AN AGED CHIEF. 121 



transport department's proceedings. I was in the 

 nick of time, for, by all that's precious, the bullocks 

 were already nearly at a trot, and not a soul behind 



le waggon to put on the break. 

 With a few polite expressions of disapproval, 



>ssibly uttered in excited tones, I soon got the 

 break jammed hard down, and the skid under the 

 wheel. This suddenly caused a halt, but the treck- 

 tow was unequal to the jerk, so parted ; and the 

 oxen, delirious with excitement and thirst, possibly 

 tinctured with a feeling of pleasure at playing the 

 driver and voer-loper a trick, did not halt till 

 they were standing belly deep in the fountain, 

 gulping down its refreshing pellucid contents. The 

 gradient was so steep that no oxen were required 

 for the waggon to accomplish its journey. When 

 the breaks were taken off, it made the descent 

 without further assistance than its own gravity. 

 But such a job as this has to be carefully performed, 

 for if duffers, on whom all the duty of guiding 

 depends, are placed at the dissel-boom (pole), there 

 is no saying what disaster might happen. I have 

 known, in similar instances, or, perhaps, worse ones 

 than this, for it to become necessary to fasten the 

 treck-tow to the after axle, and thus put a check upon 

 the waggon literally trying to run away from you. 



While discussing the propriety of remaining 

 where we were that night, a very old native, who 

 turned out to be chief of the adjoining station, paid 



