y whose name was written in the prayer-book.

Perhaps this lady was only a maiden aunt, but a great desire seized
Juanna to know about her; and when such a wish enters the heart of woman
it is probable that she will find a means to satisfy it. Having no one
else to ask, Juanna sounded Otter, with whom she was on friendly terms,
only to find that the subject of Jane Beach did not interest the dwarf.
He hazarded a remark, however, that doubtless she was one of the Baas's
wives when he lived in his big kraal over the water.

This disgusted Juanna somewhat, but the allusion to a "big kraal"
excited the curiosity, of which she had a certain share, and very
adroitly she questioned the dwarf concerning it. He rose to the fly
without hesitation, and told her that his master had been one of the
greatest men in the world, and one of the richest, but that he lost
his possessions through the wicked arts of foemen, and was come to this
country to seek new ones.

Indeed Otter enlarged upon the theme, and, anxious to extol his beloved
chief's worth in the eyes of the Shepherdess, it would not be too much
to say that he drew upon his own imagination. Leonard, he declared, had
owned country as wide as a horse could gallop across in a day; moreover,
he had two hundred tribesmen, heads of families, who fed upon oxen
killed for them--twenty oxen a week; and ten principal wives had called
him husband. Juanna asked for the titles of the wives, whereon the
undefeated Otter gave them all Kaffir names, not neglecting to describe
their lineage, personal charms, and the number and sex of their
children. The tale took about two hours to tell, and after hearing it
Juanna conceived a great respect for Otter, but she saw clearly that
if she wished for reliable information she must obtain it from Leonard
himself.

It was not till the last day of their journey that Juanna found the
opportunity she sought. The voyage had been most prosperous, and they
expected to reach the ruined Settlement on the morrow, though whether or
not they would find Mr. Rodd there was a matter of anxious conjecture,
especially to his daughter. Day after day they rowed and sailed up the
great river, camping at night upon its banks, which would have been
pleasant had it not been for the mosquitoes. But all this while Leonard
and Juanna saw little of each other, though they met often enough. On
this particular occasion, however, it chanced that they were journeying
in the sam