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Skirmishes by small bodies of farmers and detachments of troops took place all over the land, in which the Dutch-African colonists and English settlers with their descendants vied with each other, and with the regulars, in heroic daring.
Time passed rapidly, and the settlers, both highland and lowland, struck their roots deeper and deeper into the soil of their adoption watched and criticised more or less amiably by their predecessors, the few Dutch-African farmers who up to that time had struggled on the frontier all alone. One day Hans Marais was riding with Charlie Considine on the karroo, not far from the farm-house.
This was the first droppings of a shower the first leak of a torrent the first outbreak of that great exodus of the Dutch-African boers which was destined in the future to work a mighty change in the South African colony. Hans and Gertie accompanied the party for several hours on their journey, and then, bidding them God-speed, returned to their deserted home.
His recantation could not, however, recall the thousands of Dutch-African farmers whom he helped to expatriate. Perhaps it was well that it should be so, for good came out of this evil, namely, the reclamation of vast tracts of the most beautiful and fertile regions of the earth from the dominion of darkness and cruelty.
He was clad in the rough woollen and leathern garments worn by the frontier farmers, or boers, of that period, and carried one of those long heavy flint-lock guns, or "roers," which the Dutch-African colonist then deemed the most effective weapon in the universe. "Well met!" exclaimed Considine heartily, as he rode up.
He stopped abruptly, as if to check words that ought not to be uttered. There was a momentary silence in the group as they looked at each other. It was broken by Conrad saying to his youngest son, in a voice of forced calmness "Go, lad, get me a fresh horse. I will rouse the Dutch-African farmers all over the colony. The land is too hot to hold us.
It would be an endless business to name and describe all the passengers who were personally attractive, and who were more or less worthy of description. There were, among others, a genial and enthusiastic Dutch-African legislator of the Cape; a broad-shouldered but retiring astronomer; also a kindly Cape merchant; and a genial English banker, with their respective wives and families.
The leading Dutch-African families in Oliphant's Hock, Gamtoos River, along the Fish River, and Somerset, sold their farms in many cases at heavy loss, or for merely nominal sums crossed the border, and bade a final adieu to the land of their fathers.
At any rate, grandmother had a shrewish tongue and often berated him. This grandmother was Sarah "Aunt Sally" a stern, tall, Dutch-African woman, beak-nosed, but beautiful-eyed and golden-skinned. Ten or more children were theirs, of whom the youngest was Mary, my mother. Mother was dark shining bronze, with a tiny ripple in her black hair, black-eyed, with a heavy, kind face.
He returned to his place at the fire, but did not resume his part in the discussions, which were continued as noisily as before. In strong contrast with the other groups were those of the Dutch-African boers who had brought the waggons to the Bay. Most of them were men of colossal stature.
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