AFRICAN ADVENTURES.

Wairarapa Daily Times, Volume XV, Issue 4717, 12 May 1894, Page 2

AFRICAN ADVENTURES.

(CONTINOED.) Lord Randolph's Expedition. [By a Mastertonian.] (All Eights Reserved.) As the evening shadea were fast approaching, and the depths of the valleys were all but lost to viow late ou a beautitul afternoon four days subsequent to the fight with the forest king, a horseman rode wearily into our camp, and, dismounting, good old Rogers etood revealed. To wring his woakened hand, relieve him of his almost exhausted steed, and to welcome our comrade to the lent was the work of but moments, With the exception of a scarcely perceptible halt, lie was otherwise in good health. After having our supper we made; him acquainted with events, and also of our unsuccessful efforts to find the body of Jerome, when Campbell had immediately departed for the Hartley Hill Fields. Somo further conversation was now carried on, wlien we discussed the advisability of breaking up into two parties, tho probable' fortunes of either still to benefit the other, Finally it was arranged that Rogers and Carey tako up their abodo in Ihe hut belonging to Wnllice, while the latter and myself take the tent, one mule, and'two horses, and travel through Salisbury on our way to Tette, Early on tho following morning we all set to work with : alacrity, and when tho dusk had arrived we had the satisfaction of knowing that everything was in roadinesß for the morrow. Accordingly, on the next day, after having said and waved an" adieu" we were soon wending our way through the foliage, which closed in upon us and hid us from view.

A few miles from the capital, after having emerged from the forests and valleys ou to tho open plain, wo passed on our right a large and remarkable native kraal. The huts and storehouses of the Mushona were here as usual perched on tho various projecting peaks and points of a kopfe, situated in a wide and stretching plain, Fort Salisbury is not perceived by one approaching from the south until actually reached. The settlement lies at the foot of and around a long kopfe, about 250 feet high, thickly covered with small trees. 4 bout half a mile to the eastward is the front and surrounding huts, and agiin the same distance further on, resided Or, Jameson (the Civil Ad> miimtrator) and the other officials of the Company. Here also was the hut which temporarily sheltered Lord Randolph Churchill. It was the samo class of hut described in previous letters, and was loaned for the occasion by Sir John Willoughby, We selected a suitable spot and at once erected our tent, when we settled down for tho night. Breakfast over oa the next morning we went at onco to the spot where the population were gathered, and learned that tho sale of His Lordship's expedition plant was about to take place.

The prices fetched by Borne of the articles are perhaps worthy of mention. Timber, etc., sold at lGs 3d per foot; ten gallons of paraffin oil £2O; Martini-Henriand Winchester rifles went from £l2 to £18; common brown sugar sold at upwards of 3s per pound; butter lis; jam 4s a pot; dried fish (2d in Capetown) brought 8s and 9s a nound; cotton shirts 30s each; boots £4 j an old shooting jaoket 255; eighty oxen i 8 each; while Ave wagons sold each for ■£so, or half their original cost, Money appeared to be plentiful, and the biddings were sustained withgreat spirit, over four days by a small orowd, without coats or waistcoats, with shirt sleeves rolled up, and enlivened by constant chaff, joking, and general good humour. The total sum realised amounted ;,o over £2 500 During the sale Hio Lordship saw with sonio regret that a large and well conducted trading expedition into fLia country would have been a far more profitable expedition than gold prospecting. For the benefit of interested readers I will fop tte moment leave my adventures apd devote this letter to the fortunes !of Lord Randolph, It liappenefl to him shortly after bis return from Egypt, to" meet Sir. Henry and Mr Cecil Prime Mijuistov of the Cape/wjJ

