UMGANETS DESIRE TO PLEASE. 107 



his work as before, but he was now his "Bass's boy." 

 What I took pleasure in he did : of his own accord he 

 looked after the pony and dogs ; and when once or twice I 

 went with him herding, he was the happiest lad alive. 

 The cattle he could do anything with but drive, for 

 he had never learned to do so ; but I doubt when 

 he took them out on the velt to feed whether they would 

 have left him. One day I went to him while herding: 

 I had my rifle on my arm. I explained that I wanted 

 to shoot something. He took me up a hill, very steep 

 and very stony, and signed to me to sit down. I did 

 so, and quietly smoked a pipe, while he disappeared. 

 Soon he came back, led me along a most intricate path, 

 making me stoop and bend as I advanced. Of course, I 

 expected it was one of the numerous hill antelopes he 

 was bringing me to ; but when I had looked over the 

 shelter we had reached, what did I discover but a troop 

 of baboons about seventy yards off, headed by a most 

 powerful patriarchal old fellow ! The boy was evidently 

 disappointed that I did not fire at them. 



This kind of monotonous work had gone on for 

 nearly a week, when one afternoon, two or three hours 

 from sunset, Umganey rushed to the wagon where I 

 had been lying down, and exclaimed, "Bass! Bass!" 

 pointing back to the road we had travelled in the 

 morning. He said something more which I did not 

 comprehend, but like a wild thing darted off in that 

 direction. I could not make him out, and commenced 

 to think that he was bereft of reason. In ten minutes 

 more I saw him approaching by the side of a cart, 

 his face illuminated with the broadest smile, and all 

 his splendid white teeth exposed. The conveyance 

 stopped, and out of it jumped who do you suppose ? 



