Captain Strtiben and the Natal Magistracy 11 



with orders, post haste, as another inroad of Zulu 

 impis, ( following refugees into Natal ) was expected, 

 but the Tugela rose, and the unfortunates that did 

 not succeed in swimming across were assegaied or 

 drowned, and the impis did not cross. Landman 

 lived near the Zulu border, and in the long ride my 

 trousers split, and I felt much disconcerted when I 

 saw a lot of girls looking at me from behind a door 

 curtain, shrieking with laughter at my sorry 

 condition. The old lady of the house gave me a 

 needle and thread so I retired and repaired the most 

 conspicuous rents, but I hated those girls, and after 

 getting my dispatches and supper, rode back, as I 

 would not sleep there. On the road back, my horses 

 were tired, so I slept in a reed enclosure at a Kaffir 

 Kraal. While lying down, a large yellow snake 

 came close to me and I was preparing to kill it, 

 when the head man ran up and begged me not to 

 hurt it, said that it was harmless and was their good 

 genius, and if it were killed the "Umtagati" (witches) 

 would ruin them. I afterwards often saw these 

 orange coloured snakes in Kaffir Kraals where they 

 are protected and fed. 



I used to enjoy going into the native locations 

 with my father and his staff, collecting hut tax (7/6 

 per dwelling hut was the tax), but the Kaffirs had 

 then little or no money and paid in cattle. This was 

 inconvenient and risky, as animals ran away, or 

 died, so that the Government would only allow 7/6 

 (or tax for one hut) for the largest ox or cow, and I 

 bought several fine animals for 10/- each. Two of 

 the oxen I trained to ride and used them as pack 

 animals for carrying game, and riding about the 

 farm and later took them to the Transvaal with me. 

 We saw at Matyana's ("Job's Kop ") location eight 

 hundred fine oxen all brindle greys ( " Blaauw- 



