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diff --git a/old/42767.txt b/old/42767.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7fc83b6..0000000 --- a/old/42767.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8216 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Home Life on an Ostrich Farm, by Annie Martin - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Home Life on an Ostrich Farm - -Author: Annie Martin - -Release Date: May 22, 2013 [EBook #42767] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM *** - - - - -Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - - - - - -HOME LIFE - -ON AN OSTRICH FARM. - -[Illustration: TROOP OF OSTRICHES, AND CART WITH PRICKLY-PEAR -LEAVES FOR FOOD.] - - - - -HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM - - -By - -ANNIE MARTIN - - -_WITH TEN ILLUSTRATIONS_ - - -NEW YORK -D. APPLETON AND COMPANY -1891 - -_Authorized Edition._ - - - - -To T. M. - -IN REMEMBRANCE OF OUR SOUTH AFRICAN LIFE. - - - - -PREFACE. - - -Some portions of the chapters on "Ostriches" and "Bobby" have already -appeared, in an abridged form, in the Saturday _Review_. Part of the -chapter on "The Climate of the Karroo" has also appeared in the _St. -James's Gazette_. - -By the kind permission of the editors of both papers I am now enabled -to reprint these pages. - - A. M. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - PAGE - -CHAPTER I. - -PORT ELIZABETH AND WALMER. - -Early ambitions realized--Voyage to South Africa--Cape Town -and Wynberg--Profusion of flowers--Port Elizabeth--Christmas -decorations--Public library--Malays--Walmer--Hottentot huts--Our -little house--Pretty gardens--Honey-suckers--Flowers of Walmer -Common--Wax-creeper--Ixias--Scarlet heath--Natal lilies-- -"Upholstery flower"--Ticks--Commence ostrich-farming--Counting -the birds--A ride after an ostrich 9 - - -CHAPTER II. - -SOME OF OUR PETS. - -Friendliness of South African birds and beasts--Our secretary -bird--Ungainly appearance of Jacob--His queer ways--Tragic fate of -a kitten--A persecuted fowl--Our Dikkops--A baby buffalo--Wounded -buffalo more dangerous than lion--A lucky stumble--Hunter attacked -by "rogue" buffalo--A midnight ride--Followed by a lion--Toto--A -pugnacious goose--South African climate dangerous to imported -dogs--Toto and the crows--Animals offered by Moors in exchange -for Toto 25 - - -CHAPTER III. - -PLANTS OF THE KARROO. - -We move up-country--Situation of farm--Strange vegetation of -Karroo district--Karroo plant--Fei-bosch--Brack-bosch--Our -flowers--Spekboom--Bitter aloes--Thorny plants--Wacht-een-Beetje ---Ostriches killed by prickly pear--Finger-poll--Wild tobacco -fatal to ostriches--Carelessness of colonists--Euphorbias-- -Candle-bush 46 - - -CHAPTER IV. - -OUR LITTLE HOME. - -Building operations--A plucking--Ugliness of Cape houses--Our -rooms--Fountain in sitting-room a failure--Drowned pets-- -Decoration of rooms--Colonist must be Jack-of-all-trades--Cape -waggons--Shooting expeditions--Strange tale told by Boer 61 - - -CHAPTER V. - -CLIMATE OF THE KARROO. - -Cape Colony much abused--Healthy climate--Wonderful cures of -consumption--Karroo a good place for sanatorium--Rarity of illness -and accidents--The young colonist--An independent infant--Long -droughts--Hot winds--Dust storms--Dams--Advantage of possessing -good wells--Partiality of thunderstorms--Delights of a brack -roof--Washed out of bed--After the rain--Our horses--Effects of -rain indoors--_Opslaag_--The Cape winter--What to wear on Karroo -farms 72 - - -CHAPTER VI. - -OSTRICHES. - -An unwilling ride--First sight of an ostrich farm--Ridiculous -mistakes about ostriches--Decreased value of birds and feathers ---Chicks--Plumage of ostriches--A frightened ostrich--The -plucking-box--Sorting feathers--Voice of the ostrich--Savage -birds--"Not afraid of a dicky-bird!"--Quelling an ostrich--Birds -killed by men in self-defence--Nests--An undutiful hen--Darby and -Joan--A disconsolate widower--A hen-pecked husband--Too much -zeal--Jackie--Cooling the eggs--The white-necked crow--Poisoning -jackals--Ostrich eggs in the kitchen--A quaint old writer on -ostriches--A suppliant bird--Nest destroyed by enraged ostrich--An -old bachelor 98 - - -CHAPTER VII. - -OSTRICHES (_continued_). - -Vagaries of an incubator--Hatching the chicks--A bad egg--Human -foster mothers--Chicks difficult to rear--"Yellow-liver"--Cruel -boys--Chicks herded by hen ostrich--Visit to Boer's house--A -carriage full of ostriches--"The melancholy Jaques"--Ostriches at -sea--A stampede--Runaway birds--Branding--Stupidity of ostriches ---Accidents--Waltzing and fighting--Ostrich soup--An expensive -quince--A feathered Tantalus--Strange things swallowed by ostriches ---A court-martial--The ostrich, or the diamond?--A visit to the -Zoo 130 - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -MEERKATS. - -Meerkats plentiful in the Karroo--Their appearance--Intelligence-- -Fearlessness--Friendship for dogs--A meerkat in England--Meerkat an -inveterate thief--An owl in Tangier--Taming full-grown meerkat-- -Tiny twins--A sad accident--Different characters of meerkats--The -turkey-herd--Bob and the meerkat--"The Mouse" 157 - - -CHAPTER IX. - -BOBBY. - -Bobby's babyhood--Insatiable appetite--Variety of noises made by -Bobby--His tameness--Narrow escape from drowning--A warlike -head-gear--Bobby the worse for drink--His love of mischief--He -disarms his master--Meerkat persecuted by Bobby--Bobby takes to -dishonest ways--He becomes a prisoner--His clever tricks--Death -of Bobby 170 - - -CHAPTER X. - -OUR SERVANTS. - -A retrospective vision--Phillis in her domain--Her destructiveness ---Her ideas on personal adornment--The woes of a mistress-- -Eye-service--Abrupt departure of Phillis--Left in the lurch--Nancy -and her successors--Cure of sham sickness--The thief's dose--Our -ostrich-herd--A bride purchased with cows--English and natives at -the Cape--Character of Zulus and Kaffirs 182 - - -CHAPTER XI. - -HOW WE FARED. - -Angora goats--Difficulty of keeping meat--The plague of flies-- -Rations--Our store--Barter--Fowls--Chasing a dinner--Fowls -difficult to rear--Secretary birds as guardians of the poultry-yard ---Jacob in the Karroo--He comes down in the world--He dies-- -Antelopes--A springbok hunt--The Queen's birthday in the -Karroo--Colonial dances--Our klipspringer--Superstition about -hares--Game birds--_Paauw_--_Knorhaan_--Namaqua partridges-- -Porcupines--A short-lived pet--Indian corn--Stamped mealies-- -Whole-meal bread--Plant used for making bread rise--Substitutes -for butter--_Priembesjes_--A useful tree--Wild honey--The -honey-bird--Enemies of bees--Moth in bees' nests--Good coffee ---Sour milk 203 - - -CHAPTER XII. - -KARROO BEASTS, BIRDS AND REPTILES. - -Leopard drowned in well--Baboons--Egyptian sacred animals on Cape -farms--"Adonis"--A humiliating retreat--A baby baboon--Clever -tricks performed by baboons--Adonis as a _Voorlooper_--A -four-handed pointsman--Sarah--A baboon at the Diamond Fields-- -Adonis's shower-bath--His love of stimulants--His revengeful -disposition--Pelops the dog-headed--Horus--_Aasvogels_-- -Goat-sucker--The butcher-bird's larder--Nest of the golden oriole ---The kapok-bird--Snakes in houses--A puff-adder under a pillow ---Puff-adder most dangerous of Cape snakes--Cobras--_Schaapsticker_ ---Ugly house-lizards--Dassie-adder--The dassie the coney of -Scripture--Stung by a scorpion--Fight between tarantula and -centipede--Destructive ants--The _Aardvaark_, or ant-bear-- -Ignominious flight of a sentry--Ant-lion--Walking-leaves--The -Hottentot god--A mantis at a picnic 237 - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -OUR NEIGHBOURS. - -Hospitality of Cape colonists--Cheating and jealousy in business ---Comfortless homes--Spoilt children--Education--The "Schoolmaster" ---Convent schools--A priest-ridden nation--The _Nachtmaal_-- -Old French names--A South African duke in Paris--Fine-looking -men--Fat women--Ignorance of _Vrouws_--Boers unfriendly to -English--A mean man 266 - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -GOOD-BYE. - -Recalled to England--Regrets and farewells--Cape horses lacking in -intelligence--"Old Martin"--A chapter of accidents--A horse "after -Velasquez"--The Spy's revenge--Virtues and faults of Cape horses-- -Horse-sickness--Good-bye to Swaylands--Kaffir crane--The voyage -home--Dogs in durance--St. Helena--A visit to Longwood--Home -again 277 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. - - - I. Troop of Ostriches and Cart, with Prickly-Pear Leaves for -food _Frontispiece._ - - II. 1. Jacob. 2. Toto _Facing page_ 26 - - III. Some of the best kinds of Ostrich-bush:-- - 1. Brack-bosch. - 2. Ghanna. - 3. Fei-bosch. " 48 - - IV. Our Sitting-room " 66 - - V. Ostriches in a Hot Wind " 80 - - VI. Ostrich-chicks " 104 - - VII. 1. Ostrich-chick (Photographed from case in Stanley - and African Exhibition) - 2. Ostriches meditating Escape through defective - fence " 150 - -VIII. A Meerkat " 158 - - - - -HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -PORT ELIZABETH AND WALMER. - -Early ambitions realized--Voyage to South Africa--Cape Town and -Wynberg--Profusion of flowers--Port Elizabeth--Christmas decorations ---Public library--Malays--Walmer--Hottentot huts--Our little house-- -Pretty gardens--Honey-suckers--Flowers of Walmer Common--Wax-creeper ---Ixias--Scarlet heath--Natal lilies--"Upholstery flower"--Ticks-- -Commence ostrich-farming--Counting the birds--A ride after an ostrich. - - -In the year 1881, leaving our native land wrapped in the cold fogs of -November, my husband and I started for South Africa; where it was the -intention of the former to resume the occupation of ostrich-farming, -engaged in which he had already spent many years in the Cape Colony. It -was my first visit to South Africa, and I was looking forward with -great pleasure to the realization of a very early wish; for the -adventures of settlers in far-off lands had always from childhood been -my favourite reading, and I had become firmly convinced that a colonial -life would suit me better than any other. Nor have I been disappointed; -but, looking back now on our life in South Africa, I can truthfully say -that, though certainly lacking in adventure, it has--unlike many things -long wished for and attained at last--in no way fallen short of my -expectations. - -The few hours we spent at Madeira were unfortunately during the night; -and the beautiful island I was so longing to see remained hidden from -view in a most tantalizing manner, without even the moonlight to give -us some faint outline of its far-famed loveliness. - -After a safe, but most uneventful voyage, enlivened by no more stirring -incidents than the occasional breaking down of the engines, we at last -looked up at the glories of Table Mountain, and came suddenly into -summer; enjoying the flowers and bright sunshine of Cape Town all the -more after the dreary weather we had left in England. We landed, and -spent a few very pleasant days at the pretty suburb of Wynberg, from -whence we took several beautiful drives. On one occasion we left the -carriage, and walked over such a carpet of lovely and bright-coloured -wild flowers as I have only once seen equalled, when riding some years -before through Palestine and Syria. At the end of five minutes we -stopped, and counted all the different sorts we had gathered, finding -twenty-eight. - -Another day we collected a number of leaves of the silver tree, which -is found only on Table Mountain. The long, pointed leaves seem made of -the glossiest pale-grey satin; you can write and paint on their soft -surface, and numbers of them are for sale in the Cape Town shops, -adorned with highly-coloured pictures of Table Mountain, steamers going -at full speed, groups of flowers, Christmas good wishes, etc. We -preferred, however, when enclosing the leaves in our letters home, to -send them in all their native beauty, and with no clumsy human attempts -at improvement. - -The beautiful plumbago is one of the most common plants, and many of -the hedges about Wynberg consist entirely of it; the masses of its -delicate blue-grey flowers forming as graceful a setting for the -pretty, neatly-kept gardens as can well be imagined. - -We were quite sorry when the time came for going back to our steamer, -Port Elizabeth being our destination. We landed there a few days -before Christmas; and, soon after our arrival, walked out to Walmer -to call on friends, whom we found busily engaged in decorating the -little church. Their materials consisted simply of magnificent blue -water-lilies--evidently the sacred blue lotus of the ancient Egyptians, -with the sculptured representations of which they are identical--and -large, pure white arums, or, as the colonists unromantically call them, -"pig-lilies;" both being among the commonest of wild flowers about -Walmer. These, with a few large fern-fronds, and the arum's own glossy -leaves, formed the loveliest Christmas decoration I have ever seen. - -There is not much to see in Port Elizabeth; indeed, it is rather uglier -than the generality of colonial towns, built simply for business, and -with no thought of the picturesque--and what few attempts at ornament -have been made are rather disfiguring than otherwise. On a bare hill -above the town there is a conspicuous monument, the builders of which -appear to have been long undecided as to whether it should be a small -pyramid or large obelisk; the result being an ugly compromise between -the two. Another work of art, more nearly approaching the obelisk form, -but equally far from the Egyptian model both in its shape and in the -designs which decorate it, stands in the market-place, in front of the -town hall. This latter was by far the best-looking building in Port -Elizabeth, until, a few years ago, its appearance was completely spoilt -by the addition of an ugly and ponderous clock-tower, quite out of -proportion to the rest of the structure, which it seems threatening to -crush with its overpowering size and weight. The interior of the town -hall, however, compensates for its outward deficiencies; for it -contains a most excellent public library, plentifully supplied with -books of all kinds, newspapers, and magazines, in two comfortable and -well-arranged rooms. It would be well indeed if England would take a -lesson from the Cape Colony in this respect; for in all the smaller -towns which we visited, _i.e._, Cradock, Graaff-Reinet, Uitenhage, -etc., we found good public libraries. There is a good club in Port -Elizabeth, and several hotels, all of which we have tried at different -times, finding the Standard (Main Street), though small and of -unpretending exterior, by far the most comfortable. A little way out of -the town there is a very good botanical garden, with a large -conservatory, containing many beautiful palms, tree-ferns, and other -tropical plants. - -The Malays are the most picturesque feature of Port Elizabeth; and -their bright-coloured Eastern dresses, and the monotonous chant of the -priest announcing the hours of prayer from the minaret of the mosque, -form a pleasing contrast to the surrounding everyday sights and sounds. -Like most other Orientals, they are perfect artists in their -appreciation of colour; and, fortunately, they are still old-fashioned -enough not yet to have adopted the hideous coal-tar dyes with which -Europe has demoralized the taste of some of their brethren in Cairo and -Algiers. On Fridays, when all are wearing their best, you often see the -most beautiful materials, and the loveliest combinations of colour; -especially in the flowing robes of the priests, the tints of which -always harmonize perfectly. Thus, for instance, you will see an outer -garment of turquoise blue, worn over an inner one of "old gold;" -delicate salmon colour over soft creamy white; rich orange in -combination with the deepest maroon; with an infinite variety of other -lovely tints, any of which a painter might covet for his studio. The -Malays often wear as turbans some of the beautiful _sarongs_ of Java, -which are simply ordinary calico, painted by hand with a few good -colours, and in the most artistic designs; of course there are never -two alike, and in these days of machine-made sameness they are -refreshing to behold. Some of the men wear immense hats, made of palm -leaves very firmly and solidly plaited, and tapering to a point; they -are made to fit the head by means of a small crown fixed inside, very -like that of a college cap. - -The Malay women, instead of gliding about veiled to the eyes, like -their Mohammedan sisters in other parts of the world, wear the quaint -costume which was the fashion among the Dutch women at the time when -the Malay race first came as slaves to the Cape. The waist of the dress -is extremely short; and the long and voluminous skirts, of which an -infinite number seem to be worn, commence close under the arms, -spreading out, stiffly starched and spotlessly clean, to dimensions -rivalling those of the old hooped petticoats. The good-natured brown -faces are most unbecomingly framed by bright-coloured silk -handkerchiefs tightly bound under the chin, somewhat after the fashion -of the Algerian Jewesses--giving the wearers an appearance of perpetual -toothache. Many of the women wear noisy wooden clogs; kept from parting -company with the bare feet by nothing but a kind of large button, -curiously ornamented, projecting between the two first toes. - -In the early days of slavery, when the Malays were brought up in the -Dutch families, nearly all were Christians; and even so recently as -when Sir Bartle Frere was governor there were comparatively few among -them who could read the Koran. During the last few years, however, -Mohammedanism has been rapidly gaining ground everywhere--the great -university of El Azhar in Cairo, especially, training thousands of -students to go out as emissaries into all parts of the East to make -converts--and the Malays, in constantly increasing numbers, are -embracing the creed of Islam. Many of them now save up their money for -the pilgrimage to Mecca, which is their great ambition. They are very -ignorant; and their Mohammedan fatalism, prejudicing them against all -sanitary precautions--especially vaccination--adds very much to the -difficulty of contending with small-pox and other epidemics when they -appear. In 1882, when there was so severe an outbreak of small-pox in -Cape Town and other parts of the colony, the Malays not only opposed -all attempts made by the authorities to isolate cases, but did all in -their power to spread the disease; many of them being found throwing -infected clothing into houses. - -After staying about a week in the town, we went out to live at Walmer, -which is by far the pleasantest part of all the surroundings of Port -Elizabeth, and which deserves to be more generally chosen as a -residence by the wealthier inhabitants. It stands high, in a most -healthy situation, and full in the path of that rough but benevolent -south-east wind, which, owing to its kindly property of sweeping away -the germs of disease, is called "the Cape doctor." Away beyond Walmer -stretch miles of undulating common, covered with short bush and -numberless varieties of wild flowers; and a breezy walk across part of -this same common leads to Port Elizabeth. The walk is rather a long -one; and often, before the arrival of our little "spider" from America, -it would have been a comfort, after a long day in town, to avail -ourselves of one of the numerous hired carriages for the return -journey, were not the drivers of these vehicles so exorbitant in their -charges as almost to rival those of New York. They demand ten shillings -for the drive to Walmer, taking the passenger only one way; and this -too often in a vehicle so near the last stage of dilapidation as to -suggest fears of the final collapse occurring on the road. The -importunity of the drivers is most troublesome; and when, in spite of -their efforts, you remain obdurate, and they fail to secure you as a -"fare," they do their best to run over you, hoping no doubt that they -may thus at least have a chance of driving you to the hospital. Their -cab-stand, where, like a row of vultures, they sit waiting for their -prey, is on the market-place; and as you cross the latter, bound for -the reading-room, with ears deaf to their shouts, and eyes resolutely -fixed on the door of the town hall, leaving no doubt as to your -intention _not_ to take a drive, the whole rank move forward in a -simultaneous charge; pursuing and surrounding you with artful strategic -movements and demoniac cries, and with so evident an intention to knock -you down if possible, that when at last you stand safe on the town hall -steps, you realize the feelings of Tam O'Shanter on gaining "the -keystane of the brig." - -On the common, about half-way between Port Elizabeth and Walmer, there -is a little group of Hottentot huts, shaped like large bee-hives, and -made of the strangest building-material I ever saw, _i.e._, a thick -mass of the oldest and filthiest rags imaginable. How they hold -together has always been a mystery to me; for they flap and flutter -ominously in the almost incessant wind, and seem threatening to wing -their way across the common and invade the verandahs and gardens of -Walmer. Although I have ventured into a good many queer human -habitations in different parts of the world, I have never felt inclined -to explore the interior of one of these huts, which look as forbidding -as their ugly, yellow-skinned inmates. There is no window, no proper -outlet for smoke, no room for any one of average figure to stand -upright, and the hole which serves as a door is much too low for any -more dignified entrance than on all fours--an attitude which, though -quite worth while when threading the passages of the Great Pyramid, -would hardly be repaid by the sight of the Hottentot in his home; and -by the possible acquaintance of creeping, crawling and hopping legions. -Numbers of dirty, monkey-like children, and ugly, aggressive dogs of -the pariah type, swarm round these huts; the dogs often taking the -trouble to pursue the passer-by a long distance on his way, irritating -his horse and himself by their clamour, and always keeping just out of -reach of the whip. - -With the exception of the few remaining Bushmen, the Hottentots are the -ugliest and most degraded of all the South African natives. The Kaffirs -are much pleasanter to look at, some of the young girls being rather -nice-looking, with graceful figures, on which blankets of a beautiful -artistic terra-cotta colour are draped in folds worthy of an Arab -_burnous_. Occasionally some of the red ochre with which the blankets -are coloured is daubed over the face and head, the effect being rather -startling. The slender, bronze-like arms are often completely hidden -from wrist to elbow by a long spirally-twisted brass wire, looking like -a succession of the thinnest bangles quite close together. - -We found a comfortable little furnished house at Walmer, in which we -spent the first five months after our arrival. It was just a convenient -size for our small party, consisting, besides my husband and myself, of -our two English servants, and Toto, a beautiful collie. The rooms were -all on the ground floor; shaded, and indeed almost darkened, by a broad -verandah running the whole length of the front. This absence of -sufficient light in nearly all colonial houses strikes the new-comer -unpleasantly; but one gets used to it, and in the heat and strong glare -of the Cape summer the darkened rooms are restful and comforting. At -one end of our verandah we made a little fernery, which we kept green -and bright with trophies brought home from some of our longer walks and -rides--also an aviary, the little inhabitants of which kept up a -constant chorus, always pleasant to hear, and never loud enough to be -troublesome. The Cape canary is a greenish bird, with a very pretty -soft note, quite different from the piercing screech of his terrible -yellow brother in English homes. Another soft-voiced little singer is -the _rooibeck_, or red-beak, a wee thing very like an avadavat; a few -goldfinches completed our collection, and all were very tame and happy -in their little home. The broad leaves of two fine banana-plants shaded -birds and ferns from the sun, which otherwise would have beaten in on -them too fiercely through the window of the verandah. A banana-plant is -a delightful thing to cultivate; it grows so rapidly, and is so full of -health and strength; and the unfolding of each magnificent leaf is a -new pleasure. - -We were within a short walk of our friends' house; and during the -frequent absences of T----, my husband, often away for several weeks at -a time while searching in different parts of the country for a suitable -farm, it was very pleasant for me to have kind neighbours so near, and -a bright welcome always awaiting me. Their garden was a large and -beautiful one, and its luxuriance of lovely flowers, roses especially, -gave ample evidence of their mistress's own care and love for them. -Nearly all the houses in Walmer have good gardens, enclosed by the -prettiest of hedges, sometimes of pomegranate, plumbago, or passion -flowers, but most often of tall American aloes, round the sweet flowers -of which the pretty honey-suckers--magnified humming-birds, substantial -instead of insect-like--are continually hovering, their jewelled -dresses of green, red, and yellow flashing in the sun at every turn of -their rapid flight. Close under the hedge, and shaded by the aloe's -blue-green spikes, the white arums grow in the thickest profusion. No -dining-table in Walmer need be without a simple and beautiful -decoration, for if there is no time for a ramble in search of flowers -on the surrounding common, you need only run out and pick a few arums -from the nearest hedge or small stream; and a few of them go a long -way. - -But the treasures of the common are endless; and first and loveliest -among them all is the little "wax-creeper,"[1] than which, tiny as it -is, I do not think a more perfect flower could be imagined. It is as -modest as a little violet; and you have to seek it out in its -hiding-places under the thick foliage of the bushes, round the stems of -which it twines so tightly that it is a work of some time to -disentangle it. You also get many scratches during the process, for it -loves to choose as its protectors the most prickly plants; but when at -last you hold the delicate wreath in your hands, and look into its -minute beauties--the graceful curves of the slender stalk and tendrils, -no two of which ever grow alike; the long, narrow, dark-green leaves; -and the clusters of brilliant, carmine-tinted flowers, each like a -tiny, exquisitely-shaped vase cut out in glistening wax--you are amply -rewarded. It is indeed one of the masterpieces of nature, and the first -sight of it was a pleasure I can never forget. - - [1] _Microloma lineare._ - -This little flower does not bear transplanting. We often tried to -domesticate it in our garden, but the plants invariably died. It was -quite the rarest of all our flowers. We have never seen it anywhere but -about Walmer, and there it grows only in small patches; five or six -plants close together, and then perhaps no more of them to be seen -during the whole of a long walk. - -Another of our favourites was the _aantblom_, a kind of ixia, whose -lovely flowers range through all possible shades of rose-colour and -orange, from the deepest to the palest tints of pink and yellow, down -to the purest white. A large bouquet of nothing but these delicate, -fragile-looking blossoms, each one of a different shade, brought to us -by some little neighbours soon after our arrival, was a delightful -surprise. So also was the first finding of the sweet Cape jessamine -growing wild; but this is one of the rarer plants. - -Then there is the scarlet heath; its cluster of large, velvet-like -flowers so vivid in colouring as to look like a flame of fire when the -sun comes glancing through it. It is the most beautiful of all the Cape -heaths, numerous and lovely as they are--though a delicately-shaded -pink and white one comes very near it in beauty. The blue lobelias grow -profusely all over the common; they are much larger and finer than -those in English gardens, and are of the deepest ultra-marine, only a -few here and there being a very pretty pale blue. Occasionally--but -this is very rare--you find a pure white lobelia. Another flower of -our home gardens, the gazania, is very plentiful, the ground being -everywhere studded with its large, bright orange-coloured stars. - -Pink and white _immortelles_, gladioli, ixias, and irises of all kinds -abound; some of the latter are tiny specimens, yet they are pencilled -with all the same delicate lines as the larger sorts, though on so -small a scale that you almost need a magnifying glass to enable you to -see all their beauties. Then there are the Natal lilies, growing in -large round clusters, each in itself sufficient to fill a flower-vase; -you have but to break a thick, succulent stem, and a perfect, -ready-made bouquet of pink, sweet-scented flowers is in your hand. - -Some of the plants about Walmer are more curious than beautiful; one -especially--which, not knowing its real name,[2] we called "the -upholstery flower"--is like an enormous tassel of red or pink fringe, -gaudily ornamented outside with a stiff pattern in green and brown. It -is about seven or eight inches long, solid and heavy in proportion; and -looks as if in the fitness of things it ought to be at the end of a -thick red and green cord looping up the gorgeous curtains of an -American hotel. The flower is shaped like a gigantic thistle, but the -plant on which it grows is a shrub, with a hard, woody stem, and -laurel-like leaves. These are only a few specimens of the common's -wealth of flowers; each time we went out we brought home a different -collection, and our little rooms were bright with that intensity of -colouring which makes the great difference between these children of -the sun and the flora of colder climates. - - [2] We have since found that this plant is a _Protea_. - -A search for flowers on the common, or, indeed, a walk anywhere about -Walmer, is attended by one very unpleasant penalty--you invariably come -home covered with ticks. There are several varieties of these -tormentors; the tiny, almost invisible ones being by far the worst and -most numerous, and their bites, or rather their presence beneath one's -skin, causing intense irritation. The large ticks, though they do not -confine their attentions wholly to animals, are much more troublesome -to them than to the human race, and our poor horses, dog, and other -creatures suffered terribly from their attacks. One day, soon after our -arrival, I was much amused by the clumsy antics of a number of fowls, -which were continually jumping up and pecking at some cattle grazing -near. On investigation, I found that they were regaling on the fat -ticks with which the poor animals were covered; and our appetite for -the Walmer poultry was considerably lessened by the discovery. Ticks -abound everywhere along the coast, but as soon as you move inland you -are free from the torment. - -We had not been very long in Walmer before T---- commenced his -ostrich-farming with the purchase of forty-nine young birds, most of -them only a few months old, and all wearing the rough, black and grey -plumage which, under the name of "chicken-feathers," forms the -ostrich's clothing during the first three or four years of his life. We -kept them at night in a small enclosure near the house, and during the -daytime they grazed on the common, herded by a troublesome little -Kaffir boy, who required more looking after than all his charges. The -business of counting the latter when they were brought home in the -evening was by no means so easy as one would imagine, for the tiresome -birds did all in their power to hinder it, and if quiet enough before, -seemed always prompted by some mischievous demon to begin moving about -as soon as the counting commenced; then, just when we were about half -"through"--to use a convenient Americanism--they would get so -hopelessly mixed up that we had to begin all over again. - -One day T---- and I had the excitement of an ostrich-hunt on horseback. -One of our birds, which was much larger than any of the others, being -nearly full-grown, and which had to be kept separate lest he should -ill-treat his weaker brethren, had got away, and we had a long ride -after him; T---- following him up by his _spoor_, or footprints, with -as unerring an eye as that of a Red Indian, until at last we were -rewarded by the sight of a small head and long snake-like neck above -the distant bushes. Then came the very enjoyable but somewhat difficult -work of driving our prisoner home. He would trot before us quietly -enough for a while, with his curious springy step, till he thought we -were off our guard, when he would make an abrupt and unexpected run in -the wrong direction; and a prompt rush, like that of the _picador_ in a -bull-fight, was necessary to cut off his retreat. The horses quite -understood what they had to do, and seemed to enter into the spirit of -it, and enjoy it as we did. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -SOME OF OUR PETS. - -Friendliness of South African birds and beasts--Our Secretary -bird--Ungainly appearance of Jacob--His queer ways--Tragic fate of a -kitten--A persecuted fowl--Our Dikkops--A baby buffalo--Wounded buffalo -more dangerous than lion--A lucky stumble--Hunter attacked by "rogue" -buffalo--A midnight ride--Followed by a lion--Toto--A pugnacious -goose--South African climate dangerous to imported dogs--Toto and the -crows--Animals offered by Moors in exchange for Toto. - - -South Africa is the land of pet animals. The feathered and four-footed -creatures are all delightful. They have the quaintest and most amusing -ways, and they are very easily tamed. The little time and attention -which in a busy colonial home can be spared for the pets is always -repaid a hundredfold; and often you are surprised to find how quickly -the bird or beast which only a few days ago was one of the wild -creatures of the _veldt_--torn suddenly from nest or burrow, and -abruptly turned out from the depths of a sack or of a Hottentot's -pocket into a human home--has become an intimate friend, with a -clearly-marked individual character, most interesting to study, and -quite different from those of all its fellows, even of the same kind. -On one point, however, the whole collection is sure to be unanimous, -and that is a strong feeling of rivalry, and jealousy of one another, -each one striving to be first in the affections of master and mistress. -A great fondness for and sympathy with animals is not the least among -the many tastes which T---- and I have in common; and in our up-country -home, far off as we were from human neighbours, we were always -surrounded by numbers of animal and bird friends. - -We began to form the nucleus of our small menagerie while still at -Walmer; and one of our first acquisitions was a secretary bird. The -friends near whom we lived possessed three of these creatures, which -had all been found, infants together, in one nest on an ostrich farm -near Port Elizabeth; and to my great delight, one of them was given to -us. "Jacob," as we named him, turned out a most amusing pet. His -personal appearance was decidedly comical; reminding us of a little -old-fashioned man in a grey coat and tight black knee-breeches; with -pale flesh-coloured stockings clothing the thinnest and most angular of -legs, the joints of which might have been stiff with chronic -rheumatism, so slowly and cautiously did Jacob bend them when picking -anything up, or when settling himself down into his favourite squatting -attitude. Not by any means a nice old man did Jacob resemble, but an -old reprobate, with evil-looking eye, yellow parchment complexion, bald -head, hooked nose and fiendish grin; with his shoulders shrugged up, -his hands tucked away under his coat-tails, and several pens stuck -behind his ear. Altogether an uncanny-looking creature, and one which, -had he appeared in England some two or three centuries ago, would have -stood a very fair chance of being burned alive in company with the old -witches and their cats; indeed, he looked the part of a familiar spirit -far better than the blackest cat could possibly do. - -[Illustration: JACOB.] - -[Illustration: TOTO.] - -Yet with all his diabolical appearance, Jacob was very friendly and -affectionate, and soon grew most absurdly tame--too tame, in fact. He -would come running to us the moment we appeared in the verandah, and -would follow us about the garden, nibbling like a puppy at our hands -and clothes. He would walk, quite uninvited, into the house, where his -long-legged ungainly figure looked strangely out of place, and where he -was much too noisy to be allowed to remain, although the broadest of -hints in the shape of wet bath-sponges, soft clothes-brushes, Moorish -slippers, and what other harmless missiles came to hand, were quite -unavailing to convince him he was not wanted. The noisy scuffle and -indignant gruntings attendant on his forcible expulsion had hardly -subsided before he would reappear, walking sedately in at the first -door or window available, as if nothing had happened. - -His objectionable noises were very numerous; and some of them were -unpleasantly suggestive of a hospital. He would commence, for instance, -with what seemed a frightful attack of asthma, and would appear to be -very near the final gasp; then for about ten minutes he would have -violent and alarming hiccups; the performance concluding with a -repulsively realistic imitation of a consumptive cough, at the last -stage. His favourite noise of all was a harsh, rasping croak, which he -would keep up for any length of time, and with the regularity of a -piece of clockwork; this noise was supposed to be a gentle intimation -that Jacob was hungry, though the old impostor had probably had a -substantial feed just before coming to pose as a starving beggar under -our windows. The monotonous grating sound was exasperating; and, when -driven quite beyond endurance, T---- would have recourse to extreme -measures, and would fling towards Jacob a large dried puff-adder's -skin, one of a collection of trophies hanging on the walls of our -cottage. The sight of this always threw Jacob into a state of abject -terror. He seemed quite to lose his wits, and would dance about wildly, -jumping up several feet from the ground in a grotesque manner; till at -last, grunting his loudest, and with the pen-like feathers on his head -bristling with excitement, he would clear the little white fence, and -go off at railway speed across the common, where he would remain out of -sight all the rest of the day; only returning at dusk to squat solemnly -for the night in his accustomed corner of the garden. - -His dread of the puff-adder's skin inclined us to doubt the truth of -the popular belief in the secretary's usefulness as a destroyer of -snakes, on account of which a heavy fine is imposed by the Cape -Government on any one found killing one of these birds. I certainly do -not think Jacob would have faced a full-grown puff-adder, though we -once saw him kill and eat a small young one in the garden, beating it -to death with his strong feet, and then swallowing it at one gulp. He -was like a boa-constrictor in his capacity for "putting himself -outside" the animals on which he fed--lizards, rats, toads, frogs, fat -juicy locusts, young chickens, alas! and some of the smaller pets if -left incautiously within his reach, even little kittens--all went down -whole. The last-named animals were his favourite delicacy, and he was -fortunate enough while at Walmer to get plenty of them. His enormous -appetite, and our difficulty in satisfying it, were well known in the -neighbourhood, and the owners of several prolific cats, instead of -drowning the superfluous progeny, bestowed them on us as offerings to -Jacob. They were killed and given to him at the rate of one a day. -Once, however, by an unlucky accident, one of them got into his -clutches without the preliminary knock on the head; and the old -barbarian swallowed it alive. For some minutes we could hear the poor -thing mewing piteously in Jacob's interior, while he himself stood -there listening and looking all round in a puzzled manner, to see where -the noise came from. He evidently thought there was another kitten -somewhere, and seemed much disappointed at not finding it. - -One day, when there had been a great catch of rats, he swallowed three -large ones in succession, but these were almost too much even for him; -the tail of the last rat protruded from his bill, and it was a long -time before it quite disappeared from view. The butcher had orders to -bring liberal supplies for Jacob every day, and the greedy bird soon -learned to know the hour at which he called. He would stand solemnly -looking in the direction from which the cart came, and as soon as it -appeared, he would run in his ungainly fashion to meet it. - -Jacob was largely endowed with that quality which is best expressed by -the American word "cussedness;" and though friendly enough with us, he -was very spiteful and malicious towards all other creatures on the -place. He grew much worse after we went to live up-country, and became -at last a kind of feathered Ishmael; hated by all his fellows, and -returning their dislike with interest. Some time after we settled on -our farm we found that he had been systematically inflicting a cruel -course of ill-treatment on one unfortunate fowl, which, having been -chosen as the next victim for the table, was enclosed, with a view to -fattening, in a little old packing-case with wooden bars nailed across -the front. Somehow, in spite of abundant mealies and much soaked bread, -that fowl never would get fat, nor had his predecessor ever done so; we -had grown weary of feeding up the latter for weeks with no result, and -in despair had killed and eaten him at last--a poor bag of bones, not -worth a tithe of the food he had consumed. And now here was another, -apparently suffering from the same kind of atrophy; the whole thing was -a puzzle to us, until one day the mystery was solved, and Jacob stood -revealed as the author of the mischief. He had devised an ingenious way -of persecuting the poor prisoner, and on seeing it we no longer -wondered at the latter's careworn looks. Jacob would come up to his -box, and make defiant and insulting noises at him--none could do this -better than he--until the imbecile curiosity of fowls prompted the -victim to protrude his head and neck through the bars; then, before he -had time to draw back, Jacob's foot would come down with a vicious dab -on his head. The foolish creature never seemed to learn wisdom by -experience, though he must have been nearly stunned many times, and his -head all but knocked off by Jacob's great powerful foot and leg; yet as -often as the foe challenged him, his poor simple face would look -inquiringly out, only to meet another buffet. As he would not take care -of himself, we had to move him into a safe place; where he no longer -died daily, and was able at last to fulfil his destiny by becoming -respectably fat. - -One day T---- returned from bathing, his Turkish towel, instead of -being as usual filled with blue lotus for the dining-table, showing -very evident signs of living contents; and two of the queerest little -birds came tumbling out of it. They were young dikkops, a little covey -of which he had surprised near his bathing-place. They possessed very -foolish, vacant faces; and their large, round, bright yellow eyes were -utterly void of expression, just as if a bird-stuffer had furnished -them with two pairs of glass eyes many sizes too large. Their great -thick legs, on the enormously swollen-looking knee-joints of which they -squatted in a comical manner, were just as much out of proportion as -the eyes, and of the same vivid yellow; indeed, the bird-stuffer seemed -to have finished off his work with a thick coating of the brightest -gamboge over legs and bill. They had no tail to speak of, and their -soft plumage was of all different shades of brown and grey, very -prettily marked. The dikkop (a Dutch name, meaning "thickhead"), is a -small kind of bustard, and is by far the best of the many delicious -game-birds of South Africa. It is a nocturnal bird, sleepy during the -daytime, but lively and noisy at night--as we soon found to our -discomfort. Not being able to decide at once on a place for our -newly-acquired specimens, we put them into our bedroom for the first -night, but they were soon awake--so, alas! were we--and their plaintive -cry, sounding incessantly from all parts of the room as they ran -restlessly to and fro, speedily obliged us to turn them out. We found -permanent quarters for them at the end of the verandah, opposite the -fernery, where my American trunks--too large to go into the house--had -been placed. These we arranged to form a little enclosure, in which the -dikkops were safe from the voracious Jacob, who would soon have -swallowed them, legs and all, if he had had the chance. One, evidently -the smallest and weakest of the covey, we named Benjamin; but, unlike -his Scriptural namesake, he received rather a smaller than a larger -portion of the good things of this world, the greedy Joseph taking -advantage of his own superior size and strength to get the lion's share -of all the food, and Benjamin meekly submitting; till we interfered, -and by separating the two at feeding-time ensured an equal division. -Joseph's general conduct was cruel and unbrotherly; and when one day, -during the process of packing to move up-country, he came to an -untimely end, being accidentally crushed under the heaviest "Saratoga," -we naturally expected Benjamin to rejoice. Instead of this, however, -the little fellow pined and fretted; refusing to eat, and calling -incessantly with his little mournful cry of three soft musical notes in -a minor key, as if hoping to bring back his oppressor--from whom he -ought to have been thankful to be free--and at the end of two days he -also was dead. - -During one of T----'s journeys up-country he made a strange purchase, -which he forwarded at once to me by train. It was a baby buffalo, which -had been taken alive by the hunters who shot its mother. The buffalo -being a rare animal in the Cape Colony, we looked on this little -specimen as a great acquisition; and, had he lived, he would have been -a very valuable, though perhaps in time somewhat formidable addition to -the menagerie; but the railway officials to whose care he was consigned -being no exception to the generality of Cape colonists--whose usual way -of doing business is to let things take care of themselves--the poor -little fellow was put into the train without being fastened or secured -in any way, and the jolting he received en _route_ knocked him about so -that he arrived in a very sad state, with his head cut and bleeding in -several places; and did not live many days. - -The buffalo is considered by all hunters a far more dangerous animal to -encounter than the lion, and almost as formidable as the elephant or -rhinoceros. When wounded, he has an ugly trick of lying in wait, hidden -in the bush, with only his nose out; and turning the tables on the -pursuer by making an unexpected charge. Many hunters have been killed -in this manner by infuriated buffaloes. - -When T---- was hunting in the interior some years before, a friend who -was there with him met with an exciting adventure. Having come across a -herd of buffaloes he fired into the midst of them; then, unaware that -he had wounded one of the animals, he rode in pursuit of the herd. On -coming up with them, he dismounted, and was just preparing to fire -again, when a shout from his brother, who was behind, made him look -round, just in time to see the wounded buffalo, which had emerged from -the bush, charging him furiously. He gave him both barrels, each shot -striking him in the centre of the forehead; but, as the buffalo always -charges with his nose in the air, both bullets glanced off, and Mr. -B---- escaped only by a quick jump on one side. The buffalo passed him; -then turning round, tossed and killed the horse. The next shot finished -the buffalo's career; and on the great head, which has been kept as a -trophy, are the marks of the two first bullets, showing how calm was -the presence of mind, and how true the aim, in that moment of danger. - -Another of T----'s hunting companions, chased in a similar manner by a -wounded buffalo, owed his life to a lucky stumble, which so astonished -the animal that he stood still for a few seconds staring at the -prostrate figure; giving the hunter time to get up and take refuge -behind a tree, from whence he shot his assailant. - -The most dangerous buffaloes are the old solitary bulls which have been -turned out of the herd; they become as artful and malicious as rogue -elephants, and often hide in the bush when they get your wind, to rush -out on you unexpectedly. On another of T----'s hunting expeditions, on -the river Sabie, not far from Delagoa Bay, one of the party was walking -quietly along with his rifle over his shoulder, when he was suddenly -attacked by one of these "rogues," and so frightfully gored that for a -time he was not expected to live. T---- started off at once to fetch a -doctor; and rode all through the night, steering his course by the -stars, to an encampment which most fortunately happened to be within -about thirty miles. It was that of a party who were bringing up a -number of _mitrailleuses_ and other arms, taken in the Franco-Prussian -war and presented by Germany to the Transvaal Government. In the camp -there were an immense number of donkeys, which were used for the -transport of the guns; and when one commenced braying, all the others -immediately following suit, it was a Pandemonium which made night -hideous indeed. On retracing his course the next day, accompanied by -the doctor, T---- saw by the spoor that during that midnight ride he -had been followed by a lion. - -And now, though the transition seems rather an abrupt one from savage -beasts to the sweetest and gentlest of domestic pets, our dear old dog -Toto deserves a little notice. We brought him from England with us--he -is a dog of Kent, being a native of the Weald--and when put on board -the steamer at Southampton he was not many months old. He still had the -blunt nose and thick paws of puppyhood; also its mischievous little -needle-like teeth, with which he ate off the straps of our -portmanteaus, and, when allowed an occasional run on deck, did -considerable damage to the Madeira chairs of the passengers. -Fortunately he was so general a favourite that his iniquities were -overlooked. The children on board were especially fond of him, and -would often petition for him to be let loose, to join in their games. -He seemed to grow up during the voyage--possibly the sea air hastened -his development--and he had almost attained full size and perfect -proportions by the time we landed in Cape Town; he, poor fellow, being -in such wild delight at finding himself again on _terra firma_ and -released from the narrowness of ship life, that he was quite mad with -excitement, jumping and dragging at his chain, and knocking us nearly -off our legs, besides involving us and himself in numerous -entanglements with the legs of others. We had to be perpetually -apologizing for his conduct, and really felt quite ashamed of him. - -He is a large black-and-tan collie; with a soft glossy coat, a big -black feather of a tail, and the most superb white frill; of which -latter he is justly proud, drawing himself up to show it off to the -best advantage whenever it is stroked or admired. Altogether he is a -very vain dog, quite conscious of his good looks. His big, honest, -loving brown eyes have none of that sly, shifty look which gives a -treacherous appearance to so many collies; his face, which is as good -and kind as it is pretty, has a great range of expression, and it is -wonderful to see how instantly it will change from a benevolent smile, -or even a downright laugh, to a pathetic, deeply injured, or scornful -look, if Toto considers himself slighted or insulted. We have to study -his feelings carefully, for he is proud and sensitive even beyond the -usual nature of collies; and if we have been unfortunate enough to -offend him--as often as not quite unintentionally--he will give us the -cut direct for several days; repelling all advances with the most -freezing indifference, and plainly, though always politely, for he is a -thorough gentleman, intimating his wish to drop our acquaintance. - -Sometimes we are puzzled to know why Toto is haughty and distant -towards us, or ignores our existence; and, on looking back, recall -perhaps that so long ago as the day before yesterday one of us, in the -hurry of daily work, finding his large form obstructing the door -through which we had to pass, told him, somewhat impatiently, to get -out of the way. - -Or perhaps--worse still--we may have laughed at him. Possibly the mouse -he was chasing on the veldt popped into the safety of a hole just as he -had all but caught it, and we unfeelingly made a joke of his -disappointment--or, in his excessive zeal to hold himself very upright -when sitting up to beg at dinner, dear Toto may have leaned back just a -little too far and rolled over on to his back; a painful position for -so majestic an animal, and one which ought to have commanded respectful -silence, instead of provoking an unkind laugh. This misfortune has -happened several times to poor Toto, especially during the process of -learning his threefold trick of sitting up to beg, "asking"--with a -little short bark--for bone or biscuit, and finally catching the -contribution in his mouth. It is really difficult to refrain from -laughing at his sudden collapse, preceded as it always is by an extra -self-satisfied look--just the expression of the dog in Caldecott's -"House that Jack built," as he sits smiling and all-unconscious of the -cow coming up behind to toss him. A conceited protrusion of Toto's big -white shirt-frill is usually the occasion of falling, and no doubt he -deserves to be laughed at; but the poor fellow's evident distress, and -his "countenance more in sorrow than in anger" at our cruel mirth, have -led us to make great efforts to keep our gravity, and, with true -politeness, to pretend not to see him. - -Though Toto is not generally a demonstrative dog, there is no mistake -about his affection for us; he shows it in many quiet little -sympathetic ways, and seems even more human than the generality of -collies. He has constituted himself my special guardian and protector, -and though at all times a very devoted attendant, he would always take -extra care of me whenever, during T----'s journeys about the country, I -was left at home alone. Then the faithful old fellow would not leave me -for an instant. The silent sympathy with which he thrust his nose -lovingly into my hand cheered the dreary moment when, after watching -T---- out of sight, I turned to walk back to the lonely house; and his -quiet unobtrusive presence enlivened all the weeks of solitude. He -would lie at my feet as I sat working or writing; follow me from room -to room or out of doors, always close at my heels; and curl himself up -to sleep under my bed, when at any time during the night the slightest -word or movement on my part would produce a responsive "tap, tap," of -his tail upon the floor. And when his master returned, he always seemed -to look to him for approbation; his whole manner expressing his pride -in the good care he had taken of house and mistress. - -Our garden at Walmer was constantly invaded by neighbouring fowls and -ducks, which would lie in wait outside, ready to slip in the instant -the little gate was left open; the fowls of course found plenty of -occupation among the flowers; while the ducks would at once make for a -large tub, generally full of photographic prints taking their final -bath under a tap of slowly-trickling water. The horrid birds seemed to -take a delight in driving their clumsy bills through the soft, sodden -paper; and after several prints from our best negatives had been -destroyed, we summoned Toto to our aid. He threw himself with great -energy into the work of ridding us of the intruders. He would lie in -ambush for them, and when, much to his delight, they appeared inside -the gate, he would rush to the attack, chasing first one and then -another about the garden till he caught it; then, lifting it and -carrying it out in his mouth as gently as a cat carries her kitten, he -would deposit it outside, with much angry quacking or frightened -screeching from the victim, as the case might be, but without the loss -of a feather. - -Once he, in his turn, was attacked by a pugnacious goose, which he was -endeavouring to drive out of the garden; and which turned on him -savagely, keeping up a desperate battle with him for a long time, until -it was quite exhausted, and sat down panting. It chased him many times -round our small lawn, and once, in its excitement, put its head right -into his mouth. Luckily for the goose, Toto was so utterly bewildered -by its strange conduct, that he missed the golden opportunity of -snapping off the imbecile head so invitingly presented. - -He was equally zealous in keeping the garden free from cats; and in -pursuit of one of these he actually climbed so far into the lower -branches of a tree that his victim, evidently expecting to see him come -all the way to the top, gave himself up for lost, and dropped to the -ground in a fit. - -Imported dogs often die in South Africa; especially if they remain near -Port Elizabeth, or if they have distemper, which is much more severe in -the colony than it is in Europe. Poor Toto laboured under both these -disadvantages; for during our stay at Walmer he was attacked with -distemper, and, the summer being also an unusually hot one, everything -seemed against him. He was so ill that we quite gave up all hope of -saving him, and bitterly regretted having brought him out with us. Just -when he was at his worst, however, business called us away for a few -days to Cradock, which is some distance inland; and T----, knowing it -to be a healthy place for dogs, suggested that we should take the poor -creature with us--dying as he seemed to be--on the slight chance that -the change of climate might save him. We left him there--parting from -him sadly and without much hope of seeing him again; but we were -leaving him in the kindest of hands, and, thanks to the careful nursing -he received, as well as to the timely change of air, he lived--indeed, -I am glad to say, lives still. He remained some months at Cradock, -whence from time to time came the good news of his steady improvement, -and finally, some time after we had settled up-country, the -announcement that he would be sent off to us at the first opportunity. - -Then, one day as we sat at dinner, we heard a sudden and startling -tumult in the kitchen; the welcoming voices of the servants; a frantic -scuffle outside the sitting-room door; and in rushed Toto, handsomer -and fuller of life and spirits than ever; whining and howling with -delight, and nearly upsetting us, chairs and all, besides endangering -everything on the table, as he jumped wildly to lick our faces. He had -been brought from Klipplaat by a passing waggon, in the usual -"promiscuous" manner in which property, animate as well as inanimate, -is delivered at its destination on Cape farms. - -After thus paying his footing in South Africa nearly with his life, -Toto was thoroughly acclimatized, and passed through several very hot -summers on the farm without a day's illness; only showing by increased -liveliness his preference for the cooler weather; being very happy on -the occasional really cold days of our short winter, and--like everyone -else--cross during a hot wind. He has now accompanied us back to -England, where--probably on the strength of being an old traveller who -has twice crossed the line--he gives himself great airs, and makes no -secret of his contempt for the stay-at-home dogs who have not had his -advantages. This involves him in many fights; and the brother and -sister with whom--having no settled home in England--we have -occasionally left him, have several times been threatened with -summonses for his misdeeds. - -Toto is now getting on in years--those few years, alas! which make up -the little span of a dog's life--but he is still lively enough; and the -crows at Mogador, where we spent the winter of 1888-89, will long -remember the games they have had with that comical foreign dog, so -unlike any of the jackal-like creatures to which they were accustomed. -They knew him well, and always seemed to look out for him; and, as soon -as he emerged from the ugly white-washed gateway of the town, and -approached their favourite haunt, the dirty rubbish-heaps just outside -the walls, they would fly close up to him, challenging him to catch -them. - -Undaunted by invariable failure, he was always ready, and would dash -noisily after them; while they, enjoying the joke--for every crow is a -fellow of infinite jest--flew tantalizingly along close in front of his -nose, and only just out of his reach. Sometimes they would settle on -the ground a long way off, and--apparently oblivious of him--become so -deeply absorbed in searching for the choicest morsels of rubbish that -Toto, deluded by the well-acted little play, would make a wild charge. -But the artless-looking crows, who all the while were thinking of him, -had accurately calculated time and distance; and as he galloped -up--confident that this time at least he was really going to catch -one--they would allow him to come within an inch of touching them -before they would appear to see him at all; then, rising slowly into -the air--as if it were hardly worth the trouble to get out of his -way--they would hover, croaking contemptuously, above his head, just -out of reach of his spring. - -And when at last he was tired out with racing after them, and--being, -like Hamlet, "fat and scant of breath"--could only fling himself -panting on the sand, they would walk derisively all round him; come up -defiantly, close to his gasping mouth, and all but perch on him. Before -we left, several of the native dogs had learned the game; possibly -their descendants will keep it up, and--who knows?