This book tells the turbulent story of the Transvaal from 1884 until 1900 - a period which covers a singularly lurid stretch of South Africa's past. In his remarkably engaging style of writing, Bulpin transports readers back to the rugged Transvaal where gold seemed to be the center of all things. It was a time of adventure in which any man could find his golden bonanza, or die alone with little else than disappointment as company. The fascinating story of the Witwatersrand provides an often hilarious background to a history of events so important that they are still of vital interest to every South African today. The intrigue, corruption and double-crossing which built up like the gathering clouds of an African thunderstorm, eventually leading to the grim climax of the Anglo-Boer War, are described with a wealth of detail and anecdote.