CATT, Carie Chapman DIARY, Sep, 19-Nov,15,1911 South AND EAST Africa ~DIARY OF CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT~ ~SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA-(PART IV)~ ~SEPT. 19TH, TO NOV. 15TH. 1911~ INDEX. Pages Aden ................. 183 Beira .................. 169 Clove Farm, (Zanzibar) ............... 174 C. Guadafin (Rock) .............. 183 Crown Gold Mines, (Johannesburg) ......... 155 Delogoa Bay ....................... 169 Dynamite Factory (Johannesburg) ............ 153-155 Durban ............. 165-168 Johannesburg ............... 153-161 Kraal of Chief (Laduna) ........... 161-164 Lourenco Marques ............. 169 Marks, Samuel Farm ................ 144 Maritzburg ................ 161-165 Minister and Mrs. Smuts ........... 150 Mombasi .......... 177-178 Mosambique ............. 170-176 Premier Diamond Mines (Pretoria) .......... 143, 144 146-150 Pretoria ............. 138-151 Sultan's Palace (Zanzibar) .............. 173 Zanzibar ............ 171 - 136 - Near Bulawayo - alas 24 hours journey, is Zimbabwe, the ruins which are supposed to be relics of a settlement of gold diggers who provided gold for King Solomon and the Queen of Sheba. I append these views. Photo CONICAL TOWER IN THE TEMPLE. Photo THE INTERIOR OF THE ELLIPTICAL TEMPLE. THE ZIMBABWE RUINS. -137- [photo] PASSAGE IN THE TEMPLE. [photo] THE WESTERN ENTRANCE TO THE TEMPLE. THE ZIMBABWE RUINS. -138- [photo] Percy M. Clark Victoria Falls. (copyright) A Hard Pull, Victoria Falls. The food comes in this way. We arrived at Pretoria, indiscribably dusty and tremendously tired, and the Doctor was seriously ill. We got ourselves settled at the Grand Hotel (where we are comfortable except an outdoor ash closet and two flights of stairs) and sent for Dr. Mary Hannon. (The hotel is not so grand as it looks) She came twice the first day and we were frightened lest it prove typhoid or contagious dysentery. The second day a trained nurse was installed. To-day the Dr. pronounces it a diarrhea which has produced inflammation of the bowels, and we know that all is well. The rest of us have spelled the nurse, received callers, and cleaned up. I have only been out of the Hotel once, and do not mean to go before next Monday. We are expected on Sunday and our meeting is on Monday evening. - 139 - Photo Grand Hotel. Pretoria. C. Fincke, Manager. Everyone who comes to S. Africa hopes to see a lion, but to do so at a safe distance. When they have once had a taste of human flesh they seem to prefer it to any other diet, and they then be- come man eaters, and the manner in which they secure their victims surpasses all understanding. See Maneaters of Tsaro. Photo The Monarch of the Veldt. - 140 - When they are not man eaters and their stomachs are full they seem quite harmless, but as one never knows from the face of the lion whether his stomach is full or empty, or whether he prefers men or bucks for food, the sight of one is sure to give a thrill. Many stories of contradictory character are told. 1. A man disappeared. No one knew where he went until a lion was killed and they found his finger ring in the lion's stomach! 2. A lady on the train in Rhodesia looked out of the train window and saw two lions peacefully sleeping near the track. They raised their heads and blinked as the train went by but did not rise. 3. A man, unarmed near Salisbury, was riding on a bike. Suddenly two lions appeared near the road coming out of the tall grass. He was so frightened that he fainted and fell off his bicycle. The two lions came up and sniffed him, brought him to his senses, and they then trotted off. (Told by resident of Rhodesia) 4. Two men, came to Africa to shoot lions. They brought their wives, made elaborate preparations of tents, wagons, etc. Took several natives and upon reaching a point where lions had been seen in the neighborhood, took their guns, dogs, natives, etc., leaving the two women alone in the wagon. After a time, a lion appeared near the wagon. The women said to each other that their men would never believe there had been one there without proof, so they photographed it with their camera. The lion trotted off, and was the only one seen during the excursion. - 141 - We have learned that Pretoria is fighting hard to keep the Capital, and as a means to that end is putting up some so-called Union Buildings which have been artistically designed and suited to the hills which entirely surround the City. They are Roman in effect and are well underway. They are supposed to look like the following two views when completed. The building in the background is the creation of the imagination as nearly as I could learn. Photo Union Buildings, Pretoria. Photo New Union Buildings, Pretoria (Perspective Amphitheater.) - 142 - The few days of rest did us all good. The exceeding heat which now stretched over the nights as well, plus the fatigue of our long hot journey, made the rest absolutely necessary. On Monday according to program the entertainment began. There was a lunch with speeches at the hotel in private dining room, about forty being in attendance. In the evening there was a public meeting presided over by a Mayor whose wife is most charming. He got a title of Sir last November which did not fit him, but she plays the part of Lady to perfection since the Lord made her one before the King did. We had a crowded house. The Dr. was not able to be present but will speak later. On Tuesday there was a lunch with Mrs. Botha the wife of the Prime Minister. The house, the lunch, the woman were rather ordinary, but we were grateful for the recognition. On Wednesday, Mrs. H.C. Hull, wife of the Minister of Finance lunched us and held a drawing room meeting afterward where I spoke. This time the woman, the lunch, the house were extraordinary as refinement, courage of conviction, and familiarity with society were in evidence on every hand. Mrs. Hull is pretty, stylish, broadminded. This is interesting and both her husband and herself have had a touch of the tar brush. In her case it is evident but if it would improve other women as much and lift them as much above the average, I wish they might all get it. I must mention that luscious strawberries were a part of the Menu on the 27th day of Sept., one of the evidences of spring. On Thursday, two big motors, one belonging to Mr. Sauer, the other to Mrs. Hull, came at nine o'clock for us. We four -143- together with Miss Haynemann, Mrs. Biggers, Dr. May Hannan, and the pretty Mayoress, who is President of the Club, were loaded into them. The day was frightfully hot and the roads unspeakably dirty and rough. We first visited a native school. We saw all the grades. They sang for us and did very well but not so well as our Darkies. We were interested to learn that most of the girls were daughters of chiefs. There were several men grown in the class of beginners and we learned that they earned the money to come to the school. They were paying about $60.00 per year. The girls have a debating club and posted on the wall were some of the subjects they had discussed. They were the simple differences which doubtless seemed most obvious to their minds between civilization and uncivilized customs. For instance: Is it better to sit down or to sit on a chair? Is it better to have a two storied house or one story? Is it better to have a decorated house or a plain one? etc. We had morning tea with the Superintendent and went on our way to the Premier mine. We arrived at noon very hot and mussed, had a poor lunch at the hotel which belongs to the mine, and then under direction of the Manager we went to see the works which are quite different from Kimberly, the chief differences being that the mine is open and all the work is done from the top and the other that the stone containing the diamonds is crushed instead of lying for a year and a half on the ground. The noise of the grinding machinery was so great we could hear little. We were shown 50,000 pounds worth of diamonds ready for the market. The people employed, including 12000 natives, are kept within a walled city, the wall being composed of wire well barbed. There is a school and a church and ordinary needs are supplied at co-operative -144- stores where all who are members get a very good return. It was here the largest diamond in the world was found, named the Culinen after Sir Thomas Culinen, the chief developer of this mine. They told us they had to pay 60% tax to the Government, whereas the DeBeers people only pay 10%. I must inquire about this. From the mine we returned to Pretoria via the farm of Samuel Marks, a multi-millionaire who has spent a good deal on this farm. There was an artificial lake, formed by an artificial canal, a very extensive poultry section very much up to date, a dairy also up to date, a handsome tastefully furnished house, a very big orchard, gardens and extensive flower garden. It was beautifully kept and a tremendous expense, but at this time of year it was not pretty owing to dust. It showed us something of the possibilities of farming here. We arrived home at seven o'clock, having ridden about 50 miles. [*Photo*] Oak Avenue East, Cooperative Stores on Left No. 12 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. Box 2262, Johannesburg. -145- [*Photo*] The Premier Hotel No. 11 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. [*Photo*] Oak Avenue looking West No. 10 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. -146- [*Photo*] Oak Avenue looking East No. 9 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. [*Photo*] Portion of Village, with New School in distance No. 8 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. -147- [*Photo*] Diamond