Read Ebook: Life in Afrikanderland as viewed by an Afrikander A story of life in South Africa based on truth by CIOS

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Ebook has 1308 lines and 98677 words, and 27 pages

BOOK I

CHAP. PAGE

BOOK II

LIFE IN AFRIKANDERLAND

BOOK I

A DEATH-BED SCENE

A death-bed is always a sad scene, but doubly so when it is that of a parent surrounded by his or her children, and trebly so when those children are young and helpless.

Let me introduce the reader to such a scene for a moment, for 'tis good now and again to be drawn near to death, if only for a moment, for it brings us face to face with the fleeting and uncertain nature of life, and admonishes us to be prepared.

Behold, then, a pale weak figure, in a white draped, old-fashioned, four-post bed; that figure is the figure of a dying man, that man the father of three children, a boy and two girls, who are standing around the bed clinging to their mother.

'But if father is going away, where is he going to, mother?' said the boy, the eldest of the three. Alas! he did not realise what was taking place. He had been told that his father was going away; but he could not realise that he would see him no more on earth, and that he would be left alone to fight the battle of life, with only a poor, poverty-stricken mother to stand between him and starvation.

'Dear Stephen, he is going to heaven. God has called him and he must go.'

'But may we not go with him, mother?'

'No, my child, we may not go till God calls us.'

'But when will He call us, mother?'

'I do not know, dear; we must be prepared to go whenever He calls; it may be to-morrow, or it may not be for years.'

'But when shall we see father again, mother?'

'When God calls us to heaven, too, dear.'

'Come near, Stephen,' his father called to him in weak and trembling tones. 'Steve, my son, I want to say a few words to you before I leave you. First I want you to take care of your mother and sisters as much as you can. Your mother will be weak and unprotected, and when you are grown up, you must work and support her and your sisters as best you can. Then I want you to promise to always fear God and look to Him for aid in time of need, and serve Him to the best of your ability in time of prosperity. And lastly, I want you always to be faithful to your country and your people. Remember that here we are a vassal race as yet. But thank God there are two bright spots in South Africa where our people are free, and acknowledge only one King--God--the King of kings. And if ever the time should come that you may be able to aid in bringing our people nearer to being a one and united people--free--under God's guidance, do your best. Do you promise?'

'Yes, father, I will do my best.'

'I know, child, you can hardly understand these things yet, but when you are older you will understand what I mean. Your mother will write my request down for you, and when you are grown up and are a man, you will understand. Now kiss me all of you. May God bless you and be a father to you all. Amen.'

BOYHOOD

They rise, and Steve goes up to his mother and stands leaning fondly against her.

It is January 1881. It is the time of the Transvaal struggle for independence and freedom.

Steve nestled near to his mother and said,--

'But, mother, cannot we go and help our people in the Transvaal? Surely it is not so far away but we can reach them, and fight by their side? And,' drawing himself up to his full height, 'if needs be, we can die with them.'

'My dear, you are far too young to talk about fighting and dying in battle; but it is impossible, even if you were old enough, to do so. There is many and many a heart here that beats in unison with our race, fighting for freedom in the Transvaal, and would gladly take up arms for them. But, alas, we are bound hand and foot, and are surrounded by the enemy. We cannot leave here a day's march, but the English Goverment will stop our people from going to help their friends in the Transvaal. We are surrounded by enemies. No, child, we can only pray and trust in God.'

'And will God help them if we pray for them, mother?'

'Yes, child, for their cause is just, and God always helps in a righteous cause.'

A CONTROVERSY

'Steve, you are talking nonsense.'

A group of boys were standing talking, warmly arguing about the all-absorbing topic of the day--the Transvaal war.

'I should like to know why I talk nonsense more than you?'

'Why, you say that the Transvaal Boers can fight against England and win. I should like to know how a few Boers can fight against England, when we have already more soldiers on the Transvaal border than there are Boers to fight, and there are as many more coming out from England, with ever so many cannon. And when these arrive, what will your Boers do then? You are talking nonsense, I say!'

'I am not talking nonsense, for mother says that, if we pray to God to help our people, He will surely do so, and then they will win; for God is stronger than England and all the world besides.'

Steve's opponent smiled derisively, as if he thought Steve was talking nonsense worse than ever--as if people could swallow such childish superstitions in the latter end of the nineteenth century, that God fights the battles of nations; these things are too antiquated! But, thought he to himself, I might as well fight it out with him on his own ground, and with his own weapons, so he said,--

'But, Steve, the English people will also pray; and why do you think God would answer your people's prayers more than the prayers of the English?'

'Because God only answers our prayers when we pray for a righteous thing; and our people's cause is righteous; the cause of the English is unrighteous, for they seek to oppress a weaker people than themselves, who have done them no harm.'

Steve's simple faith in his mother's teachings and in the promises of his God, had given him the victory in this schoolboy controversy. His opponent could only smile in a depreciating sort of way and walk off.

INDEPENDENCE GAINED ONCE MORE--YOUTHFUL PATRIOTISM

Public opinion in England, and all over the world, had shown the Imperial Government the error of their ways at last. They had to make peace after being defeated, and promise the Boers their independence back again. But the Imperial Government seemed to say, 'Never mind the defeat and shame, we will show the Boers a trick or two yet. We will appoint a Royal Commission, and force a convention on the Boers to our own liking, and they shall feel the Lion's paw in another way.'

Oh, no, English diplomats are not such fools! They took gold from the Boers; they gave them brass in exchange. They took their independence, independence in every sense of the word, from them; independence without conditions, such as was recognised by the Sand River Convention, but they gave back a false municipal independence, only a shadow of the independence possessed before.

'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.

'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!'

'You lie!' cried Steve in his anger; and before he knew what was going to take place, he was sprawling on the ground, with a bloody nose from an unexpected blow. But Steve was not the boy to accept punishment unreturned, so he jumped up and hit his assailant on the eye, which spoilt the sight of that eye for a day or two.

'Well done, Steve,' cried Gus; 'do it again.'

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