CHAPTER XXVIII.

MISCELLANEOUS HUNTING—SUDDEN CALL FOR HELP—THE LADIES
BESIEGED BY AN AFRICAN CHIEF—FOREIGNERS' MAGIC.

"Shall we call on the ladies to-morrow to ask how they are, or wait until we hear from them?" Harry asked.

"Oh, we'll call on them, of course," responded Jack.

"I think," said I, "that we'll do neither. We won't disturb them by a call, and we won't neglect them by waiting till they send to us."

"Then what do you propose to do?"

"That's very simple," said I: "we'll send our manager over to ask how they are, and if it would please them to have a call from us."

"You're a diplomat of the first water," said Jack, "and have mistaken your vocation. Instead of hunting big game in South Africa, you should be representing your country in a foreign capital, where difficult questions are often arising."

I thanked him for the compliment, and explained that my desires did not run in that direction. I had been offered a diplomatic appointment, which I declined, partly because I had no taste for the life, and partly in consequence of the feeling that I was not fully adequate to the duties of the position. "And speaking of diplomacy," I added, "shall we do any hunting this afternoon?"

As I asked this question Mirogo appeared at the door of our tent and announced a herd of elephants—a small herd—about two miles to the eastward.

"There's the answer to your question." said Harry, as he rose from the table and reached for his rifle.

"Yes, that's the answer," said Jack; "no necessity for any further talking."

In a few minutes we were off for the chase, which I will not describe, as it would be a practical repetition of previous elephant-hunts. We each bagged an animal, and all three were good ones—that is, they had good tusks.

The next day we sent our manager to the ladies' camp. He returned with the report that our friends were pretty well recovered from the shock they had received during the buffalo-chase, and with the statement, by way of postscript, that they would be pleased to see us at any time when we chose to call. They did not think they would go out hunting for the next two or three days, and if we made a visit within that time we would be pretty sure to find them at home.

Needless to say, we made it in our way to call there the next day. We were intending to pursue the buffaloes, and had a cold luncheon with us; but they pressed us so hard that we remained to luncheon, and, in fact, remained so late that we postponed our buffalo-hunt until the following day.

We remained in that region a fortnight and more, dividing our time between hunting the various kinds of game which abounded there, calling every few days at the ladies' camp, and receiving occasional prearranged visits from Mrs. Roberts and Miss Boland about luncheon-time. Needless to say, we became well acquainted, and the acquaintance ripened into friendship, and, in certain quarters, into love. We arranged that the next time we made a move we would go in company and form our camps more nearly together.

I had a large map of South Africa—the best I could find in Durban—and we studied it a good deal to determine where we would next go. We also obtained all the information possible from the natives; but such information, except as concerned the immediate neighborhood, was never reliable and always exaggerated. If you ask a question of a Kafir or a Zulu, and he knows the correct answer, he may possibly give it to you; if he does not know it he will give you the first that his imagination suggests, and he generally endeavors to make it of a pleasing character.

We had about made up our minds to trek for three or four days in an easterly direction; the natives reported an abundance of game there, and their report was confirmed by some of our own people, whom we sent out on a scouting-expedition. They saw several herds of elephants and buffaloes; and as for the divers members of the antelope family, they answered the Irishman's description of the absentee landlords of Ireland: "The country was full of 'em." The question was not fully decided, but was to be at the next meeting of our friends and ourselves.

On the morning of the day when we were to take luncheon together and decide the question, the after-rider of the ladies' expedition came into our camp in great haste with a note, which he brought to me. It was addressed to all three of us by our surnames only, and had evidently been written in great haste. It said, briefly:

"Please come immediately, and bring your Winchesters. We are in peril."

The only signature to the letter was that of Mrs. Roberts. Needless to say, "there was mounting in hot haste," to use the words of Byron, and we went off at a brisk canter in the direction of our friends.

As we neared their camp we saw that it was surrounded by two or three hundred negroes, armed with spears and equipped with shields. Our hearts rose in our mouths, as we feared that our fair friends were prisoners in the hands of the natives.

"What shall we do," said Jack—"ride up slowly and parley with them, or send in our after-rider [who accompanied us] and find out what the trouble is?"

"No," I answered, "we'll ride right in among them, straight up to the wagon and the tent. We'll find out from those who can best tell us."

"Yes, that's the best way," said Harry; "no use parleying with these fellows, or they'll think we're afraid of them."

