228 Among Men and Horses. 



proceed home, got into the cart and drove off. He had gone 

 only a little way, when to his surprise, he saw the loose horse 

 range itself in front of the harnessed one, and act as if it was 

 in tandem. It quickened its pace, ' slowed down,' turned or 

 pulled up in exact accordance with the wheeler. Sample 

 kept the knowledge of this incident to himself; bought the 

 horse; and, by its means, acquired a reputation for skill 

 in breaking to harness, even exceeding that of Rockwell, 

 who, sad to relate, went down with his entire circus and 

 troupe in a steamer which foundered at sea. 



In place of Dalston, I took with me to Craddock a light- 

 weight lad who had been riding horses at exercise for 

 one of the local trainers. He, like the majority of other 

 Africanders or ' Cape boys/ was a sort of Anglo-Hottentot- 

 Dutchman. As he knew the country and could speak 

 English and Dutch, I hoped he would be useful. While I 

 was holding my first class at Craddock, I broke in a very 

 bad buckjumper, and having fixed him up with a saddle on 

 his back in such a manner that he could not buck, I told my 

 cafe au lait friend to mount, while I held the horse. My 

 nominal assistant begged to be excused, as he did not want 

 to have his neck broken. Not wishing to argue out the 

 subject before my pupils, I turned to a group of Kafir boys 

 who were standing by and offered los. to anyone who would 

 get on the horse. Hardly were the words out of my 

 mouth, before a tall, strapping Basuto with a pleasant, ugly 

 face, which reminded me of that of a favourite bull dog I 

 once owned, strode up to me and said with a cheery smile 

 and a light-hearted toss of his head, ' Baas ! I'll ride him.' 

 Pocketing the half-sovereign I gave him, he threw his long 

 legs across the animal and immensely enjoyed the futile 

 efforts it made to break loose from my grasp. When, after 

 about ten minutes, it had * given in,' I unfixed it, and gave 

 the reins to October (that was the Basuto's name), who rode 

 the animal quietly about the ring. These half-civilised 

 Kafirs, I may remark, are great users of second-hand clothing, 



