118 A NATURALIST IN THE TRANSVAAL. 



repose of his manners ; he was seen into the coach with 

 great respect by his native friends, and was in like 

 manner received when he arrived at Standerton, for 

 this peripatetic theologian was evidently entertained 

 like a minister visiting a conference at home. At one 

 of the stages, where we changed horses, there was a 

 Boer's house, where tea was supplied to travellers 

 at sixpence per cup. I and my other British travelling 

 companion entered a small room to partake of this 

 soothing beverage ; the Mussulman followed, but was 

 indignantly warned away by the Boer woman to take 

 his tea outside. The good-natured ease and polish 

 expressed in a wave of the hand, by which he declined 

 this form of entertainment, was in strong contrast to the 

 dull features marked by stolid ignorance or stupidity 

 belonging to the female dweller on the plains, in whose 

 eyes this man was simply a common " coolie," no more 

 than a Kafir entitled to enter her humble abode, or 

 associate with her white customers. It was the meeting 

 of ignorance with education, but with power in the 

 hands of the first. The roads were very heavy, and the 

 hard iron paths, over which we had previously travelled 

 on our way out, were now often replaced by miles of 

 soft mud, through which the coach progressed with the 

 greatest difficulty. We reached Standerton about 8 P.M. 

 to dine and sleep, with instructions to be ready to start 

 at 3 A.M. the next morning. This was carried out 

 punctually, and as the proprietor of this " Hotel " only 

 provided early coffee, when there were not too few 

 passengers to make it financially worth his while, and, 

 as there were only two on this occasion, we started at 

 break of dawn, and drove 16 miles before reaching a 

 small and lone canteen then surrounded by a sea of 

 mud. Here the welcome coffee was obtained. By noon 

 w r e arrived at the confines of the Transvaal, entered 

 Natal, and were once more under the old flag. 



We now changed coaches and started for Newcastle, 

 traversing again the spot where Briton and Boer met in 

 deadly and unnecessary conflict. The hill at Laings 

 Nek was in a very bad condition, owing to the late 