Sorting No. 7 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. [*Photo*] View of Washing Gear, showing Electric Crane No. 6 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. -148- [*Photo*] No. 3 Washing Gear No. 5 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. [*Photo*] No. 3 Main Haulage with No. 4 on the left No. 4 Published by R. O. Fusslein, P. O. B. 2262, Johannesburg. - 149 - [*Photo*] Blasting at the Mine No. 3 Published by R.O. Fusslein, P.O.B. 2262, Johannesburg. [*Photo*] Northern Portion of Mine, showing No. 4 onset, 160 feet No. 2 Published by R.O. Fusslein, P.O.B. 2262, Johannesburg. - 150 - [*Photo*] Southern Portion of Mine No. 1 Published by R.O. Fusslein, P.O.B. 2262 Johannesburg. On Friday I had to cancel an appointment for tea as I was too tired. In the evening came the reception in the Town Hall of the Mayoress. Of course I spoke and the Doctor was able to speak also. It was very well arranged and I think went off well, but the chief guests were too tired to know. On Saturday I rested again in the morning and in the afternoon Mrs. Hull took us in her Motor to call upon Minister and Mrs. Smuts. He is re- garded as the chief and dominating mind in the Cabinet. They live on a farm as the five children are delicate and they are bringing them up there. Mrs. Smuts was educated at Wellington by Americans. She was never out of South Africa and is called very clever, with a great influence over her husband. We found her with unkempt hair and a reform dress which made her look anything but prepossessing. She served tea but forgot the cakes which had been provided. Her brother strolled in and later left without a word. We concluded they were eccentric. The house was well kept and clean. In the bedroom where we laid off our wraps there was a fur robe over the bed which looked primitive -151- and another on the couch. A rain the night before had settled the dust and made the air cooler. The afternoon had therefore been very delightful. To-day, Sunday, I have refused all invitations in order to get my mail in order, my packing done, in order to leave early to-morrow morning and not to approach the work in Johannesburg in too tired a condition. The people of So. Africa say they must not work so hard as other people, as the altitude is too hard on the heart. We are trying to go slow too. The real difficulty is they have black folks to do the hard work. The Manager of the Premier Mine said that 75% of the So. African diamonds went to the U.S.A. The best Zoo in S. Africa is here and it is very good indeed. The Museum is also good, the chief objects of interest being S. African animals of course. -152- Out at Sea. October 30, 1911. It was impossible after leaving Pretoria to write up the record of our daily proceedings. I must now recall the events from memory. Our stay in Pretoria had been too hot to make it a very enjoyable one. Our hotel was fairly comfortable and we liked the people, but the climate was not agreeable and the residents told us that all Pretorians felt tired all the time. So did we. As we had come from Victoria Falls quite tired out, we had not rested much and we therefore went to Johannesburg with a feeling of strain upon us. Miss Cameron and Mrs. Boersma went to the Carlton Hotel, Mrs. Jacobs to Mrs. Van Gercum's, and I to Dr. and Mrs. Krause's. As Mrs. Wynaendts Francke of Holland with her husband were visiting the Van Gercum's just before our arrival, and as she is Dr. Jacobs worst and most intolerant enemy, I think the Doctor felt the cold of an antagonistic atmosphere. At any rate she did not stay long and was soon at the Carlton. As for myself, I was very glad to be in a private house where I stayed a whole week. There were the advantages that callers could not get at me and that I had a nice clean room and good bed. The disadvantages were that the W.C. was in the back yard as the sewer had not yet come to that part of the City, and that there was no place to write. I also found that I must be something of a burden as I noticed that it was planned that we should take at least one meal out. I found however that I gained much information by being in such close touch with those who know. Dr. K. is called the best criminal lawyer in S. Africa, but the reputation does not please him as he would like something higher. During the Boer War he was in England, for what reason I do not know. While there he wrote a friend and said that a certain man was writing lies about the -153- Boers for the English papers and that such a man should be suppressed legally if possible, but suppressed anyway. That friend was arrested by the British and the letter found among his possessions. Dr. K. was arrested in London and put in prison, where he was kept for two years. When he came out the war was over. His father was a clergyman and his house had been burned by the British, including many old souvenirs from Holland which had been brought to S. Africa by his forefathers. There was also a valuable library which went up in flames. There were many interesting conversations and the chief wonder to me was that such a man apparently felt little bitterness. Yet the British would not permit him to secure the kind of legal work which paid best. There are two clubs in Johannesburg and they think they have differences of tactics but what they have is a violent and narrowminded hatred of each other. They tried to arrange for our visit by a joint committee and although I did not get hold of much of the details I am sure they had hard work to get on. I arrived on Monday morning and was met by Dr. and Mrs. Krause and had lunch at the house with them. That afternoon at four I met the joint executive committees at the Carlton, where we had tea. I talked with them about the proposed convention in Durban and found that one club had elected a delegate (Mrs. Krause) and the other finally consented to do so but it took a good deal of persuasion. The next day we were treated to an excursion to see the dynamite factory a long distance away from the city. We were taken in two motors and came to the place about noon. It is a vast place enclosed by high barb wire fences and securely guarded. -154- After showing our permit we were allowed to enter. The Superintendent, a young and canny Scotchman with a clever Irish wife, live in a beautiful house, tastefully and luxuriantly furnished and surrounded by beds of plants, flowers and bushes mostly of varieties unknown to us. We had lunch there and the dessert consisted of pineapples, and strawberries. After lunch we were shown over the factory. Each operation is conducted in a separate building in order to limit the danger in case of accident. A factory for making the boxes in which the dynamite is shipped was supplied by American machinery entirely, and this of so simple a character that each one was operated by a native. When we expressed surprise that such trusty work was given them, the Superintendent replied that they did it more satisfactorily than white men for when once shown how to do a thing, they would keep at it for a hundred years, without once thinking of doing it in a different way, but the while man's mind wandered and while it was absent, things happened. The sulphuric acid house was one filled with big and complicated machinery which inspired reverence for man's inventive ability. All over the grounds narrow tracks were laid and on these small cars similar to those seen in mines were being propelled by Natives, two in each car. These cars held the completed dynamite. In one house under an earth fort like cover the storage is accommodated. The great dread is lightning, which is very common all over S. Africa and destructive. In another house Natives were rolling the dynamite into sticks or tubes. It was in the form of dough and is the form used in the mines, a stronger substance than dynamite itself which is a powder. All employees wear red coats or suits, so that they will not fail to change them when work is over. Bits of explosives -155- might stick to them and produce mishaps. The Superintendent's name was Mr. Cullen. The factory provides all the dynamite used in S. Africa and exports some. That means a very large amount as the mines consume a great deal. On the return home we visited a building to be used as a miner's phthisis hospital. It was beautiful and ought to prove alluring to the afflicted. We then learned that the fine dry dust in the gold mines of Johannesburg produce unfailingly a disease called miner's phthisis. It left alone it often leads to tuberculosis and would end life in any case in a short time. The next day came the public meeting and I tried to do nothing else. We had a crowded hall of representative people. The Doctor had gone to Heidelburg to speak to a Congress of Dutch women and I therefore spoke alone. Mrs. Krause presided. The next day we went to the Country Club for lunch with Dr. and Mrs. Irvine, the good friends we had made on the "Saxon." We were treated to "buck cutlets" and pawpaw for dessert. This was our first and we did not care for it much. The club was a delightful place with many trees and the first real stretch of green lawn we had seen. After lunch we went in the Doctor's motor to the Crown gold mines, where he is in charge of the sick. We were shown the upper or surface workings of the mine. It bears little comparison with the pan washing processes of earlier days. Buildings covering vast extents of ground are filled with machinery for the crushing and washing of the ore. We were shown around by the Manager, Mr. Warrener, an American. This one mine produces 250,000 pounds of gold per month, the