THE FUTURE OF CAPE COLONY. 421 



or the stirring and bloody fights that subsequently 

 took place with Moselikatse and his hordes beyond 

 the Vaal, and with Dingaan and his Zulus in Natal, 

 can deny this strange people the qualities of 

 determination, self-reliance, and a deep religious 

 sentiment. They have been, it must be remembered, 

 the pioneers of South Africa, and within these two 

 hundred years they have done yeoman's service in 

 opening up a barbarous and difficult country. 



Moreover, I question if they have been altogether 

 fairly treated by the English settlers. Naturally 

 desiring to be left alone, they have been too literally 

 set apart from the world, too severely left to their 

 own devices ; and there has been often too much 

 scornful contempt of them as a stupid, an uncouth, 

 and an inferior race. A little more sympathy, a 

 little more friendliness, would, I am convinced, 

 frequently have worked wonders with these simple 

 and isolated farmers. A gentleman of my acquaint- 

 ance, upon whose farms I stayed in the Colony, 

 accomplished with the Boers of his neighbourhood, 

 by the exercise of these qualities, what no English- 

 man had ever even attempted. He was the first 

 British farmer, I believe, to induce the poorer of the 

 Dutch Afrikanders to enter his service as overseers 

 of his numerous outlying flock stations. But even 

 he only won his way amongst them by dint of 

 unwearied patience, and by entering their dwellings 

 and conversing with them as if he took an interest 

 in them. In time I believe the Boers will gradually 

 adopt larger ideas, cease to dream only of hugging 

 huge tracts of comparatively useless country, of 

 flocks and herds, and of moody isolation, and will 

 turn their attention, as they see Englishmen around 



