SOUTH-CENTRAL AFRICA

NZ Truth, Issue 538, 9 October 1915, Page 14

SOUTH-CENTRAL AFRICA

THE GOVERNOR'S ADDRESS

The thirtieth milestone m the annals of the society will be rendered memorable by a notably interesting contribution by His Excellency the Governor. At the association's rooms on Tuesday evening last. Major Sir Hamilton Goold -Adams, as president of the Society," delivered an address on "South -Central Africa," which •was unique m personal reminiscences and of exceptional geographical interest and historical importance.

Aaaxir r<SAder3 are \?-e!l aware, the <sovecnor -was especially well-equipped tor his sell-selected task. His Excellency possesses a distinguished official career m the service of the Imperial Government As far back as 1884-5 be served with the Bechuanaland Expedition under Sir Charles Warren, and commanded the field force against the Matabele m 1893. Subsequently, Sir Hamilton Goold- Adams was appointed Resident Commissioner of the Bechuanaland Protectorate, and from 1901 to 1907 was Lieutenant-Governor of the Orange River Colony.

His Excellency, In addressing the members of the Royal Geographical Society, spoke as follows: —

Before enterinff upon the description of my expedition to South-Central Africa, which I purpose giving this evening-, I consider it desirable to briefly explain, with the assistance of the map of South Africa, the circumstances under which certain territorial boundaries, to -which I shall have to refer m the course of my lecture, came into existence.

Immediately aftor the Boer War of ISSO, which resulted m Great Britain's actaaowledgliiff the independence of the Transvaal Republic, President Kxuger set to work to extend the boundaries of that republic to the west and nortli. His plun of oaxnpcUgxi was to allow his burKhera to undertake turbuatering exl>editions into neJg-hborin.g' nntfvc t;Uitx% with the object of acquiring from the chiefs, by fair means or foul, titles to are>as of land; and then, at the request of these same filibusters, to extend the boundary of the republic so as to embrace the lands occupied by them. Some of tho native states on the west realised the danger which threatened, and asked Great Britain to afford them her protection. This request was granted, and, as a consequence, Great Britain, m 18S4, sont an expedition, under Sir Charles Warren. Into Stellaland and Land Gochen. two selfproclaimed Boer republics, In order to restore the lands to tho natives. Great Britain annexed these two young Boer republics and Incorporated them Into British Bechuanaland. and at the same time declared a protectorutu up to tho 22degs. south latitude and as far wi-si as the 20deg. oust longitude. It was then thai th<! town of .Mnfo king was founded, with the objoct of creating a centre for British fnlorprise on the west of tin: Tran:;va.al, un«l ;i.s a ba.se for further trade into tin.- ecutnU regions of Africa. 1 may say that 1 had the honor of participating mi n t),o nincUon of laying tho nr.si foundation .stunt' of tho now township. In the wirJy eighties tho European Powers commenced their scramble for i ho unallocated portions of thy continent of Africa, and Germany, having planted her flag on the western coast of South Africa, dedartd as Ocrruun

