His Journey to South Africa 27 



hand settles all accounts, and the traveller starts 

 refreshed upon another lap of his long journey. 



Such were the good Samaritans that this young 

 Englishman encountered on his northern trek, 

 and to whom in later years he was so much 

 indebted for generous hospitality on his numerous 

 scientific expeditions. At this time he was 

 specially obliged to them, for he could not, like 

 most other callers, give these intelligent people 

 the value of a newspaper in return by telling them 

 what was happening in the big outer world. He 

 did not even have that minimum of Afrikaans 

 which gives access to the Afrikaner's heart, let 

 alone his mind, but he carried an open passport 

 to his soul. For, as these upright people were 

 shrewd enough to see, he was a man of God, 

 and as such just one of their own selves. 



Why was Brown heading for Aliwal North? 

 To-day one could understand this choice, for 

 Aliwal is the most attractive inland town in the 

 whole of the Cape Province. It has an almost 

 perfect climate, and a magnificent setting on the 

 southern bank of the Orange River. The town 

 is beautifully laid out with wide tree-lined streets, 

 bordered by rich gardens whose thirst is quenched 

 by water from ever-running furrows. Aliwal is 

 not only a busy little commercial township easily 

 reached by rail or national highway : she is also 



