Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa: Sport and Travel in South Africa

by Andrew A. Anderson

(A waggon which contained the journal of St. Vincent Erskine, the traveller, of his third expedition in this country, was thus washed down a river. A white girl and a Kaffir and the oxen were drowned. A number of men searched the banks for the journal for days in vain, and it was only found accidentally two years afterwards in its tin case in a bush so high above the river that no one had thought of looking there.)

We were detained here eleven days before we were able to cross, the sand in the river-bed being very deep, and resting on the granite-bed rock beneath, which is not very smooth or level. The force of the flood sweeps away all the sand, leaving a rugged bed; therefore it is prudent to wait till the water has drained away, that we may pick a safe road across, otherwise an axle might break, or some damage be done to the waggon. In all cases it is wise not to be in a hurry. I have known fussy transport riders flounder into such rivers before the water has subsided, and break their waggon, which has detained them weeks to get repaired.

During our stay we had some excellent shooting, big game as well as small. The third afternoon of our stay seven giraffes were seen by my herd boy, who was looking after the oxen in the veldt, and he came and reported the same. Not having my shooting pony at hand, I had to send for him and saddle up, and started with my driver and forelooper to find these noble animals; but to do so it is necessary to be very slim, as it is called here, that is very sharp and clever in stalking your game, otherwise it will escape. It is surprising how keen and sensitive the eye and ear become to all woodland sounds and trifling incidents necessary for a hunter to observe and note, to lead him up to the game he is seeking; a broken stick, a crushed leaf or blade of grass, a broken twig where the game has passed, must be keenly looked for. We had proceeded but a short distance when we met three Mesere Bushmen with their bows and arrows, who told my driver they were coming to tell us of several giraffes that were feeding in a dense bush not far away. With the natives not far away means any distance, they being bad judges in such cases. We, however, secured them to show the way, one taking the lead, the rest of us following in Indian file, the pony being led by my driver. After winding in and out through the forest for nearly a mile as far as I could guess, the first Bushman called a halt, at the same time he advanced crawling along very cautiously, until we lost sight of him for some little time, when we saw him come crawling back in the same way. He told us there were, by counting on his fingers, eight giraffes quietly feeding a short distance in front. The bush being too dense to make use of the pony, he was left behind in charge of my boy, and we, with our two rifles, with our Bushman guide, had to adopt the same mode of advance, to get near enough for a shot, and crawl with the greatest caution, avoiding any dead and dry sticks, for at the least sound in breaking one they would be off and away in a moment. After proceeding on our hands and knees for some distance, the Bushman, who was in front, motioned with his hand that they were in sight. Crawling up with the greatest care, I could only distinguish their heads and long necks above the bushes which surrounded them on all sides, not one hundred yards away.

We waited until one of their bodies came into view, when we were to fire from both rifles at the same animal. The silence of death was around, not a puff of air to move a leaf, the bright tropical sun shining in all his glory, making the heat almost intolerable. In this position we waited some ten minutes before a chance occurred. One of them came more into the open, with his body in full view. Now was the moment to fire, and our two bullets entered his body with the well known sound which a ball makes in striking. He fell, but was up again in a moment.

It was a beautiful sight to see; the others leaping and bounding away, swaying their long necks from side to side, until lost in the bush. But we had no time to look after them; our attention was drawn to the one we had shot. After regaining his feet and attempting to follow the others, he only staggered a short distance, and then fell dead; a noble corpse, and a noble bag.

After our excitement was a little subsided, it was necessary to consider how we were to get such a huge beast to the waggon with the least trouble. It was arranged to inspan the waggon, and bring it round the best way we could through the forest to as near the dead giraffe as possible. It was now near upon ten o’clock in the morning. Despatching my boys and one of the Bushmen to carry this plan out, I remained with the other two Bushmen, who wanted no instructions. Giving them my hunting-knife, they were soon at work skinning this beautiful animal, which proved to be a young cow, but full-grown and the finest meat in Africa, very much like veal in flavour. In a short time the waggon was brought up to within fifty yards, and outspanned in the shade of some noble trees, for the sun’s rays were intense, and with the heat and fatigue, I was glad to throw myself on the grass, after a good drink of cold tea, to rest and smoke, whilst my Kaffirs and driver were making a fire for cooking, skinning the giraffe, and doing other household work. Being well supplied with good water, the casks being full, our contentment for the time was complete.

