Life in Afrikanderland as viewed by an Afrikander: A story of life in South Africa, based on truthCIOS
History
Life in Afrikanderland as viewed by an Afrikander: A story of life in South Africa, based on truth
CIOS
Afrikaners; South Africa -- History -- Fiction
After half-an-hour’s travel, Kameelpoort was reached, and on emerging
on the other side, our friends found stretched out before them hills
and valleys covered by trees and bushes. It seemed to them, as they
stood high above these valleys and hills, that the earth appeared to
sink lower and lower the farther northward they looked. It was really
so. They were standing on a range of hills separating the high from
the low veld. The high veld is a bare, undulating plain, covered with
grass only. The low veld is covered with bush and trees, ranging from
low dwarf bushes to the high majestic yellow wood, and other large
varieties of trees. The farther north you go, the lower you descend,
and the warmer it becomes, so that in mid-winter you have a mild
pleasant climate, but in summer only natives and game can exist.
Under the trees and in the open glades a high, sweet grass
grows--splendid feeding for cattle and sheep in winter. Thus it is that
all farmers do not consider themselves well off before they have a farm
or two on the high veld for summer, and a farm in the bush veld for
winter pasturage.
After descending into the valley before them, our party reached a
stream where were encamped about ten families of farmers, some of whom
Steve knew. The usual welcome was accorded them.
We shall describe the winter quarters of one of these families, which
are all alike more or less, some better some worse.
If the family has two full tent waggons, so much the better, then they
have two bedrooms ready. In each a comfortable _Kartel_ (bedstead
without legs) is tied, and a feather bed made on it.
Between the two waggons, one or two tents are stretched, one serving as
another bedroom, and the other as a dining-room.
In front of the tents and waggons an enclosure is made of marsh or
river reeds. In the enclosure thus formed, a floor of mud and cow dung
is laid, which makes a smooth, hard floor. On one side of the enclosure
a fireplace is made, being a circle large enough to contain all the
pots of the family, enclosed by a ridge of mud three or four inches
high, to keep fire and ashes within bounds. This is the kitchen, and
also the sitting-room of an evening, when all would gather round the
fire, and the events of the day would be talked over. This enclosure is
always kept neat and clean.
Steve and his party found a good company of sportsmen in the community
here encamped. As it was still early, a party was got up to go
shooting. They started about four o’clock.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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