net profit being about 100,000 pounds per month, and this is only one of many mines in this City. 2000 white men and 12000 Kaffirs are employed. After seeing the assaying and other operations we -156- were taken to the Compound where the Kaffirs are kept. They work in relays, so many thousands are present in the compound at any one time. The chief interest centered on the cook house where they get their food. In all other compounds visited the Kaffirs provide their own food, but here it is provided for them. Very large kettles which would hold several gallons were placed in rows and supplied with steam for cooking the contents. Overhead a carrier was connected with a big bing of corn meal or "mealie meal" and travelled on a trolley over the kettles. It automatically poured the meal into the kettle. One row of big kettles was filled with meal porridge, one with rice porridge, and one with meat stew. Kaffirs passed in close procession along one side of the building, which was provided with a wall only about 4 ft. high and an open space above, and Kaffirs on the inside filled their basins with meal or rice porridge and added a dipper stew. That evening there were people to dinner at the house. On Friday the Mayoress lunched the suffragists and ourselves at the Carlton. Very stupid, but a good lunch. I got home as soon as possible to get a bit of rest before dressing for the evening in preparation for the long ride to Benoni where I was due to speak that evening. We drove in a motor for an hour or more and came to the smart little mining town. We held a meeting in a small theater which was packed, the mayor presiding. When I returned to the house, the Krauses had not yet returned from the theater where they had gone. They had told me that they would not come into the house as they slept in a little house in the back yard. I was instructed to go to the kitchen and get some hot milk which I would find on the stove. I took a -157- bath and then went after the milk. I found some bread and so had a good lunch. I felt like a very self confident robber in a kitchen where I had never been before. Just then the Krauses came in and we had a little chat. On Saturday morning I went shopping all the morning and in the afternoon, we all went to Mrs. Bosky's, an American who lives in a beautiful house called "Onder Koepjes." We were there to attend a reception by the Martha Washington club in our honor. It was a beautiful company of well dressed Americans, all young and well kept. The President is Mrs. Warrener, whose husband is the Manager of the Crown Mine, and who is the daughter of an artist who painted the portrait of Miss Anthony in Washington. The name begins with G. but I never could remember it. I had met her in the U.S.A. I made a little speech. That evening there was the public reception. These were always dull affairs. The Doctor and I both made speeches. On Sunday I lunched with Miss Lawrence and Miss Earl at their school and got back in time to meet the Executive Committee of the Enfranchisement League, who had been invited to tea. After they had gone we had some supper and then Mrs. Brandt came. I had had a letter to her. She was without exception the most charming woman I met in South Africa. She told me of her experiences as a volunteer nurse in the concentration camp at Irene near Pretoria. She examined each woman who came in and the record was put down in her diary. Nearly all saw their homes burned with all the contents before coming to the camp. Not one child under five years of age in any camp remained alive. She finally kept her records with lemon juice so that if her book was found no one could read it as the juice made no mark, but the -158- writing could be brought out with sun or a hot iron. She is now writing up her experiences. She was the secretary of the secret service committee in Pretoria and when the members were all arrested and put in prison she organized a new one composed of women. Directly a spy came in and asked for a secret time table by which the armoured trains loaded with soldiers and ammunition were leaving Cape Town and coming up into the Transvaal. She had never known there was such a thing, but she got it with the result that the Boers made continual successful raids upon these trains. It was glorious to hear her tell her stories of heroism. She is a sister of Mrs. Henry Clute, of the Alphen Wine Farm. Mrs. Boersma never lets us forget our visit to that place as she always drinks Alphen wine. Mr. Brandt called for his wife after his church was out and I found him very pleasant. I had enjoyed the evening tremendously as the "stemning" of the Swedes was good. On Monday I went shopping again and took lunch at the Carlton with the "girls" and got home at four o'clock. Then I packed, got my things off, and had an early dinner and the Krauses saw me to the train where Miss Cameron met me. Many people came to see us off. As the Reform club had presented me with a huge bouquet at the reception the Enfranchisement League gave me a bigger one at the train. A few things I have omitted. One morning Mrs. Krause took me for a drive. We went along the Avenue where the finest dwellings are and they are surely monuments which wealth alone could erect. The road led through a beautiful silent pine forest, which would be delightful with its paths and carriage roads leading off in every direction, in any case, but when one is reminded that every tree was planted there, -159- it becomes a wonder. The place is called Saxonwald. I had a letter given me by a lady in London to an [Italian] Indian, Mr. Gandhi in Johannesburg. I found that an Indian could not call on a lady at a hotel, but Mr. Krause arranged a meeting at his office at 11 o'clock on the last Monday. I sat waiting some time when a nice young girl, a Russian Jewess, whom I had met and knew as Mr. Gandhi's secretary, entered. She told me that he had come to fill the engagement but the elevator would not take him up! I promptly told her I would call on him if she would guide me. She did and I went (Miss Cameron was with me) into a side street and found him in a small building. He is a practicing lawyer and I found his outer room filled with Indians. He is very black and not particularly superior in appearance. He has been in prison because he would not sign a registration paper which is made compulsory to all Indians. Is the social ostracism suffered by the Indians due to the color of their skin; their poverty; the kind of labor they do; or what? That I cannot answer. The S. African world does not distinguish between the educated and uneducated, that is certain. On the first evening of my stay in Johannesburg,Miss Cameron and I dined at the German Club with Mr. and Mrs.Gensaulus the American Consul, all being the guests of the Krauses. On Saturday night before the reception we all dined with them at the Carlton. More could have been put into the time assigned to Johannesburg, but if that had been the case I should have been a dead reformer. As it is I have omitted to mention necessary letters of acceptance or declination and callers, of which there were several. I was much pleased with the City. There had been rain and the -160- country was green. The streets were asphalted and the buildings were modern and fine. The people are prosperous and wealth is already dictating terms to South African politics. I should mention that during the week I had purchased a dress and had it made. The style was early Victorian. We met a lady, Mrs. Curtis, from California, who told us she was going on our steamer and informed us that it had been changed to the "Avondale Castle." Miss Cameron and I paid a visit to the Manager of the Union Castle Line accompanied by the American Consul, who introduced us. We gave the gentleman a very uncomfortable half hour and he was undoubtedly relieved when we departed. We took away little satisfaction. I arrived in Johannesburg October the second and left with Miss Cameron on the following Monday the ninth. We had been warned that the journey was one which made "ladies seasick", but we were not prepared for the rocking, reeling, drunken train. As we were accustomed to all conditions of travel, we did not get sick but found the experience fatiguing. The reason for the rocking motion was that we passed over a mountain country (Drackenburg Mts.) and that we must descend from the 6000 feet of Johannesburg to the sea level and the train took a circuitous route to accomplish the feat. The gauge of all S.African roads is narrow. We had no complaint to offer in regard to the nature of the train motion since we passed through the most beautiful scenery we had seen in S.A. In the distance were mountains covered with snow and all about us beautiful mountains covered with fresh green. At last we had come to a country where the rain had fallen and the grass had followed. The hills were wrinkled and picturesque rather than grand. On every little ledge was a Kaffir village usually -161- very small. Evidently the people had scattered to better enable them to find grazing for their cattle. The huts were now of a different variety looking like the oldfashioned beehive and brown in color. The day was delightful and the night comfortable. We arrived at one o'clock having had our lunch in the dining car. The town of Maritzburg could be seen for an hour and a half before we reached it. It lies in a valley and we had to weave in and out among the hills always getting lower and lower until at last we pulled into the station. Our Hotel was a square built about a court, tiled and uncovered. It was comfortable and we spent the afternoon receiving callers, taking tea, etc. The