two of
which displayed a great eagerness to have first sit upon the nestful,
and needing to be kept off until all were ready.

Then began a severe quarrel, and a good deal of pecking before the
youngest and strongest succeeded in mounting upon the nest, shuffling
the eggs about so as to get them more in accordance with her own idea of
the fitness of things, and then, when all were in order, she settled
down with her plumage regularly covering up the eggs, while the other
birds now looked on.

"Do you double up your perambulators?" said Dyke mockingly. "Yes,
madam, I see you do; but pray don't put a toe through either of the
shells."

The hen uttered a strangely soft clucking kind of noise, as if in reply,
and there was a peculiar look of satisfaction about the huge tame
creature as she covered the gigantic clutch.

"So they are," said Dyke--"something like eggs, aren't they?--I say,
look at the others," he continued, as they stalked off to go apparently
to discuss the new arrivals with the cock bird over at the other side of
the enclosure.

"There," said Emson, "you can have these addled eggs cleaned out, Dyke,
and we'll make chunking cups of them. When shall we fetch the other
lot? This evening?"

"If you like."

"No; we'll leave it till to-morrow, and give the nags a rest."

CHAPTER SIX.

LIONS AT HOME.

Fortune smiled her brightest upon Joseph Emson when they first came up
the country, travelling for months in their wagon, till Kopfontein, with
its never-failing spring in the granite chasm, was settled upon as being
a capital place to carry out the idea of the ostrich-farm. Then the
rough house was run up, and in course of time pens and other enclosures
made, and by very slow degrees stocked with the gigantic birds,
principally by help of Kaffir servants; Jack showing himself to be very
clever in finding nests of eggs, but afterwards proving lazy and
indifferent, excusing himself on the plea that "Baas got all eggs. No
more. All gone."

It seemed to be a capital idea, and promised plenty of success, for at
first the feathers they obtained from the Kaffirs sold well, making
capital prices when sent down to Cape Town. Then the supply from the
native hunters began to fail; and when at last the young farmers had
plumes to sell of their own raising, prices had gone down terribly, and
Emson saw plainly enough that he was losing by his venture.

Then he began to lose his birds by accident, by th