earning anything more till I was twenty…seven。 Still I was destined to be called to the English Bar after all； as I hope to tell in due course。
Here I will end my story during the year and a half or so that I was absent from South Africa； and pass on to the sad tale of the Retrocession of the Transvaal。
Chapter 8 OUR LIFE AT NEWCASTLE
H。 R。 H。 and wife sail for Natal — Farm near Transvaal — Maritzburg — Dinner at Government House — Started for Newcastle — Adventures on journey — Hilldrop — Boer revolt — Natal invaded — Majuba and Colley’s death — Work on farm — Royal mission — Sir Hercules Robinson President — Hilldrop let to Sir Hercules and staff — Birth of H。 R。 H。‘s son — President Brand and Sir H。 de Villiers — Retrocession of Transvaal — Popular indignation — Farming — Return home — Mazooku。
My wife and I with two servants； a Norfolk groom of the name of Stephen — I forget his surname — who； a little touched up； appears as Job in my book “She；” and a middle…aged woman named Gibbs who had been my wife’s maid before marriage； three dogs； two parrots； and a “spider” carriage； which was built to my special order in Norwich； left England somewhere towards the end of 1880。 I think that we reached Natal before Christmas； and were greeted with the news of the Bronker’s Spruit massacre； for I can call it by no other name。 In short； we found that the Transvaal was in open rebellion。
It was indeed a pleasant situation。 Newcastle； whither we d