--some naturalist of -the future may record his discovery of a strange friendship between -dogs and crows in Mogador. - -From the latter place T---- made several expeditions to the interior, -travelling on foot and in native dress, for the purpose of distributing -Arabic Testaments--on one occasion going as far as the city of Morocco. -On these trips Toto accompanied his master, and--far from being the -object of contempt and aversion, as a dog usually is in Mohammedan -lands--was universally admired and coveted by the natives; by some of -whom--had T---- not eaten of their bread and salt, thus placing them on -their honour--it is extremely likely that he would have been stolen. It -was something quite new to them to see a dog actually fond of his -master, and treated by the latter as a friend; full of intelligence, -too, and altogether different from their own uninteresting dogs; his -clever tricks--which seemed to them almost uncanny--earned him many a -good feed; and among the variety of animals offered at different times -in exchange for him, were two donkeys, a horse, and a young camel. - -Toto can boast, too, of having spent many nights in quarters where -probably never dog has slept before--_i.e._ in Mohammedan mosques. -These were the usual sleeping-places assigned to the travellers by the -simple village folk, whose toleration contrasts strongly with the -fanaticism of the towns. There the mosques are held very sacred; and -for Europeans to look in at their doors, even from across the street, -gives great offence. - - * * * * * - -And now, as I write, the old dog--faithful and friendly as ever--sits -up begging, no longer conceitedly and unsteadily as in his youth, but -in the more sober fashion of the poor, fat, apoplectic-looking bears at -the Zoo; with legs well spread out to afford the firm foundation needed -by the portliness of advancing years. His kind eyes are fixed very -lovingly and deferentially on the tiny face of his present queen and -mistress, the little fair-haired girl who has come to us since we left -the Cape; and who, with a regal air of command, holds out her biscuit -to the seated Colossus, who, not so long ago, towered above her small -head, and bids him "ask for it." Together these two friends and -playfellows make so pretty a picture, that we could wish Briton Riviere -or Burton Barber were here to see it and give it to the world. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -PLANTS OF THE KARROO. - -We move up-country--Situation of farm--Strange vegetation of Karroo -district--_Karroo_ plant--_Fei-bosch_--_Brack-bosch_--Our flowers ---_Spekboom_--Bitter aloes--Thorny plants--_Wacht-een-Beetje_-- -Ostriches killed by prickly pear--Finger-poll--Wild tobacco fatal -to ostriches--Carelessness of colonists--Euphorbias--Candle-bush. - - -Our five months at Walmer passed so pleasantly, that in spite of my -longing to be settled on a place of our own, and the impatience I felt -to enter on all the duties and pleasures of farm life among the -ostriches, I was really sorry when the time of departure came, and in -the beginning of winter--_i.e._ towards the latter part of May--we left -the little house, the first home of our married life, and took our -journey up-country. We had no very long distance to travel, for the -farm in the Karroo district which T---- had chosen was only a day's -journey from "The Bay," as Port Elizabeth, like San Francisco, is -familiarly called; and instead of being, like many proprietors of -farms, quite out of the world, and obliged to drive for two or even -three days to reach the railway, we had our choice of two stations; the -nearest, Klipplaat, being only fifteen miles from us, and the railway -journey not more than eight hours. - -Our farm, extending over twelve thousand acres, was situated in a long -valley running between two ranges of mountains, the steepness of which -rendered enclosing unnecessary in many parts; thus saving much expense -in starting the farm, an entirely new one, and chosen purposely by -T---- on this account. For it sometimes happens that land on which -ostriches have run for years becomes at last unhealthy for the birds. -We were in that part of the Karroo which is called the Zwart Ruggens, -or "black rugged country;" so named from the appearance it presents -when, during the frequent long droughts, the bush loses all its -verdure, and becomes outwardly so black and dry-looking that no one -unacquainted with this most curious kind of vegetation would suppose it -capable of containing the smallest amount of nutriment for ostriches, -sheep, or goats. But if you break one of these apparently dried-up -sticks, you find it all green and succulent inside, full of a very -nourishing saline juice; and thus, even in long droughts which -sometimes last more than a year, this country is able to support stock -in a most marvellous manner, of which, judging by outward appearance, -it certainly does not seem capable. It seems strange that in this land -of dryness the plants are so full of moisture; one wonders whence it -can possibly have come. - -The little _karroo_ plant, from which the district takes its name, is -one of the best kinds of bush for ostriches, as well as for sheep and -goats; it grows in little compact round tufts not more than seven or -eight inches from the ground, and though so valuable to farmers, it is -but unpretending in appearance, with tiny, narrow leaves, and a little, -round, bright yellow flower, exactly resembling the centre of an -English daisy after its oracle has been consulted, and its last petal -pulled by some enquiring Marguerite. - -The _fei-bosch_ is another of our commonest and most useful plants; its -pinkish-lilac flower is very like that of the portulacca, and its -little flat succulent leaves look like miniature prickly pear leaves -without the prickles; hence its name, from _Turk-fei_, Turkish fig. -When flowering in large masses, and seen at a little distance, the -fei-bosch might almost be taken for heather. - -The _brack-bosch_, which completes our trio of very best kinds of -ostrich-bush, is a taller and more graceful plant than either of the -preceding, with blue-green leaves, and blossom consisting of a spike of -little greenish tufts; but there are an endless variety of other -plants, among which there is hardly one that is not good nourishing -food for the birds. - -[Illustration: A. MARTIN, _Del_. - -_Some of the Best Kinds of Ostrich-Bush._ - -1. BRACK-BOSCH. 2. GHANNA. 3. FEI-BOSCH.] - -All are alike succulent and full of salt, giving out a crisp, crackling -sound as you walk over them; all have the same strange way of growing, -each plant a little isolated patch by itself, just as the tufts of wool -grow on the Hottentots' heads; and the flowers of nearly all are of the -portulacca type, some large, some small, some growing singly, others in -clusters; they are of different colours--white, yellow, orange, red, -pink, lilac, etc. They are very delicate and fragile flowers; and, -pretty as they are, it is useless to attempt carrying them home, for -they close up and fade as soon as they are gathered. - -Indeed, nearly all the flowers in that part of the world are -unsatisfactory; and those few among them which will keep for a very -short time in water are almost useless for table decorations, as they -seem incapable of adapting themselves to any sort or form of -flower-vase. They are pretty enough in themselves; but the large, -thick, stubborn stems, all out of proportion with the flowers, refuse -to bend themselves to any graceful form or combination; they all seem -starting away from one another in an angular, uncomfortable manner, and -of course any pretty arrangement of flowers which _will_ not arrange -_themselves_ is impossible. Our thoughts often went back longingly to -the flowers of Walmer, compared with which prolific region the Karroo -is poverty indeed. - -A cineraria, very nearly as large as the cultivated varieties, and of a -beautiful deep blue, on which the Dutch have bestowed the euphonious -name of _blaauw-blometje_ (little blue flower), several tiny irises, -and a rather rare bulb, the hyacinth-like blossoms of which, as well as -the upper part of the stalk, are of a lovely tint between scarlet and -deep rose-colour, and all soft and velvety in texture, are among our -prettiest flowers. - -Then there are the mimosa's balls of soft, sweet-scented yellow fringe, -perfuming the air all round for a long distance, and making the trees -seem all of gold when covered with their masses of bloom. Here and -there is a Kaffir bean, a shrub with rather handsome large red flowers, -but it is not common. There are a good many colourless, -insignificant-looking flowers, and some which are quite uncanny; one, -especially, with pendent, succulent bells of livid green and dull red, -looks worthy to be one of the ingredients of a witch's cauldron. These -are all flowers of the plains; the mountains are richer, but their -treasures are only to be attained by making rather long excursions up -their steep sides, over the roughest and stoniest of ground, and -through a tangled mass of vegetation, most of which is very thorny. But -even the weariest climb is well repaid on reaching the heights where -the wild geraniums grow. The immense round bushes, five or six feet in -diameter, and brilliant with great bunches of pink or scarlet flowers, -are indeed a lovely sight. A creeping ivy-leaved geranium, and a very -pretty pelargonium, which is also a creeper, grow in these same far-off -regions; the flower of the latter is of a beautiful rich maroon and -cream-colour, its curiously jointed stem and tiny leaves are very -succulent, salt to the taste, and strongly scented with the sweet -geranium perfume. It is strange to notice how plants which in Europe -are neither saline nor particularly succulent, when growing in the -Karroo assume the prevailing character of its vegetation. - -Large white _marguerites_, growing on a shrub with a hard, woody stem, -inhabit the same heights as the geraniums and pelargoniums; all these -together would have been invaluable for the brightening of our little -rooms, if we could possibly have brought them home. But they are all -much too delicate to survive the long walk or ride back, and the only -mountain flowers we could reasonably hope to bring home in a -presentable condition were the large, bright yellow _immortelles_. The -scanty little streams trickling down some of the cool shady _kloofs_ -between the mountains are the home of a few white arums; and their -rocky beds are fringed, though not very abundantly, with maidenhair -fern. - -The _spekboom_, which is a good-sized shrub, sometimes attaining the -height of fifteen or twenty feet, grows plentifully a little way up the -mountains; and in very protracted droughts, when the karroo and other -bush of the plains begin at last to fail, it is our great resource for -the ostriches, which then ascend for the purpose of feeding on it; and -though they do not care for it as they do for their usual kinds of -food, it is good and nourishing for them. Elephants are very fond of -the _spekboom_, but though a few of these animals are still found near -Port Elizabeth, there are fortunately none in our neighbourhood to make -inroads on the supplies reserved for the ostriches against what -certainly in South Africa cannot be called "a rainy day." The -_spekboom_ has a large soft stem, very thick, round, succulent leaves, -and its clusters of star-shaped, wax-like flowers are white, sometimes -slightly tinged with pink. There are several plants very closely -resembling the _spekboom_; one with pretty, bright yellow flowers; and -one, the soft stem of which, if cut into thin slices, looks exactly -like very red salt tongue. - -Those unpleasant old acquaintances of childish days, the bitter aloes, -are at home in the Karroo in great numbers; and most brilliantly do -they light up the somewhat gloomy-looking sides of the mountains in -early spring with the great spikes of their shaded scarlet and -orange-coloured flowers, looking like gigantic "red-hot poker plants." -This African aloe has none of the slender grace of its American -relative, and it is only when flowering that it has any claim to -beauty; at all other times it is simply a most untidy-looking plant, -the thick, clumsy stem for about five or six feet below the crown of -leaves being covered with the ragged, decaying remains of former -vegetation, suggestive of numberless scorpions and centipedes. - -Thorny plants abound, especially on the mountains, where indeed almost -every bush which is not soft and succulent is armed with strong, sharp, -often cruelly hooked spikes. The _wacht-een-beetje_ (wait-a-bit) does -not grow in our neighbourhood, but we have several plants which seem to -me no less deserving of the name; and often, when held a prisoner on -some ingenious arrangement of hooks and spikes viciously pointing in -every possible direction, each effort to free myself involving me more -deeply, and inflicting fresh damage on clothes and flesh, I should, but -for T----'s assurance to the contrary, have quite believed I had -encountered it. The constant repairing of frightful "trap-doors" and -yawning rents of all shapes and sizes in T----'s garments and in my -own, took up a large proportion of time; and often did I congratulate -myself on the fact that my riding-habit at least--chosen contrary to -the advice of friends at home, who all counselled coolness and -lightness above everything--was of such stout, strong cloth as to defy -most of the thorns. Any less substantial material would have been -reduced to ribbons in some of our rides. - -On foot, you are perpetually assailed by the great strong hooks of the -wild asparagus, a troublesome enemy, whose long straggling branches -trailing over the ground are most destructive to the skirts of dresses; -while boots have deadly foes, not only in the shape of rough ground and -hard, sharp-pointed stones, but also in that of numerous prickly and -scratchy kinds of small bush. At the end of one walk in the _veldt_, -the surface of a kid boot is all rubbed and torn into little ragged -points, and is never again fit to be seen. Fortunately, in the Karroo, -no one is over-particular about such small details. - -Among our troublesome plants, one of the worst and most plentiful is -the prickly pear; and farmers have indeed no reason to bless the old -Dutchwoman who, by simply bringing one leaf of it from Cape Town to -Graaff-Reinet, was the first introducer of what has become so great a -nuisance. It spreads with astonishing rapidity, and is so tenacious of -life that a leaf, or even a small portion of a leaf, if thrown on the -ground, strikes out roots almost immediately, and becomes the parent of -a fast-growing plant; and it is not without great trouble and expense -that farms can be kept comparatively free from it. Sometimes a little -party of Kaffirs would be encamped on some part of our land especially -overgrown with prickly pears; and there for months together they would -be at work, cutting in pieces and rooting out the intruders; piling the -disjointed stems and leaves in neatly-arranged stacks, where they would -soon ferment and decay. Labour being dear in the colony, the wages of -"prickly-pear-men" form a large item in the expenditure of a farm; in -many places indeed, where the plants are very numerous, it does not pay -to clear the land, which consequently becomes useless, many farms being -thus ruined. - -Sometimes ostriches, with that equal disregard of their own health and -of their possessor's pocket for which they are famous, help themselves -to prickly pears, acquire a morbid taste for them, and go on indulging -in them, reckless of the long, stiff spikes on the leaves, with which -their poor heads and necks soon become so covered as to look like -pin-cushions stuck full of pins; and of the still more cruel, almost -invisible fruit-thorns which at last line the interior of their -throats, besides so injuring their eyes that they become perfectly -blind, and are unable to feed themselves. - -Many a time has a poor unhappy ostrich, the victim of prickly pear, -been brought to me in a helpless, half-dead state, to be nursed and fed -at the house. Undaunted by previous experience, I perseveringly tended -each case, hoping it might prove the exception to the general rule, but -never were my care and devotion rewarded by the recovery of my patient. -There it would squat for a few days, the picture of misery; its long -neck lying along the ground in a limp, despondent manner, suggestive of -the attitudes of seasick geese and ducks on the first day of a voyage. -Two or three times a day I would feed it, forcing its unwilling bill -open with one hand, while with the other I posted large handfuls of -porridge, mealies, or chopped prickly pear leaves in the depths of its -capacious letter-box of a throat. All to no purpose; it had made up its -mind to die, as every ostrich does immediately illness or accident -befalls it, and most resolutely did it carry out its intention. - -The prickly pear, mischievous though it is, is not altogether without -its good qualities. Its juicy fruit, though rather deficient in -flavour, is delightfully cool and refreshing in the dry heat of summer; -and a kind of treacle, by no means to be despised at those not -infrequent times when butter is either ruinous in price or quite -unattainable, is made from it. A strong, coarse spirit, equal to the -_aguardiente_ of Cuba in horrible taste and smell, is distilled from -prickly pears; and though to us it seemed only fit to be burned in a -spirit-lamp, when nothing better could be procured, it is nectar to the -Boers and Hottentots, who drink large quantities of it. Great caution -is needed in peeling the prickly pear, the proper way being to impale -the fruit on a fork or stick while you cut it open and remove the skin. -On no account must the latter be touched with the hands, or direful -consequences will ensue. To the inexperienced eye the prickly pear -looks innocent enough; with its smooth, shiny skin, suggestive only of -a juicy interior, and telling no tale of lurking mischief--yet each of -those soft-looking little tufts, with which at regular intervals it is -dotted, is a quiver filled with terrible, tiny, hairlike thorns, or -rather stings; and woe betide the fingers of the unwary "new chum," -who, with no kind friend at hand to warn him, plucks the treacherous -fruit. He will carry a lively memento of it for many days. - -My first sad experience of prickly pears was gained, not in South, but -in North Africa. Landing with a friend in Algiers some time ago, our -first walk led us to the fruit market, where, before a tempting pile of -_figues de Barbarie_, we stopped to quench the thirst of our thirty-six -hours' passage. The fruit was handed to us, politely peeled by the Arab -dealer; and thus, as we made our first acquaintance with its delightful -coolness, no suspicion of its evil qualities entered our minds. And -when, a few days later, adding the excitement of a little trespassing -to the more legitimate pleasures of a country ramble, we came upon a -well-laden group of prickly pear bushes, we could not resist the -temptation to help ourselves to some of the fruit--and woeful was the -result. Concentrated essence of stinging-nettle seemed all at once to -be assailing hands, lips, and tongue; and our skin, wherever it had -come in contact with the ill-natured fruit, was covered with a thick -crop of minute, bristly hairs, apparently growing from it, and -venomous and irritating to the last degree. Our silk gloves, -transformed suddenly into miniature robes of Nessus, had to be -thrown away, perfectly unwearable; and the inadvertent use of our -pocket-handkerchiefs, before we had fully realized the extent of our -misfortune, caused fresh agonies, in which nose as well as lips -participated. For many a day did the retribution of that theft haunt us -in the form of myriads of tiny stings. It was a long time indeed before -we were finally rid of the last of them; and we registered a vow that -whatever Algerian fruit we might dishonestly acquire in future, it -should not be _figues de Barbarie_. - -In dry weather at the Cape these spiteful little stings do not even -wait for the newly-arrived victim; but fly about, light as -thistle-down, ready to settle on any one who has not learned by -experience to give the prickly pear bushes a wide berth. - -The leaves of the prickly pear are good for ostriches and cattle, -though the work of burning off the thorns and cutting the leaves in -pieces is so tedious that it is only resorted to when other food -becomes scarce. One kind, the _kahlblad_, or "bald leaf," has no -thorns. It is comparatively rare, and farmers plant and cultivate it as -carefully as they exterminate its troublesome relative. - -Another kind of cactus, which, if the beautiful forms in Nature were -utilized for artistic purposes half as much as they deserve to be, -would long since have been recognized as a most perfect model for a -graceful branched candlestick, is used as food for cattle during long -droughts, being burnt and cut up in the same manner as the prickly -pear. When the plant is in flower, each branch of the candlestick seems -tipped with a bright yellow flame. - -Another of our many eccentric-looking plants, the _finger-poll_, is -also used in very dry seasons to feed cattle; the men who go about the -country cutting it up being followed by the animals, which are very -fond of it, but which, owing to its excessive toughness, are unable to -bite it off. It grows close to the ground; its perfect circle of thick, -short fingers, rather like gigantic asparagus, radiating stiffly from -the centre. How the cattle manage to eat it without serious -consequences has always been a matter of wonder to me, for the whole -plant is filled with a thick, white, milky juice, which when dry -becomes like the strongest india-rubber. We often used this juice for -mending china, articles of jewellery, and many things which defied -coaguline, to which, indeed, we found it superior. - -One of our plants always reminded me of those French sweets, threaded -on a stiff straw, which often form a part of the contents of a bon-bon -box. The thick, succulent leaves, shaded green and red, with a frosted, -sparkling surface which increases the resemblance to the candied -sweets, and all as exactly alike in shape and size as if made in one -mould, are threaded like beads at equal distances along the stem, which -passes through a little round hole in the very centre of each. They can -all be taken off and threaded on again just as they were before. - -Close to the ground, and growing from a little round root apparently -belonging to the bulbous tribe, you sometimes--though only rarely--see -a tiny mass of soft, curling fibres, delicate and unsubstantial-looking -as a little green cloud. Even the foliage of asparagus would look -coarse and heavy if placed beside this really ethereal little plant, -which yet is durable, for I have now with me a specimen which, though -gathered five years ago, is still quite unchanged. - -The wild tobacco is a common--indeed too common--plant in the Karroo; -it has clusters of long, narrow, trumpet-shaped flowers, of a light -yellow, its leaves are small, and it resembles the cultivated tobacco -neither in appearance nor in usefulness. Indeed it is one of our worst -enemies, being poisonous to ostriches, which of course--true to their -character--lose no opportunity of eating it. We made deadly war upon -it, and whenever during our rides about the farm we came upon a clump -of its blue-green bushes, we would make up a little bonfire at the foot -of each, and burn it down to the ground. But it is tenacious of life, -and its roots go down deep, so its career of evil was only cut short -for a time. Besides which, our efforts to keep it under were of little -avail while our neighbours, "letting things slide," in true colonial -fashion, allowed the plants to run wild on their own land; from whence -the seeds were always liable to be washed down to us during "a big -rain," when the deep _sluits_ which everywhere intersect the country -become, in a few hours, raging torrents, dashing along at express -speed. - -Strangely enough, when T----, some years ago, was travelling in -Australia, to which country he had brought some ostriches from the -Cape, he found that wild tobacco grew nowhere throughout the length and -breadth of the land, excepting just in the very region in which the -birds had been established. During that trip he also found that the -"salt-bush" of Australia, which is there considered the best kind of -food for sheep, is almost identical with the brack-bosch of the Cape -Colony, the only difference being that it grows higher. We have also -seen the same bush growing in Algeria, and near Marseilles. - -On the lower slopes of some of our mountains grow tall euphorbias, -shooting up straight and stiff as if made of metal, and branching out -in the exact form of the Jewish candlestick sculptured on the arch of -Titus in Rome. Some of these euphorbias attain the height of forty -feet--quite important dimensions in that comparatively treeless land. -They impart an air of melancholy and desolation to the landscape; and -look particularly weird and uncanny when, on a homeward ride, you pass -through a grove of them at dusk. - -One more queer plant in conclusion of these slight and very -unscientific reminiscences of our flora, which I trust may never meet -the eye of any botanist. The _kerzbosch_, or candle-bush, a stunted, -thorny plant, if lighted at one end when in the green state, will burn -steadily just like a wax candle, and is used as a torch for burning off -the thorns of prickly pear, etc. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -OUR LITTLE HOME. - -Building operations--A plucking--Ugliness of Cape houses--Our -rooms--Fountain in sitting-room a failure--Drowned pets--Decoration of -rooms--Colonist must be Jack-of-all-trades--Cape waggons--Shooting -expeditions--Strange tale told by Boer. - - -On our first arrival in the Karroo we were unable to take up our abode -at once on our own farm; the best of the three small Dutch houses on it -being little better than a hut, and consisting but of two small and -badly-built rooms; with mud floors and smoke-blackened reed ceilings, -as far removed from the horizontal as the roughly-plastered walls, -which bulged and retreated in all unexpected directions, were from the -perpendicular--the whole architecture, if so pretentious a term may be -used, being entirely innocent of any approach to a straight line or -correct angle. We at once commenced building operations; in the -meanwhile renting a little house which happened to be vacant on the -next farm, about an hour's rough, but pretty ride from our own. Now -came a busy time for T----, and for his manager--the latter already -installed, uncomfortably enough, in the old Dutch house--for besides -the brick-making and building, and the deepening of the well near the -house, there was, as must always be the case on starting a new farm, -much to be done, and everything required to be done at once. T---- -spent most of his time at "Swaylands," as we named our farm; and very -enjoyable for me were the days when I could spare a few hours from -household duties to ride over with him, to watch the progress of the -new rooms, or to be initiated into some of the mysteries of -ostrich-farming, all delightfully new and strange to me. - -The first sight of a plucking interested me especially; and it was not -without a proud feeling of ownership that I sat on the ground in one -corner of the kraal, or small temporary enclosure, helping to tie up in -neat bundles our own first crop of soft, white, black, or grey feathers -while watching the busy scene. It all comes back to me now with the -clearness of a photograph--the bright, cloudless, metallic-looking -South African sky above us; and for a background the long range of -rocky mountains, each stain on their rugged sides, each aloe or -_spekboom_ plant growing on them, sharply defined in that clear -atmosphere as if seen through the large end of an opera-glass. In the -foreground a forest of long necks, and a crowd of foolish, frightened -faces, gaping beaks, and throats all puffed out with air--the latter -ludicrous grimace, accompanied sometimes by a short, hollow sound, half -grunt, half cough, being the ostrich's mode of expressing deepest -disgust and dejection. There is a constant heavy stamping of powerful -two-toed feet; an occasional difference of opinion between two -quarrelsome birds eager to fight, craning their snake-like necks -hissing savagely, and "lifting up themselves on high," but unable, -owing to the closeness with which they are packed, to do each other any -injury; and the real or fancied approach of a dog causes a sudden panic -and general stampede of the silly birds into one corner of the kraal, -threatening to break down its not very substantial hedge of dry -bush--one commotion scarcely having time to subside before another -arises. - -And through it all, T----, Mr. B----, and our Kaffirs are calmly going -in and out among the struggling throng; all hard at work, the two -former steadily and methodically operating with their shears on each -bird as in its turn it is tugged along, like a victim to the sacrifice, -by three men; two holding its wings, and the third dragging at its long -neck till one fears that with all its kicks, plunges, tumbles, and -sudden wild leaps into the air, its flat, brainless little head will be -pulled off. One extra-refractory bird, when finally subdued, and -helpless in the hands of the pluckers, avenges his wrongs upon the -ostrich standing nearest to him in the crowd; and, for every feather -pulled from his own tail, gives a savage nip to the head of his -unoffending neighbour, a mild bird, who does not retaliate, but looks -puzzled, his own turn not yet having come. It is amusing to watch the -rapid retreat of each poor denuded creature when set free from his -tormentors. He goes out at the gate looking crestfallen indeed, but -apparently much relieved to find himself still alive. - -How we enjoyed that day! and how delightful was our ride back to "Hume -Cottage" in the evening, with the proceeds of the plucking tied up in -two large white bags, and fastened to our saddles; making us look as if -we were taking our clothes to the wash. My bundle, by the way, came to -grief _en route_, and suddenly--somewhat to the discomposure of my -horse--we found ourselves enveloped in a soft snowstorm of feathers, -which went flying and whirling merrily away across the _veldt_; many of -them, in spite of our prompt dismounting to rush madly hither and -thither in pursuit, quite evading all our efforts to catch them. - -The modern houses on Cape farms are all built entirely on utilitarian -principles, with no thought of grace or beauty; indeed, the square and -prosaic proportions of the ordinary packing-case seem to have been -chosen as the model in the construction of nearly every room. Even if -the inmates had any idea of comfort, or feeling for the picturesque--of -both of which they are quite innocent--it would be impossible ever to -make such rooms look either home-like or pretty. As it is, they are -most often like very uncomfortable schoolrooms. - -Our first plan on coming to South Africa was the ambitious one of -setting our fellow-colonists a brilliant example by striking out -something entirely new in farm architecture; and many times during our -stay at Walmer would we talk over the white Algerian house, with the -comfort and loveliness of which our ostrich-farm, wherever it might be, -was to be transformed into a little oasis in the desert. T---- covered -many sheets of writing-paper with designs for the horse-shoe arches; -and with neatly-drawn plans for the long, cool Oriental rooms, -surrounding the square open court; in the centre of which was to be a -fountain with bananas, ferns, blue lotus, and other water-loving -plants. - -Alas! however; when we did take a farm, we found ourselves obliged -after all to sacrifice beauty to usefulness, just like our neighbours. -The unlovely Dutch house, incapable as it was of adapting itself to -Moorish arches, had to be utilized; the press of other work allowing us -no time for pulling down and re-building, neither for indulging in any -artistic vagaries; and the two first rooms which--to meet immediate -requirements--were added as soon as bricks could be made for them, -were, for greater haste, built straight and square, in the true -packing-case style. They were the same size as the two old Dutch rooms; -flat-roofed like them, and built on to them in a straight line--the -four, each with its alternate door and window, reminding us of the rows -of little temporary rooms which form the dwellings of railway workmen -when a new line is being made, and which are moved on as the work -progresses. - -After this unpromising beginning, it is needless to say that our idea -of building an Algerian house was given up; and though in time we -improved the outward appearance of our dwelling; breaking the -straightness of its outlines by the addition of a pretty little -sitting-room projecting from the front, and of a large bedroom and -store at the back; and plastering and whitewashing the dirty old bricks -and the too-clean new ones; nothing can ever make it anything but an -ugly house as far as the outside is concerned. With the interior, -however, we have been more successful; and our sitting-room, now -consisting of a T-shaped arrangement of three small rooms thrown into -one, is really--considering the roughness of the materials with which -we started--a very bright and cosy little nook. It is most quaint and -irregular, for one end of it is a room of the crookedly-built Dutch -house; and when the strong old wall, three feet thick, dividing the -latter from the new part, was knocked away, the old ceiling and floor -turned out to be considerably lower than the new. We dignify the deep -step thus formed by the name of "the dais." - -[Illustration: OUR SITTING-ROOM.] - -The latest-added portion of the room--built from T----'s own design--is -the prettiest of all; and the bow window at the end, always filled with -banana-plants, ferns, creepers, garden and wild flowers, forms quite a -little conservatory. Though disappointed of our Moorish court, we could -not give up the idea of our fountain without a struggle, and attempted -to establish it on a very small scale in this little room; in the -cement floor of which, not far from the bow window, we made a round -basin some four feet deep, which we filled with water. Then we wrote to -Walmer for some roots of our favourite blue lotus; with which, and with -the arums' white cups, the surface of the water was to be studded; and -by-and-by--we thought--as soon as the completion of more necessary -operations should allow leisure for ornamental work, how delightful it -would be, on coming in out of the dust and the heat, to hear the sweet, -refreshing sound of falling water; and to see the bright drops -splashing on the border of maidenhair fern which was to surround the -tiny basin. - -But, after all, our anticipations were never realized; for we soon saw -that it would be necessary to choose between our fountain and our pet -animals--so numerous among the latter were cases of "Found Drowned." -Our meerkats, in their irrepressible liveliness, were always tumbling -in; and, being unable to climb up the straight sides, would swim round -and round calling loudly for assistance; but we were not always at hand -to play the part of Humane Society, and the losses were many, -including--saddest of all--that of a too-inquisitive young ostrich. - -Thousands of gnats, too, as noisy and nearly as venomous as mosquitoes, -were brought into existence; and, romantic as was the idea of -water-plants growing in our little room, it had to be given up; and we -contented ourselves with seeing our blue lotus in the form of a dado, -on which we stencilled and painted them ourselves in the true Egyptian -conventional style, on alternate long and short stalks. We bordered the -fireplace, and decorated the tops of the doors, with a few good old -tiles from Damascus, Tunis, Algiers, and the Alhambra; three beautiful -hand-painted _sarongs_, brought by T---- from Java, formed each as -perfect and artistic a _portiere_ as could be wished, and hid the ugly, -ill-made doors; and with Turkish rugs, Oriental embroideries of all -kinds, Moorish and Kabyle pottery, Algerian coffee-tables and brackets, -ancient Egyptian curiosities, and other trophies of travel, we produced -a general effect which--especially in South Africa--was not to be -despised. - -I have conceitedly said "we," as if I had had a great share in the -work, but it was in reality T---- who did it all, and to whose artistic -taste the prettiness of our little home is entirely due. The capacity, -too, for turning his hand to anything, which makes him so perfect a -colonist, was invaluable to us on that out-of-the-way farm; for, there -being, after the departure of the itinerant workmen who built our -rooms, no painters, glaziers, masons, carpenters, or other such useful -people anywhere nearer than Graaff-Reinet--four hours by rail from -Klipplaat--all the repairs and improvements of the house devolved on -him. One day he would be putting new panes of glass in the windows--the -next, bringing a refractory lock into proper working order, or making -and putting up bookshelves--then, perhaps, a defective portion of the -roof would claim his attention, or he would enter on a long and -persevering conflict with a smoky chimney. One of the latter, indeed, -carelessly run up by our ignorant builder, was not cured until T---- -had taken it all down and built it over again; since which its -behaviour has been blameless. - -N.B.--When a chimney wants sweeping in the Karroo, the usual mode of -procedure is to send a fowl down it. - -Our furniture, most of which was of that best kind of all for a hot -climate, the Austrian bent wood, arrived in very good condition; and in -spite of the rough roads along which the waggon had to bring it from -Klipplaat, hardly anything was damaged. - -These Cape waggons, clumsy as they look, are splendidly adapted to the -abrupt ups and downs of the country over which they travel. They are -very long; and are made in such a way that, instead of jolting and -jumping up and down as an English waggon, under the trying -circumstances of a journey in South Africa, would certainly consider -itself justified in doing, they turn and bend about in quite a -snake-like manner, and the motion, even on the roughest road, is never -unpleasant. They are usually drawn by a span of sixteen or eighteen -oxen, sometimes by mules; and very noisily they go along; night--their -favourite travelling-time in hot weather--being made truly hideous -while a caravan of some four or five of them is coming slowly on, with -wheels creaking and groaning in all possible discordant notes, and the -Hottentot drivers and _voorloopers_--boys who run in front--cracking -their long hide whips, and urging on their animals with more fiendish -sounds than ever issued even from Neapolitan throats. One has to get -accustomed to the noise; but, apart from this drawback, the waggons are -most comfortable for travelling. They are large and spacious, and -roofed in by firmly-made tents which afford complete protection from -sun and rain; and for night journeys no Pullman car ever offered more -luxurious sleeping accommodation than does the _kartel_, a large, -strong framework of wood, as wide as a double-bed, suspended inside the -tent of the waggon. Across this framework are stretched narrow, -interlacing strips of hide; mattresses and rugs are placed on it, and -no more comfortable bed could be desired. The goods are all stowed -underneath the _kartel_, in the bottom of the waggon. - -People often make shooting expeditions to the interior, travelling in -waggons and sometimes remaining away a year at a time. T---- has taken -several journeys of this kind, and speaks of it as a most enjoyable -life. You take a horse or two and a couple of pointers; you get plenty -of shooting during the day; and come back to the waggon in the evening -to find a bright fire burning near, and dinner being prepared by the -servants. The latter camp at night under the waggon. The average -distance travelled is twenty-five miles a day. There is no need to take -provisions for the cattle, as they are always able to graze on the way; -tracts of land, called public outspans, being set apart by Government -at convenient distances along the road as halting-places for waggons. - -A Boer once told T---- a strange story of how--during one of the -numerous wars with the natives--he, his wife, and children were -travelling at night, when suddenly, without any apparent cause, the -waggon came to a standstill; the oxen, though beaten hard and pulling -with all their might, being unable to move it, although the road at -that place was perfectly level. After some delay, the cattle were just -as suddenly again able to move the waggon without difficulty; and the -Boer and his family proceeded on their way. They found afterwards that, -by this strange interruption to their journey, they had been prevented -from encountering an armed party of hostile natives, who just at that -time were crossing their road some distance in front of them. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -CLIMATE OF THE KARROO. - -Cape Colony much abused--Healthy climate--Wonderful cures of -consumption--Karroo a good place for sanatorium--Rarity of illness and -accidents--The young colonist--An independent infant--Long -droughts--Hot winds--Dust storms--Dams--Advantage of possessing good -wells--Partiality of thunderstorms--Delights of a brack roof--Washed -out of bed--After the rain--Our horses--Effects of rain -indoors--_Opslaag_--The Cape winter--What to wear on Karroo farms. - - -OF all portions of the globe, surely none has ever been so much -grumbled at, abused, and despised, both justly and unjustly, as the -poor Cape Colony. Hardly any one who has lived under its cloudless -skies has a kind word to say for it; indeed, it is quite the usual -thing to speak of one's residence in it as of an enforced and miserable -exile--a kind of penal servitude--though, strangely enough, most of -those who go so rejoicingly home to England, like boys released from -school, manage sooner or later to find their way out again; as though -impelled by a touch of some such magic as that which is supposed to -draw back to the Eternal City those who have once drunk at the Trevi -fountain. - -One of the legion of grumblers tells you the Cape Colony is the -worst-governed country in the world, which indeed--with the exception, -perhaps, of Turkey and Morocco--it undoubtedly is; the grievance of -another is that the country in general, and ostrich-farming in -particular, is played out, that no more fortunes are to be made, and -that life on the farms offers nothing to compensate sufficiently for -the numerous discomforts and privations which have to be endured; the -heavy import duties and consequent ruinous prices of all the -necessaries of life, with the exception of meat, depriving the colonist -of even that small consolation of knowing that, though uncomfortable, -he is at least economizing. Sybarites accustomed to home comforts make -constant comparisons between English and colonial houses, greatly to -the disparagement of the latter; epicures complain bitterly of the -wearying sameness of the food, resenting most deeply the perpetual -recurrence on the table, morning, noon, and night, of the ubiquitous -though delicious Angora goat; while ladies are eloquent on the -never-ending topics of the bad servants--certainly the worst that can -be found anywhere--the difficulties of housekeeping, the rough roads, -the inconvenient distance from everywhere, the trouble and delay of -getting provisions, etc., sent up to the farms, and, saddest of all, -the want of society and the intolerable dulness. In fact, the general -opinion seems to be that of Mrs. Jellyby's daughter, that "Africa is a -Beast!" You hear so much grumbling, see such bored, dissatisfied faces, -and are treated to so many gloomy and desponding views of colonial -life, that it is quite a refreshing contrast when you chance to meet an -American who is contemptuously jocular on the subject of the ugly -scenery, eccentric plants, queer beasts, and general all-pervading look -of incompleteness, and who guesses "South Africa was finished off in a -hurry late on Saturday night, with a few diamonds thrown in to -compensate." - -Even the climate comes in for its share of abuse: its long droughts, -its hot winds, its incessant sunshine--as if you _could_ have too much -of that!