menu_book Chapter 2

Section 2 of Illustrations of Political Economy, Volume 1. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Illustrations of Political Economy, Volume 1, by Harriet Martineau. Life in the Wilds, Chapter 1 What Have They Left Us?

There are few climates in the world more delightful to live in than that of the south of Africa. The air of the mountains behind the Cape of Good Hope is pure and wholesome, and the plains which stretch out towards the north

at a great height above the sea are fertile in native plants when uncultivated and richly repay the toil of the farmer. The woods are remarkable for the variety of trees and shrubs, and there are as many animals which may serve for food

or for beasts of burden as in this country. These advantages would lead numbers of our countrymen to settle in southern Africa, who now go elsewhere, if it were not for one great drawback.

It is not that there are beasts or prey, for lions, leopards, and panthers may be kept away from a settlement by the use of proper precautions. It is that a race of men, more fierce than wild beasts, and full of cunning, inhabit the mountains on the northern frontier of the European settlements, and descend from time to time upon the lonely farms of small villages scattered over the plain and slaughter the inhabitants, burn their dwellings, and carry off their cattle and their goods. It is nearly impossible to guard against the attacks of these savages,

and as a considerable force is required to resist them, It is no wonder that settlers are disposed to sacrifice many advantages of climate, soil, and productions, rather than be subject to the continual dread of a visit from the Bushmen, as these people are called. The settlements towards the northern frontier are therefore few and small and consist to those whose poverty induces them to brave danger and whose courage is improved by constant exercise

The Bushmen were the original possessors of much of the country about the Cape which the British and the Dutch have since taken for their own The natives were hunted down like so many wild beasts This usage naturally made them fierce and active in their revenge The hardships they have undergone have affected their bodily make also

And their short stature and clumsy form are not, as some suppose A sufficient proof that they are of an inferior race to the men they make war upon If we may judge by the experiments which have been tried upon the natives of various countries It seems probable that if Europeans were driven from their homes into the mountains and exposed to the hardships of a savage life, they would become stunted in their forms, barbarous in their habits, and cruel in their revenge. They might, like the Bushmen, visit the sins of the first invaders upon their innocent successors, and cause as much undeserved distress as that we are about to relate.

It was in the month of September, a season of extreme heat in the climate we have described, when the inhabitants of a small British settlement in the north of the European territories of South Africa met to consider what should be done to relieve the want to which they were suddenly reduced. The evening before, their village looked thriving, and its inhabitants gay and prosperous. and now just when morning had dawned they assembled to look on the ruin of their habitations

and the nakedness of their meadows from which all the cattle had been driven away the savages had carried off their tools and their arms burned their little furniture with the houses and left them nothing but the clothes they wore and the seed which was buried in the ground happily but few lives were lost for the attack had been so sudden that little resistance had been attempted but yet some were gone whose services could ill be spared even if they had

not attached their companions to them by having shared the same toils or by their several good qualities Williams the carpenter was found dead among the ashes in the saw pit and Humby had been slaughtered on the threshold of the new hut he was building on his little farm. Some of the children too had perished in the flames, but the loss of life was found to be much less than everyone had supposed before the numbers were called over. The most general and eager inquiries were for the

safety of Captain Adams and of Mr. and Mrs. Stone and their child, who were all alive and unhurt. Mr. Stone was the best-educated man in the settlement, and was therefore much valued as a chaplain and teacher, as well as in his character of a practical farmer. His wife was an amiable, strong-minded woman who assisted her husband in his labors abroad and at home. She was, by common consent, called the Lady of the Settlement But she refused the title, not because she was not really a lady

But because she thought there was no reason for such a distinction In a place where all were obliged to exert their own power for their own subsistence She had one child, a girl of three years old Mr. Adams was called Captain only because he, in a manner, took the direction of the affairs of the settlement. Having been

long accustomed to the climate and acquainted with all the peculiarities of the country, he was well qualified to advise respecting the proceedings of his neighbors who looked up to him as if he had really been what they called him and had a captain's authority over them. It was he who now assembled them under the shelter of a few trees, which grew in a nook between two hills. When they met, they looked on one another, and no one seemed disposed to speak.

