To look back upon the past year, and see how little we have striven and to what small purpose: and how often we have been cowardly and hung back, or temerarious and rushed unwisely in; and how every day and all day long we have transgressed the law of kindness;—it may seem a paradox, but in the bitterness of these discoveries, a certain consolation resides.

In the morning sharp eyes would be dilated by tracks surely made by the dreaded Kurdaitcha without his feathered feet. Those prints would be followed back to the tree, where the Kurdaitcha put on his great boots and mounted a bike to go back to Mitford.

A boat, with only caffres in her, having fruit to sell, came off, and we purchased pines, oranges, plantains, guavas, star apples, etc.

For such a strategy to work we needed thousands of contractors to up sticks and leave and I never thought that was going to happen.