musician, but it is a fact that nearly every Boer knows how to produce
at least one tune, even if it is only the Volkslied or national
anthem. They will come into the stores, and the first thing they do is
to sit down at an organ and show people generally what they can do. In
the meantime the English merchant and his clerks fume around and vow
all sorts of things under their breath, but the indefatigable Boer
knows nothing of all this, and he would not care if he did.




CHAPTER VII


Besides the everlasting worry of keeping the English community in
hand, the Boers have been visited by other plagues, such as
rinderpest. In 1897 such a calamity befell them, and although the rich
farmers did not suffer materially, the poorer class experienced
reverses sufficient to discourage them for life. The mistake made was
simply this (and it is characteristic of the Boers): every individual
farmer and owner of stock exercised his own judgment throughout, and
the most drastic results followed as a consequence. Temporary
excitement naturally took the place of clear judgment. A man may be
possessed of all his faculties and yet lack that knowledge which would
save 95 per cent. of his cattle. The desire to save the cattle was
there, but the farmers were too prone to accept the first method
which turned up. Without even considering thoroughly the merits and
demerits of any particular method, they rushed at it with the same
prospect of success as might be attributed to a blind man going in
search of the North Pole. Of course the system would 'either kill or