A woman's wanderings and trials during the Anglo-Boer WarDe la Rey, Jacoba Elizabeth
History
A woman's wanderings and trials during the Anglo-Boer War
De la Rey, Jacoba Elizabeth
De La Rey, Jacoba Elizabeth, 1856-1923; South African War, 1899-1902 -- Personal narratives
There was now a great longing on the part of all those around to see
the members of their families from whom they had been parted for so
long.
I, too, rejoiced that I could go to Pretoria to see my children, whom I
had not seen for so long a time. And I thought again of my beloved son,
whom I had had to give up.
And yet I had not had to sacrifice so much; many a woman had given her
husband and her children too.
We went on to Klerksdorp in my waggon. As we would have to drive for
two days before getting there, and as Sunday came in between, on
that day we made a halt. It was the last Sunday that I spent out on
the veldt. I thought earnestly of all that had taken place. How many
Sundays had I not spent in flying before the enemy?
Sunday evening we entered Klerksdorp; Monday morning I sent back the
waggons which had housed me and my children for twenty months. I had
grown so used to life in my waggon that I did not like to see it go
away.
We went to Pretoria that evening, and I found my children in
well-being. It was pleasant after such a long separation. I had been
two days in Pretoria when a son was born to my daughter. Then I became
a grandmother, for this was the first grand-child. He was christened
Jacobus Herklaas De la Rey. I felt very grateful. In all the bitterness
of those weary days I was able to say, “But He knoweth the way that I
take; when He hath tried me, I shall come forth as gold” (Job xxiii.
10); and also as in Job ii. 10 (the last part), “What? Shall we receive
good at the hand of God and shall we not receive evil? In all this did
not Job sin with his lips.”
Now, dear brothers and sisters, since we are sure that God shall
prove His Word, let us stand steadfast in our faith and wait for the
salvation of the Lord. This is the time of trial; now will the Lord
see if we are worthy that He should make His wonders manifest unto us
before the eyes of the whole world.
“_Though He tarry, He knows His hour,
He comes, He surely comes:
And all eyes shall contemplate Him,
All hearts shall realise the deeds
Which He wrought here upon earth._”
[Illustration: Mesdames Ferreira and Bezuidenhout.]
One of the three ladies standing up (in the accompanying photograph)
is my daughter, now Mrs Ferreira; the other two are two Misses
Bezuidenhout. They have there the very flags of the Transvaal and
Orange Free State, which are their great treasure. The two Misses
Bezuidenhout are the daughters of the Widow Bezuidenhout, my husband’s
eldest sister. She is the mother of nine children; she too had her
house burned down and all that she possessed taken away from her. I
have often found her in tears, and she would say to me, “What is to
become of us all? I and my children have not one single animal left
alive, and everything on my farm has been destroyed!”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account