His Journey to South Africa 



25 



voyage, and it was not that he was a bad sailor 

 or had the usual grouse about the food. No, 

 hermit as he was by nature born, he just could 

 not stand the close companionship of the life 

 that one must lead on ships. 



So in genuine and unforgiving disgust, but just 

 possibly that callow youth might impress his 

 straight-laced banker with his moral stability 

 against temptation's storms — for he is at pains to 

 impress him with his financial soundness — at any 

 rate, whatever the motive, this early- Victorian, 

 seven years later, gives his good but rough 

 Hollander companions away. In his eyes they 

 had committed the unpardonable crime of smoking 

 both before and after meals and all day long. 

 What was still worse to this lifelong teetotaller, 

 they were too fond of drinking what he politely 

 calls their * ardent spirits/ 



Brown s ship called at Cape Town, and between 

 that port and Port Elizabeth, where he was 

 disembarked, he contracted confluent smallpox. 

 It is clear also that he must have had a very bad 

 attack, as he states that he had four doctors 

 looking after him. Whatever gratitude he may 

 have had for their services is, however, not 

 expressed ; it was completely overshadowed by 

 the fact that he had again exhausted all his money, 

 and even bore a load of fifty pounds of debt. 