--and its general dissimilarity to the climate of England--for -which surely it ought to be commended,--all are added to the long list -of complaints against a land which seems, like the much-abused donkey, -to have no friends. And yet that climate, with all its drawbacks and -discomforts, is the healthiest in the world; and most especially is the -Karroo district the place of all others for invalids suffering from -chest complaints. No one need die of consumption, however advanced a -stage his disease may have attained, if he can but reach the Cape -Colony and _proceed at once inland_. He must not stay near the coast; -it would be as well--indeed better--for him to have remained in England -to die among friends; for in the moist neighbourhood of the sea the -disease cannot be cured, its progress is simply retarded for a while. -But a railway journey of only a few hours lands the patient in the very -heart of the Karroo; and once in its dry atmosphere, he may hope--nay -expect--not a mere prolongation for a few months of such a life as one -too often sees sadly ebbing away in Mediterranean winter resorts, but a -return to health and strength. Among our Cape acquaintances are some -whom T---- knew when, years ago, they landed in the Colony--given up by -their doctors at home, and so near the last stage of consumption that -on arriving they could not walk on shore, but had to be carried from -the vessel--and who are now as strong and well as any of their -neighbours. Indeed, on my introduction to more than one of these stout -and hearty colonists, I have found it quite impossible to realize that -_they_, at any time, could have been consumptive invalids! -Unfortunately, too many presume on the completeness of their cure; and, -instead of resigning themselves to settling and finding permanent -occupation in the colony, as all whose lungs have once been seriously -affected ought to do, return to England; and, having grown reckless -with long residence in a land where "nothing gives you cold," soon fall -victims to their treacherous native climate; the first exposure to its -damp chilliness generally bringing back in full force the foe from -whose attacks they would always have been safe, had they not left the -dry Karroo's protection. - -It is a pity European doctors do not know more about this wonderful -climate for consumptive patients; and also that so few inducements are -held out for the latter to settle in the country. What a splendid plan -it would be, and how many valuable lives might be saved, if some clever -medical man--himself perhaps just enough of an invalid to prefer living -out of England--were to take a large farm in the Karroo, and "run" it -as a sanatorium. This could be done without the expenditure of any very -large amount of capital, as land can be rented from Government at the -rate of a very moderate sum per annum. It would be necessary to choose -a farm possessing a good fountain; thus a constant supply of vegetables -could be kept up, and herds of cattle, flocks of sheep and Angoras, and -plenty of fowls, turkeys, etc., be maintained to provide the -establishment with meat, milk, butter, and eggs--rendering it to a -great extent self-supporting. The young men could occupy themselves in -superintending the farming operations, and thus would not only have -plenty to do, but would at the same time be gaining health. A good -troop of horses would of course be kept, so that patients might have as -much riding and driving as they wished; there would be some shooting, -as there are partridges, several birds of the bustard tribe, and a few -antelopes; and with a house whose interior presented the comforts of a -refined home, with prettily-furnished rooms, and with a good supply of -books, papers, and magazines, life in that bright, sunny land might be -made pleasant enough. The healthiness of the country is greatly owing, -not only to its dryness, but also to the fact of its being a -table-land, one thousand feet above the sea; thus the nights are always -cool, and one is generally glad of two blankets, even in summer. - -Nor is consumption the only enemy who has to retreat powerless before -the Karroo's health-giving atmosphere; many other illnesses seem -equally unable to obtain a footing in that perfect climate. T----, for -instance, who from childhood had been subject to severe attacks of -asthma, was completely cured by his residence on the ostrich farms; and -a troublesome remittent fever, caught in the West Indies, from which I -had suffered, off and on, during seven years, left me entirely from the -time we went to live at Swaylands. There seems, indeed, to be much of -truth in the boastful assertion one so often hears, "No one is ever ill -here!" and the wonder is, not that doctors are so sparsely distributed -throughout the Karroo, but that they ever think it worth while to -settle there at all. People live quite contentedly two or more days' -drive from the nearest doctor--medical help from Port Elizabeth being -equally, if not more, inaccessible, owing to the fact that the train -does not run every day--and from year's end to year's end they not only -are never ill, but seem also quite exempt from the usual accidents -which in other parts of the world are apt to befall humanity. They go -out shooting, and their horses buck them off--a trifling, everyday -event which is taken as a matter of course; they gallop recklessly -across the _veldt_, over ground so full of treacherous holes that a -horse is liable at any moment to get a sudden and ugly fall--indeed, he -often does, but the colonist always rises unhurt; they drive home late -at night along the roughest of roads, at a furious pace--often after -imbibing far more than is usually conducive to safety--and their Cape -carts or American spiders very naturally tumble into sluits, run into -wire fences, perform somersaults down steep banks, and go through other -startling acrobatic feats, all with perfect impunity to the occupants. -No legs, arms, or ribs, to say nothing of necks, are ever broken. - -And when the young colonist makes his first appearance on this world's -stage, his advent is not made the occasion for any undue display of -fuss or anxiety. It is not thought worth while to summon the doctor -from his distant abode; some old Dutch or Hottentot woman, who has been -a grandmother so often that her experience is large, is called in, and -all goes well. The young colonist himself is invariably a flourishing -specimen of humanity; the childish ailments to which so many of his -less robust European contemporaries succumb, cause him no trouble, and, -if indeed they attack him at all, he weathers them triumphantly. He -thrives in the pure fresh air, revels in the healthy out-door life, -eats, of course, to an enormous and alarming extent, and grows up a -young giant. He enjoys the same immunity from accident as his elders, -passing safely through even more "hair-breadth 'scapes" than they; his -sturdy, independent spirit makes him equal to any emergency, and -enables him, in whatever circumstances of difficulty or danger he may -be placed, to take very good care of himself. - -On the farm next to ours a tiny boy of three, while playing with the -windlass of a deep well, and hanging on to the rope, suddenly let -himself down with a run into the water. He was not much disconcerted, -however; but, with wonderful presence of mind for such a baby, managed -to get his feet firmly on the bucket, and finding the length of the -rope just, though only just, allowed his mouth to come above the -surface, remained immovable, roaring steadily and lustily till -assistance came. - -The long droughts are certainly very trying; indeed they could not -possibly be endured by any country less wonderfully fertile than South -Africa, where it is calculated that three good days' rain in the year, -could we but have this regularly, would be sufficient to meet all the -needs of the land. But often, for more than a year, there will be no -rain worth mentioning; the dams, or large artificial reservoirs, of -which each farm usually possesses several, gradually become dry; and -the _veldt_ daily loses more of its verdure, till at last all is one -dull, ugly brown, and the whole plain lies parched and burnt up under a -sky from which every atom of moisture seems to have departed--a hard, -grey, metallic sky, as different as possible from the rich, deep-blue -canopy which, far away to the north, spreads over lovely Algeria. The -stock, with the pathetic tameness of thirst, come from all parts of the -farm to congregate close round the house; the inquiring ostriches -tapping with their bills on the windows as they look in at you, and the -cattle lowing in piteous appeal for water; and you realize very vividly -the force of such Scriptural expressions as, "the heaven was shut up," -or, "a dry and thirsty land where no water is." - -Then the hot winds sweep across the country, making everybody tired, -languid, head-achy and cross. Indeed, excessive irritability seems to -be the general result of hot winds in all parts of the world; in Egypt, -for instance, there is never so much crime among the natives as while -the _khamseen_ is blowing; every outbreak of the Arabs in Algiers -invariably occurs during an extra bad sirocco; and in a Spanish family -I knew in Havana there obtained a very sensible rule, unanimously -adopted to avoid collisions of temper, _i.e._, on the days of an -especially venomous hot wind peculiar to Cuba an unbroken silence was -maintained; no member of the family, on any pretence whatever, speaking -to another. Even our pets were sulky on a hot wind day; and as for the -ostriches, they were deplorable objects indeed as they stood gasping -for breath, with pendent wings, open bills, and inflated throats, the -pictures of imbecile dejection. In fact, everything human, four-footed, -and feathered, in the whole Karroo, was as thoroughly unhappy as it -could well be; with the sole exception of myself. My spirits, instead -of falling below zero, would always rise in proportion as the -surrounding air became more like the breath of a furnace; this was not -owing, as may perhaps be supposed, to the possession of so rare a -sweetness of temper as to render me happy under even the most adverse -circumstances, but simply to a real and intense enjoyment of that -weather which everyone else hated. While T----, closing every door and -window as tightly as possible (which, however, is not saying much), -would retire to his bath, there to spend a couple of hours in company -with books, papers, and numberless lemon-squashes, if lemons happened -to be attainable; I would carry my chair outside, and, as I darned -socks or repaired the latest trap-doors torn in our garments by the -thorns, would revel in _my_ bath of hot, dry air. - -[Illustration: OSTRICHES IN A HOT WIND.] - -The dust which the hot wind brings with it is, however, a nuisance. -There is more than enough dust at the best of times; and the -difficulties--already considerable--of keeping a Karroo house neat and -clean, are not lessened by the fact that, ten minutes after a careful -progress round the room with that most perfect of dusters, a bunch of -ostrich-feathers, you can distinctly sign your name with your finger on -the little black writing-table, or make a drawing on the piano. But in -a good hot wind you have far more than this average, everyday amount of -"matter in the wrong place," and you eat and breathe dust. - -Sometimes the wind carries the dust high up into the air, in straight, -solid-looking columns rising from the ground just as a water-spout -rises from the sea. An artist wishing to depict the pillar of the cloud -going before the Israelites might well take the form of one of them as -a model. Occasionally you see two or three of these columns wandering -about the _veldt_ in different directions; and woe betide the -imperfectly-built house, or tall wind-mill pump, which has the ill-luck -to stand in the path of one of these erratic visitants! We, alas! can -speak from experience, our own "Stover" mill having been chosen as a -victim and whirled aloft to its destruction! T----, while at Kimberley, -in the early days of the diamond-fields, has often seen these dusty -whirlwinds going about the camp, passing between the long rows of tents -as if hesitating for a time which to attack; then suddenly "going for" -one of them, causing instantaneous collapse and confusion. - -Every Karroo house has a dam near it, and on a large farm there are -generally three or four more of these reservoirs in different parts of -the land. The selection of a suitable site for a dam requires some -experience. An embankment is thrown up across a valley, where from the -rising ground on either side the water is collected. The ground must be -"brack," a peculiar kind of soil which, though loose and friable, is -not porous. This brack is often used to cover the flat roofs of the -houses; but unless it is well sifted and laid on thickly, dependence -cannot always be placed on it, as we have several times found to our -cost. Rows of willows or mimosas are generally planted along the banks -of the dams; and though the moisture which is sucked up by their -thirsty roots can ill be afforded, yet, in that most treeless of lands, -their bright, fresh green is of immense value; and the poor ugly -houses, standing so forlornly on the bare _veldt_, with but the -narrowest and scantiest of gardens--if any--between them and the -surrounding desert, seem redeemed from utter dreariness and desolation, -and some slight look of home and of refinement is imparted by the dam's -semicircle of trees. A good-sized dam is sometimes half a mile broad, -and, when just filled after a good thunder-shower, is quite an imposing -sheet of water. Occasionally, in very heavy thunder-storms, the -glorious supplies pour in too lavishly; the embankment, unable to -resist the pressure, gives way; and the disappointed farmer, who has -ridden up in the hope of feasting his eyes on watery wealth, beholds -his treasure flowing uselessly and aimlessly away across the _veldt_. - -Then, too, even the noblest of dams _must_ dry up in a long drought; -and that landowner is wise who does not depend solely on this form of -water-supply, but who takes the precaution of sinking one or more good -wells. This is expensive work--especially when, as in our case, the -hard rock has to be blown away by dynamite; a party of navvies, -encamped on the farm for weeks, progressing but slowly and laboriously -at the rate of about one foot per day, for which the payment is L5 a -foot; but the advantage is seen during the protracted droughts. Then, -on farms which only possess dams, the ostriches and other stock are -seen lying dead in all directions, a most melancholy sight. Where there -is a well, however, the animals can always be kept alive. The water may -go down rather low, and the supply doled out to the thirsty creatures -may not be very plentiful; but with careful management no stock need be -lost during the longest of droughts. But, even with our good well, we -found it necessary to be very economical; and the few small eucalypti -and other trees which, with great difficulty, we kept alive near the -house, have often for weeks together been obliged to content themselves -with the soapy water from the baths; while our poor little patch of -kitchen-garden has more than once had to be sacrificed and allowed to -dry up--the water necessary for its irrigation being more than we could -venture to spare. - -In some parts of the country the inhabitants are occasionally in -terrible straits for want of water; and during one severe drought some -passing strangers, who rested a few hours at our house, told us a -horrid story of how, at one of the "cantines" (combinations of inn and -general store) along their road, they had asked for water to wash their -hands, and a scanty supply was brought, with the request that no soap -might be used, that same water being ultimately destined to make the -tea! It sounds incredible, but I fear it is more likely to be truth -than fiction, for the Dutch at the Cape are dirty enough for anything. - -The partiality of the thunder-storms is surprising; sometimes one farm -will have all its dams filled, while another near it does not get a -drop of rain. Often, during a whole season, the thunder-clouds will -follow the same course; one unlucky place being repeatedly left out. -Swaylands was once for months passed over in this manner; our -neighbours on both sides having an abundance of water, while we, like -the unhappy little pig of nursery fame, "had none," and found it -difficult to restrain envy, hatred, and malice. - -Then, too, the clouds have such a deceitful and tantalizing way of -collecting in magnificent masses, and coming rolling grandly up as if -they really meant business at last--only to disperse quietly in a few -hours, disappointing all the hopes they have raised. Again and again -you are deluded into believing the long, weary drought is indeed -nearing its end; you feel so sure there is a tremendous rain just at -hand, that you prepare for action, and, doubting the trustworthiness of -those portions of the roof covered with brack, are careful to remove -from beneath them everything liable to be spoilt by wet, then, having -set your house in order, you wait eagerly to hear the first pattering -of the longed-for drops. They do not come, however; it all ends in -nothing, and soon every cloud is gone, and the sun blazes out once more -in pitiless splendour. - -Then at last, after "Wolf!" has been cried so often that you are off -your guard, and--obstinately refusing to be taken in by the promising -bank of clouds you noticed in the evening--have gone off to bed, -expecting your waking eyes to rest only on the usual hard, hot, -grey-blue sky--suddenly, in the middle of the night, you are aroused by -a deafening noise, and your first confused, half-dreaming thought is -that somehow or other you have got underneath the Falls of -Niagara--house and all. Then a blue flash wakes you quite up, a -terrific roar of thunder shakes the house, and you realize that what -for months you have been so longing for has come at last! But there are -penalties to be paid for it; and an ominous sound of trickling strikes -your ear. Your bedroom unfortunately has a brack roof; and through the -defective places in the latter, which every moment become larger and -more numerous, streams of water are pouring in, till at last the room -seems to be one large shower-bath. You think with horror of the books, -writing-case, photographs, lace-trimmed hat, work-basket, boots, etc., -all left in various exposed positions about the room, and--most -frightful thought of all--of the coats and dresses hanging on the row -of pegs in that corner where, to judge by the sound, the most -substantial of all the cataracts seems to be descending; and you feel -that you _must_ learn at once the extent of your misfortune, and rescue -what you can. You try to light a candle; but a well-directed jet of -water has been steadily playing straight down into the candlestick, and -a vicious sputter is the only response to your efforts. You are still -struggling with the candle; trying to wipe it dry, using persuasive -language to it, and as far from getting a light as ever; when your -breath is suddenly taken away by a stream of ice-cold water pouring -over your back, and you find that you have shipped as fine a "sea" as -ever dashed through an incautiously-opened port. The flat roof, which -has been collecting water till it has become like a tank, has given way -under the pressure, and a wide crack has opened just above your head. -Of course you are wet through, so is the bed on which you are sitting; -and you make a prompt descent from the latter, only to find the floor -one vast, shallow bath, in which your slippers are floating. - -And now, as you grope about, hurriedly collecting the more perishable -articles, and flinging them into the safety of the next room--which has -a corrugated iron roof--you hear a dull roar; far off at first, but -advancing nearer and nearer; till at last a grand volume of sound -thunders past, and a broad, tossing river, impetuous as any mountain -torrent, is suddenly at your very gates. It is the _sluit_ coming down; -filling, and perhaps widely overflowing, its deep channel, which, -straight and steep as a railway cutting, has stood dry so long. In all -directions these _sluits_ are now careering over the country; and -though occasionally their wild rush does some mischief, such as washing -away ostriches' nests, drowning stock, or carrying into a dam such an -accumulation of soil as to fill it up and render it useless--still, on -the whole, the _sluit_ is a most beneficent friend to the farmer. And -now, at the first welcome sound of that friend's approach, you hear -overhead the loud congratulations of the gentlemen, who, attired in -ulsters, are hard at work on the roof, whither they have hastily -scrambled to lessen as far as possible the deluge within. "This is -worth L200 to us!" you hear in triumphant tones. "We're all right now -for six months!" Then--less joyfully--comes a query as to how the great -dam in the upper camp, which on a former sad occasion has "gone," will -stand this time; but the general opinion is that, with the considerable -strengthening it has since received, it will weather the storm; and in -the meanwhile souls must be possessed in patience till the morning. And -still the rain keeps on, steadily and noisily; and with all the -discomfort, and with all the mischief it has wrought indoors, how -thankful one is for it! And how one's heart is gladdened by that "sound -of abundance of rain," and "voice of many waters!" It means everything -to the farmer; the long drought over at last, the dams full, the -parched country revived, the poor thin cattle no longer in danger of -starvation; healthier ostriches, a better quality of feathers, a near -prospect of nests, and in fact the removal of a load of cares and -anxieties. - -How early we are all astir on the morning after a big rain! and with -what eager excitement we look out, in the first gleam of daylight, for -that most welcome sight, the newly-filled dam! A wonderful -transformation has indeed been worked in the appearance of things since -last night. That unsightly dry bed of light-coloured soil, baked by the -hot sun to the hardness of pottery, and broken up by a thousand -intersecting deep cracks and fissures, which has so long been the -ugliest feature among all our unpicturesque surroundings, offends the -eye no more; and in its place there now lies in the early morning light -a beautiful broad sheet of water, into which the yellow _sluit_, a -miniature Niagara Rapids, is still lavishly pouring its wealth--not for -many hours indeed will the impetuous course of this and numerous other -_sluits_, large and small, begin gradually to subside. Everywhere the -water is standing in immense pools and ponds; how to feed one unlucky -pair of breeding-birds--my special charges--in a low-lying camp on the -other side of the sluit is a problem which for the present I do not -attempt to solve; indeed, to walk a yard from the door, even in the -thickest of boots and shabbiest of garments, requires some courage, for -it is anything but an easy matter to keep your feet, and if you fell, -you would go into a perfect bath of mud. In some places lie -accumulations of hailstones (accounting for the icy coldness of that -impromptu shower-bath), and, though partially melted, some of them are -still of the size of hazel nuts. The rain is over; and the friendly -clouds to which we owe so much are already far off, and lie in white, -round, solid-looking masses along the horizon. The sky, as if softened -by its tempest of passion, seems of a bluer and more tender tint than -it has been for a long time, and all nature appears full of joy and -thanksgiving. From all sides you hear the loud chorus of myriads of -rejoicing frogs, all croaking congratulations to each other, and all -talking at once; they seem to have sprung suddenly into existence since -last night, and their noise, discordant as it is, is not unwelcome -after the long silence of the drought. - -Toto, the instant he catches sight of the water, rushes out of the -house, gallops wildly down to the dam, and plunges in, to swim round -and round and round, barking with delight. He seems as if he could not -have enough of the water; for when, after a long time, he has come out, -and is on his way back to us, he suddenly changes his mind, and dashes -back for another bathe. Then he seems to lose his head altogether, and -vents his wild spirits in a sort of frenzied war-dance along the banks -of the dam; seriously upsetting the composure, as well as the dignity, -of the crow Bobby, a bird of neat and cleanly habits, who, long -debarred from any more satisfactory bath than a washing-basin, has -walked down, with the air of an explorer, to this new lake he has just -discovered; and is croaking softly and contentedly to himself as he -splashes the bright drops again and again over his dusty black plumage. -He does not like Toto; indeed, there is a mutual jealousy between these -two favoured pets of ours, and they are always rather glad of an excuse -for a good row, such as now ensues. - -When the commotion has subsided, and Toto is at a safe distance from -the dam, a troop of ostriches come down to drink. They are no doubt -delighted to find such an abundant supply of water, after the somewhat -scanty allowance which has been portioned out to them of late; and they -stand greedily scooping up large quantities with their broad bills; -then assuming comical attitudes as they stretch out their distended -necks to allow the fluid to run down. In the distance, about a dozen -other ostriches are spreading their white wings and waltzing along -magnificently--a pretty way of expressing their satisfaction at this -new and delightful change in their circumstances. But it is sometimes -an expensive amusement; and we feel relieved when all have settled -down, with unbroken legs, into a more sober mood. - -The fowls alone do not participate in the general rejoicing; their -house was even less water-tight than our room, and they all seem to -have caught cold, and look draggled and miserable. Two poor -sitting-hens have been washed out of their nests in the kraal hedge; -their eggs are under water, and they wander about clucking -despondently. By-and-by they will all be happier, when the waters have -subsided a little, and they can pick succulent insects out of the -softened ground; but in the meanwhile they show plainly that they do -not see the good of living in a half-drowned world. - -And here come two of the horses, with "September,"[3] one of our Kaffir -herds, who has been out on the veldt to find and catch them. Like most -of the other colonists, we have no stables, and when our animals have -done their day's work, we let them go, unless an early start has to be -made in the morning; then, as they sometimes go long distances, and are -not to be caught in a hurry, those that will be wanted are kept in the -kraal over-night. During severe droughts the horses are fed at the -house; but when there is plenty of vegetation on the _veldt_, they pick -up a living for themselves. They do not get very fat, nor are they -handsome to look at; and if an English coachman could see their bony -frames and rough, ungroomed coats, he would no doubt be filled with the -profoundest contempt. Yet, with all their uncouth appearance, they are -far more serviceable than his fat, sleek, overfed animals. They can -travel much longer distances; they do not have such frequent colds and -other ailments--lameness especially is quite unknown among them--and -their services are always at the command of their master, of any of his -friends and acquaintances, or even of perfect strangers who may happen -to require a mount or a lift. For the colonist is as hospitable with -his horses and his vehicles as he is with everything else that he -possesses; and the arrival of an invited guest in a hired conveyance, -though no unfrequent event at English country homes, is a thing quite -unheard-of on Cape farms. - - [3] Many of the negroes on Cape farms are named after the - months. - -Although in many parts of South Africa horses do not require shoeing at -all, they need it in the Karroo, where the ground is particularly -stony. When a horse's shoes are worn out, he is worked for some time -unshod, until the hoof, which had grown considerably, has worn down, -and the animal begins to be a little tender-footed; then fresh shoes -are put on. This plan renders it unnecessary for the blacksmith to use -his knife, and ensures that the hoof is worn evenly; thus avoiding the -lameness which in England is so often caused by the hoof not being -pared straight. - -And in the meanwhile the two horses have been saddled, and off go T---- -and Mr. B---- on a tour of inspection round the farm; first of all -making a bee-line for the opposite range of hills, where lies that -particular dam in the fate of which we are so deeply interested. I -cannot ride with them, much as I should have liked it; for the scenes -of devastation indoors claim my attention, and with my dark-skinned -hand-maiden and another Kaffir woman, wife of one of the herds, whom I -have pressed into the service, I go to work; boldly attacking first the -most herculean task of all, _i.e._, the cleaning of the bedroom out of -which we were washed last night. Truly an Augean stable is this first -room; and the sight of its horrors by daylight makes me wonder how by -any possibility it can ever again be fit for human habitation. The -water with which the bed has been deluged was no clear crystal -stream--far from it--and pillows, sheets, and counter-pane are of a -rich brown hue; so are the toilet table and the once pretty -window-curtains of blue-and-white Madras muslin, which now look -melancholy indeed as they hang down, straight and limp, from their -cornice. In fact, hardly anything in the room can boast of having -remained perfectly dry and clean; and the floor is a pool of dirty -water several inches deep. It all looks hopeless; but we refuse to be -daunted, and set to work with a will; things dry quickly in such a sun -as is now shining brightly outside; the mud is "clean" mud, too, and -does not stain or spoil so irretrievably as that of most other places. -A Falstaffian bundle is made up for the wash, which will keep a Kaffir -hard at work for two good days turning the washing-machine; a vigorous -scrubbing and "swabbing of decks" goes on indoors; and by the time the -gentlemen return to lunch, in the best of spirits, and reporting the -dam safe and splendidly full, things have already assumed a brighter -aspect. T---- spends the afternoon in repairing the roof, and I walk -about the house with a long broom, poking and tapping the ceilings to -indicate to him the defective spots; he does the work far better than -it was originally done by the builder of the house, and never -afterwards do we have so bad a deluge. - -It was, however, very nearly equalled in magnitude by a previous one, -which, while we were living at Hume Cottage, gave me the first -experience of a big rain--and of a _brack_ roof. T---- being away for a -few days, I was alone in the house with my one black servant, who of -course slept placidly through all the tumult of the elements. I, on the -contrary--the bedroom being water-tight--was lying awake, listening and -rejoicing as I thought of all the good this splendid rain would do us. -Little did I suspect what it _was_ doing in the sitting-room; and I -cheerfully and briskly opened the door of the latter next morning, all -unprepared for the sight which met my eyes. Poor little room! only a -few days before we had taken such pride and pleasure in beautifying -it--and now! It looked like nothing but the saloon of a steamer which -had gone down and been fished up again. The treacherous roof had let in -floods of dirty brown water in all directions; the Turkish rugs were -half buried in mud; the new bent-wood chairs looked like neglected old -garden seats which for years had braved all weathers; and the -table-cloth, on the artistic colours of which we had prided ourselves, -gave a very good idea of the probable state of Sir Walter Raleigh's -cloak after serving as an impromptu carpet for his queen. But the brunt -of the storm had fallen on two sets of hanging bookshelves, well filled -with nicely-bound volumes, and gracefully draped with some of our pet -pieces of Turkish needlework. The books all looked as if they had been -boiled; and the colour which had come out of their swollen and pulpy -bindings had run down the saturated embroideries in long streaks, -showing where a red book had stood, where a blue or green one, etc. -Fortunately, a good cleaning and washing restored most things to a -tidy, if not perfectly fresh appearance; but those poor books never -recovered. - -In a few days--incredibly few--the effects of a good rain are seen in -the appearance of the _veldt_, which rapidly loses its dry, burnt-up -look. But, even before the perennial bush has had time to recover its -succulence and verdure, all the spaces between its isolated tufts are -covered with the softest and most delicate-looking vegetation, which, -as if by magic, has sprung suddenly into existence. All these plants, -which are of many different kinds, and some of which possess very -minute and pretty flowers, are indiscriminately called by the Dutch -_opslaag_ ("that which comes up"); and if you happen at the time of -their appearance to have a troop of infant ostriches, there is no -better food for the little creatures than this tender, bright-green -foliage. They are but short-lived little plants; the hot sun soon -drying them up. - -If the Cape Colony only possessed mountains high enough to give an -abundant rainfall, what a gloriously fertile country it would be! -Without droughts, what a splendid possession our farm would be to us! -Often, when the coveted clouds have passed so close that it seemed as -if they must be just about to break over the farm, T----, remembering -how the firing of the great guns at Woolwich sometimes brings down the -rain, has thought it might be a good plan to send up a fire-balloon -with a charge of dynamite, and, catching the rain on our land, prevent -it from going off so disappointingly elsewhere. - -The short Cape winter, corresponding in duration to the English summer, -is never severe. Cold winds blow from the direction of Graaff-Reinet on -the not very frequent occasions when the higher mountains round that -little town are for a short time topped with snow. In June and July the -evenings and early mornings are decidedly cold. There is sometimes a -little frost at night, and fires are pleasant; but in the middle of the -day there is always warm, bright sunshine. Altogether, our winter under -the Southern Cross has nothing cheerless or depressing about it; and -those to whom the heat of the long summer has been a little trying, -find the change most bracing and invigorating. - -For farm life in the Karroo much the same kind of clothing is required -as in England; everything must of course be of good strong material, -and black or very dark colours are, in that dustiest of lands, to be -avoided. Ladies' washing dresses should not be too delicate, nor should -they be such as to require elaborate getting up; for of all the -numerous things which on our isolated farms have to be done--either -well, badly, or indifferently--at home, the laundry department is the -very furthest from being our _forte_. The clothes become so discoloured -from being continually washed in the yellow water of the dams; and the -Kaffir women--if they profess to starch and iron at all--do it so -badly, that the things are often unwearable. As for myself, I was -fortunate in possessing for everyday wear strong cotton dresses of -Egyptian manufacture; which required neither starching nor ironing, -and, after being washed, and dried in the sun, were ready to be put on -at once. For driving, and especially for the long journeys of several -days, which sometimes have to be taken in Cape carts or spiders, a -light dust-cloak is indispensable. Boots and shoes, more than anything -else, need to be strong, and for gentlemen who live the active outdoor -life of the farms, there is nothing so serviceable as the country-made -_veldtschoon_. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -OSTRICHES. - -An unwilling ride--First sight of an ostrich farm--Ridiculous mistakes -about ostriches--Decreased value of birds and feathers--Chicks--Plumage -of ostriches--A frightened ostrich--The plucking-box--Sorting -feathers--Voice of the ostrich--Savage birds--"Not afraid of a -dicky-bird!"--Quelling an ostrich--Birds killed by men in -self-defence--Nests--An undutiful hen--Darby and Joan--A disconsolate -widower--A hen-pecked husband--Too much zeal--Jackie--Cooling the -eggs--The white-necked crow--Poisoning jackals--Ostrich eggs in the -kitchen--A quaint old writer on ostriches--A suppliant bird--Nest -destroyed by enraged ostrich--An old bachelor. - - -A Few years before my marriage, having, as usual, fled the terrors of -the English winter, I was with a friend in Egypt. And one morning this -friend and I stood in the court of the Hotel du Nil in Cairo; preparing -to mount donkeys and start on a photographing expedition to Heliopolis -(the "On" of the Scriptures), and Matariyeh, one of the supposed -resting-places of the Holy Family on their flight into Egypt. The -fussy, bustling little German manager of the hotel, with his usual -paternal care for his guests, was commending us, in a long and voluble -Arabic speech, to the special care and attention of the donkey-boys; -with numerous minute instructions, all unintelligible to us, as to our -route, etc. Then, just as we had mounted, he turned to us and said, "I -have told them to show you something more on the way back, something -_very interesting_." "What is it?" we were about to ask; but before we -could get the words out, the ubiquitous little man had bustled off to -other business; and we ourselves were flying at a headlong pace down -the narrow Arab street, closely pursued by our impetuous donkey-boys; -who, anxious to make an imposing start, urged on our animals, not only -with savage yells and blows, but also with frequent and cruel digs from -the sharp points of our camera's tripod stand. - -Even after we had left the town far behind us, and our tyrants, for -lack of an admiring crowd before whom to exhibit us, allowed us to -settle down into a peaceful trot, it was quite useless to look to them -for any information concerning this promised interesting sight; for our -few words of Algerian Arabic did not avail in Egypt; and as for the -European vocabulary of the donkey-boys, it was, as usual, strictly -limited to an accurate knowledge of all the bad words in English, -French and German. N.B.--A donkey-boy is never promoted to the dignity -of being called a donkey-_man_, but, however old and grey he may have -grown in the service, always retains the juvenile appellation. - -On arriving at Heliopolis, our ungratified curiosity was soon forgotten -in the interest of seeing that venerable obelisk which once, in all -probability, looked down on the wedding procession of Joseph and the -daughter of "Potipherah, priest of On;" and the sun gave us some good -pictures of that sole remaining relic of the city where he himself was -formerly worshipped. We spent a long morning at Heliopolis and -Matariyeh; and it was not until we had proceeded some distance along -the dusty road leading back to Cairo, that we suddenly recollected -there was yet one more sight on our programme. The sun was blazing down -fiercely on us; we were very tired; longing visions of the Hotel du Nil -luncheon, the hour for which had already come, filled our minds; and -most devoutly did we hope the donkey-boys might forget they had -something more to show us, and--possibly being hungry themselves--take -us straight home. But no! suddenly our reluctant donkeys were abruptly -turned from the homeward course on which they were trotting so merrily; -and by main force pushed into a particularly uninviting path branching -off at right angles from the road. We made one desperate effort to turn -them back; but our tormentors flew to their heads, and, dragging, -pushing, almost lifting them along, applied the tripod's spikes with -fresh energy. In vain did we expostulate; explaining piteously, with -all the powers of pantomime at our command, that we were tired and -hungry, and wanted to go back to the hotel; that we would come and see -this interesting sight, whatever it was, tomorrow, bookra--that -favourite word of the procrastinating Orientals, which, like the -_manana_ of the Spaniards, soon becomes hatefully familiar from -constant hearing, and which is second only to the terrible _baksheesh_! -The relentless donkey-boys, beyond chuckling over our disappointment, -took no notice whatever of our appeals; and on we had to go at a rapid -gallop, stirring up dense clouds of the blinding, choking, -evil-smelling Egyptian dust; and realizing, as did Mark Twain when -ascending the Pyramid, how powerless one is in the hands of Arabs, who -surely, with such iron wills, ought to be good mesmerists. Resigning -ourselves at last to our fate with the patience of despair, we tried, -though with but languid interest, to find out what we were going to -see; but for a long time could get nothing intelligible from the -donkey-boys, who only enjoyed our mystification. At last one of them, -struck by a bright idea, pointed to J----'s hat, in which was an -ostrich-feather; and we guessed at once that the Khedive's ostrich -farm, which we knew was somewhere in the neighbourhood of Cairo, was -the object of our unwilling ride. Here was another disappointment! Not -even a ruined mosque, picturesque Arab house, or other possible subject -for the camera, to reward us for our fatigue and discomfort; nothing -but dry, barren-looking land, ugly modern European buildings, and -ungainly birds! We walked hurriedly, and with great indifference, past -the rows of camps, each with its pair of breeding-birds; felt little -regret on being denied entrance to the incubator-rooms, which, -happening to contain young chicks, were closed to the public; and -rejoiced exceedingly when, our task done, and our tyrants appeased by -our complete subjugation, we were at last on our way back to Cairo. - -Thus, in weariness and indifference, I viewed an ostrich farm for the -first time. Could I but have had one vision of the happy home, situated -among just such surroundings, which awaited me in the future, with what -different eyes would I have looked on all the minutest details of a -daily life destined one day to be mine! How eagerly would I have bribed -the custodian of the incubators for just one peep at the little -rough-coated baby ostriches, if I had known what numbers of these -comical wee things were in future to be my carefully-tended nurslings! -And when T----, anxious to compare notes, sometimes asks me how this or -that was managed on the Khedive's farm, and I am unable to give -accurate information, I still regret that lost opportunity; and blush -at the remembrance of the base longing for luncheon, to which, I fear, -the want of observation was chiefly due. - -It is rather surprising to find how little is known in England about -ostrich-farming. Any information on the subject seems quite new to the -hearers; and the strangest questions are sometimes asked--as, for -instance, whether ostriches fly; whether they bite; whether we ever -ride or drive them, etc. It is always taken for granted that a vicious -bird administers his kick backwards, like a horse; and there seems -still to be a very general belief in those old popular errors of which -the natural history of these creatures possesses more than the average -share. If you look at the picture of an ostrich, you will be sure to -find, in nine cases out of ten, that the drawing is ludicrously -incorrect; the bird being almost invariably represented with three toes -instead of two; and with a tail consisting of a large and magnificent -bunch of _wing_-feathers, the finest and longest of "prime whites." -Farmers would only be too thankful if their birds _had_ such tails, -instead of the short, stiff, scrubby tuft of inferior feathers which -in reality forms the caudal appendage. - -Each of my friends and relatives, when first told, at the time of -our engagement, that T---- was "an ostrich-farmer," received the -intelligence with an amused smile; and the clergyman at whose church -we were married seemed quite taken aback on obtaining so novel and -unexpected an answer to his question, during the vestry formalities, -as to T----'s vocation in life. He hesitated, pen in hand, for some -time; made T---- repeat and explain the puzzling word; and at last -only with evident reluctance inscribed it in the church books. - -In the early days of ostrich-farming splendid fortunes were made. Then, -feathers were worth L100 per lb., the plumes of one bird at a single -plucking realizing on an average L25. For a good pair of breeding-birds -L400, or even L500, was no uncommon price; and little chicks, only just -out of the egg, were worth L10 each. Indeed, the unhatched eggs have -sometimes been valued at the same amount. But, since the supply has -become so much greater than the demand, things are sadly changed for -the farmers; our best pair of ostriches would not now sell for more -than L12, and experience has taught us to look for no higher sum than -thirty shillings for the feathers of the handsomest bird at one -plucking. At the same time, if a lady wishes to buy a good feather in -London or Paris, she has to pay nearly the same price as in former -times.[4] - - [4] Although, since these pages were written, ostriches have - somewhat increased in value it cannot, of course, be expected - that they will ever again command the prices of former days. - -There are not many young animals prettier than a little ostrich-chick -during the first few weeks of life. It has such a sweet, innocent -baby-face, such large eyes, and such a plump, round little body. All -its movements are comical, and there is an air of conceit and -independence about the tiny creature which is most amusing. Instead of -feathers, it has a little rough coat which seems all made up of narrow -strips of material, of as many different shades of brown and grey as -there are in a tailor's pattern-book, mixed with shreds of black; while -the head and neck are apparently covered with the softest plush, -striped and coloured just like a tiger's skin on a small scale. On the -whole, the little fellow, on his first appearance in the world, is not -unlike a hedgehog on two legs, with a long neck. - -One would like these delightful little creatures to remain babies much -longer than they do; but they grow quickly, and with their growth they -soon lose all their prettiness and roundness; their bodies become -angular and ill-proportioned, a crop of coarse, wiry feathers sprouts -from the parti-coloured strips which formed their baby-clothes, and -they enter on an ugly "hobbledehoy" stage, in which they remain for two -or three years. - -[Illustration: OSTRICH-CHICKS.] - -A young ostrich's rough, bristly, untidy-looking "chicken-feathers" are -plucked for the first time when he is nine months old; they are stiff -and narrow, with very pointed tips, and their ugly appearance gives no -promise of future beauty. They do not look as if they could be used for -anything but making feather brooms. In the second year they are rather -more like what ostrich-feathers ought to be, though still very narrow -and pointed; and not until their wearer is plucked for the third time -have they attained their full width and softness. - -During the first two years the sexes cannot be distinguished, the -plumage of all being of a dingy drab mixed with black; the latter hue -then begins to predominate more and more in the male bird with each -successive moulting, until at length no drab feathers are left. At five -years the bird has attained maturity; the plumage of the male is then -of a beautiful glossy black, and that of the female of a soft grey, -both having white wings and tails. In each wing there are twenty-four -long white feathers, which, when the wing is spread out, hang -gracefully round the bird like a lovely deep fringe--just as I have -sometimes in Brazilian forests, seen fringes of large and delicate -fern-fronds hanging, high overhead, from the branches of some giant -tree. - -The ostrich's body is literally "a bag of bones;" and the -enormously-developed thighs, which are the only fleshy part of the -bird, are quite bare, their coarse skin being of a peculiarly ugly -blue-grey colour. The little flat head, much too small for the huge -body, is also bald, with the exception of a few stiff bristles and -scanty tufts of down; such as also redeem the neck from absolute -bareness. During the breeding season the bill of the male bird, and the -large scales on the fore part of his legs, assume a beautiful deep -rose-colour, looking just as if they were made of the finest pink -coral; in some cases the skin of the head and neck also becomes red at -that time. - -The North African or Barbary ostriches, several of which are to be seen -at the Jardin d'Essai, in Algiers, have bright red thighs, head, and -neck, and are altogether far handsomer than the Cape birds; their -feathers also, being larger, softer, and possessing longer filaments, -command much higher prices than those of their southern brethren. - -Altogether, ostriches are queer-looking creatures; they are so awkward, -so out of proportion, and everything about them, with the exception of -their plumage and their big, soft, dark eyes, is so quaintly ugly as to -suggest the idea that they have only by some mistake survived the -Deluge, and that they would be more in their right place embedded in -the fossiliferous strata of the earth than running about on its -surface. And how they _do_ run! Only startle an ostrich; and very -little is sufficient to do this, his nerves being of the feeblest, and -"his heart in his mouth" at even the smallest or most imaginary danger. -What a jump he gives, and what a swerve to one side! Surely it must -have dislocated some of his joints. But no; off he goes, flinging out -his clumsy legs, and twisting himself about as he runs, till you almost -expect to see him come to pieces, or, at any rate, fling off a leg, as -a lobster casts a claw, or a frightened lizard parts from its tail. An -ostrich's joints seem to be all loose, like those of a lay-figure when -not properly tightened up. He rapidly disappears from view; and the -last you see of him he is, as Mark Twain has it, "still -running"--apparently with no intention of stopping till he has reached -the very centre of Africa. But his mad scamper will most probably end a -few miles off, with a tumble into a wire fence, and a broken leg. - -Sometimes, however, ostriches, when they take fright, run so long and -get so far away that their owner never recovers them. One we heard of, -to whose tail a mischievous boy had tied a newspaper, went off at -railway speed, and no tidings of it were ever received. Once, when -T---- was collecting his birds for plucking, one of them was -unaccountably seized with a sudden panic, and bolted; and though T---- -mounted at once and rode after it, he neither saw nor heard of it -again. - -On a large farm, when plucking is contemplated, it is anything but an -easy matter to collect the birds--the gathering together of ours was -generally a work of three days. Men have to be sent out in all -directions to drive the birds up, by twos and threes, from the far-off -spots to which they have wandered; little troops are gradually brought -together, and collected, first in a large enclosure, then in a small -one, the plucking-kraal, in which they are crowded together so closely, -that the most savage bird has no room to make himself disagreeable. - -Besides the gate through which the ostriches are driven into the kraal, -there is an outlet at the opposite end, through the "plucking-box." -This latter is a most useful invention, saving much time and trouble. -It is a very solid wooden box, in which, though there is just room for -an ostrich to stand, he cannot possibly turn round; nor can he kick, -the sides of the box being too high. At each end there is a stout door; -one opening inside, the other outside the kraal. Each bird in -succession is dragged up to the first door, and, after more or less of -a scuffle, is pushed in and the door slammed behind him. Then the two -operators, standing one on each side of the box, have him completely in -their power; and with a few rapid snips of their shears his splendid -wings are soon denuded of their long white plumes. These, to prevent -their tips from being spoilt, are always cut before the quills are -ripe. The stumps of the latter are allowed to remain some two or three -months longer, until they are so ripe that they can be pulled -out--generally by the teeth of the Kaffirs--without hurting the bird. -It is necessary to pull them; the feathers, which by their weight would -have caused the stumps to fall out naturally at the right time, being -gone. Some farmers, anxious to hurry on the next crop of feathers, are -cruel enough to draw the stumps before they are ripe; but nature, as -usual, resents the interference with her laws, and the feathers of -birds which have been thus treated soon deteriorate. It is best to -pluck only once a year. The tails, and the glossy black feathers on the -bodies of the birds, having small quills, are not cut, but pulled out; -this, everyone says, does not hurt the birds, but there is an -unpleasant tearing sound about the operation, and I think it must make -their eyes water. - -After a plucking would come several very busy days of sorting and tying -up the feathers in readiness for the market; for T----, whenever he -could spare the time, preferred doing this work himself to employing -the professional sorters in Port Elizabeth, who charge exorbitantly. -During these few days everything had to give way to feathers, large -piled-up masses of which crowded the rooms, till we seemed to be over -head and ears in feathers. Feathers covered the floor and invaded every -article of furniture, especially monopolizing the dining-table; and -when, at all sorts of irregular hours, we grudgingly allowed ourselves -time for rough, impromptu meals of cold or tinned meat, we picnicked -among feathers. It was useless to attempt keeping the rooms either tidy -or clean while sorting was going on; and we resigned ourselves to -living for those two or three days in a state at which owners of neat -English homes would shudder--indeed, those only who have seen the -process of sorting can form any idea of the untidiness, the dust, the -fluffs, and the sneezing. But they were pleasant days; and many an -interesting book will always be associated in our minds with the -sorting of ostrich-feathers; for, while T---- arranged prime whites, -blacks, tails, feminas, chicken-feathers, etc., according to length, -colour, and quality, I enlivened the monotony of his work by reading -aloud. - -Sometimes the white feathers would be dirty--for there is nothing an -ostrich likes better than sitting down to cool himself in the muddiest -dam he can find--then it was necessary to wash them, dip them into -strong raw starch, and shake them in the hot sun, beating two bundles -of them together till quite dry. The starch makes them look very pretty -and fluffy; and young ladies in England who economically wash their own -feathers would find it a great improvement. Ostrich-feathers are quite -tabooed by ladies in South Africa; they are too common, every Kaffir or -Hottentot wearing one in his dirty, battered hat. - -If an ostrich-feather is held upright, its beautiful form--graceful as -the frond-like branch of the cocoa-nut palm, which it somewhat -resembles--is at once seen to be perfectly even and equal on both -sides, its stem dividing it exactly in the centre; whereas the stems of -other feathers are all more or less on one side. The ancient Egyptians, -observant of this--as of everything in nature--chose the -ostrich-feather as the sacred emblem of truth and justice, setting it -upon the head of Thmei, goddess of truth. - -After a good rain, ostriches soon begin to make nests; the males become -very savage, and their note of defiance--_brooming_, as it is called by -the Dutch--is heard in all directions. The bird inflates his neck in a -cobra-like fashion, and gives utterance to three deep roars; the two -first short and _staccato_, the third very prolonged. Lion-hunters all -agree in asserting that the roar of the king of beasts and that of the -most foolish of birds are identical in sound; with this difference -only, that the latter, when near, resembles the former very far away. -T----, when hunting in the interior, has often been deceived by the -sound--expecting a lion, and finding only an ostrich. - -When the birds are savage--_quei_, as the Dutch call it--they become -very aggressive, and it is impossible to walk about the camps unless -armed with a weapon of defence called a "tackey." This is simply a long -and stout branch of mimosa, with the thorns all left on at the end. It -seems but a feeble protection against a foe who, with one stroke of his -immensely powerful leg, can easily kill a man; the kick, no less -violent than that of a horse, being rendered infinitely more dangerous -by the formidable claw with which the foot is armed. Those, however, -who are well practised in the use of the tackey are able, with the -coolness of Spanish bull-fighters, to stand and await the charge of the -terrible assailant. They allow him to come to what, to the -inexperienced eye, seem unpleasantly close quarters; then, just as he -prepares to strike, the tackey is boldly thrust into his face. The -thorns oblige him to close his eyes, and he can only run blindly -forward; the bearer of the tackey springing on one side, and gaining -time to proceed some distance on his way, before the silly bird has -recovered from his bewilderment and makes a fresh charge, when the -weapon is again presented. - -Fortunately, you are never assailed by more than one ostrich at a time; -for in the large camps of some two thousand acres each--in which the -birds are not fenced off in pairs, but live almost in the freedom of -wild creatures--each one has his own domain, separated from those of -others by some imaginary boundary-line of his own, visible only to -himself, but as clearly marked out as the beat of a London policeman. -There, in company with one or perhaps two hens, he dwells monarch of -all he surveys; any other ostrich daring to invade his territory is at -once attacked; and the human intruder is closely followed, his tackey -in constant requisition, until the feathered lord of the land has seen -him safely off the premises. Immediately after thus speeding the -parting guest, the most savage bird is quite harmless; he dismisses you -from his thoughts, and walks quietly back, feeding as he goes. And in -the distance you see the head and long neck of his neighbour, whose -kingdom you have now entered, and whose sharp eyes spied you out the -instant your foot crossed his frontier. _He_ now advances towards you -with jerky, spasmodic movements, as if he were bowing you a welcome; -this, however, is far from his thoughts, and after sitting down once or -twice to give you his challenge--whereby he hopes you will be -intimidated--he trots up defiantly, and the tackey's services are again -required. Thus, during a morning's walk through the camps, you may be -escorted in succession by four or five vicious birds, all determined to -have your life if possible, yet held completely in check by a few -mimosa thorns. - -When an ostrich challenges he sits down; and, flapping each broad wing -alternately, inflates his neck, and throws his head back, rolling it -from side to side, and with each roll striking the back of his head -against his bony body with so sharp and resounding a blow that a severe -headache seems likely to be the result. - -A person on horseback is even more obnoxious to the ostriches than a -pedestrian; and a ride through the camps enables one to realize how -true to life is the description, in the Book of Job, of a vicious bird: -"What time she lifteth up herself on high, she scorneth the horse and -his rider." The creature, when preparing for an attack, draws itself -up, stands on tiptoe, stretches its neck to the full extent, and really -seems to gain several feet in height. And, indeed, it does its best to -knock you off your horse. T---- once saw a man riding as desperately as -Tam O'Shanter, with an ostrich in close pursuit. It kept up with him, -helping his horse along with an occasional well-placed kick; while the -unhappy rider, hoping to intimidate his assailant, was again and again -firing off his revolver into the air, but without effect. - -As the new arrival in a country subject to earthquakes begins by -thinking very lightly of these disturbances, but finds his appreciation -of their importance increase with every successive shock; so the new -chum in South Africa, inclined at first to look with contempt on the -precautions taken against savage ostriches, learns in time to have a -proper respect for the foolish, innocent-looking creatures, whose soft, -dark-brown eyes look at him so mildly (when he is on the right side of -the fence) that he finds it impossible to believe the stories told him -of their wickedness, and nothing but a closer acquaintance can -undeceive him. On one of the farms a sturdy new-comer, six feet in -height, starting for an early morning walk, was cautioned against going -into a certain camp where the ostriches were dangerous. He laughed at -his friends' advice, told them he was "not afraid of a dicky-bird!" -and--disdaining the proffered tackey--started off straightway in the -forbidden direction. He did not return home to dinner; a search was -made for him; and eventually he was found, perched up on a high -ironstone boulder; just out of reach of a large ostrich, which was -doing sentry, walking up and down, and keeping a vicious eye on him. -There he had sat for hours, nearly roasted alive (ironstone boulders in -the Karroo can get so hot in the sun that it blisters your hand to -touch them); and there he would have had to sit till sundown, had not -the timely appearance of his friends relieved him of the too-pressing -attentions of the "dicky-bird." - -Another gentleman had a theory that any creature, however savage, could -be subdued--"quelled," as he said--by the human eye. One day he tried -to quell one of his own ostriches; with the result that he was -presently found by T---- in a very pitiable predicament, lying flat on -the ground; while the subject of his experiment jumped up and down on -him, occasionally varying the treatment by sitting on him. - -T---- once bought an ostrich which had killed two men; and which, -although an unusually fine bird, was, on account of its evil -reputation, sold to him for a very low price. Ostriches appear to have -a strong aversion to all the negro race. They attack Kaffirs and -Hottentots much more readily than they do their white masters; and -although--as has just been seen--they are very far from showing that -amount of respect for the latter which is desirable, they seem--except -during the breeding season--to stand in some sort of awe of a white man -as compared with the "niggers," for whom they have the deepest -contempt. - -They are uncertain, too, and take sudden and unaccountable dislikes. -One poor Kaffir woman, coming up to work at the house, was attacked, -inside the gate, by one of the tame old ostriches, which--looking out -for scraps thrown from the kitchen, stealing the fowls' food, or now -and then picking up and swallowing a delicious piece of soap left for -an unguarded moment on the washing-machine--prowled about round the -house, and of which no one had ever dreamed of being afraid. Her -solitary and scanty skirt, torn from the top to the bottom, showed how -narrow had been her escape; and she looked livid under her dark skin, -as she came in to ask me for needle and thread to repair the rent. - -It has several times happened that one of our herds, in danger of his -life, has been obliged, in self-defence, to kill a vicious ostrich; -and, the finest and most promising birds--naturally the most -savage--being invariably the victims, the loss is always a serious one. -It is indeed no small trial, when, perhaps just as you are comfortably -seated at the breakfast table, the black face of "April," "August," or -"September"--fraught with bad news, and looking very frightened and -ashamed--is suddenly thrust in at the door; and, with much rolling of -white eyeballs, a tragic tale is told, in the most dismal of voices, -and with many harrowing details, of how "Red Wing" or "White Neck" was -_quei_, and attacked the narrator up in the big camp; with the sad -consequence that you are now _minus_ one of the best birds on the farm. -But the poor fellow cannot be blamed or fined for defending his life; -orders are given to pluck and bring down the unfortunate bird's -feathers--the last he will ever yield--and somehow a dead bird's plumes -_always_ seem the most beautiful-- - - "And then to breakfast, with - What appetite you have." - -Toto, although in general no coward, could never, after a severe kick -he received on first coming to the farm, be brought to face a savage -bird. Collies can, however, be made very useful in collecting and -driving ostriches; and Mr. Evans, of Rietfontein, one of our -neighbours, had several which were perfectly trained; working as well -with the birds as their relatives in Scotland and Wales do with sheep. - -A few of our birds were fenced off in breeding-camps; each pair having -a run of about one hundred acres. One of these camps was directly -opposite the house; and from the windows we could observe the -regularity with which the two birds, sitting alternately on the eggs, -came on and off at their fixed times. The cock always takes his place -upon the nest at sundown, and sits through the night--his dark plumage -making him much less conspicuous than the light-coloured hen; with his -superior strength and courage, too, he is a better defender of the nest -against midnight marauders. At nine in the morning, with unfailing -punctuality, the hen comes to relieve him, and take up her position for -the day. At the end of the six weeks of sitting, both birds, faithfully -as the task has been shared between them, are in a very enfeebled -state, and miserably poor and thin. - -One undutiful hen--having apparently imbibed advanced otions--absolutely -refused to sit at all; and the poor husband, determined not to be -disappointed of his little family, did all the work himself; sitting -bravely and patiently day and night, though nearly dead with exhaustion, -till the chicks were hatched out. The next time this pair of birds had a -nest, the cock's mind was firmly made up that he would stand no more -nonsense. He fought the hen; giving her so severe a thrashing that she -was all but killed--and this Petruchio-like treatment had the desired -effect, for the wife never again rebelled, but sat submissively. - -Very different from this couple were the Darby and Joan in the camp -opposite our windows. One unlucky morning the hen, frightened by a -Kaffir's dog, ran into the wire fence, and was so terribly injured that -she had to be killed. For two years poor Darby was a disconsulate -widower, and all attempts to find him a satisfactory second wife were -unavailing; several hens, which, soon after his loss, were in -succession placed in his camp, being only rescued in time, and at the -tackey's point, from being kicked to death. The bare idea of there -being anything pathetic about an ostrich seems absurd--and indeed this -is the only instance I have known of anything of the kind--but it was -truly pitiful to watch this poor bird, as, day after day, and nearly -all day long, he wandered up and down, up and down, the length of his -camp, in the hard, beaten track worn by his restless feet along the -side of the fence. - -When his time of mourning at length came to an end, and poor Joan's -long-vacant place was filled, we at first rejoiced. But we soon -doubted whether, after all, he had not been happier as a widower. For -the new wife, a magnificent hen, considerably above the average size, -had him in complete subjection; his spirit seemed quite broken, -probably with long fretting, and he made no attempt to hold his own, -but was for the rest of his days the most hen-pecked--or ought I to -say hen-_kicked_?