Every town has its Landdrost, and every town has its Landdrost's
clerk. Usually the clerk does all the work, and the Landdrost, in his
capacity of chief magistrate, passes all the sentences and issues all
the instructions. But, then, Landdrosts, as a rule, are very agreeable
people, possibly because they are educated and intelligent men, and
have nothing in common with the Boer.

I have one particular Landdrost in my mind as I write. He was a dear
old man, but he was dead against Kaffirs and natives generally. His
father had been killed by Kaffirs, and this fact probably rankled in
his bosom and ruled his judgments to a great extent. When he wanted to
show a little bit of leniency, as, for instance, after an
extraordinarily good breakfast, he would bind the culprit over to
serve in his own kitchen for a period of one year without
remuneration. But he never did get a native to serve the full time,
because the native preferred to break the law once more and go to
'tronk' instead. Hard work was not in his line.

He is dead now, poor man! but he was a regular type of a Landdrost. He
lived a very quiet life, and the brunt of the work fell to the lot of
the ever-willing and conscientious clerk, which arrangement allowed
the Landdrost sufficient leisure to attend to a somewhat large garden.
There were fruit trees in that garden which in the fruit season
incited every boy in town to deeds of valour, the said deeds
consisting in being able to carry away as much fruit as possible
without being caught in the act. For the Landdrost exercised a
watchful eye over that fruit. It was currently reported, however, that
his was the first garden to be literally left desolate before the
season had far advanced, and it was usually his misfortune to be
deprived of his fruit just after he had retired for the night, after