We rode right on to the kraal, straight up to the wagon and the tent. The natives pushed up against us, and we pushed them vigorously aside, dismounting instantly and giving the reins of our horses to the after-rider. It is proper to say that he was well armed and ready for his share of the fighting in case any occurred.

The manager of the camp came out as we dismounted, pushing his way with some difficulty through the crowd. As I caught sight of him I said:

"Tell the ladies we are here."

He disappeared, returned in a moment, and said they wished us to walk into the tent.

We did not wait for a second invitation, but proceeded there at once. Mrs. Roberts came to the door of the tent and shook our hands convulsively one after the other, repeating several times, "I'm so glad you've come! I'm so glad you've come!"

"What is the matter?" we all asked in a breath.

"The matter is just this," she replied: "Macatese, the chief who owns this land, came here early this morning and demanded to see us. We were both in bed at the time, and sent word to him that he could not be received. He sent back that his time was precious—-as if the time of these natives ever amounted to anything—and he could not wait. We answered that he could see us as soon as we were dressed, and not before. He threatened to come into our tent, and our manager told him he would certainly be shot if he did so, and that any of his followers who invaded our tent would be killed. That seemed to frighten him, and he concluded to wait.

"We dressed as quickly as we could, and then received him. He said we had come into his lands without permission. We told him we didn't know that any permission was required, but if we had violated any of his rules we were willing to pay whatever damage was proper. Then he said that we need not pay anything, but he wanted us at his kraal—he wanted some white wives. His people had reported that two white women were hunting in his territory, and he had decided they must be his wives and form a part of his household."

The three of us stood open-mouthed with astonishment, but only for a moment; I broke the silence by asking where the chief was at that moment.

"He's in the other tent, with two of his followers, the fore-looper, who is acting as interpreter, and Miss Boland. He has been trying all his powers of persuasion to induce us to become his wives; he promises that we shall have authority over all others, and be the queens of the land!"

In spite of her indignation Mrs. Roberts could not help laughing when she reached this point in the story, and I felt a smile endeavoring to spread itself over my face. The idea of two refined, educated Englishwomen becoming the wives of an African chief was about as ridiculous a thing as I ever heard of.

"Realizing our helplessness, we decided to send word to you, and I wrote the very hasty note that you received."

"We are very glad you did so," I replied, "and I think the best thing we can do is to interview this African potentate at once. Please lead the way into the tent where he is."

Mrs. Roberts did as requested, and in a moment we stood in the presence of the chief, or king, as he was pleased to call himself. Miss Boland rose and shook us warmly by the hand, with more composure than Mrs. Roberts had shown when she greeted us. There was reason for this, however, as she had heard us talking outside the tent, and had known for several minutes of our arrival.

I had a little acquaintance with the native language, though not a great deal. It was possible for me to talk in a fragmentary sort of way, and with the aid of the fore-looper I got along very well with his majesty; at all events, I made sure that he understood what I said. My impulse was to begin the conversation very abruptly by ordering him out of the tent and away from the kraal; but the thought arose that diplomacy might be better, and so I greeted him as amiably as was possible for me under the circumstances. He seemed somewhat disconcerted at our appearance, and this gave me an advantage.

I praised his country and the game that we had found in it, and told him we were intending to call on him that very day to pay our hongo, or tribute, for hunting in his dominions. He seemed pleased at the suggestion, and said he would receive us in the afternoon.

I suggested that as his residence was some twelve or fifteen miles away we might defer our visit till the next day, or possibly the day after; to which he assented. Then I invited him to come outside the tent, where I would show him some foreign magic.

The natives all over Africa are great believers in magic, and nowhere more so than in the region where we were. Everything they do not understand is at once attributed to supernatural powers, and it is this belief which has enabled foreigners to penetrate their country to the extent they have. A watch is regarded as a living thing with magical powers, and so is every piece of machinery, whether elaborate or simple. Firearms of all kinds are supposed to be of magical production, and the more effective they are and the more rapidly loaded and fired the greater is the amount of magic they contain. Mrs. Roberts had asked us to bring our Winchesters, with a view to their rapid use in case of actual fighting; I immediately saw, or thought I saw, a use for these weapons that she had not counted upon.

After getting Macatese outside the tent, and also outside the kraal, I called his attention to my rifle, telling him it was the newest magic of the white man. He looked at it in wonderment, and then asked me to fire it. His people meanwhile had gathered around us, and were intently watching the proceedings. There was a large tree about a hundred yards away, and I indicated that as the mark at which I would fire; then I drew the weapon to my shoulder, and fired five shots at the tree as fast as I could pump them out.

