TWO CURIOSITIES.' 205 



and with such a variety of materials, that very little 

 indeed of the original garment was left. On his 

 shoulders he carried a frying-pan, nicely balanced by 

 a tin beaker attached to the far end of its handle. 

 In his mouth was stuck a short pipe, out of which 

 he was taking, in colonial parlance, a dry smoke 

 that is, it was alike destitute of fire or tobacco. The 

 man of doubtful nationality was better dressed, for 

 moleskin was the material he wore, and even African 

 thorns have not the power of rending this all-resist- 

 ing fabric. Across one shoulder he had slung a 

 blanket, over the other about a quarter of a bag of 

 mealy meal. Both were without socks or stockings, 

 their feet being solely protected by most dilapidated 

 veldt schoon. 



Neither looked as if they had been acquainted 

 with soap and water for a month of Sundays, while 

 the dust that they had raised lay so thick upon 

 them that without difficulty you could have made 

 an admirable map upon their backs, or indited their 

 names, with perfect legibility. 



" Good day, friends ; where bound ? " was my 

 salutation. 



" Diamon' Fields," answered Pat. 



" You have a long road before you, four hundred 

 miles, if it's an inch," I responded. 



" And what's a hundred miles more or less to the 

 likes of us, begorra ? This is a free country, and 

 devil a toll to pay," was the answer I received. 



