from one wrist. There was silence as he moved through 

 the doorway, and when the square patch of sunlight 

 on the earth floor was again unbroken the man behind 

 the counter remarked, 



" Too long between drinks for him ! Gone for a 

 pull at the private bottle." 



" Is that how it's going ? " 



" Yah ! all day long. Drinks here as long as any 

 one'll call, but don't do much shoutin' on his own, I 

 tell you ! That's the first time I seen him call for a 

 week. He wanted to get you chaps on the go, I reckon. 

 He'll be wrong all day to-day. I know him ! " 



" Cost him two bob for nothing, eh ! " 



" Well, it ain't so much that ; ye see, he reckoned 

 you'd all shout your turns, and drinks 'd come regular ; 

 but he sees you're not on, Twig ? I'm not complainin' 

 mind you Lord no ! He don't pay any way ! It's 

 all ' chalked up ' for him, an' I got to wipe it off the slate 

 when the next loads comes and he collects my customs' 

 duties. His liquor's took him wrong to-day you'll 

 see ! " 



We did see ; and that before very long. We had 

 forgotten Seedling, and were hearing all about the new 

 finds reported from Barberton district, when one of the 

 waggon boys came running into the store calling to me 

 by my kaffir name and shouting excitedly, " Baas, 

 Baas ! come quickly ! The baboon has got Jock : 

 it will kill him ! " 



I had known all about the vicious brute, and had 

 often heard of Seedling's fiendish delight in arranging 

 fights or enticing dogs up to attack it for the pleasure 



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