The first and second shots did not seem to startle him, as he had seen double-barreled guns fired before; but the third, fourth, and fifth shots were what may be termed, in slang, "corkers." A look of astonishment overspread his face, and if his complexion had permitted I think he would have turned pale! He was one of the most surprised Africans I ever saw.

I paused at the fifth shot, intimating to him that I could go on indefinitely, and then pointed to the weapons of my companions to show that they were of the same sort and of the same magical powers as mine. I further told him that we had a hundred such guns in our wagons (may the Lord forgive me for lying!), and we had a hundred men who could use them. I also averred that we had other things of much greater powers than these, and when we visited his kraal we would exhibit them.

CHAPTER XXIX.

HOW WE DECEIVED THE KING—SOLVING A MATRIMONIAL
PUZZLE—INSPAN AND MOVE SOUTH—OVERTAKEN.

The king shook his head, and I gathered from his remarks that he preferred we should leave our magical appliances at home when we paid him a visit.

After this I led the conversation around to the object of his visit to the ladies' camp. He hesitated somewhat, and did not admit that he came for the purpose of marrying our fair friends, until I plumply asked if what we had heard was true. He then said that he did wish to marry them, and he would make them the greatest ladies of the land.

"But you should give them time to consider it," I said. "You must manage this matter just as it is managed in the country the ladies come from. Is it not so, my friend!"

He reluctantly assented to my proposition, and said that he would give them time to consider.

"Very well," I answered; "go away for a short time, say three or five days, and tell them that you will come back at the end of that period to receive their answer. You can, if you like, leave a few of your men here to watch the camp and see that they do not move away. This will make everything safe for you, and the ladies will have an opportunity to think the matter over; when they have carefully considered it there is no doubt that they will do as you wish."

He hesitated a moment, and then said:

"The white man's words are wisdom; I will leave four of my soldiers here, and will come back in five days."

I called Mrs. Roberts and Miss Boland from their tent, not desiring to have the old blackguard go back there again, and heard him make his statement as just given, through the medium of the interpreter. I nodded to them, and they accepted the proposal at once.

Thereupon the interview ended; the king gathered his followers, detailing four of them to remain at the camp, and told them their duty would be to give him notice of any attempt of the party to move. He was then treated to a good-sized drink of weak brandy and water, and after smacking his lips over it for some ten minutes or so, he departed.

We watched his retiring column as it wound over the plain and off among the hills, and I am sure we all breathed sighs of satisfaction over the fact that we had secured his departure without bloodshed.

As Macatese and his train disappeared Mrs. Roberts invited us into the tent, and the five of us were quickly seated there.

"What shall we do now?" said Mrs. Roberts; and Miss Boland echoed, "What shall we do?"

"Are there any Kafirs among your people whom you can trust implicitly?"

"Yes, I think there are," replied Mrs. Roberts; "but we had better consult our manager on that point."

The manager was called and made one of the conference. In response to my inquiry he said there were several men in their expedition in whom he had as much faith as he could possibly have in a negro.

"Well, what you want to do," I said, "is to get ready to move out of here immediately. But before you make the least preparation for doing so you must intoxicate those four men whom Macatese left; it must be no ordinary intoxication, either—something that will make them thoroughly and completely insensible. As soon as that is accomplished, get up your oxen, inspan, and start for the south. Macatese's dominions end at the Luranga; get across that river just as quick as you can, and then you'll be safe. Tie those men hand and foot, so that if one happens to sober up he can't get away; and don't let one of them leave you till you're safe on the opposite side of the stream."

Mrs. Roberts suggested that they had in their medicine-chest some tincture of opium, which might assist the intoxicating process.

"The very thing!" said Jack. "I was just going to propose to send you some from our camp, and I'm very glad you have it."

The opium was quickly brought, and also a bottle of brandy. Jack had studied medicine a little, and knew more of the use of drugs than either Harry or myself. He prepared what he averred would be a "knock-out" dose for the four men, and then gave it to the manager, with instructions to tell the Kafirs who were to administer it that they must not touch it themselves.

"I'm afraid they might be tempted to take a sip of it," he replied, "and I think I can manage it with my own hands."

