Of service
and good treatment
Du Toit had no definite choice Of a
spot to settle on. He planned in
general way to spy out the land amid
and beyond the swamps of MoZam-
bique and laid his course straight over
the weld to Komateport at the railroad
crossing between the Transvaal and
the Portuguese territory. For some
time his trek was heard from more
or less frequently, but after passing
the Portuguese border the news be-
gan to shrink to bare reports that the
Beers had been seen by natives from
time to time, still pressing on to the
northeast through the wilderness to
the vast swamps.
They were doggedly entering the
most repellent region Of the dark con-
tinent, fearful expanse of fetid pools
and loathsome mire, under the glare
Of the torrid sun, the breeding ground
Of the crocodile and all manner Of
reptiles, insects and vermin, perpet-
ual fount Of miasma and deadly fevers,
but jealously held against intrusion by
the fiercest and most bloodthirsty ma
tives Of Africa All cunning and hate
are lodged in these people, into whose
native blood has come a touch of the
Arab and Of the trader of Madagascar.
Their normal life is war; their chief
amusement is murder; the savage
with most blood on his hands Is a
hero, and may become a god when he
dies. -
1t was presumed that the Boer trek
had passed into the swamps, but no
native had seen the entry and no
news came out and back to Lichten-
burg After several months of vain
waiting and growing anxiety, a search
for the trail was begun with the help
of native scouts.
Every path leading into the marshes
was traced for many miles by the
searching parties, but no marks of Du
Toit's trek were detected and no It'd
1ngs Of the missing party could be
gathered from the natives. Yet ev.
cry Africander persisted in the belief
that the party was somewhere alive or
that its fate could be learned. All
African history has no record of lost
Boer; but, after hunting vainly for
many weeks, the Portuguese govern.
ment was on the point of giving up the
attempt, and 1t was evident that the
Beers must renew the search for their
countrymen or it would be abandoned
select land for the same purpose as
Du Toit in territory beyond the
stretch Of British dominion The mys
terious disappearance of the Boer
trekkers was table-talk in the little
kiosks on the street-corners. Within
an hour after my arrival Portuguese
colonel, who was seated at one of the
tables, rose to meet me as l entered a
kiosk and greeted me as an old ac
quaintance. I sat down to share q
bottle of wine with him, and, after q
few minutes of polite inquiries and
flowery talk, he urged me to enlist in
the hunt for the missing party.
The governor-general was persuad
ed to make one more trial, and my
friend, Colonel Andreas, was put In
command of troop of four hundred
men. with myself and number oi
friendly natives as scouts.
On the second day the raw mer
showed signs Of fatigue, and before
the end of the third day the horses
were tagged and plodded along with
dropping heads.
AS days went on, the column thin
ned out more and more, stretching ou
for over a mile. Millions Of insect.
lowered over our marching troop
drinking our sweat and settling II
such swarms that every mans bacl
looked as II it were coated with flies
wings. One by one the stragglers ir
the rear would cry for help and droI
swooning from their saddles. Til,
horses. too, were falling from ex
,haustion. At intervals from the sur
rounding bush we would hear tn,
sharp crack Of rife; or an arrow
,buzzing like frightened humming
bird would reach its mark in one O
our troop. 1t was idle for us to at
tempt pursuit. Before we could, spu,
our tired horses to the cover, the lurk
} ing native would slip of into the thick
cts
After month of this travelling b,
forced marches, stopping only a few
times to rest at pool or stream, ou
horses were too fatigued to go furth
er. We knew that we were not fa
from the border of the swamps ant
the colonel determined to make tn,
entry on foot.
! In order to tighten the load Of tn,