110 Recollections of Adventures 



jail, when not actively employed in stealing horses, 

 in the hope of getting in again. He used to visit my 

 place at times, when I invariably gave him a small 

 present in cash, tobacco, etc., as I kept good horses in 

 the stable to which he might take a fancy. He never 

 stole from me, partly on account of our friendly 

 relations and partly because he thought I would 

 shoot him. He camped for some time on the hill at 

 the back of my house, and we could see his fires at 

 night. He stole sheep etc., from my neighbours, 

 but nothing from me. 



One Christmas eve he obtained leave from the 

 jailor to visit his family in the town, promising to 

 return at sundown. He was late in getting back, 

 finding himself locked out, next morning he laid a 

 complaint, at being wrongfully kept out of his right- 

 ful quarters, in the jail. 



During the time of the annexation 1876 to 1880, 

 a proper system of administration was established ; 

 and since then the country never quite reverted to 

 the crude methods of the previous period. 



Many stories could be told of Mr. Paul Kruger's 

 early exploits, and others of later years. When a 

 young Field Cornet he gained fame by standing on 

 his head on the gable of the Dutch Church in Rusten- 

 berg, he also had visions and went for a time to the 

 Magaliesberg to commune with himself, seeing 

 visions, etc. After the Kaffirs in the caves of 

 Makapan were all dead, he was the first to enter the 

 cave, the stench from the corpses being dreadful. 

 When after Majuba, he was returning to Europe to 

 obtain a modification of the convention of 1880, a 

 large dinner was prepared for him at Edgson's and 

 about 60 of the leading men of the district were 

 invited to meet him. Mrs. Kruger had come from 



