182 THE GREAT THIRST LAND. 



doubt that I had been given the slip, and thus lost the 

 last of my Pieter-Maritzburg servants. 



I could not help thinking that Jacob and Umganey 

 had connived at the scoundrel's departure, so I consti- 

 tuted myself into a court of inquiry, and cross-questioned 

 them on the subject ; for I considered that if they 

 had known the runaway's intentions, they owed me a 

 duty, as faithful employes, to inform me of the matter. 

 Jacob earnestly denied any knowledge of the affair, 

 and said that he and Umganey had left Jim by the fire 

 when the}'- had gone under the wagon to sleep, and that 

 he had not seen him afterwards. Jacob, acting as in- 

 terpreter to Umganey, reiterated this statement, so I 

 was bound to believe that they spoke the truth. 



At least half a dozen servants now had thus left me, 

 and in the most unexpected manner, so who could I 

 rely on? Umganey was the only one left who had 

 come from Natal, and why should I trust him more 

 than the others ? To all I had behaved equally kindly, 

 yet without a word of warning when, too, their ser- 

 vices were so necessary to me they had stolen away. 

 Jacob being only lent me, I now possessed but one 

 attendant, and at any moment I might be without him. 



Thinking thus, I made a speech to Umganey through 

 Jacob : I told him that if he did not like me, if he was 

 tired of his work, if he had a desire to leave, he had 

 better tell me, and do so openly. To this Umganey 

 protested, vowing he would go with me anywhere and 

 everywhere. I could not help feeling doubtful of the 

 truth and sincerity of what he said, reminding him 

 that Master Jim had spoken in the same strain. 



With a quiet earnestness that was so forcible as to 

 astonish me, Umganey simply said, " Jim Kaffir, not 



