with him and all his family, but there may be, and usually is, a great
deal of deception mixed up with such extreme good-feeling. I could
never understand, nor has it been explained to me, why the Boer is so
partial towards Scotsmen, unless it be that a great many Scotch words
resemble words in the Dutch language. Perhaps that may in some degree
account for it, although I do not think there is anything to be proud
of on the Scottish side.

[Illustration: A BOER HOMESTEAD]

It is necessary to reside in the Boer Republics to place one in the
position of knowing something of the Boer, and a mere fortnight won't
do it. Of course, there are Boers and Boers, as there are Englishmen
and Englishmen. There are Boers who are competent to rank with any
English gentleman, and whose education and abilities are of no mean
order. Unfortunately, however, these are altogether in the minority.

The Boers are all farmers, and, according to their own statements, a
poverty-stricken people. They plead poverty before an English merchant
because they fancy it will have the effect of reducing prices.
Fortunately, the merchants possess rather an accurate knowledge of
such customers, and in consequence they lose nothing. One would as
soon believe the generality of Boers, as walk into the shaft of a coal
mine. He has a reputation for lying, and he never brings discredit
upon that reputation. When he lies, which, on an average, is every
alternate time he opens his mouth, he does so with great enthusiasm,
and the while he is delivering one lie, he is carefully considering
the next. When he can't think of any more lies, he starts on the
truth, but in this he is a decided failure. He is afraid of being
found out. For instance, a merchant will approach a Boer respecting an