evening was spent with callers also. On Wednesday, we made an excursion which we had long anticipated. Accompanied by Mrs. Walsh and Mr. Beverly, an interpreter, we took the train at 8:30 and travelled about a half hour. We then walked over the hills about a mile and a half to the Kraal of the Chief (Laduna) who lives in a small village, but who presides over the affairs of all the little villages we had seen. The interpreter found him a bit grumpy but finally succeeded in getting him in a more hospitable mood and we were received. He was clad in his everyday clothes which consisted of a nice square of sheep skin hanging from his waist and which always seemed to turn under him when he sat like a nice comfy rug should do. In front he wore a bunch of tails which when he sat fell between his legs. The upper part of his body was covered by a white man's under shirt, neither new nor clean. After a time he invited us into a hut which was probably his Mother's. It had an extra large entrance door and by stooping we could enter. Usually one must crawl. An old woman lay upon her stomach on a rush mat with a blanket over her. Three young women -162- sat crosslegged in a row and were decked in their Sunday best. Neck and wrists and ankles were decorated with many strings of beads. The hair was wonderfully dressed and a skirt and "moutche" were wrapped about the middle. The legs from the knee down and from the navel up were exposed. These young women had come from a neighboring village to pay the chief a visit and had brought him a present of freshly brewed beer. After looking about a bit we went out and were escorted to the Chief's own tent. It had two doors opposite each other, an evident concession to the white man's ideas. It like the other was beautifully constructed. Small trees stripped of branches and twigs are woven together in a most expert way to form the beehive. The crossing of two trees is always tied with bark to make it secure. The men do the work of the framework of the house, two standing outside and two inside the hut. When the frame is completed, women add the thatch. The floors of these huts all over Africa are made of the hills of the white ants and are equal in hardness and smoothness to the best asphalt. In the middle between two supporting poles is the fireplace. A carefully lowered space surrounded by a rim something like a platter in shape is prepared for the fire. There is no escape for the smoke and the timbers are blackened by it. At one side of the round room another rim or division was made and behind it was the family collection of pottery bowls for water, straw woven strainers for beer, kettles, etc. The family beds consist of mats or skins upon which they lie with a wood block for a pillow and blankets for cover. The whole is rolled up and put one side during the day. The hut was in perfect order, and clean as the small brooms made of brush could make it. The smooth perfect making of the floor and fireplace, the exact and artistic design of the centerplace filled us with wonder for the completed -163- whole was a genuine work of art. In the Chief's own hut there were three chairs setting in a row. They were of a common kind. We were invited to occupy them with pride of ownership very manifest. We were glad to sit for the walk over the hills had been very trying in the tropical sun. I had had to beg the party to stop several times to allow me to cool off. Now in these tents or huts we found the air delightfully cool. I had supposed them to be very hot, since they were always exposed to the sun. The Chief invited us to partake of his newly presented beer. This was a great honor and we accepted. The men only pour the ber and in many tribes, perhaps all, the men alone drank it, although the women brewed it. The chief went out and brought in a woman with a pan of fresh water. Then he washed a strainer and two calabashes. Into one he poured the foamy top of the beer and into the other he poured the good beer. All was done with the greatest cleanliness, ceremony and deliberation. When all was ready he lifted the calabash to his own mouth and took a good swig. The interpreter told us this was to show us that all was safe. He then offered it to the man as such human creatures are the superiors of all females as all the world knows. He however motioned that we were to drink first. It was then passed to me. Carefully getting my eye focused on the side of the Calabash The Chief had not drunk from, I lifted it to my lips and took so small a sip that the Chief laughed. The others being beer drinkers drank more to his liking. Afterwards I was able to get a photo of the Chief drinking beer and I am sure it was out of the same calabash. (A calabash is a gourd. They grow to an enormous size and the largest ones must hold a gallon. In these the beer is kept. Those holding about a quart are used for drinking.) -164- We remained until about noon at the Kraal. After the beer drinking, and the Chief taking a second and liberal portion his tongue was limbered as is the habit with beer of all lands, he confided in the interpreter that he was about to be married. It would be the fifth time, but alas one had died so he would have only four! He hoped to take another next year. A new hut was being constructed and it was for the new wife. We bought some necklaces from the women in the Kraal who took them off their necks. We then distributed sixpence and tikkies (as the three cent piece is called) to the children who suddenly increased in numbers at an astonishing rate and left us quite bankrupt. We retraced our journey over the hot hills and at the station turned off into a beautiful garden filled with a wonderful variety of strange trees and plants. It was a mass of rich color for most of them were in the spring blossoming. Acacias of endless variety were in blossom and azalias in great trees were as thickly covered with blossoms as the little ones forced in the hot houses which we get at Christmas time. Here was located a Girls High School and the principal Mrs. Colepepper had invited us to lunch. It was a private and a successful school. In the garden we saw our first pawpaw tree. Later I became most enthusiastic over this fruit - a sort of oldfashioned muskmelon which grows on a tree. It is too perishable to export. It is eaten with lemon juice and sugar and has a delicate flavor all its own. I should add that its particular home is Durban where the hotel treats us to them three times a day. We arrived home late in the afternoon desperately tired and rested as best we could before dressing in our best for the reception that evening. Here I made a speech and was bored as I always am at such affairs. In this case I had the opportunity of boring others. -165- On Thursday morning we sallied forth at an early hour after photographs, and I bought two dozen. We then went to Lady Mackensie's for morning tea. We found her with her hat on, as that fool notion has reached S.A. Later we visited the Museum. Miss Cameron lunched with Lady Steel, who has married and come to S. A., but I dared not do so much and rested at the hotel. At four there was a tea out of town about a mile. The lady, Mrs. Davis, the wife of a publisher, sent her carriage for me and sent me home. She had a beautiful big home and the drawing room was of elegant size with a platform at one end. I never saw a room anywhere which I envied more. In the evening we had our public meeting. We left Martisburg the next morning, arriving in Durban about one o'clock. The usual committee met us. Never did they fail to do this and to see us off. We went at once to our hotel where for 15 shillings inclusive we had most delightful rooms facing the sea. This was Friday, October 13th. After lunch and a little cleaning up, we went to a meeting of the Club (suffrage). When that was over the president, Mrs. Ayres took me to a shop where she recommended a dressmaker. She was willing to do the work, but the material must be purchased in the shop, so I arranged to have two simple frocks of muslin made. I had to do some skirmishing about to collect all my baggage. I had forwarded all my trunks except the wardrobe from Cape Town, and on chairs came on too. I had sent a case of books by the boat I came on and another case of books from Pt. Elizabeth. A hat box came on from Pretoria. My thinnest summer things were in these trunks. The evening was spent in unpacking such as I had received. On Saturday I went to see another dressmaker in order to get the material made which I had bought in Johannesburg. I -166- succeeded and left the muslin for two more dresses. We met the ladies of the suffrage club for morning tea at a restaurant and it was a curious sight to see crowds of men and women gathered at this hour for their precious cup. Then we went shopping, getting back to the hotel at 1 for lunch. I unpacked further in the afternoon and Mrs. Ayers and Mrs. Behr took tea with me at four and I was occupied with callers until dinner. It was good to get to bed early. On Sunday I worked more with my things and went with Miss Cameron to Mrs. Kerr Cross's for tea at four. She received us out of doors. We found Dr. Jacobs, Mrs. Boersma and some delegates had arrived at the hotel. Again I went to bed early, but first I trimmed a new hat I had bought. On Monday the Convention began and I was present every minute to advise when necessary. We met from eleven to one and from 2:30 to 5. In the evening was the reception, where I spoke and again got even with those who bored me. On Tuesday we met in the morning and in the afternoon we went out in two naphtha launches to Salisbury Island where among the trees and mosquitoes