78 



A Breath from the Veldt 



he was about 5 feet 10 inches in height, and straight as an arrow, his long 

 dark brown beard and hair sprinkled with grey, and — most noticeable of all — a 

 pair of great brown eyes, whose unfathomable depths exercised a fascinating 

 influence on all who came in contact with him. I have never seen such eyes, 

 or any to approach them in point of size, beauty, and clearness. At times they 

 gave an almost theatrical expression to his face, but when they looked straight 

 at you, you saw there was nothing of the charlatan or humbug there, but only 

 the external sign of a sweet and kindly disposition. 



From boyhood his life had been one of stirring adventure, hardship, and 

 danger. His father, a Dutch elephant hunter, settled with his mother, a French- 

 woman, in Delagoa Bay, and here Oom Roelef was born and spent his early 

 days. His father took annual trips of six months at a time to the neighbour- 

 hood of the Zoutpansberg, Waterberg, and Shoshong hills, where elephants and 

 hippopotami were then plentiful, and from the tusks of the former and sjamboks 

 of the latter he made his living. When he was fourteen years of age his father 

 determined to trek with his family to the mountains of the Waterberg, so as to 

 be nearer the hunting-ground. They had hardly, however, settled in their new 

 home when the old hunter died of a fever contracted during the previous year. 

 This was a terrible blow to the poor wife, who was left almost penniless in a 

 new country, and amongst natives she could not trust. It fell therefore upon 

 young Van Staden to do what he could for the support of himself and his 

 mother and sister. With this view he placed himself under the guidance of a 

 faithful native, who instructed him in veldt knowledge and all the arts of 

 spooring, accompanying him on short trips into the bush near home. Buffalo 

 and all the larger antelopes being then plentiful, he readily supplied his wants 

 by his rifle — killing the animals, making " biltong " of the meat, and selling 

 the hides to passing traders. In time, as the fascination of the sport and love of 

 this wild and healthy life grew upon him, he took his trips farther and farther 

 afield, learning by degrees the language of the " Vaal Pens " Kaffirs inhabiting 

 the southern bank of the Limpopo, and shooting generally in that district. 

 Between the ages of eighteen and twenty-four (except two years spent in the 

 Mangwato territory) he visited the " fly " regularly, south and south-west of the 

 Limpopo, generally accompanied by forty or fifty Vaal Pens, who, like himself, 

 had to subsist on the buffalo and the great white rhinoceri that fell to his rifle. 

 One winter he came by chance into Khama's Veldt with a crowd of these bushmen 

 followers, nearly all of whom lost their lives by the venture. During the night 

 they were attacked by a party of the Ba'mungwato, who slew them with their 



