SEVEN MONTHS' EXPERIENCE AT THE CAPE.

Globe, Volume XXIII, Issue 2275, 18 July 1881, Page 3

SEVEN MONTHS' EXPERIENCE AT THE CAPE.

[fbom tub "pebbs."] About a month or bo ago there were two or three visitors here from the diamond fields of South Africa, laden with a great many of the preoious stones the product of their labor on the fields, and doubtless representing considerable value. The presence of these lucky miners in town was regarded by a good rasny of their fellow-countrymen from the Emerald Isle as sufficient to justify every working man in this colony in shouldering bis swag and departing for Africa. Those who have comtem plated making a pilgrimage to the land" where Afric's sunny four.tb.ic6 run down the golden strands," may find something of use in the following brief extracts from letters received by the last mail. The writers were hardy miners from the West Coast, who left hero in August last for the Cape. Each of them had a little ready cash with him, supplemented by a stock of practical experience in mining and the physical powers requisite for giving effect to the knowledge they possessed. Writing from Durban under date of May 24th, these correspondents say : " Wo arrived at Durban on October the sth, 1880, and left for the fields on the 11th. The first day travelled twenty-four miles in the rain, and the day following twenty-six miles to Bushman's river, where we were refused accommodation because we carried our blankets on our backs, and were put down as swaggers. Did twentyfour miles next day to the Colenso Hotel, and twenty-two miles to Ladyemith the day after. Made Tent Hotel, twenty-two miles off on the fifth day out, and Carey's Hotel next day, twelve miles, where we stopped to met ourselves before the following day's journey. Nature's sweet restorer, «balmy sleep,' had to be entirely relied upon at this stopping place as a recuperative, their being no food to be had for love or money. Put in twenty-six miles the day following in desperation to reach New Pilgrims' S 'st, and next day were at Newcastle, where the ' superior' accommodation to what we had previously found on the road induced us to stay a few days. Left Newcastle on the 25th of Ootober, swam across the Buffalo river, and made Walkerstrom the second night, after walking forty-four miles. After doing another forty-four miles we came up with six white men on Crocodile Flat, bound the fields, and who wero without a particle to eat. That night a single pannikin of flour in our possession did duty for tea and supper, and next day for breakfast for the .'party after making a pudding of it. Another eighty-nine miles brought us to the goldftelds, where we found many of the miners on the verge of ttarva* tion, and with the exception of the few who own the water on the field, nobody doing more than scratching an existence. We tried the field pretty hard to see if there was ..rything there, but it was no use, and we decided to make for the diamond fields. Taking a waggon at Sydenburg we reached Pretoria on the 28th of November, after a starvation time of it on mealies or on maize, and running some narrow escapes crossing the rivers. At Pretoria the charge for board only was 10s per day, and not the kind of board supplied by the hotels in Lyttelton or in Christchurch, any one of which would look like a palace compared with these places. From Pretoria we went to Porchefstroom, 108 miles distant. On the journey we asked some of the Boera if we were on the right track, and were tcld to "clear off quick or we (the Boers) shall shoot you blank blank Englishmen." When about half way on our journey we came up with a waggon going to Porchefstroom, and were taken up for a ride. The waggon was afterwards assailed by about forty Boers, who demanded that we should ' outspan,' in other words step down and out. As they mustered about five to one of us, we complied. The waggon was chifly loaded with ammunition, and the oonductor, directly we had outspanned, suggested that, rather than let them take the booty, we should' -have a brush with them. The nine of us each took up a riflo and challenged them to come on, and, after about on hour's service from our fortress under the waggon, we 'inspauned' and put for Porchefstroom, where we arrived on the sth of December. We were their sworn in as members of a special police corps, and, notwithstanding the assurances of the good people of Porchefstroom that the Boers would never fight, fighting commenced there on the 16th of December, eleven days after our trrivU. Twenty-four of the 21st B.S.E. and fourteen of us specials were sent to man the Court house, and we stopped up the windows with bags of sand. Presently, about 1500 Boers marched into the town and halted on the square near the Court house. Some mounted men of our side were out on duty near the square, and wero the first to be fired on by the enemy. Officer Linsel, in charge of the mounted men, immediately after with his revolver killed one and wounded another of the mob in the square, and under our officer's (Meg Clark's) orders we fired a volley from the Court house. They soon retreated from the square, but one way or other they managed to keep up a fire at our position all day. We lost four men, including the captain of the 21st. On the 19th they succeeded in setting fire to the building, and by this means compelled us to surrender. On the 21st of March the soldiers in the fort surrendered, being starved out; after whioh the lot of us were marched prisoners of war about 350 miles, to a place called Ladysmith, where we were afterwards liberated. The ninety-two days we were prisoners of the Boers we wtre fed on Kaffir corn, a sort of black meal when ground, and this made into a porridge consistency was supplied to us twice a day, well mixed with grit and sand. On this ' pap' as they called it, we managed to keep body and soul together, though when we were set at liberty we were so reduced as to be almost transparent. You people in New Zealand have no idea of the hatred the Boers cherish towards all Englishmen. They are worse than the worst of savages in their treatment of anybody who speaks English. All the boys who drovo the Government WBggons were shot down in cold blood, as was also a doctor named Whitehead, accused of being a spy. The storekeepers of Portchefstroom, who spoke English, were treated meet brutally, ruined andplundered, and robbed. An Irishman in business, and who had a family of seven, was in particular badly uoed. Everything he possessed was taken from him, and deliberately destroyed by the Boers, a_d it it was only by his daughter, eighteen years of age, arranging to pay so much par day for a pass, with which she was enabled to leive the house, and smuggle in food to her family that they were saved from starvation. In our case of course bb prisoners we wero dispossessed of everything, exoepting the clothes we stood in, boots, trousers, and a shirt. About a dozen shopkespers and hotelkeepers were sentenced to twelve months' imprisonment by the Boers, and did hard labor by digging trenches for them round the Boor stronghold. Since the trouble ceased the English Government have claimed £2 per day damages from the Dutch for evt-ry man so employed, the amount to go to the men (who are mostly married and have families) for compensation. A rather smart thing was done by ten of our fellows. They came out of camp oa January 22nd,and boldly rushed to the Dutch trenches nearest to camp, where they found twenty of the enemy concealed. They managed to kill sixteen of the twenty, wound two, and took the other two prisoners, afterwards exehang. ing them for four prisoners they held. Since fighting has ceased, all parties condemn the English Government. At present (&Isy 24) there are about 30,000 soldiers in the country. When they were wanted there wero none. It is the general opinion here (Durban) that if the English -would not interfere the Kaffirs will drive the Boera out of the country. There is a deadly hatred between them, and though it may be the wish that is father to the thought, the Englishspeaking people of South Africa say the Kaffirs could and would wipe out the Boers in a short time, if permitted. At the diamond fields we found diamonds about as scarce as gold was at the gold fields. One or two companies were doing well, but lots of men were on the point of starvation, and the only thing that prevented them leaving was the want of f nnds. One of our number got work as ' bess' over a gang of Kaffirs when wo came back from the diamond fields. It was a Government job, and the wages he agreed for was 7e per day, pretty good as things go here, and not easily got. This country has vo use fcr white labor. What between Kaffirs and coolies from St. Helena, it is worse than a place oolonised by Chinese. Kafiir labor brings 15s per month, as a rule, and coolies usually are paid at the rata of Is 6d per icj. Some of our mates are at one place and some at another just now, but most likely ws shall all decide to return to New Zealand. Either that or to America."