-- of husbands. Some amount of stratagem was even -necessary on my part, to ensure that he had enough to eat (this pair -of birds, being near the house, were under my special care, and -during droughts were daily fed by me); for every time he came near -the food, the greedy hen would persistently drive him away, standing -on tiptoe and hissing viciously at him--and I soon saw that it was -useless to attempt feeding them together. But the poor, ill-used old -bird and I were good friends, and quite understood one another; and -at all sorts of odd times--watching for those golden opportunities -when his tyrant was safely out of sight at the further end of the -camp--he would come down to the fence and look out for me, and I -would bring him a good feed of mealies. - -As a father, Darby was no less devoted than he had formerly been as a -husband; and to please him we allowed his chicks to remain with him, -and set the whole family free to roam where they liked about the -_veldt_; breaking through the usual rule, which is to take the little -birds from the parents when two or three days old, and herd them near -the house. For they never become as tame when brought up by the old -ones as when accustomed from the first to human society. These poor -little birds, I am sorry to say, did not flourish under parental -guardianship; indeed, it was not long before they were all dead. For -their well-meaning, but over-zealous father, apparently thinking no -_veldt_ good enough for them, kept them continually on the move; and, -in his perpetual search for "fresh woods and pastures new," took them -such long distances that he literally walked them as well as himself to -death. Not many days after the last chick's departure, Darby's own poor -body, worn to a skeleton by these restless wanderings, following on six -weeks of incubation, was found on the _veldt_. - -When, as sometimes happens, one solitary chick is reared at the house, -it becomes absurdly and often inconveniently tame. A friend of ours, on -returning to his farm at the end of a severe thunderstorm, found that -an ostrich's nest had been washed away. Some of the eggs were rescued -from the water, and--being of course deserted by the parents--were -placed in an incubator, where, contrary to all expectations, one chick -came out. This bird, Jackie, became the tamest and most audacious of -pets; and, like many another spoilt only child, was often a terrible -nuisance. All the little niggers about the place had a lively dread of -him; and he requisitioned their food in the boldest manner. As they sat -on the ground at meals, with plates of boiled pumpkin and rice in their -laps, he would come up, and, stretching his snake-like neck over their -heads, or insinuating it under their arms, would coolly help himself to -the contents of one plate after another. Occasionally he would make for -the unhappy youngsters in so menacing a manner as to frighten them into -dropping their plates altogether; then, while his victims ran away -crying, he would squat on his heels among the _debris_, and regale his -enormous appetite at leisure. - -But one day retribution came. Being free of the kitchen--simply because -no one could keep him out--he was not long in observing that the -pumpkin and rice always came out of one particular pot; and, the idea -suddenly occurring to him that he could do no better than go straight -to the fountain-head for his favourite dish, he walked up, full of -joyful anticipation, to the fire where this pot was bubbling. The -cook--who, being mother to several of the ill-used children, did not -love Jackie--offered no friendly interference to save him from his -fate; and, plunging his bill into the pot, he greedily scooped up, and, -with the lightning-like rapidity of ostriches, tossed down his throat, -a large mouthful of boiling rice. Poor fellow! the next moment he was -dancing round the kitchen, writhing with agony, shaking his head nearly -off, and twisting his neck as if bent on tying it in a knot. Finally he -dashed wildly from the house; the cook, avenged at last for all the -dinners he had devoured, called after him as he stumbled out at the -door, "Serve you right, Jackie!"--and away he fled across the _veldt_, -till the last that was seen of him was a little cloud of white dust -vanishing on the horizon. He returned a sadder and a wiser bird; and it -was long before he again ventured inside the kitchen. - -When about a year old, Jackie was sold to a farmer who had long coveted -him; and who, no doubt, soon repented of his purchase. He was now -sufficiently strong to give a good hard kick; and, being a more daring -freebooter than ever, and no respecter of persons, he would march up -and attack any one he saw carrying food, or what he thought might be -food; endeavouring, by a well-aimed blow, to strike it out of their -hands; his evil design generally succeeding. At length his master, -tired of hearing constant complaints of his conduct, and impatient of -his perpetual intrusion indoors, tried putting him into a camp. There, -however, he obstinately refused to remain. As soon as he was put in, he -would squat down, laying his head and neck on the ground; then, making -himself as flat as possible, he would "squirm" out, not without some -difficulty, under the lowest wire of the fence. It was impossible to -keep him in; and he was left to his own devices, calmly regarded as a -necessary evil, and allowed to be as great a nuisance as he liked. - -But poor Jackie soon ceased from troubling--his end, as may well be -imagined, being brought about by no other cause than his own moral -obliquity. One day he wandered down to the river, where some Kaffir -women were washing clothes; their children, a group of little animated -nude bronzes, playing near them. One little fellow, who was eating, was -of course instantly spied out by the covetous Jackie; who rushed to -kick him, but in so doing tumbled down in the rocky bed of the river, -and broke his own leg. The inevitable result followed, and Jackie, like -all other broken-legged ostriches, had to be killed. - -The hen ostrich lays every alternate day; and if, for each egg laid, -one is taken from the nest, she will continue laying until she has -produced from twenty to thirty. One, which belonged to T----, laid -sixty eggs without intermission. If no eggs are taken away, the hen -leaves off laying as soon as she has from fifteen to twenty; the latter -being the greatest number that can be satisfactorily covered by the -birds. The surplus eggs are placed in incubators. It is best not to -give much artificial food to the birds while sitting; as, if overfed, -they become restless, and are liable to desert the nest. - -Every morning and evening the nest, or rather the shallow indentation -in the sandy ground which forms this simplest of all "homes without -hands," is left uncovered for a quarter of an hour, to allow the eggs -to cool. The sight of nests thus apparently deserted has probably given -rise to the erroneous idea that the ostrich leaves her eggs to hatch in -the sun. The passage in the book of Job: "Which leaveth her eggs in the -earth, and warmeth them in the dust," is also generally supposed to -point to the same conclusion, though in reality there can be no doubt -that the latter part of the sentence simply applies to the warming of -the eggs by the heat of the bird's body as she sits over them in her -dusty nest. Stupid though she is, she has more sense than to believe in -the possibility of the sun hatching her eggs; she is indeed quite aware -of the fact that, if allowed to blaze down on them with untempered -heat, even during the short time she is off the nest, it would be -injurious to them; and therefore, on a hot morning, she does not leave -them without first placing on the top of each a good pinch of sand. -This she does in order that the germ--which, whatever side of the egg -is uppermost, always rises to the highest point--may be shaded and -protected. Having thus set her nest in order, she walks off, to fortify -herself with a good meal for the duties of the day. - -And now comes the white-necked crow's chance; for which, ever since at -earliest dawn he drew out his artful old head from under his wing, he -has been patiently waiting. An ostrich-egg is to him the daintiest of -all delicacies; but, nature not having bestowed on him a bill strong -enough to break its hard shell, he is only able, by means of an -ingenious device, to regale on the interior. He carefully watches till -the parent's back is turned, and she is a good distance from the nest; -then, flying up into the air, he drops a stone from a great height with -a most accurate aim, and breaks an egg. He makes good use of his -quarter of an hour; and he, no less than the hen ostrich, has had an -ample meal by the time the latter returns to the nest. Perhaps -to-morrow she will not wander so far away. - -This crow, inveterate egg-stealer though he is, has a most respectable -and clerical appearance; and with his neat suit of black and his little -white tie he looks indeed "unco guid." The Boers--possibly on account of -this pious exterior--have a legend to the effect that these birds are -the "ravens" which fed Elijah. They say that after the birds had carried -the meat, a little of the fat remained on their necks; in commemoration -of which their descendants have this one conspicuous white patch on -their otherwise black plumage. Numbers of tortoise-shells, some of -immense size, are found about the _veldt_; which have been broken in the -same manner as the ostrich-eggs, and their inmates devoured, by these -crows; who thus reverse the process by which, some twenty-three -centuries ago, the eagle, dropping his tortoise on what seemed to him a -convenient stone for his purpose, smashed the bald head of poor -AEschylus. - -Among the denizens of the _veldt_ the crows, unfortunately, are not the -only appreciators of ostrich-eggs: and our worst enemies are the -jackals. In lonely, far-off camps they plunder many promising nests; -rolling the eggs away with their paws, sometimes to great distances. -Occasionally, too, little chicks fall victims. We waged deadly war -against the depredators; making liberal use of strychnine pills to -"take us the foxes, the little foxes," which, finding no vines to spoil -in the Karroo, were instead spoilers of ostrich nests. On a large -vine-farm in the Atlas Mountains, where, after leaving the Cape, we -spent some months, we were able to note the accuracy of this passage of -Scripture--in which, I am told, the word rendered "foxes" ought in -reality to have been translated "jackals." These animals did indeed -work terrible havoc among the vines, eating incredible numbers of -grapes; and T---- did much good by his introduction among them of the -South African plan of poisoning, to which many succumbed. The pills, -enclosed in pieces of fat, are dropped about the _veldt_; generally by -a man on horseback, towing behind him a piece of very "high" meat, -which, fastened by a _riem_ (narrow strip of hide) to the horse's tail, -drags along the ground. By-and-by the jackals, attracted by the odour -of meat, come out; and, following along the route taken by the -poisoner, find and eat the tempting pieces of fat. In the morning a -good number are sure to be found dead; the survivors, apparently -concluding that there is something very wrong about the place, take -themselves off for a time to another neighbourhood; and the comparative -silence which reigns at night is a pleasant change after the chorus of -their querulous, uncanny voices. - -The partiality of jackals and crows for ostrich-eggs, expensive though -it is to us, reflects credit on their taste; for the eggs are certainly -delicious. Those which, being useless for setting, found their way into -my kitchen, were always most acceptable; and I have never had lighter -cakes, nicer omelettes, custards, etc., than those made from them. And -then they go so far! Two large square biscuit tins can be filled to -overflowing with a noble batch of sponge finger biscuits, for which -only one egg has been used. In spite of its large size--equalling -twenty-four fowls' eggs--an ostrich-egg has no coarse flavour. It takes -an hour to boil one hard; in which state it is a splendid article of -food for baby ostriches. - -Ostrich-eggs were much prized by the ancient Egyptians; and Gardiner -Wilkinson tells us that they "were required for some ornamental or -religious use, as with the modern Copts; and, with the plumes, formed -part of the tribute imposed by the Egyptians on conquered countries." - -Not long ago, T---- and I were much amused by the discovery, among -copious notes in an old Bible dated 1770, of the following passage from -a quaint old writer: "The Ostrich, which the _Arabians_ call _Naama_, -is a wild Bird of the Shape of a Goose, but much bigger than that; it -is very high upon its Legs, and has a Neck of more than four or five -Spans long: The Body is very gross, and in its Wings and Tail it has -large Feathers black and white (like those of the Stork) and some grey; -it cannot fly, but it runs very fast; in which it is much assisted by -the Motion of its Wings and Tail: And when it runs, it wounds itself -with the Spurs which it has on its Legs. It is bred in the dry Deserts, -where there is no Water, and lays ten or twelve Eggs together in the -Sand, some as large as a great Bowl, and some less. They say this Bird -hath so little Memory that as soon as she hath made an End of laying -her Eggs, she forgets the Place where she left them; so that when the -Hen comes to a Place where there are Eggs, let them be her own or not, -she sets abrood upon them, and hatches them; and as soon as the -Chickens are hatched, they immediately run about the Country to look -for Meat; and they are so nimble, when they are little, before their -Feathers grow, that 'tis impossible to overtake them." - -One is inclined to think that the old author, Marmol, from whose -"History of Africa" the above passage is quoted, cannot have written -from any very accurate acquaintance with the Dark Continent; at any -rate, it is not likely that he ever saw an ostrich, or he would have -known that it possesses no spurs. - -It is a strange fact that the most savage ostrich, if he comes up and -finds you between himself and his nest, does not, as would naturally be -supposed, rush to defend his eggs, and, if possible, kick you to death, -but is instantly changed into the most abjectly submissive of -creatures. "'Umble" as Uriah Heep, he squats at your feet; making a -peculiar rattling noise with his wings, biting the ground, snapping his -bill, closing his eyes, and looking the very embodiment of imbecility -as he meekly implores you to spare his eggs. This suppliant posture is, -however, not to be trusted; and, if tackey-less, you had better remain -at the nest until assistance--or night--comes, for if once the -positions of yourself and bird are reversed, "Richard's himself again." -He squats, no longer in servile entreaty, but in defiance; and his -challenge is promptly followed by a charge. The hen ostrich, being -destitute of a voice, has but one way of calling her chicks, which is -by that same rattling and rustling of the wings. - -In strong contrast to the usual anxiety of the paternal ostrich for his -nest was one case of which we heard. In a breeding-camp, containing a -cock and two hens, troublesome complications had arisen. One hen -persisted in sitting, while the other was as resolutely bent on laying; -and, the struggles of the two rivals for the possession of the nest -being extremely perilous to the eggs, the Boer to whom the trio -belonged removed the laying hen from the enclosure. Now came the cock's -turn to be excited. The departed hen was evidently his favourite wife; -and, disconsolate at her loss, he ran restlessly about the camp for -some time, _brooming_ repeatedly; then, as if struck by some sudden -impulse--probably of spite against his master--he ran to the nest, on -which he deliberately jumped till he had broken every egg. - -One of our birds was a morose old bachelor. Whether he had remained -single from choice, or whether his surly temper had made him so -unpopular that no hen would cast in her lot with him, we knew not; but -there he was, living in solitary grandeur on the lower slope of our big -mountain. Every time we took a certain favourite walk, a portion of -which he had marked out as his beat, he would dispute the right of way -with us; resenting the invasion of his solitude with more fuss than was -ever made by the father of the largest family of chicks. Sometimes he -would lie in ambush, and rush out at us from unexpected places, with -all the artfulness of a rogue elephant. Fortunately, his domain being -on the mountain-side, there was plenty of high bush, behind which it -was not difficult to dodge him. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -OSTRICHES (_continued_). - -Vagaries of an incubator--Hatching the chicks--A bad egg--Human -foster-mothers--Chicks difficult to rear--"Yellow-liver"--Cruel -boys--Chicks herded by hen ostrich--Visit to Boer's house--A -carriage full of ostriches--"The melancholy Jaques"--Ostriches -at sea--A stampede--Runaway birds--Branding--Stupidity of ostriches ---Accidents--Waltzing and fighting--Ostrich soup--An expensive -quince--A feathered Tantalus--Strange things swallowed by ostriches ---A court-martial--The ostrich, or the diamond?--A visit to the Zoo. - - -An incubator, considerably increasing as it does the number of chicks -that can be hatched, is of course of the greatest value on a farm. We -had one, capable of holding sixty eggs; and a "finisher," in which -thirty more could be placed. Two paraffin lamps, kept constantly -burning, heated the large tank of the incubator; and a thermometer, -inserted in the water, had to be carefully watched in order that the -temperature of the latter might neither exceed nor fall below 103 deg.. -Beneath the tank--so that the eggs, as in nature, might be heated from -above--were four drawers, each with compartments for fifteen eggs. I was -appointed manager of the incubator; and morning and evening--following -the example of the hen ostrich--I gave the eggs their quarter of an -hour's cooling by allowing the drawers to stand open; also, as she does, -I carefully turned each egg. - -The regulation of the temperature was a matter of some anxiety, and -enabled me--especially on first undertaking the work--to form a very -good idea of the responsibilities of a vestal tending the sacred fire. -Some mischievous imp seemed to be perpetually at work causing that -thermometer to indulge in the wildest vagaries. Perhaps just one degree -of the required temperature would be wanting; and though, for the best -part of the morning, I had been coming anxiously every ten minutes or -so to look at the thermometer, it refused, with all the perversity of -"a watched pot," to rise above 102 deg.. Then at last, a little off my -guard, and absorbed in one of the numerous other home duties, I might -possibly forget the incubator's existence for a little while; and, on -suddenly remembering and running to it, find that the treacherous -mercury had jumped up two or three degrees. Then the drawers would have -to be thrown open, and the contents of several jugs of cold water -wildly dashed in through the opening at the top of the incubator--and -when at last, by still trembling hands, the thermometer was readjusted -in the said opening, it would probably register as many degrees _below_ -as it had just been above 103 deg.. T---- was away for three weeks during -the time the incubator was in full work; and so great was the anxiety -which haunted me, lest on his return I should present him with some -sixty cooked birds, that I set an alarum every night for two o'clock, -to assure myself that the temperature was playing me no tricks. - -When within about eight or ten days of hatching, the chick can be felt -moving about in the egg; and later on, when nearly ready to come out, -he is heard squeaking, and tapping with his bill against the shell. -Then at last, one day, when you come to turn the eggs in the finisher, -where they are placed for the last fortnight, you find one with a hole -in it--generally a three-cornered piece is knocked clean out--and in -the opening a pinkish, soft-looking bill is making impatient movements, -and a bright eye is peeping at you as knowingly as though already well -acquainted with all the ways of a world on which its owner has yet to -enter. An ostrich, by the way, seems far more intelligent as a baby -than he ever is in after life. - -A strong chick is generally able to free himself, by his own unaided -efforts, from the shell; but if after a certain number of hours he is -not out, it becomes necessary to assist him. This, however, requires -extreme gentleness and caution, as there is great risk of inflicting -injury; and, although I have helped many young ostriches into the -world--losing but one patient in all my practice--I always preferred -leaving that delicate work to nature. And yet there is something so -tempting about these little half-opened parcels; one always longs to -undo them and have a full view of the contents. The moment the little -fellow is out of the egg, he seems to swell out, and looks so large -that you wonder how he can possibly have been packed away in such a -small space; and I am quite sure that the task of replacing him in the -shell would as far surpass the powers of "all the king's horses and all -the king's men," as did the reintegration of Humpty Dumpty. - -Occasionally--and even at this time and distance it is hardly to be -recalled without a shudder--the incubator would contain a bad egg. -Imagine all the horrors of a bad hen's egg, multiplied by twenty-four! -The whole drawer would be so pervaded by the odour that it was -difficult for some time to discover the actual offender; and when at -last it revealed itself by an uncanny moisture exuding through the -shell, an amount of courage and caution was required for its removal -and safe depositing outside, which suggested very flattering -comparisons of one's own conduct with that of a soldier winning the -V.C. by carrying away a live shell. - -An incautious friend of T----'s was too closely investigating a -doubtful ostrich-egg, when it exploded with a loud report. He was an -old gentleman, with a beautiful white beard; and his condition, as -described by T----, who--luckily from a safe distance--witnessed the -accident, is best left to the imagination. Suffice it to say that an -immediate and prolonged bath was imperative, and that a whole suit of -clothes had to be destroyed. - -In the days when chicks were so valuable, people who did not possess -incubators sometimes had recourse to a strange way of hatching those -eggs which, during the sitting, were either left orphaned by accident, -or, as in the case of Jackie, deserted in consequence of floods. Some -poor old Hottentot woman would be carefully tucked up, in company with -the eggs, under numerous blankets,--where she would remain bed-ridden -until she had hatched out the last chick. Sometimes, even, the stout, -lethargic Dutch _vrouw_ herself, to whose indolent nature the task was -doubtless congenial enough, would perform the part of foster-mother. - -When, either by natural or artificial means, the little ostriches are -safely brought into the world, the farmer's next anxiety is to keep -them there. They do well enough on the coast; but in the Karroo they -are most difficult to rear, and our experience with them has been sad -and disheartening. Numbers of them die, when about a month or five -weeks old, from an epidemic which comes and goes in the strangest -manner. During a whole season, for instance, one farmer will lose -nearly every chick; while brood after brood will be successfully reared -by another at no very great distance. Next year, perhaps, it is the -turn of the latter to be the sufferer; and _vice versa_. _Our_ unlucky -year had a most promising beginning, unusually good rains having filled -the country with nests; yet at the end of the season all we had to show -of the rising generation of ostriches was a poor little troop of -fifteen lanky, ragged-looking creatures, which through some rare -toughness of constitution had survived the perils of infancy--over two -hundred having succumbed. - -The disappointment of losing the chicks is much intensified by the fact -that they always begin so well. For the first three weeks nothing can -be more encouraging than the appearance of the stout, sturdy toddlers; -they eat voraciously and are full of life and spirits, waltzing, in -absurd imitation of their elders, to show their joy on being first let -out in the morning--the effort usually ending in a comical sprawl on -the back. - -Again and again comes the delusive hope that the spell is broken at -last; that the luck has turned, and that _this_ little brood is really -going to live. But alas!--one morning, during that fatal fourth week, -you notice that one little head, instead of being held up saucily and -independently, is poking forward and downward in a dejected manner with -which you are only too well acquainted. You know at once that the owner -of that head is doomed, and that it will not be long before most, if -not all, of his brethren show the same dreaded symptom. The disease is -quite incurable--indeed, I have never known of an ostrich, old or -young, recovering from any illness whatever; and though we tried all -possible kinds of medicine, diet, and treatment, resolutely refusing to -despair of any case while a spark of life remained, those chicks -persisted in dying, sometimes at the rate of three or four a day. I was -hospital nurse, and so deeply did I take to heart the loss of patient -after patient that it became a joke with T----; and a plentiful -sprinkling of grey happening just at this time to make its appearance -on my head, he still attributes each silver thread to a little dead -ostrich. A post-mortem examination of chicks which have died of this -disease shows the liver to be of the bright colour of orange-peel. - -Internal parasites also destroy a good many chicks; and altogether the -little lives are precarious, and every troop of young birds -successfully reared in the Karroo is a triumph. - -For the first two or three months the chicks are herded near the -house by boys, whose duty it is to keep them well supplied with -prickly pear leaves and other green food, cut up small. This work -ought to take up the greater part of the young herd's time; -but--small boys being no more satisfactory as servants in the Karroo -than they are anywhere else--we found it necessary to keep a very -strict watch; and often during the day, however busy I might be, I -would "make time" to run down to the shady spot which was the chicks' -place of encampment--generally to find the infants hungry, and their -useless nurse either asleep or plunged in some absorbing business of -his own with a knife and a piece of wood. Sometimes, too, the boys, -getting impatient with the chicks, were rough and cruel; one budding -criminal especially was several times caught making footballs of his -innocent charges, kicking them up several feet into the air. And on a -farm where T---- was once staying, a juvenile black fiend was found -to have deliberately broken the legs of some twenty chicks under his -care; and, when asked the reason of his conduct, said, "They run -about, give me too much trouble." - -The chicks are often attacked by old birds--always spiteful to little -ones which are not their own--and we have had several kicked to death -by their vindictive elders. On a neighbouring farm, however, dwelt the -usual exception to the rule, in the shape of an old hen, which--although -herself not a mother--showed such a strong affection for chicks, and -took such devoted care of them, that at last, much to her delight, she -was appointed to the post of herd, _vice_ the small boy, dismissed as -incorrigible. She filled the place of the latter far better than he -had ever done; leading the little creatures, with the greatest care, -wherever the tenderest _veldt_ was to be found; never losing her temper -with them, or failing to bring the full number home to bed at sundown; -and altogether acquitting herself in a wonderfully sedate and -business-like manner for so scatter-brained a creature as an ostrich. - -Her history ought of course to have ended here; but truth compels me to -state that at last, after she had successfully brought up many families -of chicks, and had come to be respected and trusted as the steadiest -and most useful of farm-servants, one day the idiotic ostrich-nature -asserted itself; she took a sudden and senseless fright--probably at -nothing--lost her wits, bolted right away, leaving the chicks to get -dispersed about the _veldt_, where only a few were found; and was -herself never heard of again. - -I think our friends at home would have been rather amused if they could -have seen us one day, driving home from Mount Stewart with _twelve -ostriches_ in our extremely small American spider. On our way to a farm -where T---- had business we happened to pass a Dutchman's house, round -the door of which we noticed a lively little brood of chicks running -about. T---- of course no sooner saw them than he coveted them (he -frankly confesses himself quite unable to keep the tenth commandment as -far as ostriches are concerned); and we pulled up, accepted the -hospitable invitation of the Boer, who doubtless read in our eyes the -chance of "doing a deal," and went into the house, where, first of all, -a solemn, silent, and apparently endless course of hand-shaking had to -be gone through. The Cape Dutch living in very patriarchal fashion, -there were not only a wife and many sons and daughters, but a -well-preserved parental couple, a mother-in-law, several sons and -daughters-in-law, and--needless to say--a crowd of children of all -sizes, including two babies. All but the two last came forward one -after another and gravely took our hands; then we all sat round the -room, solemnly looking at each other, and T---- and I felt as if we -were at a funeral. We would have been thankful to have fled; but--our -own birds not having begun laying--we did so want those chicks, and we -felt that it was worth while to endure something for their sakes. - -Presently coffee was handed round in huge cups, evidently more than -half filled with sugar. The more highly the good _vrouw_ wishes to -honour you, the more horribly and sickeningly she over-sweetens your -cup of tea or coffee; and the syrup we had to drink on this occasion -left no doubt as to the kindly feeling of our hosts towards us. The -entrance of the tray was the signal for conversation to commence; and, -once set free, it flowed abundantly. As we sat drinking our coffee and -talking of everything _but_ the business on which we were bent, our -thoughts flashed back to Oriental _bazaars_, where these identical -preliminaries are necessary to every bargain. The relationship of -everybody present to everybody else was accurately explained to us, -with much pointing, or clapping on the back, as the case might be; and -we in our turn were minutely questioned as to our names, ages, number -of brothers and sisters and other relatives, etc.; the women again -bringing back Eastern recollections by their resemblance to the -inquisitive, chattering inmates of harems. Then T---- ventured to lead -the conversation round to the coveted chicks; but it was a little too -soon, the subject was abruptly dropped, and we again waded through all -manner of irrelevant talk until, a becoming time having elapsed, and -the requirements of etiquette being satisfied, the business was allowed -to commence. - -After such an inauguration, it may well be imagined that the bargain -was not concluded in a hurry; and we had paid a tediously long visit -before we were at last the happy possessors of the chicks for which we -had suffered so much; and, putting them loose into the spider at our -feet, where--being about as large as ducks--they made rather a tight -fit, drove off with them. - -A little further on, at another Dutchman's house, and with more -bargaining, we bought a young _paauw_ (pronounced "pow"). This game -bird (the great bustard) grows to an immense size, some being -occasionally shot which measure nine feet across the outspread wings; -but fortunately--considering the number of passengers already on -board--the present specimen, being but a chick, was no larger than a -fine fowl. - -When we arrived at last at our original destination, the young ladies -of the house presented us with a pretty little baby hare, which had -just been caught; and with this wee creature nestling in my lap, and -the _paauw_ and the ostriches all scrambling about among our legs and -apparently not on the best of terms, we drove the twenty miles home. -The poor _paauw_ was very unhappy, and kept bewailing his fate in a -long, weird cry, like the moaning of the wind; whence he immediately -acquired his name of "the melancholy Jaques." We had an amusing though -rather anxious journey; for the spider--consisting simply of a kind of -magnified Japanese tea-tray, supporting the lightest of seats, and -mounted on four wheels, almost bicycle-like in their slenderness--was -hardly the safest thing in which to convey restless live stock which -was not fastened or secured in any way. The road, too, was terrible; -indeed, in one place it resembled a steep, rocky staircase, and after -every bad jolt I looked anxiously back to see if any of our creatures -were lying on the ground. Thanks to T----'s careful driving, however, -we brought the whole collection safely home, none the worse for their -long journey. - -Jaques, I may as well mention here, soon grew very tame; but, being--we -never knew why--persistently snubbed by all the other pets, was driven -to the companionship of the fowls, with which he struck up a close -friendship; spending most of his time among them, and always coming -with them to be fed. He would also forage about in the kitchen for -scraps; and, if disappointed in his search, would utter his desponding -cry, and seem quite heart-broken. He was a handsome bird; with -delicately-pencilled plumage of different shades of grey and brown, a -little neat crest on his head, and absurdly small feet, which looked as -if they could not possibly support so large a body. Unfortunately, poor -Jaques did not live to attain his full size, but poisoned himself with -pumpkin seeds; which had been carelessly dropped on the kitchen floor, -in spite of repeated orders that these seeds--being a deadly poison to -turkeys--should always be instantly burnt as soon as a pumpkin was cut -open. We lost several of our turkeys through the neglect of this rule -by the stupid Hottentot girls. - -Although little ostriches are such good travellers, it is anything but -easy to transport full-grown ones about the world. They are wretched -sailors, as T---- has found to his cost; for when, some time ago, he -took several pairs of birds to Sydney, about half of them died at sea. -The day before they were shipped from Port Elizabeth they were placed -in a store where there was a large quantity of tobacco, on which some -of them regaled, with the consequence that before they had been at sea -a week three were dead from nicotine poisoning. T---- does not mind a -story told against himself, so I may mention that a plan adopted by him -with a view to ensuring the comfort and cleanliness of the birds during -the voyage did not--as regards the former advantage--turn out quite a -success. He carpeted the pens with cocoa-nut matting; and when the -vessel began to roll, and the birds sat down, their legs were terribly -chafed and rubbed by the roughness of the matting. And although T----, -to procure rag wherewith to bind up their sores, recklessly sacrificed -shirts, pocket-handkerchiefs, and whatever other linen came to hand, -several succumbed. The survivors did so well in Australia that -arrangements were made to carry on ostrich-farming in that country on a -large scale; and T---- was about to export two hundred birds when the -Cape Government, hearing of the project, imposed an export duty of L100 -on every ostrich, and L5 on each egg. - -Ostriches are very bad railway travellers; and avail themselves of -every possible opportunity of coming to grief in the cattle-trucks; in -which they often seem to be too closely packed. And as for their -behaviour when travelling on foot, T---- has had some experience of the -infinity of trouble they can give to those in charge of them. Having -once bought a troop of ninety birds on the West Coast, he accompanied -them himself on the long journey to Port Elizabeth. One night there was -a stampede; and when daylight broke over the vast plain not one ostrich -was in sight. Of course "there was mounting in hot haste;" and poor -T---- had to ride about the country after the runaways, which were so -dispersed that they could only be collected by twos and threes. He had -two days of very hard work before he succeeded in getting them all -together again. - -When T---- first started ostrich-farming, a good many years ago, he and -his partners--little knowing the "kittle cattle" with which they had to -deal--thought they would do without fencing. They soon found all their -birds gone; and had to scour the country for hundreds of miles in -pursuit of their erratic stock, riding all their horses to death. - -Profiting by this sad experience, T---- has carefully fenced Swaylands -in all directions except where the steepness of the mountain forms a -natural barrier. Yet in spite of all the trouble and money spent--and -enclosing is one of the heaviest of all expenses incurred in starting a -new farm--our birds were continually getting away. We have unfortunately -the great disadvantage of a high-road running straight through the farm; -and often a lazy Boer, thinking it too much trouble to kick away the -stone with which he had propped the gate open while his waggons passed -through--though T---- had carefully adjusted that gate to fall to and -close itself--would cause the loss of several of our birds; which of -course might or might not be heard of again. On one occasion over twenty -birds seem to have gone out in a body, owing to the gate being left -open; and only a few were eventually recovered. - -Some birds--artful old rovers who have been away before and have tasted -the joys of freedom--will spend days running up and down along the side -of the fence; keeping the gate well in sight, and watching for the -chance of its being left open. - -The family of one of our herds, living close to a gate, were supposed -to act as lodge-keepers; but--like most of the coloured race--they -could never be induced to attend steadily and systematically to their -duty, and we often found the gate wide open, inviting an exodus of -birds. A fine of five shillings was imposed for each offence; but the -hardened sinners knew that T----'s kind heart made him reluctant to -enforce the penalty. - -Ostriches, when very firmly bent on escaping, and finding no gate open, -will sometimes charge the fence; and, though occasionally one will -succeed in tumbling safely over and getting away, the clumsy -performance most frequently results in broken legs. - -Runaway birds are far from being the least among the many trials of an -ostrich-farmer's life; and the annual losses caused by them even exceed -in number those resulting from accident. Then they involve such endless -waste of time and trouble. T---- was continually riding about, -searching and making inquiries, often in vain, for lost ostriches. When -he was fortunate enough to find one, or hear of its whereabouts; or -perhaps see, from the advertised description of its brand, that it was -an inmate of some distant pound, two of the herds--never spared without -difficulty from other work--would be sent, often a long journey of -three or more days, to bring it back. - -A returning runaway, always a joyful sight to us, was also rather a -laughable one. As he was marched along between the two men, each with a -tight grip on his shoulder, he looked just like a pickpocket in the -hands of the police, going to prison; and a large piece of sacking, -roughly sewn round his body to give his captors a firmer hold, made him -appear as though already in convict dress. Then, to prevent his giving -trouble on the road, his head would be in a bag. As often as not this -bag would be one of my pillow-cases, surreptitiously abstracted by -T---- from the linen-drawer before sending off the men. - -The very necessary operation of branding is performed on the ostrich's -large, bare thigh, which seems just made for the purpose. Sometimes a -considerable number of our young or newly-purchased birds would be -branded at once. The irons with our brand, the Turkish crescent, were -heated in a little portable forge placed in one corner of the -plucking-kraal; and each poor bird in turn received the mark of our -ownership with an agonized start on one side; the smell, and the -hissing sound of the frizzling flesh always reminding me unpleasantly -of the horrible performances of the _Aissaoua_, which (because every -one else went) I was once foolish enough to go and see in Algiers. Old -birds, which have frequently changed hands, sometimes display a fine -collection of initials and different designs, covering both thighs. - -Unfortunately, branding is not always the safeguard against theft which -it is intended to be; for there are quite as many dishonest people in -the Cape Colony as elsewhere (if not rather more), and it is no -uncommon trick to obliterate the brand of a bird which has come astray -by applying over it a much larger one--a "frying-pan" brand, as one -hears it occasionally called by victims. - -As regards the stupidity of ostriches, although indeed they are falsely -accused on one point; that of hiding their small heads in the sand and -imagining therefore that their large bodies are quite invisible to the -foe, they do many other things quite as foolish, and--to revert again -to the Book of Job--their character could not possibly have been more -perfectly summed up than it is in the words: "Because God hath deprived -her of wisdom, neither hath He imparted to her understanding." And, -indeed, no one looking at the ostrich's ridiculous little head, so flat -immediately above the eyes as to leave no room for any brain, can -wonder that he is an imbecile; possessing even less intelligence than a -common fowl, and not recognizing the man who has fed him every day for -years, if the latter comes to the camp in a coat or hat to which he is -unaccustomed. A friend of T----'s was attacked and knocked down by one -of his own ostriches, an old bird which had been constantly fed by him, -but which, on seeing him for the first time in a black hat, took him -for a stranger. Fortunately T---- was with him, and, having brought a -tackey--in spite of assurances that none would be needed--came promptly -to the rescue. - -Ostriches are long-lived creatures; indeed, it is impossible to say -what venerable age they may be capable of attaining, for, however old -they become, they never show any signs of decrepitude, nor do their -feathers deteriorate; while, as for an ostrich dying of old age, I do -not believe any one has ever heard of such a thing. But it is accident -which, sooner or later, ends the career of nearly every ostrich; and in -about ninety-nine cases out of a hundred the disaster is, in one way or -another, the result of the bird's own stupidity. There surely does not -exist a creature--past earliest infancy--more utterly incapable of -taking care of itself than an ostrich; yet he is full of conceit, and -resents the idea of being looked after by his human friends; and when, -in spite of all their precautions for his safety, he has succeeded in -coming to grief, he quietly opposes every attempt to cure his injuries, -and at once makes up his mind to die. If his hurt is not sufficiently -severe to kill him, he will attain his object by moping and refusing to -eat--anyhow, he dies--often apparently for no other reason than because -his master, against whom he has always had a grudge, wishes him to -live. He seems to die out of spite; just as a Hindoo servant will -starve himself, waste rapidly away, and finally come and expire at the -gate of the employer with whom he is offended. - -The worst and most frequent accidents by which ostriches contrive to -make away with themselves are broken legs; these--even were the -patients tractable--it would be impossible to cure, owing to the -strange fragility of that limb which, as we have seen, is capable of -inflicting so deadly a kick,--and any poor bird which breaks a leg has -to be instantly killed. The bone seems almost as brittle as porcelain; -and a comparatively slight blow is enough to splinter it into just such -jagged and pointed fragments as result from breaking the spout of a -china teapot. - -One very fruitful source of broken legs is the dervish-like habit -ostriches have of waltzing when in particularly good spirits, and -especially when first turned out of the kraal in the morning. They go -sailing along so prettily in the bright sunshine; their beautiful -wings, spread and erect, giving them at a little distance the -appearance of white balloons; but they have a sad tendency to become -giddy and tumble down, and, knowing the frailty of their legs, we do -not look with unmixed pleasure on the graceful performance. Some birds, -indeed, have the sense to save themselves by "reversing," which they do -as cleverly as practised human dancers; but the accomplishment seems -rare among them, and we calculate that waltzing costs us eight or ten -per cent. per annum. - -Then they often fight savagely; and the terrific "thud" of the blows -they deal upon each other's bodies makes one tremble lest the next kick -should fall on one of the brittle legs; as indeed frequently happens. -One day (a long drought having brought our birds round the house), two -splendid young cocks began fighting close to the windows. In an instant -one of them was down; with his leg snapped across, and all but knocked -off, by a frightful blow. T---- being from home, I had to go and -inspect the poor bird's injuries--a sickening sight--and do him the -only kindness possible, that of ordering his immediate execution. A -couple of hours later, some of the flesh from one massive thigh was -simmering in my stock-pot, sending forth a most delicious odour; while -both legs, joints from which indeed to "cut and come again," dwarfed -the proportions of the Angora meat as they hung beside it, high out of -reach of dog or jackal, in our open-air larder. For when by some -untoward accident, such as that just described, our birds came suddenly -by their death, we had the very small and melancholy consolation of -eating them. That is to say, following the example of French -frog-eaters, we ate the legs only; there being no meat whatever on any -other part of the creature's body. Instead of having a nice plump -breast, like that of a fowl, turkey, or any other of the Carinatae or -keel-breasted birds, the ostrich has a flat breast-bone and large ribs -shaped wonderfully like those of a human being. His body is always -bony; and, however well you may feed him, the nourishment all seems to -go to his legs. An unpleasant stringiness prevents ostrich-steaks from -being quite nice, but the soup is perfection. I never tasted any quite -equal to it; although some, made from the enormous tortoises found -occasionally on the _veldt_, came very near it in goodness. The best -beef-stock is not to be compared with ostrich-soup; and I imagine the -latter would be a most nourishing food for invalids. An ostrich which -has died in good condition has a large quantity of beautiful, soft, -bright yellow fat. This, being most useful, is always carefully put -away in jars; and there is no fat equal to it for guns, saddles, -harness, boots, etc. - -Besides waltzing and fighting, there are endless other ways in which -ostriches--always ingenious in devising plans for their own -destruction--manage to get their legs broken, and their throats -consequently cut; but the favourite form of _felo-de-se_ is collision -with the wire fences. These seem to have some magnetic attraction for -the _vogels_, as the Dutch call them--the word, appropriately enough, -too, being pronounced "fools." - -[Illustration: OSTRICH-CHICK. - -(_Photographed from case in Stanley and African Exhibition_.)] - -[Illustration: OSTRICHES MEDITATING ESCAPE THROUGH DEFECTIVE FENCE.] - -"Another bird killed in the wires!" How familiar any one living on an -ostrich farm becomes with these words of woe! Anything, or nothing--the -latter indeed more frequently--suffices either to frighten or embolden -an ostrich into flinging himself headlong into the nearest fence. The -appearance of a strange dog, for instance--and in spite of strict -orders the Kaffirs always _will_ bring dogs about the place--is quite -certain, whatever may be the view taken of it by the ostrich, to lead -but to one result. Say the dog is coming along on the opposite side of -the fence. An imbecile boldness and pugnacity straightway inspire the -ostrich; he has no eyes for anything but the dog, and, leaving the -fence entirely out of his calculations, he makes a mad, blind charge, -which lands him well in the wires; and if he is extricated from the -latter with unbroken legs, his owner may be congratulated on a very -unusual stroke of luck. If, on the other hand, the dog and bird are on -the same side of the fence--then, even Burns's mouse had no greater -"panic" in his "breastie" than that which impels the senseless biped to -dash straight into the wires on his left; though miles of unfenced -_veldt_, along which he might run with safety and soon distance the -dog, stretch away to his right. The dog, of course, was not in either -case troubling his head about the ostrich; and only wonders what all -the commotion is about. - -One of T----'s birds performed the "happy despatch" in quite a novel -manner. Seeing a tempting quince growing on the further side of a -hedge, he squeezed his head and neck through a narrow fork in the -branches to reach it. Having secured and eaten his prize, he tried to -draw his head back. But what was difficult enough before was now -impossible; his neck, bulging with the quince, kept him a prisoner, -there was no one at hand to help, and the more he tugged and jumped in -the frenzied manner of ostriches when held by the head, the more firmly -he stuck. And he was found at last, with his neck broken, and his head, -to all intents and purposes, pulled off. - -Another ostrich, running up against some projecting ends of wire, tore -his throat open; inflicting so deep a gash as to divide the oesophagus. -T---- (surgeon as well as everything else a colonist requires to be) -went in quest of needle and thread to sew up the wound; and, on -returning, found that his patient, having discovered a sack of mealies, -was busily helping himself to the contents; though with the -unsatisfactory result that the food, as soon as swallowed, tumbled out -again through the slit in his throat. Nothing daunted, however, and -apparently insensible to pain, the feathered Tantalus continued to -feed; wondering no doubt why, having eaten so much, he remained hungry. -Thanks to T----'s care, this bird, a rare exception to the general rule -of wounded ostriches, actually recovered. - -Talking of the ostrich's food-passage, it is rather a curious sight to -watch the progress of a large bone, or of a good beakful of mealies, as -it travels down the long throat of the bird. During its journey, the -large, slowly-moving lump is seen to make the circuit of the whole -neck, and while passing round the back of the latter it looks comical -indeed. Queer things sometimes find their way down this tortuous -passage; the excessive queerness of some of them giving rise to the -frequent boast of those persons fortunately able to eat anything, -fearless of consequences, that they "have the digestion of an ostrich." -But those miscellaneous collections of old bones, glass and china, -stones, jewellery, hardware, and odds and ends of all sorts, with which -the creature stores his interior, till one is reminded of Mark Twain's -"solid dog," fed on paving-stones--far from showing that an ostrich has -a good digestion, are necessary to prevent his having a very bad one. -They are, of course, simply his teeth, the millstones which grind his -food; only they are situated in his stomach instead of in his mouth, -and, on an immensely-magnified scale, they only perform the work of -those grains of sand with which the little cage-bird keeps himself -healthy. Certainly ostriches occasionally show a sad want of -discrimination, and make choice of articles which are quite unsuitable -for their purpose. The manager's lighted pipe, for instance, was -snatched and greedily swallowed by one of our birds before any one -could stop him; and for a while the thief was very anxiously watched to -see if evil consequences would ensue. Luckily, however, the strange -fare did not seem to disagree with him. Another bird picked a gimlet -out of a post, in which, for one moment, it had been carelessly left -sticking--tossed it down his throat, and was none the worse for it. - -Ostriches, like magpies, are attracted by everything bright and -glittering; hence the frequent and just complaints brought against them -for theft. But their own interior is the only hiding-place where they -bestow the precious stones and other articles of jewellery which, -whenever they have a chance, they will always steal. - -One day, while yet new to the colony, and to the ways of ostriches, I -was standing with T----by the side of one of the camps, looking over -the fence at the birds, and much amused by the curious, dancing manner -in which the creatures moved, as if hung on wires; when suddenly one of -them, with a motion as quick as lightning, made a dash at my earring, a -little round knob of gold, exactly the size and colour of a mealie -(Indian corn seed), for which perhaps he took it; and I only drew back -just in time to save it--and probably a piece of the ear with it--from -going down his throat. - -A newly-arrived gentleman was less fortunate. He, too, was looking over -a fence into a camp, when the sharp eye of an ostrich spied a beautiful -diamond in his pin, and in an instant the jewel was picked out and -swallowed. A kind of court-martial was held on the ostrich; the -relative values of himself and of the diamond being accurately -calculated, that his judges might decide whether he should live or die. -Fortunately for him it was just the time when ostriches were expensive; -and his value was estimated at L100, while the diamond was only worth -L90. Those L10 saved his life; and the diamond was allowed to remain -and perform the part of an extra-good millstone in his interior. Had he -waited till the present time to furnish his internal economy thus -expensively he would have been very promptly sacrificed. But people -should not wear diamonds on ostrich farms. - -When, soon after our return from the Cape, we were staying for a time -in London, one of our first expeditions was to the Zoo. There, with -great delight and amusement, we walked about, looking up one after -another of our old South African friends. But it was a cold, gloomy -day; and in the houses as well as out of doors the exiles from that -sunny land seemed much depressed by their changed conditions of -climate. The meerkats, curled up in a half-torpid state, were no longer -the merry little rogues they had once been, when in happier days they -stood on their hind legs outside their burrows, toasting their little -backs in their native sunshine. The baboon was morose; the snakes -sleepy; the African buffalo no longer terrible as in the wilds of his -old home, but a poor dejected creature, utterly crushed and -broken-hearted by long residence under cold, grey skies. Altogether, -everything hailing from Austral Africa looked very homesick that dull -day, with the sole exception of the secretary bird, which, after a long -and persevering search--for old Jacob's sake--we at last succeeded in -finding. He was a delightful bird; as tame as our own old friend, and -evidently a great favourite with his keeper. We felt wickedly covetous, -as the man, pleased at the interest we showed, put the intelligent bird -through a number of comical performances, which included the "killing" -of a stuffed ratskin, kept for the purpose of displaying how the -secretary in his wild state beats to death the mice, lizards, and other -creatures on which he feeds. - -But where were the ostriches? Just as actors, when they have a holiday, -usually spend it in going to the theatre, so, of all the creatures in -the Zoo, those we were most anxious to see were the great birds of -whose company during the last few years we might reasonably be supposed -to have had enough. But no ostriches were to be seen; and the keeper of -whom we inquired told us that all were dead. On asking the cause of -death, we heard that it was "because the people fed them on pennies." -We went to the office of the secretary of the gardens, and found that -this statement was really true, and that the post-mortem examination of -each poor bird had brought to light a large number of copper coins -which had been swallowed. We were glad to hear that any ostriches kept -in the gardens in future were to be separated by glass from a public -idiotic enough to waste its money in poisoning them. - -After this, we were quite able to believe a story told us of how a girl -was one day seen at the Zoo, feeding these same unfortunate birds with -some ten or twelve pairs of old kid gloves, evidently saved up for the -purpose, and presented, one after another, tightly rolled up into a -ball; the creatures gulping them down quite as a matter of course, and -looking out for more. