



Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England




Twenty-Five Years in a Waggon in South Africa, by Andrew A. Anderson.

________________________________________________________________________















________________________________________________________________________
TWENTY-FIVE YEARS IN A WAGGON IN SOUTH AFRICA, BY ANDREW A. ANDERSON.

PREFACE.

My object in writing this work is to add another page to the physical
geography of Africa.  That region selected for my explorations has
hitherto been a _terra incognita_ in all maps relating to this dark
continent.  The field of my labour has been South Central Africa, north
of the Cape Colony, up to the Congo region, comprising an area of
2,000,000 square miles; in length, from north to south, 1100 miles, and
from east to west--that is, from the Indian to the South Atlantic
Ocean--1800 miles, which includes the whole of Africa from sea to sea,
and from the 15 degree to the 30 degree south latitude.

It has been my desire to make physical geography a pleasant study to the
young, and in gaining this knowledge of a country, they may at the same
time become acquainted with its resources and capabilities for future
enterprise in commercial pursuits to all who may embark in such
undertakings, and this cannot be accomplished without having a full
knowledge of the people who inhabit the land; also its geological
features, natural history, botany, and other subjects of interest in
connection with it.  Such information is imperative to a commercial
nation like Great Britain, particularly when we look round and see such
immense competition in trade with our continental neighbours,
necessitates corresponding energy at home if we wish to hold our own in
the great markets of the world, and this cannot be done unless the
resources and capabilities of every quarter of the globe is thoroughly
known.  And for this purpose my endeavours have been directed, so far as
South Central Africa is concerned, and to fill up the blank in the
physical geography of that portion of the African Continent.

When I undertook this work in 1863 no information could be obtained as
to what was beyond our colonial frontier, except that a great part was
desert land uninhabited, except in parts by wild Bushmen, and the
remaining region beyond by lawless tribes of natives.  I at once saw
there was a great field open for explorations, and I undertook that duty
in that year, being strongly impressed with the importance, that
eventually it would become (connected as it is with our South African
possessions) of the highest value, if in our hands, for the preservation
of our African colonies, the extension of our trade, and a great field
for civilising and Christianising the native races, as also for
emigration, which would lead to most important results, in opening up
the great high road to Central Africa, thereby securing to the Cape
Colony and Natal a vast increase of trade and an immense opening for the
disposal of British merchandise that would otherwise flow into other
channels through foreign ports; and, at the same time, knowing how
closely connected native territories were to our border, which must
affect politically and socially the different nationalities that are so
widely spread over all the southern portion of Africa.  With these
advantages to be attained, it was necessary that some step should be
taken to explore these regions, open up the country, and correctly
delineate its physical features, and, if time permitted, its geological
formation also, and other information that could be collected from time
to time as I proceeded on my work.  Such a vast extent of country,
containing 2,000,000 square miles, cannot be thoroughly explored
single-handed under many years' labour, neither can so extensive an area
be properly or intelligibly described as a whole.  I have, therefore, in
the first place, before entering upon general subjects, deemed it
advisable to describe the several river systems and their basins in
connection with the watersheds, as it will greatly facilitate and make
more explicit the description given as to the locality of native
territories that occupy this interesting and valuable portion of the
African continent, in relation to our South African colonies.  And,
secondly, to describe separately each native state, the latitude and
longitude of places, distances, and altitudes above sea-level, including
those subjects above referred to.  All this may be considered dry
reading.  I have therefore introduced many incidents that occurred
during my travels through the country from time to time.  To have
enlarged on personal events, such as hunting expeditions, which were of
daily occurrence, would have extended this work to an unusual length,
therefore I have taken extracts from my journals to make the book, I
trust, more interesting, and at the same time make physical geography a
pleasant study to the young, who may wish to make themselves acquainted
with every part of the globe.  This is the first and most important duty
to all who are entering into commercial pursuits, for without this
knowledge little can be done in extending our commerce to regions at
present but little known.

My travels and dates are not given consecutively, but each region is
separately described, taken from journeys when passing through them in
different years.

CHAPTER ONE.

IN NATAL--PREPARING FOR MY LONG-PROMISED EXPLORATIONS INTO THE FAR
INTERIOR.


