gh not many hours' ride or drive from the
busiest of Cape Colony towns. Before Dick Selmes had been in the house
two hours he had completely won the hearts of Mrs Simcox and the two
grown-up nice, plain, homely girls, but blessed with no particular
outward attractions; while Simcox himself pronounced him, when out of
his hearing, as nice a young fellow as he had ever run against. Before
he had been in the house two weeks he had shot many bush-bucks, and
other unconsidered trifles, and knew his way all about the place. He
took a vivid interest in everything, and imbibed veldt-craft with an
adaptability which surprised his host and Harley Greenoak. Likewise he
had learned what an astonishing number of things he could do without,
together with what an astonishing number of things he could do for
himself.

Just about that time they were seated out on the stoep one evening,
talking over a projected bush-buck hunt, when there arose a sudden and
terrific clamour from the dogs lying around the house. These sprang up,
and rushed, barking and growling furiously, towards the nearest bush
line.

"_Magtig_!" exclaimed Simcox. "Wonder if those infernal half-tame
elephants are going to give us a look round? The dogs are more than
ordinarily excited."

"Tame?" said Dick, inquiringly, as they stood up to gaze in the
direction of the hubbub.

"Well, they're just tame enough to be _schelm_ and do a heap of
mischief, otherwise they're wild enough. There are buffalo too, but
there is no tameness about them. They generally stick away in the
thicker thorns on the other side of the bush. Here, let's go over and
see what's up."

They got a gun apiece and set forth. The cause of the racket was soon
revealed, and it took the form of a badly-scared old Hottentot, who had
fortunately found a handy tree. The dogs were driven off, and even as
they took him to the house he told his story, and a tragical story it
was. A buffalo had killed Jan Bruintjes, the boy who brought the
mail-bags from the local post-office. The narrator and he were walking
along the road, when an enormous buffalo bull rushed out of the bush and
caught Jan on its horns, flung him into the air, and when he fell,
ripped and gored him again and again. Dead? Oh, he was so torn as to
be hardly recognisable. He himself had hidden, and then, when the beast
had gone, went back to look at his friend. Where did it happen? About
half an hour from the house, where t