106 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



for I do not like jokes when I am the victim I 

 pondered over my disappointment, and lit my pipe to 

 help me to think. At first I considered myself a very 

 ill-used man ; then that I had been grossly deceived ; 

 and before I left the table I asked myself the question, 

 Are sardines not fish ? 



After this it was treck, treck, treck. There was a 

 fine moon at night, so the oxen were three times yoked 

 in the twenty-four hours. I dare not complain ; for it 

 was come on or stop where you are. This extraordinary 

 hurry induced me to ask William the cause. " Pater 

 and Hendrick want to see their fro ws and kinderkins" 

 Men acting under such influences I knew it was 

 impossible to argue with, so I gave up the thought of 

 reasoning on the matter. I got so resigned to my fate, 

 that when I heard the Kaffirs woke up by the shout of 

 " Treck ! " I jumped out from underneath my warm 

 blankets, regardless of night air, cold, stones, or bushes. 

 I looked after the horse, Jim and Umganey helped 

 William with the cattle, and Imp, with his confounded 

 feusack and a jambock, hustled the dogs out from under 

 the wagon, and packed away any of the cooking utensils 

 that might lie about. 



These night marches were very cold, so, to keep 

 myself warm, I led the pony and walked on in front ; 

 for now that we were ascending to very high lands, the 

 lad Jim was constantly required at the brake. At 

 length the boy Umganey, who occasionally escaped fore- 

 loping when the track was well defined, would come and 

 relieve me of the halter. Hourly he became more useful 

 to me, and hourly I became more attached to him ; so 

 one day I gave him an old tweed coat, trousers, cap, and 

 a blanket. He was changed from that moment : he did 