As a colonial, previous to 1860, I had long contemplated making an
expedition into the regions north of the Cape Colony and Natal, but not
until that year was I able to see my way clear to accomplish it.  At
that time, 1860, the Cape Colony was not so well known as it is now, and
Natal much less; more particularly beyond its northern boundary, over
the Drakensberg mountains, for few besides the Boers had ever penetrated
beyond the Free State and Transvaal; and when on their return journey to
Maritzburg, to sell their skins and other native produce, I had frequent
conversations with them, the result was that nothing was known of the
country beyond their limited journeys.  This naturally gave me a greater
desire to visit the native territories, and, being young and full of
energy, wishing for a more active life than farming, although that is
active during some part of the year, I arranged my plans and made up my
mind to visit these unknown regions, and avail myself of such
opportunities as I could spare from time to time to go and explore the
interior, and collect such information as might come within my reach,
not only for self-gratification, but to obtain a general knowledge of
the country that might eventually be of use to others, and so combine
pleasure with profit, to pay the necessary expenses of each journey.
Such were my thoughts at the time, and if I could make what little
knowledge I possessed available in pursuing this course, my journeys
would not be wasted.  My plans at first were very vague, but,
eventually, as I proceeded they became more matured, and having a
thorough knowledge of colonial life and what was necessary to be done to
carry out my wishes, I had little difficulty in getting my things in
order.  Geology was one of my weaknesses, also natural history, which
were not forgotten in my preparations.  The difficulty was, there were
no maps to guide me in the course to take over this wide and unknown
region; I therefore determined to add that work also to my duties, and
make this a book of reference on the Geography of South Central Africa,
and so complete as I went on such parts visited, as time and
opportunities permitted, as also a general description of the country,
the inhabitants, botany, and other subjects, and incidents that took
place on my travels through this interesting and important part of the
African continent, and so cool down a little of the superabundant Scotch
blood that would not let me settle down to a quiet life when there was
anything to be done that required action; for we know perfectly well
before we enter upon these explorations, that we shall not be living in
the lap of luxury, or escape from all the perils that beset a traveller
when first entering upon unknown ground--if any of these troubles should
enter his mind, he had better stay at home.  But, at the same time, it
will be necessary to give some idea what an explorer has to undergo in
penetrating these regions, and also the pleasures to be derived
therefrom.

  "There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
  There is a rapture by the lonely shore,
  There is society where none intrudes
  By the deep sea, and music in its roar."

  _Byron_.

It is a pleasure to be able to ramble unfettered by worldly ambition
over a wild and new country, far from civilisation, where the postman's
knock is never heard, or shrieking railway-whistles, startling the seven
senses out of your poor bewildered brain, and other so-called civilising
influences, keeping up a perpetual nervous excitement not conducive to
health.  A life in the desert is certainly most charming with all its
drawbacks, where the mind can have unlimited action.  To travel when you
please, eat and drink when so inclined, bunt, fish, sketch, explore,
read or sleep, as the case may be, without interruption; no laws to curb
your actions, or conventional habits to be studied.  This is freedom,
liberty, independence, in the full sense of the word.  With these dreamy
thoughts constantly before me, I determined to give such a life a trial;
consequently, without more ado, I set to work to provide myself with the
necessary means.  Having heard, when travelling through Natal, that the
country a few miles beyond the Drakensberg mountains was a _terra
incognita_, where game could be counted by the million, and the native
tribes beyond lived in primitive innocence, I was charmed with the
thought of being the first in the field to enjoy Nature in all its
forms, and bring before me, face to face, a people whose habits,
customs, and daily life were the same to-day they were five thousand
years ago.  What a lesson for man!  With what greed I looked upon my
probable isolation from the outer world; craving for this visit to the
happy hunting-ground.

The first thing to be done was to apply to an old friend, living a short
distance from Maritzburg on a farm, who had been on several hunting
expeditions, and returned a few weeks before, with his waggon-load of
skins of various animals he had shot with his and his sons' guns, which
he spread out before me--one hundred and five--six lions, four leopards,
seven otters, eight wolves, fourteen tiger-cats; the remainder made up
of gnu, springbok and blesbok, and a variety of other antelopes, all
shot within one hundred miles from the northern and western border of
Natal, over the Drakensberg mountains, besides a heap of ostrich
feathers of various kinds--a goodly bag of a seven months' trip.  The
result of my cogitations with him was the procuring of a waggon and
fourteen trek oxen, with the usual gear--a horse, saddle and bridle,
with all sorts of odds and ends for cooking, water-casks, food of all
kinds, flour, biscuits, bread, mealies for the Kaffirs, tea, coffee,
sugar, preserves, and other necessaries needed for the road.  A safe
driver and forelooper, and an extra boy to cook and look after the
horse, besides three rifles (not breechloaders, they were not known in
Natal in 1860) and a double-barrel Westley Richards, and any quantity of
ammunition.  These three boys were all Zulus, with good characters,
therefore could be depended on, which is a great thing.

Being a "Colonial" I was well up to African life and the Zulu language--
a great advantage in that country.  All things provided, I took several
trips round the country in my waggon, up to August 1863, when I started
north.