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -MEERKATS. - -Meerkats plentiful in the Karroo--Their appearance--Intelligence ---Fearlessness--Friendship for dogs--A meerkat in England--Meerkat -an inveterate thief--An owl in Tangier--Taming full-grown meerkat ---Tiny twins--A sad accident--Different characters of meerkats-- -The turkey-herd--Bob and the meerkat--"The Mouse." - - -The little meerkats were surely created for the express purpose of -being made into pet animals. Certainly no prettier or funnier little -live toys could possibly be imagined. Nearly every homestead in the -Karroo has its tame meerkat, or more likely two or three, all as much -petted and indulged, and requiring as much looking after, as spoilt and -mischievous children. In their wild state, these little creatures are -gregarious, and live, like the prairie-dogs and biscachas of the -Western Continent, in deep holes underground, feeding chiefly on -succulent bulbs, which they scratch up with the long, curved, black -claws on their fore-feet. They are devoted sun-worshippers; and in the -early morning, before it is daylight, they emerge from their burrows, -and wait in rows till their divinity appears, when they bask joyfully -in his beams. They are very numerous in the Karroo; and as you ride or -drive along through the _veldt_ you often come upon little colonies of -them, sitting up sunning themselves, and looking, in their quaint and -pretty favourite attitude, like tiny dogs begging. As you approach, -they look at you fearlessly and impudently, allowing you to come quite -close; then, when their confiding manner has tempted you to get down in -the wild hope of catching one of them, suddenly all pop so swiftly into -their little holes, that they seem to have disappeared by magic. - -[Illustration: A MEERKAT.] - -There are two kinds of meerkats; one red, with a bushy tail like that -of a squirrel, the other grey, with a pointed tail, and it is this -latter kind which makes so charming a pet. The quaint, old-fashioned -little fellow is as neatly made as a small bird; his coat, of the -softest fur, with markings not unlike those of a tabby cat, is always -well kept and spotlessly clean; his tiny feet, ears, and nose are all -most daintily and delicately finished off; and the broad circle of -black bordering his large dark eyes serves, like the antimony of an -Egyptian beauty, to enhance the size and brilliancy of the orbs. A -curious kind of seam, starting from the middle of his chin and running -underneath him the whole length of his body, gives him somewhat the -appearance of a stuffed animal which has not been very carefully sewn -up. His bright, pretty little face is capable of assuming the greatest -variety of expressions, that which it most frequently wears when in -repose being a contented, self-satisfied smirk; impudence and -independence displaying themselves at the same time in every line of -his plump little figure. With his large, prominent forehead, giving -evidence of the ample brain within, one need not, perhaps, wonder at -his being one of the most sagacious of animals; although it is -certainly almost startling to find all the intelligence of a dog in a -wee thing which you can put in your pocket, or which, if buttoned up on -a cold day inside the breast of your ulster, is as likely as not, when -tired of that retreat, to squirm out down your sleeve. He is absolutely -without fear; and with consummate coolness and audacity will walk up to -the largest and most forbidding-looking dog, although a perfect -stranger to him, and, carefully investigating the intruder on all sides -with great curiosity, express disgust and defiance in a succession of -little, short, sharp barks--"quark! quark! quark!" He is soon on the -friendliest terms with all the resident dogs in the place; showing a -marked preference for those possessing soft, long-haired coats, on -which he evidently looks as a provision of nature existing solely for -his benefit, and in which, like the little Sybarite that he is, he -nestles luxuriously on cold days, chattering and scolding indignantly, -with a vicious display of teeth, if the dog, getting up and going away, -rudely disturbs his nap. Out of doors he is the inseparable satellite -of the dog; and during strolls about the farm--in which, by-the-by, one -is often attended by a motley crew of furred and feathered friends--the -meerkat is sure to be seen following immediately in the wake of the -dog, as closely as the latter follows master and mistress. Even a good -long walk does not seem to tire his strong little legs, or, at any -rate, if it does he is too plucky to give in and turn back, and as long -as the dog keeps going on, he valiantly follows every _detour_ of that -animal's erratic course. Often, when starting for a ride or drive, we -have been obliged to shut up our meerkat, so determined was he to come -with us. - -The astonishment of dogs in England at a meerkat brought home by us was -most amusing. They would run after him, apparently taking him for some -kind of rat; and when, to their amazement, instead of running away, he -boldly trotted up to them, and, calmly and somewhat contemptuously -surveying them, began to beg, they would hang their heads and draw -back, with looks plainly expressive of their opinion that he was "no -canny." It was fortunate for him that he inspired them with such awe, -for otherwise he would certainly have died the death of a rat on one of -the numerous occasions when he got away and wandered on his own account -through the Kentish village where we were staying. The human natives -whose cottages and shops he invaded, and to whom, with patronizing -coolness and colonial absence of ceremony, he introduced himself, were -scarcely less puzzled than the dogs at the queer animal we had brought -from "foreign parts." - -Every meerkat is an inveterate little thief; and if you leave him for -one instant where a meal is prepared, you are sure on returning to see -him jump guiltily off the table and make for the nearest hiding-place, -chattering triumphantly as he goes, like a blackbird caught stealing -fruit; an overturned milk-jug, dishes rifled of their contents, and -sticky trails of butter, jam, or gravy across the tablecloth, -proclaiming how profitably he has used his opportunity. He revels in -mischief; and the reckless destructiveness in which he indulges, with -no possibility of advantage to himself, but just for the fun of the -thing, often brings you to the end of your patience. You vow that you -will endure him no longer. You must get rid of him. The great Newton -himself could not have pardoned such a constantly-offending Diamond. -But the little rogue knows what is passing through your mind; and he -knows, too, how to get on the right side of you. He assumes his -prettiest attitude and his most benevolent smile; and as he sits bolt -upright, turning his little head from side to side with quick, jerky -movements, calling to you in the softest and sweetest of the numerous -voices with which nature has endowed him, he is so irresistibly comical -that, whatever he may have done, you cannot find it in your heart to be -wroth with him very long. He is soon restored to favour; and then, to -express his extreme contentment, he goes and lies flat on his stomach -in the sunshine, with his legs stretched out straight. He is so flat -that he seems all poured out over the ground, and looks like an empty -skin. What becomes of his bones on these occasions is a constant source -of wonder. - -The only other creature I have seen capable of so entirely changing its -form at a moment's notice was a little owl we have since had in -Tangier. This was a delightful pet, full of character and intelligence, -though but a tiny thing not more than four inches high--a good part of -this height consisting of the two long, ear-like tufts of feathers on -the head. The absurd little fellow, who looked like one of the owl -pepper-pots come to life, had many amusing ways; but what delighted us -most about him was the startling abruptness with which not only his -manner, but his whole appearance, even his shape, would change as if by -magic, according to his frame of mind. He would sit, for instance, in a -contemplative attitude, his eyes sleepily half-closed, his "ears" -sticking up very straight, and his body looking extremely long and -thin, as long as no one was interfering with him; but once disturb his -repose, and instantly he would change his shape and become a fat little -ball of soft fluffiness;--a grey powder-puff--with no ears visible, and -two great yellow eyes glaring at you with the most ireful expression. - -Unfortunately, relying too much on the tameness of our owl, and fearful -of spoiling his beauty, we neglected the precaution of cutting one of -his wings, in consequence of which we were one day left lamenting this -prettiest of North African pets; and though we tried hard to procure -another, explaining, with the little amount of Spanish at our command, -to all the small boys in Tangier that we wanted "_un pajarito con -orejas_" ("a little bird with ears,") we never looked upon his like -again, and I imagine he must have been an uncommon bird. - -The best chance of capturing full-grown meerkats is when, during long -droughts, little companies of them are travelling in search of water; -they often have to go long distances, and when they are thus far from -their holes it is possible, though by no means easy, to run one down. -In a few days, even if quite old when caught, a meerkat will know his -name, come to you when called, or at least answer you with a little -soft, bird-like note from whatever corner of the room he may be hiding -in; scramble up into your lap, eat out of your hand, and altogether be -nearly as tame as one which has been brought up in the house from -infancy; though of course there is always the chance that, knowing the -joys of liberty, he may some day, like the owl, take it into his head -to desert. - -T----, riding one day, and encountering a little travelling party of -meerkats, gave chase on horseback. One of the animals, a very large, -fat one, made for a hole, but found it a tight fit. He stuck fast, and -T---- pulled him out ignominiously by the tail, and rode off with him. -The mare--a wild, half-broken young thing--was so mad with fright at -the way in which the little fury, though tethered by a handkerchief, -dashed about, scratching and tearing at her sides, that she bolted all -the way home. And when T---- set the new inmate down on the floor of -the sitting-room, where it stood at bay, snarling savagely at us, it -seemed about as unpromising a specimen on which to exercise our powers -of taming animals as could well be imagined. But, refusing to be -daunted, we began by tying our captive to the leg of the table, where -he had to accustom himself to seeing us constantly passing and -repassing; and though at first he tried to fly at us every time we came -near, he soon saw that we had no evil designs against him, and was -reassured by our careful avoidance of abrupt movements and sudden -noises--most important of all rules to be observed in taming wild -creatures. In a few hours he was sufficiently at home to drink -milk--though cautiously and watchfully--from a teaspoon held out to -him; and in four days he was following us about the house like a little -dog. - -This meerkat, the largest and handsomest we have ever seen, cannot have -been anything less than the chief of his tribe. His powerful, tusk-like -teeth, his unusually broad and capacious forehead, his superior -intelligence, even for so clever a creature as a meerkat, all -proclaimed him born to command. When one day he repaid the care and -affection of many weeks by cruelly and ungratefully leaving us, we felt -little doubt that, after giving civilization a fair trial, and -comparing it with his old life, he had decided in favour of the latter, -and started off home. We have often wondered whether he succeeded in -finding his way back to his subterranean kingdom. And if so, did he -find his subjects still faithful? or was he forgotten, and did another -king reign in his stead? - -One evening, when the men returned from the camps, one of the -ostrich-herds displayed, nestling together in the palm of his hand, two -baby meerkats, no larger than good fat mice, which he had caught in the -veldt. Rewarding the captor, in the usual Karroo style of barter, with -a pound of coffee, we took possession of his prize; and though at first -our chance of rearing the tiny animals seemed doubtful, they -flourished, grew up into fine specimens of their kind, and were among -the most amusing of all our pets. They looked like a perfectly-matched -pair of little images with heads moving by clockwork, as they stood, -bolt upright, in their favourite places, one against each door-post, -and, critically surveying the view with an air of never having seen it -before, revelled in the hot sunshine which came pouring in through the -open doorway. - -Unlike "birds in their little nests," and more after the unamiable -fashion of human twins--who generally have to be sent to separate -schools--they got on very badly together; and their frequent fights -displayed most comically the strong contrast of the two energetic -little characters. One of them was selfish and greedy, and, however -liberal the supply of food presented--even though it were three times -as much as he could possibly eat--always wanted all for himself. -Jumping into the middle of the plate, he would stand--a miniature dog -in the manger--noisily defending the contents against his gentler -brother, whom he would attack and bite savagely if he ventured near. -The other was a far nobler and finer character; and, though he too -could "bark and bite" on occasion in an equally unbrotherly manner, it -was no such base, material cause of jealousy which impelled him to do -battle. Our notice and our affection were what _he_ wanted all for -himself; and so bitterly did he resent every kind word, every slightest -caress bestowed on his companion, that it was the instant signal for -war, and, flying at the other, he would attack him as vengefully as he -in his turn was attacked at feeding-time. - -Both brothers were on terms of insolent and contemptuous familiarity -with Toto; on whom they looked as their slave, whom they made the butt -for their jokes, and in the soft warmth of whose coat they slept as on -the most luxurious of fur rugs. And when _he_ wanted to sleep and -_they_ did not, how they relished the fun of keeping him awake against -his will! What riotous games they would have, chasing each other -backwards and forwards across his recumbent form, pulling his poor -tired eyes open with their mischievous black claws, scratching and -tickling his nose to make him sneeze, and trying their hardest to -burrow into his ear or his mouth. One snap of his powerful jaws, and -their frivolous career would promptly have been cut short; but the good -old dog--who, in spite of all their teasing, loved the troublesome -imps--submitted patiently, though they did make his eyes water. - -One day, alas! tired out with play, they were comfortably nestling -close up against their big friend's side, and all three were taking -their afternoon nap. Perhaps Toto had a disturbing dream, perhaps the -flies bothered him and made him restless,--at any rate during his sleep -he rolled over on to one of the meerkats--our favourite, of -course--and, all unconscious of what he was doing, crushed and -suffocated the poor little fellow. Though no one thought of blaming -Toto for what was purely accidental, he instantly and completely -realized that he had caused the death; and as we stood lamenting over -the flattened little body, the poor old dog's distress was most -pathetic. He seemed quite overcome with shame; and as he stole from one -of us to the other, timidly licking our hands, his expressive face -pleaded eloquently for the forgiveness he had no need to ask. With all -our efforts to reassure him it was a long time before his sensitive -conscience recovered from the shock. The surviving little brother lived -to a good old age, came home with us, and succumbed at last to the -severities of an English winter. - -The variety of character in our numerous meerkats formed quite an -amusing study. They differed as much as human beings, and among them -all there was but one which was stupid. He, poor fellow, met with -injuries in early life at the hands of one of the cruel boys who looked -after the little ostriches; who, in a passion with him for getting in -the way, picked him up and flung him across the kitchen. He landed in a -saucepan, received spinal damage, and grew up stunted in mind and body. -And when, one day, he came suddenly to his end by tumbling into that -disappointing fountain-basin of which mention has been made, we felt -that on the whole it was rather a happy release. - -One of our meerkats was the devoted ally of the turkeys, and would go -out into the _veldt_ with them every day; accompanying them on all -their wanderings, and apparently looking upon himself as their herd. He -would come trotting home with them in the evening, full of his own -importance, and evidently taking to himself the credit of having -brought them all safely back. - -Another was fond of rambling off all by himself, sometimes going a very -long way from home. On one occasion some friends from a distant farm, -driving to call on us, saw near the road what they took for a wild -meerkat, and set their collie at it. But animals have a wonderful -instinct for detecting the difference between tame and wild creatures; -and good Bob, dearly though he loved a scamper after any of the -swift-footed denizens of the _veldt_, saw at once that this was not -lawful game. So, instead of the expected chase, there was a friendly -and demonstrative greeting between the two animals. The dog stood -wagging his tail at the meerkat, the meerkat sat up "quarking" at the -dog, and our friends, guessing that the little creature belonged to us, -took him up into their Cape cart, and brought him to his home. - -Another meerkat, being so incorrigibly savage that handling him was -always attended with serious damage to the fingers, had to wear a -muzzle, improvised for him by T---- out of one of the little wire -baskets made for the spouts of teapots. - -Another, though young and tiny, was a born tyrant; displaying the most -overbearing and imperious of characters. In company with two full-grown -meerkats, we brought him to England; the trio being taken on board the -steamer in a large birdcage. There, however, owing to the truculent -conduct of "the Mouse," as we called the little one, it was soon found -impossible for all three to remain together; and separate quarters had -to be provided for the two older animals. For the impudent mite, hardly -out of babyhood, domineered over his seniors in most lordly fashion; -forbidding them to take their share of the food, and dancing and -jumping excitedly in the dish if they ventured to approach it; while -they, although they could easily have made short work of the Mouse, -calmly submitted; enduring his tyranny with that wonderful patience and -forbearance so often shown by animals to one another under provocation -which we human beings would bitterly resent. Perhaps they were overawed -by the antics of the pugnacious atom, and thought he was not quite -canny; or perhaps they looked leniently on his conduct as on that of a -spoilt child accustomed to be humoured. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -BOBBY. - -Bobby's babyhood--Insatiable appetite--Variety of noises made by -Bobby--His tameness--Narrow escape from drowning--A warlike -head-gear--Bobby the worse for drink--His love of mischief--He disarms -his master--Meerkat persecuted by Bobby--Bobby takes to dishonest -ways--He becomes a prisoner--His clever tricks--Death of Bobby. - - "Out of question thou wert born in a merry hour." - - -Bobby was our tame crow. We brought him up from earliest infancy; -indeed our acquaintance with him commenced when he was nothing but a -speckled, reddish-brown egg, in a nest--or, rather, a flat, untidy -bundle of sticks--in one of the few and stunted trees on the Klipplaat -road. We were anxious to have one of these crows; knowing what -intelligent and amusing birds they are, and having struck up a -friendship with one on a neighbouring farm, a comical old one-legged -fellow, with an inexhaustible fund of high spirits and solemn -impudence, which made him a general favourite. - -So we kept an eye on this egg; riding up to the tree occasionally, and -watching the progress of the young bird through various stages of -ugliness and bareness; until at last we took Bobby home with us, an -ungainly, half-fledged creature, very unsteady on his legs and ragged -as to his clothing, which latter indeed consisted more of stiff black -quills than anything else. His immense bill was perpetually open; -displaying the depths of his wide red throat as he shouted defiantly -for porridge, of which he never seemed to have enough. He would take it -with a loud, greedy noise, swallowing as much of your finger with it as -possible, and apparently very much disappointed at having to let the -latter go again. He seemed to live in hope that, if he only held on -long enough, it would surely come off at last and slip quite down his -throat. If we passed anywhere near his basket--even though he had just -had an ample feed--he would shoot up, like a black Jack-in-the-box with -a large red mouth, demanding more porridge. The vegetarian diet suited -him, and he grew into a very large, handsome bird, with the glossiest -and softest of blue-black plumage. - -He soon refused to stop in his basket; tumbling out head first, and -hobbling about the room; then, as his strength increased, he walked and -flew about outside the house; always coming at night to sleep on our -window. In the morning, as soon as it was light, he would fly in, and -wake us up by settling on us and pecking us gently. Then, having given -us his morning greeting, he would depart on his rounds outside; and -presently we would hear him on the top of the house, or on the wire -fence, practising some of his endless variety of noises; imitating the -fowls, the donkeys, the dogs, or holding long conversations with -himself, the greater part of which sounded like very bad language. One -day we heard the cackling of a hen, which had apparently laid an egg on -the top of the American windmill; and, on looking up, found that Bobby -had selected this airy height as his practising-ground. It was one of -his favourite places; and often, when there, he would catch sight of us -the moment we came out of the house, and would come flying straight -down to us, settling, sometimes quite unexpectedly, on a head or -shoulder. He knew his name, and would come to us when we called him; -unless indeed we had detected him in some mischief, when he would walk -off, and keep carefully out of reach until he thought his offence was -forgotten. - -He was our constant companion out of doors; and when I went round to -the store, gave out the men's rations, fed the ostriches and fowls, or -superintended the washing, he was sure to be either following close at -my heels like a dog, or perched on my shoulder, whispering -confidentially in my ear in a most affectionate manner, while his -bright little jewel of an eye watched all I did with great interest. -His devotion to his master often led him to fly down the well after -him, when work had to be done or superintended there. On one occasion -he overshot the mark and got into the water, where he very narrowly -escaped being drowned. He was pulled out with some difficulty, very wet -and miserable, too frightened to know friends from foes, and biting his -rescuer with all his might. - -He would accompany us on our walks; and often took long rides with -T----, whose white sun-helmet became a most imposing headgear, as Bobby -surmounted it, spreading his great black wings; reminding us of the -raven-crest of some ancient Scandinavian warrior. Then, while in full -gallop, he would dart after one of the great gaudy locusts--four inches -long, and looking like painted toys daubed with red, yellow, and -green--and, catching it on the wing with unerring aim, would fly back -with it to his place on the sun-helmet, where he would regale with many -noises expressive of satisfaction. - -Bobby was not a "temperance" bird; indeed, his tastes lay in quite an -opposite direction. We first discovered his propensity by accident, and -in this manner. One day, when doctoring a sick fowl, which needed -"picking up," I had mixed some porridge with wine, making it very -strong. Just as I was about to administer it, Bobby came hurrying up, -with his inquiring mind, as usual, all on the _qui vive_ to see what -was going on. He plunged his bill into the porridge, and helped himself -to a large mouthful; then, finding it to his taste, he went on eating -noisily and greedily, till he had "taken on board" a considerable -amount, and walked off satisfied. Then, having attended to my patient, -I went indoors, thinking no more of Bobby till, some time after, Nancy, -our Hottentot "help," came running to us, calling out, "Missis! Missis! -Bobby drunk!" We went outside; and there, sure enough, was Bobby, on -his back, his little black feet helplessly kicking the air, his bill -wide open, and a variety of the most astonishing sounds proceeding -therefrom, compared with which his usual, every-day profanity was mild. - -He soon recovered, and was on his legs again, none the worse for the -adventure; but it left him with a decided taste for stimulants, which -he strove to indulge on all possible occasions. From that day he -followed me to the store more pertinaciously than ever; sitting on the -tap of the cask while I drew the wine for meals, bending down and -twisting his neck to reach the stream as it flowed into the jug. He -gradually learned to turn the tap himself, and was delighted if he -could catch a few drops. At last he became clever enough to set the -wine running altogether; and, as he never learned to turn the tap back -again, great caution was necessary to see that he did not remain behind -in the store, which he was always trying to do. He would often give a -good deal of trouble by flying to the very topmost shelf, from whence -it was difficult to dislodge him; and where a chase after him involved -climbing over numerous sacks on my part, and much knocking over of -bottles and tins on that of Bobby. - -Bobby loved mischief; he revelled in it, not for the sake of any good -which it brought him, but simply out of what the Americans call -"cussedness." He was never so happy as when busily engaged in some work -of destruction. When discovered, he would retreat to a safe distance, -and, if pursued, would always manage to keep just out of reach; though -not too far for you to see the twinkle of enjoyment in his wicked old -eye, and hear his defiant croak; and as he strutted before you, looking -back triumphantly over his shoulder, you felt that he was laughing at -you. - -The garden was his favourite field of operations; and, considering the -time and trouble spent in producing that little oasis, and in -persuading plants to grow in it, it was no small trial to be -disappointed of one crop of vegetables after another, simply owing to -his careful destruction of the young plants almost as soon as they -showed their heads above ground. It was provoking, on going down to the -garden, to find that the few rows of peas or French beans, which we had -so carefully sown and watered, and which only the day before were -coming up so promisingly, had been butchered to make Bobby's holiday, -and were now all rooted up, dried and shrivelled in the hot sun, and -lying, neatly arranged in order, each one in the place where it had -grown. The culprit himself would probably be out of sight, for his -gardening operations were usually carried on in the early morning, thus -securing a quiet uninterrupted time among the plants before we were -about; but once we caught him. We were out earlier than usual, and -found Bobby so deeply engrossed in putting the finishing touches to a -row of beans which he had pulled up and laid in their places with even -more than his usual neatness, that he only looked up in time to see his -offended master a few yards off, and just preparing to throw a -good-sized stone. In an instant Bobby's mind was made up. Instead of -attempting flight, and getting hit by the stone, he impulsively threw -himself on T----'s generosity, and flew straight to his hand; looking -up confidingly in his face, and at once winning the pardon he sought. -His loving ways made us forgive many of his iniquities. - -He liked to be "around" during meals; experimenting on the different -articles of food, and occasionally dipping his bill into a cup of tea, -or what pleased him still more, a glass of wine. But, unfortunately, he -did not confine his attentions to the provisions, and was constantly -attempting to carry off the spoons and forks: we narrowly escaped -losing several of them, and he succeeded in getting away with one -knife, which we never saw again. He also flew off with one of T----'s -razors, and, when just above the middle of the dam, dropped it into the -water. - -At last his thieving propensities obliged us to forbid him the house, -and Toto learned to chase him out the instant he appeared inside the -door; the noisy hunt often ending in Bobby's being caught, and gently -but firmly held down under the paws of Toto, who would lie wagging his -tail contentedly, while Bobby, hurt nowhere but in his pride, vented -his rage in discordant croaks. He became very jealous of Toto and the -other pets which, less mischievous than himself, were allowed indoors; -and he delighted especially in teasing the little meerkat, no less -constant an attendant than himself among the small train of animal -friends which followed us outside. Bobby would come up noiselessly -behind, and, catching the tip of the meerkat's tail in his bill, would -lift the little fellow off his legs, take him up a few feet into the -air, and drop him suddenly. Then, after waiting a few moments till his -victim had recovered his composure, and was off his guard, he would -repeat the performance. The meerkat, a plucky, independent little -character, resented the insult, and scolded and chattered vehemently, -showing all his small teeth as he hung helplessly by the tail: but he -was powerless against Bobby, and had to submit to being whisked up -unexpectedly as often as his tormentor, by right of superior strength, -chose to indulge his practical joke. - -As Bobby grew older he lost his simple vegetarian tastes, despised -porridge, and began to pick up a dishonest living about the fowl-house. -He would fly to meet us in the morning, and perch on our shoulders with -an impudent assumption of innocence; quite unconscious that the yellow -stickiness of his bill told us he had just been breakfasting off -several eggs. Then he took to eating the little chickens; and here his -talent for mimicking the fowls stood him in good stead, and no doubt -gained him many a dinner; his exact imitation of the hen's call to her -young ones attracting victims within his reach. Many battles were -fought by the maternal hens in defence of their progeny; in which Bobby -always got the best of it, going off triumphantly with his prize, to -regale in safety on the roof, or at the top of the windmill. Our poor -little broods of chickens, which had enemies enough before in the shape -of hawks, wild cats, snakes, etc., diminished rapidly with this traitor -in the camp, whose capacious appetite was equal to consuming as many as -four a day, with eggs _ad libitum_. - -For this, and for his offences in the garden, Bobby was at last -sentenced to be tied up: a little bangle of twisted wire was fastened -round one leg, and attached to a long piece of stout wire outside our -window; and there, so long as there were little chickens about the -house, or tender young vegetables in the garden, he had to remain. We -felt much compunction at treating our old friend thus, and feared that -with his keen appreciation of freedom, and love of independence, he -would pine in captivity; but Bobby did nothing of the kind. He was a -far greater philosopher than we thought, and resigned himself at once -to circumstances; making the best of things in a manner which some of -the human race might well imitate. He harboured no resentment against -us for depriving him of freedom; but, with his sweet temper quite -unimpaired by his reverse of fortune, would give us just as warm and -joyful a welcome, and caress us as lovingly, as in brighter days. He -did not sit idle on the perch to which we had condemned him; but, his -love of mischief breaking out in quite a new direction, he immediately -consoled himself by commencing destructive operations on the window in -which he sat, and on as much of the outside of the house as came within -reach of his tether. He broke away the plaster from the wall, knocked -out the mortar from between the bricks, and carefully picked all the -putty out of the window, the panes of which he loosened so that they -were always threatening to fall out; and in a very short time our room, -which was in reality the newest part of the house, looked like an old -ruin, with crumbling wall and dilapidated window. - -He had a variety of resources at his command; and when not engaged in -the destruction of the house, he would often be found busy on another -work he had in hand, that of trying to free himself from his bonds. No -human prisoner, filing through the iron bars of his dungeon, ever -worked more perseveringly for his freedom than did Bobby,--biting -through strand after strand of his cord of steel wires, or slowly, but -surely, unfastening the twisted bangle on his leg; until at last some -day he would be missing from his place--devastation in the garden, -empty eggshells in the hens' nests, and sad gaps among the rising -generation of fowls showing the good use he had made of his -opportunities. No small amount of stratagem was required to recapture -him when loose; and much time and trouble had to be expended, and -tempting dainties displayed, to entice him within reach--a fat mouse, -if there happened to be one in the trap, being the most effective bait. - -Bobby would have been invaluable to an exhibitor of performing animals; -his intelligence in learning the few tricks we had the leisure to teach -him showed that he would have been capable of distinguishing himself if -he had been educated as a member of a "happy family." We often brought -him in to show his tricks before visitors; and his solemn way of -performing them added much to the amusement he caused. He was a true -humourist, and knew that his joke was more telling when made with -serious face and grave deportment. - -He would lie "dead," flat on his back, with his blue eyelids drawn up -over his eyes; remaining motionless for any length of time we chose, -and waiting for the word of command, when he would scramble to his feet -in a great hurry, with a self-satisfied croak at his own cleverness. He -would hang by his bill from one of our fingers, which he had swallowed -to its point of junction with the hand; and, with his wings drooping, -and his legs hanging straight down in a limp and helpless manner, -looking altogether a most strange and grotesque object, would allow us -to carry him about wherever we liked. A little string of dark red -beads, brought from Jerusalem, would always throw him into a perfect -frenzy of real or pretended fright--probably the latter; and if they -were put anywhere near him, or, worse still, flung across his back, he -at once commenced a series of startling antics, jumping and hopping -about as if possessed, and uttering very uncanny sounds. - -As the time for our return to England drew near, we made up our minds -that we could not leave Bobby behind--he must be one of the little -party of friendly animals which were to accompany us home; and we were -already discussing in what kind of cage or box he should travel, -wondering how he would like being enclosed in so small a space, and how -he would behave at sea: friends in England had promised him a welcome, -and were looking forward to seeing him--when, after all, we had to part -with him. Just three weeks before we sailed poor old Bobby was suddenly -paralyzed, and died in a few hours. We never knew what caused his -death: whether his unconquerable curiosity had led him to eat something -poisonous; whether the enforced sedentary life he had led for so many -weeks together had undermined his constitution; or whether occasional -dead snakes, and the contents of the mouse-traps, which during his -detention were always contributed in hope of partially satisfying his -large appetite, were perhaps unwholesome diet, and shortened his days, -we cannot tell. But Bobby was sadly missed; and we still regret that -brightest and most comical of all our pets. - -Some will perhaps say, "What foolish people these must have been, to -tolerate a black imp of mischief who destroyed their vegetables, ate -their eggs, killed their chickens, did his best to pull down their -house, and whose neck ought to have been wrung!" But, just as among the -human race those characters we love best are not always the most -faultless, so poor Bobby, full of imperfections as he was--far from -honest, not always sober, and with that terrible bent for mischief -making him so often a nuisance--yet possessed so many lovable qualities -that his failings were redeemed; and he lives in our recollection as -one of the kindest and most faithful of all our South African friends. -We could have better spared a better bird. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -OUR SERVANTS. - -A retrospective vision--Phillis in her domain--Her destructiveness-- -Her ideas on personal adornment--The woes of a mistress--Eye-service ---Abrupt departure of Phillis--Left in the lurch--Nancy and her -successors--Cure of sham sickness--The thief's dose--Our ostrich-herd ---A bride purchased with cows--English and natives at the Cape-- -Character of Zulus and Kaffirs. - - "Man's work is from sun to sun, - But woman's work is never done." - - -It is always amusing, for those who have tried housekeeping in South -Africa, to hear people in England talk of their "bad" servants. -Ladies--who, after the short quarter of an hour devoted to interviewing -the cook and giving the day's orders, need trouble themselves no more -throughout the twenty-four hours as to the carrying out of those -orders, but are free to pursue their own occupations, uninterrupted by -a constant need of superintending those of their domestics,--sit in -their beautifully-kept drawing-rooms or at their well-appointed -dining-tables,--whose spotless linen and bright glass and silver are -so delicious a novelty to eyes long accustomed to the Karroo's -rough-and-ready backwoods style,--and, much to your surprise, complain -bitterly of the unsatisfactory parlour-maid, or are pathetic over the -iniquities of the cook who has just sent up a faultless little dinner. -When any one, thus blissfully unconscious of what a really bad servant -is, appeals to the lady colonist for sympathy, the unfeeling reply -of the latter not unfrequently is: "You should try South African -servants!" And instantly, before the mind's eye of that lady colonist, -there arises a retrospective vision of the average "coloured help" of -Cape farms; that yellow Hottentot or dark-skinned Kaffir, attired in a -scanty and ragged cotton dress; her woolly head surmounted by a -battered and not always over-clean _kappje_ (sun-bonnet), or tied up in -a red and yellow handkerchief of the loudest pattern, twisted into an -ugly little tight turban. She stands, in the bright morning sunshine, -against a background of dirty dishes and uncleaned saucepans, left -neglected since last evening's meal; and of the comfort and advantage -to herself of cleaning which before the adhering remnants of contents -have dried and hardened it is absolutely impossible to convince her. -Dogs, fowls, turkeys, and little pigs, in company with all the pet -animals of the family and an occasional young ostrich, are kindly -acting the part of scavengers on her unswept kitchen floor; where they -are _habitues_, her wastefulness and untidiness affording them so good -a living that they have grown bold, and, refusing to get out of your -way, get under your feet and trip you up at every turn if you are rash -enough to enter the dirty domain of their protectress. The latter, like -some malevolent goddess, is surrounded by an atmosphere of most -evil-smelling fumes, prominent among which is the paraffin with which, -to save herself trouble, she liberally feeds the fire every time it -becomes low; while the dense smoke and steam arising from several pots -and saucepans on the stove proclaim the contents to be in various -stages of burning,--the climax being reached by what was once the soup, -but of which nothing now remains but a few dried and charred fragments -of bone, tightly adhering to an utterly ruined pot--new last week. In -answer to all expostulation the doer of the mischief has no word of -regret or apology, but, taking the occurrence as a matter of course, -shows all her even white teeth in a bright, good-tempered smile, as she -says, "Yes, missis, de soup is burnt." - -Then still more horrible whiffs assail you, viz., the combined odours -of the various articles of food which she has put away, carefully -covered up in jars and tins, where she has forgotten them; and where, -in the close atmosphere of her stuffy kitchen, with the thermometer at -100 deg., they have promptly gone bad. She has no "nose"; and, though her -kitchen may be pervaded with odours which knock you down, she remains -smiling and contented, and needs to be informed of the fact that there -is a bad smell before she will set to work--with great surprise--to -hunt out the cause of it; too often revealing sights which make you -shudder. - -If it is anywhere near a meal-time, her fire is sure to be very low, if -not out altogether; she has, of course, forgotten to tell the men, -before starting for the camps in the morning, to chop wood for her -day's needs; and as they, like all the coloured race, never perform the -most every-day duty unless specially reminded, she has to do this work -herself, with much difficulty and dawdling; the luncheon or dinner -being accordingly delayed indefinitely. If, on the contrary, it is -between meals, and no cooking will be required for several hours, there -is a roaring fire, over the hottest part of which the chances are ten -to one that you will find the empty kettle; while you are fortunate -indeed if in your immediate and anxious investigation of the boiler you -are yet in time to avert irretrievable damage. - -Any dirty water or refuse which is thrown away at all is flung just -outside the kitchen door, where it lies in unsightly heaps and pools, -attracting myriads of flies; a plentiful sprinkling of which, needless -to state, find their way, in a drowned, boiled, baked, roast or fried -condition, into every article of food sent to table. Occasionally a -teaspoon is tossed out among the rubbish, and lies glittering in the -sunshine, ready to tempt the first ostrich that happens to prowl past -the door. A very frequent counting of plate is necessary; and indeed, -with such careless and not always honest servants, it is best to have -no silver in daily use. - -Breakages are ruinously numerous; each rough-handed Phillis in -succession having her own private hiding-place, generally in the middle -of some large bush, where--in spite of the standing promise that any -accident honestly confessed will receive instant pardon--the fragments -of all the glass, earthenware, and china destroyed through her -carelessness are quietly put away out of sight, and, as she hopes, out -of mind. Then perhaps, one day, having a little time to spare, you are -looking about among the bushes to find out where the white turkey lays, -and suddenly see, gleaming out through the dark foliage, what you at -first take for a goodly number of the expected eggs. But alas! on -closer investigation you recognize the familiar patterns of your pretty -breakfast and dinner services; chosen carefully in England, with bright -anticipations of the colonial home for which they were destined. For a -long time their number has been mysteriously but steadily decreasing; -till now there are but two soup-plates left, the cracked and chipped -vegetable-dishes cannot among them boast of one handle, and the tureen, -being without a lid, has to be covered ignominiously with a plate. -Egg-cups there are none, and their places have long been supplied--not -altogether unsuccessfully--by napkin-rings. - -Constant relays of cups and saucers, as well as of glasses, are needed -from Port Elizabeth; a dozen of either lasting but a very short time in -the coloured girl's destructive hands. Opportunities of getting things -sent up to the farm do not present themselves every week; and to be -provided, at one and the same time, with a sufficient supply of both -glass and china is as unheard-of a state of affluence as was the -possession, by poor Mr. Wilfer, of a hat and a complete suit of clothes -all new together. An influx of unexpected visitors is sure to arrive at -the time of greatest deficiency; and the wine at dinner often has to be -poured into a motley collection of drinking-vessels, among which -breakfast and tea-cups, in a sadly saucerless and handleless condition, -largely predominate over glasses. Another time it is the china which is -conspicuous by its absence; a large party of strangers who have -out-spanned at the dam are asked in to rest for an hour or two on their -journey, and the hostess finds herself obliged to hand the afternoon -tea to her guests in tumblers. - -The linen fares no better at the hands of Phillis than does the china. -The best table-cloths and most delicate articles of clothing are -invariably hung to dry, either on ungalvanized wires which streak them -with iron-mould, or on the thorniest bushes available, from whose cruel -hooks, pointing in all directions, it is impossible to free them -without many a rent. You spend much time and trouble over the work of -extricating them, remonstrate with Phillis for the hundredth time on -her rough treatment of them, and soon after, passing again, find that, -all having been spread out on the stony ground near the dam, right in -the path of the ostriches coming up from the water, numerous muddy -impressions of large, two-toed feet crossing and recrossing the linen -necessitate the whole wash being done over again. Although a -clothes-line and pegs are provided, they are contemptuously ignored, -and--the latter especially--never used except under the closest -supervision; thus handkerchiefs, socks, and all the lighter articles of -wearing-apparel are allowed to go flying away across the veldt; where, -on long rides, you occasionally recognize fragments of them flapping -about dismally on the bushes. - -A strict watch has to be kept on the table-napkins, or they are sure to -be carried to the kitchen and pressed into the dirtiest of service as -dish-cloths, lamp-cleaners, etc. However many kitchen-cloths and -dusters may have been given out, you never find one which is fit to -touch; nor, until experience has taught you to keep the paraffin and -its attendant rags under lock and key, and yourself to superintend the -cleaning and filling of the lamps, is there one cloth which does not -communicate the smell and flavour of the oil to every plate, cup, and -glass brought to table. Every cloth is saturated with grease, all have -large holes burnt in them, and a good many have been deliberately torn -into quarters, or into whatever smaller sizes Phillis may have judged -convenient for her ends. She has spared only those which, with their -broad pink-and-white borders--with "Teacloth" in large letters, and a -little teapot in each corner--have pleased her eye, and struck her as -suitable adornments for her person; and which accordingly you often -find twisted round the woolly head in place of the red and yellow -turban, or gracefully draped on neck and shoulders as a _fichu_. - -Like other daughters of Eve, she possesses her due amount of vanity, -and has her own ideas--though they are sometimes strange ones--on the -subject of improving her personal appearance. If she is of a careful -turn of mind, and mends her own dresses--though most frequently she -wears them torn and buttonless, fastened together only by the numerous -black or white safety-pins which she has abstracted--she scorns to -patch with the same colour, or anything near it, but introduces as much -variety as possible into the garment by choosing the strongest -contrasts of hue and greatest diversity of materials. Thus her pink or -yellow cotton dress will be patched with a piece of scarlet flannel or -bright blue woollen stuff; the blue skirt, of which the latter is a -portion, having been tastefully repaired with a large square of Turkey -red. - -One day a bottle of salad oil is dropped and broken on the sitting-room -floor; and Phillis is called in to remove the traces of the accident. -Why does she look so delighted as she goes down on her knees beside the -unctuous pool? and why does she not proceed to wipe it up? The reason -is soon seen when she prepares for action by whisking off her bright -handkerchief-turban. Then the pallid palms of her monkey-like hands are -plunged blissfully into the oily mess, and again and again vigorously -rubbed over head and countenance, till the thick mass of wool is -saturated and dripping like a wet sponge, and the laughing face shines -like a mirror. She is far too much absorbed to notice the amusement her -performance is giving to hosts and guests; and when all the late -contents of the bottle have been successfully transferred to her -person, she goes back in high glee to her kitchen, rejoicing in her -increased loveliness. - -The house work is no less of a failure than are the kitchen and laundry -departments. The art of bed-making has to be taught, with much patience -and perseverance, to each successive untutored savage; who--if she has -not come straight from some bee-hive-shaped hut where beds are totally -unknown--has lived in a Boer's house where, when it is thought worth -while to make the beds at all (by no means an every-day business) it is -never done till the evening, when it is just time to return to -them--and then is not done in a manner which at all accords with -English ideas. In the morning, each portion of the room and each -article of furniture which requires cleaning or dusting must be -separately and individually pointed out to your handmaiden; the corner -where you do not specially tell her to sweep, and the table or -bookshelf which you forget to commend to the attentions of her -feather-brush, being invariably left untouched. It is the same with all -the rest of her work; you have long ago found it impossible to make her -understand a thing once for all, or to establish any sort of regular -routine. She needs to be daily reminded of each daily duty, or it is -not done. And then, unless under constant supervision, most wearying to -her mistress, it is sure to be done wrong. Of course she never thinks -of reminding you of anything, but is only too delighted if you have -forgotten it. If, through some unlucky oversight, _you_ have not told -her to put the joint into the oven and the potatoes on the fire, the -chances are that both will be found uncooked when the dinner-hour -arrives. And even when all is ready to be served up, you must again -remind her of each dish, and of the proper order in which it is to make -its entrance, or it is quite certain to be brought in at the wrong -stage of the repast--if brought at all. But perhaps you have become -absorbed in the conversation at table, and so are unobservant of the -non-appearance of the greens or other vegetables, till next morning you -find them, still in the saucepan, and in a cold and sodden condition. - -Thus every detail of each day's "trivial round" has to pass through the -mind of the mistress, who is compelled to neglect her work in looking -after that of a servant who will not use her own head. One goes to bed -at night footsore with running after this terrible servant; and with a -head still more wearied by the constant strain of doing all the -thinking for every department of the housekeeping. Of course it amounts -to much the same as doing the work yourself; and but for "the honour of -the thing"--like the Irishman strutting along proudly inside the -bottomless sedan-chair, though complaining that he "might as well have -walked"--you might as well be without a servant. With South African -domestics one realizes indeed the meaning of the word "eye-service"; -for not one of them, even the best, knows what it is to be -conscientious. They never do a thing right because it _is_ right; -whatever they think will not be seen is neglected; and they are -placidly indifferent as to whether their work is done well or badly, -and whether you are pleased or not. One gets so tired of the apathetic -yellow or black faces; which never brighten but into a childish laugh, -generally at something which is the reverse of a laughing matter for -the employer. - -Altogether, Phillis is in every way exasperating, and is the great -drawback to life on Cape farms. But she is the only kind of servant -available; and if you lose patience with her and let her go, you may -have to do the whole work of the house yourself, possibly for a week or -more, till another, closely resembling her, or perhaps worse, can be -found. Therefore, you put up with much, rather than make a change which -would involve the training of a raw recruit all unused to English ways, -to cleanliness, and to comfort; and indeed hardly acquainted with the -rudiments of civilization. - -But, unluckily, Phillis herself loves change; it is irksome to her -volatile nature to remain long in one place; and accordingly, just as -she is becoming used to your ways, and you flatter yourself that you -will eventually get her into some sort of training, she flits off, -regardless of the inconvenience she may cause. She never tells you in a -straightforward manner that she wishes to leave; never gives you time -to look out for a substitute; but departs unexpectedly, and always in -one of two ways. Most commonly she rises in sudden insubordination, -gets up a