6 
THE NEW AFRICA 
the landing-place against the steep banks on the opposite side; 
and it was with great difficulty that we finally managed to 
get the lot safely ashore by swimming amongst them and 
twisting their tails to increase their efforts at self-preserva¬ 
tion. Apparently dazed by the novelty of the situation, one 
brute got stranded on a bank in the river, and resented with 
his horns any attempt to dislodge him from the apparent 
place of safety, until Hammar, who fetched a stout stick, forced 
him to make another effort to join his companions on the 
bank, this time with a successful result; for as the beast took 
the water, Hammar seized his tail with both hands, and with 
a good wrenching twist sent him bellowing forward to the 
mainland. 
We yoked up (inspanned) the oxen, and trekked on over 
the grass-grown rolling plains as before, reaching Pretoria in 
ten days. We passed over the east of what are now known as 
the Rand goldfields and Johannesburg, of course without the 
faintest suspicion of the enormous mineral wealth lying under 
our feet. 
In Pretoria I interviewed the then Acting-President, Mr. Piet 
Joubert, with a view to passing through the country free of the 
usual duties imposed on aff goods imported into this land of the 
free. In vain I argued that we were in transit, and would only 
use the roads for at most three weeks; but with a humorous 
twinkle in his fine black eyes, ‘ Oom Piet 5 assured me that as all 
good Boers paid duty, therefore so must I; so with the best grace 
at my command, I increased the Government revenue at the rate 
of £1 per barrel for all our guns, and four per cent, ad valorem 
on the rest of our goods, the valuation being kindly taken 
from my own statement. Mr. Joubert was very much interested 
in the objects of our expedition, and gave me a kindly hint with 
regard to our behaviour towards the natives, advocating forbear¬ 
ance and calmness on all difficult occasions—a sound piece of 
advice, which proved very valuable to us in the various vicissi¬ 
tudes of our journey. 
Changing our natives, who were afraid to go any further, we 
