A Breath from the Veldt 



71 



infrequent, but his dirty little face wears always the same good-natured smile, 

 whether he is knocking the stuffing out of " Englishman," ^ the big hindmost 

 ox, or adding a little sand to Office's carefully prepared mealies. Though 

 extremely dirty in his personal habits, he carefully abstains from eating out of 

 the same pot as the Shangans. When dinner is ready, he bears away on a plate 

 as much as he wants for himself, and 

 then with an air of condescension 

 leaves the rest to his humbler asso- 

 ciates. 



Office and Gentleman are fine 

 specimens of the ordinary Coast 

 Shangan from Delagoa Bay — great, 

 strong, hulking fellows, good-natured 

 and dirty, with a trick of assuming 

 a good deal more stupidity than 

 really belongs to them. Their con- 

 duct during the eight months we 

 were together was beyond reproach ; 

 and, barring a few little peccadilloes 

 on the part of Prince, who joined 

 our party later on, the same may be 

 said of all my companions on this 

 trip. Any one who has travelled in 

 South Africa will know how hard it 

 is to find first-rate boys for an expe- 

 dition like this, and will think, per- 

 haps, that I struck a race of paragons ; but my good fortune was really due to 

 the Lansbergs' intimate knowledge of the " darkie " character and their tact in 

 dealing with the natives. The boys did not like Teenie so much as they 

 feared him, which was far better for them as well as us, as every one will 

 understand who has had any experience with the native races. For, kindness 

 of the wishy-washy sort, and most of all the " dusky brethren " business that 

 we hear so much of at mission teas, though all very well in the abstract, will 

 not bear too strict a translation into practice. Give a Kaffir justice, sternness, 

 and a full stomach, and he will work well and respect you into the bargain ; 



SHOWING THE REMARKABLE MANNER IN WHICH "GENTLEMAN " 

 WEARS THE BOOTS I GAVE HIM 



1 This is the name always given by the Boers to a heavy, good-for-nothing lazy ox ; conveying in a word, 

 I suppose, their ideal of the English character. 



