en heavily in value; our flock could not be realized
without incurring a ruinous loss, so it was kept for a time on the town
commonage. Eventually, it was handed over to a native chief named
Toise, who lived on the other side of the Buffalo River, about five
miles away.

I was put to the grammar school, where I studied for something more
than half a year. This, it may be remarked, is all the regular
schooling I ever had. Mr. John Samuel, who afterwards became a school
inspector, was the head master. Dr. Theal, the historian (then Mr.
Theal), was in charge of the second division, or, as it was called, the
lower school.

It was my duty to ride out every Saturday to Toise's kraal for the
purpose of counting the sheep. So far as I can remember, none were ever
stolen a fact of some significance considering that the whole country,
almost as far as the eye could reach in every direction, was densely
populated by "raw" natives. But the unhappy animals suffered from scab
and various other diseases.

Toise, albeit addicted to strong drink, was a gentleman in all
essentials. He was a tall, dignified, and remarkably handsome man; his
hospitality and courtesy could not be surpassed. A calabash of
delicious amaas (koumis) was always ready for me on my arrival, and a
feed of mealies provided for the pony. I believe that subsequently
Toise became ruined, morally and physically, through the drink habit.
He was only another of the countless victims of "Cape Smoke."

In the days I write of, the climate of the Eastern Province was totally
different from what it is today. From October to March thunderstorms,
accompanied by torrential rain, were of frequent occurrence. Early in
the afternoon clouds would appear over the mountains to the north-west;
between three and four o'clock these clouds, now forming immense,
towering masses of cumulus, would sweep down towards the sea, pouring
out torrents of rain on their course. Between five and six o'clock all
these meteorological alarums and excursions would be over, the sky
would be again clear, and the sun again shining hotly, on the drenched
earth.

Hailstorms occasionally happened. I recall a very remarkable one that
passed over that portion of King William's Town known as "the German
Village" in, I think, the summer of 1869. The hailstones, which were of
immense size, did not fall very thickly. Moreover, the area of the town
over which the storm passed contained no houses but thatched one