Oliver Davis. 291 



smith by train and had only a short distance, over which the 

 trains now run, to go by coach. My class at Harrismith was 

 similar to that at Pretoria and Colesberg, being composed 

 chiefly of farmers who spent a good portion of their lives 

 among horses. The appreciation of these hard, practical men 

 was very flattering to me, especially as they had never heard 

 my name mentioned in connection with books on horses. I 

 could not help thinking that if my wife and I had not been par- 

 ticularly smart at our work, we would not have won the good 

 opinion of the Boers, whose hatred of the English is equalled 

 only by their contempt for us as horsemen. These farmers, 

 I need hardly say, judge Englishmen only by the specimens 

 who go out to South Africa, few of whom have had any 

 previous experience among horses. One of the members 

 of my Harrismith class was Mr Hendrik Truter, who had 

 led the Boers in their attack up Majuba Hill against General 

 Colley's party. Either to pose me or to test my skill, he 

 brought a horse that was extremely difficult to catch when 

 loose, and, if I remember rightly, to ride when caught. I 

 accomplished so easily the task he had set me, in making 

 this animal obedient, that instead of being pleased, he seemed 

 rather annoyed that a ' Rooinek ' should be a better breaker 

 than any Boer. Though the ' score ' was a paltry one, I was 

 glad to have been able to make it off the redoubtable Boer 

 leader. Mr Truter, who is about fifty years of age, is one 

 of the finest men I have ever seen. He stands about 6 feet 

 4 inches ; is well built ; straight as a dart ; is of immense 

 breadth of shoulders and depth of chest ; and has a hard, 

 resolute, good-looking face. Although the Orange Free 

 State was at peace with us during the Transvaal war, a 

 large number of Free State men, among whom was Truter, 

 joined General Joubert's army. The Majuba storming party, 

 which was led by Truter, consisted, I believe, chiefly of them. 

 I saw a good deal of Mr Oliver Davis — who lives at Harri- 

 smith and whose name has been mentioned several times in 

 the London papers in connection with the Matabele war — 



