▁think ▁he ▁ever ▁read ▁a ▁book ▁in ▁his ▁life , ▁including ▁mine ". ▁ ▁As ▁a ▁baby , ▁Smith ▁was ▁sick ▁with ▁c ere br al ▁mal aria ▁for ▁ten ▁days ▁but ▁made ▁a ▁full ▁recovery . ▁He ▁spent ▁the ▁first ▁years ▁of ▁his ▁life ▁on ▁his ▁father ' s ▁cattle ▁ran ch , ▁compr ising ▁ ▁of ▁forest , ▁hills ▁and ▁sav ann ah . ▁On ▁the ▁ran ch ▁his ▁compan ions ▁were ▁the ▁sons ▁of ▁the ▁ran ch ▁workers , ▁small ▁black ▁boys ▁with ▁the ▁same ▁interests ▁and ▁pre occup ations ▁as ▁Smith . ▁With ▁his ▁compan ions ▁he ▁r anged ▁through ▁the ▁bush , ▁h ik ing , ▁hunting , ▁and ▁tra pping ▁birds ▁and ▁small ▁m amm als . ▁His ▁mother ▁read ▁to ▁him ▁every ▁night ▁and ▁later ▁gave ▁him ▁nov els ▁of ▁escape ▁and ▁excitement , ▁which ▁pi qu ed ▁his ▁interest ▁in ▁fiction ; ▁however , ▁his ▁father ▁dis su aded ▁him ▁from ▁purs uing ▁writing . ▁ ▁Education ▁Smith ▁attended ▁board ing ▁school ▁at ▁Cord wall es ▁Pre par atory ▁School ▁in ▁Natal ▁( now ▁K wa Z ulu - N atal ). ▁While ▁in ▁Natal , ▁he ▁continued ▁to ▁be ▁an ▁av id ▁reader ▁and ▁had ▁the ▁good ▁fortune ▁to ▁have ▁an ▁English ▁master ▁who ▁made ▁him ▁his ▁prot ég é ▁and ▁would ▁discuss ▁the ▁books ▁Smith ▁had ▁read ▁that ▁week . ▁Un like ▁Smith ' s ▁father ▁and ▁many ▁others , ▁the ▁English ▁master ▁made ▁it ▁clear ▁to ▁Smith ▁that ▁being ▁a ▁book w