sorry for the long nigger and was going to interfere 

 and save him, but just then one of his pals called out 

 to their gang to come along and help, and ran for his 

 sticks. It was rare fun then. Jim dropped the 

 patched fellow and went like a charging lion straight 

 for the waggons where the gang were swarming for 

 their sticks, letting out right and left whenever he 

 saw a nigger, whether they wanted to fight or not ; 

 and in about five seconds the whole lot were heading 

 for the bush with Jim in full chase. 



" Goodness knows what the row was about. As far 

 as I can make out from your heathen, it is because the 

 other boy is a Shangaan and reads the Bible. Jim says 

 this boy Sam is his name worked for you and ran 

 away. Sam says it is not true, and that he never even 

 heard of you, and that Jim is a stranger to him. There's 

 something wrong in this, though, because when the 

 row began, Sam first tried to pacify your lunatic, 

 and I heard him sing out in answer to the first 

 few licks, ' Kahle, Umganaam ; Kahle, Makokel' ! ' 

 (Gently, friend ; gently, Makokel'.) ' Wow, Mako- 

 kela, y' ou bulala mena ! ' (Wow, Makokela, you 

 will kill me.) He knew Jim right enough ; that was 

 evident. But it didn't help him ; he had to skip for 

 it all the same. I was glad to pay the noble Jim off and 

 drop him at his kraal. Sam was laid up when we left." 



It is better to skip the change from the old life to 

 the new- when the luck, as we called it, was all out, 

 when each straw seemed the last for the camel's break- 

 ing back, and there was always still another to come. 

 But the turn came at last, and the ' long arm of 



451 



