340 ' KLOOF AND KARROO. 



Not very long since I met an old Cape friend, 

 with whom I had sojourned formerly on his karroo 

 farms in Cape Colony. After a long separation a 

 long talk naturally ensued. One topic led to 

 another, until we happened upon that inevitable one 

 of ever-burning interest to all British at the Cape — 

 the Boer War of 1880-81. "Well," I said, "and 

 how are the Boers in the Old Colony behaving now ; 

 they are less ' cheeky ' I hope by this time ? " 

 "Yes," said my friend, "they are, somewhat; and 

 I think now that matters will settle down again, 

 especially as Government is acting more firmly and a 

 Zambesi Protectorate has been practically declared. 

 By-the-bye, you remember Swanepoels Poort very 

 well, don't you ? — the place where you and your 

 friends nearly came to grief at that nasty drift (ford) 

 the dark night you first crossed it ? Well, one 

 afternoon, some little time since, I was coming out 

 of the mountains that very way home, when I met a 

 Boer outspanned at Stols's farmhouse. His waggon 

 looked worn and dirty, and his oxen weary from 

 long travel. He turned out to be a Transvaal Boer 

 on his way into Oudtshoorn division to visit his 

 numerous friends and relations. (It must be 

 remembered that the Boers of the Transvaal and 

 Cape Colony are almost all united by ties of family 

 and of sympathy.) I rode up to his waggon and 

 off-saddled to have a chat, and I found the man a 

 very sensible well-informed Boer — indeed, of quite a 

 superior class. ' Well,' I said to him, after talking 

 of various matters, ' and how was it that you came 

 to fight the British Government ? ' ' Allemagtig ! ' 

 (Almighty) said the Dutchman ; ' believe me, most 

 of the Boers up there (pointing north-east) — the most 