territory the whole. coast, with the exception of WaLfish Bay, from the Cape Colony border on the south to the Portuguese colony of Mossarned.es on the north, and also, by virtue of her doctrine of "hinterland," claimed all the country from the coast back to the 20degs. E. longitude. Germany then proceeded to negotiate with the PortUgues« regajraing their mutual "hinterland" boundary, it being eventually agreed between them that the line should run from the mouth of the Cueneue Hiver across to tbe Okovango, thence down that ' river ' to Andara's, and thence to the centre of the Katima Molilo rapids on the Zambesi. As a result of this Great Britain. immediately extended her protectorate up to the ISdegs. S. lat. and the 21 Mer. E. lon&, and entered into an agreement with Portugal that their respective spheres of influence m Sooth Central Africa should provide for the Barotse King- , dom being regarded as British territory, and that the western confines of ttsat kingdom should . form the boundary liasa between the British and tne' Portugnest spheres of influence. In November, ISSS, I was sent by theColonial Office to South- Africa to mark] out certain areas of the Bechuana. Pro- . tectorate as reserves for the tribes of certain . native chiefs who had visited England for tbe purpose of baarfcng their boundary disputes settled. I arrived m MafeMng 24 hours before the Jameson raid started from that place . into the Transvaal. As soon as the consequent excitement had subsided ami I, -was able to get together my waggons and other impedimenta, I started off into the Protectorate to carry out my duties. The Protectorate, embraces an area of about 640,000 sq. miles. On its eastern border, adjoining the Transvaal, the. country. 'is hilly, though not mountainous. The population comprises five tribes of Bechnrma natives, numbering collectively , about 130,000, and as the Government allows no European settlement, the white element consists exclusively of a few traders and Government officials. From tills eastern, Iriiigre of hilly country rightacross to the German border, and extending the whole way north, is what-: is known as the re>ir»h^ desert. It has an elevation of about 3500 feet above the sea, and, except for rollmg sand belts which occur at frequent intervals over its whole surface. Is practically dead level. Rivers are lacking, save m th& North. . The sarface generally IS Covered "With, a coarse grass and a considerable amount of timber — principally acacia, and what is known' as "yellow wood." It is important to note that tbe aspect of the country as. Been by travellers is really far removed from what is- ordinarily understood by the word Where water can be obtained, iti is most ex- - cellent cattle country, and m many parts there are found two or three different varieties of indigenous melons, which provide food and moisture for all classes of animals, as well as for the bushmen. Here and there at intervals the sand seems to havebeen scooped away, presumably by the wind, and, where the underlying horizontal layer of limestone Is thus uncovered, permanent water is found by sinking a few feet into the limestone. A very peculiar feature m respect to this drifting of tbe sand is the fact that it all seems to have been caused by winds from the north-east, as the sand is always piled up m a huge drift on the south-western side of the depression, yet m the present day the prevailing wind m the Kalahari comes from the north-west The Bechuanaiand Protectorate Is very sparsely populated by, three classes of natives — <a) the Bechuana, residing on the eastern fringe of the country, to whom I have already referred, who, m consequence of their higher -.intelligence and generally stronger character, have assumed control of the other two races who occupy the desert qountry. (b) The Bakalahari — or Vaalpens (Yellow bellies) as \ the Dutch call them — undoubtedly { Bechuanas, but of a very inferior type, I presumably one of the earlier waves of I that race, who are the servants of the Bechuana proper, and who are usually employed by them as the caretakers of their nocks and herds at the several watering places m the Kalahari, (c) The Bushmen, the true aboriginal inhabitant of the country, who have been so frec/uently described by travellers. In type they differ altogether from either or the two races previously mentioned. They seldom exceed four feet nine inches m. height, are of a dirty yellow color, and have slightly slanting, deeply-set eyes and prominent cheek bones. A hollowea back and a protruding stomach are also frequent characteristics of their figures, yet they are active, and capable of enduring great privations. For clothing the men wear a triangular piece of skin drawn tightly between the legs and fastened round the waist with string, while the women wear a small skin apron ajxd a skin cloak. They aro fond of ornamanis, and decorate their arms p.nd • necks with beads and rings, the latter very often being a section of an en trail from an animal they may havo killed. They are nomadic m their habits, and travel m small groups from patch to patch of water melon, follow Gtghta of locusts on their dally travels, or, again, hang on the skirts of migrating herds of Kama. Famous hunters, they can actually run down many kinds of game, but m spite of this they live a life of periodical starvation, existing m times oC stress on such things as lizards, tortoises, mice, snakes, and frogs. For very long periods the moisture they obtain from roots and melons may be their only drink, and I havo known taimliea who have had actually to be taught to drink water. Their language is a series of clicks, and is so difficult to acquire that I have found , but very few Bakalahari who have L mastered it, even though they had been 1 born and brought up amongst the I Bushmen. , The Bakalahari are, as I have said, the servants of the Bechuana, and, not \ being permitted by their masters to own property of any description, nothj Ing even which they catch or kill can ', be claimed as their own. The Bush- ' men are, m their turn, the servants of | tho Bakalahari. and when It Is added that there Is a greater social distinction , between the liakalaharl and the Bush- . men thajs between the BaluUnhari and their masters, one may get BOmo faint , Idea of the unenviable social position of the unfortunato Bushmen. [ In delimiting tho boundaries of tho ; native reserves In tho Bechuana Pro- , tectorato, I had to traverse long . atrotchos of country In the Kalahari, i and this necessitated a considerable . amount of very arduous travelling. My » outfit consisted of one waggon with 16 t oxen and a water cart, and I wits ac- - companic-d by an ex-member of tho > Bechuana police, whoso name was > Worrall. and by a bastard named j Dun to), who could speak English, i i Dutch, and Sechuana, the lancuuue of the HcciuiiUW, After tr.i veiling m this style and perf ! fonninj-: my duti«M for three moiith.s, I - i u!ii» day ni-t-ivt'il a mesKatc< ! from thi* 1 1 HU;u Commissioner at Capetown In • . '■ forming h-i: that tin* ttritish Foroivm t j (.iiiU.u \v:u; anxious to know whether 1 ,_. ) wuulil >:>> at om;i- to Northern #anibi>.«i xi mi an iirfn-r.t mi.H."li)U m or>nf)«"iMio» I with ih<- J'ortiij.;iu-:A- boundary, and if i I no. when woald l.lm pr<-j..uvd to .ftan. r I I sent buck v HK'iiKinc to .nay that I would set >>u l a-M tutor* im I could t;i:l a IT fi-w mipplU'p from Mafc klnfr, and I r<<t yucsteil that my insirucUona, whUh o i would have to be forwuxdod from iuutf-

