19341212 Soane Cambell to EVC
Rec’d P.O. Mongu
22.1 Barotseland 1935 N. Rhodesia
Dear Mrs. Clay. 12/12/34.
Thank you for your letter of Oct 28th which arrived this mail (yesterday). Incoming mail arrives on Tuesdays & outgoing leaves on Thursdays. The mail boys take 5 days from Mongu , about 130 miles.
I cannot say how glad I am that my letters interest you & are of some use. Anything I can do for Gervas or his people will be not only a great pleasure but a privilege. I can never forget his generosity & kindness to me & to hear that I am of any use to you is a great comfort.
Gervas is off to Mongu for Xmas on Friday (14th Dec.) for Xmas. The P.C., Mr Stokes, asked him to stay with him when he (Mr. S.) was here recently Gervas wanted me to go with him, but, amongst other reasons, most of the people I knew will have left Mongu So I am not going. The Warrington's (D.C. at Kalabo West of Zambezi) asked me to go to them, but it is a long way & would be an expensive journey too. G. is very bucked at the prospect of some Contract [Bridge]. Mr Stokes, Dr. & Mrs Gilbert (whom G. met at Luwingu or somewhere), Mr & Mrs Cottrell (Supt. of Native Education) all play , so he will get plenty.
He will get some tennis too. An awful shock - when he looked at his posh new racket the other day, found several strings broken, apparently eaten thro’ by some insect . Luckily mine is intact so I have made him take that. He is sure to get some snipe & duck shooting too, there are any amount at this time of year in the valley. So I am very glad to think he will have a good time, which he thoroughly deserves as he has done a stout job of work here. The tax is coming in fine & he will get his estimate I think, which, of course, pleases him very much. Mr Hegg's, D.C. Sinanga, is also staying with the P.C. for Xmas. He is one of the same “gang” as Gervas & tho’ G. says H. has “no sense of humour whatever” I think he will be pleased to see him again. G. intended to try & get thro’ to Mongu in his car, but we have had so much rain that he has abandoned the idea, I am glad to say. I am sure he would have had a very tough time , - at this time of year anyway. I expect he will take about 7 days going in & may be away about a month as he will probably do some tax- collecting on his way back.
It is very good & thoughtful of Ralph to send papers so often & we appreciate them immensely. You can imagine what a Godsend papers in a spot like this, where the main excitement is the weekly mail? Mankoya is on the road to nowhere, so we never see any people. Although, during this year we have actually had visits from the P.C., two stock inspectors & the Supt. of Native Education! Still, there is hardly much social life! However, it is a topping Camp & one can usually get the odd pheasant or buck of an evening.
G. has planted a lot of flowers & they are coming up well (at least, most of them) & he has transplanted a lot to some new beds he has made
in front of the house. What with heavy rains, locusts & various ants & insects it is a wonder that any have Survived. The vegetable garden has also suffered very much from all these disabilities too. But we still manage to get a few beans & cabbage leave out of it. I keep putting in seeds & some are coming up pretty well. A lot of broccoli has come up well but there are no “brocks” to be seen yet. The Paw-paws are over, alas, but we have had them for months. Very nice too. Also grenadillas, which are still fruiting, so we are not so badly off. The mango trees are not yet bearing, but we should have some guavas soon. He will get tons of mangoes and probably peaches in Mongu. The latter are small and not very good but are excellent stewed. I think I told you that the wretched garden boy dug up all the tree seeds you so kindly sent which I had carefully planted? The Blighter did This foul deed while we were out on tour. I could have slain him !
Mr. Clay sounds very energetic running with his beagles. I am afraid I could not run very far! It is a pity he cannot have a look at the game in this country. I am sure he would be fascinated. A big herd of Buffaloes is a sight worth seeing, for instance, tho’ a lion in a nasty temper is not so delightful. I saw a
leopard on our last tour, while riding along on the bike, which gave me a very cross look, but went off at a great pace into the bush, somewhat to my relief. I saw 3 lions on one tour, but, except for those we have neither seen nor heard any. The missionaries have, however, poisoned 3 this year. One of the beauties of this District is that one can bike over about two thirds of it, which cannot be done elsewhere in Barotsi on account of the sand. Mongu is on a sand belt & they have to have brick paths to get about on!
I am glad to hear Ralph has passed into the R.A.F. Auxiliary. Perhaps he will be able to fly out here & pay us a visit one day? He should get something a bit more exceiting than grouse to pot at! Tho’ I must confess that I envy him as I have never seen a grouse, except in a Poulterer’s shop! We got a couple of sand grouse on the last tour, which are the same family and a good deal smaller.
