old men sit up facing each other, with their feet
upon the floor, and begin their morning hymn of praise, after which the
house resounded with younger voices from the other end with a similar
song. I do not call to mind any special untidiness at that poor blind
man's house to warrant his sobriquet; my recollections are, on the
contrary, of the happiest, and I mentally called him clean Brits, clean
every whit. In another part of the country I was privileged to meet with
a family, which included a grown-up blind daughter,' who had St. John's
Gospel in raised letters. While reading with her fingers her upturned
face would shine with joy when repeating some of the salient, consoling,
and sustaining verses. And how common are the records among those simple
Boers of happy and triumphant death-bed scenes of old and young,
softening the grief of the bereaved believers. Frivolous education and
advanced surroundings are accountable for a certain waning of the
original habits of serious piety; this is to some extent more the case
among the Cape Colonial and Orange Free State Boers, the declension
appearing greatest with those residing in or in close proximity to
towns. Among the men of exemplary and consistent piety in the Transvaal
are conspicuous: President Krueger, State Secretary Reitz,
Commandant-General Joubert, General Piet Cronje, and others holding
highest positions, and also many of the Volksraad members, including the
late General Kock.

Upon the occasion when the Transvaal Executive, with the assembled
Volksraads, finally determined upon war, and the momentous matter had
been considered of handing over the passports to Mr. Greene, the British
agent, just before signing them, President Krueger was observed occupied
in silent prayer for a few moments, while many of the others bowed their
heads similarly engaged, after which the documents were firmly
completed. When the first commandoes were about to depart for the field,
the President addressed a farewell to the burghers, assuring them that
God's aid could confidently be implored for their just cause; he also
quoted part of the Verse, "Whosoever shall seek to save his life shall
lose it," intending it as an exhortation for the timorous, warning them
of the greater danger incurred by retreat or flight than when
maintaining a manful stand. (The reader will know that the above
quotation does not complete the verse, the rest being, "But whosoever
shall lose his life for my s