row of the first magnitude on some trifling pretence, and -behaves in so turbulent and uproarious a manner that you are thankful -to be rid of her at any cost, and dismiss her then and there; which is -just what she wanted. - -Or, if she is one of the more peaceful and amiable sort, and has some -kindly feeling for the "missis," she leaves the latter in the lurch in -a less offensive, though even more heartless manner. She does not _ask_ -for a holiday, but announces her intention of taking one; faithfully -promises to return at the end of four days, and departs, riding astride -on a lean and ragged scarecrow of a horse, brought for her by a party -of Hottentot friends. It is true she leaves no possessions behind to -ensure her coming back; for she never has any luggage, and her -wardrobe, being of the scantiest, is all well contained in the -handkerchief-bundle which jogs at her side as she trots off. But new -chums, fresh from England, and innocent of the ways of the Karroo, are -always taken in the first time the trick is played on them; and as the -queer-looking cavalcade departs, bearing in its midst the giggling -Phillis, no disquieting suspicions cross the mistress's mind. She -determines to make the best of it for those four days, and goes bravely -to work; either single-handed, or with the so-called help of a small -Hottentot girl, who comes just when she chooses--sometimes remaining -away a whole day, sometimes arriving in the afternoon when most of the -work is done--and who lives so far off that going after her would be -useless waste of time. The hours are counted to the time appointed for -Phillis's return, but--needless to state--she is never again seen or -heard of; and the victim of her fraud learns by experience that as soon -as a servant talks of a holiday it is time to begin the weary search -for a successor; never found without plenty of riding about the -country, much inquiring on neighbouring and distant farms, and many -disappointments. - -It is not much use taking English servants to the Karroo; the life is -too dull for them, they hear of high wages to be had in Port Elizabeth -and other towns, and you never keep them long. The man and wife, both -excellent servants, who came with us from England, left us soon after -we came up-country; and from that time we had none but coloured -servants for house and farm. There was indeed a sudden transformation -in our little kitchen; from the quiet, neatly-dressed, white-aproned -Mrs. Wells to noisy Hottentot Nancy, in dirtiest of pink cotton, -profusely patched with blue and yellow. And the kitchen itself was no -less changed than its presiding genius. Now began a time of good hard -work for me--for which the usual bringing-up of English girls, followed -by years of travel and of hotel life, was not the best of training; -and, though I had learned much from Mrs. Wells, I was often sadly at a -loss during the first weeks after her departure. No dish, however -simple, which I myself was not able to cook, could be cooked by Nancy -or any of her successors; all were obliged to see it done at least once -before they would attempt it. At this time cookery-books were almost my -only literature; and many times a day I sought counsel in a bulky -volume wherein recipes and prescriptions, law and natural history, -etiquette and the poultry-yard, formed a somewhat startling jumble; and -whose index presented, in immediate juxtaposition, such incongruous -subjects as liver, lobster, lumbago--marmalade, mayonnaise, measles, -meat--shrimps, Shropshire pudding, sick-room, sirloin, sitting-hens, -etc. As many despairing sighs as ever fluttered the inky pages of a -school lesson-book were breathed over this stout volume. T----, who, -after living for years in rougher places than the Karroo, has acquired -considerable experience and is a capital cook, helped me out of many a -difficulty; and in time I learned to be a tolerably good general -servant--which you must be yourself, if you are ever to do any good -with Kaffirs or Hottentots. But it was a pity that, when young, instead -of many of the things learned at school, I did not acquire what would -at this time have made me more independent of servants. - -Why is not a knowledge of cooking and housekeeping made a part of every -English girl's education? Then, in the event of a colonial life being -one day her lot, she is to some extent prepared to encounter the -difficulties of that life; while, even if she should marry a -millionaire, and be waited on hand and foot for the rest of her days, -she is none the worse for possessing the knowledge of how things ought -to be done in her house--indeed, every woman who orders a dinner should -know something of how it is to be cooked. - -Nancy, our first native servant, was also the best we ever had; always -bright and good-tempered, and singing over her work in a really -charming voice. On the whole she was far more intelligent than most of -her race; and we were really sorry when the equestrian family party -carried her from our sight, never to return. Then came a succession of -"cautions," each worse than her predecessor; and between them all we -did indeed, as Mark Twain has it, "know something about woe." - -Nancy's immediate successor was in every respect her opposite; idle, -impudent, surly, and dishonest; eating as much as two men, but doing no -work that was worth anything. She kept yawning all day with loud howls -that were most depressing to hear; and when I went into the kitchen I -was pretty sure to find her fast asleep, with head and arms on the -table. - -Our next specimen was a nearly white half-caste, with light-coloured -wool, and pale-grey, dead-looking eyes; who always reminded us of one -of the horrible, sickly-looking white lizards, so common in Karroo -houses. She was half-witted, and most uncanny-looking; with such a -ghastly, cold, unsympathetic manner and stony stare that we named her -Medusa. We could have picked out many a better servant from the -Earlswood Asylum. I was continually trying to think of all the idiotic -things she might possibly do, and thus guard against them beforehand; -yet she always took me by surprise by doing something ten times more -stupid than anything I had dreamed of. - -Then came a tall, gaunt old Mozambique negress; in appearance -unpleasantly like an ancient Egyptian mummy, and with clothing which -looked as though it had been "resurrected" at the same time as herself -from a repose of some three thousand years. Only a dirty old black -pipe, seldom absent from her lips, savoured, not of the necropolis of -Thebes or of Memphis, but of the very vilest Boer tobacco. Besides -being an inveterate old thief, she was the exact opposite of a total -abstainer; and the frequent "drop too much" in which she indulged was -always the occasion for a display of choice language and a reckless -destruction of crockery. - -But these are enough; suffice it to say that the same types of -character ran through a long line of successors, and that, taking them -all round, I had about the same amount of trouble with all of them. - -T----'s men required almost as much looking after as my women; and, in -order to get his herds off to work in good time, it was generally -necessary for him to go down himself at sunrise to their little huts, -not far from the house, and wake them up. As a rule they were not fond -of work; and many were the excuses they would invent in order to avoid -it as much as possible. Being "sick" was of course a favourite plea; -and, whatever the nature of the complaint from which they professed -themselves to be suffering, they were always convinced that a _suppje_ -(drink) of prickly pear brandy or of "Cape smoke"[5] would be just the -thing to set them right. At one time quite an epidemic of sham sickness -broke out; but, as we soon saw through the trick, and knew that our -would-be patients were perfectly well, we did not indulge them with -their favourite remedy, but determined to make an example. We -accordingly treated a very palpable case of shamming with a medicine of -our own concoction. We mixed a good saucerful of Gregory's powder and -castor oil into the thickest of paste; and prolonged the agony by -making the man eat the stuff with a teaspoon, while we stood sternly on -guard, to see that there was no evasion. And then we promised a second -dose in the event of the first failing to effect a cure. No need to say -that the victim hastened to report himself quite well, and that as long -as he remained on the farm he was never "sick" again. The fame of the -terrible medicine spread, and we did not hear of much more illness -among our men. - - [5] Boer brandy. - -This dose was mild, however, in comparison with one of which I have -heard, which was prepared by some gentlemen of our acquaintance. They -were living in a tent on the Diamond Fields; and for some time had -noticed a very rapid diminution of their supply of brandy. Not knowing -which of their native servants was the culprit, they resolved to set a -trap; and, putting a little croton oil into the brandy-bottle, left the -latter in a temptingly prominent position. The next morning one of the -servants, a big, stout fellow, was missing; and for ten days nothing -was seen or heard of him. When, at the end of that time, he reappeared, -he was transformed into such a poor, limp, wasted living skeleton that -he could hardly be recognised. He went back to his work without a word; -and never again did the brandy-bottle's attractions lure him from the -path of honesty. - -The best and most hard-working of all our men was a sturdy Zulu, who, -both in face and figure, exactly resembled that life-like wooden -statue--one of the oldest in the world--which, in the Museum at Cairo, -gives us so accurate a portrait of an ancient Egyptian. In looking at -it you feel that you can read the character of this man who lived three -or four thousand years ago; and know that, although one of the -best-tempered of souls, he was as obstinate as Pharaoh himself. Nor -were these qualities lacking in his modern fac-simile, the -ostrich-herd; whose broad countenance, as he strode after his -long-legged charges, bearing, in place of the Egyptian's staff of -office, a stout tackey, wore the identical expression which that artist -of long ago has caught so well. The good fellow showed a laudable -tenacity of purpose in the steady perseverance with which he was -putting by all he could save of his wages, and investing the money in -cows. With these latter it was his intention to purchase a wife, as -soon as a sufficient number could be collected to satisfy the demands -of the prospective father-in-law. - -A marriage after this fashion, although not quite in accordance with -English ideas, has certainly the advantage of inducing good habits in -the intending Benedick. In the first place, he learns to economize -instead of spending his money on drink. He will, of course, take as -many _suppjes_ as you like to offer him; but you will never find him -going off on the spree for two or three days, and coming back -considerably the worse for his outing, as those of his brethren who -have not his motive for thrift are too fond of doing. He is altogether -a better servant than they, being less independent and more anxious to -please. Often, too, he learns to exercise much patience; for, if the -girl is pretty, or the father--who always has a keen eye to -business--observes that the swain is very devoted, a high price is -fixed; and the bridegroom-elect has to work for years, like Jacob for -Rachel, till he has accumulated the required number of cows. - -Daughters, being such a profitable source of capital, are of course -much valued by the parents; to whom, besides, in that sunniest of -climates, a large family brings none of the cares and anxieties which -it entails on the English labouring-man. The more children a Zulu has, -the better he is pleased; the birth of a girl especially being welcomed -as gladly as is that of a son among the Jews, and indeed among -Orientals generally. - -English people settling in the Cape Colony usually start with a strong -prejudice in favour of the coloured race. They think them ill-treated, -bestow on them a good deal of unmerited sympathy, and credit them with -many good qualities which they do not possess. By the time they have -been a year or two in the country a reaction has set in; they have -discovered that the negro is a fraud; they hate him, and cannot find -anything bad enough to say of him. Then a still longer experience -teaches them that the members of this childish race are, after all, not -so bad, but that they require keeping in their places--treating in fact -as you would treat children twelve years old. In intelligence, indeed, -they never seem to advance much beyond that age. You must, of course, -be just with them; but always keep them at a distance. Above all, never -let either men or women servants know that you are pleased with them, -or they will invariably presume. - -It seems a hard thing to say, but it does not do to be too patient and -indulgent; excessive leniency only spoils them, just as it does the -Hindoo servants. One of our relatives, a kind and gentle chaplain in -India, finding that he was worse waited on than any of his neighbours, -and asking his head servant one day why the latter and all his -subordinates worked so badly, paid so little attention to orders, etc., -received the following candid answer from the man: "Why not _sahib_ -give plenty stick, and _mem-sahib_ call plenty pig? Then we good -servants." - -A Boer gets much more work out of the natives than an Englishman. The -latter is at one time too severe, and at another too lenient; but the -Boer's treatment is uniformly just and firm. Perhaps the expression, -"like a Dutch uncle," may have originated in the Cape Colony. - -The Zulus and Kaffirs are by nature fine, generous characters, -comparatively free from dishonesty and untruthfulness; though -unfortunately they too soon acquire both these vices, as well as -numerous others, when they come in contact with civilization, which in -their case certainly seems, as Bret Harte has it, "a failure." On the -Diamond Fields the best servants are invariably those who are taken -fresh from their kraals; even the fact of their knowing a few words of -English being found a disadvantage. - -A Zulu is always somewhat of a gentleman, and possesses a certain code -of honour, although to us it seems rather a queer one. For instance, -though he will on no account rob his own master, he will not hesitate -to steal a sheep from a neighbouring farm, if he should happen to feel -inclined for a "big feed"; on which occasion the amount of meat he is -able to consume at one sitting is positively alarming. He evidently -looks upon the sheep much as Queen Elizabeth is said to have regarded -the goose, viz., as a creature of most inconvenient size, "too much for -one, but not enough for two." When periodical rations of meat are -served out to him he always eats up the whole of his allowance on the -first evening, apparently oblivious of the fact that he will have to go -without for the rest of the week. And then he subsists, contentedly -enough, on mealies, till the joyful time comes for his next good square -meal of goat or mutton. He is the happiest and best-tempered of souls, -never bearing any animosity, and always ready to forgive; and although -he seems incapable of any real attachment to his employers, and is most -strangely destitute of all sense of gratitude, one cannot help liking -him. Altogether the Zulus are quite the aristocracy of the negro race; -and, even at their worst, contrast very favourably with the Hottentots -and Bushmen, whose character has hardly a redeeming point, and seems -made up of all the lowest and most ignoble qualities. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -HOW WE FARED. - -Angora goats--Difficulty of keeping meat--The plague of flies ---Rations--Our store--Barter--Fowls--Chasing a dinner--Fowls -difficult to rear--Secretary birds as guardians of the -poultry-yard--Jacob in the Karroo--He comes down in the world ---He dies--Antelopes--A springbok hunt--The Queen's birthday -in the Karroo--Colonial dances--Our klipspringer--Superstition -about hares--Game birds--_Paauw_--_Knorhaan_--Namaqua partridges ---Porcupines--A short-lived pet--Indian corn--Stamped mealies-- -Whole-meal bread--Plant used for making bread rise--Substitutes -for butter--_Priembesjes_--A useful tree--Wild honey--The honey -bird--Enemies of bees--Moth in bees' nests--Good coffee--Sour milk. - - -"How did you live?" is a question we have very often been asked by -friends, who, evidently thinking that our fare on that far-away South -African farm must necessarily have been of the roughest, and that from -a gastronomic point of view we were deeply to be pitied, have been -quite surprised to hear that on the whole we lived very well. - -To be sure there were drawbacks. In the first place, however simply you -may live in the Cape Colony, you cannot possibly live cheaply; for -import duties are ruinously heavy, and almost everything, with the -exception of meat, has to be imported. Wheat, for instance, has to be -brought from Australia; the poor, dry South African colony being quite -unable to produce anything like a sufficient supply for its needs. -Then, too, green vegetables are very far from being an everyday item in -the _menu_; and as for fresh fish, it is a still rarer luxury, indeed -throughout all the long, hot summer it is absolutely unobtainable on -the farms, and one almost forgets what it is like. Eggs and butter, -too, have their long periods, first of excessive and increasing -scarcity, and then of entire absence from kitchen and table. - -But in the colonies people soon learn to accommodate themselves to -circumstances, and contentedly to do without many of the things which -in England seemed such necessary adjuncts to daily life. They even -become accustomed to a very sad lack of variety in the matter of meat. -From one year's end to another merino mutton and Angora goat are almost -unchangingly the order of the day; the bill of fare being varied by -beef only on those rare occasions, during the very coldest weather, -when one of the farmers--having ascertained beforehand that a -sufficient number of neighbours are willing to share the meat--is -enterprising enough to slaughter an ox. But the difficulties of keeping -meat are such that sheep and goats are generally found to be quite -large enough; indeed, in the hot weather, they are very much too -large, and one is continually wishing that a diminutive race of -mutton-producing quadrupeds--say of the size of Skye terriers--were in -existence for the benefit of housekeepers in sultry climates. -Fortunately you do not get so tired of perpetual mutton as might be -expected, and it does not pall on the taste as beef or fowl would do -under the same circumstances. As we had only a few sheep, but possessed -a flock of several hundred Angoras, our standing dish was, of course, -goat. Let not the traveller pity us who on his journeyings--in Southern -Europe for instance--has had the misfortune to partake of the tough, -stringy, and strongly-flavoured goat's flesh too often iniquitously -substituted for mutton by unprincipled hotel-keepers. As different as -black from white is that unholy viand from our delicious Angora meat; -equal, if not superior, to the best mutton. - -The goats are beautiful creatures, with a profusion of long, wavy hair, -which is as soft and glossy as the finest silk, and which, in the -thoroughbred animals, is of the purest white, and nearly touches the -ground. In the evening it is a pretty sight to watch the goats coming -down from the mountains, on whose steep and rocky sides they have -browsed all day; and where, as they descend, they form a long line of -snowy white against the red and green background of the aloes and -_spekboom_. It is pleasant, too, to go out to the kraals when the -little kids, which all arrive at about the same time, are only a few -days old. These goats are prolific creatures, many of them having two, -or even three young ones at once. The crowded enclosure is all alive -with the merry, noisy little fellows, jumping and scampering about in -all directions; and within a few days the number of the flock seems to -have almost doubled. - -Angora goats are now more profitable than ostriches; although the hair, -like feathers, has sadly decreased in value, the price having fallen -from 4s. 6d. to 9d. per lb. It seems strange that Angora hair should -remain at such a low price; for a costly plush is now made from it, -besides very beautiful rugs, many of them perfect imitations of -leopard, tiger, and seal-skin--the latter hardly less expensive than -real seal. - -The morning on which a goat or sheep is killed--especially during very -hot weather--ushers in a time of care and anxiety for the frugal -housewife. From the moment when the animal expires under the black -herd's hands, until the last joint has been brought to table, that meat -is an incubus which sits heavy on her soul all day, and occasionally -even haunts her dreams at night. She has to wage persistent war against -adverse agencies, always in readiness to work its destruction, and, -with all her vigilance, too often successfully robbing her of a good -portion of it. - -First and foremost of all enemies are the flies in the field. As soon -as the dead goat or sheep is hung up out of doors, in as cool and shady -a place as can be found--though this is by no means saying much--it -must instantly be enclosed in a capacious, tightly-tied and -carefully-mended bag of mosquito-net, large enough to cover the whole -animal. For all around, buzzing excitedly, and eagerly looking out for -an opening, however small, through which to squeeze in and do their -deadly work, are crowds of big, noisy, determined blue-bottles--though, -by the way, if I may be allowed so Irish an expression, in the Karroo -these abominations are all green, and--gorgeous as Brazilian -beetles--flash like great emeralds in the sunshine. - -Phillis, of course, cannot be trusted to go alone to that open-air -larder, for she will invariably leave the bag unfastened, even if by -her rough handling she does not tear a yawning rent in its side. In the -house too, she does her utmost to further the evil designs of the -flies, and, if she uses the meat-safe at all, makes a point of leaving -it wide open till a host of "green-bottles" has collected inside; when -she closes it, leaving them in blissful possession of their prize. - -And oh, the house-flies! Truly the plague of flies is in every Karroo -home; and, next to the servants, it is the greatest bane of farm life. -And what flies they are! Their brethren in other parts of the world, -though obnoxious enough, can almost by comparison be called -well-behaved. For, except when eatables are about, they do seem to have -some idea of keeping to themselves and minding their own business; -which latter usually consists in dancing--in the air, and always in the -very centre of the room--a kind of quadrille of many intricate figures, -the accurate performance of which, holding them completely engrossed, -keeps them, for a time at least, out of mischief. But the South African -fly has no such resources of his own to keep him amused; consequently -he devotes all his energy and the whole of his time to one object--that -of making life a burden to the unfortunate human beings on whom he has -chosen to quarter himself. Not content with spoiling your appetite at -meals by the exhibition of his repulsive little black body in every -dish that comes to table, every cup of tea or glass of wine that is -poured out--where, whether cooked to death, or yet alive and -struggling, it is an equally unwelcome and disgusting sight--he makes -it his business to see that throughout the whole day you do not, if he -can help it, get one instant's peace. No matter how large the room may -be, no place in it will suit him for a perch but just your nose, or the -hand which happens to be busily engaged in some operation requiring -extreme steadiness, to which a jerk would be fatal; and however many -times he is rebuffed, he comes back, with the most unerring and -fiendish precision, to exactly the self-same spot, till he has set up a -maddening irritation, not only of the skin, but still more of the -temper. For he possesses, in the very strongest degree, the quality -which led those most observant of naturalists, the ancient Egyptians, -to institute the military order of the Fly. A good general, they -argued, is like a fly; for, however often he may be repulsed, he always -returns persistently to the attack. So they invested the successful -leader of their armies with a gold chain, from which, at intervals, -hung several large flies of pure, beaten gold, about four inches broad -across the closed wings. And in the Cairo Museum a very beautiful chain -of this kind is to be seen. - -That South African fly was, indeed, the torment of our lives, until one -day we made a grand discovery. We found out that he could not stand -Keating's insect-powder. If only the smallest grain of it touched any -part of his person he was doomed; and in about five minutes would be -sprawling helplessly on his back, preparing to quit a world in which he -had been so great a nuisance. "Peppering the flies" became a regular -institution, the first business of each morning; and in all the rooms, -most especially in the kitchen--where the whole atmosphere seemed one -vast buzz--the foe would be driven, by the vigorous flapping of a -cloth, into the well-sprinkled windows where his fate awaited him. Soon -every fly would be dead; and as we gloated over the dustpans full of -slain we invoked benedictions on the name of Keating. - -By taking care to keep every door and window on the sunny side of the -house either closed or covered with fine net, we managed, thanks to -this delightful powder, to exist in peace, instead of being given over -to the flies like our neighbours; many of whom would calmly submit to -any nuisance rather than take a little trouble to get rid of it, and -would sit quite contentedly in the midst of a buzzing cloud, with flies -popping into their tea one after another, or struggling by dozens in -the butter-dish. We found that one of the small bellows made for -blowing tobacco-smoke into bee-hives became, when filled with Keating, -a very formidable engine of destruction; a couple of puffs, sending the -fine powder in all directions, would settle every fly in the room. In -fact no one, even in the most tropical of climates, need be troubled -with flies, if only this simple remedy is used. If I had but known of -its efficacy a few years before, when up the Nile on a _dahabieh_ -swarming with flies! And if, in that same Egypt, poor Menephtah had -only known of it three thousand years ago! Mr. Keating's fortune would -have been a colossal one if he had lived then. - -But to return to our Angora. As soon as the meat has been cut up it is -usually sprinkled very plentifully with salt, and wrapped up for a few -hours in the skin; after which the greater portion of it is put into -pickle. For in the hot weather only a very small quantity can be eaten -unsalted, as it becomes tainted almost at once. Even in strong brine, -and with the most careful rubbing and turning, the meat is sometimes -quite uneatable on the second day, especially if the weather happens to -be thundery. And thunder-storms, when they do come, almost invariably -select the time when an animal has just been killed. N.B.--The "pope's -eye" must always be carefully taken out as soon as the meat is cut up, -or the joint will immediately become tainted. - -Where the family is a small one it is a good plan, during the hot -weather, to include meat among the men's rations. The herds on the -farms receive weekly, as part of their pay, a certain quantity of meal, -coffee, sugar, salt, tobacco, etc.; and the store where all these -supplies are kept and weighed out on large and business-like scales, -looks--with its piles of sacks and packing-cases, its numerous shelves, -rows of bottles, tins of preserved meats and other provisions--not at -all unlike the general shop of an English village, with a little in the -chemist's and tobacconist's line as well. - -It is the work of the mistress of the house to give out the rations; -and her movements, while manipulating the scales, are watched in a very -criticizing and suspicious manner by the black recipients, who always -seem terribly afraid that she will give them short weight. In reality -she is anxiously and almost nervously careful that every pound she -gives them shall be a good one; and if she errs at all it is on their -side, never on her own. In the matter of tobacco her heart is -especially soft, and the spans she measures off those great coils of -dark-brown rope--which surely must be akin to "pigtail tobacco"--are -far longer than can be stretched by her hand, or indeed by any hand but -that of a giant. But in this, as in every other item of the rations, -she is most unjustly and ungratefully suspected of a systematic course -of cheating. Sometimes "April" or "August," struck with a sudden bright -idea, comes up to the table, and, with many monkey-like gestures, makes -a close investigation of the scales and weights; peeping beneath them -and looking at them from all sides, to see by what artful device they -have been made the means of tricking him. He fails to discover -anything; but retires shaking his woolly head dubiously, and as far off -as ever from believing in the honesty of his employers. - -Sometimes a little barter is carried on, in quite a primitive, -old-fashioned way, with Dutchmen travelling by in large waggons drawn -by sixteen or eighteen oxen, and often bringing with them very good -onions, oranges, _naatjes_ or mandarines, nuts, dried peaches and -figs--both of which latter are excellent for stewing,--and many other -things, which they are glad to exchange on the farms for coffee, sugar, -etc. This barter is quite the usual way of doing business in the -Karroo; and so many transactions are carried on without the aid of -money, that the latter is hardly required, and indeed is seldom seen on -the farms. If a man or woman servant comes to do an odd day's work, or -a passing workman breaks his journey by staying a couple of days and -making himself generally useful, payment is almost always made in meal, -coffee, or other articles of food, instead of in money. Copper coins, -being universally despised, are not in use; consequently the most -trifling service performed, however badly, by one of the coloured race, -must be rewarded with no smaller sum than threepence, or--to give it -its familiar colonial name--a "tickey." - -Fowls, of course, with their obligingly convenient size, are an -invaluable boon in the hot weather; and it is a delightful relief when, -with an empty larder and consequent light heart, free for a while from -the cares and anxieties of the meat, you prolong the respite, -and--putting off till to-morrow the slaying of the next four-legged -incubus--sacrifice in its stead the noisiest crower, or the most -inveterate of the kitchen's feathered intruders. To be sure, hurried, -as he is, straight from his last agonies, into the pot or the oven, you -cannot expect him to be very tender; but an attempt at hanging him is -too likely to result in the sudden discovery that he has hung a little -too long, and you have learnt by experience that it is best to eat him -at once. And a dessert-spoonful of vinegar, administered half an hour -before his execution, will always considerably mitigate his toughness. - -Karroo fowls, living a free and active life, are exceedingly agile on -their legs, and when their time comes for paying the debt of nature -they are by no means easy to catch. But Toto took this duty upon -himself, and very jealously asserted his right to perform it. All we -had to do was to point out to him the selected victim. Then, with the -true collie instinct, he would follow it up, never losing it or making -any mistake; and, though it might take refuge in the midst of some -twenty or thirty other fowls, Toto would pick it out from among the -crowd without an instant's hesitation. And when caught, it was never -pounced on roughly, but just quietly held down by the big, gentle paws, -from which it would be taken, perfectly unhurt. - -How I missed the aid of Toto one day when--he being far away in Kent, -and we living near Tangier--I was at my wits' end for a dinner, and -trying my hardest to catch a fowl! It was Ramadan--that terrible time -when everything goes wrong and everybody is cross--and no wonder; the -cruel fast, more strictly kept in orthodox Morocco than it is in most -Oriental lands, forbidding the votaries of Islam, from sunrise to -sunset, not only to touch food, but even to moisten their parched lips -with water--and this in hot weather too! No wonder the sunset gun, -instead of being to them the welcome signal for a feast, often finds -them so faint and exhausted that they are in no hurry to begin eating. -And no wonder, too, that Moorish servants--never very far behind those -of South Africa in stupidity--are at this time a greater trial of -patience than ever. One does not like to be hard on them, and the -minimum of work is given to them; but everything is done so badly that -their services might almost as well be dispensed with until the fast is -over. Altogether, during this time of woe, the tempers of employers and -employed are about equally tried. - -Mohammed, our genius, who at the best of times was sure to forget one -or more important items of the day's marketing, had on this occasion -omitted just everything that was necessary to make a dinner. The bread -was there, to be sure, so too were figs and dates; but, all having been -put loose into the donkey's panniers and well jolted along the roughest -of roads, the eatables had become so hopelessly mixed up with a large -dab of native soft soap, bought for the week's washing, that they were -only disentangled with difficulty, and the most careful cleansing -failed to make them fit for human food. An earthenware jar of honey had -been bought; but, being unprovided with a stopper, and left to roll -about in the pannier as it pleased, it had poured its contents as a -libation along the road, and, when complacently handed to me by -Mohammed, was perfectly empty. All the non-edible articles of the day's -orders had been carefully remembered, and stowed well away from the -soap; but of fish, flesh, or fowl there was no sign. The poor fasting -man could not be sent all the way back to Tangier to make good the -deficiencies; yet a dinner had to be found somehow for T---- and for a -gentleman guest, and with the aid of the servants I set to work to -catch one of our own fowls. - -But I little knew what I was attempting. Our garden, on the steep -slopes of Mount Washington, with its many terraces and walks, flights -of rough stone steps, and tangle of luxuriant vegetation, offered so -many points of vantage to the active birds, that at the end of half an -hour we were all exhausted with running, breathless and giddy with the -heat; while the fowls, on the contrary, fresher and livelier than ever, -seemed mocking all our efforts to catch them; and in despair I took -from its hiding-place a little weapon of defence, provided in view of -possible midnight visits from burglarious Moors. - -Grasping the revolver in one hand, and with the other treacherously -holding out a sieve of barley, I stalked one fowl after another in most -unsportsmanlike fashion; inviting the guileless creatures to feed, and -then firing at them, sometimes so close that it seemed as if the -intended victim must be blown to pieces. But no, there he was, when the -smoke cleared away, going off with a triumphant chuckle; wilder and -more wary with each unsuccessful shot. - -What was to be done? Time was passing; T---- would be coming home -hungry by dinner-time, ready for something better than a vegetarian -repast; and _some_ creature or other--I began to feel that I did not -very much care what--had not only to be caught and killed, but also -cooked. Reckless and desperate, I began firing indiscriminately, even -on my laying hens; but, gladly though I would have killed the best of -them, not one could I hit. At last all the hunted birds were in a state -of the wildest excitement; none were in sight, and an agonized chorus -of cackling resounded from all parts of the garden, as if the largest -and most venomous of snakes had been seen. Flinging down the revolver -in disgust, I meditated the crowning baseness of snatching the poor old -sitting hen from the eggs on which she had quietly sat throughout the -commotion, when--joyful sight--Mohammed, who had mysteriously vanished, -suddenly reappeared, triumphantly holding up by the neck a plucked -fowl. It was but a poor, scraggy, spidery-looking thing, all legs and -wings, and with an appearance of having kept Ramadan no less strictly -than the Moorish owners from whose hut the poor fellow--anxious to -retrieve his fault--had brought it. But it was something off which to -dine; and never was the fattest Christmas turkey more welcome than was -its timely appearance. - -The rearing of fowls in South Africa is attended with endless -difficulties and discouragements. Frequent epidemics of the fatal -disease known as "fowl-sickness" decimate the poultry-yard, which, at -the best of times, and with all care, can never be kept sufficiently -stocked to supply the needs of the hot weather. Every possible foe of -the gallinaceous tribe abounds in the Karroo; snakes invade the -hen-house, and the blackmail which they levy on the eggs always amounts -to what the Americans call "a large order;" birds of prey of many -different sorts are constantly sailing over head, with sharp eyes on -the look-out for opportunities of plunder; and jackals, wild cats, -lynxes--or, as the Dutch call them, _rooikats_--and numerous other -four-legged free-booters pounce at night on those hens foolish enough -to make their nests far from the comparative safety of the house; the -occasional discovery, in some distant bush, of a collection of empty -eggshells and a heap of drifted feathers proclaiming what has been the -fate of some long-missing hen or turkey. - -Altogether, the poultry-keeper's troubles are considerably multiplied -by the surpassing imbecility of the Karroo hens, which have no idea of -taking care of themselves, and, like the ostriches, stoutly oppose all -efforts made for their own welfare and that of their offspring. Their -insanely erratic conduct during sitting causes by far the larger -proportion of nests to come to nothing; and when they have succeeded in -hatching a few chickens, they look as if they did not quite know what -to do with them. - -Secretary birds are sometimes taught to be very useful guardians of the -poultry-yard, especially against aerial enemies,--the long-legged, -solemn-looking creature stalking about all day among his feeble-minded -charges, with much consciousness of his own importance. He is accused -of now and then taking toll in the shape of an occasional egg or young -chicken--the latter being of course bolted, anaconda-fashion; but his -depredations are not extensive, and one tolerates them as one does -those of the courier who, though himself not entirely above suspicion, -takes good care that his master is robbed by no one else. - -Our secretary, Jacob, whose education had been neglected in youth, -refused to make himself useful as a protector of the poultry-yard. His -character, never the most amiable, deteriorated rapidly after we -brought him up-country, carefully packed for the long railway journey; -the numerous bandages in which he was swathed to secure his long, -slender legs from breakage giving him--but for his protruding, -vulture-like head--the appearance of a gigantic ibis-mummy. Our first -plan of making him trudge on foot along the road with the Walmer -caravan of ostriches was given up, as we felt sure that, with his -already-mentioned "cussedness," he would give more trouble to the herds -than all the rest of the troop together, and either get a knock on the -head to settle him, or else escape, never to be heard of again. At any -rate, he would be quite sure not to arrive at his destination. - -Poor Jacob did not flourish in the Karroo, where kittens were scarce, -and where no butcher's cart brought daily and ample supplies for his -colossal appetite; and an existence in which fresh meat was so rare a -luxury must have been for him a kind of perpetual Lent. - -With much resentment and plainly-expressed disgust at his reverse of -fortune, he found himself obliged, late in life, to pick up a living -for himself, and would wander dejectedly about the country for miles -round, in search of the fat, succulent locusts, the frogs, small -snakes, lizards, and mice on which he fed. The latter he caught in a -most ingenious manner. Walking up to a bush wherein he knew a mouse was -concealed, he would strike a violent blow with his wing on one side; -then, as the startled animal ran out in the opposite direction, Jacob -would make a lightning-like pounce, and bring down his murderous foot -with unerring aim. On the whole he did not fare badly; but of course, -after his luxurious bringing-up among the fleshpots of Walmer, it was -but natural that he should object to working for a living. - -Even in prosperous days he loved to look ill-used, and no comic actor -could have better represented the character of an ill-tempered old man -nursing a grievance than did the well-fed Jacob croaking under the -windows in mendacious pretence of starvation; but now his part was so -absurdly overacted that it became a burlesque. Nature at the same time -assisted him in his make-up for the part, and, moulting and tail-less, -with bald head and general out-at-elbows appearance, he looked indeed -the seediest and most disreputable of old beggars. At the best of times -he looked like a wicked old man, but now--no longer a sleek, -well-clothed old sinner--he seemed to have degenerated into a ruined -gambler, going rapidly to the dogs. Whenever there was a big rain he -would come and stand in front of the windows, wet through and shivering -ostentatiously, with the water running in a little stream from the tip -of his hooked bill, giving him the appearance of one of the ugly -gargoyles on an ancient cathedral. Obstinately refusing to come under -cover, or even to keep himself comparatively dry by squatting under the -kraal hedge, he would stand for hours out in the rain, looking ill-used -and woe-begone; a picture of squalid, unlovely poverty. - -We really pitied the old bird, and regretted our inability to give him -daily the fresh meat which, in spite of frequent disappointments, he -never failed to claim, noisily and importunately, as his right. He -would come walking excitedly into the kitchen or bedroom, clamouring, -with all the persistence of Shylock, for his pound of flesh; or would -run after Wells as the latter went to chop wood, knocking against his -legs, getting in his way to attract attention, and keeping up his -horrible clock-work noise, till we wondered that that most patient and -even-tempered of men, with the hatchet so handy, was not provoked into -chopping off his head. - -At last a long drought set in, and poor Jacob came still further down -in the world; for, as the ground hardened, and vegetation dried up, the -"mice and rats and such small deer" of the _veldt_ became more scarce, -and he had to travel longer distances in search of his prey. We did all -we could for him, and kept quite a battery of mousetraps constantly set -for his benefit; but, compared with his enormous demands, all we could -give him was but as a drop in the ocean, and we felt that he despised -us for our meanness. He grew daily more morose, and would vent his -ill-humour by picking quarrels with the dogs and other creatures about -the place, especially with a pretty little _duyker_ antelope. This -gentle and timid little favourite--a short-lived pet, which, wandering -one day too far from home, was shot by a Boer in mistake for a wild -animal--was several times attacked so savagely by the vengeful Jacob, -that, if Wells had not beaten off the assailant, the little buck would -have been killed. Fortunately Jacob, when excited, always made such a -horrible noise, that we could hear when a battle was going on, and rush -to the rescue. As the drought continued Jacob took to wandering further -and further afield, coming to the house only on rare occasions, until -at last he became almost like a wild bird; and we have little doubt -that these roving propensities, at a time when water was only to be -found at the few-and-far-between homesteads, led at last to the poor -old fellow's death from thirst--a sad end for one of the most comical, -if not the best-tempered of our pets. - -Game, of course, forms a very welcome break in the monotony of constant -goat and mutton. The antelopes, though by no means plentiful, are all -excellent eating, and afford good sport. The graceful springbok, one of -the most common, is capable of becoming very tame; and, with its -slender limbs and bright-coloured, variegated coat, it is, but for its -rather goat-like face, one of the prettiest of pet animals. On a large -neighbouring farm the springbok were preserved, and now and then the -somewhat even tenour of Karroo existence would be enlivened by a hunt, -sometimes of several days' duration. The Queen's birthday is a -favourite occasion for these festive gatherings; and from far and -wide, some from distances of two or three days' journey, travelling -on horseback or in roomy American spiders and carts capable of -accommodating large family parties, visitors arrive in rapid -succession, till the house--which at these times seems endowed with -even more than the usual elasticity of the hospitable colonial -homes--appears like some large hotel overflowing with guests. In the -extensive plains surrounding the house the chase goes on merrily -throughout the whole day; many of the hunted bucks being observable -from the verandah as they speed lightly along, with a bounding motion -suggestive of india-rubber balls, and with the sunlight flashing upon -the ridge of long white bristles along the back, invisible when the -animal is in repose, but erected when it is startled. - -In the evening the trophies of the battue, sometimes amounting to the -number of thirty, are laid side by side in close ranks upon the ground -in front of the house, forming a noble display. The day's adventures -are recounted, with much chaffing of the by no means few who have been -bucked off or who have otherwise come to grief; T---- on one occasion -bearing off the palm as the butt of the most pitiless jokes, his horse, -declining the superadded weight of a fine buck, having deposited him on -his head, in which acrobatic posture he is reported to have remained -standing long enough to give rise to much speculation among the -onlookers as to whether he intended finally to land on face or back. - -By-and-by the silence of the _veldt_ is further broken by the -unaccustomed sound of fireworks, and of loud cheers for the Queen from -the stout lungs of her lieges beneath the Southern Cross; then come -some capital theatricals and a dance, the latter prolonged a good way -into the small hours of the morning. There are no better dancers -anywhere than the Cape colonists; they are of course passionately fond -of the art in which they so much excel; and thus, when a large and -merry party have collected--not without considerable difficulties, and -at the cost of the longest and roughest of journeys--they naturally -like to keep it up as long as possible, and it is by no means an -uncommon thing on these occasions for people not to go to bed at all, -but for the morning sun, peeping in under the vines of the verandah, to -find the dance still in full swing. - -The Cape negroes, too, are all born dancers; and it needs but a few -notes scraped on a fiddle or wheezed on an asthmatic accordion to set a -whole company of even the roughest and most uncouth Hottentots waltzing -in perfect time, and in a quiet and almost graceful manner, strangely -out of keeping with their ungainly forms. - -Rarest among the antelopes is the klipspringer,[6] which is called the -chamois of South Africa, and which, both in appearance and habits, -closely resembles the Alpine animal. Its flesh, which is short and -dark, with a flavour very like that of duck, is by far the best of all -the venison; and its pretty coat is a marvel of softness and lightness, -each hair being a wide tube as thick as a hedgehog's bristle, but soft -as a feather. In spite of its light weight, this curious coat is -wonderfully thick and durable, and saddle-cloths made from it are -simply perfection. - - [6] _Oreotragus saltatrix._ - -A little klipspringer was brought to us, so young that for the first -few weeks it was fed with milk from a baby's bottle. It soon grew tame, -and it was very pretty to see the miniature chamois trotting -confidingly about the house, always on the extreme tips of those -natural alpenstocks, its little pointed feet. These tiny ferules, all -four of which would have stood together on a penny-piece, were -evidently capable of giving a firm foothold even in the most impossible -places. This little creature was one of our unlucky pets--by far the -most numerous class in the collection,--and our hope of taking him to -England, where he would have enjoyed the proud distinction of being the -first of his kind ever imported, was doomed to disappointment. Whether -it is really the fact, as one is always told in South Africa, that this -buck cannot live in captivity, or whether an inveterate habit of eating -the contents of the waste-paper basket, with an impartial relish for -printed and written matter, shortened the life of our specimen, I do -not know; but rapid consumption set in, and the pathetic, almost human -attacks of coughing were so distressing to witness that it was a relief -when the poor little patient succumbed. - -Then, also among the smaller antelopes, there are the duyker and -stenbok. Both these pretty little bucks make forms like hares, and the -stenbok, a wee thing very little larger than a hare, is not unlike that -animal in flavour. - -As for "poor Wat" himself, the uncanny reputation which in all lands he -seems so unjustly to have acquired is here intensified; and among -Boers, Kaffirs, and Hottentots he is the object of so superstitious a -dread that none will venture to eat him. His inoffensive little body -is firmly believed to be tenanted by the spirits of dead-and-gone -relatives and friends; and even Phillis, by no means a dainty -feeder--to whom a good epidemic of fowl-sickness is a welcome harvest, -and the sudden and fatal apoplectic fit of the fattest turkey the -occasion of a right royal feast and long-remembered red-letter day,--is -indignant and insulted if you offer her what is left of a particularly -delicious jugged hare. To have lent a hand in cooking the unholy beast -was sacrilege enough, but there her not over-sensitive conscience draws -the line. Most uncanny of all the hares is the _springhaas_. This -creature, with disproportionately long hind-legs and kangaroo-like mode -of progression, is never seen in the daytime, and can only be shot on -moonlight nights. - -The best game birds of the Karroo are those of the bustard tribe. Of -the great bustard, or _paauw_, there are two kinds; one, a gigantic -bird, sometimes weighing as much as seventy pounds. In hunting the -_paauw_--as in stalking the wily mosquito--your first and special -care must be not to let the object of your chase see you looking -at him. With well-acted unconsciousness, and eyes carefully turned -in any direction but towards the spot where the _paauw_ squats in -the grass, you ride round and round him in an ever-lessening circle, -until you get within range. Then you jump off, make a run at him, -and fire. - -A smaller bustard, with beautifully-variegated plumage, is about the -size of a large fowl. His Dutch name of _knorhaan_--which may be -translated "scolding cock," or "growling fowl"--is very justly bestowed -on him to express his exceeding noisiness, and I do not think that -throughout the whole length and breadth of the bird kingdom there -exists such another chatterer. What a start he gives you sometimes -when, on a brisk ride or drive through the _veldt_, you approach -his hiding-place, and suddenly, before you have had time to see his -slender dark neck and head peering out above the low bush, he springs -up with a deafening clamour, as of a dozen birds instead of one; and, -unless silenced by a shot, he continues his harsh, discordant noise, -apparently without once stopping for breath, until his swift wings have -borne him far away out of hearing. A whole chorus of blackbirds, -suddenly disturbed from revels among ripe fruit, would be nothing in -comparison with him. - -The quaint, old-fashioned-looking little _dikkop_, smallest of the -bustard tribe, is, in the opinion of epicures, the best of all. In the -bustards the position of the white and dark meat is reversed, the flesh -being dark on the breast and white on the legs. They possess certain -feathers which are invaluable to the makers of flies for fishing. - -Of partridges there are two kinds, the red-wing and grey-wing, the -latter being found only on the mountains. The beautiful little "Namaqua -partridges," which come in flights, are in reality a kind of grouse. -It is a pretty sight when, at sundown, these neatest and most -delicately-plumaged of little birds collect in large numbers to drink -at the dams. - -Of some of our queer dishes, such as _consomme d'autruche_ and the -mock-turtle afforded by the gigantic tortoises of the _veldt_, I -have already spoken. Now and then, too, when a porcupine was killed, we -would follow the example of the Algerian Arabs, and dine sumptuously -off its flesh, which was not unlike English pork with extra-good -crackling. - -A baby porcupine, which was taken alive and unhurt, was for some weeks -an amusing addition to the menagerie; and many were our regrets -when--just as he was getting tame and friendly--he fell a victim to an -unexpected cold night, against which, in his little box out of doors, -we had ignorantly left him insufficiently protected. At first his -temper, which was decidedly of the kind usually described as "short," -gave us much amusement; and, when irritated by our approach, he would -stamp his little feet, wheel round impetuously, and come charging at us -backwards, with all his quills erect, and an absurd expression of -energetic pugnacity depicted, not only on his small, snub-nosed -countenance, but throughout the whole of his bristling body. - -Unfortunately, "the pig with the sticks on his back," as the Kaffirs -call the porcupine, is the worst of gardeners; and provoking indeed is -the devastation wrought by his omnivorous appetite among potatoes, -carrots, parsley, pumpkins, water-melons, and indeed all other plants -which, in our most thankless of kitchen gardens, are grown and -irrigated with such infinite toil and difficulty. - -The crop which best repays cultivation in that arid soil is Indian -corn. This most wholesome and nourishing food is much more suitable -for hot climates than oatmeal, as it possesses none of the heating -properties of the latter; and, although in one form or another it is a -standing dish at nearly every meal in a Karroo house, one never tires -of it. The nicest way of preparing it is in the form called "stamped -mealies." The ripe yellow grains of the Indian corn are moistened and -placed in a large and massive wooden mortar, generally consisting of -the stump of a tree hollowed out. (The centre of an old waggon-wheel -did duty very effectually as our mealie-stamper.) Then, with a heavy -wooden pestle, they are bruised just sufficiently to remove the yellow -husks, though not enough to break up the corn itself, as in the case of -the American hominy. After a long and gentle boiling the mealies are as -tender as young peas, and it is difficult for a stranger to believe -that they have not been cooked in milk. - -It would be a good thing if those who make it their study to provide -cheap and nourishing food for the starving poor of London and other -over-populated towns would try stamped mealies. The small cost of the -Indian corn and the simple and easy manner of its preparation would -enable it to be supplied in large quantities; and the really excellent -dish, if it once became known in England, could not fail to be popular. -In some parts of South Africa the natives live almost entirely on -Indian corn, especially the Zulus, than whom no finer race of men could -be found. - -If, among all the different competitions now set on foot, there were -one for bread-makers of all countries, surely the Dutchwomen of the -Karroo would bear away the prize for their delicious whole-meal bread, -leavened with sour dough and baked in large earthenware pots. It is -beautifully sweet and light; and as Phillis's bread--besides containing -almost as plentiful a sprinkling of flies as there are currants in a -penny bun--is in every way more often a failure than a success, it is -as well for the lady settler promptly on arrival to take a lesson from -some neighbouring vrouw, and herself to undertake the bread-making. - -While on the subject of whole-meal bread, why is it that in England the -nutritious, flinty part of the grain is almost invariably taken out and -made into macaroni or used for other purposes, while the bread is made -of flour from which all the goodness has been refined away? If -whole-meal bread is ordered of the English baker, he throws a