Oh, Dear. My apple tree was a Cape Gooseberry! Much to Gervas’ amusement. Not one pip came up! I was very disappointed.
Yes, I had a go at the Buffalo kidney but gave it up after a mouthful or two. Not so good! The tongue was excellent, but the meat was tough. Gervas has got about 40 head this year, which is enough for anyone. We saw a lot of game on the last tour but none of the ones he wanted to shoot. Sable, Kudu, Eland, etc., tho’ we passed thro’ country which held them. He got a Sharpe’s Steinbok with horns of 1¾ inches, which is just good, & as they are rather rare & not often seen,
he is quite pleased about it. We had fresh meat nearly every day, so were lucky. I think we only slew one or two fowls during the whole tour. Pongo & Penguin (father & Son) our t wo dogs, behaved very well, & Penguin, on one occasion, actually pulled down a wounded reed buck ram for Gervas. Penguin & his Pa are small mongrel wired-haired terriers. The ram must have weighed about 130 – 150 lbs, so it was a pretty good effort for such a little chap? Pongo went for a Hartebeeste buck I had dropped & got a nasty wound from its horns in the side. He recovered, however, in a couple of days & was as lively as ever. He is about 8 years old, but is as active as his son, who is about 2. They both have bags of pluck & will tackle anything.
The P.C.’s visit went off very well & Gervas was quite satisfied. He had everything ready & “taped” for the Great Man & there was no hitch. He stayed 4 days. We had a couple of nights at 3-hand Auction & each took 3000 points of the poor man! He (P.C.) stated emphatically that 3-handed was “a rotten game”. I am afraid we were both considerably amused & tho’ we both condoled most politely with him on his “bad luck” we pocketed our winnings with secret glee. Gervas states that if we could play together as partners
at Mongu at Xmas we “should take the trousers off ‘em”. We certainly know one another’s play pretty accurately, having played 2-handed for a year, on & off, now.
Gervas has a big, single story, burnt-brick, tin-roofed, mosquito-proof, cement-floored wide-verandaed house. There are two sets of rooms in it, all very large. Bedrooms, bathrooms, store-rooms, with a big room going the entire width of the house in the middle. This is divided by an arch & we use one part as sitting room & the other as dining room. There are fireplaces In his bedroom & the sitting room. He has all his books in the sitting room & they look very nice as do the pink curtains. It is all very comfortable. The furniture is Govt. property & quite nice. He has a posh enamel long bath, but water has to be carried into it. This doesn’t matter, as there are plenty of boys. His Cook, Musonda, a Wemba native, whom he had at Luwingu, is the best & nicest boy I have ever met, & G. is very lucky to have him. G. treats his boys very well (like a sensible fellow) & they are good servants. Musonda is undoubtedly very fond of G. and looks after him well. A most faithful and intelligent native. He has charge of all the stores, clothes, etc. & does all G.’s packing, ordering of groceries (he tells G. what is wanted, etc.) & is unimpeachably honest. When G. goes on leave & has to find his own clothes & so on, he will “feel the pinch”. I know I always do when I have gone on leave (tho’ I haven’t often done so!) & am always glad to see my boys again.
(Genet or Black-footed Cat)
G. has a tame “Sipa” kitten ^ which he is taking in to Mongu. It’s a pretty little thing & allows one to pick it up & stroke it. Sipas grow to about the size of a small cat. He also has a young Ground Hornbill. A weird bird, which squawks for food most of the day. The Chita disappeared while we were away on the last tour. Perhaps it is as well, as it might have proved a nuisance when full grown. We have had a last run in the car last p.m. to a swampy spot a couple of miles away where we chased a snipe or two about, but did not succeed in hitting them! I shall miss out little runs of an evening. It has been very nice to pop out for an hour after office hours & perhaps get a bird or two. Once we struck a herd of Hartebeests & Gervas got one & we carried home chunks of gory meat tied on to the running boards & mud guards! The dogs know all about the Car & when it starts up, appear hurriedly & hustle in to it & park themselves on the back seat. They love it.
I hope you will be able to read this awful scrawl, that I have told you what you would like to know. My very kindest regards to yourself & Mr. Clay & Ralph & I hope you will have had a merry Xmas & will have a happy
and prosperous New Year.
I am always
very sincerely yours,
J. Soane Cambell.
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