TOWARD5- THE KAN I )

CHAPTER X

HE distance to the border is two-and-a-quarter miles, and the divisional line between Natal and the Transvaal consists simply of a barbed-wire fence. At a spruit in the vicinity, which was formerly also regarded as a sort of boundary, Lord (then Sir Henry) Loch met Mr. Kruger in conference on the Swaziland question. After passing the spruit the train leaves Natal at the furthest limit of its north-western frontier, and enters the Transvaal. A quarter of a mile beyond the border the town of Volksrust is reached, which although without any pretentious buildings is none the less an interesting place.

VOLKSRUST. — The town is small, with a population of nearly 2,000 white Ç Almude - - 5433 feet. "S inhabitants and 1,000 natives. The environs of the '— Dls '" nce " : 308 miles - 1 station are well-kept, also the gardens and surroundings of the neighbouring cottages. The town is nicely laid out with up-to-date streets, and has a good water supply which is carried by gravitation eleven miles distant. A very good view of the surrounding country is obtained from the station. The hotel accommodation is ample if not equal in architectural accomplishments to that of larger towns, and the fare should satisfy the most epicurean taste. It is at once historical and the centre of a big agricultural district; the annual show which is held here, known as the Wakkerstroom Show, is one of the best in the country, and the visitor thereto is at once impressed with the potentialities of the district from a farming standpoint. It is a splendid sheep-rearing country, and is equally good for cattle. There is an extensive business in wool, and while the number of bales dealt with immediately

205