we had tea with which was served some delicious home made cake. It was a pleasant afternoon. That evening there was a public meeting in a small hall where the delegates were to speak. Some had been tired and had headaches as the result of the heavy work, so I had to make a speech to help out. The next day we met in the morning as usual and in the afternoon there was a trolley ride and a tea at a fine home. I excused myself from that and went to bed. The public meeting came that evening. Durban has a town hall which covers a block, and it contains a beautiful big hall with most disconcerting acoustic properties. For the first time I could not wear my velvet. The sweat poured off in buckets as it was. 166-1/2 [*Near Mitchell Park - Durban*] [*Bay Esplanade - Durban*] [*Concert Hall - Town Hall - Durban*] 166-3/4 Durban. On reaching Durban we enter the colony of Natal, discovered by Vasco de Gama on Christmas Day, 1497 an achievement commemorated by a drinking fountain and clock, which have been erected in the town. Durban itself was founded on June 23rd. 1835 and named after Sir Benjamin D'Urban, at that time Governor of the Cape. From a waste of sand and bush the town has become a great business centre and the port of the Colony. The entrance to the harbour, with the fine sweep of the bay, the imposing bluff and the well-wooded hills in the back ground dotted with fine residences, make a pretty picture. The borough is roughly 10 miles in extent, and the population of about 68000 includes 12460 Indians and 19190 natives. Durban may be roughly divided into three parts. The point, the great shipping district, the town with its shops and business houses, and The Berea ranging from 200 to 500 feet above town level, the residential ridge which overlooks and semi-girds one of the most charming and cosmopolitan towns. During the winter season, from May to August, four months its inhabitants enjoy days of unclouded skies and moderate temperature. All these are sufficient inducements to tempt visitors from the uplands of Natal and the adjacent Colonies to spend their winter vacation in the town of Durban. But apart from the natural beauties of environment a progressive municipality has, during the past two decades endeavoured by every means in its power to provide not only the additional attractions for visitors, but for its burgesses all the conveniences and accessories of modern life enjoyed in Europeen cities with many of which of far older origin Durban will favourably compare. The public buildings of Durban have been erected with due regard to the preservation of the picturesque. The Public Library and Reading Rooms attract special attention, the former containing 12000 volumes. The Town Hall is a handsome edifice. The Victoria Embankment affords a magnificent promenade along the bay side, the Town -167- Thursday morning there was another meeting and calls from delegates all the afternoon. I was glad to get to bed early again. On Friday the Mayoress gave us a lunch including the Executive of the Suffrage Club. This was given at the Hotel Royal. In the morning Miss Cameron and I went to the dock to see our ship, but by the time we arrived the rain was falling in torrents and we did not get out of the tram. We went back to the starting point and took a rickshaw to the hotel. The rain ceased about noon and when the Mayoress invited us for a drive I requested a trip to the dock. Dr. Jacobs went with me and we went over the ship. We were quite disgusted and indignant as it was far from our ideas of being a first class ship. I returned to my dress- makers and got home for dinner. Those four dresses all came home Saturday night and during the week had demanded several calls and fittings which had made the week much harder, but the comfort of being provided with thin things for these tropical climates amply repaid the trouble. It is worth mentioning that for each of the five dresses, I gave a definite order as to style and none was made after it. On Sunday the Heavens opened and the rain descended in torrents, being interspersed with thunderstorms. No one inter- rupted, the delegates had gone, and the day was devoted to pack- ing. I went over my papers, wrote seven letters to S.A., packed three trunks, one case of books, and ten small packages. We were all worn to a frazzle by bedtime. It rained all night and all the next day. We were to leave the hotel with our baggage at ten o'clock. A man in Cape Town owed me on an overcharge on my roll which had got sent to Johannesburg instead of my hotel in Cape Town when I arrived. I received a telegram that he had telegraphed the money, but where? The hotel manager said it would -168- be at the post office, so early I took a rickshaw and went there, got my money and returned in another, all the time in the pouring rain. That morning I had to unpack three packages to get as many articles required because of the storm. At last we reached our steamer and on a muddy deck in the rain received the large delegation who had come to see us off. The Norwegian Consul, Mr. Egeland brought the Dr. and me each a bouquet of carnations. The Club brought me a book of views of S.A. Mrs. Ayres, Presid- ent, Mrs. Jessie Forbes, Secretary, Mrs. Behr, Treasurer, Mrs. Anketill and many others were among the group. We pulled out about one and the rain had about ceased but the sea was rocky as a result of the three days rain. Mrs. Boersma gave up, frankly delivered up her meals and stayed in bed until we reached the final stop. The Doctor took her meals on deck and Miss Cameron had a struggle, but I was right side up. I found my bed the worst possible, the table indifferent, the drawing room so small that four people around a table of cards filled the room, and our cabin provided with no place to sit. These things we discovered when we visited the ship and later had called on the Manager in Durban and gave him such a lecture on the way we were being treated that I am sure he said afterwards that that was one of those soured suffragettes. But after putting things away and filling the upper berth I could make my room fairly comfortable. We got used to the table and although the bed was always bad I yielded to the inevitable. We sailed October 23 at 1 o'clock, Monday. We arrived at Lourenco Marques the next day in the early afternoon. There was a dock and we went off at once taking a walk about the town getting back for dinner. The next morning we went off again, took a tram ride about the City, visited the -169- really remarkable botanical garden, had coffee at a public tea house and got back to lunch thoroughly tired out, for it had been a very hot day. Delagoa Bay is the best harbor on the East Coast. The buildings are Portuguese in style, the streets are macadamed, the public square and sidewalks all mosaics of cobbles, were made of stone tile laid in carpet patterns. Trees grew everywhere, and the garden was laid out with several little artificial lakes, over which artistic bridges pass and the whole City was Portuguese and modern and pretty. I thought it was prettiest town we had seen, but I was accused by Miss Cameron of liking the last one best. The Natives were a different tribe, the costumes or lack of them different. We took a cup of coffee at a Kiosk on the square. There was a characteristic quite unique and wholly different from any English town. In the afternoon a terrific thunderstorm came up and the Heavens were a perpetual blaze of sheet and zigzag lightning. The deck was cleared for the rain deluged everything. There was no place to go so I got into my cabin which opens on the deck, closed the door and turned on my fan. I ran through the wet to dinner and returned, not to leave again that night. The Captain held the ship back an hour for the storm. The sea had been whipped up into a fury and the rocking of the boat emptied the dining room. Miss C. and I were on hand. When we arrived before Beira, we had to lie out some distance in mouth of Pungive River, waiting for the tide to enable us to come nearer the town. This we did that evening. This was Friday and we remained most of the next day. We went on shore in the morning being carried in a launch for we could not come up to the dock. The town has a good seawall and would be washed away had it not. It is built on shifting -170- sands. The streets are provided with a narrow little track upon which small cars not unlike a rickshaw are run by native boys. The hotels and private people have their own cars. There are good buildings, stone walks, and interesting natives, but an hour and a half in the brilliant scorching sunshine was satisfying and we were glad to return to the ship. We left Saturday night at 4:30 and arrived off Chinde on Sunday morning. We were five miles out and never got any nearer. A nice yacht came out but could not go back owing to the tide. Both lay out in the sea for 12 hours. Then the yacht took off the thirty passengers, a basket being used. A door permits the passenger to enter and it is then swung out by the freight cranes and from the door the passenger steps into the other boat. It is a rather dangerous proceeding. I never saw a boat toss about more wildly than that one did and our hearts ached for poor women and children. Like the fox and grapes we consoled ourselves with the belief that Chinde was not worth seeing. It is here that the Zambesi flows into the sea and we did want to see that, but never mind! We learn that the "Gascon" which preceded us lay there four days. On Tuesday we arrived off Mosambique. We were surrounded at once by all kinds of little craft manned by natives. We went on shore and could find no one who could speak