The Lutheran Pioneer St. Louis — 1930, Page 19

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THE LUTHERAN PIONEER. 19

a country almost without water. At night they kept
away the prowling lions by kindling a fire. Again
and again it happened that they awoke in the morn-
ing to find their oxen gone. Sometimes the strayed
oxen detained them for days, since the missionary
and his little company of natives could not go on
until they had been found and brought back.

Moffat thus describes their passing of the
Orange River: “The wagon and its contents. were
swum over piecemeal, on a fragile raft of dry willow
logs about six feet long and from four to six inches
in diameter, fastened together with the inner bark
of the mimosas, which stud the banks of the river,
which at this place is 500 yards wide, rocky, with
a rapid current. The rafts were carried a great
distance down the stream and had to be taken to
pieces each time of crossing, each man swimming
back with a log. When, after some day’s labor, all
was conveyed to the opposite shore, the last raft was
prepared for me, on which I was requested to place
myself and hold fast. I confess, though a swimmer,
I did not like the voyage, independently of putting
them to the trouble of another laborious crossing.
I withdrew along the woody bank and plunged into
the river, leaving my clothes to be conveyed over.
As soon as they saw me approaching the middle of
the current, terrified lest evil should befall me,
some of the expert swimmers plunged in and labored
hard to overtake me, but in vain, and when I reached
the northern bank, an individual came up to me,
almost out of breath, and asked, ‘Were you born in
the great sea-water?’ ”

An Unsuccessful Appeal.

Soon after crossing the Orange River, natives
from the mission-station at Warmbad desired Moffat
to come to them, since they had no missionary. He
related that their pleadings perfectly overcame his
feelings. The next day they repeated their plea.
Finally the women threw themselves down in the
road before his wagon and declared that he must
drive over their bodies if he should decide not to
come with them as their teacher. Just at this time
some of Africaner’s people, among them the chief’s
three brothers, who had come to meet Moffat, were
seen coming in the distance. This ended the matter,
for such was their fear of Africaner that they
withdrew, though with many tears.

Africaner, the Hottentot Chief.
. Africaner had once had his stronghold in the
mountains north of Cape Town. His marauding
bands had terrorized the region within a hundred

miles of Cape Town. But as the Dutch settled the
country, Africaner had withdrawn his bands father
into the interior. For a while they lived among the
Dutch settlers. But their wives and daughters were
abused, their children murdered, and they were
compelled to live on the meanest food. However,
they obtained excellent training in the use of fire-
arms, as they were mostly used by the Boers to
protect the cattle against the Bushmen robber bands.
Their humiliations and afflictions became so grievous
that they decided to remonstrate with their masters.
One night Jager, the son of Africaner, with Titus,
the brother of the chief, went to state their griev-
ances to one of the head Boers. The Boer struck
down Jager. Titus, in his fury, drew a gun which
he had held concealed behind his back and shot the
farmer down. They then entered the house, seized
all the arms and ammunition, and Africaner im-
mediately gathered the band together and crossed
the Orange River. Soon after, a chief granted him
territory in Great Namaqua Land, and it was there
where Moffat found him with his people. Moffat
describes the Hottentot outlaw chief as a man of
great courage and presence of mind and quick to
learn the tactics of the white man in war. His
brother Titus was noted for his remarkable marks-
manship. For hours he would sit on a rock in the
river waiting for the approach of a fiery hippopot-
amus, which he would shoot with unfailing skill in
its only vulnerable spot just as it opened its mouth
to seize him. He would smile deliberately the
moment he laid a lion dead at his feet.

Africaner’s Baptism.

Africaner and his band in their new home soon
became a terror to all. To Campbell, the Scotch
missionary, Africaner had signified his willingness
to have a missionary sent to his band; for though
he cared nothing for the religion of the white man,
he did appreciate his arts and the increased strength
he might obtain through them. A missionary named
Ebner had lived among them for some time, but ~
though he had baptized Africaner and two of his
brothers, the wickedness of the whole band and the
bad treatment he received at their hands sorely tried
the poor man.

Moffat’s Arrival.

Moffat’s reception at the hand of Africaner was
anything but hearty. The missionary was compelled
to wait for the chief for an hour. When finally
he made his appearance, he asked the missionary
whether the London Society had sent him. The fact
that Moffat was English seemed to gratify him, and