I have several copies of this book. Cloete is a renowned South African writer from the 1940’s and 50’s. It is one of the best books I have read about the Boers Great Trek North in 1836. Cloete shows how three great leaders are pitted against one another, Rhodes after the gold, Lobengula chief of the Matabele Nation (was the last great savage tyrant) and Paul Kruger, four Times President of the Transvaal Republic. I found myself suddenly with a different view of a “Rhodes Scholar” and a greater appreciation of what the early Dutch settlers were up against as well as the remnants of the Zulu Nation. Inside the cover is a time map tracing the comparison of the discovery of America and westward expansion and how it coincides in an uncanny way with the Africaners trek Northward. Horses pulled our wagons and oxen pulled theirs.....
It is a great read and for those who love finding a hidden “gem” in the dusty shelves of a library...this is it!
It is a great read and for those who love finding a hidden “gem” in the dusty shelves of a library...this is it!