were in England on a special midsion, when his Lordship received an invitation to Southern Afrioa, • Hav- ; jing nothing better to do, and politics for the time attracting him little or 1 not at all, be at at once deepatobed Major Giles, as manager, to the Cape to procure wagons, t mules, oxen, do, of a month, all arrangements having been made, he sought a cabin on the " Grautully Uastle" as a passenger for the _ Dark Continent, not only for tbo purpose of viewing and prospecting J the northern territory, but also as/' foreign correspondent for the Imvkvjjk Daily Graphic. The duration of the parage happened" to be lather long, ', the cook was not at his best, and ' what was almost coincident, a fire broke out in the hold, but fortunately doing little or no damage. On landing at Capetown he repaired to the Government House, to which lib had received a gracious invitation. With little or no delay, he then joined his expedition, passing through the Traußvaal, ithile the J henry wagons took the Up to beyond the had gone vary wej£,riot only with v. him on his trBRI from the Tiansvaal to Tuli, but also with Major Giles on his long trek (travel) with the heavy • wagons through Bechuanaland. No losses of any importance had been, reported, and his Lordship was inclined to think that the.liorse-Bickneas, of which he had heard so much, was but trifling, and only- embarrassed the ignorant or careless irekkr. He was on the point destined to be deceived.

Too late, be learned that Lis troop of animals should have been ''salted," ie., to liavfi had tho disease and recovered. Though, I should mention, that even those who were not exempt from excuse—the Chartered Company -lost animals by the hundred, when the emp!oy6s-sometimea honourables and captains—could be seen journey" ing on foot, their steeds having suecumhed to the disease.

In the course of my letters of adventures, the country, through whioh he passed, shall be detailed to account for his numerous diffioulties. It is not at all surprising that his lordship, in his Jettersfio the Qmphc, should have writflbtfi anything but eloquent terms of the gold and agricultural region, as it was then,thereby not only instructing the civilized nations beyond, but displeasing a portion of the African community. To travel through many difficult places in exceptional bad weather; making long circuits to avoid impassable though dry water--1 courses; rivers, throngh which his animals with great exertion pulled their loadsj and sometimes without the bare uecesaariesoflifo—LordEandolphroots certainly havo found the experience far removed from that of any of his ad" ventures in the past. Yet there were times—when journeying along in the disease, dreary rain and want-that he freely admitted the country's fascinations. The horse sickness suddenly attacltcd his animals, wlien one of the imules pulling his "spider," was observed to be breathing heavily, and the creature had to be left to die. At mid-day another was in the same condition, when itwas also abandoned, and in the evening a third Buconmbed. Ihe " spider" team being now reduced to thi'ee takfin from the of which was reduced to ten mules —too small a number for tho heavy load,

Rain suddenly set in, damp, cold wind prevailing, when cooking and eating in the open air ceased to ba agreeable. Later lie arrived at a river of importance, sixty or soventy yards wide, with a strong flowing current. It was an awkward drift, large bouldera obstructing tbo passage, and l'ooky slippery banks made it impaS" Bible for the mules to emerge with the heavy load from tho water. After the " spider" had crossed, with tremendous jolts and shakings, the ranis wagon struck hopelessly fast against a rock in ilio middle of the stream. The whips were freely plied, tbo rnuleß from the "B|iider" were now added, a jack was placed under the wagon with great difficulty to raise the wheels, but ttll proved ineffective, The animals struggled, plunged,and tumbled about on the rocks, and it is a wonder either that they did not drown or break some of their legs. The panting, heaving and dripping creatures were now relieved from their useless toil, when a team was borrowed from a man who, with his 1 wagons, was encamped on the opposite bank, These wore attached to the wagon, and apparently without effort, extricated it from the liver,

_ As his lordship came up with hnniing parties, lie received from ono BOrao newly-made bread, and from another a few pots of jam, Having been some days without the former article, he looked forward to the camp when he sat down and ato witli a relish. He would not have exchanged his loaf of bread on that evening for all the delicacies of the Paris Boulevards, In one of the catnpa a few days lata his lordship was addressed by & Dutch conveyer, who was well-known to Hunter Lee. The Boor told him that he was aqiminted with every hole and corner of tho country that ho knew of places to which no whito nwn of tho present day had ever been, fcbat in short, ho could show him much gold and extensive mining workings, It wn.<j now arranged that he acoompany he was returning to Tiili with thp three empty wagons,' ho.said lie would leave thusu in charge of his natives till lie returned, His Lordship Went to bed that he would be guided to un told treasure, r/,oaorm'Sg brought disappointment, Ibe Boer had been unable to persuade his natives to remain in charge of his property, which, under tho oircumBtances, be could not now abandon, , Chagrined, the politician now believed ! ™, IDOn a humbug • possibly he knew ,of the position' of King Solomon's, mines,

