nonsensical--and to
Boer susceptibilities offensive--quatrain. But a very hard right- and
lefthander meets him, and that in each eye, causing him to stagger back.
Frank, however, has not come off unscathed, for the big Boer's fist has
more than grazed his cheekbone. The others crowd up behind their
champion, renewing their shouts of encouragement.

"Come on, come on! I'll take the bally lot of you, when I've polished
off that elephant there," shouts Frank in English, waltzing towards the
group, his hands up and ready.

"No, you jolly well won't, Frank," cuts in another English voice, whose
owner tranquilly steps in between the combatants. "Come now, stop
making a fool of yourself, of all yourselves."

"I shan't. Get out of this, Colvin, and--mind your own business,"
retorted Frank, speaking none too articulately. "Old elephant Hermanus
said he could make rooineks run. I want him to make this _rooinek_
run--if he can."

"He insulted the President," shouted the Boers. "_Ja_, he sang an
insulting song."

"Now, Frank, you know you did, for I heard you while I was getting ready
to inspan," said Colvin Kershaw in his most persuasive tones. "And look
here, old chap, fair-play you know is fair-play. If one of them had
sung such stuff as that about the Queen--rotten, contemptible stuff as
it is--how long would it be before you sailed into him?"

"Not one bally second," replied Frank briskly.

"Well, then--you've trodden on these chaps' corns pretty hard, and you
might as well tell them you were only larking."

The speaker was on tenterhooks, for he knew by experience what a
difficult customer Frank Wenlock was to manage on the few occasions when
he had had a drop too much. The chances that he would become
obstreperous and provoke a general row or not were about even. But
either the moral influence of his mentor was paramount, or some glimmer
of the logical faculty had worked its way into Frank's thoughtless but
good-natured mind, and he was amenable.

"_Toen, kerelen_, I didn't mean anything," he called out in Dutch; "I
was only larking. Let's have another drink all-round."

"No, you don't, Frank," said Colvin quickly and in an undertone.
"You've quite enough of that cargo on board already."

By this time the horses were inspanned, and the two went among the group
of Boers to bid farewell. Some put out a paw with more than half a
scowl on their faces, others turned into the house to avoid the
necessi