land, should be sent after me by the distances mentioned. ; One must epeciaJ runner. I returned at once admit, however, .that these long stages to Mafekmg, obtained a second had a very exhausting, effect on the waggon with provisions, bartering goods cattle, and that after each '.'thirst" the f ol- bartering with the Central African { oxen had -to be spelled for 10 or 12 tribes, to whom money, I knew, would days at least be valueless, and engaged the services m, _ . . xV, k '«. t -v »•. of ex-Sergeant-ma-jS- Cole, of toe ' JJ£? settlement, at; liOllUtUtU Becliuanfl. poUee, to supai^ise my y^ s . W™® 8 » r f oxn- separate native gran transport The first question to wff 6 ?^ f. ll^ 11 neighbonng waterbe, decided was tne route by which I '^"^the inhabitants, as a nile, being was to proceed. Tbere were two pos- J^?? 3 ■ T^° m T -W c f. i -- flrom - F^ sible courses— one along the eastern c o lon /- Wnen I visited.it, one of the border, through Khama's country to P 1 ? 110^ men tnere -was.avnative chief, the Victoria Palls, then across the J^» h*d;fo«ghtagalns.t the British m river, and up the easiErn bank of the °\, c G^" 3 -^ West war of .1878, and Zambesi to liialiri, the capital of the ? still wanted for murder. As, Barotse country; this was the recog- fcwrever, I had neither the force nor -nised route, and under ordinary cir- Xhe necessary, warrant for this man's cumstances would undoubtedly be the 0 ? 1 * 5? &ctl^ regarding him. right one to taka Unfortunately for iJrl n^ I VJ s P 6 only ceixtlQ of this me, however, there were two ciream- £j}J q *%.,!£*< v deS^ ' *£% M I 1 J? 30 .° stances which made it risky to attempt Pf,, 1 "^ Colony border, it it A rebellion was taking place m lf^ a b S2 m S [ra^ ye ?i y J safe . hart)ora€:e for Matebeleland, along thTtordersf of blackguards of all descriptions. It.haawhidx co^Sy I have tfpaS 1 ? vast used as and rinderpest inatems great^^ t^ l^? *<w • reemng stolen horses, ages among game and^to^ of all S^SJL2S3 cnßt ° in^ to take . lato cesses m the neighborhood of the Vie- ?J£? tf g?™L i ll ? 0 tonaEails. Thm even IT the ftrit them , for 6 : h i?', l m tbelr £»»,■■ dlffictilry coold ha^e been safely sur- !^ o s?^L^! c^L tha T f ame '^*? maunled, there was little chance of my "^ Colony. It was from betag able to en event my cattle dying, v " s ta* 11 . too. as a centre of opera* and thos there was every probability tlons, that the celebrated showman, of "usy being stranded-on. the-road. TbeJ Bartini, obtained his- Bushmen. lor the

other, route lay across the JTalahaTi to Lake Ngami, from which place I should have to pass up the Okovango River and thence Into the Barotse country lying to the west of the ZombesL This route was scarcely known to white persons, and, though peopio had been up to Lake . Ngami, there had only been one white roan to my knowledge who had travelled from that place to the Barotse Valley, and conse-

