Twixt Savage and Rinderpest

Southland Times, Issue 13503, 21 July 1896, Page 3

Twixt Savage and Rinderpest

Under date May 6th, the Kimberley Advertiser published the following : ‘ We received a call yesterday from a gentleman who left Buluwayo seven or eight days ago, and who described the condition of the road down as truly terrible, while, he says, the position of the people in the laager at Buluwayo is rapidly becoming heart-rending. Shortly before leaving he offered half a sovereign for a bottle of milk, but could not get it. All sources of water are polluted with carcases of dead cattle, as the result of rinderpest. When he left there was only enough food in the place to last the inhabitants for 21 days, and this on about threequarter rations. The Rhodesia Horse have been put on old sea biscuits, which were brought into Mashonaland for the former expedition. The men have to brush away the mildew before placing them in water to soak. No oxen are left to slaughter, and although Zeederberg has now started a daily cart service what is a mule waggon of meal per day amongst 4000 or 5000 people, with their number being almost daily increased by the forwarding of detachments of troops? Women are walking about the laager hugging their children to their breasts, and the poor little things crying pitifully of hunger. At the only hotel open the charge for a meal is ss. The money has to be paid at the door, and the chance taken as to what you can get afterwards. As a result of the dead animals pollutingall drinking water dysentery is rife, and pitiful indeed will be the state of Buluwayo people should an epidemic occur in laager. The Buluwayo laager is fortunately well nigh impregnable. In the centre are the market buildings and hospital. A double row of waggons form a square round these, at the four corners of which are placed, in commanding positions a Maxim, a Gatling, 7-pounder, and a Nordenfeldt. Between these, that is, in the centre of each face of the square, are Maxims mounted upon waggons and outside the square formed by the waggons is a double fence of barbed wire 10 feet high, and with about 7ft or Bft between the two fences. The ground all round outside these fences has been thickly laid with barbed wire, plaited into the ground with wooden poles, the top ends sharpened. Standing a little way away from the main laagers are several of a smaller nature. The road to Buluwayo is strewn with loaded waggons, abandoned for want of oxen, while every stream, in fact, every drop of water, wherever found, is contaminated through contact with the carcases of oxen. On the road, as well as round Buluwayo, they are lying in groups of hundreds, They look as though they have been herded together and shot as they stood by Maxims. Palaype looks like a deserted town of waggons, while everywhere are dead oxen lying around. Big game are being destroyed by hundreds by rinderpest. Hartebeest ana kodoos are suffering, and our informant saw a number of them lying around the Shashi river dead. The affected cattle are being shot, and between Pitsani and Mafeking miniature war would appear to be continually going on, firing being kept up all day. Ramathlabama is a disinfecting station, and all mules and waggons have to be driven through a solution of carbolic acid, while the passengers have to walk through a similar preparation over the soles of their boots. The stench both in and around Buluwayo, and on the road,is really terrible, and likely to be more deadly in its effects than the weapons of the Matabele.’