286 
VISIT TO SOUTH AFRICA. 
close to the Crocodile River, or Limpopo. There is not much of interest 
about Palla, except that it is practically a collection of abandoned 
wagons ; there are hundreds of these wagons grouped together and then 
the inevitable grog shop has sprung up along side to complete 
civilization. 
The canteens are all in the Transvaal, and it is necessary to cross the 
river to get a drink there. 
Next comes Palapye. That is rather an interesting place because it 
is supposed to be the largest kraal in Africa. I dare say some of you 
saw King Kharna when he came to England. 
He is the pride of Exeter Hall, and he allows no alcoholic liquor in 
his country ; even travellers cannot get liquor without a doctor’s 
certificate. 
The natives there carry firearms of every description. Khama sent a 
column, of doubtful value, up to help in subduing the Matabele. 
Palapye is built on sand ; unfortunately the rains do not beat much 
there. I never have seen such sand as there is in the neighbourhood 
of Palapye, the coach sinks in half way up the wheel. 
Apropos of that sand I think it worth mentioning that the coach 
wheels wear grooves in the middle of the tyre. I should have thought 
the wheels would have worn first at the outside of the tyre, but I 
noticed the groove round the centre of the tyre in a good many coaches; 
one could almost lie a finger in the groove in bad cases. Why that 
should be I cannot explain, but I trust some one present will do so. 
I spoke of the armed natives. It is perhaps interesting to note the 
fact that of the Kaffirs, as natives are generally called in South Africa, 
the Cape boys form excellent fighting material. I suppose these really 
correspond to what in India are known as Eurasians, who are not 
regarded as favourable fighting material. 
The Kaffir has not that apparent respect for the white man which the 
Asiatic possesses. Ugly, dirty, and clad in nondescript cast-off European 
clothing, frequently uniform, he fails to give the favourable impression 
which is produced by the suitably and often neatly-clad Indian. 
A walk round a compound of the De Beer’s Company however shows 
many interesting varieties of Kaffir, generally of superior physique to 
Asiatics. 
There is a marked difference in the native policies of the various 
South African powers. A politician there put it like this: “It is 
England’s policy to protect and encourage the native. He is a man and 
therefore a brother (!), so he is hedged in with prevention of drink and 
fighting regulations. In the Transvaal the native is ruled with a rod 
of iron. The Boer recognises no possible equality between the black 
and the white man and, until recently, did not prevent him drinking. 
The Portuguese use the black man as much as they can, sell him liquor, 
make money out of him, and provide him with arms to fight other 
natives with.” I think these are three rather distinct policies. 
(Applause.) 
To get back to the road I have again wandered off, the next place 
worthy of mention is Tati. 
Here one arrives at the first gold mines, of which there are two ; only 
one however is at work, The Monarch. 
Tati is a little state, mostly owned by French shareholders, governed 
directly by the Crown with no connection to the Chartered Company, 
and is the oldest European mining camp in this part of Africa. 
