Part Two (Early days at Grahamstown)
By Jack Carruthers
We camped on the sand hills near the sea Albert LAWRENCE was one of a party camped close
by. Our walk back to town via the Aylesbury road was on Monday, my brother Arthur two
years my junior could not keep awake, my father & I carried him many a mile in turn
till a farmer lent us a horse to help us in . We reached town after dark.
There were many swimming Dams were the men swam at there leisure, I often plunged in with
them, I could swim across the top of CURRIES Kloof and Cape Corps. Dam. I rember we boys
killing thirteen snakes in a pool near FIDDLERS green.
My swimming often stood me in good stead while pioneering Rhodesia, only a few years back
I won the veterans race at the public baths in Salisbury.
Curries Police.
I rember seeing Curries Police in their dark corduroy clothes with white covered peak
caps, falling in to ride away to the Hottentot rebellion on the Orange river about 1868.
My uncle James HEWITT was the caretaker of Curries Kloof estate.
I picture the store, stables and outbuildings, the powder magazine, old vault, dams etc. A
wire fence enclosed the residence of Sir Walter and Lady CURRIE. Inside the camp were wild
buck, ostriches and crane. At the entrance a Strelitzia lily grew in the hollow of a
sneezewood pole. I remember sneaking away from my aunt's residence late at night,
after seeing a rat looking at me through a hole in the ceiling. The baker in the morning
brought out the comforting news of my safe arrival at home. The same bakers cart BARTLETT
on one occasion taking out bread supply, arrived minus the bread, the flap on the cart had
sprung open on its way out.
Sir Walter CURRIE retired shortly after the death of Lady CURRIE when the formation took
place of the noted F.A.M.P. which did such good work along the frontier of the colony.
Eventually the force merged in to the Cape mounted rifles. A few years back I saw buried
at Sinoia, one of the same CURRIES police, George Paddock (natures gentleman). There are
still a few of the F.A.M.P. living in Rhodesia,
Capt. Sam LEWIS a noted old frontiers man, Mr LOCK hale and hearty also served in the
C.M.R. when we yeomanry went to their relief at Mafeking, Basutoland. I was present at the
battle of the Kalabani when the Grahamstown 1st Yeomanry were killed and helped Fred
BROOKS back to camp the day Sgt. WOOD and the men of the Grahamstown 1st City met there
fate at Lerothodi's village.
I rember my grandfather Sam BOBBETT ( a Crimean commissariat officer, pensioner) fixing
the first ostrich camp out on the Hon. Sam CAWOOD's farm. The first incubators were
made by ROGERS the tinsmith.
With the discovery of diamonds my uncle James HEWITT was one of the first to trek north to
the PARNEIL river diggings on the Vaal, the time of the PARKER and TABB parties.
Eventually pushing on to KHAMA's country and there he carried on trading business. At
Soshang the Matebele came down to settle some dispute with the KHAMA people. With the help
of the traders the situation was saved, KHAMA showed his gratefulness ever after. HEWITT
feeling uncertain about the matter, did not venture in to Matebeleland to trade.
To his surprise a messenger came down from LOBENGULA beseeching him to bring along his
trading wagons. My uncle on second thought, made a hurried trip taking only one wagon for
safety. On his arrival
At Bulawayo he drew up and out spanned. The king sent for him, when the usuall greetings
were over he asked my uncle, "Why have you come with one load ?" he explained
his loss was due to a siege by his warriors & the KHAMA people which delayed his going
south to replenish goods and that he hurried up to show good faith.
The old KING feeling satisfied remarked " you need to stop to trade, tell me what you
have and the value of the goods ?" After a rough calculation LOBENGULA told him to
off load and then paid him out cash and gave him a fresh team of oxen for the journey
back, then drove out sixty head of cattle to compensate the loss his uncle had sustained,
telling him to hurry down country and replenish his goods.
In those days it was three months journey each way.
I rember my uncle exhibiting six wagon loads of Ivory, feathers, kaross, curios etc. on
market square in Port Elizabeth which realised @6000 where he replenished his trading
goods and trekked back to Bechuanaland via Colesburg, Hopetown and Kuruman.
James HEWITT met his fate in 1873 on the Zambezi river above the Victoria Falls. He had
taken or accompanied a party of Missionaries to their destination beyond Lake Ngami. From
there he ventured on to trade, reaching Shesheke on the Zambesi with his two wagons after
a tedious journey. A Matebele Impi was about Marauding and thieving, knowing him as a
trader to Matebeleland they left him unmolested.
Soon after the Barotse people crossed over in their dugouts and in their belief my uncle
had shown the Matebele favour, they murdered him looting everything he possessed.
These were the days of the traders, CHAPMAN, FRANCIS, EDWARDS, FINNAUGHTY, DAVIDSON,
PHILLIPS and FAIRBAIRN, all traders to the greater hinterland.
In 1876 my father sold out his partenership to Philip JONES and trekked up to Somerset
east by wagon.