The captain was about to break silence when the sobbing of one of the women who had lost her child and the wailing of the carpenter's widow affected him so much that he could not command his voice. Mr. Stone, who was remarkable for his self-command, next came forward and said that the friends around him had been called together that they might determine what measures should be taken for their safety and subsistence and that it appeared to him that the right way to begin was by addressing God in a spirit of resignation for what they had lost and of thankfulness for what remained. This was the readiest means of consoling the mourners who were among them, and of so calming the minds of all, as that they might deliberate soberly and judge wisely in an extremity so awful.

To this there was a general assent, and all heads were bowed, and all sounds, except the voice of Mr. Stone, hushed in prayer. When this was over and a pause had succeeded, the captain observed that the first consideration of every man among them must be to secure food and shelter, food for the present day and shelter for perhaps one night only. But the next question was whether they should remain in the settlement and build up its ruins as well as they could, or set out southwards with the hope of finding a safer resting place, or aid from their countrymen. In the first place, then, he must declare his hope that every individual would lay aside all selfish thoughts, and come forward to say what provisions remained in his hands or upon his portion of ground. Mr. Stone offered an antelope which had been snared the day before,

and fastened within an enclosure which the savages had not entered. He feared that but little was left of his first crop of fruit, and that the next would not be ripe for some weeks, but said that whatever remained should be carried to any appointed spot. Campbell, the herdsman, said he had not a beast left of all the flocks he had charge of,

but he would venture to follow on the track of the savages for a few miles, and if a stray ox or sheep should be left behind, it should be in the camp before nightfall. Upon this, two or three men offered to go out hunting if weapons were furnished, and others proposed fishing, if they had but tackle. This is all very well, said the captain, who suspected that neither weapons nor tackle were to be had,

but our object is to find out what food is actually in our possession. Alas, this was soon made out. There was only Mr. Stone's antelope, a few oranges, grapes, and figs, some eggs which were found near the roosts, and some fowls which began to appear again after having been scared away by the fires.

This was all the provision that could be collected for fifty-four persons. It is clear then, said the captain, that the greater number of us must disperse in search of food, and that all considerations of removal must be deferred till tomorrow at least. We are in no condition to travel this day, but our night shelter must also be thought of. Let anyone speak who has a plan to propose. Here again there was a pause, for everyone was wishing that poor

Williams the carpenter was among them. At length, Robertson, a farmer, said, if we could find up tools enough, we might have a sort of roof over our heads before night, for I believe there are several here who have been used, like myself, to handle a hatchet, though not as a regular business like poor Williams who is gone. But if we cannot have tools, I see nothing for it but to sleep under the open sky. It is damp in the woods, and besides, the beasts would couch in our neighborhood

and the women and children would not sleep for their roaring, even supposing we men could. The nights are frosty, said Mr. Stone. It is dangerous to sleep unsheltered after such hot days. Who has a hatchet to produce? Not one was forthcoming, and each looked at his neighbor in dismay. A laborer then proposed that a party of two or three should explore the paths of the mountains to the east, and see whether there were caves, or any places in the rocks which might be

covered in with boughs and rushes, so as to make a convenient sleeping place. Excellent, cried the captain, and lest this plan should fail us, let another company go into the wood and try whether we cannot get possession of some stout branches, though we have no tools. Some must have snapped in the wind last week, I should think, and so dry as the weather has been for many weeks, some will yield to force if we put our strength into our hands. We must remember

that our hands are our tools today, and we must ply them well. I do not cease it, Mr. Stone, why the weakest should be idle. Cannot the children pluck dry grass and brushwood to make fires round our sleeping place? My child shall do her part, said Mrs. Stone.

She shall look for eggs about the roost, and some of the boys and I will gather the fruit and cook the antelope, and whatever game may be brought in. And I, said her husband, will see that the bodies of those who have lost

are buried without delay, and with proper respect. Let the mourners of their families follow me. When Mr. Stone and about eight of the company had retired, the captain proceeded to appoint to the others their various tasks. His office of superintendent was enough for him. His advice and help were wanted every moment, but it was no easy matter to perform tasks,

all the materials for which were wanting. First of all, Campbell, the herdsman, was sent with two of Robertson's laborers to follow the Bushmen and pick up any stray lamb or weird beast which might have been left behind. They looked round wistfully for a noose, thinking that they might snare an antelope by the way, but not a thread of cordage was left. They were obliged to be content with a stout cudgel each, which they took from the trees as they passed.

