Difficulties of the Road 55 



Jacobus van der Walt, the same man who drove 

 my wagon home from the commando against 

 Mahura and Gaisbone, was on the road to Natal 

 with a load of ivory for Evans and Churchill. He 

 attempted to cross the Vaal River at Sand Drift, the 

 water was too strong, and the oxen were swept down 

 below the ford, until only the half of the tent was 

 showing. On this poor Jacobus sat in great fear as 

 the oxen were drowning and he could not swim. I 

 got my men together, and by means of ropes, etc., 

 got him and most of his oxen out, by cutting them 

 loose, but it was a nasty job, and made me ill with 

 rheumatism when finished. I had to attach long 

 chains and pull the wagon out with my oxen, as van 

 der Walt's were no use. One had to be amphibious 

 in those days if you had to travel much. 



Some of the drawbacks to the high central 

 plateau are the frightful lightning and thunder 

 storms. During the Basuto war of 1866, a number of 

 Pretoria people were going in convoy to Natal. They 

 included R. Lys, Brodrick, P. Marais, John Murray, 

 etc., I was elected Commandant to order the travel- 

 ling, camping, etc. The Vaal River was in flood, and 

 the wagons were camped on the north bank when a 

 terrific storm broke over us. My valuable horse 

 "Trump" was knee-haltered, and I put my head out 

 of the wagon to see if the storm was driving him into 

 the river, when a flash of lightning nearly blinded 

 me. It struck Murray's wagon a few feet away and 

 sent a case of ostrich feathers, which was on top of a 

 load of wool, flying in all directions, then ran down a 

 chain, part of the charge burning marks all over a 

 thick Boer-made woollen hat worn by Dieterickse, 

 who was stunned, and was deaf ever after, until he 

 broke his neck some years afterwards hunting bles- 

 bok. Mr. Brodrick took the hat to England as a 

 curio. 



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