Shortly after this, amongothers, his hne animals "Bliss," "Charley," and '• Ruby " died from the disease, then came the incident of the flames, which happily for him did not reach his camp. [ He then came to a 'dreary wasto. Where the road lay through heavy [heavy sand, and the. mules could I obtain no footpath. Ho found himself m a quandary. Day after day IIU saw with displeasure and dismay "'8 animals becoming more lean, pore lanky, more fatigue] less and ess able to proceed wK/the loads bohind them. When pressed the' orontures laid down in dozens never to rise.again; when rested—to allow ttaem to graze—he found; that they derived no benefit from; the food on repose, and the length of his stay in ■ was perilously long, '

der;ifitiya B f ar tho Land wag hold higher; and a great distance—tho member was then pointed to the heavens, This did not tell him much when he reflected sadly upon the defective arrangements of tho country and accordingly govebis opinions. He then commenced to nsk himself as to the lojidjtyof tho much-talked of fine coimttyorThe Mashona, and where the " promisod land," so aesperatoly coveted by the Bom. In his march through the country, ho saw the absence of good airnngoments whioh lattor could liavo bean seen into much earlier, and ho aired his opinion and a far more satisfactory state of affairs has oxisted. After expedition his lordship Btarte'lT upon his roturn journey and arrived at Fern sprint whero ho had previously lost his valuable horses and almost his camp hy fire. Hore he caught up with the Wagons in charge of Major Gilns whon they all wont on to Tali. Another horse now died from the clTocts of the sickness, which he had bought when it hud boon represented to him MM tol" animal. HeiuWl nt Tuli foplinc in good health sorry that the gipsy kind oflifo, which was at times fascinating was about to end. Nevertheless one fact stamped llself sum ewhat disappointingly and sourly on his mind; he had not discovered the groat gold mine, of whoso existence no proof was forthcoming. In the course of some few days be reached Vrybuig where wagons, tents, and naked savage* were all forsaken for comfortable railway carvii«cs civilised hotels and other similar inestim ibljblcssings. The following lines culled from the columns of a southern paper some time later will perhaps servo to explain themselves:ADIEU t lIK

Six months lmvo passed, and I stand again Where I stood when I came among you,' And I sing tares-ell in a mingled strain, As it's never before been sung you. I camo to teach that you might learn; Bnt fato did so reverse it, That I know a bit more on my return Of your hateful land, and curse it. I curse myself that I didn't think, Ere I wrought such crushing fettjrs, And I curse the pen, the paper and ink. And curse again those letters. I curse of gold, That ever witlrthem I'd traffic, And i'curse a hundred thousand fold Thcnamoof the Daily Graphic. I curse who "Castle" shares do hold, And the company's name I'd sully, And I curse" the cook and the captain bold. And the crciv cf the 11 tub Grantully"; And I'd like to curse tho Union line (Ere tkill in the art forsake me), But I won't just yet, lest, as I opine, They might refuse to take mo. I pjrsc the Boers with heart and might, And the''armyrille" atTuli, And tho tree that I climbed in such a (right. And tho lions-I curse most truly, And you whom I treated in manner rude, When your welcomes did but bore me, I cursed not more in your former mood Than now when you all ignore me. I know th' difference isn't a sham— You've changed ina wonderful way here And nobody seems to care a clam As to wt6ther I go, or stay hero. And the crowds to which I was ones averse, I rriss with their deputations, And I stand hose as I breathe this curse' Oa the Graveyard of ltcputatioj. wa Curn on, Bwcet Sir, an' it please you, too; Your curses do not hurt us; 'Tis praise alone, if it cams from you, Could really disconcert us. And, hio you back to' the Motherland. And toll to her truly whether, Despite the work of a mcdler's hand. together,