He went outside the tent, got into an amiable conversation with the soldiers, and then invited them to take a drink. He poured out a glass for each of them in turn, and then pretended to take one himself. His pretense was one of the prettiest feats of legerdemain on record. In less than fifteen minutes the fellows were very sleepy and concluded they would take a nap. They were accommodated with a comfortable place, and then the work of inspanning and pulling out was pushed with great vigor.

There was no further need of our presence at the ladies' camp. While the process of subduing Macatese's men had been going on we told our friends that we should inspan at once and meet them on the south side of the river. To this end we hastened away to our own kraal as soon as the manager reported that the redoubtable four no longer possessed any powers of observation.

We rode home at full speed, and gave orders to the manager to inspan at once. We packed our rifles and ammunition so as to have them handy in case of trouble, and told the manager to get ready for fighting at a moment's notice. This alarmed him a good deal, and we quieted his fears by saying we did not expect any trouble, but had heard that the natives were quarrelsome and might come about us with hostile intentions.

There was a good moon in the early part of the night, and we told our friends before leaving them that we should trek until midnight at least. We advised them to do the same thing, and also spoke to their manager on the subject. He said he would trek until morning if necessary, but thought if they kept on the road till midnight it would be quite late enough.

We made the best speed we could through the country to the north of the Luranga, deeming it all-important that we should get that river between us and Macatese as soon as we could. We were fearful that some of his people might have lingered behind and witnessed the start of the ladies' expedition. Of course we had to take our chances on that point, but gathered courage from the fact that the four soldiers were left behind to give notice of any movement, and therefore there would be no necessity of any other watch upon the party.

The reader will remember about the hilly country through which we passed to the north of the Luranga, and the troubles we had in traversing it. Some natives who came into our camp offered to show us a much better route through that region than the one by which we came—a route, they said, which was not generally known. We stipulated to give each of them a string of beads and a cotton shirt, provided their statement proved true and the route was as represented, payment to be made on our arrival on the other bank of the river.

We kept up a constant communication with our friends, and as we proceeded our routes converged to bring us to the same point on the river. When we had completed our negotiation with these natives, I sent two of them with a note to Mrs. Roberts, telling her what the men had promised, and advising them to join us the next day. They joined us, and the whole party proceeded in company.

For once we found that the stories of the natives were not exaggerated; they guided us to a valley reaching from the level country to the bottom-land of the river—a valley through which water flowed in the rainy season, or in times of great floods. It was narrow and crooked, but a vast improvement over the hilly route we traveled during our upward journey.

It was near sunset when we reached the Luranga, and our manager said that we had better outspan where we were and wait till morning for the crossing. I vehemently opposed the proposition, and told him we must cross that evening if it took all night to do it. We did not know what would happen, and wanted to be on the safe side of the stream.

With considerable reluctance the manager proceeded to carry out our orders, and the manager of the other party followed his example. The teams were doubled, as at the previous crossing, and one after the other the wagons were taken safely over. We had some personal mishaps, Jack and I getting a good soaking in the river, and Mrs. Roberts faring likewise, in consequence of her horse deciding to lie down and roll when in the middle of the stream. The forward axle of one of our wagons was badly cracked and strained during the crossing, so that a new axle was needed before we could proceed on our journey.

It was long after midnight before we three fellows were able to get to bed. We fell into a sound sleep, and were roused at daybreak by the manager, who said there were a large number of natives on the other side of the stream, shouting and gesticulating violently! Of course we rose at once and dressed in a hurry.

Sure enough, we could see on the other side of the Luranga a party of African warriors to the number of a hundred and more. We went down to the southern bank to parley with them, and you may be sure we took our Winchesters and plenty of ammunition. We also took our fore-looper along to act as interpreter, and after a good deal of parleying and promises of safety we induced two of their number to cross the river, so that we could talk to them. The king was not with the party, and we were not at all sorry that he stayed at home.

The two men who came over the river belonged to his personal staff or ministry, and were rather more intelligent than the average of the tribe. They told us we had been gone two days before the king discovered our departure, and he was greatly puzzled to know why the faithful soldiers whom he had left with us had not informed him; he had not heard from them at all; was very angry at their conduct, and very angry with the ladies and ourselves for leaving his dominions so abruptly.

I explained, through the fore-looper, that the soldiers whom the king left to watch over the ladies' kraal were not in any wise to blame; they had done their duty as far as they could, but we had enchanted them by our magic powers and made it impossible for them to know that the camp had been changed, or anything else. I asserted that we had kept them under that spell of enchantment during our journey to the Luranga, but now that we were safe on the southern bank we should exercise our powers of witchcraft and remove the spell. I promised that the men should join them during the day, but only on condition that the party of warriors then on the north bank should remain where they were.

