the days of my life-第52章

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at　we　should　make　our　fortunes　or　at　any　rate　do　very　well　as　millers。　Whether　this　anticipation　would　or　would　not　have　been　realised　is　more　than　I　can　tell；　as　we　did　not　keep　the　farm　long　enough　to　learn。　As　a　matter　of　fact；　however；　it　was　a　risky　business　to　import　expensive　machinery　into　a　place　that　was　not　accustomed　to　machinery；　since　it　involved　the　employment　of　an　engineer　and　long　and　costly　delays　if　anything　went　wrong　with　the　parts　of　the　apparatus。
Still　our　efforts　were　by　no　means　confined　to　this　mill。　Thus　we　started　the　making　of　bricks；　for　which　there　was　a　good　market　in　Newcastle。　I　used　to　labour　at　this　business；　and　very　hard　work　it　was。　Our　energy；　I　remember；　astonished　the　neighbourhood　so　much　that　Natal　Boers　used　to　ride　from　quite　a　distance　to　see　two　white　farmers　actually　working　with　their　own　hands。　One　of　the　curses　of　South　Africa　is；　or　used　to　be；　the　universal　habit　of　relegating　all　manual　toil；　or　as　much　of　it　as　possible；　to　Kaffirs；　with　the　result　that　it　came　to　be　looked　upon　as　a　more　or　less　degrading　occupation　only　fit　for　black　men。11　Such；　however；　was　the　Dutch　habit。　The　Boer’s　idea　was　to　sit　on　the　stoep　of　his　house　and　grow　rich　by　the　natural　increase　of　his　flocks　and　herds；　only　cultivating　sufficient　land　to　provide　his　family　with　mealies　and　the　other　fruits　of　the　earth。　This　system；　it　must　be　admitted；　had　its　merits　in　a　country　where　time　was　of　no　object　and　where　land　was　so　plentiful　that　every　son　could　in　due　course　be　acmodated　with　a　farm　of　3000　morgen。
11　From　Mr。　Dawson’s　work　on　South　Africa　（pp。　269　and　343）；　published　in　1925；　it　seems　this　trouble　still　exists。　—　Ed。
Besides　our　milling　and　brick…making　we　were　the　first　to　farm　ostriches　in　that　part　of　Natal。　In　my　experience　the　ostrich　is　an　extremely　troublesome　bird。　To　begin　with　he　hunts　you　and　knocks　you　down。　One　of　ours　gave　Cochrane　a　frightful　drubbing；　and　through　a　pair　of　opera　glasses　I　saw　an　unfortunate　Kaffir　barely　escape　with　his　life　from　its　attentions　by　going　to　earth　in　an　ant…bear　hole　like　a　hunted　jackal。　Of　course　the　ostrich　could　not　follow　him　into　the　hole；　but　it　stood　sentry　at　its　mouth　waiting　for　him　to　e　out　again。　When　attacked　by　an　ostrich　the　only　thing　to　do　is　to　lie　down　quite　flat。　In　this　position　it　cannot　strike　you　with　its　bludgeon…like　foot；　nor　is　its　beak　adapted　to　pecking；　though　it　can　and　does　dance　and　roll　upon　you　and　sit　upon　your　head　as　though　it　were　an　egg　which　it　wished　to　hatch。
These　birds；　so　ferocious　with　human　beings；　are　terribly　afraid　of　dogs。　I　think　that　we　lost　two　of　ours　through　the　visitation　of　wandering　hounds　at　night　that　set　them　running　furiously　till　they　broke　their　necks　in　the　wire　fences。　Its　own　voracity　brought　another　to　its　end：　for　they　will　pick　up　pocket…knives　or　anything　that　attracts　them。　This　fowl　managed　to　swallow　a　huge　sharp…pointed　bone　which　fixed　itself　across　the　gullet　in　such　a　position　that　it　would　go　neither　up　nor　down。　There　was　only　one　thing　to　be　done　—　operate。　So　we　operated；　with　a　razor　and　without　an　anaesthetic。　I　only　hope　that　such　another　job　may　never　fall　to　my　lot；　for　that　ostrich　was　unmonly　strong　and　resented　our　surgical　aid。　However；　we　got　the　bone　out　and　the　creature　recovered。　Imagine　our　horror　when；　a　few　weeks　later；　it　appeared　with　another　bone　immovably　planted　in　exactly　the　same　place！　This　time　we　left　it　to　fate；　by　which　it　was　speedily　overtaken。