handful -of bran into this same flour; and the brown loaf looks tempting enough, -but both it and the white one are alike tasteless and insipid, and -destitute of nutritious qualities. What is really wanted for good bread -is just simply the entire contents of the grain, as nature, who after -all knows best, has given it to us. - -Better than sour dough, yeast, and all the baking-powders in the world -is a preparation made by the Kaffir women from a curious and rather -rare little plant which grows in the Karroo. This plant is almost all -root, the small portion which peeps above the ground consisting only of -a few tight clusters of small, shiny knobs, of a dull leaden colour. -There is nothing like it for making bread rise; but it is most -difficult to get any of it, as the Kaffir women, besides being too lazy -to relish the work of preparing it, which is a long and tedious -business, make a mystery and a secret of it: no servant will own to -understanding it, and somehow one never gets to see the whole process, -and is only shown certain stages of it, one of which consists in the -hanging up of the substance for a while in a bag exposed to the air, -during which time it increases enormously in bulk, in a manner which -seems almost miraculous. - -Butter being so rare a luxury in the Karroo, a number of different -substances have to be pressed into the service during long droughts to -supply its place, such as lard, dripping, etc., and, for the table, the -fat from the huge tails of sheep somewhat resembling those of Syria, -though not, like the latter, kindly provided with little carts on which -to drag the cumbersome weight. English jams, of course, like all other -imported provisions, are ruinously expensive; and it is a pity that the -Natal preserves, plentiful as are both fruit and sugar in that most -fertile of lands, are hardly less extravagant in price. But very good -home-made jams can be obtained from the Cape gooseberry--a kind of -small tomato, enclosed in a loose, crackling bag much too large for it; -also from _priembesjes_ (pronounced "primbessies"), a delicious -wild fruit which grows on small trees along the lower slopes of the -mountains. These trees only bear biennially; and, as if exhausted by -the lavish profusion of fruit yielded each alternate season, produce -nothing in the intermediate year. The pretty fruit, resembling a small, -semi-transparent cherry, is at first completely enclosed in such a -tight-fitting case that it looks like a soft, velvety green ball. As -the fruit ripens this green covering divides in half, and gradually -opens wider and wider, disclosing the vivid scarlet within. Amid the -prevailing stiffness and sombreness of Karroo vegetation the pretty, -rounded outline of these trees, and their bright, glossy, dark -foliage--forming an effective background for the jewel-like fruit as it -peeps from the delicate pale-green cases in all different stages of -expansion--afford a pleasing contrast. - -In search of _priembesjes_ we made many delightful expeditions on -horseback to the foot of the mountains; sitting in our saddles close to -the trees and picking from our animals' backs, T---- occasionally -standing up like a circus-rider to reach the higher boughs. Our horses -became quite accustomed to the work, and, moving into the exact spot -desired, would stand motionless as long as we chose while we filled our -baskets. The fruit is slightly acid and very refreshing; and the -preserve, not unlike cherry jam, well repays the trouble of making, -which is considerable, the enormous stones being quite out of -proportion to the size of the fruit, and very difficult to separate -from the pulp. Even these stones, however, possess their good -qualities, and contain a delicate little kernel, as nice a nut as you -could wish to eat, from which an excellent oil can be pressed. Then, -too,--no small recommendation in the eyes of ladies,--they make the -most delightful beads, being just soft enough to pierce with a good -strong needle, though not so soft as to shrivel up afterwards. They are -of all different shades of rich brown, and, when threaded into -necklaces, remind one of the old Arab rosaries in Cairo, made from the -"Mecca seeds," and rubbed to a brilliant polish by devout Mohammedan -thumbs. Jam, beads, oil, and nuts! Surely a tree with such numerous and -varied ways of making itself useful to humanity seems quite worthy to -have figured in the pages of "The Swiss Family Robinson." - -The wild honey of the Karroo is generally very good, though some is -occasionally found to which unwholesome flowers have imparted their -evil qualities. If, for instance, "where the bee sucks" there is much -euphorbia-blossom, the honey is pungent and burns the tongue. Sometimes -it is even poisonous. - -A most useful volunteer assistant in the taking of bees' nests is the -honey-bird, an insignificant-looking little brown fellow who seems -possessed of an almost uncanny amount of intelligence. Well does he -know that old tree or that hole in the ground where there is a goodly -store of the sweet food into which he is longing to plunge his bill; -but, unfortunately, he cannot get it out for himself, and must needs -call in the aid of a human ally to take the nest. So he wanders hither -and thither, and, hailing the first person he meets, flies close up to -him, chirping and calling loudly to attract attention, and behaving -altogether in such a confidingly familiar and impudent manner that -strangers unaccustomed to his ways would take him for a tame bird -escaped from his cage. If you refuse to follow him he gets very angry, -and shows his impatience by flying backwards and forwards, chirping -excitedly; but if his guidance is accepted--although he may give you a -very long, rough walk--he will lead you without fail to the nest. - -As soon as the spot is reached he changes his note; and, while his -featherless partner secures the prize, he sits close by, watching the -proceedings with intense interest, and waiting for his share of the -plunder. The natives are always superstitiously careful to leave him a -liberal portion; for they credit him with a very vindictive -disposition, and say that if any one is base enough to refuse him his -well-earned reward, he will revenge himself on the next person he -meets, however innocent the latter may be, and, under pretence of -taking him to a bees' nest, will lure him to the lair of a leopard, the -hole of a venomous snake, or some other equally undesirable spot. - -One day T----, on a long homeward ride, was waylaid by one of these -birds, which, taking him under his protection in the usual -business-like and patronizing manner, led him by a most roundabout -route, and at last, with many fussy demonstrations, conducted him -triumphantly to our own beehive, close to the house. Then he perched on -a little bush from whence he could contemplate the bees; and T---- -called me out to look at him as he sat chirping, immensely contented -with himself, and scolding us loudly for our neglect of duty. - -Among the numerous enemies of bees the pretty bird called the bee-eater -is one of the most destructive; and wherever there is a hive or a nest -several of these birds are almost sure to be seen, darting about -swiftly and catching the poor little insects on the wing. A large kind -of hornet is also continually on the watch for bees, which he slays -apparently out of pure spite; and last, though by no means least, a -horrid little red scorpion-like creature invades the hive itself, -killing many of the inmates. - -A large moth resembling the death's-head often takes up its abode in -bees' nests, betraying its presence by a peculiar plaintive sound, and -apparently living in a perfectly friendly and peaceful manner with its -hosts. The natives, however, and indeed also many of the colonists, -stand in great awe of it, as they imagine it to be possessed of a most -deadly sting. Throughout the whole country one hears accounts of men, -oxen, etc., being killed by this terrible moth; and T----, wishing to -investigate the matter and find out whether there were any truth in the -tale, sent several specimens to England, where, on examination by an -authority on entomology, they all proved to be destitute of stings. - -You never get a bad cup of coffee in South Africa. That unholy -ingredient, chicory, with which people in England persist in making -their coffee undrinkable, is never used, and all, even on the roughest -of farms, seem to understand the secret of preparing good coffee, -which, after all, needs but the observance of a very simple rule; -_i.e._, never to roast or grind more at a time than is required -for immediate use. The Dutch _vrouw's_ coffee would be perfection -if she would only refrain from making it the medium by which to express -the depth of her kindly feelings towards her guests, and turning it to -a sickly syrup by adding sugar in the proportion of Falstaff's -"intolerable deal of sack." And Phillis, however hopelessly ignorant -she may be on all other points of cookery, prepares the huge bowl of -_cafe au lait_, which, in accordance with colonial custom, she -brings to your bedside in the early morning, in a manner which -partially atones for her multitude of sins. - -Yet people at home do not seem to realize that coffee, if kept even for -a little time after it is roasted, and--worse still--after it is -ground, completely loses its flavour. As a rule they buy it ready -ground, in large quantities, and keep it for weeks in the house; and -under such circumstances it is no wonder that even in the best hotels -the coffee is not fit to drink, and that too often, but for the only -flavour left in it--that of the acrid chicory with which it has been -bountifully doctored--it might be taken for weak tea. And yet there is -no better "pick-me-up" after a long walk or tiring day's work, nothing -more warming and comforting on a cold day, than a cup of really good -coffee. Such, for instance, as you get in any of the numerous Arab -_cafes_ in Algiers; a tiny cup of which, hardly larger than an -egg-cup, does you more good than a glass of port wine. Indeed, wherever -coffee is really well made--as in France and Spain--it does extensively -take the place of intoxicating drinks; and it would be a good thing if -in England, and especially among our poorer classes, this splendidly -nutritious substance--food no less than drink--were as much used as it -is abroad. The coffee-house where well-made, unadulterated coffee might -be obtained would be a formidable rival to the gin-palace. As it is, -however, the art of making coffee--if ever possessed at all in -England--has been so completely lost that the increasing disuse of the -beverage is no matter of surprise. - -Angora milk is excellent with coffee, but, though abundant at times, it -is hardly to be obtained at all during droughts; and for months you -have to be contented with Swiss milk. The Boers and Kaffirs think -fresh, sweet milk very unwholesome; a Dutchwoman never gives her child -anything but sour milk to drink, and the Kaffirs always keep their milk -in large gourds which have the property of rapidly turning it sour. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -KARROO BEASTS, BIRDS AND REPTILES. - -Leopard drowned in a well--Baboons--Egyptian sacred animals on Cape -farms--"Adonis"--A humiliating retreat--A baby baboon--Clever tricks -performed by baboons--Adonis as a _Voorlooper_--A four-handed -pointsman--Sarah--A baboon at the Diamond Fields--Adonis's -shower-bath--His love of stimulants--His revengeful disposition-- -Pelops the dog-headed--Horus--_Aasvogels_--Goat-sucker--The -butcher-bird's larder--Nest of the golden oriole--The kapok bird-- -Snakes in houses--A puff-adder under a pillow--Puff-adder most -dangerous of Cape snakes--Cobras--_Schaapsticker_--Ugly house-lizards ---Dassie-adder--The dassie the coney of Scripture--Stung by a -scorpion--Fight between tarantula and centipede--Destructive ants ---The _Aardvaark_, or ant-bear--Ignominious flight of a sentry-- -Ant-lion--Walking-leaves--The Hottentot god--A mantis at a picnic. - - -Although the elephant and lion are now no longer found in the Karroo, -there still remain a good number of leopards, or, as the colonists, in -calm defiance of natural history, persist in calling them, "tigers." -These animals, by the way, seem fated at both ends of the Dark -Continent to be the victims of a misnomer, and in Algeria rejoice in -the name of _panthere_. Though the South African leopards are now -following the example of the larger and more formidable game, and -gradually retreating before the advance of man, it is not many years -since three or four of them might be seen drinking together at night -from the dam close to the Dutch house now transformed into the -homestead of Swaylands. Even now, in the hills overlooking the Karroo, -there are more of them about than the farmer likes; and sheep, calves, -colts and young ostriches are occasionally killed by them. - -One day, riding up to a well in an out-of-the-way part of the farm, we -found that a magnificent full-grown leopard had fallen in and drowned -himself. There he was, floating on the surface of the water only five -feet below where we stood; his large body extended across the whole -diameter of the well, and on the steep but rough and unbricked sides of -the latter we could see the traces of his desperate though unavailing -struggles to climb out. Unfortunately, the weather being very hot, his -beautiful skin was already spoilt; and we rode home regretting the -lovely rug "off our own farm," which we might have displayed to -admiring friends at home if we had but found him one day earlier. - -A wounded leopard is a very dangerous customer. One of our neighbours, -an old hunter, bears many scars in remembrance of severe injuries -received long ago in following up one of these animals which he had -shot. The encounter was a terrible one, nearly costing the colonist his -life. - -Next to the leopard in ferocity comes the baboon. He is a big, -deep-voiced, sturdy fellow; his short, gruff bark is as dog-like as his -head, and there is no doubt that he is identical with the dog-headed -ape of ancient Egypt. Indeed, all the sacred animals and birds of -Egyptian mythology, and many of the other creatures which are depicted -in so life-like a manner on the walls of Nile temples and tombs, are -to be found at this day in South Africa. Anubis the jackal; the -grey ibis, now extinct in Egypt, but common enough in the Cape -Colony, and--audacious insult to that learned god to whom he was -sacred--irreverently and absurdly named by the colonials "oddida;" the -hawk Horus, with just the same plump little body, round baby-face, and -delicately-tinted plumage of softest French grey and white which you -see again and again in those comical, toy-like little wooden images in -the museum at Cairo; the wild geese, with the identical curious -markings of those which, in the oldest picture in the world, may be -seen in that same museum; the scarab, rolling his unwieldy ball with -Atlas-like efforts;--all these are at home on the Karroo farms. - -Cynocephalus, indeed, was very much more at home at Swaylands than we -liked, and would often frighten the ostriches into a wild state of -panic, with the usual inevitable result of broken legs. On mountain -excursions you frequently hear his surly bark, and sometimes see him -looking out defiantly at you from behind rock or bush, where possibly -you have disturbed him in the midst of an exciting lizard-hunt, or -careful investigation of loose stones in search of the centipedes, -scorpions and beetles hidden beneath. These creatures, uninviting -though they appear to us, are among his favourite dainties, and he -catches them with wonderful dexterity. In the silence of night his -voice is so distinctly audible from the homestead that you would -imagine him to be close by, though in reality he is far off in one of -the kloofs of the mountains. One night, as we strolled up and down near -the house, enjoying the bright moonlight, a loud chorus of distant -baboons to which we were listening was suddenly interrupted, evidently -by the spring of a hungry leopard, the moment's silence being followed -by the agonized and prolonged yells of the victim. - -Now and then Cynocephalus, or, as the Boers ironically call him, -"Adonis," gets too troublesome, and war has to be carried into his -camp. Of no avail against him are those neat little strychnine pills, -enclosed in tempting pieces of fat, by means of which Anubis is so -successfully sent to his account. No vegetable poison has the slightest -effect on the baboon's iron constitution, and indeed, if there exists -any poison at all capable of killing him, it is quite certain that with -his superior intelligence he would be far too artful to take it; and -when the fiat for his destruction has gone forth a well-organized -attack has to be made on him with dogs and guns. He can show fight, -too, and the dogs must be well trained and have the safety of numbers -to enable them to face him; for in fighting he has the immense -advantage of hands, with which he seizes a dog and holds him fast while -he inflicts a fatal bite through the loins. Indeed, for either dog or -man, coming to close quarters with Adonis is no trifling matter. - -One of our friends, travelling on horseback, came upon a number of -baboons sitting in solemn parliament on some rocks. He cantered towards -them, anticipating the fun of seeing the ungainly beasts take to their -heels in grotesque panic; but was somewhat taken aback on finding -that--far from being intimidated by his approach--they refused to move, -and sat waiting for him, regarding him the while with ominous calmness. -The canter subsided into a trot, and the trot into a sedate walk--and -still they sat there; and so defiant was the expression on each ugly -face that at last the intruder thought it wisest to turn back and ride -ignominiously away. - -A Dutch boy--one of a family temporarily camping in their own waggon on -the farm, and employed by T----, rambling one day in one of the far-off -kloofs of the mountains, came near the haunt of a party of baboons. -Though an occasional bark broke the stillness, only one of the animals -was in sight, and that a little one, probably left alone for a while -during the mother's search for food. With the baby baboon in his arms -the boy was soon speeding at his best pace down the mountain; and, if -fortune had but favoured his enterprise as it deserved, what a -delightful "new chum" would that day have been added to our collection -of animals! But too soon the whole troop of baboons, missing their -youngest hope, were in full pursuit of the robber, on whom they gained -so rapidly, and with gestures so unmistakeably portending mischief, -that young Piet was only too glad to drop his prize and run for his -life. - -The baboon stands in no awe of women; he seems quite aware of their -inferiority, in point of strength and courage, to the sterner sex, and -despises them accordingly. At one place near Graaff-Reinet the women -never dared to go and fetch water unless accompanied by men; for the -baboons, which were very numerous, would always chase and threaten any -daughter of Eve who ventured, without masculine escort, near their -haunts. - -Baboons captured in babyhood and brought up in human society are -capable of becoming extremely tame. Like all other very intelligent -animals, they vary much in disposition, a docile and tractable one soon -learning to perform many clever tricks, and being an amusing companion, -though too often a mischievous one. A gentleman at Willowmore owned two -large, splendidly-trained performing baboons, which would have made the -fortune of any circus-proprietor. They would together enact a series of -complicated tricks, each going through his allotted part without a -mistake. Both were most attentive and obedient to orders, and never by -any chance would "Joe" so far forget his duty as to respond to the -command given to "Jim," or vice versa. - -Occasionally, too, Adonis--who cannot, even by his best friends, be -called ornamental--is taught to make himself useful; he has in several -instances been seen filling the post of _voorlooper_ to the waggons -of travelling Boers, acquitting himself on the whole quite as creditably -as his Hottentot fellow-servants. And at one railway station in the -colony a baboon was for a long time employed to work the points. The -man in charge of the latter--having in a railway accident lost one -arm and part of the remaining hand--had taught the ape to move the -levers. This he did most cleverly with three of his powerful hands, -using one of the hinder ones; and the fact of the novel pointsman -retaining his situation makes it evident that his duties were -satisfactorily performed. - -On the occasion of a raid with dogs and guns on the baboons infesting a -friend's farm, one of the animals killed was the mother of a very young -infant. When the captors came up to the spot they found the poor little -creature crying piteously as it clasped the trunk of the tree beneath -which lay its dead parent. They took it home, and our friend, a great -lover of animals, was successful in rearing it. "Sarah," a gentle, -amiable character, soon became a great favourite, and her comical ways -were a source of constant amusement to her human friends. At the word -of command she would stand erect, with her arms behind her, and her -mouth wide open to catch the pieces of potato, etc., which were thrown -into it; and when told to open "wider! wider!" she would distend her -jaws almost to the point of breaking. - -Of course she was occasionally--what member of the ape tribe is -not?--the victim of practical jokes. One day her favourite dish, -pumpkin, was presented to her, and, all-unconscious of the treachery -which lurked within, she applied herself with gusto to her dinner, -which, unlike most of her tribe, she always preferred to eat direct -from the dish without the intervention of her fingers. Alas! between -two of those succulent slices of pumpkin cruel hands had spread a thick -layer of mustard; and poor Sarah, eating greedily, soon experienced -direful results on tongue, palate, throat, and eyes. She knew at once -that she had been tricked; and never were contempt and indignation -better expressed than by the lordly manner in which she kicked away the -dish with all its remaining contents. After which she retired, much -offended, to her bed, from whence she did not emerge for a long time. - -On another occasion poor Sarah was made the subject of a still more -unkind practical joke. She dearly loved sweets, which were often given -to her wrapped up in a multitude of papers, one inside the other. It -was amusing to watch the patient and deliberate manner in which she -would unfold each paper in turn, taking the greatest care never to tear -one, and proceeding with all the caution of a good Mohammedan fearful -of inadvertently injuring a portion of the Koran. This time, instead of -the expected tit-bit, a dead night-adder was wrapped up and presented. -When she unfolded the innermost paper, and the snake slipped out, with -a horrid writhe, across her hand, Sarah quietly sank backwards and -fainted away, her lips turning perfectly white. By dint of throwing -water over her, chafing her hands, and bathing her lips with brandy, -she was revived from her swoon, though not without some difficulty. - -Sarah has now been for a long time the inmate of an English country -rectory, where, let us hope, no unfeeling jokes at her expense embitter -her declining years. - -Of a far less docile disposition than Sarah was a large baboon kept by -T---- at the Diamond Fields. The incessant damage wrought by this -creature among his master's property and that of neighbours, and the -frequent doctors' bills of which he was the occasion, made him rather -an expensive pet. He was kept chained up, but would now and then break -loose, on which occasions he never failed to make an excellent use of -his opportunities and enjoy as good a "time" as possible before Nemesis -overtook him in the form of recapture and well-deserved chastisement. - -One day, for instance, T----, on returning to his tent, was -considerably surprised to find his bed occupied by Mr. Adonis, who, -after getting into the shower-bath, pulling the string, and receiving -the consequent ducking, had retired in a drenched and dripping -condition to the blankets, within which he had comfortably ensconced -himself, and from whence he gazed impudently at his master. He no doubt -thought that he had well earned the luxuries of bath and bed by his -busy morning's work among the contents of T----'s canvas house; and -indeed that once cosy little abode now offered to the owner's eye a -very good representation of chaos on a small scale. A bottle of acid, -in which were a number of diamonds, had been thrown outside and the -contents scattered in the sand; T----'s watch had been pulled to pieces -and flung through the window; and altogether every conceivable piece of -mischief had been done. On attempting to secure and tie up the -offender, T---- received a severe bite through the leg; on which, -naturally irate, he seized his gun, and capital punishment would then -and there have been inflicted but for the discovery that the wily -Adonis had balked retributive justice by carefully pulling every -cartridge to pieces. - -Among the numerous vices of this baboon was an incorrigible addiction -to stimulants; and after indulging in his favourite drink--gin and -ginger-beer--he might very profitably have been displayed on the -platform of a temperance lecturer, as the Spartans exhibited their -helots, in illustration of the evils of drunkenness. The manner in -which, after a drop too much, he invariably persisted in walking -upright was unpleasantly suggestive of drunken humanity; so too was his -urgent need of soda-water to allay the parched condition of his mouth -on the following morning. He would draw the cork with his strong teeth, -holding the bottle close to his lips, and taking the greatest care to -lose none of the refreshing gas. - -He could throw stones with the unerring aim of a schoolboy; and, being -of a revengeful disposition, and possessed of a wonderful memory, he -never failed to requite any insult or injury received. Once a Zulu -offended him by striking him with a stick. A long time passed, and then -one day the man, who had quite forgotten all about it, came within -reach of the baboon's tether, and--blissfully ignorant of the vengeful -feelings lurking in the breast of the quadrumane--offered him something -to eat. But Adonis, who had not forgotten, and who was only too glad to -pay off old scores, caught the man by the hand, and, drawing him -towards him, bit and punished him severely. - -Here is another tale of revenge, in which the poor ape played but a -passive part in the hands of the "superior" animal. A colonist, having -killed a baboon, and owing several of his neighbours a long-standing -grudge, bethought him of a truly fiendish manner of revenging himself. -Though it is unlikely that he had ever read of Tantalus, he proceeded -somewhat after that classical example, and, cutting up the baboon, -made him into a stew, in which savoury disguise he served him up as -the _piece de resistance_ at a dinner to which all the obnoxious -neighbours were bidden. The dish proved a delicious one, and all the -visitors ate of Pelops Cynocephalus with great relish. The tableau may -be imagined when, at the end of the banquet, the host told his guests -what they had eaten. - -It must require considerable hardness of heart to kill a baboon; for -the creature is so horribly and uncannily human-looking, and, when -wounded, cries in a pathetic manner which must appeal to all but the -most callous of consciences. A hunter once told T---- that he felt like -a murderer after shooting one of them, and seeing how in its dying -agonies it pressed one finger upon the hole made by the bullet; crying -like a child as it fixed its eyes on him with piteous looks of -reproach. - -Although the miniature Zoo at Swaylands never boasted of a tame -cynocephalus, we numbered among our feathered friends one of the gods -of ancient Egypt in the shape of as tiny and chubby a little Horus as -ever sat for his portrait to the sculptors of Philae or Thebes. He was -but a wee thing, about the size of a wild dove, but possessed an amount -of intelligence which made him one of the most interesting even among -Cape pets. Sad to say, the poor little fellow was minus one wing. -T----, noticing him one day flying near the house, and not knowing what -bird he was, brought him down with a small rifle bullet. The shot -passed through the wing, so completely smashing it that the only thing -we could do was to take it off close to the body. We tied it up at once -and stopped the bleeding, the plucky little patient never uttering a -sound, though his jewel-like eyes seemed really to blaze with anger. -They were the most wonderful eyes imaginable, almost owl-like in size -and roundness, and of a lovely red with an orange tinge. A ruby with a -candle behind it is what I imagine would come nearest to them in -colour. The plumage of Horus, instead of being speckled and barred with -different shades of brown like that of the falcons one is accustomed to -see, was of the loveliest silver-grey, darkest on the back and wing, -and shading off gradually into very pale grey on the head, and into -purest white on the breast and beneath the body; the breast feathers -being soft and fluffy, like eider-down. The legs and feet were bright -yellow, the bill dark grey, edged with yellow, and a circle of dark -feathers round the eyes, drawn off into a long line at each side, gave -a sphinx-like appearance to the wise-looking little head. Altogether, -Horus was one of the most beautiful little birds we have seen. We took -it for granted that he was the sacred falcon; and it will be a -disappointment to us if, one day, some learned ornithologist tells us -we were quite wrong. - -The little fellow recovered rapidly; and, although on the first day -after the amputation we had to put food down his throat, getting -viciously punished by his needle-pointed bill and claws, on the second -he took meat from our hands, eating voraciously as much as we would -give him, and even coming after us for more; though, not having yet -learned to steer himself under his altered circumstances, he hobbled in -a very clumsy and crab-like fashion, now and then making futile efforts -to fly, and tumbling down on his side. Soon, however, he learned to -walk straight, and would follow us about like a little dog, with the -quaintest short steps. He was soon tame and friendly with all but the -meerkat, for which he showed great animosity, and on which he would -jump spitefully--or perhaps hungrily?--whenever it came near him. -Possibly, in a wild state, small animals of this kind were his natural -prey. He did not object to Toto, who indeed--with the sole exception of -his rival and arch-enemy Bobby--has never failed to get on well with -all his heterogeneous companions. - -Horus, debarred by his infirmity from active exercise, and condemned to -a somewhat humdrum life, sought consolation in the pleasures of the -table, and developed an enormous appetite. He shared the spoils of the -mousetraps with Bobby, and would take raw and cooked meat from our -hands with equal relish. Indeed I am afraid we overfed him, and induced -apoplexy. At any rate, one evening as we sat reading after dinner, he -dropped quietly from his perch, and died without a flutter. - -The aasvogel, a repulsively ugly, bald-headed, bare-necked bird of the -most pronounced vulture type, is very common in South Africa, -especially in the regions where game is most plentiful. These denizens -of the air seem to be perpetually hovering, on the watch for prey, at -such immense heights as to be quite out of range of human vision; -though their own keen sight enables them instantly to detect the -prospect of a feed, and if an animal is killed, or even only wounded, -they are at once aware of the fact, and, swooping down from their airy -height, sail straight to the spot. - -Perhaps you are a "new chum" out hunting, and you bring down an -antelope. Although, at the moment of firing your shot, you would have -been ready to take your affidavit that-- - - "No birds were flying overhead, - There were no birds to fly,"-- - -your game has hardly fallen before, far up in the grey-blue, a tiny -speck appears, at first only just visible, but rapidly increasing in -size; then another, and yet another floats into sight, "and still they -come," till at last the heavens seem all alive with birds approaching -from every direction, outlined against the cloudless sky in different -degrees of size and clearness, according to perspective, but all making -the straightest of bee-lines towards the wounded animal. In the Free -State, where these birds are very numerous, T----, hunting on -horseback, has sometimes found that before he could reach the spot -where his antelope had fallen the aasvogels were already on it, and had -commenced operations by plucking out the eyes, their special tit-bits. - -These nastiest of birds think nothing of overeating themselves till -their condition resembles that of Mark Twain's jumping frog after the -famous dose of shot, and, when gorged after a good "square" meal, they -are so heavy that they have to run a long way before they can rise into -the air. On these occasions, if you are active and have a good long -whip, you can catch them by switching the lash round their ugly, bare -necks. But a little experience teaches you that this sport has its -drawbacks, as the aasvogel invariably swarms with animal life of the -most objectionable kind. - -Owls are plentiful enough in the Karroo; so too are those other -nocturnal birds, the goat-suckers, which at sundown begin to fly about, -uttering their weird, plaintive cry. They are queer-looking birds, and -seem all out of proportion, with a broad, short head and immensely wide -bill, surrounded by stiff bristles like a cat's whiskers. On examining -a specimen shot near our house, we were amused to find that, by looking -into this preposterous bill, we could distinctly see the creature's -eyes through the semi-transparent roof of the mouth. - -Another of our feathered eccentricities, the butcher-bird, called by -the colonists Jack Hanger, likes to eat his game high; and you often -come across mimosa-bushes which, stuck all over with small birds, -beetles, locusts, etc., impaled on the long, stiff thorns, form his -well-stocked larder. - -In such a land of snakes as South Africa it is necessary for the birds -to resort to many clever and thoughtful devices for the protection of -eggs and young; and some of the "homes without hands" are most -ingeniously planned and exquisitely constructed. - -The golden oriole hangs her graceful nest on the very furthest end of a -long bough--over water, if possible, for extra safety,--and always -gives the preference to the drooping branches of the willow. The nest -is shaped just like a Florence flask with the end curved over; and it -is next to impossible for a snake to penetrate into its interior. - -Even prettier and more wonderfully made is the nest of the kapok bird, -a little creature resembling a tom-tit. The material used in the -construction of this small domicile is a kind of wild cotton, well -named by the Boers _kapok_ (snow). The nest, which is very compact, and -looks as if it were made of soft, white felt, is of much the same shape -as the oriole's brown flask; but near the outlet it is dented in, -forming a kind of second or exterior nest, in which the little -paterfamilias mounts guard over his household gods, effectually closing -the aperture by the pressure of his back against the curving end of the -tube above him. The white felt is very thick and firm throughout the -globular part of the flask, but gradually diminishes in density along -the neck, till at the orifice it is so thin and loosely woven that the -soft edges, pressed together by the bird, remain interlaced even after -he has flown from his sentry-box. No apparent aperture is left; and the -little stronghold is quite impregnable, and ready to baffle the wiliest -of ophidian marauders, until Mrs. Kapok, by flying out, re-opens the -tunnel. - -Snakes are indeed one of the greatest drawbacks to South African life. -There are so many of them, they are of such deadly sorts, and the -obtrusive familiarity and utter absence of ceremony with which they -come into the houses render the nerves of newly-arrived inmates liable -at any moment to receive a severe shock. After a time, of course, -finding that every one you meet has some startling experiences to -relate, of the discovery of intrusive snakes in all sorts of places -where they were most unlooked-for and least desirable, you become -somewhat inured to this unpleasant feature of colonial existence, and -move about your house with the caution of one who would not be -surprised to find a snake anywhere. - -T----, dressing one morning during the early days of his Cape life, had -just inserted his foot at one end of his trousers, when a -night-adder--a most deadly little snake, with an evil habit of going -about at hours when all respectable reptiles are in bed--dropped out at -the other. One of our neighbours considerably damaged his drawing-room -by firing several shots at a large cobra, which had startled his wife -by paying an unwelcome call. Another friend, exploring the depths of -her rather dark china-closet, put her hand on a snake, comfortably -coiled up beside the teacups. And a ghastly tale we heard, of some one -in bed, putting his hand under the pillow at night for his -pocket-handkerchief, and pulling out a puff-adder, makes one feel -that--for those at least who live at the Cape--there is more of common -sense than of irony in Mark Twain's assertion that it is safest not to -go to bed. - -We were more fortunate than our neighbours, and never during our four -years' residence did I find in any of our rooms that snake for -which--as the old lady for the burglar--I was continually looking. -Perhaps we owed our immunity to the narrow strips of horse-hair -material, with the rough edge pointing upwards, which T----, having -read somewhere that no snake will cross this prickly barrier, had -nailed along the threshold of each outer door. In the store, which did -not communicate with the house, and the door of which was fortified by -no friendly spikes, we did occasionally kill a snake--attracted, no -doubt, by the legions of fat mice which ran riot among the sacks. The -fowl-house, too, would often be thrown into a state of wild excitement -and frenzied cackling by the visits of these dreaded reptiles--most -inveterate of egg-stealers. - -One day, soon after we came up-country, Nancy suddenly burst in upon -us, her red turban all awry, and her speech so incoherent with -agitation that the only intelligible words were "Missis! _Turkey!!_ -Missis! _Snake!!!_" On running out, we found the whole poultry-yard in -commotion, and the hens clamouring as if each had laid at least a dozen -eggs; while our nine turkeys stood drawn up in a row, pictures of -imbecile consternation, chattering feebly as they, one and all, made a -dead point at a little empty packing-case, protruding from behind which -we could just see the ugly, broad head of a young puff-adder. The enemy -was soon despatched; and while the turkeys recovered their -equanimity--which process took a long time--I indulged in the pleasure -so dear to any one with a taste for natural history, and took a -thorough survey of this, the first good-sized puff-adder I had seen. -And what a repulsive creature it was, with its short, thick, -swollen-looking body, toad-like head, and utterly evil countenance! -Only the hideous cerastes, with little demon-like horns--so common in -North Africa--comes anywhere near a puff-adder in thorough-paced -villainy of expression. - -Of all the Cape snakes the puff-adder is not only the deadliest, but by -far the most to be feared. For, being of the same colour as the ground, -it is extremely difficult to see: it is lazy, too, and will not take -the trouble to get out of your way as every other snake does; yet, when -roused, it is very active, and comes at you backwards, springing a long -distance with accurate aim. If you are in front of it you are safe, as -it cannot strike forward. One morning, T----, lifting up the rug in -which he had been sleeping out on the veldt, found the flattened body -of a puff-adder, which had evidently crept between the folds for -warmth, and which he had unconsciously crushed to death. - -Cobras, some of which are quite six feet in length, are very numerous -in the Karroo. At certain seasons this snake is very aggressive, and -will come at you boldly if you happen to be between it and its nest. -T----, when out shooting one day with a pointer, suddenly saw a cobra -lift itself up and strike the dog. The venom was so swift in its -operation that the poor animal only turned round once, and died almost -immediately. - -The _schaapsticker_, which always reminded me of the beautiful but -deadly coral-snakes of South America, has a wonderfully-marked skin, -the pretty pattern and bright tints of which might well be utilized by -some artistic designer of floor-cloths. A delicate, coral-like red -predominates among the colours; and altogether the creature is so small -and pretty that it is difficult to believe it is one of the most -venomous of snakes. It is particularly destructive to cattle and sheep, -hence its name, the literal translation of which is "sheep-stinger." - -Some of the tree-snakes, too, are very beautiful; and, many of them -being of the same bright green as the foliage, a close look is required -to distinguish them as they lurk beneath it on the watch for birds, or -for little mice which sometimes climb up into bushes, or into the lower -branches of trees. - -Lizards are very plentiful throughout the Karroo; and, as you walk -through the veldt, hundreds of them, startled by your footsteps, dart -away in all directions from one isolated tuft of bush to another, as -if running for their little lives. In strong contrast to these -bright, active creatures of the sunshine are the slow-moving, -pallid-complexioned house-lizards which are so unpleasantly common. -There are few things uglier than one of these _hikes_. With his flat, -round toes, serving the purpose of suckers whereby he is enabled to -retain his foothold as he perches, fly-like, on the ceilings, his -low, criminal type of face, brightened by none of the quaint, -antediluvian air of wisdom which redeems the chameleon's honest -ugliness, and with his general unhealthy and uncanny appearance, it -is no wonder that among the ignorant natives he has the reputation of -being as venomous as he looks, and that from one end of the country -to the other he is more dreaded than any snake. Yet it is somewhat -puzzling to think how he can inflict a poisonous bite, when, on -looking into his mouth, you perceive that he has no teeth. - -An object of even more superstitious dread is that mysterious and -deadly creature--half-quadruped, half-reptile, and certainly altogether -fabulous--the so-called dassie-adder. Throughout the whole country -you hear accounts of this strange animal from Boers, Kaffirs, and -Hottentots; many of the coloured race declare that they have seen it, -and, though some laugh at the tale, the belief in it is evidently -very general. The anterior portion of the mythical creature's body -is supposed to be that of a dassie, or rock-rabbit (the coney of -Scripture), to which are joined, in somewhat mermaid-like fashion, the -thick body and blunt tail of a snake resembling a puff-adder. According -to all accounts the dassie-adder, whose bite is instantly fatal, is -most vindictive, and, running with all the swiftness of a dassie, will -chase any one who comes near it. Some say, too, that it goes about at -night. - -The dassies, so terrible in their fictitious semi-reptile state, are in -real life very harmless, timid little animals. They are gregarious, and -live among the rocks in such inaccessible places that it is most -difficult to capture one of them; and a tame dassie is among the rarest -of Karroo pets, so securely do these "feeble folk" make "their houses -in the rocks." In appearance the dassie is very like a little brown -guinea-pig; as regards intelligence, too, he is just about the equal of -his rather uninteresting piebald cousins, and, although he is as -pretty, soft-coated and gentle as you could wish, and in his mild, -placid way gets very tame, he is nowhere in comparison with that prince -of pets, a meerkat. - -A not unlikely solution of the dassie-adder mystery seems to be that in -all probability the puff-adders prey upon the little denizens of the -rocks; and a large snake may occasionally have been seen with a -half-swallowed dassie in his mouth, just as a common snake sometimes -displays, protruding from his jaws, the head and forelegs of the -inconveniently fat frog which he is unable to gulp down in a hurry. The -negro mind is quite capable of evolving a fabulous animal out of even -such slight grounds as this. - -Of "creepy-crawlies" of all kinds the Karroo possesses more than -enough, and--like the snakes--they invade the house, and make -themselves at home in a manner which is free and easy rather than -pleasant. Legions of venomous centipedes, scorpions, and big, -bristly-legged spiders of the tarantula tribe lurk in the old reed -ceilings; from whence they drop playfully down now and then, to the -consternation of the unwary inmate sitting beneath, on whose head or -book they chance to land. Or, if they do not drop down on you, they lie -in wait about the room in well-chosen points of vantage, where their -sudden discovery is sure to give you a horrid jump, even if you are -lucky enough to get off without a venomous bite or sting. - -One evening, as I was getting ready for bed--oblivious for once of -cautious habits acquired, years before, in that land of "jiggers," the -West Indies, where you never venture to walk slipperless, even across -your bedroom--my bare foot suddenly encountered what seemed like the -point of a red-hot needle sticking straight up out of the floor; and, -looking down, I found that I had trodden on a scorpion. Fortunately, it -was not one of the large black ones, which are the most venomous, but -only a light-coloured specimen, about two inches and a half in length. -It was, however, quite bad enough; and although T---- recklessly poured -away over the foot our whole photographic supply of ammonia, and made -me drink the greater part of a bottle of strong Cape wine in the hope -of neutralizing the poison--though, alas! only producing other and sad -results--it was many hours before that red-hot needle showed any signs -of cooling down. And then an exaggerated form of "pins and needles" set -in, followed by what resembled a succession of powerful electric shocks -running up the leg at intervals of two or three minutes. Altogether, -the victim of a scorpion's sting can well realize the feelings of gouty -patients, who dread to see even their best friends coming within five -or six yards of them. It was two days before I could put my foot to the -ground; and then, for several more, I could only hobble painfully with -the aid of a stick. - -Colonial boys are fond of setting scorpions to fight with tarantulas. -The great spiders are most pugnacious, and seem only too glad of an -opportunity to fight with anything. T---- once watched one of them in -desperate battle with a centipede. The vicious spider, whose body was -as large as that of a mouse, seized his antagonist and shook him -savagely, just as a terrier shakes a rat; then, letting him go for a -time, he would spring upon him, pick him up, and worry him again, -apparently with fiendish pleasure. He continued this mode of warfare -until the final collapse of the poor centipede, whose pluck in facing -such an adversary at all deserves to be commended. - -Prominent among insect nuisances are ants of many different sorts and -sizes, the worst of all being the mischievous rice ants. Many a carpet -or curtain is utterly ruined by these creatures, which have a trick of -coming up unexpectedly through the floor in large numbers, generally -during the night, when they can carry on their destructive work without -interruption. They work with a zeal worthy of a better cause, and the -amount of damage their powerful jaws can do in one night is almost -incredible. - -Very pretty necklaces are made of the threaded eggs of one kind of ant. -They are rough and irregular in shape, and possess such a soft lustre, -that--but for their deep golden colour--they might almost be taken for -inferior pearls. - -It is some satisfaction to know that the ranks of Cape ants are -considerably thinned by several inveterate enemies. One of these is -that strange burrowing animal the ant-bear, called by the Dutch -_aardvaark_ (earth-pig).[7] There is one in the Zoo; and it is about as -uncanny and nightmare-like a beast as could be imagined or dreamed -of--a sort of crazy combination of calf and pig, reminding one of the -Mock Turtle in "Alice's Adventures." Like that tearful animal, it -possesses a head and body which do not in the smallest degree appear to -belong to each other. The longest, narrowest and boniest of calves' -heads, so pallid and sickly in complexion, and so entirely hairless, as -to appear not only dead, but neatly scraped and cleaned all ready for -cooking, is joined--without the intervention of any neck to speak -of--to a fat, pig-like body, very scantily clothed with short, bristly -hairs. The eyes are large and dark, the bare, pink ears are of -rabbit-like proportions, and the calf's head terminates in a pig's -snout, thickly lined with hair. This latter is the only hirsute -adornment possessed by the goblin-like countenance, to which a very -cynical expression is given by the animal's ugly trick of wrinkling up -its enormously long snout. The thick legs, and the feet, armed with -large claws, are immensely strong; so, too, is the broad, flat, almost -hairless tail, about the shape of which there is something unpleasantly -suggestive of a puff-adder. The specimen in the Zoo has a damaged tail, -the result of the force the captors found it necessary to use in -dragging it from its hole. A riem was once tied to the tail of an -ant-bear, and a span of oxen fastened on to draw it out of the ground. -But, after much ineffectual tugging, the experiment ended in the -breaking of the riem--or of the tail--our informant had forgotten -which; at any rate the animal remained in its hole. - - [7] _Orycteropus capensis._ - -Many a time does the unwary rider, cantering across the veldt, come to -sudden grief in one of the deep, trap-like holes made by the ant-bear, -which seems by no means an uncommon animal. But it is quite possible to -live many years in South Africa, and, however often you may tumble into -its holes, never once see the creature itself. For, being of nocturnal -habits, it is active only at night, when it tunnels its way underground -like a mole, occasionally coming to the surface, and now and then -emerging in very unexpected places. - -Some members of a hunting-party, camping out for the night, were much -surprised to see the ground heave up suddenly in the centre of their -tent, the passing of an ant-bear a little below the surface being the -cause of the miniature earthquake. And during the war in Zululand an -Irish sentry was on guard at midnight, when suddenly, close to him, the -ground opened, and out of it rose a ghastly living Jack-in-the-box. The -moonbeams shone full on the horrid form, long head, and deadly-pale, -calf-like face; and the man--small blame to him--dropped his gun, -deserted his post, and fled in horror, shouting to his astonished -comrades the awful news that he had seen Old Nick himself! And indeed, -if, on one of our moonlight strolls about the farm, an ant-bear had -suddenly risen in our path, I am quite sure that we should have taken -to our heels with equal alacrity. - -The cage of the Cape ant-bear at the Zoo being next to that of the -American ant-eater, a good opportunity is afforded for observing the -marked dissimilarity of the two animals, which indeed could hardly be -more unlike each other. One of the numerous points in which they differ -is that the American ant-eater is toothless, while the _aardvaark_ -possesses teeth. - -The ant-lion, so often pictured in books of natural history, is common -in the Karroo; and it was a great pleasure for us when, for the first -time, we saw him in real life, and examined his cleverly-constructed, -funnel-shaped trap, hollowed out in the soft, sliding sand,--down which -his victims tumble, to find him waiting open-mouthed at the bottom. - -Talking of the ant-lion reminds one of another excavator, still more -familiar to Cape colonists, the trap-door spider. His "diggings" are in -the form of a perpendicular, cylinder-shaped box, the lid of which, -level with the surface of the ground, is so neatly made that it is -quite impossible to detect it when closed. - -The walking-leaf tribe is very largely represented in South Africa; and -besides simulating leaves of many different kinds, the creatures assume -numerous other forms, some looking just like pieces of dried stick, -others like bits of straw, blades of grass, etc. The plant, or portion -of a plant, which they personate so admirably, is always the chosen -resting-place on which they sit, motionless and meditative, often -defying detection. The praying mantis is worshipped by the Hottentots, -who perhaps, like the ancient Greeks and Romans, look on him as a kind -of soothsayer or fortune-teller ([Greek: mantis]). But in spite of -being the Hottentot god, and of possessing such a pious-sounding -scientific name as _Mantis religiosa_, he is a most pugnacious little -beast; and if he has a difficulty to settle with one of his brethren, -the pair will fight it out like the Kilkenny cats. - -Not long ago, at a North African picnic, one of these same little -creatures caused much amusement by the tact which he displayed in doing -just the right thing at the right time, and in the prettiest manner. It -was a very hot day, so close and oppressive that we all felt rather -languid; and conversation flagged as we sat at luncheon round the -table-cloth spread on the ground in the interior of a large tent. -Suddenly, during a long pause, a little mantis appeared on the scene. -With a jaunty air, and with all the cool self-possession of a popular -performer advancing, confident of success, towards the footlights, he -stepped on to the tablecloth, and, crossing it in a bee-line, drew up -before Her Britannic Majesty's Consul, to whom, with many jerky -inclinations of his gaunt, bright-green body, he made what appeared to -be a series of most obsequious bows. Then, having obeyed the first -requirements of etiquette, he passed slowly along the line of guests, -halting occasionally and paying his respects to one or the other. He -seemed quite unabashed by all the notice and applause which he -received; and as the plate in which he finally deposited himself was -handed round among the guests, he calmly surveyed each one in turn, -while continuing, very literally, to "bow and scrape." If he had been a -paid performer, engaged beforehand, he could not have played his little -part better; and all agreed in giving him a vote of thanks for his -timely appearance, which just gave us the mental pick-me-up which, on -that enervating day, we all needed. I believe some one carried him home -at last in a paper cage; though whether he fulfilled the brilliant -promise of his first introduction to human society, and became an -intelligent pet, we never heard. