292 AFRICAN ADVENTURE STORIES 



stones for the foundation of the house, while 

 my brother and I, with the stone-boat and a 

 span of oxen, hauled the stones from a cliff a 

 half mile away. 



"We had made four trips that day and were 

 well tired out, for it was no easy task prying 

 up the heavy stones and rolling them down to 

 where the boat stood at the edge of the veldt. 

 The sun had been beating down upon us as 

 only a tropical sun can shine, and the perspira- 

 tion soaked our clothes and caught the rising 

 dust and dirt, so that when the afternoon was 

 over we were two tired and grimy boys. We 

 had been trying hard to take out another full 

 load of stones before dark, but I soon saw it 

 would be impossible. 



"As my brother, who was not very strong, 

 appeared somewhat overcome by the heat and 

 the hard work, I told him that he might return 

 to the tent our temporary home and I would 

 put the half load on the stone-boat and follow. 



"By the time I had finished loading the boat 

 Jim had disappeared, and I started for the 

 oxen, grazing on the veldt several hundred yards 

 away. I yoked them up to the boat just as the 

 sun went down behind the hills and, with a 



