by Jaco de Beer
Camelthorn Giants: EXPLORE
Historical Context
Coenraad saw the writing on the wall with the news that Dutch Prince William V accepted British occupation of the Dutch Indies. What he probably never knew or cared about was that Ludwig von Beethoven made his debut as pianist in Vienna, then only 24 years old, or that in the same year 1795, James Swan paid off the entire $2,024,899 in US national debt. What he did care very deeply about was the disturbing news that the United Kingdom conquered Cape Town, South Africa, later in that same year. This rise in influence and strength of the British Empire might even have been the main driver behind his decision to explore the interior of Southern Africa.
The next year they crossed the great Gariep River about the same time the first Indian elephant arrived in United States. By the time they rode around the “Blouberg”, the last of Britain's troops withdrew from the US. If only Coenraad knew, I am sure he would have fired a few shots into the air in support of the American people when they celebrated their first “Independence Day” on the 4th of July 1796.
