The Bechuanaland Border Police in the Early 'Nineties
| Author | H. Lynn-Stevens |
| DOI | 10.1177/0032258X3100400206 |
| Published date | 01 April 1931 |
| Date | 01 April 1931 |
The
Bechuanaland Border Police in
the Early 'Nineties
By LT.-COL. H.
LYNN-STEVENS,
D.S.O.
(Author
of The Autobiography of a Border Policeman)
IT was nine o'clock on a cold winter morning, when after a
long and tedious trek up from the Cape Colony we reached
Vryburg, the chief town of British Bechuanaland, and made
our way to the recruiting
office
on the outskirts of
the'
dorp ,
to join up.
, Six shillings a day, horses, arms and uniform found,' the
grizzled old corporal in charge told us in answer to our
inquiries-adding
rudely, after he had taken a deliberate look
at
us,-'
and that's a good deal more than either of you will
ever earn.'
But what did we care for his sarcasm !
To
me, after working like a slave on a farm down in the
Old Colony for my bare keep, the sum he namedsounded almost
wastefullyextravagant on the partof the
authorities-they
could
have had my services for half
that-and
Ijumped at it.
When we had taken the oath and signed a paper or two,
the corporal pointed out the men's quarters to us, and told us
that we were free to go over there as soon as we liked.
Fifty yards away, standing in an enclosure marked off
from the surrounding veld by a neat square of white
stones-
subtly reminiscent of the old coast-guard stations at home
-was
the tin-roofed building he had indicated.
The
door stood open invitingly, so we went across and
looked in.
The
room was full of men. Some lay at full
length on canvas stretchers ranged round the
room;
others
sat on kit-boxes busy cleaning arms and saddlery. All were
talking and smoking.
211
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