by a kaffir working on his farm” (MR: 104 “Drieka and the Moon”).
Bright, John (1811–89) English politician and orator (CJ: 189 “The Rt. Hon. J. H. Hofmeyr”).
Brink, Annie Doomed lover (OTS: 34 “A Tale Writ in Water”).
Brink, Gerhardina Young woman who is pregnant out of wedlock, daughter of Thys (OTS: 55 “In Church”).
Brink, Stoffel Unsociable son-in-law of Ouma Engelbrecht (OTS: 40 “The Affair at Ysterspruit”). Also the name of the rival of Jan Ockerse and Willem Mostert for the affection of Annie Steyn (MR: 26 “Starlight on the Veld”).
Brits, Detective Sergeant Rather stupid yet cunning detective and tracker who takes it upon himself to warn every white male in Willemsdorp after his superior, Commandant Roelf Kolyn, suggests that he warn contraveners of the Immorality Act before arresting them; Keystone Cop meets stereotypical dim-witted Afrikaner, HCB creates a lot of fun with Brits, but it is a bit of a cheap trick (W: 29).
broeders (Afr.) Brothers; usually used in a religious sense (S&H: 44 “Visitors to Platrand”).
Bronkhorstspruit Town in south-east Transvaal, site of one of the first clashes between Boer and British forces in the First Anglo–Boer War (MR: 74 “Yellow Moepels”; UD: 113 “Funeral Earth”).
Brontë, Charlotte (1816–55) English poet and novelist; eldest of the four Brontë sisters and author of Jane Eyre (1847), originally written under the male pseudonym Currer Bell (VS: 169 “Die Duistere Vers”).
“Brothers, The” (UD: 91) Two very different brothers fight over their inheritance, with tragic consequences. A taut story with no superfluous words that ties up very neatly in the chilling denouement; interesting and rare use of the word ‘native’ instead the usual ‘kaffir’. “They belonged to a sheep district, Tant Alie’s family, and we of the Marico, who were cattle farmers, said that for a sheep farmer it was even a help if his brain was not too sound.”
“Brown Mamba” (MR: 82) On a cattle drive two farmers experience the horrors of the lethal venom of a snake. This is the only story in Mafeking Road told in the third person and not featuring OSL; for explanation and deleted text see also “Notes on the Text” (MR: 144). A chilling treasure, managing to convey how alien it can be for a white man in the African bush; the description of the snake attack and the victim’s experience of it is testament to HCB’s amazing powers of observation and imagination. “The two men took off their hats in silence. There was nothing to be done about it. For in the Marico district death and brown mamba are synonymous terms, and everybody knows that you can’t do very much about death.”
“brown study” Being in a ‘brown study’ refers to absent-mindedness, complete absorption in something else (W: 163).
Browning, Elizabeth Barrett (1806–61) English poet and wife of English dramatic poet Robert Browning (WS: 152 “Elizabeth Barrett Browning”; VS: 180 “The Poetry of Elisabeth Eybers”).
Brummer, Jack Union Party member and mining commissioner; as a former provincial rugby player and because of his position, he is a prominent and influential member of the community; although attractive, his relationship with Lena Cordier is a failure and his relationship with Mavis Clark ends with him proposing almost by default (W: 24).
bucksail Tarpaulin (MR: 97 “The Gramophone”).
“Budget The” (IT: 17) The voorkamer crowd complain about the price of stamps when Oupa Bekker reveals that he discovered the difficulties of working out a budget when he was Minister of Finance. Contains some very funny lines, but the story is not altogether coherent. “But it was hard for me to know how to work out a popular budget, especially as there were only seventeen income-tax payers in the whole of the Republic.”
“Building and Buildings” (CJ: 155) Discourse on space and design, with a medieval aside. Some thought-provoking ideas on architecture that don’t quite add up to a complete article.
buitekamer (Afr.) Lit. ‘outside room’ (UD: 25 “Romaunt of the Smuggler’s Daughter”).
“Bull-calf” (IT: 36) Jurie Steyn complains about the bad behaviour of a hand-reared calf. Clever and witty allegory on raising children the correct way. “I really do believe, sometimes,” he replied, thoughtfully, “that it would be better if I did go and do my post office work in the stable. I get no peace here, in the voorkamer. It is that Duusman. He’s been chewing the mailbags again. It’s a habit I despise in him. But that’s the worst of rearing a bull-calf by hand. I’ve sometimes thought I’ll just give Duusman the voorkamer and I’ll move into the stable. That’s at least one place that Duusman never goes into, anyway. He won’t be seen in a stable – not him. He’s much too stuck-up.”
bully-beef Nickname for tinned corned beef favoured as high-protein rations by armies; the name is derived from the French bœuf bouilli, which means boiled beef (W: 15).
bult (Afr.) Hill, outcrop (MR: 74 “Yellow Moepels”; H: 257 “Neighbourly”).
bun, bit of Reference to homosexual intercourse (CSJ: 69).
bundu Remote, sparsely inhabited area; probably from the Shona word for grasslands – ‘bundo’ (W: 45).
Bunyan, John (1628–88) Nonconformist preacher and writer famous for the religious allegory The Pilgrim’s Progress (1678, 1684); was imprisoned on numerous occasions for not adhering to the doctrine of the established church (L&O: 86 “A Letter from Hades”).
Burgers, Frederik Actor playing the role of Doors Visagie (VS: 163 “A Bushveld Film Comedy”).
Burgers, Magda Pretty daughter of Willem Burgers and object of the young OSL’s misplaced affection (UD: 87 “When the Heart is Eager”).
Burgers, Manie A travelling companion OSL uses as an excuse to get away from Hans Kriel (MR: 113 “Mampoer”).
Burgers, Willem Neighbour of OSL and father of Magda Burgers (UD: 88 “When the Heart is Eager”).
burgher English form for ‘burger’ (Afr.) – citizen, civilian; also has the connotation of ‘genuine and loyal member’ of one of the Boer Republics (S&H: 122 “Great-uncle Joris”).
Burkhardt, Thys Wild and colourful young man who comes between two betrothed lovers and pays for it (S&H: 127 “The Old Potchefstroom Gaol”).
“Bush Telegraph” (UD: 53) OSL laments the passing of an era, the phasing out of the drum signals for the telegraph. One of the funniest stories yet also one of the most poignantly insightful, it contains an ending all the more surprising given its humour. One of the few stories in which the post office is not in someone’s voorkamer. Story is ironically prescient, as at the time of writing trance-like drumming by white city tourists had become quite a popular if somewhat silly pastime in the Marico. “He was very old and his face was wrinkled. I often thought that those wrinkles looked like the kaffir footpaths that go twisting across the length and breadth of Africa, and that you can follow for mile after mile and day after day, and that never come to an end.” (Lionel Abrahams translated the Afrikaans HCB story “Die Kaffertamboer” into English to fashion “The Kaffir Drum” for his edition of Unto Dust (1963); the Anniversary Edition of Unto Dust (2002) took a more purist line, choosing to publish only this earlier version of the story (“Bush Telegraph”), and placing the Afrikaans “Die Kaffertamboer” in Verborge Skatte (2001), on the principle that only authentic, untranslated HCB material should appear.)
Bushman/Bushmen
