THE SERVAL CAT 



him I would " break his neck " if he didn't find her. 

 Of course I didn't mean it, but he evidently thought 

 I did, for he disappeared. I learned on inquiry 

 he had taken his blanket, sleeping mat, tin billy, 

 and some mealie meal and salt, and had gone off. 

 Thinking he had deserted, as is so usual with 

 Kafirs, I thought no more about him. Two days 

 later he turned up, leading my beloved cat by a 

 chain. With a proud smile, which showed his 

 gleaming white teeth to perfection, the Zulu said 

 that for two days he wandered through the forest 

 calling aloud the cat's name. Dispirited and sad 

 he sat down by a stream and solaced himself with 

 snuff. Rising once again he made the forest ring 

 with " Foxey," and to his delight the object of 

 his search bounded from some adjacent reeds and 

 showed her joy in the most extravagant leaps, 

 rollings, and purrings. On sighting me she sprang 

 forward, jerking the chain from the Kafir's grasp, 

 and nearly scrubbed holes in my trousers, so hard 

 and so persistently did she rub her head in charac- 

 teristic cat fashion against my legs. 



Foxey conceived a great affection for the kitten 

 of a domestic cat. It seemed the little mite was 

 left an orphan at an early age, owing to its mother 

 being bitten by a venomous snake, and perishing 

 miserably. The little creature would mew and 

 scrub its nose and body against the fine wire mesh 

 of the Serval's cage. The latter at first made 

 rather frantic efforts to get at the kitten, and it 



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