i quently I was able to get very lltUo I information regarding' the difficulties to be encountered. This, however, was the way I decided to take, since a considerable poriion of the road was known to rue, I should run no risk of Interference by the Matabelc, a-nd, txtcther. I might esujiiins the rladerpe*t. Accordingly, early m April, iSO 6, I started westward In my caravan. My first destination was Lohntuttu 300 miles due west of Mafoking. To get there I had to traverse three long waterless stretches of 87 miles, 74 miles, and 65 miles respectively, m addition to two or three comparatively small ones, each over 30 miles. Tho track followed was that made by the waggons of the Bechuanas when they occasional}' penetrated the desert to collect shins from the Vaalpcna. When ! It was first cut it is Impossible to say. < but owing to the long dry stretches i and tho Impossibility of travellers dolaying m order to cut tho trees and opon fresh paths, each waggon followed exactly m tho spoor of those which had preceded It In tho bygono years. In consequence of this drawback, the Hand . In many places reached the nave of tho wheel. If tho trees would allow, pood firm ground could bo obtained on either ! side of tho existing track, but tho ' reaaonß given above forced travellers to adhere to tho old sand-cloggod trails. It iB primarily due to the heavy nature of tho roads that such fearsome tales have been Bpread abroad concerning tho heavy aand m tho Kalahari. Tho sarao system of traversing 1-imr dry fitretclu-s of country I? .ulopt- >l m both Australia m\d South Afr'.c:* • •«.- rnual iuiali Into tho "thirst" :i c-f.:>>n dlstnnco. send tho oxon buck to wat.r. and. uftor bringing th>Tt\ up :w:;iin. !■!"'■■■■• on as fur us possible- mr.i! <>!n- •■• eventually :iblo to F>-nd ',!..• ■ .r.:> ulM'iid to '.'.\c n<-\i \v:\ '.•■>• ainl vivi- '.'.>■ :i; •a r*-si th'-ri-. v.'ln rife \)\>-y n.-.i ! r'-'iir:; :m<l pull th" w:ii:''i>i» nut. ! ii.ij 1 !' ::i '' In be r'-:)i.lirj:: Mil* crhi-r i'\\. r: .i raUi'-r wi-U-known .\;i T.iii.di !■■■■!;. ••\V.« cf ih.- Xr-vr-Ncvrr." M::i! i:i :•••■ N'or'.lUTn T'Trttury :v .'.O ■ ri:il.-- >lrs , H(r-'<-h ->vi'.h :i lo::(!c(! u-.iu:;-..:: 1< c<m- ; j-idcfci! th<> Htni! for iin.r!-.;! Lm!!,- ■.:■.; ii\ !h:it ortnnccllon. I c:\<\ (Oily :■ r . i in ■ : point Out that 1 negotiated !i'.;>:ci.-:.,-;rijiJy j

Weslznias{£r Airuaxixixn m the seventies. At tho tttne of say visit, war was being waged between tho Germans and the Damaxas, and tho residents at Lohntutu, being In ctoso touch with what was going on, were gloating over the vast numbers oX Germans, both men and women, who had been slain by their friends, tho BamSLTas. Thifl information I received cum grano. sails. It is a^otnddenco that, on my return through Lobututu a year afterwards,. I heard lor the first time of troubles being caused m Capo Colony by the natives on the border of tho Kalahari, and on this occasion my friends there were gloating over the number of British killed, though, fortunately, they m no wise molested my pa.rty. Alter about 10 days' stay, I pushed directly north, having immediately m front of me three "thirsts" of respectively 33, 97, and 55 miles. At the only two watering-places. Oho and Okwa, the water was of very indifferent qusuity. At One there had teen cut out of the limestone a hole about three feet deep, from •which water sufficient to satisfy thousands of cattle every day is obtained. It is impossible, with the present 1 united means at tho disposal of the natives, to make any impression on the water level, and this points to an almost inexhaustible supply underlying the Kalahari. The theory which I have formed In thia connection I now advance for what it is worth. The Okovango River, which rises about 1000 miles north of Lake Ngami, has. no outlet to tho sea—it runs Inland, and Is lost In the swamp near Lake Ngami, and m the salt lake of Makarikari. The water which is brought down by this perennial stream must disappear m great part by soakago as well as by evaporation, and as the surface of the Kalahari, .with Its underlying strata of llmestone»<ss horizontal, it is reasonable to suppose that a very large portion of tho water of the Okovango River has forced Its way between tho layers of tho desert limestone. In every portion of tho Knlahari. where the natives liave. attempted to dig wells, a plentiful supply of water has been found, though m several cases it has been of a brackish character. In view of tho tremendous supply of water at a shallow depth. I believe that this so-called desert will hereafter bo one of tho finest cattleranching countries m tli^ world. Between Ohe and Okwu there was a "thirst" of 97 miles, and, despite tho fact It took mo altogether seven days to get through, my cattle were not at all seriously distressed, though I had to be very civroful to prevent their over-drinking at the end of the stage.

