clerk. And, I say, Musgrave, old fellow, that
pony of yours has had quite his share of work of late, after Stoffel Van
Wyk's rhyboks. Why not take my horse to go down there on? He's a young
horse, but a good one, and he'll stand fire like an armchair, as you
know, though he does shy like a fool now and again at a _schuilpaat_
[Dutch. The small land tortoise common all over South Africa.] the size
of a snail."

"It's awfully good of you, Mr Van Stolz, but--"

"Tut, tut! What's a horse for, if not to be ridden? Any fellow knows
he can always have mine when I'm not using him, and I'm not often."

"Rather--why, you keep the whole township going in riding material."

"Ha! ha! I believe I do!" was the jolly reply. "Why, no less than
three fellows wanted to borrow Bles to-day, but I thought it might be as
well if you took him to go and have a shot at the Kaffirs, instead of
your own, Musgrave, so I let him have a rest to-day."

"Well, as a matter of fact, I shall be very glad to accept the offer,"
said Roden. "My pony is perhaps a little in want of a rest. Upon my
word, though, Mr Van Stolz, there may be more good-natured people in
the world than yourself, but with some experience of that orb I don't
believe there are."

"Pooh, pooh!" laughed the genial little man, not ill-pleased with such a
spontaneous outburst on the part of his self-contained, cynical, and
generally somewhat unpopular assistant. "Why, man, you'd do such a
trifle as that for me, wouldn't you?"

"Rather. But I'll be hanged if I would for the whole of Doppersdorp."

"Ha! ha! But poor old Doppersdorp isn't such a bad place. There are a
lot of people in it who are damn sweeps; but I can always pull with
everybody--even damn sweeps. When I'm on the Bench it's another thing.
I don't care for anybody then. But when you've got to be in a place,
Musgrave, you may as well make the best of it."

"And that I flatter myself I do. What with yourselves, Mr Van Stolz,
and the Suffields, and one or or two more, I am not particularly
discontented with the place."

"Ha! ha! And one or two more!" laughed the magistrate mischievously.
"What did the wife say when you first came up here, Musgrave? And
wasn't she right? Own up, now. When is it to come off?"

From anybody else this sort of chaff would have more than annoyed
Roden--indeed, hardly anybody else would have ventured upon it with him.
Coming from whom it did, he merely laughed, and said t