Book Review of With Roberts to Pretoria [Henty]

In England near the close of the nineteenth century, the Harberton family experiences a terrible misfortune when the father's wealth is lost. The father now has to live on the pay of a clergyman's rank instead of on what he had accumulated in the bank. Yorke, the only boy out of four children, quits his schooling for lack of funds, and the family has to get rid of their three horses.

Yorke, not liking being locked up in the house, asks his parents if he can visit his cousin in South Africa, having received an invitation from him a few months earlier. When he receives permission, he leaves at once to find his fortune. Before leaving his father warns him that his uncle's wife is Dutch and that their ranch is in Dutch lands, (it being her father's before her and only being partly Yorke's uncle's.)

Note: You must understand that in the latter part of the nineteenth century the English and the Dutch Boers were at war over the colonies in South Africa and in the last conflict over her the Boers somehow came off higher up on the hog than the English due to an imprudent surrender known as the Majuba Surrender. (The Majuba Surrender no doubt drove the British colonials half crazy.)

On arriving at his uncle's homestead, Yorke soon finds out that Dutch is the language spoken in the house, he and his uncle being the only English in the area. When he asks his uncle if he could teach him to speak Dutch his uncle says that instead of personally teaching Yorke Dutch, he assigns Hans to teach him.. Hans is a Dutch servant of his whom he only keeps on for the sake of the lad's late father. Yorke and Hans soon become fast friends and Hans saves Yorke's life several times throughout the book and vice verse.

Meanwhile, the Boers are making ready for war, smuggling in weapons and ammunition from several countries in Europe. Word of it gets out and soon to the whole country round about the Allnutt place (the Allnutts being Yorke's Aunt and Uncle.) When the Allnutts have company over they usually talk about how the English are whelps and could not stand up to the Boers. Yorke and his English uncle often leave the room when the subject of war comes up to keep themselves from starting a minor one in their house.

One day the Allnutts are having company over and Mrs. Allnutt's cousin Dirck Jansen confronts Yorke saying that the English could not shoot for anything, and challenges him to a shooting contest. Yorke consents and beats the young Boer easily. Dirck not taking to defeat, aims his gun at Yorke and makes to fire, but as he forgot to load his gun only the click of the hammer could be heard, not the resounding crash of a shot being fired off. Before the others get a chance to grab hold of him, Dirck makes to tackle Yorke. However, Yorke being on his toes and undaunted by the oncoming Dutch boy braces himself and gives Dirck a hearty blow in the chin, knocking him senseless to the ground. The other Boers carry Dirck away and give their most earnest apologies to Yorke.

When Mrs. Allnutt hears of this she takes her cousin's side in the matter, and for more than half of the time that Yorke stays with the Allnutts, treats him like he is the offender.

A few months later when Yorke is riding out with Hans to the shooting range Dirck attempts to waylay them. Yorke spies Dirck before the Dutchman can fire at him and jumps off his horse as the bullet intended for him only grazes his forehead. To Dirck, Yorke appears to be dead and aims his gun at Hans. Yorke seeing this, fires at Dirck not aiming to kill him, of course.

Yorke and Hans take Dirck home, and with the evidence they have against him, Mrs. Allnutt finally changes her opinion of Yorke.

Yorke then takes leave of his uncle and moves to the British colonies in South Africa. While there he acquaints himself with many young British officers, so that when the war (which seems to be inevitable) starts, he can ask them where the most use for him would be.

A few months later, Krugger, the Boer General, makes an ultimatum for the British soldiers and colonials, telling them to get out of South Africa. Needless to say the English did not leave, but instead made ready for war.

Yorke, on hearing the news asks one of the officers where a lad like him who could speak dutch like any Boer, would be the most useful. The officer later said that he would see if Col. Pinkerton would take him as a scout.

The Colonel agreeing, Yorke enlists as a scout, his first assignment being to scout out what was before the British army. He was put in command of Hans and dozen Kaffirs, who are South African natives.

Soon Yorke proves himself invaluable when he disguises himself as a Boer and discovers what their intentions are. He also carries dispatches to Kimberly, a town which was completely cut off and surrounded by Boers.

Yorke and his Kaffir companion are on their way back when Yorke falls into a trap made for him by the Boers. As Yorke is being tackled by the Boer sentries he yells to his companion to flee.

And now you'll need to read the book to find out how it ends!