20 Recollections of Adventures 



Below the Tugela Falls I caught large eels of 14 

 Ibs. weight where General Buller's column crossed to 

 attack " Pieters Hill." 



My sister Rose was a splendid swimmer, and 

 could cross the river in high flood with ease, we were 

 all as at home in water as on land. The Zulus are 

 powerful swimmers and fond of water they bathe 

 whenever they can not like the Bechuanas and 

 Makkatees who generally dread water. 



I was fond of animals, and among others had a 

 large tame " Hartebeest." He used to amuse him- 

 self by hooking any clothes or linen ( out to dry ) on 

 to his horns, and careering about the Ladysmith 

 village, to the amusement of those to whom the linen 

 did not belong. One day he stood with his back in 

 the door of the Dutch Church at "Nachtmaal " time 

 and knocked over a couple of churchwardens. I 

 was sent for, and with a policeman or two got him 

 away, but I was told that he must not be allowed at 

 large; so I sold him. I used to go to Tommy 

 Wright's the butcher, for meat for my dogs. There 

 was a town regulation that Kaffirs must be clad 

 while in town, so Tommy told his boy to take the 

 meat, but to dress himself, as he was going to the 

 "Inkosi's" house. The boy dived into his hut, 

 reappeared with one of Miss Wright's corsets on, 

 hind side before, shouldered the meat and came with 

 me; in the garden we met my father who asked 

 what I meant by bringing a naked Kaffir to 

 the house. I explained that the Zulu thought 

 himself in full dress, and how the dear old man 

 laughed ! 



One day when we were at the Camp on the hill 

 above the present bridge, a wind storm took the roof 

 off the chapel, seized a wagon, and a cart and blew 



