Reize in de binnen-landen van Zuid-Africa

[p. 266]

Journal of a journey to the Saldanha and St Helena bays in the month of may, 1804

ON THE SEVENTEENTH MAY the GOVERNOR, accompanied by his Aide de Camp (W.B.E. Paravicini di Capelli) besides Mr. Hendrik Cloete of Groot Constantia and the young gentleman Jacob van Reenen (eldest son of Johannes Gysbertus), rode at day-break from the capital and breakfasted at Rietvallei before continuing in cloudy weather along the sandy road.

We passed the turn-off leading to the right to the Koebergen and left through the valley of Blaauwberg and the Blaauwberg, which was obscured by the mist. Taking the left-hand road of three that branch off, we came to (De Kleine) Olifants Kop, a farm belonging to (Johannes Hendrik) Munnik.

After a short halt we passed Brakke Kuyl some minutes later, a fine wheat farm belonging to (Dirk Gysbertus) Verwey. Ten minutes further is the freehold farm of De Lange Rug of (Johannes) Coetzee, and an adjoining loan place De Drie Fonteinen which has been joined to it.

We had the midday meal with Coetzee. Mr. (Jan Christiaan) Rabe came to visit the Governor here and had an interview with him.

Departing in the afternoon we followed the main road to Groene Kloofs Post. We saw on our left the government outspan Henkfontein and a road leading over Hartebeestkraal along the shore to Ganze Kraal and on to Saldanha Bay. Further on we passed Papenkuilsfontein, on the right, and the socalled Laatste Stuyver on the left, a piece of government land.

By five o'clock we came to Groene Kloofs Post, a government place leased to the salt-lessee (Willem Ferdinand) Versfeld, son-in-law of Mr. Jacob van Reenen of Ganze Kraal. Both gentlemen were there to greet us. Inspecting this place, the Governor found signs that it had once been fine, but the dwellinghouse and some outbuildings were in a delapidated state.

In a travelling-carriage which Mr. Jacob van Reenen had brought with him, we were taken to Ganze Kraal where we found Mr. van Reenen's family and were received most hospitably. This farm, lying near the sea-shore, is fertile and extensive, producing wheat, barley, rye, etc., having many outbuildings and even a windmill for grinding wheat which was used effectively while there were English troops in Saldanha Bay. Great progress has been made here with the breeding of Spanish (merino) sheep which are looked after with great care and look fine, as do the cattle kept here. There is, however, a lack of labour. We saw also a ram and ewe of the ‘Bengal camel’ (Angora) goat, with very long hair, under which they have beautiful silken wool from which the socalled shawls and neckerchiefs are manufactured.

Friday, 18 May.

Mr. van Reenen very kindly took us in his charette to the

[p. 267]

farm Klaver Vallei of (his brother) Mr. (Sebastiaan Valentyn) van Reenen, from where we rode over the Groene Kloof mountain seeing the government farms lying on both sides: Groote Post, Contreberg, Oranje Fontein and Lange Fontein, where we had our midday meal. A farmer, Jan de Goede, occupies this place but does not seern to prosper.

We next rode to the place called Klipberg, one of the government signal posts. The post-holder (Johannes) Slabber, was not at home. The post lies high up on the mountain and has a wide view over the plain of the Zwartland and towards Groene Kloof and the sea. In the distance we saw several farms, among them that of Gysbert van Reenen.

The Piquetberg and Picqueniers Kloof were to be seen ahead on the left and appeared to be very lofty. By four o'clock we were at Theefontein, of Mr. Jan (Johannes Gysbertus) van Reenen, where a little wheat is won but which is used mainly as a cattle-farm by van Reenen and for horse-breeding.

Saturday, 19 May.