Jack, the tanner's man, set off with two companions up the pass in search of a sleeping place, while his master, who was accustomed to go into the woods to obtain bark for tanning, guided a party of laborers to a tree of remarkably hard and tough wood, which he had barked and stripped of its branches, of which he thought tools of a rude kind might be made.

It occurred to him also that the want of ropes might be supplied by thongs of leather, tanned and prepared according to the manner of the natives, and he wished, therefore, to proceed upon the antelope's skin without delay, so his object was to obtain hardwood to make a rude sort of tools and bark for tanning. Hill, the barber-surgeon, had explored the whole neighborhood in search of herbs for his medical purposes

And he told of a pool of remarkably fine water, about two miles off, which abounded with carp They had only to pass a net through the water, he said, and they would soon catch enough to feed their company This might be true, but where was the net? Hill could not furnish one, but he could tell how one might be obtained within a short time. He could shoe where flax grew in abundance, and if two or three clever pairs of hands would help him,

the fibers might be dried and pulled out and twisted and woven into a net, and in three days they might have a plentiful meal of fish. Hill's wife and her sister Kate and the three children went with him about this business. If they had but left us, our dogs, said Arnal, a great sportsman who wanted the partners of the store or shop where all the commodities of the settlement were exchanged.

If they had but left us, our dogs, we might have started game in abundance. And much use it would be of to us, replied his partner, Mr. Dunn, when we have no guns to bring it down. I shot a partridge without a gun the other day, said George Prest, the butcher's son. Mr. Arnell laughed at my bow and arrows then, but perhaps he would like such a one now very well. If you will bring me such a one tomorrow, my boy, said Arnell, you shall have the first bird I bring down.

I am afraid your arrows are not strong enough to kill a hare, said Dunn. If you help me to a hare, you shall have her skin to make a cap for your bare head. If your dogs will run me down a porcupine, said the boy, you shall have your hare and her skin into the bargain. A hedgehog's bristles are strong enough to wound a partridge,

but nothing less than a porcupine quill will reach larger game. So saying, George ran off to beg a string of the gut of the antelope for Mrs. Stone and to find a suitable slip of wood for a bow and some lighter pieces for arrows with tufts of the soft hair of the antelope

which must serve instead of feathers till a bird could be brought down. Meanwhile, Arnall climbed a hill and whistled shrill and longed for his dogs one of which at length made his appearance

limping and wearied. Jalohad, however, sprored enough in him to turn out a hedgehog, which was immediately killed, stripped of its bristles, and put away to be cooked the next day. After the manner of the natives, if better food should fall short. The rest of the laborers, meanwhile, were employed under the captain's

directions in various tasks. Some assisted at the burial of their companions, as they had not the means of digging graves for the dead, and, as it was necessary, on account of the extreme heat, not to defer at the right, the bodies were deposited together in the saw pit, which was afterwards filled up with sand and earth. Others of the men built a sort of oven with stones, one large flat one being placed at the bottom of a hole, scooped out in the sand, and others

placed upright round the sides of the hole. This was filled with burning wood till the stones were thoroughly heated. Then the ashes were swept out and the meat, which had been skinned and cut up with fragments of granite, put in, and the hole closed with a hot stone. And lastly, fire was heaped above and round the hole. I wonder whether it would be good, said one of the children, who watched the whole proceeding. There is no flour to sprinkle it with, nor yet salt.

There will be very little gravy. And what there is will all run out between the stones into the sands, said another. And what shall we eat our dinner off? We have no dishes or plates. I never had my dinner without a plate. If you cannot eat without a plate, said Mrs. Stone, suppose you try to find or make one, instead of standing with your hands behind you. If you and your brother go into that quarry which has just opened, I shall not wonder if you find a service of plates which will

answer our purpose very well. There is nothing there but slates, said the boy. They are flat enough for plates, to be sure, but they have no rim, and even Jowler's trencher had a rim. Being again reminded, however, that there was likely to be no gravy to run over Little Harry set off in search of a dinner service He looked out a great many flat pieces of slate

