The Odyssey of our Bushman Boy. 
17 
went with him, also to Van Hoek, near Modder Eiver, having a consider- 
able number of small stock of their own. When the daughter came of 
age, as it is customary with the Griqua race, a Gaastmaal (a feast) was 
given to which all the surrounding Griquas had been invited. After a few 
days' duration the feast was over — not a single sheep or goat were left ! 
They had given their best and their all to their guests. After unaccount- 
able disappearance of some of Mr. Fraser's sheep, Gert and Lena sought 
other employment ; they went to Bloemfontein ; their daughter and her 
young husband quietly left them on the market-place, and have never been 
heard of again. Her daughter was a good girl, and no doubt felt disgusted 
about her old master's sheep being made away with. 
After a vain search they returned to Modder Eiver, hoping the girl 
had returned ; old Gert was caught doing with some sheep that which he 
should not have done, and consequently was confined in the Kimberley 
gaol. Then they entered into the service of Mr. and Mrs. Currl6 in 
1887. 
The old couple were possessed of some goats, some good karrosses, 
a gun, and two dogs. I was a child then, but can distinctly remember 
" Oude " Gert, the old and small, keen-eyed and active Bushman, light 
yellow in colour, having oval-shaped eyes with a quick and shifty glance 
which seldom looked one straight in the eyes, a fiat nose, and prominent 
cheek-bones. His hair all seemed hundreds of wee, stiff curls, black, 
but not glossy-looking, it looked dull and greasy ; he had a scanty little 
beard, which now, in 1907, is tinged with white. He could look ex- 
ceedingly pleasant and harmless, but we found out that he was not 
altogether trustworthy and reliable, and could easily be influenced for 
either good or evil. 
In 1891 we sold the greater part of our flock and bought a farm — 
Klipfontein, near Blink-kop (now Postmasburg) district Hay, Griqualand 
West — to which we soon moved. Old Gert was deeply ashamed to be 
seen with the remnant of our flock, and tried to hide away from the gaze 
of strangers by keeping them away from the roads — surely a sign of 
interest in our affairs ! However, the old Bushman nature had to come 
forth from time to time, and in spite of receiving an ample allowance of 
food, he had to do something wrong and to take advantage of circum- 
stances, and kill and eat a fat lamb, or even hamel, or take out honey, 
&c. From time to time the old people would sell a lot of their stock to 
a travelling hawker and buy all kinds of things, presenting their fellow- 
servants with gifts, and smoking so much tobacco and drinking such a 
quantity of coffee that they generally became ill. 
Gradually the old girl sickened and became weak-minded ; she even 
stopped telling the harrowing tragedies relating to the Kafir wars. Her 
one mania was to light a fire. 
2 
