MY FELLOW-PASSENGERS. 461 



as the horses were pulled up, each, without a moment's 

 delay, ordered a glass of three-star French, a toss-off of 

 Geneva, or a soupje of Old Colony rum, otherwise " Cape 

 smoke." 



At the commencement of a stage they were in- 

 variably in low spirits, towards its termination, however 

 silent they had been for an hour or two, music would 

 recommence, finishing as the horses were pulled up with 

 the chorus already alluded to. 



Another of our passengers was a short, stout young 

 Englishman, with a don't-tread-on-my-corns air, a great 

 stickler for his rights, and a disliker of the fine arts in 

 general, and music in particular. A day or two before 

 leaving the Diamond-Fields he had committed matri- 

 mony. His wife, a fair Africander girl, was a perfect 

 contrast to the husband, good-tempered, affable, with an 

 extraordinary facility of looking at the bright side of 

 everything, and treating the numerous inconveniences 

 and mishaps as a very good joke. Then there was in- 

 side a very fat Boer with only one leg, which the rest 

 of the inmates were always begging him to take a little 

 paternal care of, as it invariably was getting in some- 

 body's way. Another, who would have egg beat up 

 in sherry whenever we halted, scarcely calls for notice ; 

 but I can't forget a blessed baby, whose lungs were so 

 powerful, although its body was small, that its voice 

 overtopped conversation even singing when it chose 

 to pipe up, and that was at least twenty-three out of 

 the twenty-four hours. I have heard it said that 

 troublesome babies invariably turn out great men, this 

 one, doubtless, has a brilliant future in store for it, and 

 when it achieves greatness, or has greatness thrust upon 

 it, I trust it will remember that I travelled with it on 



