his side, and speaking
in the Zulu language, questioned him as to his early recollections, when
his answers fully confirmed the account given by Mangaleesu.

"Do you wish to return to your white friends?" asked Hendricks.

The boy's countenance brightened. "I am fond of the chief and Kalinda,
but I should greatly like to see the white lady who often used to talk
to me, and whom I called mother, and a man with hair like mine, who
sometimes carried me on his back or in his arms, and let me ride on his
knee. Then there was the black woman, but I shall never see her, for I
remember well how the Zulus pierced her with their assegais. She fell
into the river and was swept away, while one of the warriors carried me
off."

"We will try and find your parents if they are still alive, and until
they are found I will be a father to you," said Hendricks. "Will you
trust me?"

"Indeed I will, for I like your face," answered the boy frankly.

"I suspect the little fellow is the child of some Dutch boers,
slaughtered by the Zulus, while travelling in search of a location,"
observed Hendricks to his guest. "So many of the unfortunate settlers
have thus lost their lives, that it is very improbable I shall ever
discover to whom he belongs. If not, I will adopt him as my son, as he
seems to have been committed to my charge by Providence."

Meantime Mr Maloney's waggon had arrived, and had been drawn up close
to that of his friend, in such a position that in case of necessity it
might serve to afford additional strength to the camp. Their respective
Kaffir and Hottentot servants had assembled round a large fire a little
distance off, the necessary guards only remaining to watch the cattle.

As the night was drawing on, and young Denis looked very sleepy, his
father ordered him off to his berth in the waggon, which, though pretty
well loaded with goods for traffic, had space enough for a couple of
sleeping-places.

The lad got up, and wishing his father and Hendricks "good-night,"
sauntered away to the waggon, while the hunters remained seated near the
fire, discussing their plans for the future. The Irishman intended to
push forward through Zululand to a region some distance to the
northward, where elephants, rhinoceroses, and hippopotami abounded, so
that he might obtain a supply of ivory as well as of skins and any other
valuable products of the country which he might discover.

Hendricks proposed, after remaining at Mar