Dundee’s Lost Tales – Buried Treasure
Dundee has many stories too. Like the one about hidden treasure
This past week, the Northern Natal Courier mourned the passing of one our own, Colin Roopnarain.
Though Colin has passed, his legacy remains and his work will live on. One of his pioneering features while at the Courier was Dundee’s Lost Tales, a collection of myths, legends, ghost stories and tall tales that originated or involved Dundee in some way.
Dundee’s Lost Tales was featured weekly in the paper during 2005 and now, in memory of Colin, we are taking it online.
Here’s your first edition, Buried Treasure.
Every person has a story to tell. From the lady at the coffe shop,to the farmer driving his truck, your grandmother, your colleagues and even you. However, all these stories also have a place behind them. Cities, towns and even little motels in the middle of nowhere. In Piet Retief, all businesses and shops are closed from 1-2pm. Legend has it that a resident’s pet lion used to roam the streets during this hour, so naturally everyone locked themselves in.
Dundee has many stories too. Like the one about hidden treasure. A local lad conveyed this story to us. His source? His gran.
About 200 years ago, days before the Boer War, Paul Kruger sent some gold coins to a Boer commando. They would use this to purchase ammunition and supplies for the upcoming battles that they knew would take place. However, after buying these supplies, they found they had quite a lot left over. The General decided to hide some away, and use it when they really needed it. He sent one man to bury the gold up on Mpati mountain.
Weeks later, while the war raged on, he sent word to the man, as the time had come for the gold to be used.
Unfortunately, the man was reported to have died in battle. With no map, or any other way to find the gold, the treasure was lost. However, a few details have since emerged. The gold was apparently buried in a bottle under the tallest tree, near a cave on the mountain.
So, if ever you go hiking up Mpati and see that cave, a little digging might just make you a lot richer.
