From Kimbekley to Johankeseurg. 49 



CHAPTER IV. 



GOLD. 



The dianionds of Kimberley — The journey to Johannesburg — 

 Eaihvay extensions — Grass veldt between Kimberley and 

 Yryburg — The cattle farm of the future — "Native Re- 

 serve " of the Southern Bechuana — We reach Vryburg — 

 Sir Sidney Shipjiard entertains us — Coaching with a 

 team of mules — The wayfaring man in the Transvaal — 

 An attractive little town — Gold mines in the neighbour- 

 hood—The outlook at Johannesburg — The gold mines — 

 Selfish jealousy of the Boer Government — Astounding 

 inequality of taxation — Bad condition of the roads to 

 Johannesburg — The vicious system of concessions. 



I PASSED from the region of diainoiids into 

 the region of gohl. The "Arabian Nights" 

 character of this statement is justified by the fact 

 that, as the small cHstrict of Kimberley produces 

 some 2,000,000/. of diamonds annually, so the 

 larger but still not vast district of the Randt 

 produces in the same period some 2,500,000/. of 

 gold. This latter production, unlike that of 

 Kimberley, is likely to be doubled and even 

 trebled in course of time. The journey from 

 Kimberley to Johannesburg, covering a distance 

 of 450 miles, deserves some description. The rail- 

 way is completed as far as Vryburg in Bechuana- 

 land. It is now proposed to carry this raihvay on 

 a narro^vcr n-au2"e to Mafekinii- and to a hundred 

 miles north of that place. Should the Tati gold- 