English. I announced that I could not and would not walk in the broiling sun and finally got a rickshaw which Miss Cameron and I occupied. We went all around the town. Some nice clean big buildings occupy the shore. It is a very old town and was for a long time the Capital of the Portuguese Territory. Now that Capital has been removed to Lourenco Marques and this place is occupied by Natives and Indians. The chief sight was the Native quarter where small one-roomed houses with thatched roofs and square sides often -171- covered with rush mats were placed close together. Cocoanut trees grew in every vacant spot. We went on the beach, for this is a coral Island. There I got a few shells. This place is famed for its shells. Boat loads of Natives with baskets and boxes of them came to the ship. There were many beauties of big shells but I only got a few little ones. The day was most interesting for we never tired of watching the many busy little boats with their queer people. Now we have come to the Mohammedan country and many natives wear long white garments like a ladies nightgown, and this adds variety to the scene. Through Mosambique Channel we travelled north. We arrived in Zanzibar about 4:30 on Friday, and as this is the show place of the East Coast, we got off on the first boat being rowed ashore. We took a guide and for an hour or more walked through the quaint streets. These are probably similar to those of many oriental towns but this has a characteristic all its own. It is now clean and the streets are paved or asphalted. No street runs straight. Evidently there was no order of laying out the land. The buildings are old for the town dates from the 16th century. It has been the scene of repeated Wars between the Portuguese and the Arabs, sometimes under the rule of one and sometimes of the other. The streets are so narrow that a narrow carriage driven through compels the people to scurry into doorways in order that it may pass. The driver jangles his bell and shouts the warnings for the crookedness of the streets does not allow the pedestrians to see many feet ahead. Here is the chief distributing point for all Eastern Africa and for three centuries the town has been famed as a market for all kinds of goods from the orient. Shops without number containing the choicest things from Parisian jewelry to Japanese embroidery -172- tempt the unwary. Buildings of stone or at least cement covered with curious Portuguese and Arab architecture, adorned with beautiful porticos, or balconys carefully screened, make the scene fascinatingly picturesque. The chief interest centers in the people however. They are chiefly Indian, Arabic and Swahili (the native tribe) with a very small percent of whites. The Indian and Arabic Mohammedan do not dress the same apparently. The Arabic women wear their black dismal strip of calico well wrapped about the upper part of the body and covering the head and face, the Indian women were dressed in beautiful fancy-silk wraps with head uncovered and with the invariable gold button in the side of the nose, and at least three earrings in each ear, one in the top, one in the side and one in the lobe. The Swahilis were in part merely covered with their gay calico wrap covering the body from the top of the busts down to the knees and with hair or wool laid out in designs outlined by a shaved line. A favorite way was to part the wool in even rows and braid the hair so that the head looks as if covered with rows of tiny braids. This was very neat and pretty. Then the Swzhilis who were Mohammedan were swathed in black, heads and faces covered down to the knees but with legs and feet bare. The Arab men are clad with what looks like a woman's high necked nightdress of white. He seems to have something under it but what I do not know. This is the land where men invariably wear skirts and many women-Mohammedan- wear trousers. One kind of women's pants were white and came to the ankle closing rather tightly above the bare feet. A very full ruffle about five inches wide adorned the bottom and made them look like bantams. One could remain a very long time in Zanzibar and be entertained by the dress of the people were there no other attractions. -173- The most conspicuous building on the shore front looks like a summer hotel.of commodious proportion. It is the Sultan's palace. His father had one befitting a Sultan, but the British bombarded it and the ruins are only to be seen. It stands in a beautiful old garden and faces the sea. The new one is not beautiful. A row of big solid stone buildings adjoins the Sultan's Palace. This is the Harem, where resides the 2 Arabic and 98 Swahili wives. As the Sultan is only 28 years old, he has a fair record in matrimony. Zanzibar is on an Island 50 miles long and 27 wide. There is an Island of good size near- Pemba- and there are several small Islands, and a strip of coast land in the Sultan's domains. It is all under the British Protection. The next morning we went ashore at nine o'clock. The guide of the day before met us and we entered a small antique carriage drawn by two woe begone looking mules. We drove about the town visiting the market which was most intriguing. Pawpaws, mangoes, naatches, queer melons, mallows, and many things without name or place engaged our attention. Great grape fruits which must be the original of this popular fruit were there also, and nothing so conspicuous as the great piles of cocoanut and casava roots. From the latter tapioca is made, but the natives boil it and prepare it into a sort of meal. It forms the staple food of large numbers of natives in the interior of Africa. There were little stalls without number also where the native demands could be satisfied. We drove into the country, and on both sides of the street were the native thatched houses with plastered "stoeps" and here the family work was done and often articles were there for sale. We passed a laundry where the work was being done out -174- of doors and all by men. They slapped the garments on stone tables, made for the purpose, to get them clean. We visited an Indian Club set in a beautiful garden where were many strange and beautiful trees. The most beautiful were the mangoes, large, shaped like elms, and with a very dense foliage, and dotted here and there with the fruit. I bought a dozen in the market to try. We had heard how delicious they were but they were not yet ripe in S.A. They have a decided flavor of turpentine, and it would take time to acquire the taste for them. Our object in going into the country was to visit Abubu, the clove plantation. All these Islands possess qualities which are especially adapted to the clove and 90% of the cloves of the world are grown here. It has been a great Arab monopoly. The clove grows on a large and graceful tree. These are planted about 24 ft. apart and their branches touch when grown. A large bright red bud appears in bunches. From the end a flower insignificant in appearance and of bright yellow in color blossoms. The seed pods which follow are in shape like the clove with only one on a stem. These stems are in bunches. They are red and green in patches. When ripe an outer peel comes off. These will not be ripe before spring. The leaf and the blossom and the seed pods all taste of the spice. I was fortunately able to get good photos of many interesting things in Zanzibar. At 12:30 I was driven to the American Consulate, where Mr. A. W. Weddell had invited several Americans. We had a nice talk and then went to the English Club for lunch. Mrs. Edward Clark, wife of the British Commissioner, was present and after lunch I went with her in her rickshaw to the Residency which is a big fine building. She showed me over it and it was beautifully adapted to tropical life with its big verandahs and Indian -175- fans which are hung over tables and chairs and worked by a string pulled by a black boy. The object of the visit was to see some little animals- the smallest antelope in Africa, the Paa. There were six and no larger than a cat but decked forth with little horns. They are native in Zanzibar. Mrs. Clark sent me with her rickshaw to the beach where I got a boat for the ship. The others had preceded me. The ship itself offered good entertainment. It was surrounded by all sorts of curious craft filled with men and boys, in all conceivable dress and undress and with all kinds of headdress. Small boats in which two half grown boys could comfortably sit were numerous and were propelled by their hands. They requested tikkies and when one was thrown out they would jump and catch it under the water. On board several Indian traders had spread their wares and were doing a lively business, the passengers usually getting what they wanted for about half the price asked. Miss Cameron got a beautiful carved ivory box for 2 lbs.; The Doctor got a well made embroidered blouse for 6 shillings (silk) and an embroidered pongee dress for a pound. Mrs. Boersma had the temerity to buy a pearl and diamond ring for a hundred dollars, and all the ladies bought drawnwork table spreads and similar things for small figures. I bought nothing. Meanwhile the steamer was loading with interesting things. The chief thing is Copra. It is rotted cocoanuts which are taken to Marseilles and there the juice is expressed and made into soap. The smell is strong but not offensive. Much ivory, tusks of elephants, comes through this port. Formerly practically all from Central Africa came here. Then after getting the tusks which are very heavy and worth from $200. to $500. per pair, the buyers bought or stole or captured slaves to carry them to Zanzibar. -176- Here slaves were bought and