﻿LOCUSTS 
  IN 
  CAPE 
  COLONY. 
  [69] 
  

  

  the 
  ocean 
  received 
  them. 
  Any 
  opposition 
  seemed 
  so 
  hopeless 
  that 
  

   none 
  was 
  attempted. 
  I 
  had 
  seen 
  in 
  previous 
  years 
  the 
  devastation 
  

   caused 
  by 
  the 
  tlying 
  locust. 
  Farmers 
  then 
  made 
  attempts 
  to 
  keep 
  the 
  

   locusts 
  from 
  alighting 
  on 
  cultivated 
  lands 
  by 
  making 
  fires 
  to 
  windward 
  

   of 
  the 
  crops, 
  and 
  castiug 
  on 
  the 
  fires 
  damp 
  weeds 
  to 
  cause 
  a 
  smoke. 
  

   This 
  mode 
  of 
  defense 
  was 
  always 
  very 
  feeble, 
  and 
  often 
  wholly 
  useless; 
  

   and 
  the 
  standing 
  crops, 
  it 
  might 
  be 
  of 
  eared 
  wheat, 
  were 
  leveled 
  and 
  

   devoured 
  in 
  spite 
  of 
  all 
  that 
  could 
  be 
  done. 
  The 
  flying 
  locusts 
  are 
  a 
  

   favorite 
  food 
  of 
  the 
  natives, 
  and, 
  I 
  may 
  say, 
  of 
  the 
  remainder 
  of 
  animal 
  

   nature, 
  as 
  every 
  creature 
  preys 
  upon 
  them, 
  from 
  the 
  elephant 
  to 
  the 
  

   ant. 
  A 
  flight 
  of 
  locusts 
  settles 
  dow^n 
  pretty 
  closely 
  at 
  nightfall 
  ; 
  and 
  

   they 
  do 
  not, 
  on 
  cold 
  mornings, 
  rise 
  till 
  the 
  sun 
  is 
  well 
  up 
  and 
  has 
  

   warmed 
  them. 
  If 
  they 
  settle 
  for 
  the 
  night 
  near 
  a 
  native 
  village, 
  the 
  

   population 
  turns 
  out 
  early, 
  and 
  if 
  branches 
  of 
  trees 
  are 
  to 
  be 
  obtained 
  

   the 
  locusts 
  are 
  swept 
  together 
  into 
  heai>s, 
  and 
  from 
  thence 
  put 
  into 
  

   bags 
  for 
  conveyance 
  homewards. 
  Locusts 
  are 
  not 
  bad 
  toasted 
  on 
  hot 
  

   ashes 
  ; 
  but 
  the 
  usual 
  way 
  of 
  cooking 
  is 
  to 
  cram 
  them 
  into 
  a 
  pot 
  con- 
  

   taining 
  just 
  enough 
  water 
  to 
  steam 
  them 
  over 
  the 
  fire; 
  they 
  are 
  then 
  

   thrown 
  out 
  to 
  dry 
  in 
  the 
  sun, 
  and 
  then 
  the 
  wings 
  and 
  legs 
  are 
  removed 
  

   b}^ 
  brushing 
  the 
  locusts 
  backwards 
  and 
  forwards 
  with 
  a 
  small 
  busk. 
  

   Locusts 
  are 
  esteemed 
  the 
  most 
  when 
  they 
  are 
  full 
  of 
  eggs. 
  I 
  have 
  often 
  

   been 
  offered 
  dried 
  locusts, 
  either 
  whole 
  or 
  in 
  coarse 
  powder, 
  at 
  native 
  

   kraals, 
  and 
  have 
  often 
  partaken 
  of 
  them 
  and 
  made 
  a 
  good 
  meal. 
  

  

  "Later 
  on, 
  in 
  about 
  1863, 
  we 
  in 
  the 
  Orange 
  Free 
  State 
  were 
  terribly 
  

   taxed 
  with 
  the 
  locusts, 
  first 
  with 
  the 
  flying 
  locusts, 
  which 
  left 
  eggs 
  be- 
  

   hind 
  them, 
  and 
  then, 
  after 
  the 
  rains 
  hatched 
  the 
  eggs, 
  we 
  had 
  continued 
  

   attacks 
  from 
  the 
  young. 
  It 
  was 
  in 
  about 
  1863 
  that 
  I 
  noticed 
  that 
  the 
  

   marching 
  locust 
  could 
  not 
  climb 
  up 
  to 
  the 
  top 
  of 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  corrugated 
  