"If one of you men," said I, "attempts to cross the river we shall exercise the power of our magic guns, and he will be a dead man before he knows it. Our guns are ready, and should we desire to do so we can shoot away the ground on which your people are standing, and leave beneath them a bottomless pit, into which they will fall!"

The fore-looper delivered my words very solemnly, and the envoys were duly impressed with the truth of all I said. They promised that their men should remain exactly where they were until the soldiers who had acted as our escort should be returned to them; then they would go back to their king with any message we desired to send.

I answered that they might as well take the message on the spot, which was, that the ladies could not possibly decide in so short a time as the king allowed them the question as to whether they would be his brides or not. Consequently they had thought it well to leave Macatese's dominions and come to a region where they could deliberate freely and with plenty of time at their command. If they concluded to accept his proposition they would send him a message to that effect as soon as their determination was reached; unless he heard from them he might consider that his proposals were declined.

The envoys repeated the message several times to make sure that they had it correctly; then they recrossed the river, and we saw them no more, except at a distance.

During the course of the day the soldiers whom Macatese had left as a guard were sufficiently sobered up to be sent to their comrades. They had been treated kindly, and also treated often, the manager of the ladies' expedition keeping them well filled with brandy containing a proper proportion of opium, Mrs. Roberts taking great care that the quantity administered to them should not be sufficient to endanger their lives. From the time they were first put to sleep they remained in a stupefied condition, and were carried in the top of the wagon, their hands and feet securely tied, and a guard standing over them, so that escape was impossible.

CHAPTER XXX.

THE LAST HUNT—THREE PROPOSALS—"STILL WATERS RUN
DEEP"—THE END.

As we neared the river their doses of brandy and opium were considerably reduced, so that by the time we had crossed the Luranga they were fairly sobered up. They had been supplied with all they wanted to eat, which was not a great deal; but as they got the opium out of their systems their appetites returned, and before their departure they had an abundant meal of stewed meat and steaks, cooked over the fire. We loaded them with presents—that is, we gave each of them a cotton shirt, three yards of cloth, and two strings of beads—so that they went back to the north side of the river feeling very proud, happy, and rich, though possibly they may have had some misgivings as to the reception which awaited them on their arrival at the king's kraal. The king had a pleasant habit of beheading or strangling those of his people who displeased him, and it was on this account that I impressed the envoys with the idea that the whole affair was due to the white man's magic, and the innocent soldiers were not in the least to blame.

Shortly after the soldiers joined their comrades on the north bank the whole party marched away into the country back of the river and disappeared among the hills. We were fearful that they might attempt a raid upon us during the night, and so, about sunset, we inspanned again and traveled by moonlight until a late hour, a new axle having been made to replace the broken one. We felt sure that the fellows would not proceed far into the region where they did not belong, lest they might encounter some of the soldiers of the king who owned the land, and in that event there would be sure to be a fight.

We trekked on again the next night, and then went into kraal about half a mile from a water-hole, which was the drinking-place of a large number of elephants, buffaloes, elands, and other animals, not to omit lions and leopards. We found a small spring of water close to where we outspanned, sufficient for the use of our party, including the oxen and horses, but not large enough to be a favorite spot with the wild animals when a much greater one was close at hand.

Here we determined to abide for a while, to give our teams a chance to rest after their forced march, and also to do some hunting that would finish the burdens of our wagons. In these up-country excursions the hunter loads his wagons with provisions and trade goods, and as the provisions and goods are used up he fills the space with hides, ivory, karosses, and other things that are marketable in the seaports of the Cape. When his cargo is completed he is ready to return home. By means of the contents of his wagons he pays the expenses of his expedition, and sometimes realizes a handsome profit.

We had some fine hunting in that region, including night-shooting at the drinking-place already mentioned. Our sport was hardly equal to that which Cumming describes in his book, but we had splendid success, take it for all in all, and were well satisfied with it. The asperities of night-shooting were softened on several occasions by the presence of Mrs. Roberts and Miss Boland, who wished to enjoy the sport, and achieved their full share of success in so doing.

We had our wagons pretty nearly filled up, and only a few more hides and tusks were needed to complete the lading. As for the ladies' wagon, it was little more than half filled, and their collection of ivory was considerably smaller than ours. We said nothing about this to our friends, as we all were reluctant to dwell intently on the subject of separation.