About the beginning of June ,>J reached Ghansi, and found there raS* a large tract of country free from' sand. The vegetation was of an entirely different character, and some very fine trees were noticeable m tha neigWbornooo:. For the human travellers, at any rates, . it was quite a pleasure to hear the. rattle of the wheels on the hard road after having travelled for three months through, sand ' m which not a stone had been met From Ghansi I made an expeditfoni westward into German territory m order to establish the true position of two well-known watexhoies, called re-< i spectively Olif ant's Kloof and Reits fontein. The former I found to bo tat British, the latter m German, territory. There were at that time no Ctermana -In occupation, but since then it baa been an important station of the Geiw man police. ■ Whilst on this mission I was atM proachied by some of the DamaraJ chiefs; who - asked me to supply them with 83nmun±tk)n to prosecute their, war with the Germans, but natm-aUy? I refused to do this, aa "we were not then at •war-'seilh our^presentpowerfal adversary. ■ . Aftera brief s±aya± GhsasEi-jraslrtfl. •on for -lake Kgami, navto^ a .60-mn#

"thirst" to negotiate before. reacStaß> that place. Daring thia trek I serious-* ly risked tho lives at my cattle by ona night delaying m order to cbserve an occnltatlon of a second-magarbodestar with the moon, with & view to checking my chronometers, bat my halt was valueless and precious time WOB WaflU cd. '£ho star did not occulf with th 4 moon as set forth m the nautical al-> inanao It would dd* m the latitude m which I was. I naturally was very much annoyed that the time had not been much more profitably spent la pressing onward. liOge Ngami was discovered hy Oswald about 1840, and was first visited by Livingstone m 1843. It was for lons assumed to be an inland lake, with, defined borders, but, as' a matter off fact, it is only a portion of tho Okcn vango swamps, which extend souths

ward from the neighborhood of Ani dara's. These swamps aro li» placed as much as 40 miles wido. In some seasons, when water la plentiful, th« southern corner, called Lake Ng&ml, fills up find present.', tbo apptar&nco of a lake, whilst In other snnsons, owing to absence ot water, it becomes a siroplo reed-bed, Intostcd T.Jtli Wild imlmahi. Sucli ft waa when I passod It, and on the edge o£ the n*4a tharm won no water of any kind to bo obtained. Immediately to tho norU) Of La)C« Ntfiunj la tho town or NaJcaleebwa, with about 10,000 inhabitants. This wbs tho headquarters of a chiot called Sckomo, of tho tribo of th« Botawtma, an oftshoot of tho Bamantonito, who Hvq on the Tranß\ < ual border. It may bo of Intoroat to you to hear a brief outllno of certain trooble« k which have since that time arisen Lns connection with thU chief. Accordlna to nativo law In that part of Africa^, | whon Uio father of a family dies hbj ■ wivon and family aro taken over by ! tho cldcnt son, and any children who nuvy bo born thereafter by these wlvos nro n.-JBumcd to bo tho chlldr<»n ot U»« i nnu huritmml. Sokorao'a ii*AJ<«x*t«>vr la tin! chli'ftaißuhip wiu Lochulatobo, a koii of a further Sekonsc, On IvOi chultitebo'.s death, ho left a tvnn. a child <>f about threo yf/ir.l of tijfC, nxunod Miiiibf, who w:ui the rightful succcsuor ■|*to th. throne. Tho Sokomo whom I mot was tho offuprlnt; of a Mayo wife o( t)u» fintt Sokonm. born, Jiowcvcr, lon« a/:.r hIH «l«ath. IJ« put forward tho claim that. a« tho won of th. old g e . )vom«'. he wo« the riffhtful re«cnt, and j he «>vontually wuccwdeU In setting x u 9 j ymtriK won of lx-chulatobo seat to A | distant part o( tho country a few I yoara «Xter tk* visit I paid to fIM