As I have already said the war with the colonial Kaffirs broke out during my last stay in the Diamond-fields, and Griqualand West became the scene of a like misfortune. In both wars the right cause had the victory. That the little colony of Griqualand West, with its insignificant number of white men, should have brought the conflict to so speedy and satisfactory a termination with such slight expense and trifling loss of life, was owing to two causes, first, that the governor was an experienced soldier, and secondly, that the Diamond-fields were occupied by a brave and true-hearted population. The history of the province during the last three years gives ample proof of this, and I refer especially to the war which it has had to maintain with the Griquas, Masarwas, and Batlapins, under their chiefs Mora, Donker-Maglas and others. These natives, who have hitherto turned a deaf ear to the beneficial precepts of the white man, being strengthened by the addition of many foul elements, such as fugitive rebels from the colony, and runaway thieves and other criminals from the west, from Kuruman, and from the farther side of the Lange-Bergen, had suddenly fallen upon the neighbouring settlers, and after massacring them, had ransacked their houses. These crimes led to another war. The negro-robbers had taken into account that Griqualand West could receive no assistance from the colony, which was already occupied with the Kaffir war, and they had likewise reckoned that the thousands of natives who were employed in the Diamond-fields would mutiny at the same time, burn down the buildings, annihilate the population, and carry off the booty; whilst they, the originators of the war, would meanwhile be plundering the roadside hotels and stores, as well as laying waste the farms.
I was myself a witness of the position of the whites at that critical time. Fortunately the purifying process that had been going on at the Diamond-fields by the withdrawal of adventurers, had left few but true-hearted men behind, and Major Lanyon, who then represented the government, thoroughly understood the state of affairs. In Colonel Warren, who has since succeeded as governor, he had an associate who never shunned danger, and was always prepared for emergencies. Thus by what seemed almost like supernatural energy, Griqualand West was defended, women and children were saved from destruction, and the Europeans gained for themselves the respect without which it is impossible to live at peace and in harmony with the natives.
COLONEL WARREN.
Major Lanyon issued an appeal in which he called upon all the residents in the central diggings to combine to protect their new home from destruction; the result of this was that in a few days more than six hundred men had come forward, all capable of bearing arms, and ready to shed their blood for their people. About two hundred of these were volunteers, the rest were young men and diamond-diggers, who expressed a wish to be enrolled in the civilian corps. Horses were purchased without delay, and the men were drilled by day and by night, the military instruction being given by diggers, merchants, or any others who had been themselves trained. The corps was further reinforced by 400 Basutos. Setting out against the foe, they surprised the natives in the midst of one of their marauding forays, and drove them back to the hills. What ensued was a sort of guerilla war. No sooner forced to surrender one of their stone barricades, than seeking another from which they were driven out as quickly, the natives at length had to yield; Colonel Warren had demonstrated that he had all the talents of a general, and the men enlisted from the diggings had proved that they well understood how to do their duty.
So successful had I been in my practice, that I began to indulge the hope that I could start for Europe in December, 1877; but when I came to reckon up the actual cost of conveying my numerous large packages and my cases of live-stock, I found it impossible to carry out my intention so soon. The carriage of all the collection that I had made on my two previous journeys had already been generously defrayed by Herr Naprstek, of Prague, and the same kind friend now again sent me 20l., and the Vienna Geographical Society remitted me 40l., but this would be barely enough to convey a waggon and my animals as far as the coast. Under the circumstances I came to the conclusion that I would postpone my departure for another year, by which time I did not doubt that I should have saved enough to cover all the expenses of my passage, and to leave me a small reserve fund in addition; by carrying out this plan I should also be travelling through the Orange Free State and the east province of Cape Colony, at a season when the best pasturage could be secured for the bullocks.
I took an opportunity of sending on twenty-one of my chests by a transport-waggon that went to Port Elizabeth, where the Austrian Vice-Consul, Herr Allenberg, stored them in his warehouses until my arrival; but it did not suit my purpose to travel by such a conveyance myself, because I wished on my way to stop wherever I pleased to make geological and palæontological observations, which could not be done if I were to be hampered by the proceedings of a driver who was not under my own control.
Matters, however, turned out better for me than I had anticipated. An unexpected and munificent gift of 1000 florins from the Emperor of Austria, 60l. from the Bohemian National Society, 200 florins from the “Svatabor Club,” and a loan of 1000 florins from a kind lady patroness placed me in a position to start as soon as I was disposed, and I proceeded to quit the Diamond-fields six months before the date I had fixed.
A series of mischances that befell me on my way to Port Elizabeth made such unlooked-for inroads upon my resources, that I again found it necessary to stop, and betook myself once more to medical practice at Cradock. The success that attended me was so satisfactory that in August I was enabled to resume my journey. To drive my waggon I hired a man who had formerly been servant to a merchant whom I knew at Kimberley.
My party was now increased by the addition of three children, who were to accompany me to the south. Amongst my numerous patients and acquaintances none had shown me greater attention than my next-door neighbour at Bultfontein, and as an acknowledgment of his good offices, I agreed to take one of his sons with me to look after my birds and other pets, and to be instructed as soon as possible in more important work. I promised that if the boy turned out well, I would try and take him on with me to be educated in Europe. In order that he should not occupy too much of my time, and interrupt me in my studies, a young Bechuana maid-servant was sent to take charge of him. The third of these young people was Philip Schneeman, about thirteen years of age, the son of a Dutchman whose family I had attended professionally for many weeks. Schneeman had already shown his gratitude to me by assisting me at every opportunity he could, and he now entrusted me with his eldest son upon the condition that in return for his services I should make him an educated man. The father was one of those unfortunate characters only too commonly to be met with in the Diamond-fields, who having come out with visions of wealth had met with nothing but trouble and disappointment; he considered he was doing the best for his boy in engaging him to me, but poor Philip, before he reached Cradock, had begun to pine so painfully for his home that I had no alternative but to send him back to his parents, who meanwhile had settled in the Bürgensdorf district. The other boy turned out so careless and mischievous that I was only too glad to send him away at the same time.