HOW WE FARED. 207 



SO Irish an expression, in the Karroo these abominations 

 are all green, and — gorgeous as Brazilian beetles — flash 

 like great emeralds in the sunshine. 



Phillis, of course, cannot be trusted to go alone to 

 that open-air larder, for slie will invariably leave the 

 bag unfastened, even if by her rough handling she does 

 not tear a yawning rent in its side. In the house too, 

 she does her utmost to further the evil designs of the 

 flies, and, if she uses the meat-safe at all, makes a 

 point of leaving it wide open till a host of "green- 

 bottles" has collected inside ; when she closes it, leaving 

 them in blissful possession of their prize. 



And oh, the house-flies ! Truly the plague of flies 

 is in every Karroo home ; and, next to the servants, it 

 is the greatest bane of farm life. And what flies they 

 are ! Their brethren in other parts of the world, 

 though obnoxious enough, can almost by comparison 

 be called well-behaved. For, except when eatables are 

 about, they do seem to have some idea of keeping to 

 themselves and minding their own business ; which 

 latter usually consists in dancing — in the air, and 

 always in the very centre of the room— a kind of 

 quadrille of many intricate figures, the accurate per- 

 formance of which, holding them completely engrossed, 

 keeps them, for a time at least, out of mischief. But 

 the South African fly has no such resources of his own 

 to keep him amused ; consequently he devotes all his 

 energy and the whole of his time to one object— that of 

 making life a burden to the unfortunate human beino-s 

 on whom he has chosen to quarter himself. Not 



