Return to South Africa 171 



There were many incidents during the war of 

 1880-1881 which one would like to forget. 



God grant that foreign intrigue will not bring 

 about any more trouble between the British and the 

 Boer in South Africa, where they must live together in 

 unity, if the country is not to revert to barbarism and 

 the reign of the black man. I mentioned some way 

 back that all my selected cattle, oathay and mealies 

 had been taken from " The Willows " by the British 

 Military Authorities at the outbreak of the war, and 

 I was tendered a price so inadequate, that I refused 

 to accept it. Judge De Wet, who evidently had been 

 primed, told me that I had been abominably treated, 

 worse than any others and he recommended me to 

 try the case in court. I obtained an interdict on 

 stores to found jurisdiction, then General Bellairs 

 and George Hudson asked me to submit the case to 

 arbitration and not to sue the authorities. After 

 many promises, I agreed, and they asked me if I 

 would object to Judge De Wet as arbitrator. After 

 the way he had expressed himself to me, I naturally 

 thought he would be impartial, accepted him, and 

 withdrew the interdict. He, after keeping me wait- 

 ing for months, sent me a dirty, little crumpled piece 

 of paper, on which he stated that " Mr. Struben had 

 no claim whatever." This man was given a judge- 

 ship in Ceylon because he understood Roman-Dutch 

 Law. George Hudson and Dr. Dyer indirectly had 

 the paying out of compensation claims, with Dr. 

 Rutherford as secretary. Claims were treated in a 

 most callous manner. I myself heard Hudson (who 

 was going out shooting), answer a question as to 

 what valuation to put on a claim, which he had not 

 seen, " Oh, cut it down about two-thirds, that will 

 be near enough." Dr. Dyer bought up a good many 

 claims from people who did not know what they 



