ant pasture by the river side.

"Goot! Now led me see der pad mensch. Zo you haf put you Kaffir in you
wagon, and give him a pig ride."

"Yes; I thought he was going to die."

"Zo? Ah! zom beebles would haf left him oonter a dree, und zay do him:
`Mein vrient, you had petter make youself guite well as zoon as you gan.
I muss nicht shtop. Goot-bye.' But you did bring him in dem wagon,
hey?"

"Oh yes: I could not leave him."

"You are a goot poy, my young vrient. And how is der big bruder?"

"Quite well," said Dyke, looking uneasy as the big, frank-faced, fat,
German Boer questioned him.

"Why did he not gom too? I like den big bruder."

"Too busy minding the young ostriches."

"Ach zo! Of goorse. Ant you make blenty of money--you gut off der
vedders, and zend dem to der Gape?"

"Oh no. We're doing very badly: the young birds die so fast."

"Zo? Das ist sehr, very bad. You had petter zell mealie und gorn, und
dea und sugars. It ist mooch petters as neffer vas, and you not haf to
gom five, zigs, zeven days to me. Now let us zee den Kaffirs."

The old man had approached the back of the wagon as he spoke, and now
drew the canvas aside, to be greeted by a low growl which made him start
back.

"Tunder!" he cried. "Der Kaffir tog is gone mad!"

"No, no; that is our dog Duke."

"Ah! Und is he pad too?"

"Yes: a leopard came and seized him one night and carried him off from
under the wagon; but I ran out and fired, and I suppose I hit the beast,
for there was a lot of snarling and Duke got away; but I thought he
would have died."

"Ach! boor togs den. What you do to him?"

"Bathed the places with water."

"Goot!"

"And he licked the wounds himself."

"Besser."

"And curled himself up, and went to sleep."

"Das vas der best of all, mein young vrient. Aha! Goot tog, den. You
let me zee how you vas pad. I am your master's vrient; das ist zo."

He advanced his hand to where Duke lay just inside the canvas, and the
dog gave the skin on which he lay two thumps with his tail.

"Das ist goot," said the old German trader. "Ach! yaas; you haf been
pite on dem pack, und scratch, scratch along bofe your zides; boot you
are a prave tog, and zoon be guite well again."

Duke's tail performed quite a fantasia now, and he uttered a low whine
and licked at the great, fat, friendly hand which patted his head.

"Und now vere is der poy?"

"Get into the wagon," said Dyke; and the German climb