CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 



PORT ELIZABETH AND WALMER. PAGE 



Early ambitions realized Voyage to South Africa Cape Town and 

 Wynberg Profusion of flowers Port Elizabeth Christmas 

 decorations Public library Malays Walmer Hottentot 

 huts Our little house Pretty gardens Honey-suckers 

 Flowers of Walmer Common Wax-creeper Ixias Scarlet 

 heath Natal lilies " Upholstery flower " Ticks Commence 

 ostrich -farming Counting the birds A ride after an ostrich 9 



CHAPTER II. 



SOME OF OUR PETS. 



Friendliness of South African birds and beasts Our secretary bird 

 Ungainly appearance of Jacob His queer ways Tragic fate 

 of a kitten A persecuted fowl Our Dikkops A baby buffalo 

 Wounded buffalo more dangerous than lion A lucky stumble 

 Hunter attacked by "rogue" buffalo A midnight ride 

 Followed by a lion Toto A pugnacious goose South African 

 climate dangerous to imported dogs Toto and the crows 

 Animals offered by Moors in exchange for Toto 25 



CHAPTER III. 



PLANTS OF THE KARROO. 



We move up-country Situation of farm Strange vegetation of 

 Karroo district Karroo plant Fei-bosch Brack-bosch Our 

 flowers Spekboom Bitter aloes Thorny plants IVacht-een- 

 Beetje Ostriches killed by prickly pear Finger-poll Wild 

 tobacco fatal to ostriches Carelessness of colonists Euphor- 

 bias Candle-bush ... ... ... ... 46 



CHAPTER IV. 



OUR LITTLE HOME. 



Building operations A plucking Ugliness of Cape houses Our 

 rooms Fountain in sitting-room a failure Drowned pets 

 Decoration of rooms Colonist must be Jack-of-all-trades 

 Cape waggons Shooting expeditions Strange tale told by 

 Boer . 61 



