The Elbert County tribune., 1912-08-23

seeing 20 much ~ the print OF an
English foot.
He was = farmer Of Lichtenburg. q
grazing district lying in the west of
the Transvaal. and It was easy for
him to muster little company Of kins-
men and friends Of like temper to
trek with him out Of the Transvaal .
few days after the close of the war.
There were twenty-six whites in his
party. men, women and children, and
about a hundred Kafirs. most Of whom
had been attached BY years of service
and good treatment.
Du Toit had NO definite choice of q
spot to settle on. He planned in =
general way to spy out the land amid
and beyond the swamps of Moxam-
the weld to Komateport at the railroad
crossing between tho 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, a perpet-
ual fount Of miasma and deadly fevers.
but jealously held against intrusion by
the f1ercest 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
nero, 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. 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 a 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 1t would be abandoned.
had gone to Lorenzo MARQUES to
select. land for the same purpose as
Du Toit In territory beyond the
stretch OF British dominion. The mys-
terious disappearance OF the Boer
trehkers 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 entered
kiosk and greeted me as an old ac-
quaintance- sat down to share a
bottle Of wine with him, and, after a
few minutes Of polite inquiries and
fowery 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 a number of
friendly natives as scouts.
On the second day the raw men
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 out
for over mile Millions of insects
hovered over our marching trocp.
drinking our sweat and settling In
such swarms that every mans back
looked as If 1t were coated with dies.
wings. One by one the straggIers in
the rear would cry for help and drop
swooning from their saddles. Tho
horses. too. were falling from ex-
haustion. At intervals from the sur
rounding bush we would hear the |
sharp crack of a rife; or an arroy
buzzing like frightened hummine- |
bird would reach its mark In one OF |
our troop. 1t was idle for us to at |
tempt pursuit. Before we could spur
our tired horses to the cover, the Iurk-
ing native would slip of into the thick
cts.
After month OF this travelling by
forced marches. stopping only a few
times to rest at pool or stream. our
horses were too fatigued to go furth-
er. We knew that we were not far
from the border of the swamps and