284 Among Men and Horses. 



zebra. Accordingly, I was not at all surprised at reading in 

 the Field, about a year after I had quitted South Africa, that 

 a successful attempt had been made to utilise these animals 

 for coach work. I need hardly say that breaking-in horses 

 or zebras for harness is much easier than for saddle. The 

 Burchell's zebra is a far more docile animal than the moun- 

 tain zebra (equus zebra), of which I broke-in a specimen 

 in Calcutta for my wife and myself (see page 186) to ride. 

 There are still large numbers of Burchell's zebras to be 

 found north of the Transvaal ; but the mountain zebra is 

 nearly extinct. For further information about these striped 

 asses and the extinct quagga, I may refer my readers to 

 The Points of the Horse. 



The nickname ' Rooinek ' (Redneck) which the Boers apply 

 to the English, refers to the red or rather reddish-brown 

 appearance which the action of the African sun gives to the 

 comparatively fair skin of our countrymen. The ' touch of the 

 tar-brush,' which has been at work for a few hundred years 

 in South Africa, preserves the epidermis of the Boers 

 from this temporary discoloration. The language spoken by 

 these people is a Dutch patois, so much mixed up with Kafir, 

 Hottentot, English and other forms of speech, that it is all 

 but unintelligible to a newly-arrived Hollander. Its gram- 

 mar is more simple even than that of Persian or Hindu- 

 stanee ; and as it is expressive and easily learnt, it forms 

 a useful lingua franca. 



As Mr Meiring, who is an officer of the Free State 

 Customs, had kindly guaranteed me a large class at Harri- 

 smith ; we returned to Johannesburg, which was in our route, 

 and I took seats for ourselves and October in the coach that 

 ran between the Randt and Charlestown, which was then 

 the terminus of the Natal railway. 



It was bitterly cold, pitch-dark and raining hard on the 

 May morning when we were called at four o'clock to get up 

 and depart again on our travels. After trudging through 

 the darkness and driving rain for about half a mile, we 