   iron 
  laid 
  on 
  side 
  against 
  a 
  w^all. 
  Every 
  imaginable 
  device 
  was 
  brought 
  

   into 
  play 
  against 
  the 
  common 
  enemy, 
  but 
  this 
  town 
  had 
  to 
  give 
  in, 
  and 
  

   it 
  was 
  more 
  than 
  once 
  swept 
  clear 
  of 
  all 
  green 
  things. 
  The 
  whole 
  pop- 
  

   ulation 
  turned 
  out 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time. 
  Eows 
  of 
  people 
  with 
  flags 
  kept 
  

   waving 
  were 
  employed, 
  but 
  to 
  no 
  purpose. 
  The 
  locusts, 
  at 
  first 
  some- 
  

   what 
  tractable, 
  became 
  wild 
  and 
  broke 
  through 
  our 
  lines. 
  I 
  collected 
  

   some 
  wagon 
  loads 
  of 
  old 
  thatch 
  and 
  took 
  some 
  hundred 
  Kafirs 
  to 
  at- 
  

   tack 
  the 
  enemy 
  in 
  the 
  open 
  outside 
  of 
  the 
  town, 
  laid 
  the 
  thatch 
  in 
  a 
  

   long 
  row 
  in 
  heaps, 
  got 
  the 
  locusts 
  driven 
  on 
  toward 
  it, 
  ignited 
  the 
  thatch 
  

   and 
  destroyed 
  millions, 
  but 
  still 
  as 
  many 
  millions 
  escaped 
  and 
  remained 
  

   behind 
  to 
  destroy. 
  1 
  thought 
  some 
  stench 
  might 
  cause 
  the 
  insect 
  to 
  

   turn 
  aside. 
  I 
  tried 
  paraffine, 
  by 
  trailing 
  long 
  pieces 
  of 
  old 
  crape 
  soaked 
  

   in 
  the 
  oil 
  in 
  front 
  of 
  the 
  invading 
  army, 
  but 
  whether 
  the 
  paraffine 
  was 
  

   ignited 
  or 
  not, 
  it 
  made 
  no 
  barrier 
  worth 
  speaking 
  of. 
  However, 
  having 
  

   noticed 
  that 
  the 
  locusts 
  cannot 
  climb 
  up 
  a 
  sheet 
  of 
  corrugated 
  iron, 
  I 
  

   made 
  a 
  few^ 
  experiments 
  with 
  tin, 
  and 
  found 
  that 
  a 
  wall 
  could 
  be 
  eff'ect- 
  

   ually 
  armed 
  against 
  all 
  attack 
  by 
  locusts 
  with 
  a 
  strip 
  of 
  tin, 
  say 
  2 
  or 
  3 
  

   inches 
  wide, 
  nailed, 
  say, 
  flat 
  against 
  it. 
  I 
  thus 
  continued 
  to 
  think 
  the 
  

   matter 
  oat 
  and 
  to 
  satisfy 
  myself 
  by 
  a 
  few 
  experiments. 
  It 
  is 
  plain 
  that 
  

   if 
  all 
  marching 
  locusts 
  are 
  killed 
  there 
  will 
  remain 
  none 
  to 
  get 
  wings 
  

   and 
  fly, 
  and 
  if 
  there 
  be 
  no 
  flying 
  locusts 
  there 
  will 
  be 
  none 
  to 
  lay 
  

   eggs. 
  Of 
  course, 
  however, 
  while 
  there 
  is 
  back 
  country 
  uninhabited, 
  it 
  

   will 
  always 
  remain 
  possible 
  that 
  there 
  locusts 
  may 
  breed 
  and 
  come 
  fly- 
  

   ing 
  to 
  us, 
  but 
  still 
  much 
  damage 
  could 
  be 
  prevented 
  by 
  destroying 
  the 
  

   young 
  which 
  appear 
  in 
  our 
  midst. 
  I 
  fully 
  satisfied 
  myself 
  that 
  all 
  

   swarms 
  of 
  marching 
  locusts 
  could 
  be 
  attacked 
  and 
  destroyed, 
  and 
  hav- 
  

   ing 
  so 
  satisfied 
  myself 
  I 
  communicated 
  my 
  convictions 
  through 
  the 
  

   newspapers 
  to 
  the 
  public. 
  I 
  have 
  continued 
  from 
  time 
  to 
  time 
  to 
  publish 
  

  

  