I02 A Breath from the Veldt 



leaving for a hunt in the " Roi Rant." He has just returned, saying that every 

 waggon is being turned back in front, owing to trouble with the Basuto chief 

 " Magato," who occupies a stronghold at the point of the Zoutpansberg 

 beneath which all have to pass ; but I strongly suspect that this is only a 

 device of Mr. Hert to induce me to turn back and go to the Roi Rant. I 

 openly taxed him with it, raising a laugh at his expense. 



Little Cornellis still makes a point of paying me a visit at the mid-day 

 outspan, generally bringing with him some dead creature, more or less 

 decomposed, which he hugs affectionately under his arm ; he is also generally 

 accompanied by a nondescript terrier of questionable respectability. He is 

 after that condensed milk of mine again, and works so hard for it by telling me 

 long yarns of which I hardly understand a word, that I rarely refuse him his 

 customary treat. The birds hanging on my waggon, for culinary or scientific 

 purposes, are a never-ending source of delight to him, and it is not easy to keep 

 them out of his reach when his heart is set on any addition to his imaginary 

 span of oxen. As he has now a large biscuit-tin for a waggon, and tows it 

 about with unholy shrieks, I am obliged in self-defence to give him something 

 to play with ; so I hand him over a khoorhan to represent an after-ox in his 

 team, after which he sits quietly on his waggon, whip in hand, and, calling it 

 " Englishman," proceeds to thrash it till there are no feathers left. 



Prince has now learnt to bake fairly well, and uses ant-heaps as his ovens. 

 I give a sketch of him employed in building one of these natural bakeries. 



I gave Gentleman a pair of boots to-day, as he said his feet were so sore 

 with sand-cracks he could not walk. His pride in his recent acquisition is 

 most remarkable and interesting, and his elation is so great that, considering 

 them too valuable to be placed on the portion of his body for which they 

 were originally intended, he wears them in the curious manner shown in my 

 sketch (see p. 71). 



I now see that this was rather foolish on my part, for since my gift to 

 Gentleman I notice that both Office and Pompoon are afflicted with a slight 

 limp, which on the near approach of myself amounts to positive lameness. As, 

 however, neither of them has yet made any complaint and we are not travelling 

 through thorn bush, I shall wait a few days and see how symptoms develop. 



It is quite true about there being a row in front. Magato has been 

 bullying his next-door neighbours, who are said to be weak, inoffensive people, 

 and the Dutch commandant of the district is going his rounds enrolling a;ll 

 the young Dutchmen he can collar to make up a force and put things right ; 



