y
were only visited by a flight of large moths, and some laughing hyenas,
that by their harsh cachinations seemed to mock them in their misery.

They were in a district of country from which the most noble of its
denizens seemed to have been driven, and the most despicable only
remained. When morning dawned they again climbed into their saddles and
continued on towards the kraal of the boer.

When, as they supposed, within about five miles of the house, they met
two strange horsemen coming in the opposite direction.

"Goot morgen, shentlemens!" saluted one of the strangers as they drew
near. "I'm glat to meet some ones coming your ways. Hash you seen
anything of our horses?"

"Do you mean those you are now riding?" asked Hendrik.

"No, not these, but five other horses,--no, three horses and two
mares,--all mitout either sattles or pridles; one red horse mit one eye
and a white poot on the left behind leg, one mare mit a star on the
front of his head, und--"

"No," interrupted Hendrik, "we have been out since yesterday morning,
but have seen no stray horses of any description; not a horse except
those we are riding ourselves."

"Then we need not look in the direction you have been," said the other
horseman, who spoke English with a proper accent. "Will you please tell
us whence you have come?"

Hendrik gave them a brief history of their course during the last
twenty-four hours; and, in doing so, mentioned the object of their
expedition,--the search after the giraffes.

"If that's what you've been after," said the man who spoke proper
English, "perhaps we can assist you a little. From what you tell me, I
presume you must have been staying at the kraal of Mynheer Van Ormon.
Yesterday morning we were looking for our horses about ten miles south
of his place, when we saw two giraffes, the first I had ever seen in my
life. We were badly mounted, and unprepared for hunting anything except
our strayed horses, else we should have given chase."

"Ten miles to the south of the kraal!" exclaimed Willem, "and we seeking
for them twenty to the north. What fools we have been. What were the
giraffes doing?" he asked earnestly, turning towards the man who had one
more awakened within him the sweet sentiment of hope. "Were they
grazing or going on?"

"They were travelling southward at a gentle trot, but increased their
speed on seeing us. We were not within a quarter of a mile of them."

Our adventurers were too