One day I was out with Miss Boland in search of elands, giraffes, or any other medium-sized game that came in our way. We were not equipped for elephants or buffaloes, and, as usually happens in such cases, we saw both kinds of animals in goodly numbers. When we saw the elephants Miss Boland said:

"I suppose you'll be riding back to camp now to get your elephant-gun and ammunition?"

"No," I answered, "my enthusiasm for elephants is less than it was."

"Well," she responded, "so is mine. I'm thinking I have had all the elephant and buffalo shooting I care for, and Mrs. Roberts shares my opinion."

"Do you intend to remain much longer in this region?" I asked.

"I think not," was the answer; "I was talking the matter over with Mrs. Roberts last evening, and we are pretty well agreed that when you gentlemen leave us we will start for Walvisch Bay."

I explained that the time of separation was approaching; that our wagons were nearly filled with the articles that a hunter usually brings back from the chase, and in a day or two we would probably inspan and start for Durban.

"Our roads diverge from this point," said Miss Boland, with a sigh.

"Yes, that is true," I replied; "Durban and Walvisch Bay are on opposite sides of South Africa. But the roads may come together again."

"I don't think I understand you quite, Mr. Manson," replied Miss Boland, with a blush rising on her cheek, browned though it was by the sun of Africa.

"I will make my meaning clear in a few words: we have become pretty well acquainted during our sojourn, and I have no hesitation in asking you, Miss Boland, to become my wife. Will you do so?"

If we had been on foot the reader would be justified in surmising that we fell into each other's arms after the usual manner of lovers when one of the most important questions of life is asked; but as we were on horseback in the open plain the scene was varied—our horses edged closely to each other, we clasped our right hands, leaned over in our saddles and exchanged a kiss, and after the kiss was exchanged Miss Boland uttered the single word "Yes."

For some minutes we rode on in silence, our hearts too full for utterance; by and by I spoke, and then the lady responded, and in a little while we were chatting away about as before. We paid very little attention to the game that day, and came back to camp absolutely empty-handed, although we knew there was a short supply of meat for feeding our multitude. The rest of the party rallied us somewhat on our ill success, which I attributed to the shyness of the game, it having been hunted so long, and I added that we would have to pull out of that place within a day or so at the latest.

I should explain that in our homeward ride after the proposal and acceptance it was arranged that Miss Boland would proceed with Mrs. Roberts to Walvisch Bay, and after settling their affairs there she would take the first steamer for Cape Town. I would go with Harry and Jack to Durban, and when all our matters in that place were adjusted I would take the first steamer on that side of the peninsula for Cape Town. There we would meet again, in a city where marriage licenses are easily obtained and clergymen are numerous and fond of earning fees.

My remark about the necessity of moving out from where we were encamped precipitated matters; Jack sought and obtained an opportunity to see Miss Boland alone. I think they took a stroll in the direction of the spring that supplied us with water, under the pretense that they wanted a draft, or at least Jack did, fresh from the ground. Before they returned from the spring Jack had asked Miss Boland to become his wife, to which she had replied that her heart was already pledged to another.

"Not to Harry, is it?" in a tone that evinced considerable anger and jealousy.

"Oh no, not at all," was the reply; "he has never spoken to me on the subject."

"Then it's some fellow back in merry England, I suppose?" Jack retorted. "I don't care who it is, as long as it isn't Harry. But as long as I live," he continued, "you will always have my best wishes, Miss Boland, and my warmest hopes for your happiness."

The young woman expressed herself in similar terms toward her would-be lover, and then changed the subject of conversation, which was broken up altogether when they reached the camp again.

Harry happened to be inside the tent cleaning his rifle during this episode at the spring, and consequently knew nothing about it. After supper, which we took all together under the improvised tent where we held our first luncheon, we chatted awhile about the necessity of breaking up and going in different directions, regretting unanimously the inevitableness of the movement. When we adjourned and escorted the ladies to their tent Harry managed to draw Miss Boland aside, unperceived by either Jack or myself. He went through pretty nearly the same formula as that of the walk to the spring, receiving the same answer that had been given to Jack. He was a good deal crestfallen to find that Miss Boland's heart and hand were already pledged, and fell into the same supposition that her fiancé was somebody in the old country. His satisfaction at this belief was similar to that of Jack, and it would have been cruel to undeceive him, as well as awkward.

