ng of
Almighty God on this our undertaking, Again the sweet childish trebles
rose into the sunshine in a chanted Amen, and then there were salutes
from cannon, feux-de-joie from carbines, and more shoutings, and all
the cocked hats were to be seen bowing; and then one more tremendous
burst of cheering told that _the_ sod was cut and turned and trundled,
and finally pitched out of the new barrow back again upon the dusty
soil--all in the most artistic and satisfactory fashion. "There are
the Kafir navvies: they are _really_ going to work now." (This latter
with great surprise, for a Kafir _really_ working, now or ever,
would indeed have been the raree-show of the day.) But this natural
phenomenon was left to develop itself in solitude, for the crowd began
to reassemble into processions, and generally to find its way under
shelter from sun and dust. The five hundred children were heralded
and marched off to the tune of one of their own pretty hymns to where
unlimited buns and tea awaited them, and we elders betook ourselves to
the grateful shade and coolness of the flower-decked new market-hall,
open to-day for the first time, and turned by flags and ferns and
lavish wealth of what in England are costliest hot-house flowers into
a charming banqueting-hall. All these exquisite ferns and blossoms
cost far less than the string and nails which fastened them against
the walls, and their fresh fragrance and greenery struck gratefully on
our sun-baked eyes as we found our way into the big room.

Nothing could be more creditable to a young colony than the way
everything was arranged, for the difficulties in one's culinary path
in Natal are hardly to be appreciated by English housekeepers. At one
time there threatened to be almost a famine in D'Urban, for besides
the pressure of all these extra mouths of visitors to feed, there was
this enormous luncheon, with some five hundred hungry people to be
provided for. It seems so strange that with every facility for rearing
poultry all around it should be scarce and dear, and when brought to
market as thin as possible. The same may be said of vegetables: they
need no culture beyond being put in the ground, and yet unless you
have a garden of your own it is very difficult to get anything like a
proper supply. I heard nothing but wails from distracted housekeepers
about the price and scarcity of food that week. However, _the_
luncheon showed no sign of scarcity, and I was much amused at th