THE TRANSVAAL. 185 



the Transvaal area and of nineteen-twentieths of 

 the entire assets of the territory which I have just 

 managed to escape calling a republic. 



Having previously adverted to the system of 

 plunder of which the Kaffirs are the victims at the 

 hands of the minor officials of the Government, I 

 will mention one instance of it which is within my 

 own knowledge, and which occurred just previously 

 to leaving the Transvaal, some eight or nine years 

 ago, and while I was on a visit to Zoutpansberg. 

 In this case a party of some twenty Kaffirs were 

 returning to their homes from the Randt gold 

 fields, which were then just beginning to promise 

 a rich harvest, and had nearly passed an official 

 residence when they were halted to order and 

 called upon to answer a charge of having washed 

 in the water-furrow belonging to the official in 

 question at a point some two miles or so distant 

 from the homestead. They were at once summarily 

 convicted without trial, and had to submit to having 

 their packs opened, the confiscation of the cash 

 found in them, and, if memory does not deceive 

 me, the exact sum extracted was a few shillings in 

 excess of 47. The Kaffirs were then allowed to 

 proceed on their way, and to retain their blankets 



