Day 2 of the Spirits of the West book tour hosted by WordCrafter Press sets out some background to my short story, The Thirstyland Journey. You can find out more about the tours WordCrafter is offering here: https://writingtoberead.com/wc-book-blog-tours-2/
Background
My story, the Thirstyland Journey, is based on the Dorsland Trek (Thirstyland Trek) which is the collective name for a series of treks by groups of Boer (farmer) settlers from modern day South Africa in search of independence from Britain and better living conditions.
The first group of trekkers under the leadership of Gert Alberts set out on the 27th of May 1874. This initial trek was followed by other groups, all taking different routes. The primary destination of the Dorsland trekkers was the Humpata highlands of south-western Angola. In order to get to Angola, the trekkers had to cross large parts of the Kalahari desert in Bechuanaland (now called Botswana) and South West Africa (modern Namibia). The trekkers suffered greatly due to lack of water and it is believed that 3,000 trekkers died during the journey.
Map from Wikipedia here: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dorsland_Trek
Extract from The Thirstyland Journey
“Exhaustion yaps at Elsbet’s heels as she holds Johannes’ hand tightly, helping to pull him along through the deep sand. Her thirst and rash from the prickly heat torture her and not a word passes by her swollen and dry throat. The drifting sand fills her shoes and makes lifting her feet hard work.
After a few hours of walking, one of the Hottentot shepherds lifts his nose and says: “I smell water.” The others all spread out and presently a cry of “Water, here is water,” causes everyone to rush over and see what the Hottentot, Tom, has found. It is water, but only a small amount which had filled a natural rocky depression during the last rainy season and been covered by the drifting sand. Everyone gets to enjoy a few sips of this filtered and cool water. I need more. Two sips is just not enough.
There is not enough to share with the animals and they continue to go without. As they continue walking through the arid environment broken only by the odd patche of scrub, the Hottentots discover similar small pools of water. Elsbet, looks all around carefully, doing her best to spot these water filled depressions but she doesn’t have the sharp eyes of the Hottentots.
When the convoy finally stops, soon after the devil sun starts its march across the bleached sky, the family suck down their allotment of water and pass out into a heavy and unfulfilling sleep. “We need to be extra careful about water,” says Papa.
On the third evening in the desert, Elsbet wakes and rubs her dirty face with dry and flaking hands. Her lips and eyelids are stuck together and she pries them open with her fingers. Aletta and Johannes are in a similar state and she helps them in the same way. Aletta’s small face is pinched and her chubby cheeks seem to have melted away, leaving a skin covered skull with the sharp contours of a much older person. Sheer exhaustion has allowed the children to sleep longer and the sun is already dropping behind the horizon.”
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This excerpt is intense! I could feel the characters’ torturous thirst.
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Oh yes, I think being thirsty is one of the worst experiences. Being so hot you feel like your blood is boiling is also very unpleasant. I felt so much sympathy for these characters when I wrote this story.
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Reading the excerpt reminded me of visiting some desert park in Arizona with my daughter. We started walking, and when I saw the sign board with the flyer that said “Don’t die in the desert” and a skull and crossbones underneath, I returned to the car posthaste.
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I would have returned to the car too, Liz. That is quite scary.
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An excellent excerpt, Robbie. Your writing just gets better and better.
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Thank you, Darlene. That is very kind of you.
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Great post, Robbie. I am proud to have included both of the stories which you wrote in the Spirits of the West anthology. Readers not only get a great story in the western pioneering tradition, but a South African history lesson as well. Thanks for participating in the anthology and in the blog tour. 🙂
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My pleasure, Kaye. I am looking forward to the rest of the tour.
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Reblogged this on Writing to be Read and commented:
Join us for Day 2 of the Spirits of the West book blog tour and learn more about Roberta Eaton Cheadle’s story “The Thirstyland Journey” on the “Roberta Writes” blog site.
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Oh wow! What a history lesson. Thank you so much for sharing and the excerpt is compelling! Best wishes!
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A very intense excerpt, Robbie, and a look into an era of history I’m unfamiliar with. Well done!
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Thank you, Mae. This piece of history was an interesting find for me. I came across the Dorsland [Thirstyland] trek when I was researching my new book. Some of the survivors returned to Mafeking and were involved in the siege of that town.
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those trekkers had to be tough people…
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It was a tough life, Jim. Many died crossing this desert and many more died of tetse fly when they arrived in Namibia.
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and they probably thought the worst was over once they reached Namibia…
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I am sure they did, Jim. It was a very hard life and so many people died.
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I can’t imagine crossing a desert and having to find water.
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I think dying from lack of water must be truly terrible, Denise. A lot of the trekkers died and it is very sad. Many who survived became ill from tetse fly which causes sleeping sickness when they reached Namibia. This is a sad piece of history.
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A long time ago, DH and I were lost in the bush for a weekend with no food or water. The hunger didn’t matter half as much as our thirst. We used pebbles in our mouths to keep saliva forming. I can’t imagine what these poor people endured. Powerful, Robbie.
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Oh Jacquie, what a scary time for you and DH. My sister was lost in the Drakensburg Mountains overnight, with a group of friends, several years ago. Scary stuff. It gets really cold overnight and you can die of exposure. It is the same in the desert.
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Oh, no! I’m glad she came through it safe and sound (I hope)
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She did, thanks Jacquie.
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Bravo to all of the Authors involved!
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Thank you, John.
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More history I knew nothing about. They must have been desperate to make such a journey. (K)
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Hi Kerfe, South African history is not that well known. They wanted to escape the yolk of British rule and unfair taxation policies. Trekking was in the blood of the Afrikaners.
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The United States has a history of people moving west for better opportunities, and I guess it’s probably true of everywhere in the world. I’m not sure I would have the courage. (K)
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You would have felt differently had you lived at that time. A lot of people had horrible lives and were searching for something better.
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I’m sure that’s true. It’s hard to judge now against then.
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Having grown up in the desert and suffered through incredible heat, blisters on the soles of my feet. Yep, I relate to the excerpt and relive my youth again. Well done, Robbie.
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Thank you, Gwen. It is very hot where I live, but it isn’t a desert. I can imagine it is very uncomfortable living under desert conditions for long periods.
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Reblogged this on Pattys World.
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good excerpt – moving
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Thank you, Yvette.
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