THERE was no hunting for several days after the 

 affair with the koodoo cow. Jock looked worse 

 the following day than he had done since recover- 

 ing consciousness : his head and neck swelled up 

 so that chewing was impossible and he could only 

 lap a little soup or milk, and could hardly bend 

 his neck at all. 



On the morning of the second day Jim Makokel' 

 came up with his hostile-looking swagger and a cross 

 worried look on his face, and in a half-angry and 

 wholly disgusted tone jerked out at me, " The dog is 

 deaf. I say so ! Me ! Makokela ! Jock is deaf. 

 He does not hear when you speak. Deaf ! yes, 

 deaf ! " 



Jim's tone grew fiercer as he warmed up ; he seemed 

 to hold me responsible. The moment the boy spoke 

 I knew it was true it was the only possible explana- 

 tion of many little things ; nevertheless I jumped up 

 hurriedly to try him in a dozen ways, hoping to find 

 that he could hear something. Jim was right ; he 

 was really stone deaf. It was pathetic to find how 

 each little subterfuge that drew his eyes from me left 



333 



