June 14 Sunday – In East London, Sam the observer noted the native males, as he had done the females with liquid voices back in Bloemfontein. Parsons writes,

Mark was also responsive to the native males, “brimming over with good nature and comradeship and friendliness,” dirty, indolent, superstitious, cheery fellows with savage customs, but capable of supreme moments, like the “naked niggers riding horses into the beautiful surf” at East London. Among their mud huts they were certainly picturesque “savages in long brown blankets,” the juveniles “stark naked,” but tamed by the whites they dwindled into “ex-savages in European garb glibly chattering English,” a pathetic lot.

Worse still were their overlords, the Boers. Whether Mark gazed at them, or heard about their ways, in remote villages, at railway stations, or in capital towns, he felt that they contributed nothing to make life attractive, exciting, or even nostalgic. Their vices were loutish, their virtues depressing. Thus the amiable black was pushed aside by “a white savage,” dirty, indolent, superstitious, brutal, morose, and unamiable. His clothes were ugly in shape and color. He put others to work, then ate, smoked, drowsed, and slept — it would improve things a lot if he never woke up [“Traveler in S.A.” quoting from NB’s 22-3].

Sam’s notebook:

Very heavy sea on, to-night. Our ship [Norham Castle] lies in sight, half a mile away, but we may not be able to get across the bar tomorrow [Parsons, “Traveler in S.A.” 27].