HOW WE FARED. 235 



specimens to England, where, on examination by an 

 authority on entomology, they all proved to be desti- 

 tute of stings. 



You never get a bad cup of coffee in South Africa. 

 That unholy ingredient, chicory, with which people in 

 England persist in making their coffee undrinkable, is 

 never used, and all, even on the roughest of farms, 

 seem to understand the secret of preparing good coffee, 

 which, after all, needs but the observance of a very 

 simple rule ; i.e., never to roast or grind more at a time 

 than is required for immediate use. The Dutch vrouw's 

 coffee would be perfection if she would only refrain 

 from making it the medium by which to express the 

 depth of her kindly feelings towards her guests, and 

 turning it to a sickly syrup by adding sugar in the 

 proportion of Falstaff's " intolerable deal of sack." 

 And Phillis, however hopelessly ignorant she may be 

 on all other points of cookery, prepares the huge bowl 

 of caf^ au lait, which, in accordance with colonial 

 custom, she brings to your bedside in the early morn- 

 ing, in a manner which partially atones for her multi- 

 tude of sins. 



Yet people at home do not seem to realize that 



coffee, if kept even for a little time after it is roasted, 



and — worse still — after it is ground, completely loses 



its flavour. As a rule they buy it ready ground, in 



large quantities, and keep it for weeks in the house ; 



and under such circumstances it is no wonder that 



even in the best hotels the coffee is not fit to drink, 



and that too often, but for the only flavour left in it 

 16 