And rubbed them so clean with dry grass that no dust remained His brother, meanwhile, broke stones against the hard rock And picked out the sharpest bits to serve for knives When they had done this, Mrs. Stone called them to help her to gather fruit, and they climbed the trees in the orchard, where a few oranges were still hanging among the dark leaves. Some plums and apples also remained, and a purple bunch of grapes here and there upon the trailing vines. Little Betsy, their sister, had a quick ear

And while she was picking up oranges She heard, some way off in the wood The cry of a bird which she knew very well So she slipped away, without being missed To try whether she could not add something acceptable to the dessert

By the help of this bird The honey cuckoo, as Betsy's friend is called Lives on the honey which the wild bees store in the hollow trunks of trees. It is sometimes called the indicator

because by uttering its peculiar cry, whenever it meets with a stalk of honey, it points out the way to the honey tree. Betsy had often followed this bird from tree to tree, and when the bees were absent,

as wild bees usually are on a sunny day, it was her custom to place a leaf on the ground with some honey on it for the bird and then carry off a part of what remained. Nothing had been easier hitherto

than to obtain and bring away this honey, which was as clear and liquid as water. Betsy brushed it out at the hollows of the wood with a painter's brush, which she kept clean for the purpose,

and she let it run into the white basin out of which she ate her breakfast. But now the brush was burned and the basin gone, and when she had overtaken the bird in the wood, She did not know what to do for want of her utensils,

and her guide fluttered onwards and did not like to be kept waiting. She twisted a wisp of dry grasses, which did very well instead of her brush. But after she had taken possession of a leaf full of honey and found that it ran over and escaped between her fingers, she found she must devise a better plan or leave the honey behind.

She had nothing on that she could make into a basket or basin No hat, no pocket, nothing but her shoes And those she could not spare At last she bethought herself of marking the trees and returning for the honey When the birds should be gone

So she picked up a piece of red earth and marked each honey tree with a cross When she had marked six and began to be tired She followed the bird no farther but sat down beside a pool of water where rushes grew in plenty and began to weave them into a sort of basket or basin.

She had been accustomed to make caps of rushes for her brothers in play and was expert. She made just such a one now and lined it thick with the large leaves of the fig tree and tied twigs crosswise over the top to keep it in shape.

By the time this was done, she was rested and made her way back merrily through the wood, delighted to find how abundant the honey was and how well her vessel held it. On the way, it occurred to her that it would not be pleasant to eat honey

by dipping the fingers into it when other persons were doing the same, and no better mode seemed to be left. She wondered whether she could make a spoon brush, such as she had seen the natives repair and use for taking up liquids, The plant of which this sort of brush is made grows in great abundance in those parts, and she had no difficulty in finding it.

Its stem is hard and fibrous and flat, being about two inches broad and very thin. Betsy cut the stem off in the middle with the sharp stone, and then beat it till it was bruised, so that she could separate the fibers with her fingers. When it was done, she dipped it into the honey And found that it took up quite sufficient for a mouthful She made six before she turned her face homewards

As she took down her honey basket from the bough on which she had hung it She was rather alarmed to see that the sun was getting low in the sky And pursued her way as fast as she could Lest she should hear the roaring of wild beasts before she got out of the wood Just when she was quitting the shade and going to cross the meadow

She heard a rustling in the bushes close beside her She did not scream, but her limbs bent under her For she expected to see a panther, or perhaps a lion, ready to spring upon her She looked behind her for the fiery eyes which she supposed were glaring amidst the underwood Her delight was great to see that it was the herdsman's dog

an old acquaintance whose bark now sounded cheerily when she had listened only for a savage growl. Campbell himself soon appeared with a lamb on his shoulder, which he had overtaken, feeding by itself upon the hills. Betsy wished him joy of his prize, but he did not answer her and looked very melancholy. Has any new thing happened? asked the little girl. Are Will and Richard safe? Yes, they are behind, driving home a bullock

And Will has got a hair that Keeper took by the ears for us Oh, good luck, cried Betsy But one would not have thought it by your looks What makes you look so gloomy? Why, it seems ungrateful to say that it is this lamb, said Campbell

It is not that I do not like to have it back again But it makes me pine for the rest This morning when I went out, I thought, as was fit Less about the poor beasts than about the folks we are going to Seeing how little prospect of food there was before them

But when I heard the bleat of this lamb And I saw it come skipping towards me I thought to myself, where are the rest? And then it seemed hard to see the very traces of them in the track And to know what a little way they were before us

and yet to turn back and leave them to be slaughtered by those savages. I little thought when I called home the cows and penned the sheep last night that I should never see one of all of them again but this poor beast. Little Betsy did not know what to say, and so she plucked a handful of grass for the lamb. In a few minutes they reached the place where dinner was going forward.

