14 Becollections of Adventures 



north and from the vast numbers of Ibis, Flamingoes 

 and waterfowl in the marshes, they called it the 

 Nile (Nylstrom). I was astonished at the myraids 

 of waterfowl, spurwing geese, teal, widgeon, coot, 

 divers, herons, etc. when I first saw them. In 1856-7 

 it was full of water, but when I saw it again in 1909, 

 it was dry at the " Moord Drift " and below at 

 Mapela's old kraal it was sadly shrunken and most 

 of the waterfowl gone. 



My father was chiefly responsible in negotiating 

 (through Sir Benjamin Pine), with Earl Grey and 

 Sir Harry Smith to get proper titles for the Boers 

 who occupied farms in Natal, for which they were 

 most grateful, as they had been told by mischief- 

 makers that the British Government would not give 

 them titles, and would eventually take the land 

 from them, they wanted to trek out of Natal but 

 he persuaded them not to. 



It is pathetic when one thinks of the hardships 

 these poor uneducated pioneers have so bravely 

 endured, in their endeavour to make a home after 

 their ideal in South Africa, and although they have 

 been misled by adventurers and shown distrust of, 

 and intolerance to, "Uitlanders," one must sym- 

 pathize with them, their aspirations dashed to the 

 ground, many impoverished, many pauperized, and 

 the black races they conquered being placed in a 

 position to wedge them out of existence. When I 

 remember the old days, when I was trusted and 

 respected by them ; before the Annexation of 1877 

 (after which every Englishman was distrusted 

 whether he had taken part against them or not), I 

 feel deeply that much is to be said on their behalf. 



In the fifties there were many fine old English 

 educated gentlemen in Natal as Government 

 officials, men you could respect and look up to. 