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -OUR NEIGHBOURS. - -Hospitality of Cape colonists--Cheating and jealousy in business-- -Comfortless homes--Spoilt children--Education--The "Schoolmaster"-- -Convent schools--A priest-ridden nation--The _Nachtmaal_--Old French -names--A South African duke in Paris--Fine-looking men--Fat women-- -Ignorance of _Vrouws_--Boers unfriendly to English--A mean man. - - -There is much to be admired in the character of those decidedly -unpolished diamonds, the colonial-born, English-speaking inhabitants of -the Karroo. They are a fine, sturdy, self-reliant race, splendidly -fitted in every way for their extremely rough-and-ready surroundings. -In kindliness and hospitality they are unsurpassed, even by the -much-praised dwellers in Arab tents or white, flat-roofed Moorish -houses; and in the isolated homesteads where they live their rough, but -simple and healthy lives, the heartiest reception is invariably -accorded alike to friends, slight acquaintances, and even perfect -strangers. Perhaps you are one of the latter, and, on a long journey, -you outspan at the dam of a farm, with the intention of remaining only -long enough to give the horses the necessary water and rest before you -_trek_ again. But no sooner is your cart or spider seen to stop than -you are sought out, with kind and pressing invitation to come in. No -matter how full the house may already be, how late or inconvenient the -hour of your unexpected arrival on a Cape farm, a place is always found -for you at the table; and, if needed, some sort of a night's lodging, -of however _impromptu_ a description, will be prepared for you. The -colonist joyfully makes you welcome to his best. If you are staying in -his house, a mount or a seat in his conveyance is always at your -disposal; and the longer you can remain, the better he and all his -kind-hearted family are pleased. It is true that their home is far from -being a luxurious one, and that none of them have much idea of comfort; -but the latter article being, on account of the isolation and of the -bad servants, somewhat difficult of attainment, it is on the whole just -as well that no one misses it sufficiently to regret its absence; and -one cannot but admire and envy the philosophical manner in which the -colonists take things as they come, making themselves perfectly happy -under any circumstances. - -Altogether there is so much that is lovable in the colonial character, -that you are sometimes disappointed to find that there is a reverse to -this bright side of the picture, and that--even by those who have -received you the most hospitably, and who apparently, while you were -their guest, could not do enough for you--you are liable, in business -transactions, to be woefully cheated. It is thought no disgrace to get -the better of any one in a bargain, whether on an iniquitously large or -contemptibly small scale; on the contrary, it is considered rather -clever and smart to "do a shot" on the guileless and unsuspecting new -chum, fresh from a country where a somewhat different code of honour -obtains. - -Business jealousies, too, are another source of trouble to the -uninitiated. If any farmer has a project which seems likely to turn out -a good thing for him, he had better be careful that no bird of the air -whispers it about beforehand among his neighbours and rivals, who, one -and all, will only be too glad if they can bring his plans to naught. - -Time seems to be of no more value to the Cape colonists than it is to -the followers of Islam, and "letting things slide" is pretty generally -the order of the day. One is rather puzzled at this weak point in -otherwise active, energetic characters; and certainly, living as these -people do in the splendid air of the Cape--exhilarating as champagne, -and making all who inhale it feel glad to be alive--they cannot, like -the limp, supine inhabitants of Eastern lands, plead the excuse of an -enervating climate. Much of the discomfort in the houses is due to this -frightful habit of procrastinating. Whatever is broken is, as often as -not, left unmended for an indefinite time; little repairs, which need -but the minimum of time and trouble, but the neglect of which would -cause daily annoyance and discomfort to any but these easy-going -mortals, are put off from week to week and from month to month. And -every one is just as happy and contented, with violent draughts and -clouds of dust blowing in through two or three broken windows at once; -or with a glass outer door whose handle has been off for months, and -which continually flaps noisily backwards and forwards, admitting gusts -of cold wind and flocks of turkeys and fowls into the room; as if all -things were in perfect order. Poultry and domestic animals, indeed, -have it all their own way on Karroo farms with the delightful freedom -enjoyed by their brethren in Irish cabins. At one house, for instance, -if the dining-room was left for a moment when the cloth was laid for a -meal, half a dozen fowls would be on the table, picking the bread to -pieces; while in another I have several times assisted our hosts in -ejecting a too-friendly pig from the bedroom. To give South African -pigs their due, I must say that in that driest of climates they are -less uncleanly in their persons, and hence rather less objectionable -indoors, than they would be in Europe. But we had English prejudices, -and discountenanced the visits of members of the farm-yard; and Toto -had standing orders, which he faithfully obeyed, to keep the rooms -clear of live stock of all kinds, with the exception of privileged -pets. - -Even more terrible than the intrusive animals are the spoilt children. -During their earlier years the little colonists are left very much to -themselves: they run wild, like young colts, about their native farm, -no one takes the trouble to interfere with them, and they are allowed -to retain, unchecked, all the rude, rough habits which they have -acquired from their uncivilized Hottentot nurse-girls. They do as they -like, say whatever comes uppermost, and behave at table in any sort of -outrageous fashion that pleases them; while the father and mother sit -unmoved, apparently surprised at nothing their progeny may see fit to -do. The latter being totally unencumbered by bashfulness, the presence -of strangers acts as no restraint; and a dinner taken in the company of -a large family of boys, of stolid parents, and indifferent elder -sisters, is for the newly-imported English visitor a novel and rather -startling experience, the details of which, however, are best left to -oblivion. - -But, on the whole, the young Africander's bringing-up--unpleasant -though he certainly is during the process--is no doubt the best -possible one to fit him for the rough and active life of the farms, -and to form in him that independent character and those habits of -self-reliance and smartness in money matters which, when he is grown -up, stand him in such good stead. And he _does_ grow up with astounding -rapidity; being at fifteen a thorough man of business, able to "do a -deal" with any one, and taking good care, you may be sure, that the -transaction is no unprofitable one to himself. In this respect he -affords a decided contrast to the average young Englishman, who, at -twenty-five, is often--where business matters are concerned--as -inexperienced as a boy. - -The difficulties in the way of providing the children with a good -education are by no means one of the least of South African drawbacks; -especially for those living on the far-off country farms. Colonial -schools do not seem to be much in favour, at least for boys, and the -great ambition of a Cape parent is to send his sons home to be educated -in Europe--most frequently for the medical profession, a doctor's -position being the most coveted one in the colony. In the Edinburgh -University, especially, the Africander element is in great force. Those -parents who cannot afford to have their boys educated in Europe -generally contrive to secure the services of some broken-down -gentleman, occasionally even of a clergyman, who lives on the farm -and--too often for a shamefully small salary, indeed in one or two -instances for nothing but his keep--fills the post of tutor, or, as his -employers call him, "schoolmaster," to the turbulent young tribe. As -may be imagined, his life is not a very enviable one, the breaking-in -process being all the harder in consequence of the long period, prior -to his advent, when his charges were allowed to run wild out of doors -all day long--to the immense benefit, no doubt, of their robust young -bodies, but to the utter neglect of all intellectual and moral -training. - -The schoolmaster does not seem to have been a very general institution -in the days when some of the older colonists were young; and a business -correspondence with Karroo farmers sometimes elicits the wildest -vagaries of orthography. T----, for instance, received a letter from -one of our neighbours, in which the following sentences occurred: "Your -hostridges are vary onpleasand on the public outspan. Pleas to try and -halter tham." Another correspondent, intent on the purchase of -ostriches, told us he wished "to bye buirds." - -For girls, the convent schools in several of the larger towns are -undoubtedly the best, both as regards the good, sensible education -imparted, and the refined, lady-like manners which are invariably -acquired by all who have been brought up under the tutelage of the -nuns. Throughout the whole country, the convent-bred girls can -always be recognised at a glance, and the contrast is very striking -between them and the less fortunate ones who possess but the -superficial education and second-rate manners of the average colonial -boarding-school. Even the daughters of the roughest Boers, if sent to a -convent school, are turned out perfect ladies, and return to their -up-country homes with gentle and gracious manners strangely out of -keeping with their uncouth surroundings. But there are many parents, of -course, to whom all the advantages of convent education could not -compensate for that insuperable objection, the risk of Romanizing -influence; and intending settlers in the colony who do not wish to -expose their daughters to that risk will do well to bring out a good -governess with them, and keep the girls at home. - -The Boer's great desire, like that of his English-speaking neighbour, -is to get his boys educated in Europe; but, instead of the medical -profession, the pastorate is the object of his ambition. For these Cape -Dutch, although Protestants, are quite as priest-ridden as any Roman -Catholic nation; the _predikant_ is a great man indeed throughout the -widespread circle of his parishioners, and to offend him, or even to -fail in paying him the exact amount of deference he considers his due, -means to be boycotted. - -The _nachtmaal_, or communion, is only administered--as among Scotch -Presbyterians--twice or three times during the year; and on these rare -occasions the little town or village where there is a Dutch church -becomes the lively scene of an immense gathering of Boers, vrouws, and -families. They have come, many of them from long distances of three or -four days' journey, plodding along in waggons drawn by long spans of -oxen, driving in roomy conveyances of every possible queer and -antiquated shape, or travelling on horseback--the stout, ungainly -women, in their white _kappjes_ and gaudily-coloured dresses, cantering -clumsily by the side of their lords. The crowd of outspanned vehicles, -drawn up close together, form a kind of large camp and, the Boer being -always ready to combine piety with business--and, if need be, with a -good deal of cheating--the _nachtmaal_ ends with a busy fair or market, -in which a very brisk trade is carried on, all kinds of farm produce -being sold or bartered. - -In nearly all the Dutch houses you find curious old family Bibles, many -of them in black-letter, with quaint and interesting maps. In some of -the latter, representing Africa, the lakes Victoria and Albert Nyanza -are marked, though quite in the wrong places. The good old French names -borne by so many of the Boers tell of their Huguenot descent; Du -Plessis, De Villiers, Du Toit, Du Barry, etc., are all names of -frequent occurrence in South Africa, although the French language is -never spoken, the Dutch having prohibited its use among the refugees -when the latter settled in the colony. Some time ago, Napoleon III., -anxious to restore the ancient nobility, sent for one of these Boers, -who, in the old country, was the heir to a dukedom, inviting him to -resume his title and estates. The colonist came to Paris, and, after -giving European life a fair trial, became homesick for his vineyard -and his farm, and--perhaps impelled by that attraction which seems -to draw back to the Cape those who have once lived under its bright -sky--decided in favour of his old-fashioned life, and, resigning all -his ancestral rights, went joyfully home to the rough surroundings of -his childhood. - -Although the Boers are fine, well-built, handsome men, their feminine -relatives, far from equalling them in good looks, are as fat and -ungraceful as any inmates of Turkish harems. Fortunately, however, -excessive obesity is in the eyes of a Boer the very quality of all -others which constitutes the chief attraction of a _mooie vrouw_ -(handsome woman); and when he uses the latter expression you may be -sure that he speaks of a ponderous being, no less than thirteen or -fourteen stone in weight. In this matter of taste the Boers resemble -not only the Turks, but also the Zulus, who can pay a woman no higher -compliment than to compare her to a she-elephant. The _vrouws_ become -_passees_ at a very early age, and are apparently shortlived in -comparison with their lords, if one may judge from the fact that it is -no uncommon thing to meet a man of fifty who has already had three -wives. - -Intellectually, no less than physically, the Boer women are -considerably the inferiors of the men. They have evidently lived for -generations in blissful ignorance, with no more education than falls to -the lot of the Oriental ladies they so closely resemble in figure. -Their husbands and fathers have been quite contented with the existing -state of things; and it is only of late years that a few of the more -enlightened parents, beginning at last to recognise the value of female -education, have been sending their daughters to the convent schools. - -In Spain, an equally strong contrast may be observed between the men -and the women; but it is reversed, the advantage being on the side of -the _senoras_, who somehow appear too handsome and intelligent to -belong to the ignoble, mean-looking men. - -The Boers used to be very friendly with the English; but now--thanks -to the sad and too well-known manner in which our Government has -muddled South African affairs--we are most unpopular. Formerly, if an -Englishman on his journey came to a Dutchman's house, he was most -hospitably received--though etiquette demanded that on his departure -he should offer money in payment for his food and bed, in order that -his host might have the pleasure of refusing it; but now, were he to -present himself, the chances are that the Boer would insultingly offer -him a night's lodging in the negroes' quarters, as was once the case -with T----. - -Meanness is a prominent trait in the Boer's character. Indeed, the -reputation which he has acquired--not altogether justly--for being such -a splendid shot, really and truly proceeds from his excessive care to -make sure of his game, and thus waste no cartridges. Here is an -instance which almost equals Max Adeler's mean man. When T---- was at -the Kimberley Diamond Fields, a Kaffir fell one day from the narrow -pathway left between the claims into one of the latter, belonging to a -Dutchman. He landed on the little table used by the Boer for sorting -his diamonds, and--the height from which he had fallen being eighty -feet--not only the table, but nearly every bone in the unfortunate -man's body was broken. He seems, however, to have possessed a -wonderfully strong constitution, and actually recovered from his -terrible injuries: and, his case exciting very general sympathy among -the kindly diamond-diggers, a subscription was made for him. But, long -before he was convalescent, the Boer called on him, demanding payment -for the broken table, the whole value of which did not amount to more -than thirty shillings. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -GOOD-BYE. - -Recalled to England--Regrets and farewells--Cape horses lacking in -intelligence--"Old Martin"--A chapter of accidents--A horse "after -Velasquez"--The Spy's revenge--Virtues and faults of Cape horses ---Horse-sickness--Good-bye to Swaylands--Kaffir crane--The voyage -home--Dogs in durance--St. Helena--A visit to Longwood--Home again. - - -At last, after several busy and most enjoyable years of ostrich-farming -life, the time came when--our presence being required in England--we -bade farewell to our colonial home, and, leaving the management of -affairs in the able hands of a friend from the old country, with whom -T---- had recently entered into partnership, took our departure from -Swaylands, not without many regrets. Although, within the wide circle -enclosed by our wire fence, we were not leaving many of our human -fellow-creatures, there were plenty of good-byes to be said; for those -who live on these out-of-the-way farms come to be on very intimate and -familiar terms with their live stock, and all our creatures--even the -fowls, and those tamer members of our large family of ostriches which -for years had been daily looking inquiringly in at our windows, and -picking and stealing round the kitchen door--were old friends, from -whom we were sorry to part. - -But, strange to say, the very animal which in England becomes one of -the friendliest seems here the least domesticated; and it cost us less -of a pang to bid adieu to our horses than might be imagined by people -at home, unacquainted with the surprising lack of intelligence which, -in the Cape Colony, distinguishes the equine race. Their independent -lives, and the freedom which most of them enjoy to roam as they will -about the veldt, unfettered by the restraints of a stable, seem to have -rendered them very indifferent to human society. It is no use trying to -make a friend of your horse; he contemptuously repels all your -advances, obstinately refuses to eat out of your hand, despises pieces -of bread, lumps of sugar, and all such delicate little attentions -wherewith you have never failed to win the heart of his English -brother, and, however many years he may have lived with you, persists -to the last in remaining on the coldest and most distant of terms. - -Among all our horses the only really intelligent animal was one of Arab -descent. But our good-bye to him was said a year before; and now, on -leaving Swaylands, we can but take our last look at "the place where -the old horse died." The faithful old grey friend who lies under that -rough clump of bush was a favourite of long standing. He had belonged -to T---- many years ago, was sold by him on leaving the colony, and, -after changing hands several times, chiefly among acquaintances of his -former owner--in remembrance of whom he acquired the name of "Old -Martin"--was repurchased by T---- soon after we came out. Although by -this time he was a long way past his prime, he was still considerably -the best of all our horses, and for pluck and endurance we have never -seen his equal. At the end of the longest day's journey--even though it -had covered sixty miles--he would come in pulling as hard as at the -start, and apparently as fresh. No matter how poor his condition--and -South African horses do indeed get poor during long droughts--he was at -all times equally ready for work. We never insulted him by carrying so -unnecessary an article as a whip; for he did everything with a will, -and whether cantering, trotting, or only walking, always seemed to be -endeavouring to run away with you. As a lady's horse he was simply -perfect, all his paces being equally delightful for the rider. - -In former times T---- and his four-footed namesake had gone through -many adventures together; and now, when after the lapse of years these -two friends and comrades met again, the old horse instantly recognised -his master with unmistakeable signs of pleasure. - -One of these early adventures came very near costing the good grey his -life. T----, during a journey on horseback, came one evening to a river -crossed by an open railway-bridge consisting only of iron girders. To -save time and avoid a circuitous route he decided to take a somewhat -reckless short cut and lead the horse over that bridge. In this -Blondin-like fashion they had proceeded about half-way across, when -poor old Martin's foot slipped, and down he came, falling in such a -position that his body lay prone on the narrow iron pathway formed by -the rail and girder, while on either side two of his legs dangled -helplessly over space. Sundown was approaching; so too was a train -which, as T---- remembered, was very nearly due; but, though he tried -his utmost to help the poor animal to his feet, all was unavailing, -and presently the train hove in sight. T----, waving his handkerchief -with wild gestures, succeeded in attracting the attention of the -engine-driver, who stopped the train and came to his assistance. But, -with all their efforts, they could not succeed in raising the horse -from his perilous position; the train could wait no longer, and they -had no choice but to resort to the kill-or-cure expedient of rolling -him over into the water below. Falling from a height of some -twenty-five feet, he went so deep into the mud at the bottom of the -shallow African river that T---- was unable to pull him out, and had to -leave him there all night. On coming back next morning with a span of -oxen and some stout riems, he was horrified to find that during the -night the unfortunate animal had sunk deeper and deeper into the mud, -till little more than his nose remained above water. It was the work of -much time and exertion to drag him out; and during the process his neck -got such a twist that for the remainder of his days there was a crook -in it, which caused his head to hang meditatively a little on one side. - -Another time he was attacked by a large swarm of vicious bees, which -settled all over him, stinging him so severely that his whole body -swelled up, and he assumed the proportions of that preposterously -inflated horse by Velasquez in the picture-gallery at Madrid. For three -days the poor old fellow stood immoveable; then, after taking an -enormous drink of water, he gradually recovered. - -Very different, too, from the unintelligent Cape horses was "The Spy," -a well-known steeple-chaser, imported into the colony by T---- some -years ago. An incident which occurred during his voyage out recalls the -oft-told anecdote of the elephant and the tailor. The horse-box in -which the Spy was placed being just outside the door of the saloon, his -head was in close proximity to the waiters as they passed and repassed -during their attendance at meals. One of these waiters, being of a -malicious turn of mind, found great enjoyment in teasing the -unoffending animal, and missed no opportunity of giving him a rough -knock on the nose in passing. For a while the Spy bore this treatment -patiently; but he was biding his time, and at last had his revenge. One -day, as the obnoxious waiter, bearing in either hand a steaming dish of -currie and rice, was stepping briskly along to the saloon, he suddenly -found himself grasped in a pair of powerful jaws, whisked clean off his -legs, shaken like a rat in the grip of a terrier, and, finally, -ignominiously dropped on to the deck among the _debris_ and scattered -contents of his dishes. - -Although the horses produced by the Cape Colony are the best in South -Africa, they have been much over-rated. It is true that a large number -of them are capable of getting through a good deal of slow, continuous -work under the saddle, with poor food and hardships as to shelter; but -the vast majority of the colonial horses are in all respects -indifferent animals, and devoid of good looks. In one point, perhaps, -they surpass all other equine races in the world--their feet being -generally excellent, and the hoofs so firm and hard as rarely to -require shoeing, even on very long journeys. Many horses of most -unprepossessing exterior are scarcely to be matched for speed and -endurance in the field; but, taken _en masse_, South African horses are -a failure. They are almost invariably poor and timid jumpers, and, when -in harness, move but very small weights. A light cart containing two -persons is sufficient to tax the powers of a pair of average horses, -and even then jibbing is always imminent. At least eighty per cent. -of the Cape horses are desperate stumblers, and uneasy in their -paces--faults attributable to round, heavy shoulders and defective -hind-quarters. Among the good horses the greater proportion are -ill-tempered, and delight in buck-jumping, whenever they have the rare -chance of being in good condition. - -The terrible distemper known as "horse sickness" periodically causes -great destruction in many parts of the colony; and the fear of it -operates as a check on breeders, who would otherwise import better -horses to improve their studs. A "salted horse"--one which has had -horse-sickness--is very valuable, even if abounding in all kinds of -equine misfortunes or faults. Such animals range in price from L25 to -L100, according to age and quality. Horse-sickness is most partial in -its operations; and sometimes, in the case of two adjoining farms, one -will be severely attacked by the disease, while the other remains -perfectly free from it. - -And now, at length, the day of departure has come; and we leave -Swaylands, though not in our own cosy little American spider. That -fairy chariot, alas! is _hors de combat_; its strong, though -delicate-looking wheels have succumbed at last to the roughness of -Karroo roads and the dryness of the South African climate; and as we -pass out at the little gate we take our last look at it as it lies -there on the ground, a forlorn, sledge-like thing. What glorious -drives we have had in that once daintiest and prettiest of little -carriages--travelling to hunts or dances, fetching our mail, or sending -off precious freights of feathers to the Port Elizabeth market! and how -vividly the recollection of them comes back to us as we pass for the -last time along the familiar Mount Stewart road! - -Even now, at this time and distance, we can still conjure them up, and -see and hear once more the well-known and loved sights and sounds of -the Karroo. Animal and bird life start into quick motion all round us: -the little _duyker_ antelopes spring up from their forms among the -bush, and dart gracefully away; the flights of pretty Namaqua -partridges run along the ground quite close to us; the _knorhaans_, -rending the air with discordant, over-powering noise, chatter out their -loud disapproval of our approach; the little bright-eyed meerkats stare -audaciously at us, then dive into their holes in pretended fear of us; -the air is all full of the sweet scent of mimosa-blossoms, and T----, -singing joyously in the overflow of good spirits induced by its pure, -fresh, exhilarating qualities, enlivens the journey with one song after -another as we spin merrily along on our airy, bicycle-like wheels; -while Toto, equally happy, careers at our side, chasing every animal -and bird that he sees, though seldom able to catch anything much -swifter on its feet than a tortoise. - -These tortoises, by the way, always afforded Toto excellent sport; he -considered it his bounden duty to bring to us--no matter from what -distance--all that he could possibly grasp with his teeth; and, many of -them being much too large to be carried in this way, he was often -obliged to put them down for a while, to rest his poor aching jaws. -Sometimes he would come to a standstill before a gigantic specimen, and -call us, with loud, excited barks, to the spot where some fifty pounds -of splendid material for soup were to be had for the picking-up. He -would stand barking triumphantly at the creature, which, in response, -kept up a low, roaring noise, expressive of deepest disgust at his -proceedings. And when the prize was secured, and we drove off with it -safely ensconced at our feet, Toto was a proud dog indeed. - -Somehow, on this last drive into Mount Stewart, everything is -tantalizingly looking its very best; the _veldt_, refreshed by recent -rains, is of a lovely soft green, and delicate flowers peep from it in -all directions; the dazzling sunshine--so soon to be exchanged for cold -northern skies--seems brighter than ever; and, in the clear atmosphere -of the Karroo, the bold outlines of the far-off Cock's Comb are lifted -up, as it were, by a strange effect of mirage--the mountain appearing -quite detached from the horizon, and with blue water flowing at its -foot. Just before we reach the turn in the road which hides the -homestead of Swaylands from our view, we stop and look back; and, if it -must be owned, that last look at the poor little ugly house--our dear -home for the past few years--is taken by not quite undimmed eyes. - -Then on, at a brisk pace, to Mount Stewart, where, at the pleasant -little hotel in which we have so often been hospitably entertained, the -host and his numerous family are assembled in full force to bid us -God-speed. I take my last, wistful look at a long-coveted tame Kaffir -crane, a delightful bird, who, in his neat suit of softest French-grey -plumage, stalks solemnly--as he has been doing any time these four or -five years--about the precincts of station and hotel; and am introduced -to a newly-captured baby jackal, which T---- has just bought, and which -is to accompany us to England. Then the train, at its usual leisurely -pace, crawls down with us to Port Elizabeth. More good-byes--and at -last we and all our zoological collection are safe on board the Union -Company's _S.S. Mexican_; and soon the coast of Algoa Bay recedes from -our view. - -Toto does not enjoy his journey as he did when outward-bound; for there -are too many of the canine race on board, and one little pair of pugs -in particular--belonging to richly-jewelled passengers of the Hebrew -persuasion, who have not trained up their dogs in the way they should -go--commence the voyage by invading everybody's cabin, and making -themselves generally so objectionable that on the second day the -captain's fiat goes forth for the impartial consignment of all the -dogs--good, bad and indifferent--to hen-coops. There they are -accordingly, on the second-class deck, ranged in a dismal row, at one -end of which poor little caged Anubis, the jackal-cub, yelps piteously -for mother, brethren and freedom; and there, for the four weeks of the -voyage, they are condemned to remain. All are profoundly miserable; but -poor old Toto--being so much the largest--is the most to be pitied. In -that narrow cage, where there is hardly room for him to turn round, he -travels through the steaming heat of the tropics; his legs become -cramped and stiff from want of exercise; he fattens like a Strasburg -goose on the Irish stew and other substantial viands from the saloon -table with which the waiters--cruelly generous--persist in stuffing -him; and when, as a rare treat, he is allowed half an hour's liberty -for what is ironically called a "run" on deck, he is able to do little -more than sit down and pant. - -With better luck than often falls to the lot of travellers by steamer, -we remain a sufficient time at St. Helena to allow of a somewhat -hurried visit to Longwood; and, going ashore with a good number of -fellow-passengers, we charter the few carriages and saddle-horses to be -had in the little town, and proceed, as fast as we can, up the steep, -zigzag road. We notice that in this island there seem to be two -completely different climates within a very short distance of one -another. Down near the sea-level, bananas and other tropical plants -grow luxuriantly in the close, stifling heat: but as we ascend we -come into another climate; the air is almost cold, there is a fine, -drizzling rain; blackberries, bracken, and other home-like plants -border the roadside, and we might imagine ourselves in England, but for -the bright-hued little birds which peep fearlessly at us from the -bushes. Though the excursion is a most enjoyable one, especially after -being cooped up on board ship, Longwood itself is disappointing, the -house being quite dismantled, and containing nothing but a very -beautiful bust of Napoleon, which has been placed by his family in -one of the rooms. - -Our passage is throughout a calm and prosperous one: we have pleasant -company on board; there are none of the cliques and small enmities -which so often spoil the enjoyment of a voyage; some of the passengers -play and sing well; good concerts and theatricals enliven many of our -evenings; and our only disappointment is the unkind fate which again -brings us through Madeira in the dark. And at last, one lovely April -morning--which seems to have been made on purpose to welcome returning -colonists, spoilt by a long continuance of Cape sunshine--we drop -quietly into Southampton; English violets and primroses are brought on -board in delicious profusion; the usual hurried farewells are exchanged -while most of us struggle wildly with refractory bags and wraps; Toto, -in an alarmingly plethoric condition, waddles forth from his hen-coop; -and very soon we are on _terra firma_, and--paying the first dread -penalty of the newly-landed--pass through the ordeal of the Custom -House. This turns out to be a very lengthy and tedious business; for, -since we have been away, new and stringent regulations have come into -force, and we find that our innocent cabin-trunks and hand-bags are all -suspected of containing dynamite. Not until every package has been -thoroughly ransacked are we allowed to depart, and seek our train. Then -the latter bears us along through woodland scenery, brilliant with all -the fresh tints of an English spring, which for us seems to have a new -beauty. And in a few hours we find ourselves back in old, familiar -scenes; friends from whom we have long been parted are round us once -more; and the dear, delightful, rough South African life is a thing of -the past. - - -THE END. - - - - -D. APPLETON & CO'S PUBLICATIONS. - - -WORKS BY ARABELLA B. BUCKLEY (MRS. FISHER). - -_THE FAIRY-LAND OF SCIENCE._ With 74 Illustrations Cloth, gilt, $1.50. - -"Deserves to take a permanent place in the literature of -youth."--_London Times._ - -"So interesting that, having once opened the book, we do not know how -to leave off reading."--_Saturday Review._ - - -_THROUGH MAGIC GLASSES and other Lectures._ A Sequel to "The Fairy-Land -of Science." Cloth, $1.50. - -_CONTENTS._ - - THE MAGICIAN'S CHAMBER BY MOONLIGHT. - MAGIC GLASSES AND HOW TO USE THEM. - FAIRY RINGS AND HOW THEY ARE MADE. - THE LIFE-HISTORY OF LICHENS AND MOSSES. - THE HISTORY OF A LAVA-STREAM. - AN HOUR WITH THE SUN. - AN EVENING WITH THE STARS. - LITTLE BEINGS FROM A MINIATURE OCEAN. - THE DARTMOOR PONIES. - THE MAGICIAN'S DREAM OF ANCIENT DAYS. - - -_LIFE AND HER CHILDREN: Glimpses of Animal Life from the Amoeba to the -Insects._ With over 100 Illustrations. Cloth, gilt, $1.50. - -"The work forms a charming introduction to the study of zooelogy--the -science of living things--which, we trust, will find its way into many -hands"--_Nature._ - - -_WINNERS IN LIFE'S RACE; or, The Great Backboned Family._ With numerous -Illustrations. Cloth, gilt, $1.50. - -"We can conceive no better gift-book than this volume. Miss Buckley has -spared no pains to incorporate in her book the latest results of -scientific research. The illustrations in the book deserve the highest -praise--they are numerous, accurate, and striking."--_Spectator._ - - -_A SHORT HISTORY OF NATURAL SCIENCE; and of the Progress of Discovery -from the Time of the Greeks to the Present Time._ New edition, revised -and rearranged. With 77 Illustrations. Cloth, $2.00. - -"The work, though mainly intended for children and young persons, may -be most advantageously read by many persons of riper age, and may serve -to implant in their minds a fuller and clearer conception of 'the -promises, the achievements, and claims of science.'"--_Journal of -Science._ - - -New York: D. APPLETON & CO. 1, 3. & 5 Bond Street. - - -_NEW EDITION OF ENGLISH ODES._ Selected by EDMUND W. GOSSE. With -Frontispiece on India paper from a design by HAMO THORNYCROFT, A.R.A. -Forty-two Head and Tail Pieces from Original Drawings by LOUIS RHEAD. -16mo. Cloth, special design in gold, $1.50. Same, in parchment, $1.75. - -_NEW EDITION OF ENGLISH LYRICS._ Uniform with "English Odes." With -nearly Eighty Head and Tail Pieces from Original Drawings by LOUIS -RHEAD. 16mo. Cloth, special design in gold, $1.50. Same, in parchment, -$1.75. - - -_THE MUSIC SERIES._ Consisting of Biographical and Anecdotical Sketches -of the Great German Composers; The Great Italian and French Composers; -Great Singers; Great Violinists and Pianists. Five volumes, 18mo. Bound -in half white and red sides, $3.50 per set; half calf, $8.00. - -_THE HOUSEHOLD BOOK OF POETRY._ By CHARLES A. DANA. Entirely new -edition, from new stereotype plates, enlarged and brought down to the -present time. With nearly Two Hundred additional poems. Illustrated -with Steel Engravings. Royal 8vo. Cloth, gilt extra, $5.00; half calf, -$8.00; morocco, antique, $10.00; tree calf, $12.00. - - -A CHARMING AUTOBIOGRAPHY. - -_THE LIFE OF AN ARTIST._ By JULES BRETON. With Portrait. Translated by -Mrs. MARY J. SERRANO. 12mo. Bound in cloth, $1.50. - -"... One of those books the success of which is assured from the first -because of its perfect naturalness.... The reader of Jules Breton's -memoir ... will close the book without having experienced one misgiving -as to its entire truthfulness. From the first page to the last his -memoir will be found not merely readable, but fascinating, and the -translator has very well reproduced his charms of style, his beautiful -simplicity, and that perfume of the love of Nature which breathes -through the book and ennobles it."--_New York Tribune._ - -"The method and spirit ... are most delicate and delightful.... Filled -with the poet's glow and the philosopher's peace."--_New York Sun._ - -"One understands modern France the better for this autobiography of her -highly gifted son."--_Boston Pilot._ - -"Jules Breton, by writing his autobiography, has conferred a lasting -favor on the lovers of this class of literature."--_Detroit Journal._ - - -_WIDOW GUTHRIE._ A Novel. By RICHARD MALCOLM JOHNSTON. Illustrated by -E. W. KEMBLE. 12mo. Bound in cloth, $1.50. - -"_It is understood that Colonel Johnston regards 'Widow Guthrie' as his -strongest work._" - -"One of the happiest, sweetest, quaintest novels that have come from -the press in a long time is 'Widow Guthrie,' a vigorous, breezy, and -faithful picture of life in the South in the days before the war. There -is no lack of virility, but there is also a refinement which is -exquisite because it is genuine, and a humor which is mellow and -sweet because it springs from a clean imagination."--_Brooklyn -Standard-Union._ - -"It is full of strong descriptions and curious and forcible character -delineations. There is remarkable freshness in the figures of the -story. The duel and the slaying of Duncan Guthrie are descriptive -masterpieces."--_New York Sun._ - -"The Widow Guthrie stands out more boldly than any other figure we -know--a figure curiously compounded of cynical hardness, blind love, -and broken-hearted pathos.... A strong and interesting study of Georgia -characteristics without depending upon dialect. There is just -sufficient mannerism and change of speech to give piquancy to the -whole."--_Baltimore Sun._ - -"... Some remarkably vivid portraitures of character.... The book is -one that will please men as well as women."--_Boston Evening Gazette._ - - -A NEW BOOK BY THE AUTHOR OF "A SOCIAL DEPARTURE." - -_AN AMERICAN GIRL IN LONDON._ By SARA JEANNETTE DUNCAN. With 80 -Illustrations by F. H. TOWNSEND. 12mo. Cloth, $1.50. - -A brilliant book, picturing English sights, society, customs, and -amusements, as seen by an unconventional and witty observer. The same -qualities which made "A Social Departure" so remarkable a success will -make "An American Girl in London" a book which is "talked about -everywhere." - -"In the lighter literature of last year there was nothing more amusing -than 'A Social Departure,' by Sara Jeannette Duncan, of Canada. It was -just long enough--it could not well have been longer--but each reader -wished that the author might write another book in similar style. Well, -she has done it, and she could not have taken a better subject than 'An -American Girl in London.'"--_New York Herald._ - -"The raciness and breeziness which made 'A Social Departure,' by the -same author, last season, the best-read and most talked-of book of -travel for many a year, permeates the new book, and appears between the -lines of every page. It is superfluous to say that 'An American Girl' -is 'awfully fetching.'"--_Brooklyn Standard-Union._ - - -_A SOCIAL DEPARTURE: How Orthodocia and I Went Round the World by -Ourselves._ By SARA JEANNETTE DUNCAN. Illustrated by F. H. TOWNSEND. -12mo. Cloth, $1.75. - -"It is _a cheery_, _witty_, _decorous_, _charming_ book."--_New York -Herald._ - -"Widely read and praised on both sides of the Atlantic and Pacific, the -diary is now republished in New York, with scores of illustrations -which fit the text exactly and show the mind of artist and writer in -unison."--_New York Evening Post._ - -"... It is to be doubted whether another book can be found so -thoroughly amusing from beginning to end."--_Boston Daily Advertiser._ - -"A very bright book on a very entertaining subject. We commend it to -those readers who abhor the ordinary statistical book of -travels."--_Boston Evening Transcript._ - -"A brighter, merrier, more entirely charming book would be, indeed, -difficult to find."--_St. Louis Republican._ - -"For sparkling wit, irresistibly contagious fun, keen observation, -absolutely poetic appreciation of natural beauty, and vivid -descriptiveness, it has no recent rival."--Mrs. P. T. BARNUM'S Letter -to the _New York Tribune._ - - -SUMMER READING. - -_OUTINGS AT ODD TIMES._ By CHARLES C. ABBOTT. 16mo. Cloth, gilt top, -$1.25. - -"Dr. Abbott's love and enthusiasm for Nature, and the things and -creatures of Nature, knows no limit. The story they have to tell him is -always new, always charming; and he interprets it with an enthusiasm -and eloquence that carry conviction to his readers."--_Providence -Journal._ - -"A number of short studies of Nature in her outdoor aspects by one who -has established a reputation as a close and sympathetic student and -naturalist. He finds somewhat of interest and beauty in each season, -and reveals to less observant eyes many of the curiosities and wonders -of the living world about us."--_Hartford Courant._ - -"Short essays on outdoor life set in charming shape."--_Philadelphia -Times._ - - -_THE WHITE MOUNTAINS. A Guide to their Interpretation._ With a Map of -the Mountains and Ten Illustrations. By Rev. JULIUS H. WARD. 12mo. -Cloth, gilt top, $1.25. - -Mr. Ward has spent his summer vacations in the White Mountains for -several years, and has entered deeply into their life and meaning. This -book is both a guide to a better knowledge of the White Hills and a -souvenir of what one finds in them. "Nature," says the author, "in -these retreats is very coy, and her secrets are only communicated to -those who seek them. The ability to enjoy natural scenery is partly a -gift, but it may be immensely increased by habits of observation." - -"The author is thoroughly in love with his subject, and not less -thoroughly acquainted with it. Though he disclaims intention to write a -guide-book, the visitor to the White Mountains can hardly fail to -profit by his picturesque descriptions, hints about paths and points of -view, and abundant suggestions as to times and seasons."--_New York -Tribune._ - - -_THE GARDEN'S STORY; or, Pleasures and Trials of an Amateur Gardener._ -By GEORGE H. ELLWANGER. With Head and Tail Pieces by Rhead. 12mo. -Cloth, extra, $1.50. - -A literary ramble amid the flowers of the garden, with practical hints -upon the cultivation of plants, and gossipy comments upon the -characteristics of favorite flowers. - -"Mr. Ellwanger's instinct rarely errs in matters of taste. He writes -out of the fullness of experimental knowledge, but his knowledge -differs from that of many a trained cultivator in that his skill in -garden practice is guided by a refined aesthetic sensibility, and his -appreciation of what is beautiful in nature is healthy, hearty, and -catholic. His record of the garden year as we have said, begins with -the earliest violet, and it follows the season through until the -witch-hazel is blossoming on the border of the wintry woods.... This -little book can not fail to give pleasure to all who take a genuine -interest in rural life."--_New York Tribune._ - - -_ASTRONOMY WITH AN OPERA-GLASS._ A Popular Introduction to the Study of -the Starry Heavens with the Simplest of Optical Instruments. By GARRETT -P. SERVISS. 8vo. Cloth, $1.50. - -This is a unique book, quite alone in the field that it occupies. The -call for a fourth edition within two years after its first publication -attests its popularity. As one of its reviewers has said, "It is the -most _human_ book on the subject of the stars." It would have supplied -Thomas Carlyle's want when he wrote, "Why did not somebody teach me the -stars and make me at home in the starry heavens?" Interest in the -geography of the heavens is increasing every year, as the discoveries -of astronomers with the giant telescopes of our day push back the -limits of the known universe, and this book is to those who read of -such discoveries like an atlas to the student of history. - -Some of the compliments that the book has received are these: - -"A most interesting and even fascinating book."--_Christian Union._ - -"The glimpses he allows to be seen of far-stretching vistas opening out -on every side of his modest course of observation help to fix the -attention of the negligent, and lighten the toil of the painstaking -student.... Mr. Serviss writes with freshness and vivacity."--_London -Saturday Review._ - -"We are glad to welcome this, the second edition, of a popular -introduction to the study of the heavens.... There could hardly be a -more pleasant road to astronomical knowledge than it affords.... A -child may understand the text, which reads more like a collection of -anecdotes than anything else, but this does not mar its scientific -value."--_Nature._ - -"Mr. Garrett P. Serviss's book, 'Astronomy with an Opera-Glass,' offers -us an admirable hand-book and guide in the cultivation of this noble -aesthetic discipline (the study of the stars)."--_New York Home -Journal._ - -"The book should belong to every family library."--_Boston Home -Journal._ - -"This book ought to make star-gazing popular."--_New York Herald._ - -"The author attributes much of the indifference of otherwise -well-informed persons regarding the wonders of the starry firmament to -the fact that telescopes are available to few, and that most people -have no idea of the possibilities of the more familiar instrument of -almost daily use whose powers he sets forth."--_New Orleans -Times-Democrat._ - -"By its aid thousands of people who have resigned themselves to the -ignorance in which they were left at school, by our wretched system of -teaching by the book only, will thank Mr. Serviss for the suggestions -he has so well carried out."--_New York Times._ - -"For amateur use this book is easily the best treatise on astronomy yet -published."--_Chicago Herald._ - -"'Astronomy with an Opera-Glass' fills a long-felt want."--_Albany -Journal._ - -"No intelligent reader of this book but will feel that if the author -fails to set his public star-gazing the fault is not his, for his style -is as winning, as graphic, and as clear as the delightful type in which -it is printed."--_Providence Journal._ - -"Mr. Serviss neither talks over the heads of his readers nor ignores -the sublime complexity and range of his themes, but unites simplicity -with scholarship, scientific precision with life-long enthusiasm, and a -genuine eloquence with rare touches of humor. Considered as a product -of the publishing industry, the book is elegance itself."--_The -Chautauquan._ - - -FICTION SERIES FOR YOUNG READERS. - -_A series of Stories elaborately illustrated, which includes_ - - - I. - -_CROWDED OUT O' CROFIELD._ By WILLIAM O. STODDARD. Illustrated by C. T. -HILL. - -How a plucky country boy made his way. One of the most successful of -this popular author's stories. - - - II. - -_KING TOM AND THE RUNAWAYS._ By LOUIS PENDLETON. Illustrated by E. W. -KEMBLE. - -The strange experiences of two boys in the forests and swamps of -Georgia. - - -III. - -_THE LOG SCHOOL-HOUSE ON THE COLUMBIA._ A Tale of the Pioneers of the -Great Northwest. By HEZEKIAH BUTTERWORTH, author of "Zigzag Journeys." -Illustrated. - -In a story romantic, exciting, and instructive as well, the author -introduces his readers to a new field which will prove to be one of -absorbing interest. - -Also stories by OCTAVE THANET, RICHARD MALCOLM JOHNSTON, and other -well-known authors, which will be published shortly. - -The series, bound in cloth, with specially designed uniform cover. Per -volume, $1.50. - - -FIRST VOLUME IN THE SERIES OF THE YOUNG HEROES OF OUR NAVY. - -_LITTLE JARVIS._ By MOLLY ELLIOT SEAWELL. Illustrated by J. O. DAVIDSON -and GEORGE WHARTON EDWARDS. The story of the heroic midshipman of the -frigate Constellation. The second of the _Youth's Companion_ prize -stories. Bound in cloth, with specially designed cover. 8vo. $1.00. - - -RECENT ISSUES IN APPLETONS' TOWN AND COUNTRY LIBRARY. - - -_THE NUGENTS OF CARRICONNA._ An Irish Story. By TIGHE HOPKINS. 12mo. -Paper, 50 cents; cloth, 75 cents. - -"An extremely racy Irish story, quite separated from everything that -savors of the present agitation in Ireland, and one of the best things -of the kind for several years."--_Springfield Republican._ - - -_A SENSITIVE PLANT._ A novel by E. AND D. GERARD, joint authors of -"Reata," "The Waters of Hercules," etc. 12mo. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, -75 cents. - -"An agreeable and amusing love-story, the scene of which is part of the -time in a coal-mining district in Scotland, and afterward in Venice, -and a prominent character in which is a shrinking girl whose -sensitiveness is suggestive of the little mimosa flower which gives -title to the book."--_Cincinnati Times-Star._ - - -_DONA LUZ._ By DON JUAN VALERA. Translated by Mrs. MARY J. SERRANO. -12mo. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.00. - -"A triumph of skillful execution as well as of profound conception of -modern Spanish character and social life. It is full of the best -traditions of Spanish thought, both sacred and secular, of Spanish -proverbial wisdom, and of the humor of Cervantes and other lights of -the past in the literature of Spain."--_Brooklyn Eagle._ - - -_PEPITA XIMENEZ._ By DON JUAN VALERA. Translated by Mrs. MARY J. -SERRANO. 12mo. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.00. - -"A very striking and powerful novel."--_Boston Transcript._ - -"'One of the jewels of literary Spain' is what a Spanish critic has -pronounced the most popular book of recent years in that language, Don -Juan Valera's novel 'Pepita Ximenez.'"--_The Nation._ - - -_THE PRIMES AND THEIR NEIGHBORS._ Ten Tales of Middle Georgia. By -RICHARD MALCOLM JOHNSTON, author of "Widow Guthrie." 12mo. Paper, 50 -cents; cloth, $1.25. - -"The best of Southern tales."--_Chicago Herald._ - -"The thorough excellence of Col. Johnston's work is well known. He was -among the first of the successful short-story writers of this country. -The steady increase in his fame is the best indication of the solid -appreciation of the reading public. This public will give the new -volume the same reception that made 'Widow Guthrie' one of the most -successful of recent novels."--_Baltimore American._ - - -_THE IRON GAME._ By HENRY F. KEENAN, author of "Trajan," "The Aliens," -etc. 12mo. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.00. - -"An entertaining romance which covers the time from just before the war -until soon after the peace. Six young people carry on their love-making -under countless difficulties, owing to two of them being on the wrong -side of the 'unpleasantness.' Of course, there are all sorts of -adventures, plots, misunderstandings, and wonderful escapes.... The -book is written in excellent taste."--_Pittsburgh Bulletin._ - - -_STORIES OF OLD NEW SPAIN._ By THOMAS A. JANVIER. 12mo. Paper, 50 -cents; cloth, $1.00. - -"The author does for the Mexicans much what Longfellow has done for the -Acadians."--_New York Commercial Advertiser._ - -"Mr. Janvier has evidently explored the ancient ruins and studied the -old church records thoroughly, and has drawn therefrom much hitherto -unused material."--_Cincinnati Times-Star._ - -"Another lot of those tales of Mexico, which their author, Thomas A. -Janvier, knows how to write with such skill and charm. Nine of the -stories are delightful, and nine is the number of stories in the -book."--_New York Sun._ - - -_THE MAID OF HONOR._ By the Hon. LEWIS WINGFIELD. 12mo. Paper, 50 -cents; cloth, 75 cents. - -"A story of France just before, during, and after the Reign of Terror. -There are not many novels in our language which portray rural -conditions in France in this troubled period, and this has a unique -interest for that reason."--_Chicago Times._ - -"A very graphic story of those troublous times which witnessed the -temporary triumphs of 'the people.'"--_Rochester Herald._ - -"It may safely be said that up to the last page ... the reader's -attention is not allowed to flag."--_London Athenaeum._ - - -_IN THE HEART OF THE STORM._ By MAXWELL GREY, author of "The Silence of -Dean Maitland." 12mo. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, 75 cents. - -"The plot is compact, deftly constructed, free from extravagances and -violent improbabilities, with a well-managed element of suspense -running nearly to the end, and strongly illustrative throughout of -English life and character. The book is likely to add materially to the -author's well-earned repute."--_Chicago Times._ - - -_CONSEQUENCES._ By EGERTON CASTLE. 12mo. Paper, 50 cents; cloth, $1.00. - -"It is a real pleasure to welcome a new novelist who shows both promise -and performance.... The work is distinguished by _verve_, by close and -wide observation of the ways and cities of many men, by touches of a -reflection which is neither shallow nor charged with the trappings and -suits of weightiness; and in many ways, not least in the striking end, -it is decidedly original."--_Saturday Review._ - - -_THE WHITE MOUNTAINS: A Guide to their Interpretation._ With a Map of -the Mountains and Ten Illustrations. By Rev. JULIUS H. WARD. 12mo. -Cloth, gilt top, $1.25. - -"Books descriptive of the White Mountains are too few. Any lover of the -Granite Hills will gladly welcome this valuable addition to White -Mountain literature, both for the pleasure he himself will derive from -its perusal, and for the good it will do in exciting an interest in the -minds of strangers. So far as we know, Mr. Ward's is only the sixth of -such books.... If we were to attempt to classify Mr. Ward's book, we -should place it along with that of Starr King, for its sympathetic -treatment of the subject. It seems to us, however, to occupy a place -not filled by any of them, and to share the merits of all. It is not a -guide-book, and yet its systematic arrangement and the intelligent -hints in its preliminary chapters give it a real value as a guide to -the tourist."--Rev. ITHAMAR W. BEARD, in _White Mountain Echo_. - -"Mr. Ward's aim has been something apart from the aims of these who -have gone before him. He has sought to write neither a guide-book nor -an itinerary. He aimed not at mere description, nor did he permit his -imagination alone to guide his pen. His was rather a sympathetic and -intelligent attempt to interpret for the contemplative mind the great -lessons which these impressive elevations are capable of imparting to -men.... Mr. Ward's sympathy with his subject is keen and alive. He -writes as one who loves Nature profoundly. The faith and devotion of -such students we are assured that she never betrays. His in truth is a -volume to carry along with one to the mountain and to open and read -anywhere. It is also a volume to read at home. Even those who have not -in years looked upon those glorious pageants of mountain-tops and -moving clouds will find it of great interest and of much practical -service in recalling their early impressions and suggesting new -ones."--_New York Times._ - -"The author of 'The White Mountains' is a mountain enthusiast -possessing keen poetic conception, the hardihood of a mountaineer, and -the especial knowledge of a mountain guide. He, therefore, thoroughly -covers his chosen field. Little or nothing is left to any future -gleaner; for he has studied this region in all its summer moods and -winter tenses, from North Conway to the retreat to Lonesome Lake, from -the great wall of the Glen to the heart of the wilderness, from little -Jackson Valley to wild-wooded Moosilauke, and the interest of the -author is soon communicated to the reader, so that he feels, if he has -once visited this region, that he must go again with this book in his -hand, to look with wider eyes and finer intelligence, to dream with -poets and think with sages."--_The New York Home Journal._ - -"The volume, although it covers familiar ground, is unique in its plan -and treatment, and opens up a new and wonderful source of enjoyment to -the lover of natural scenery. It humanizes Nature, or, rather, it -brings the single individual soul into communion with that vast and -universal soul which pervades the material universe."--_Boston -Transcript._ - -"Description of the perpetually changing mountain view (assisted by ten -good photogravures), and interpretation of it after the manner of the -poet and the believer in the Divine Immanence, are the two offices -which Mr. Ward has so successfully discharged that his volume will -become a classic on the White Mountains."--_Literary World._ - -"It furnishes a great deal of practical information which will be of -inestimable service."--_Boston Gazette._ - -"The book is replete with noble thoughts expressed in language of -exquisite beauty."--_New York Observer._ - -"The author is thoroughly in love with his subject and not less -thoroughly acquainted with it."--_New York Tribune._ - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Home Life on an Ostrich Farm, by Annie Martin - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM *** - -***** This file should be named 42767.txt or 42767.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/2/7/6/42767/ - -Produced by Chris Curnow and the Online Distributed -Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This file was -produced from images generously made available by The -Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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