Though it was the first meal that day, many of the people had eaten sparingly, not knowing whether anything might be provided for the next day. When they saw the lamb, however, and heard of the bullock, they helped themselves again. They did not relish their hard-earned meal, the less, with the clumsy manner in which they were obliged to eat it. Campbell would not join them till he had disposed of his charge. The fences were so injured that it was necessary to pile up all the wood that could be laid hold of to stop the gaps

This done, the herdsman cast a mournful glance at these poor remains of his droves and flocks And sat down to refresh himself Mrs. Stone and Betsy's mother, Mrs. Lynx, the Smith's wife Had grown uneasy about the little girl on account of her long absence but they could not blame her when they saw what she had been doing.

They bade her carry the honey and brushes to the captain, who acted as storekeeper and receiver-general of whatever was brought in. He patted her on the head and said she had done her part, and he moreover gave her his share of fruit, without which she would have had none,

for there was not enough for everybody. The captain said that the honey should be for those who came too late for the fruit That all might have some kind of vegetable nourishment And as for the spoon brushes, they were so useful that everybody must have one So little Betsy determined to make plenty more the next day

And was quite happy And now, said the captain, it is high time we were setting off to our sleeping place Jack, kindle your torch and go first and Hill and Robertson will follow with lights. The rest of you must take care of your own families

and see that none are left behind but the few who have not returned from the woods. I will just stay to light the fire we have piled for them and then follow you. If they do not come by the time that wood heap is burnt,

we shall not see them tonight. So saying, the brave captain took his stand and hurried the people away. first lighting his torch and promising to follow soon all the way as they went mr stone looked back in hopes of seeing his friend advancing but it was not till they had been settled at their sleeping

place nearly an hour that they saw the glimmering light of his torch coming slowly up the path between the rocks the sleeping place was such a one as the whole party were very thankful to have found, though its distance, two miles from the settlement, was likely to add considerably to their daily toils. It consisted of two caverns, one within the other, sufficiently dry and open to the air to be wholesome, but not lofty enough to admit of a fire being kindled within,

or even of a torch being burned there for any length of time. The inner cave, which was set apart from the women and children, having swept out with bundles of rushes, and the floor thick strewn with dry grass, by the men who had explored it in the morning. Mr. Stone entered it first this night, in order to satisfy himself that there was no other passage to it than from the larger cave, and when he came out, he delivered the torch to his wife, desiring her to give it into no hand

less careful than her own, while her companions were laying themselves down to rest, and to return it to him before she should herself retire, for if a single spark should fall on the dry grass, they would inevitably be driven from their shelter. What a beautiful room, cried some of the little children, as they opened their sleepy eyes, and saw how the sides and roof, glittering with crystals, sparkled in the torchlight. If they do but keep up the fire on the outside,

said one of the mothers, we may sleep as safely and warmly as in our own houses. Perhaps she would not have said this if she had known what Jack could have told, but wisely kept to himself that he had found in that very cave traces of a lion, which had perhaps couched there the night before. Jack properly considered that this was not a sufficient objection to the place, as there were few spots in the neighborhood where lions had not

couched some time or other, and as a good fire at the entrance of the cave was always a perfect security against the attack of wild beasts. Lest others should not think so, however, he held his peace towards everybody but the captain, taking care that brushwood enough was stored to keep up a large fire till sunrise. When the captain had joined his people,

Mr. Stone offered to conduct their devotions as he had done this morning, standing at the entrance between the two caverns, so that he could be heard by those within and those without. He offered thanksgiving for their preservation during so eventful and perilous a day, and besought protection during the night.

He and the captain then took their station as watchers just within the outer cave, having promised that Robertson and Arnell should be called up to take their place when half the night had passed. End of Section 2