The Bush Boys | Page 9

deserts that surround us here in
South Africa.
"I have read a great many books about locusts," continued Hans; "and
now that the Bible has been mentioned, I must say for my part, I know
no account given of these insects so truthful and beautiful as that in the
Bible itself. Shall I read it, papa?"
"By all means, my boy," said the field-cornet, rather pleased at the
request which his son had made, and at the tenor of the conversation.
Little Truey ran into the inner room and brought out an immense
volume bound in gemsbok skin, with a couple of strong brass clasps
upon it to keep it closed. This was the family Bible; and here let me
observe, that a similar book may be found in the house of nearly every
boor, for these Dutch colonists are a Protestant and Bible-loving
people--so much so, that they think nothing of going a hundred miles,
four times in the year, to attend the nacht-maal, or sacramental supper!
What do you think of that?
Hans opened the volume, and turned at once to the book of the prophet
Joel. From the readiness with which he found the passage, it was
evident he was well acquainted with the book he held in his hands.
He read as follows:--
"A day of darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of thick
darkness, as the morning spread upon the mountains; a great people and
a strong: there hath not been ever the like, neither shall be any more

after it, even to the years of many generations. A fire devoureth before
them, and behind them a flame burneth: the land is as the garden of
Eden before them, and behind them a desolate wilderness; yea, and
nothing shall escape them. The appearance of them is as the appearance
of horses; and as horsemen, so shall they run. Like the noise of chariots
on the tops of mountains shall they leap, like the noise of a flame of fire
that devoureth the stubble, as a strong people set in battle array."
"The earth shall quake before them; the heavens shall tremble; the sun
and the moon shall be dark, and the stars shall withdraw their shining."
"How do the beasts groan! the herds of cattle are perplexed, because
they have no pasture; yea, the flocks of sheep are made desolate."
Even the rude Swartboy could perceive the poetic beauty of this
description.
But Swartboy had much to say about the locusts, as well as the inspired
Joel.
Thus spoke Swartboy:--
"Bushman no fear da springhaan. Bushman hab no garden--no
maize--no buckwheat--no nothing for da springhaan to eat. Bushman
eat locust himself--he grow fat on da locust. Ebery thing eat dem dar
springhaan. Ebery thing grow fat in da locust season. Ho! den for dem
springhaan!"
These remarks of Swartboy were true enough. The locusts are eaten by
almost every species of animal known in South Africa. Not only do the
carnivora greedily devour them, but also animals and birds of the game
kind--such as antelopes, partridges, guinea-fowls, bustards, and, strange
to say, the giant of all--the huge elephant--will travel for miles to
overtake a migration of locusts! Domestic fowls, sheep, horses, and
dogs, devour them with equal greediness. Still another strange fact--the
locusts eat one another! If any one of them gets hurt, so as to impede
his progress, the others immediately turn upon him and eat him up!

The Bushmen and other native races of Africa submit the locusts to a
process of cookery before eating them; and during the whole evening
Swartboy had been engaged in preparing the bagful which he had
collected. He "cooked" them thus:--
He first boiled, or rather steamed them, for only a small quantity of
water was put into the pot. This process lasted two hours. They were
then taken out, and allowed to dry; and after that shaken about in a pan,
until all the legs and wings were broken off from the bodies. A
winnowing process--Swartboy's thick lips acting as a fan--was next
gone through; and the legs and wings were thus got rid of. The locusts
were then ready for eating.
A little salt only was required to render them more palatable, when all
present made trial of, and some of the children even liked them. By
many, locusts prepared in this way are considered quite equal to
shrimps!
Sometimes they are pounded when quite dry into a sort of meal, and
with water added to them, are made into a kind of stir-about.
When well dried, they will keep for a long time; and they frequently
form the only store of food, which the poorer natives have to depend
upon for a whole season.
Among many tribes--particularly among those who are not
agricultural--