_Twenty-five years ago!--a quarter of a century_!  What changes have
come over South Africa in that time!  Natal was little-known and
scarcely heard of in England.  The white population did not exceed
one-half its present number of 30,000, and the greater part was overrun
by Kaffirs, who were Zulus, similar to those of Zululand.  Game of
various kinds in plenty, lions were common, elephants, buffaloes,
elands, wildebeests, quagga, and other antelopes, were numerous on the
plains and long flats; leopards--here called tigers--wolves, jackals,
and other beasts of prey, were heard nightly in the bush; and in the
open rolling plains, under the Drakensberg range of mountains, that
flank the western and northern boundary of the colony, springbok and
blesbok, quagga and the gnu could be counted in thousands.  Where are
they now?  Cleared from the face of the earth by the rifle, so that
scarcely one is left, and those preserved that they should not be
entirely exterminated.  Beyond that magnificent and grand mountain range
that rises in parts ten thousand feet above the sea-level, and extending
several hundred miles in length, rearing its noble head far up in the
clouds, and looking down as if guarding the beautiful and peaceful Natal
at its feet.  The scenery, especially on the western side, taking in the
Giant and Champagne Castle and the lofty peaks to the north, few
landscapes on earth can compare with it.  Here the wild Bushmen lived in
all their pristine glory; their home--the caves and kloofs in the gorges
of mountains--far away from any other tribe, living by their poisoned
arrows on game that comes within bowshot, and upon fruits and roots,
which will be more particularly described in another chapter.  Where are
they now?  Much like the game, exterminated by the rifle.  They were
then a great pest to the colonial people who kept stock near the foot of
the mountain, for they would come down, after watching for days, mounted
or on foot, and steal the cattle, killing all they could not carry off.

These Bushmen became such a pest that it was necessary to hunt them
down.  Two forces of a dozen men or more each were sent out under
Captains Allison and Giles, and they got on their spoor after they had
stolen a number of fine English-bred cattle and horses, many of which
when they first escaped to the hills were found killed, when unable to
keep up.

They tracked these Bushmen about on the hills in snow for some days, and
at last the two parties met, and just before dark saw the Bushmen's
fires in caves.  The parties slept on the ground, and in the morning saw
a Bushman come out with a bridle to catch a horse.  Suddenly, like
Robinson Crusoe, he stood aghast seeing their spoor, threw down his
bridle, and bolted to give the alarm.  The Bushmen fought with their
poisoned arrows, and as their sexes could not be distinguished in the
bush, as they dress alike, all were killed, except one old woman, shot
through the knee, who rode in as if nothing was wrong with her.  She was
cured, carried near to another tribe and turned out.  No other Bushmen
were ever seen after that in Natal.  Previously one lad was shot through
the shoulder and caught.  He was never of any service, not even as an
after-rider, though a splendid horseman, being quite unteachable.  He
never attempted to escape to his tribe, though he might easily have done
so; and when taken out to track them, and coming on their caves, he
broke their pots, a sign of displeasure among Kaffirs; and he said all
he wanted was, to catch and kill his mother.

Starting.

Before starting on my memorable expedition, I procured some sail-cloth,
to make a side-tent to my waggon, which formed a very comfortable
retreat for my boys on wet nights.  My driver, a fine young Zulu, could
handle an ox-whip and give the professional crack to perfection.  If not
able to accomplish this feat, they are not considered efficient drivers.
His name was Panda, after the great Zulu chief, and he was from all
accounts a descendant of that renowned warrior, his father having fled
into Natal some time before.  He was now working to collect a sufficient
number of heifers together to buy his first wife, a young Zulu maid
living in a large kraal half a mile from his master's farm.  The
forelooper, one who leads the two front oxen in dangerous places, and
looks after the span when in the Veldt feeding and assists in
inspanning, another fine young Zulu about eighteen, a handsome lad, was
named Shilling.  The other and third boy, younger, also a Zulu, I named
Jim, as his other name was too long to use or recollect.  After seeing
some of my friends and saying good-bye, we make the first afternoon trek
over the Town hill towards Howick, a very steep and stony road, full of
ruts made by the heavy rains, and out on the rising ground beyond; where
a magnificent view is obtained of the surrounding country and distant
hills, of which Table Mountain, some twenty miles on the east of the
city, stands out boldly in the landscape.  There are several table
mountains in Natal, so-called from their flat heads.  My object when I
commenced this journey was to push on with all speed to the foot of the
Drakensberg Mountains, a distance of over 100 miles, cross the Berg at
Van Reenen's Pass, and make for Harrysmith in the Orange Free State,
then determine where I should commence my journey of exploration.  But I
did not reach the foot of the mountain until the 12th of September,
1863, having deviated from the main transport road to visit some farmer
friends, and take up one of the sons of an old "Colonial," who had lived
many years in the country as a stock-farmer, and who offered me his son
as a guide, he being well acquainted with the country and