One evening I was busy working on the computer in my office cum bedroom container and was interrupted by a knock on the door. I opened the door and found the co-pilot of the helicopter standing outside. He was a friendly guy, and we had regular conversations. His English was much better than that of the rest of the crew. In his hand, he held a book. He handed it to me, saying it was a gift.

Lifting it up, he wanted to know if I had read it. He said he had just finished reading it and found it very interesting.

‘Very much like our Cossacks,’ he said with a smile.

I took the book and looked at the cover. To my surprise, it read ‘De La Rey- Lion of the West: a biography and Johannes Meintjies wrote it. It was a book about a Boer General during the Second Anglo-Boer War (1899-1902) fighting against the British Empire in South Africa.

I felt embarrassed. I knew about General De La Rey, but I have read no book written about him. I thanked the co-pilot for the book. After he left, I sat thinking about the fact that a Russian actually read about a Boer General from South Africa. I felt so guilty that I there and then started reading the book.

I then did a bit of reading about the Russian Cossacks, as the co-pilot mentioned that the Boers were similar to the Cossacks. I found it to be true, as there were a lot of similarities between their and our lifestyles.

The Cossacks were superior horsemen and excellent marksmen. Their kids were taught from a very early age how to handle a rifle and ride a horse. Another similarity was that they were brought up with a strict, grounded religion and believed in Christ.

The Cossacks’ lifestyles were furthermore based on simplicity. They lived on farms.

Giving me the book was a coincidence I will always remember.