54 MAJOR W. HODSON. 



even the most simple, operation of handicraft. I 

 have gone to the forest and selected trees from the 

 wood, and when cut down, shown the carpenters 

 how to cut planks from them, and then to make 

 them into doors and windows. At other times I 

 have made moulds for bricks and pointed out their 

 use ; or marked out rocks in the quarry, to be sub- 

 dued by the chisel and hammer. In addition to 

 this is the duty of drawing plans and designing 

 buildings, of procuring workmen and paying them, 

 and training the whole to a nigger's greatest 

 difficulty — ' industry.' Of course you must under- 

 stand that this description, though faithful as to 

 my experience in this frontier country where our 

 rule has been so short, would be exaggerated if 

 applied to the long -established provinces below. 

 Here contact and example and teaching have done 

 their work, and things go on in a more smooth 

 civilised fashion. . . . However, I am far from 

 grudging the labour in so good a cause, which will 

 rescue the soldier's child from an infancy of con- 

 tamination and ignorance, and an early death or 

 life of sickly misery. Nor in a selfish point of 

 view is it to be regretted, since I have got a 

 name for willingness to work which will stand 

 me in stead hereafter." 



Colonel Lawrence, for his part, " seems deter- 

 mined," says Hodson in one of his letters home, 

 " I shall have nothing to stop me ; for his invari- 

 able reply to every question is, ' act on your own 

 judgment ' ; 'do what you think right ' ; 'I give 

 you carte hlaiiche to act in my name and draw 

 on my funds,' and so forth." The asylum was 

 opened in due course by Mrs George Lawrence, 