sold until 20 and some say 12 years ago. We took on a good many boxes of cloves also. (A tree must be ten years old before it is in full bearing) The British Government forbid slavery here in 1890, but the law was violated for some time after. The guide told us that now when people had slaves they had to pay them. We were sorry to leave when our time arrived, for it certainly seemed as if we had come into a dream land where its strange people, strange flowers and fruits and buildings and boats might well have been the creation of the imagination. A guide book said of Zanzibar: "Set in a sea of perfect sapphire blue, with its graceful contours outlined in tenderest green and rounded hills crowned with dainty palms which lazily nod their feathery crowns in the balmy air, etc." The cocoanut is certainly the most picturesque thing I know as it grows very tall and its tuft of graceful leaves and fruits are always outlines against the sky. My photos must tell the rest of the tale of our delightful visit to Zanzibar. -177- We sailed at about 5 o'clock and before getting up time the next day the shouts of the crowd of boatmen, quarreling with each other for places near the ship announced the fact of our arrival before Mombasa. This is said to be the hottest place on earth, and we had dreaded coming here for we must stay three days at this port. It was hot indeed in our close cabins during the dressing. When we could get out upon the deck we found it not so uncomfortable, but unmistakably hot. The anchorage is between the Island of Mombasa and the mainland. Upon one side a few buildings are to be seen; on the other the shore is thickly covered with cocoanuts and shrubs, making a very tropical scene. I felt tired and Miss Cameron and I decided not to go ashore that day. I wrote on this record, mended a little, read a little and so the hot day passed. The moon is now full and the night view of the palm decked land reflected in the blue waters, over which in all directions the little boats were plying offered amusement enough. Mrs. B. and Dr. J. went ashore in the afternoon and again in the evening, spending most of the time with their consul. The same kind of a trolley, run by natives carries the passengers from the shore to Mombasa which is out of sight from our anchorage. The ladies are going again to-day and the Dutch Consul has kindly invited us Americans to join them, but Miss C. and I conclude to remain quietly on board. I am now bringing my record up to date. To-morrow we shall take in the town and come back dripping. This is the port which leads to the growing town of Nairobi. It was here Mr. Roosevelt entered and at Nairobi that he was given a reception. A game preserve containing all sorts of wild game is now carefully guarded. Those who go up to N. may see elephants, lions, many kinds of antelopes, and especially giraffes en route from car windows. When this -178- road was built, some man-eating lions appeared and before they were caught, they killed 29 white men and at least 200 Natives and Indians. Finally the men refused to work, and for some weeks the work stopped - in fact it remained at a standstill until the man-eaters were shot. This country has been developed under tragic difficulties. The road to Beira over which we contemplated reaching the Coast, is said to have lost a white man for every mile--375-- and a native for every sleeper laid. The chief cause was malaria. It is a mistake to say that the Native is immune from malaria. Here in Mombasa, the tsetze fly does its deadly work, and no horses or mules or imported cattle can live. The native cattle are immune. A similar fly in another district causes the sleeping sickness. Scorpions, tarantulas, and many kinds of horrors besides snakes add to the difficulties of life. OFF MOMBASA. NOVEMBER 5TH. 1911. I must here record a few things I wish to remember. Some of my friends may think I have neglected them in the matter of letters. This record might be offered as a sort of defense. After reaching Durban I made a résumé of our doings and at the reception offered some portion of it to the delegates that they might know what we had done in S. A. We were in SOUTH AFRICA eleven weeks. The trip from South- ampton to Cape Town and up the East Coast, cost about $1200.00- more rather than less. We travelled 4000 miles by train and 11,000 miles by ship, and visited nine chief cities where we went for suffrage work and where we [staid in] went to hotels. These were Cape Town, Pt. Elizabeth, Grahamstown, Bloemfontein, Kimberley, Pretoria, Johannesburg, Pietersmaritzburg and Durban. We visited two suburbs with public meetings where we did not take hotels- -179- Uitenhage and Benoni. We "did" Bulawayo while passing through and visited Victoria Falls for pleasure. This makes 13 towns visited, including the capitols of the four provinces composing the Union of S.A. and two places in Rhodesia. I conducted the entire correspondence arranging for the trip, engaging hotels, etc. and wrote many letters concerning the convention held in Durban. Several towns invited us to visit them and these invitations I had to decline. I think this part of the work was more arduous than any of the party comprehend. The statistics which follow apply to myself alone, as the program followed was not quite the same for any two of us. I made 13 public speeches, each exceeding one hour. I made 22 additional speeches, none shorter than 10 minutes and several varying from 40 minutes to one hour -- total 45 speeches. There were seven receptions; 18 luncheons, 3 being given by Mayoress or Pretoria, Johannesburg and Durban, one by Mrs. Botha, wife of the Premier, one by Mrs. Hull, wife of Minister of Finance. I attended 14 afternoon teas; 3 morning teas; 6 dinners; 3 picnics; 12 committee meetings. Of the 76 days, 11 and a half days full and 11 nights were spent on the train. About two weeks or 14 full days were spent in sightseeing which included four days at Victoria Falls, an excursion to Camp's Bay and a day's drive to Cape Town; a visit to an Ostrich Farm and the Ostrich Market in Pt. Elizabeth; a visit to a farm in Bloemfontein; a visit to the Debeers Mines in Kimberley; a visit to the Premier mine in Pretoria; a visit to the Dynamite factory in Johannesburg; a visit to a Kaffir Kraal in Maritzburg. Each of the above took the whole of a day, but sometimes tired nature was prodded up to go to something -180- in the evening. The 36 days spent in sightseeing and travel left 40 days spent with suffragists. The functions including public meetings number 76, making an average of nearly two things each day. We made many visits to railroad stations, Cooks, etc., visited many shops in search of postals and photos, did some shopping, and incidentally visited many places of interest which could be put in when there was time to spare. These last mentioned incidentals included visits to eight museums, all of which we found extremely interesting and instructive. The above record was performed in a climate varying from cold which required loading ourselves with all the clothes possible, and sleeping with hot water bottles, bed shoes and flannel nightgowns, to tropical heat rendered endurable only by the continual whirr of electric fans. I should add to the above record three and a half days spent with the convention in Durban. Now, passing up the East Coast, we visited 7 additional towns belonging to East Africa. This record would not be complete without listing the reading done in connection with it and which was the necessary preparation for understanding the conditions of this part of the world. Since leaving Southampton I [have] read the following books: The Militant Suffrage Movement, Billington Greig; Woman and Labor, Olive Schreiner; South Africa, Story of the Nations, Theal; From the Great Trek to the Union, Frank Cama; Man Eaters of Tsavo, Col. Patterson; Jock of the Bushveld; The Partition of Africa; The Ruins of Rhodesia; The Dark and Yellow Skinned People of South Africa, Theal; Tropical Africa, Drummond; The Romance of Empire- S.A.; Letters of Lady Barnard; Christian Missions in S.A., J. DuPless; 181- InterRacial Problems- Report Races Congress; Guide to S. Africa (twice); A Pilgrimage to Jerusalem; Guide to Egypt; Guide to India; The Dop Doctor (an African story of the Boer war); two novels and several magazines and pamphlets - 21 good sized books, mostly octave, In view of the reputation I have of being delicate, I consider the above a fair four months work. Meanwhile the rest has restored my health and strength to a surprising degree. A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER. The first calico brought to the East Coast was brought by an American ship. It was cut into suitable strips for the wraps the Natives wear and was used as a medium of exchange in the interior. It was called Americani. Now it is brought by German Ships and is made in Germany but goes by the old name. Told by American Consul Zanzibar. ------------ One of the chief occupations of Durban is whaling - about 1000 whales are caught there each year. ------------ Between Maritzburg and Durban, the four hours journey was through fields of pineapple and bananas. ------------ We had a drink of fresh cocoanut in Zanzibar. When used for a drink, the fruit is green. It is not so sweet, and was a palatable, cool and refreshing drink. -182- On Monday, early, Miss C. and I were dressed and ready for shore. As usual at these ports, we took a small row boat with black men for oarsmen and went ashore for a tikkie each (6 cts.). The little trolley pushed by Natives was not to be seen and the sun was blazing and no shade at hand. So we slowly toiled