the days of my life-第23章

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　was　largely　posed　of　English　folk　or　of　those　who　were　not　unsympathetic。　After　this　ceremony　was　pleted　the　ex…President　Burgers’　formal　protest；　of　which　the　draft　had　already　been　submitted　to　the　missioner　and　approved　by　him；　was　also　read；　and　received　respectfully　but　in　silence。　The　text　of　these　historical　documents　can　be　studied　in　the　Blue…books　of　the　day；　if　anybody　ever　reads　an　old　Blue…book；　so　I　will　not　dwell　upon　them　here。
I　recall　that　after　everything　was　over　it　became　my　duty　to　deliver　copies　of　the　Proclamation；　and　of　another　document　under　which　Sir　Theophilus　assumed　the　office　of　Administrator　of　the　new　Government；　at　the　various　public　offices。　In　front　of　one　of　these　offices　—　I　remember　its　situation　but　not　which　one　of　them　it　was　—　was　gathered　a　crowd　of　sullen…looking　Boers　who　showed　no　disposition　to　let　me　pass　upon　my　business。　I　looked　at　them　and　they　looked　at　me。　I　advanced；　purposing　to　thrust　my　way　between　two　of　them；　and　as　still　they　would　not　let　me　pass　I　trod　upon　the　foot　of　one　of　them；　half　expecting　to　be　shot　as　I　did　so；　whereon　the　man　drew　back　and　let　me　go　about　my　duty。　It　was　insolent；　I　admit；　and　had　I　been　an　older　man　probably　I　should　have　withdrawn　and　left　the　Proclamation　undelivered。　But　I　do　not　think　that　the　incident　was　without　its　effect；　for　it　did　not　pass　unobserved。　I　was　but　one　young　fellow　facing　a　hostile　crowd　which　had　gathered　in　the　remoter　spaces　of　the　square；　but　for　the　moment　I　was　the　representative　of　England；　and　I　felt　that　if　I　recoiled　before　their　muttered　threats　and　oaths；　inferences　might　be　drawn。　Therefore　I　went　on。　Whatever　happened　to　me　I　was　determined　to　deliver　my　Proclamation　as　I　had　been　ordered　to　do；　or　to　fail　because　I　must。
My　colleague；　Major　Clarke；　had　to　deal　with　the　same　difficulty；　but　on　a　much　more　heroic　scale。　The　story　as　he　told　it　to　me　afterwards　is　as　follows。　He　was　sent　down　to　take　mand　of　the　filibustering　volunteers　at　Leydenburg。　Arriving　at　the　largest　fort　with　only　his　Zulu　servant；　Lanky　Boy；　for　an　aide…decamp；　he　at　once　ordered　the　Republican　flag　to　be　hauled　down　and　the　Union　Jack　to　be　hoisted；　which　order；　somewhat　to　his　astonishment；　was　promptly　obeyed。　A　day　or　two　afterwards；　however；　the　volunteers　repented　them　of　their　surrender；　and　arrived　in　his　tent　to　shoot　him。　Clarke　fixed　the　eyeglass　he　always　wore　in　his　eye；　looked　at　them　steadfastly　through　it；　waved　his　one　arm　and　remarked　in　his　rich　Irish　accent；　“You　are　all　drunk。　Go　away。”　So　they　went。
This　Lanky　Boy；　a　jolly；　open…faced　Kaffir；　was　a　good　stick　to　lean　on　at　a　pinch。　Once　two　natives　waylaid　Clarke；　but　Lanky　Boy　killed　them　both　and　saved　his　life。
