ttention to cutting off the young ones."

Dick fired at one of the old birds, but missed; Mr Harvey brought one
to the ground. The young ostriches, which were but a few weeks old,
soon began to tail off in the race, and after ten minutes' riding Mr
Harvey and Dick had the satisfaction of getting ahead of them and
turning them. A little more driving brought the frightened creatures to
a standstill, and most of them dropped in a squatting position to the
ground, huddled together like frightened chickens. They were sixteen in
number, but one which had fallen and broken its leg was at once shot.
The legs of the young ostrich are extremely brittle, and one of the
troubles of the farmers who rear them is that they so frequently break
their bones and have to be killed.

Blacking was sent off at his best speed to overtake the caravan and
bring back a dozen men with him. The ostriches which had been lassoed
had been at once killed by the hunters, and the feathers of the five
killed by them and of that shot by Mr Harvey were pulled out. Three
out of the six were in splendid plumage.

"How much are each of those feathers worth?" Dick asked.

"Those fine white ones will fetch from 1 pound to 1 pound 5 shillings
apiece out here--some as high as 30 shillings. A perfect ostrich
feather, fit for a court-plume, will sell in England for 3 pounds to 5
pounds. The small, dark-coloured feathers are worth from sixpence to
one shilling apiece."

The young birds, after their wings had been tied to their sides, were
lifted and carried away, Dick being unable to help laughing at their
long legs sticking out in front of the bearers, and at their long necks
and beaks, with which from time to time they inflicted sharp pecks on
the men who were carrying them.

When the caravan was overtaken, the birds were placed in a waggon, and
in the evening were liberated inside the laager formed by the waggons.
Some grain was thrown to them, and they soon began to pick this up.
After this their expression was rather one of curiosity than fear, and
they exhibited no alarm whatever when Dick, scattering some more corn,
came in and moved quietly among them. For the first few days they were
carried in a waggon, but at the end of that time they were completely
domesticated. After the camp was formed they walked about, like
barn-door fowls, picking up any scraps of food that were thrown to them,
and indeed getting so bold as sometimes to attempt to sn