up the hill where we found the cars and entering one we were soon rattling on our course toward the town. On Saturday morning before we were up, our Nairobi passengers were gone, but previous steamers had brought so many passengers for this booming town that there was no room on the train for more and we saw all the people disconsolately roaming about and mopping their foreheads. They would get off at noon. When in town, we took a ricksha and visited the old Portuguese fort, now used as a prison, found some good photos, visited the market, a queer place containing queer things, and kept and patronized by Natives, Arabs and E. Indians, and were soon ready to return to the ship. There are comparatively few whites. Miss Cameron called at the Bank of India, where British men were at the head, and E. Indian clerks. Thanking our stars that our fate did not lie there, we got back as soon as possible. At four o'clock, Miss C. and I accepted the invitation of Mr. Schneider, a table mate, very young, and went out for a two hours' sail. It was a delightful experience. We turned around a point of land and found ourselves in a big bay surrounded by distant mountains, over which the Uganda Railway passes. The banks were densely covered with cocoanuts. Some interesting people came on board here, a Dr. and wife, young, who had come from Uganda. He had been Dr. in a sleeping sickness camp. The men had been removed from the region of 181 - InterRacial Problems - Report Races Congress; Guide to S. Africa (twice); A Pilgrimage to Jerusalem; Guide to Egypt; Guide to India, The Dop Doctor (an African story of the Bower war); two novels and several magazines and pamphlets - 21 good sized books, mostly octavo, [*more in the list*] [*and the magazines. The Crane of the Congo. In view of the reputation I have of being delicate, I consider the above a fair four months work. Meanwhile the rest has restored my health and strength to a surprising degree. A FEW THINGS TO REMEMBER. The first calico brought to the East Coast was brought by an American ship. It was cut into suitable strips for the wraps the Natives wear and was used as a medium of exchange in the interior. It was called Americani. Now it is brought by German ships and is made in Germany but goes by the old name. Told by American Consul Zanzibar. One of the chief occupations of Durban is whaling - about 1000 whales are caught there each year. Between Maritzburg and Durban, the four hours journey was through fields of pineapple and bananas. We had a drink of fresh coconut in Zanzibar. When used for a drink, the fruit is green. It is not so sweet, and was a palatable, cool and refreshing drink. -182- On Monday, early, Miss C. and I were dressed and ready for shore. As usual at these ports, we took a small row boat with black men for oarsmen and went ashore for a tikkie each (6 cts.). The little trolley pushed by Natives was not to be seen and the sun was blazing and no shade at hand. So we slowly toiled up the hill where we found the cars and entering one we were soon rattling on our course toward the town. On Saturday morning before we were up, our Nairobi passengers were gone, but previous steamers had brought so many passengers for this booming town that there was no room on the train for more and we saw all the people disconsolately roaming about and mopping their foreheads. They would get off at noon. When in town, we took a ricksha and visited the old Portuguese fort, now used as a prison, found some good photos, visited the market, a queer place containing queer things, and kept and patronized by Natives, Arabs and E. Indians, and were soon ready to return to the ship. There are comparatively few whites. Miss Cameron called at the Bank of India, where British men were at the head, and E. Indian clerks. Thanking our stars that our fate did not lie there, we got back as soon as possible. At four o'clock, Miss C. and I accepted the invitation of Mr. Schneider, a table mate, very young, and went out for a two hours' sail. It was a delightful experience. We turned around a point of land and found ourselves in a big bay surrounded by distant mountains, over which the Uganda Railway passes. The banks were densely covered with cocoanuts. Some interesting people came on board here, a Dr. and wife, young, who had come from Uganda. He had been Dr. in a sleeping sickness camp. The men had been removed from the region of -183- the tsetse fly, but cures have not been satisfactory. They were going to England for a six months rest and will then return. Another man has written a book on the Nyassa land. A man, wife and child were returning to West Lake Nyassa from their vacation. He is on a rubber plantation. There are trees which exude the juice which becomes a rubber when exposed to the air, and there are also vines, which put out a juice when cut. The Natives rub this on their skin, where it quickly dries. They rub it off then, and roll it into balls, in which form it is sent to market. These people would travel a month before reaching their home. They got off at Chinde. They would travel by boat up the Zambesi, then the Shire and then overland by hammock to the Lake. These people who came on at Mombasa travelled long distances by hammock, each person having a company of 16, four serving at a time. Two days later we passed C. Guadafin, a cruel, bold, forbidding rock, with no vegetation and a long stretch of yellow sand upon its table top. Here a boat from Australia, bound for England, had been wrecked in a fog a month ago. One boat of passengers was lost, but all the others were picked up. Among those lost was the wife of the young deck steward. His pale, grief-stricken face as we passed the spot, won the sympathy of all. The Natives on the Somali Coast are said to be very cruel, and when wrecks take place there, and it is said this happens once a year, they murder people to get their valuables. Some even say they are Cannibals. The next evening at 5:30 we arrived at Aden, and as usual anchored out from shore, and were soon surrounded by small boats. We decided not to go ashore, as it would be dark so soon. The officers would not allow the numerous merchants -184- to come on deck until late in the evening, and so there was a lively bargaining over the rail, the Blackies sending up their goods on a rope trolley for inspection. They had Smahili baskets, pretty but rather coarse, wild ostrich feathers, cigarettes, etc. What else they had we could not know. Aden is picturesquely situated, or at least Steamer Point is at the foot of a long jagged big rock now owned by Briton, and well protected by guns. Across the narrow channel is another jagged row of rocks or mountains. There was a glorious yellow sunset behind them. These "Narrows" are one of the most picturesque spots I ever saw and certainly a strategic point which Great Britain did well to "gobble." It was a fairly comfortable night, but the next day was hot. There was land on both sides and we passed the town of Mocha. In the afternoon we passed many steamers and we were out of sight of land. The night was fearfully hot. My door on hook, window open with curtains pulled back, electric fan going, and with not even a sheet for cover, enabled me to sleep. To-day is hotter, the hottest day we have yet had. Every one is perspiring and the workers are dripping. They tell us we shall have another hot night and perhaps one more hot day, and then it will be cooler. To-morrow at 8 o'clock, Thursday, Nov. 16th, we stop at the uninteresting Pt. Sudan. We shall stop also for a call at Suez, also uninteresting. We shall arrive in Pt. Said on Saturday evening. This must end my record of the South African trip and other begin. It is only a daily record to refresh my memory and -185- could never be written on the day when events occurred. Nor could it include many interesting details. Signed, Wednesday, November 15, 1911, Carrie Chapman Catt. -186- A few additional card. [*House-Boat Travelling in Africa*] - 187 - Photo [*Top photo caption: Howick Falls - Natal*] Photo [*Bottom photo caption: Pilgrim's Rest - Lydenburg Gold Fields*] - 188 - Photo [*Photo caption: Drakensburg - Natal, showing the "Snowkop"*] Photo [*Photo caption: Sushman's River and Pass - Drakensburg*] Photo [*Photo caption: Camp on the slope of the Drakensburg - Natal*] - 189 - Photo [*Top left photo caption: Chai Chai. Women Bringing Maize from Interior. Mulheres trazendo milho do interior.*] Photo [*Top right photo caption: Lourenco Marques, Mae e Filho. Mother and Daughter.*] Photo [*Bottom photo caption: Chai Chai. Palm-leaf Boat. Bole de Folhas de Palma.*] - 190 - Photo [*Top photo caption: Inhambane Uma Bitonga. Bitonga girl.*] Photo [*Bottom photo caption: Rua Conselheiro Castilho, Beira, Looking North.*] - 191 - Photo Photo Photo - 192 - Photo [*Photo label: Barnett No 64 Copyright*] - 193 - Photo [*Photo caption and label: Zulu's Barnett No 89*] - 194 - Photo [*Photo caption and label: Zulu Warrior Barnett No 43*] - 195 - Photo [*Photo caption and label: Champion Dancers Barnett & Co. 1101*] - 196 - Photo [*Photo caption and label: Matabele Warrior Copyright No. 94 Barnett*] - 197 - Photo [*Photo caption and label: 603 Lang Appie. Matabele Chief. Shot at Mangwa *] - 198 - Photo [*Photo caption and label: Magato Girl No 1116 Barnett*] - 199 - Photo [*Photo caption and label: No 95 Matabele Natives (Copyright) Barnett*] - 200 - Photo [*Photo labels: Copyright 490*] - 201 - [Photo] [Photo inscription] ZULUS SMOKING INSANGO No 40, BARNETT - 202 - [Photo] No 56 BARNETT [A VES E COAS] - 203 - [photo] Transcribed and reviewed by volunteers participating in the By The People project at crowd.loc.gov.