CHAPTEE VIII. 



BEEAKS-DOWN ON THE ROAD. 



Treck-tow Smashed Treachery For 'Hire Reinforcements On the Move at 

 Last Another Delay On the Road again A Long Three-miles Ride 

 Difficulties of Getting to the Game Hints Sunday Peace Mine Host 

 A Canny Scot Mr. Currie comes to Terms Our New Boy Everything 

 going right now The Driver's Villainy I give him a Thrashing Skim- 

 mel-pin Broken The Wagon seemingly a Wreck Vexation of Spirit 

 Morris starts to Buy a New Skimmel-pin Unloading the Wagon Boers to 

 the Rescue A Diplomatic Palaver Coffee and Rum The Boers' Family 

 Love More Soupje Help Purchased Out of Trouble. 



ALL about the comfortable, clean hotel was life and 

 bustle at an early hour, and morning broke bright and 

 promising. The cattle were placed in the yoke, the 

 whip cracked, and smash went the treck-tow ; but there 

 was a blacksmith's shop near, and in an hour the defect 

 was repaired. Again the whip produces its gun-like 

 report ; the driver shouts out " Treck" and smash again 

 goes the treck-tow. Well, this was annoying ; it would 

 probably cause the loss of another hour; but that cannot 

 be helped. 



Morris says nothing, but he looks unutterably dis- 

 gusted, and rides off to the hotel. I accompany the 

 chain to the blacksmith's to see it properly welded. 

 While waiting for this to be performed, I have the 

 pleasure of learning that the treck-tow must have been 

 tampered with. " Who could have been such a villain? " 

 " Well," replied my informant, "it is not likely that 

 this chain, which brought you up the Town Hill at 

 F 



