I have personally experienced great devotion and most
attentive service on the part of natives, and they are deserving of the
kindest and most considerate treatment; but it has often made me
indignant to hear people, who have had little or no experience of living
in the midst of a native population, prate of the rights of our "black
brothers," and argue as if the latter thought, judged, amused
themselves, or, in short, behaved, as the white men do, who have the
advantage of hundreds of years of culture.
The day following our drive to Krugersdorp we left for Cape Town and
England. We made the voyage on the old _Roslin Castle_. Always a slow
boat, she had on this occasion, in sporting parlance, a "wing down,"
having broken a piston-rod on her way out from England, when we had
vainly awaited her at Cape Town, and I think it was nearly three weeks
before we landed at Plymouth. Again Randolph's African journey was
brought back to my recollection. The captain of the _Roslin Castle_,
Travers by name, had commanded the _Scot_, which brought his party home
from Mashonaland, and he had very agreeable recollections of many an
interesting conversation and of quiet rubbers of whist.
Numerous and exciting events had been crowded into the past six weeks,
and in spite of revolutions and strife we had found our South African
visit a very pleasant one.
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