Life on a South African Farm.
As your readers seem interested in letters from other lands, I will write a little about life on a South African farm. Our farm was in the Little Karroo, the principal produce of which was ostrich feathers and mohair. I dare say you will have heard how much we suffer from drought in parts of the Cape Colony, and how comparatively useless the rivers are owing to their steep descent towards the coast. During these droughts it often becomes necessary to feed the ostriches with prickly-pear leaves, which are cut up in a machine. Our goats are fed on a prickly shrub which is burnt with an inflammable bush called "kers bosch" (candle bush) until the thorns are off, when the stock rapidly devour it.
After the rains the water is preserved in large dams, and the ostrich cocks often become very vicious and prove dangerous to people on foot, as I know to my cost. In such a case the best weapon is a thorny branch with two prongs. In the prongs you catch the long neck. The animal is far too valuable to kill, or this could easily be effected by a blow with a stone or stick on the head. The ostriches have great strength in their long legs, which are their only means of attack.
My own experience was this: One day, while after cattle in the veldt, a vicious bird attacked me, and compelled me to get into a tree, where he kept me for half a day, until a native boy on horseback came to my assistance. During my imprisonment he made every effort to kick me down, and as the tree was none too large he nearly succeeded. If any of your readers would like to open a correspondence for exchanging stamps I am ready, and would be able to send them Cape Colony, Natal, British Bechuanaland, and Transvaal stamps in exchange, as well as some others. They should let me know what sort they want.
F. Hobson.
Somerset East, Cape Colony.