After　the　Annexation　things　settled　down　rapidly；　and　when；　some　three　weeks　later；　the　1st　Battalion　of　the　13th　Regiment　marched　into　Pretoria　with　the　band　playing；　it　was　extremely　well　received　both　there　and　all　along　the　road。　On　May　24th；　Queen　Victoria’s　birthday；　the　British　flag　was　formally　hoisted　at　Pretoria　in　the　presence　of　a　large　gathering　of　English；　Boers　and　natives。　The　band　played　“God　save　the　Queen；”　the　artillery　boomed　a　salute；　and　at　midday　precisely；　amidst　the　cheers　of　the　crowd；　Colonel　Brooke；　R。E。；　and　I　ran　up　the　flag　to　the　head　of　the　lofty　staff。　I　think　that　Brooke　lifted　it　from　the　ground　and　broke　it　and　that　I　did　the　actual　hoisting；　but　of　these　details　I　am　not　quite　sure；　it　may　have　been　the　other　way　about。　In　view　of　what　followed　it　ought　to　have　stuck　half…way；　but　it　did　not。　It　was　a　proud　moment　for　me　and　for　all　of　us；　but　could　we　have　foreseen　what　was　to　happen　in　the　future　we　should　have　felt　less　jubilant。
In　one　of　the　newly　discovered　letters　to　my　mother；　written　from　Government　House；　Pretoria；　on　June　17；　1877；　I　find　an　allusion　to　this　hoisting　of　the　flag。　I　say：
We　have　Sir　A。　Cunynghame；　K。C。B。；　stopping　with　us　now；　he　starts　for　Leydenburg　next　Friday　for　shooting。　On　the　same　day　the　Chief　starts　for　Potchefstroom　and　Lichtenburg；　and　will　be　away　about　five　weeks。　Mr。　Henderson；　Chairman　of　the　Finance　mittee；　will　be　left　alone　with　myself　here。　It　will　be　a　melancholy　reduction　of　our　large　party。　We　are　now　awaiting　with　great　anxiety　to　hear　how　the　Annexation　has　been　received。　I　suppose　that　the　war9　has　drawn　most　of　the　attention　from　this　business。　It　will　be　some　years　before　people　at　home　realise　how　great　an　act　it　has　been；　an　act　without　parallel。　I　am　very　proud　of　having　been　connected　with　it。　Twenty　years　hence　it　will　be　a　great　thing　to　have　hoisted　the　Union　Jack　over　the　Transvaal　for　the　first　time。
My　absence；　which　I　remember　we　set　down　at　five　years　at　the　most；　is　likely　to　be　a　long　one　now；　my　dearest　Mother。　The　break　from　all　home　and　family　ties　and　the　sense　of　isolation　are　very　painful；　more　painful　than　those　who　have　never　tried　them　know。
Chapter　6　LIFE　IN　THE　TRANSVAAL
H。　R。　H。　appointed　Master　of　the　High　Court　at　age　of　twenty…one　—　Boers　very　litigious　—　Fleeced　by　lawyers　—　H。　R。　H。　reforms　practice　and　taxes　bills　—　Much　opposition　—　H。　R。　H。　supported　by　Judge　Kotze　—　Boer　revolt　expected　—　Zulu　War　threatened　—　H。　R。　H。　builds　house　with　Cochrane　—　Jess’s　cottage　—　Sir　Bartle　Frere　—　Zulu　War　—　Isandhlwana　—　Shepstone　returns　home　—　Treated　shabbily　by　Government　—　H。　R。　H。　joins　Pretoria　Horse　—　Elected　Adjutant　—　Ordered　to　Zululand　—　Orders　countermanded　—　Regiment　to　defend　Pretoria　against　possible　Boer　revolt　—　H。　R。　H。　sent　in　mand　of　detachment　to　watch　force　of　3000　Boers　—　Exciting　incidents　but　war　postponed　—　Sir　Bartle　Frere　at　Pretoria　—　Estimate　of　his　character　—　Anthony　Trollope　—　Journeys　on　circuit　with　Judge　Kotze　—　Herd　of　blesbuck　—　Pretoria　Horse　disbanded　—　H。　R。　H。　resigns　Mastership　of　High　Court　—　Buys　farm　in　Natal　with　Cochrane　to　breed　ostriches。
Not　very　long　after　the　Annexation　the　Master　and　Registrar　of　the　High　Court　died；　and　after　some　reflection　the　Government　appointed　me　to　act　in　his　place。　It　is　not　strange　that　they　should　have　hesitated；　seeing　that　I　was　barely　twenty…one　years　of　age　and　had　received　no　legal　training。　Moreover　in　those　days　the　office　was　one　of　great　importance。
