Titia Borcherds

On referring sometimes to his native country, he used to mention how melancholy events had led to his choice of leaving for the Cape. His father was in the mercantile profession, and in good circumstances, when part of his property was suddenly lost by the overflowing of the river Eems during the night ; the grandmother was thus left in reduced circumstances, but from the little she saved the expense of my father's studies were met, and when he was near the completion of his course a fire broke out and deprived her of all. When ordained, he left her then at the age of sixty years and a poor widow, with the view of contributing to her support by seeking foreign employment ; and he was gratified in being enabled to send her from hence some support. But she did not enjoy it long. Many were the narratives and particulars of these melancholy events, and in commu-

nicating them to us in the family circle, my father was at times overwhehiied by the feehng and affection he entertained for his beloved and bereaved mother.

" I left the vehicle and ran with all possible speed to my parental home ; the front stood, but the back part, commonly called the schuur (store), was burnt to the ground ! I ran through the few rooms left and found no human being ; but to my consolation, my small library had escaped, and the room in which I studied had hardly suffered any damage, but a store with cloth and other manufactures, which formed the means of livelihood to my family, was much damaged, and in many spots of the lower part (for the house was double-storied) I saw the

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fire smothering. A deadly silence and solitude prevailed now in the house, which I had left so cheerfully the same morning ; but out of doors the noise was so much the more awful, from the lamentations of the unfortunate sufferers in the neighbourhood, which arose from the burning ruins of their burnt habitations, and the shouting of some hundreds of people working at the fire engines about one hundred yards distant, attempting to arrest the progress of the fire. I also recollect distinctly to have heard the crushing of the gables and other parts of the destroyed buildings ; it was then about ten o'clock at night, and dark ; but beams, burning in full flames, and several other ignited objects, afforded sufficient light to distinguish everything at that scene of misery.

" No person, however, could inform me what had become of my aged mother and family, or those belonging to the household. One ought to have seen such calamity to represent the awful effect it had. Finally, I found her in a bleach-field of one of our neighbours ; I saw a heap of linen, and there sat, solitary and sighing, my aged, beloved, and good mother ; I embraced her with all the cordiality of a deeply sorrow-struck son — but neither of us could speak. Ultimately, she called me by my name, entreated me not to press her arm for she had been bled by a surgeon, hastily, a few moments before, and was apprehensive that the bandage might be loosened. And now I really began to feel the danger which threatened her ; I snatched at a burning piece of wood lying a few yards from us, and saw how the blood was flowing from the wound ; but I was successful in drawing the bandage more tight, and thus her life was saved, whilst I relieved her with a drink of cold water, and afterwards by

strengthening and refreshing draughts and with the assistance of our servant maid, who had meanwhile arrived, I further provided for her."