one child ; by the second, who still survives, he became
the father of sixteen children, seven of whom died
when young. Each morning, about 9 a .m ., he may be
seen driving to the Government Offices, and in the
afternoon he holds with pipe and coffee a reception on
the “ stoop ” under the verandah of his house. Here he
is daily seen by a heterogeneous assembly of visitors—
men with a grievance, applicants for posts, would-be
concessionnaires, and even Boers, who seek his advice on
family troubles. During the British annexation this
was one of the features of Boer life we quite ignored,
and for which we afterwards paid a heavy penalty.
I have been assured by old and non-official residents,
both by English and Dutch, that had “ Shepstone
remained,” the outbreak might have been avoided. The
Boers have a patriarchal form of procedure, and when
they have, or think they have, a grievance, some elders
are deputed to visit Oom Paul, as the President is
usually called. President Krüger listens to all they
have to say, has a long talk with them, argues the
point, hammers in his own convictions with his own
private reasons and perhaps a few texts of scripture, and
the elders go back, explain to their constituents that
they now see it all clearly and that they must all be
satisfied for the present. Shepstone was trusted and
liked, pursued the same policy, possessed their confidence,
and had touch with the whole state, and these
qualities Lanyon had not.
The longer one lives it is seen that people are governed
by their prejudices and illusions, and the mystery becomes
greater how the British Colonial Empire exists, governed
by pro-consuls who do not possess that idea, and act as
though the contrary prevailed. If a West-Indian
Governor was transported to rule these Boers, and had
the slightest trace of creole blood in his veins, he would
be looked upon as a half-bred Kafir, and despised by the
most ignorant and unwashed farmer in the territory.
The late Boer war should never have broken out.
Incapacity caused it ; incapacity fought it ; incapacity
finished it.