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HIGH COMMISSIONER'S OFFICE, JOHANNESBURG
April: 28: 1902
My truly venerable Nan,
(For you have now reached a most mighty age). Many thanks for your last letter. Long before you get this you will have been to Paris and back. I hope you will all have a very good time. I enclose a most pathetic letter from old Taff. I feel very sorry for him. I had a mad letter this week from Sandy Gillon, who is the most faithful of
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correspondents – also a request from Sausage Grieg (do you remember him at Blackstocks') for my help for a brother of his. I sent for Tom Gray the other day from Pretoria and had a talk with him. He is very Peebles, very raw, & most amiable.
What's to be your programme after Paris till your parents return. I gather from Mother's letters that they are heartily sick of it – especially my father. He makes a good traveller, but a bad colonist. The Mhor seems to flourish, but to
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have permanently estranged the affections of his mongoose. I hope to see them all in the next three weeks. I had a letter from Lady Arthur [Russell] at the Cape. I wish I could go to see her; also I want to retrieve my terrier-dog from Mrs Nelson, but I am afraid I shall not have time. At present I am as busy as I know how to be. The lack of a properly organised service here compels me to do all the planning work and most of the detail work as well. I am off to Pretoria again tonight, & back again on Wednesay night. H.E. returns, I hope, next Monday.
There is a prospect of my getting a shooting trip in July with H.E. – up to
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the Waterberg, when there is every variety of buck and a few lions. If I saw a lion I should be in a bonny funk, and surrender at once.
Did you see that poor John Fowler has been killed in the O.R.C. He was a great friend of the Gathorne-Hardys.
Has my book appeared yet? No copy has yet turned up. My Land Settlement Scheme in the 'National Review' seems to be very favourably received at home. Brook has just come back from Rhodes' funeral and gave me a long account of it last night. It seems to have been a most impressive affair. He is buried beside the great Chief Masilikatse. It is quite like Frederic Barbarossa.
With much love to all
Your affectionate brother
John
