Voorlooper

From the New York Times Science section.
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2011/10/01/science/earth/forests.html?ref=science

Source OurAmazingPlanet.com, Exploring the wonder and beauty of planet Earth through exclusive news, features and images.

Why did I choose an extinct Dutch word to use for the name of my website? Well,…it sounds cool. It also means something I can identify with. Voorlooper means in the simplest sense a scout or forerunner – someone who is ahead of the pack. It also means someone who is searching for answers, ie. testing new grounds, something also like a scout in an adventurer’s party. It also has a darker meaning of one who brings news of the future, of foreboding or a harbinger. The following is an example of the word being used in a story.

“Yes,” said Sir Henry, “your letter was forwarded to me. You said in it that the gentleman called Neville left Bamangwato at the beginning of May in a wagon with a driver, a voorlooper, and a Kafir hunter called Jim, announcing his intention of trekking if possible as far as Inyati, the extreme trading post in the Matabele country, where he would sell his wagon and proceed on foot.

- From King Solomon’s Mines, by Henry Rider Haggard

That’s enough for now. Welcome to Voorlooper again and don’t forget to stop by once in a while.

Randy