And he winked at the others as at first.

"Haven't they?" responded Colvin Kershaw, with a tranquil smile. "No,
especially when you tell them some yarn about the _spoek_ that comes out
of the waggon-house at night and yells."

They laughed somewhat foolishly at this, the point being that Boer
children, filled up as they are with all sorts of Hottentot stories,
weird and grotesque, are no more intrepid under the circumstances named
than would be other children.

The above conversation, however, was significant of two things. One was
the high-pitched tension to which racial feeling had attained among the
northern border Dutch. It bristled with sly digs, and open ones too, at
the English. They could no more keep such out of their conversation
than could Mr Dick keep King Charles's head out of his classic
memorial. The second was the exceedingly friendly terms upon which this
one Englishman, alone in their midst, stood towards them. Had it been
otherwise, while they would have refrained from intentionally saying
anything that might have been offensive to their fellow-guest, and one
held in so much esteem by the people under whose roof they found
themselves, they would have sat taciturn and constrained, confining the
conversation for the most part to heavy monosyllables. And as
emphasising these two points it is worthy of record.

Now the talkers began to break up, some, however, remaining rooted to
their chairs, talking out the situation with increasing vehemence.
Others went out to see after their horses, while others again had
convened music in the other room. The Boer, as a rule, is fond of
music, even if it takes no more aspiring form than the homely strains of
a concertina; and whereas both the De la Rey girls could play, and one
could sing, fairly, well, their audience listened with a whole-hearted
appreciation not always to be found under like circumstances in the
drawing-rooms of the fashionable and of the would-be artistic. Colvin
Kershaw likewise was in great request, for he had a smattering of ear
knowledge which enabled him to rattle off snatches from most of the
comic operas of the day, and these were hugely in favour with his
somewhat primitive hearers. He could, too, on occasions, as when
performing for the benefit of some old-fashioned and highly orthodox old
"Tanta" who deemed all secular music an invention of Satan for the
snaring of souls, turn such and similar lively strains, by an alterat