2110-1-13-1

TRANSVAAL HOTEL, PIETERSBURG. J. ROBERTS, Proprietor.

Pietersburg, TRANSVAAL.

Jan 4th 1903

My dear old Nan

You must excuse this letter in pencil, but I have just come in from the wilds, and as I am anxious not to miss a mail, I have to take the only means that offer. For the last 5 days I have travelled about 400 miles, partly in trains, partly in wagons, & largely on horseback. I have been over the Woodbush, an elevated plateau in the Zoutpansberg mountains overlooking the low fever country. I have never been in such an earthly Paradise in my life. You mount up tiers of mountain ridges, barren stony places, & then suddenly come on a country like Glenholm. Terrific blue mountains rise to the S, but the country is chiefly little wooded knolls, with exquisite green valleys between. The whole place looks like a collosal nobleman's park laid out by some famous landscape gardener. And when you examine it closely you find it richer than anything you can imagine. The woods are virgin forests – full of superb orchids & ferns, & monkeys, & wild pig, & tiger-cats & bush-buck. The valleys have full clear streams flowing down them, & the water-meadows – well in place of meadow-sweet & buttercups, you have tall blue agapanthus, & huge geraniums, & great beds of arums & tree ferns. The perfume of the place is beyond description. The soil is very rich; the climate misty & invigorating, just like Scotland. I went in the hottest season of the year, & the air was like a Highland June. The place is a plateau with steep precipices falling away on every side. When you get to the edge of my water-meadow you look down 4000 ft to the shimmering

blue plains of the fever country. The land belongs almost wholly to the government & I have an idea of buying a little farm on the edge of the plateau & having it as a kind of African country house, where you could grow every known flower & fruit. I only wish my old father could have seen the place. He would have realised where the Garden of Eden surely was situated.

One day I rode down into the fever country – appalingly hot but very interesting. I slept New Year's Night there in the house of a German called Altenroxel, where I ate the most wonderful tropical fruits & saw a lot of snakes. Yesterday coming home I was nearly done for. I sent all my party out on different routes & arranged to meet my wagons at a certain place. But I somehow missed my wagons, & had to ride straight in here. My horse was dead-beat, the night fatal dark, & I had nothing from 6 on one morning till 1 the next morning, when I got in. I lost my road and was really rather scared for a little. I rode over 70 miles, say the distance from Glasgow to Selkirk, under a blazing sun, without food or drink, & was altogether 14½ hours in the saddle. I had a long good sleep & am perfectly

fresh & well today.

I am rushing back to Pretoria tomorrow to meet Mr Chamberlain. Very many thanks to my kind Mother for the socks, which are a most welcome present, & to the Mhor for "Wee Macgregor", which is amusing in parts.

I shall have my neb kept very close to the grindstone for the next 2 months. But this Woodbush has really fascinated me – a kind of celestial Scotland, and I am very keen to have a bit biggin' of my own in it. I wish I could take you to see it. Hardly anybody knows anything about it. To reach it you sail 5000 miles, travel 1500 in a train & then drive 60 over the worst mountain roads in the world. So it is fairly inaccessible to the tripper from Saturday to Monday. Here is the address of the notepaper of my Woodbush residence.

Station Pietersburg 63 miles

Telegrams " "

Letters Haenertsburg 12 miles

BUCHANSDORP. WOODBUSH.

My mail for the week will be waiting for me when I get back. With much love to all

Your affectionate brother

Jock.