‘Is that true, my son?’
‘Yes, mother, I have just seen it on the notice board,’ and then Steve told her all he had read on the board.
His mother, God-fearing and grateful, made him kneel at her side, and poured out praises and thanksgivings to God Almighty, Who had thus wrought a miracle to save His people.
Does England realise that the Boers are a God-fearing people, who have never heard of materialism, Atheism and other blaspheming isms? still less do they believe in such. No, they believe simply, and with the faith of a child in God and His word:—‘If your faith is no larger than a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say to that mountain “Go,” and it shall go, “Come,” and it shall come.’ The Boers had faith, and they moved not mountains, but they moved—England.
While the war was still going on, and the ultimate end of the war was yet uncertain, Steve, to show his patriotism, and to prove that he was not ashamed to be called a Boer (which name was generally used by the English as a name of contempt and reproach), got up an association amongst all his young Afrikander friends. In this association there was only one rule, and this rule was, that no member was to speak to another member without using as a name of endearment the name ‘Boer.’ Each one was to be honoured when addressed by another member by being called ‘Boer’; and for some time the English schoolmates of these young patriots were surprised to hear remarks such as these, ‘Hillo, “Boer,” are you going for a swim this afternoon,’ or, ‘I say, “Boer,” let us go and have a feed of grapes at Tante (auntie) Sannie this evening.’ And even to this day, when these young men are grown up and are scattered over the country, when corresponding with each other, they are in the habit of beginning their letters in this way,—
‘My dear old Boer. I received your last letter,’ etc., and they have lived to see the name of Boers not only not to signify shame any longer, but to be honoured by friends and foes.
Steve was over jealous of the good name of his people, and lost no opportunity to stand up for them.
Our young hero had one staunch English friend, that is English in that his parents were English, but he was Afrikander born, and he was an Afrikander at heart. He was named Gus Turner. These two young friends were standing together amongst a group of other boys one day arguing on politics as usual. Why shouldn’t they?—their parents talked nothing else all day.
A young man named Jim M’Murphy was speaking sneeringly. He was strongly built, and considerably larger than Steve. He was saying,—
‘It is all humbug these Boers having beaten our soldiers. They are all cowards!’