Leaving Theefontein we travelled (westwards) along the sand track to Elandsfontein and Mastenberg (Massenberg) which latter belongs to the widow Hendrik (Oostwald) Laubscher of Roode Blom, where we stopped for the midday meal. Waiting here for our pack-wagons to arrive, we continued to the farm Oostewal (Stompehoek) of Dirk Slabber (younger brother of the post-holder at Klipberg). Here we found the post-holder of Saldanha Bay (Jacobus) Stofberg waiting with three sloops to row us over to the post-house. We admired the Saldanha Bay for its wide expanse, but it is to be regretted that the surrounding land is so barren and dry. The Dutch merchantman De Goede Intentie, Capt. Wessel Wessels, destined for Hout Bay, had been forced by bad weather and a leak she had sprung, to enter the bay and was anchored behind Schaap Island. The bay can contain a large number of ships, even great men-'o-war, but has some shoals which are dry at low-tide.

We saw hardly any game to-day, but hundreds of flamingoes walking over the shoals and sandbanks.

The neatly kept and efficient house of the post-holder is situated right opposite the Stompehoek in a cove near the signal-post called Nieuwe Uitkyk, a high mountain overlooking the whole bay.

Sunday, 20 May.

We undertook a pleasure trip in sloops to the islands. On Schaap Island we shot thirty rabbits, then crossed to the narrow peninsula, which has Riet Bay on the inside and Jutten Bay on the outside, but found no game here. The Governor wrote to the captain of the Dutch vessel ordering him to continue his voyage to Hout Bay.

Monday, 21 May.

We took a walk to the Nieuwe Uitkyk, to the left of the post-holder's house, taking up with us the general map of Saldanha Bay, and we succeeded in determining more accurately on it the situation and relative

[p. 268]

position of places than had been done hitherto. We also received much information on the surrounding mountains and flatter ourselves that the map has thus been materially improved.

In the afternoon we returned in the sloop to Dirk Slabber at the Geitenmelksfontein where we mounted our horses again to go to St Helena Bay. Travelling through a barren part along a sandy road we came after a few hours to the farm Schafplaats (Springfontein) of Hendrik (Anton) Stadler in the ward of Saldanha Bay. Here we dismounted to spend the night. This farm produces barley, but is also suitable for cattle, of which there is a large number. We saw here one of the finest (Angora) rams we have seen in (South) Africa.

Tuesday, 22 May.

Sending off our wagons early, we followed them in the morning mist which cleared towards noon. We were in an arid part and made a detour to visit the so-called Honingklip where there is a farm of Jan (Johannes Tobias) Laubscher. We found here very beautiful cavities in the rock and on top of the rock an artistically formed basin of water. One hour later we came to the Patryzeberg, one of the stony hills from where one overlooks the whole of St Helena Bay. Going around it, we arrived at the cattle-farm (Patryzeberg) of the field-cornet Jacob Laubscher (son of Pieter) where we had the midday meal. We then rode with ex-field-cornet Dirk Slabber who is very familiar with the land in these parts, to the highest point on Patryzeberg where we rectified the map and noted on it the situation of many farms according to the information received from Slabber. We could see the whole St. Helena Bay and noted that it extended deeper inland than shown on the map, but the bay has reefs which prevent ships from anchoring close inshore.

We descended and at dusk rode to the farm Soldaten Post (on the shore of St Helena Bay) where we found our camp pitched. The flagman (signaller) lives in a government building on Jacob Laubscher's farm Patryzeberg, but has to walk half-an-hour to get to his flagpole and an hour from his home to Soldaten Post to find drinking water. It will thus take him half a day to transmit a signal to Saldanha Bay. This will therefore be changed shortly (by moving the flagman to Soldaten Post where he was in the time of the Netherlands East India Company).

Outside and adjoining Soldaten Post, lie two more (half) farms, Duiker Eiland and Davids Fontein, belonging to Jacob Laubscher.

Wednesday, 23 May.