It is not often that a young woman has three proposals inside of six hours from three different individuals, and all three good men and true.

We agreed to have another day's hunting and then inspan and trek away, each party in its own direction. Happily for us, a large herd of elands put in its appearance early in the day, and we went in pursuit of them. There were so many of us on horseback that we managed to surround the herd and drive it into a hollow, of whose existence we knew, where a precipitous wall on three sides of an area of a few acres caught the creatures as in a trap. We could have killed the entire herd without difficulty, but we were merciful, and only shot enough to give us a good supply of meat.

True to our agreement, we all inspanned on the following morning and trekked away, the ladies going to the southwest, we to the southeast. We breakfasted together, and the last bottle of champagne was used in drinking health and a safe journey, together with all sorts of good wishes to each and every one of the party. Tears were in all our eyes as we separated, but there were fewer in Harry's, than in those of any of the rest.

The ladies' wagon was ready sooner than were our own wagons, and they pulled out in advance of us. We fired a farewell volley as they departed, and they fired one in return.

"I wonder if we'll ever meet again?" said Harry, with a sigh, as he watched the retreating forms of the two ladies on horseback.

"Perhaps so," said Jack, in a tone of confidence; "the world is small, and the paths of humanity constantly cross each other."

"Yes," I answered, in consonance with Jack, "the world is very small, and the more I live the more I comprehend the correctness of the assertion. Of course life has many chances, but I confidently believe that we have not separated from our friends for all time."

We met with no mishap of consequence during our homeward journey, though we lost several of our oxen and my favorite horse, Brickdust, by the depredations of the lions. We were able to kill enough game to keep the company fairly supplied with provisions, but as we neared the settlements of the Boer farmers we found the game growing very scarce.

By the way, I must not fail to tell of an adventure which befell Harry during this journey. It was after we reached the settlements, and when game was scarce, that Harry pursued a quagga for quite a distance. Night overtook him, and he was not in sight of camp; he knew its general direction, and was riding for it, listening intently for the sound of the signal-guns that we always fired when one was out after dark. He was feeling rather gloomy at having lost his game, and was thinking of the possibilities of being obliged to camp out alone in the open air.

Suddenly his horse snorted, and indicated that there was something ahead. Harry urged him gently forward, and in the little light that remained he made out the forms of two quagga, that seemed to be standing entirely unalarmed in the presence of danger. To make sure work Harry dismounted, and by the quick use of his rifle he brought down both the animals. Then, clinging to his bridle, he went cautiously in the direction of his prizes to examine them. To his horror he discovered that they were horses; one of them was wearing a halter, and the other was fully harnessed. He had been shooting a Dutchman's wagon-team!

At the Tugela River we found such a flood that we were obliged to wait two days for it to subside. Then we went on, and one day, about noon, rolled into Durban with the air of conquering heroes. We sold our hides, ivory, and other things to good advantage, and recouped ourselves fully for our outlay. With our horses and oxen we were less fortunate; it is always the case, the world over, when you want to buy live-stock, nobody wants to sell, and when you want to sell nobody wants to buy, except at an enormous discount. You have the alternative of accepting half the value or of keeping the animals and seeing them perform that wonderful scientific feat of eating their heads off. We chose the former method and sold our stock at auction in the public square of Durban.

After everything had been cleaned up and our settlements made, I inquired for the first steamer that would leave for the Cape. Jack said he thought he would take a run down there, and he was glad that I intended going. Harry was not inclined to make the journey, and said he would stay awhile in Durban and then join another party going up-country. "I'll wait for you fellows," said he, "if you'll cut your Cape visit short, and come back in a reasonable time."

"I don't think I shall be back this way in a hurry," remarked Jack. "The fact is, boys—I don't mind telling it to you now—I'm engaged to Mrs. Roberts! We are to meet at the Cape and be married there."

"The deuce you say!" Harry remarked.

"Yes, actually so; I proposed to her the morning we broke camp, and she accepted!"

There was a pause, which I broke by saying, "Jack and I can be 'best men' for each other, as I'm engaged to Miss Boland, and am to meet her for marriage at the Cape!"

Harry and Jack both gave prolonged whistles as I finished my little story, and after his whistle Harry remarked, "I thought from what she said she was engaged to a fellow in England!"

"So did I," said Jack; "and this quiet, inoffensive, demure old Manson has cut us both out!"

"That he has!" said Harry. "'Still waters run deep!'"

THE END.