What a glorious thing is this wild life, where game and water are plentiful, with liberty to roam where one lists, with health and strength to enjoy it! The only surprise is that any one can be ill in such a country, pure air, plenty of exercise, good food and water, constantly moving, seeing fresh sights daily: I pity the man that cannot enjoy a life so free and so exciting as this. A giraffe lying at full length on the grass is a grand sight. This one measured fifteen feet seven inches, from hoof to the ears, and it was a work of much labour to skin and cut up such a large beast, but everything was done by 4 p.m. Bushmen are like vultures, they scent game afar off, for by the time everything had been cleared up and put straight, eight fresh Bushmen, their wives and several children, had put in an appearance, and were looking with longing eyes upon the remains of the giraffe. I was glad to see them, and told them they could take what was left. Poor things, their delight was complete. Knives were out, slashing and cutting up commenced, and divided out; a fire was made and cooking went on up to midnight. The night was fine, and as the fire lighted up the figures as they moved about, and shone upon the trees and shrubs, it was about as unique a picture as one could desire to see, and would have told well if the scene had been in Hyde Park or Kensington Gardens.

During the night we were much annoyed by lions round our camp, some of them coming so close that a Bushman caught up a burning piece of wood and threw it in the face of one, with such good aim, it fell on his shaggy mane, and made it smoke, when he cleared off. Bushmen seem to care very little for lions; they think nothing of walking through the forest with only a short spear. I was too tired to go after them, but two days afterwards had a narrow escape; as I was walking along up the river-bank looking for guinea-fowl, I came plump upon two. Having only my shot-gun I could do nothing. I was in a fix, and if they had known it, they could have made short work of my bones. As it was, we stood looking at each other, not with any pleasurable emotion on my part, and I think they participated in the same feeling, for after some five minutes had passed, the young lion slunk behind a thick bush, and soon after the old one followed. During the whole time I never moved hand or foot. If I had raised my gun to fire, or turned, the old one would have been down upon me in one spring, for I was within springing distance, we were so close. When the old one stood partly facing me, in an attitude of defence, his mane raised and his large glaring, fiery eyes fixed upon mine, he was a noble animal, appearing almost double the size of those caged at home. I never moved my position for some time after they disappeared; if I had they might have attacked; and when I did, it was for some twenty paces backwards, and then I turned and followed the river down to camp, after securing three guinea-fowl.

During the remainder of my stay here, we cut up and dried the giraffe, to make biltong, which will keep for years; in the day exploring the rivers and country, taking observations, collecting specimens of everything interesting, and writing up my journal. On the 15th we found the river dry, and sent the boys down with spades to make the drift good by filling in the holes between the granite rocks, for the waggon to pass over, and we arrived on the north bank in the evening, in time to make fast the oxen to the trektow before dark. Every night we heard lions and wolves, but this night we were infested with them: the scent of the raw flesh in the waggon seemed to draw them, for they gave us no peace. The bush was thick, and the night dark and cloudy. They gave us no chance for a shot; the only thing we could do was to keep up great fires all night and watch. We fired several shots into the darkness where we thought they were prowling about. Several times we thought they were fighting by the fierce growls and spits they made, but we found the spits came from the females, as lions are never known to do so. If it were not for the novelty of the affair in listening to and seeing lions in their own native wilds, I would prefer a good sound sleep in my waggon, but we do not meet with such noble game every day of our lives.

When Sir John Swinburne and his company were working for gold at Tati, other diggers followed up that river, some thirty and others forty miles, and worked claims near its banks at Todd’s Creek and Charley, but did not find sufficient gold to pay, and they were also abandoned. At the present time a new company has been formed to work the old diggings at Tati, and I believe find more than sufficient to pay expenses. Ancient workings in the district have been discovered, but when used, no history can inform us.