In the company of Mrs. Laubscher we rode along the shore of St Helena Bay to the mouth of the Berg River. The river has a wide estuary and we were told that there are hippopotami to be found in it still. Only a few days before one had attacked a boat in which were children of Jacob Laubscher, imbedding its teeth in it. By noon we arrived at the residence of the field-cornet at (Lange Riet Vallei) on the shore of the Berg River, where we stayed the night.

[p. 269]

Thursday, 24 May.

We stayed here to find the hippopotami. The weather was too cloudy, however, and we had to wait till the afternoon.

Mr. Laubscher showed us an aged slave, more than 120 years old, who had been left to him by his grandfather. Coming unassisted from his little hut, he told us that he was born in Java and had been in this country about a century. He remembered Cape Town when there was only the Castle and a few other buildings, and in St Helena Bay he had helped to set up the Company's beacon (about 1733). Except for weak eye-sight, he was hale and hearty, with a clear memory. He had a son of almost thirty and his wife was fifty. In the life-time of his present owners he had no longer worked, but ate from their table.

We went up the river in the sloop to look for the hippopotami, but found nothing. When the moon had already risen, we came to the farm (Kersefontein) of (Johannes Frederik Kirsten, son of J.F.) on the right bank of the Berg River, where we stopped for a moment. It was quite late when we got back to the farm-house, having found the spoor of the hippopotami on the walk from the bank and heard their roar.

Friday, 25 May.

Taking leave of our kind host, we followed the left bank of the Berg River upstream, passing the cattle-farm Jantjes Kraal of Mr. (Willem Stephanus) van Ryneveld. One hour further on we passed over the farm Hazekraal of Laubscher on the Zout River, which forms the boundary of the Cape District. Following the river we dismounted about noon at Matjesfontein, the farm of field-cornet Theunis (Gerhardus) van Schalkwyk to have the midday meal. He was a prospering farmer, having built a handsome dwelling-house maintained extremely neatly. The Governor here received by courier from Cape Town dispatches which the brig De Arend had brought from Batavia on 23 May.

Having eaten, we rode on past the farm Portugeesch Fontein of (the brothers Johannes Barend and Michiel Christiaan Bester). Some distance further on we passed over that of Jan (Johannes) Visser, son of Floris, called Lange Kuyl, and that of the widow (Pieter) Smit, called (Coenradenberg). By evening we again reached Theefontein of Mr. Jan van Reenen.

Saturday, 26 May.

Departing early we travelled in the mist to Uylekraal of (Coenraad Hendrik) Laubscher and saw on our way to Burgerspost of (Johannes Paulus Eksteen), the farms Vygekraal of the butcher (Johan Nicolaas Gulde), Schildpadkuil of the widow (of Hendrik Oostwald) Laubscher, and Klipfontein of old Jan (Johannes Gysbertus) Franke (the maternal uncle of the Van Reenen brothers).

We had our midday meal on the former Company post, Burgerspost, one of the Groenkloof farms. We then passed Friesche Fontein belonging to a certain Siemsen and lying against the Dassenberg to our right. Early in the afternoon we outspanned on the farm Matjesfontein (Klein Dassenberg) of Jan (Johannes or Christiaan) Rab(i)e at the corner of the Koebergen, a very fertile

[p. 270]

farm and well-watered. The owner appears to be a wealthy man who received us sumptuously. We spent the night here.

Sunday, 27 May.

From this farm we rode on about one and a half hours to that of Nicolaas Mostert (field-cornet of the Koeberg), called the Boterberg (Knolle Vallei) where we found a splendid double-storied dwelling-house with a flat roof, built with very good taste and well-maintained. We concluded that the Koeberg farms were not the worst to be had, and that the owner of this farm must be a man of affluent means.

Riding from here past the Olifants Kop we struck the road by which we had come, at the farm of Jan Munnik, arriving at Riet Vallei by eleven o'clock.

Mr. Hendrik Cloete and Mr. van Reenen took leave of our company here and we continued without delay. Hale and contented with our little journey we entered the barrière of the Castle at noon.