Chapter IV. 



HIS EARLY STRUGGLES. 



To describe Brown's struggle with adversity 

 during his early years in Aliwal North, and 

 especially the extent of self-denial to which he 

 subjected himself, particularly in regard to food, 

 might harrow my readers' feelings, but would not 

 make much headway with his story. We will 

 content ourselves with an extract from that letter, 

 dated 1st January, 1866, which he wrote to his 

 banker friend and in which he says : " In 

 February, 1859, I opened school at Aliwal North 

 at a salary of £120. (His income never at any 

 time exceeded £160.) In 1860 a library was 

 started which I have been librarian of until this 

 day (actually until 1901). At the end of 1860 I 

 was inadvertently considerably in debt, but at 

 the end of 1 862, by living on bread alone for 

 a month at a time, with denial in clothes, by 

 Divine blessing I surmounted all my difficulties, 

 and sacrificed all my books in so doing. 



M In January, 1863, I was appointed postmaster 

 and postman (which post he retained until 1882). 

 In 1864 I received presents to the amount of 



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