THE BOER. 31 



one child ; by the second, who still survives, he became 

 the father of sixteen children, seven of whom died 

 when young. Each morning, about 9 A.M., he may be 

 seen driving to the Government Offices, and in the 

 afternoon he holds with pipe and coffee a reception on 

 the " stoop " under the verandah of his house. Here he 

 is daily seen by a heterogeneous assembly of visitors- 

 men with a grievance, applicants for posts, would-be 

 concessionaires, and even Boers, w T ho seek his advice 011 

 family troubles. During the British annexation this 

 was one of the features of Boer life we quite ignored, 

 and for which we afterwards paid a heavy penalty. 

 I have been assured by old and non-official residents, 

 both by English and Dutch, that had " Shepstone 

 remained," the outbreak might have been avoided. The 

 Boers have a patriarchal form of procedure, and when 

 they have, or think they have, a grievance, some elders 

 are deputed to visit Oom Paul, as the President is 

 usually called. President Kriiger listens to all they 

 have to say, has a long talk with them, argues the 

 point, hammers in his own convictions with his own 

 private reasons and perhaps a few texts of scripture, and 

 the elders go back, explain to their constituents that 

 they now see it all clearly and that they must all be 

 satisfied for the present. Shepstone was trusted and 

 liked, pursued the same policy, possessed their con- 

 fidence, and had touch with the whole state, and these 

 qualities Lanyon had not. 



The longer one lives it is seen that people are governed 

 by their prejudices and illusions, and the mystery becomes 

 greater how the British Colonial Empire exists, governed 

 by pro-consuls who do not possess that idea, and act as 

 though the contrary prevailed. If a West-Indian 

 Governor was transported to rule these Boers, and had 

 the slightest trace, of Creole blood in his veins, he would 

 be looked upon as a half-bred Kafir, and despised by the 

 most ignorant and unwashed farmer in the territory. 

 The late Boer war should never have broken out. 

 Incapacity caused it; incapacity fought it; incapacity 

 finished it. 



