Racheltjie de Beer

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Rachel de Beer (1831 - 1843) (sometimes known by the diminutive form, Racheltjie) is an Afrikaner heroine, who offered up her life at the age of 12 in order to save that of her brother.

In the winter months of 1843 Rachel was part of a trek from the Orange Free State to the south-eastern Transvaal. During one of their nightly stopovers, the members of the trek realised that a calf, much-beloved by their children, was missing.

A search party was formed, in which Rachel and her six year old brother also took part. However, during the gathering dusk Rachel and her brother got separated from the search party and lost. As the night progressed it got very cold and it started snowing.

Finally, probably realizing that their chances of survival were slim, Rachel found an anthill hollowed out by an aardvark, took off her clothes, put them on her brother and commanded him to get into the hollowed-out anthill. She then laid in front of the opening of the anthill in order to keep out the cold.

The children were found the next morning by the trekking party. Rachel was dead, but her brother had survived.