Besides　the　ostriches　we　had　a　number　of　draught　oxen　and　some　waggons。　Out　of　these　we　did　very　well；　as　we　hired　them　to　Government　for　transport　purposes；　though　from　these　trips　they　returned　dreadfully　footsore　and　poor。　But　cattle　also　had　their　risks。　Thus　I　remember　our　investing　several　hardly　earned　hundreds　of　pounds　in　a　bunch　of　trek　oxen；　which　we　sent　down　to　the　bush…veld　to　recover。　A　month　or　two　later　came　a　message　from　the　man　who　had　taken　them　in；　to　the　effect　that　they　were　all　dead　of　eating　a　poisonous　herb　called　“tulip。”　We　often　wondered　if　“tulip”　really　accounted　for　their　disappearance　from　our　ken。
Also　we　made　hay；　rather　a　new　departure　in　that　district　in　our　time；　where　the　cattle　were　left　to　get　through　the　winter　as　best　they　could。　This　hay…making　was　a　profitable　business；　as　the　product　was　in　eager　demand　at　a　high　price。　I　remember　selling　the　result　of　about　a　month　of　my　own　work　for　250　pounds；　and　never　in　all　my　life　have　I　been　prouder　of　anything　than　I　was　of　earning　that　money；　literally　with　my　hands　and　by　the　sweat　of　my　brow。
This　was　the　process　—　one　that　would　make　my　English　steward　and　labourers　stare。　Indeed；　when　I　tell　the　former　of　it；　he　listens　politely　but；　I　am　quite　sure；　in　his　heart　believes　that　for　his　benefit　I　have　wandered　into　the　familiar　fields　of　fiction。　We　had　imported　a　hay…cutting　machine；　I　believe　one　of　the　first　seen　in　those　parts。　Having　selected　a　patch　of　level　veld　on　which　to　operate；　and　harnessed；　I　think；　three　horses　to　the　machine；　I　would　start　out　in　the　dewy　morning；　at　sunrise；　with　a　Kaffir　leader。　Then　we　menced　operations。　I　sat　on　that　dreadful　apparatus　and　managed　the　levers　and　knives；　the　Kaffir　led　the　horses。　The　grass　was　thick　and　plentiful；　so　thick　indeed　that　it　was　difficult　to　see　stones　and　ant…bear　holes。　The　former　must　be　avoided　by　sudden　and　Herculean　efforts；　or　the　knives　would　be　shattered。　As　for　the　latter；　occasionally　we　went　into　them　to　the　depth　of　two　feet　or　so；　and　then　the　trouble　was　to　prevent　myself　from　being　thrown　on　to　the　knives。
Altogether　grass…cutting　had　its　dangers；　though；　as　it　happened；　I　never　came　to　any　serious　harm。　After　the　hay　was　once　mown　the　rest　was　paratively　simple。　We　invented　a　gigantic　rake；　to　which　we　attached　two　mules　or　horses；　and　by　this　means；　after　it　had　lain　for　a　day　or　so　in　the　sun　to　dry　—　for　we　never　attempted　to　turn　it　—　dragged　the　hay　into　enormous　cocks；　since　the　building　of　a　regular　stack　was　beyond　our　resources。　These　cocks　we　covered　with　cloths；　or　anything　we　could　get；　and　when　they　had　settled　and　sweetened　by　the　generated　heat；　we　sold　them　to　the　purchasers；　usually　missariat　officers　who　carted　them　away。　I　suppose　they　were　satisfied　with　the　stuff；　as　they　always　came　back　for　more。　Or　perhaps　they　could　get　nothing　else。
Further；　we　grew　mealies　or　Indian　corn；　but　here　the　trouble　was　that　stray　cattle　and　horses　would　break　in　at　night　and　eat　them。
Such　is　a　rough　outline　of　our　various　agricultural　and　other　operations　on　the　Rooipoint　farm。　Personally　they　form　my　pleasantest　recollections　of　the　place；　though；　were　I　to　start　again；　I　would　not　have　so　many　irons　in　the　fire。　On　the　whole　we　made　a　good　deal　of　money；　though　our　outgoings　and　losses　were　also　heavy。　To　farm　successfully　in　Natal　requires；　or　required；　much　capital　and；　owing　to　the　poor　quality　of　the　Kaffir　labour；　incessant　personal　supervision。　These　Kaffirs；　however；　who　were　most　of　them　our　tenants；　were　in　many　ways　our　best　friends；　moreover　they　afforded　us　constant　amusement　when　they　were　not　engaged　in　driving　us　mad　by　their　carelessness。
I　remember　one　of　them　brea