To　put　it　mildly；　the　lawyers　who　frequented　the　Transvaal　courts　were　not　the　most　eminent　of　their　tribe。　Indeed　some　of　them　had　e　thither　because　of　difficulties　that　had　attended　their　careers　in　other　lands。　Thus　one　of　them　was　reported　to　have　mitted　a　murder　and　to　have　fled　from　the　arm　of　justice。　Another　subsequently　became　notorious　in　connection　with　the　treatment　of　the　loyal　prisoners　at　the　siege　of　Potchefstroom。　He　was　fond　of　music；　and　it　is　said　that　before　two　of　these　unfortunate　men　were　executed；　or　rather　murdered；　he　took　them　into　a　church　and　soothed　their　feelings　by　playing　the　“Dead　March　in　Saul”　over　them。　He；　by　the　way；　was　the　original　of　my　character　of　Frank　Muller　in　“Jess。”　Even　those　of　the　band　who　had　nothing　against　them　were　tainted　by　a　mon　fame：　they　all　overcharged。　It　was　frequently　their　practice　to　open　their　bill　of　costs　with　an　item　of　fifty　guineas　set　down　as　“retaining　fee；”　and　this　although　they　were　not　advocates　but　attorneys　who　were　allowed　to　plead。
In　those　days　the　Boers　were　extraordinarily　litigious；　it　　to　spend　hundreds　or　even　thousands　of　pounds　over　the　question　of　the　ownership　of　a　piece　of　land　that　was　worth　little。　So　it　came　about　that　before　the　Annexation　they　were　most　mercilessly　fleeced　by　the　lawyers　into　whose　hands　they　fell。　This　was　the　situation　which　I　was　called　upon　to　face。　Also　as　Master　I　held　another　important　office；　that　of　the　official　Guardian　of　the　estates　of　all　the　orphans　in　the　Transvaal。
I　entered　on　my　duties　with　fear　and　trembling；　but　very　soon　grasped　the　essential　facts　of　the　case。　One　of　the　first　bills　that　was　laid　before　me　was　for　600　pounds。　I　taxed　it　down　by　one…half。　Then；　either　over　this　or　some　other　bill；　the　row　began。　The　lawyers　petitioned　against　me　without　avail。　They　appealed　against　my　decision　to　the　High　Court；　again　without　avail；　for　Mr。　Justice　Kotze　supported　me。　For　a　whole　day　was　that　bill　argued　in　court；　with　the　result　that　I　was　ultimately　ordered　to　restore　an　amount　of；　I　think；　six　and　eightpence！
Considerable　percentage　fees　were　payable　to　Government　on　these　taxed　bills；　and　for　a　while　I　trusted　to　those　who　presented　the　bills　to　hand　over　these　sums　to　the　Treasury。　By　an　accident　I　discovered　that　this　was　not　always　done。　So　I　invented　a　system　of　stamps　which　had　to　be　affixed　to　the　bill　before　I　signed　it。　In　short　the　struggle　was　long　and　arduous；　but　in　the　end　I　won　the　day；　with　the　result　that　I　and　my　flock　became　the　best　of　friends。　I　think　that　when　I　left　them　they　were　sincerely　sorry。　I　remember　that　in　one　case；　a　very　important　divorce　action　which　occupied　the　court　for　more　than　a　week；　the　petition　was　dismissed　not　because　the　adultery　was　not　proved　but　on　the　ground　of　collusion。　Of　this　collusion　the　parties　were　innocent；　but　the　evidence　showed　that　the　petitioner’s　solicitor　had　actually　drafted　some　of　the　pleas　for　the　defendant’s　solicitor　and　in　other　ways　h