elf. Well, you have had an
adventure, so long"--for I had told him of the sort of night I had
spent. "You shouldn't have gone chevying on after those schepsels all
by yourself. I kept shouting out to you to come back, and you wouldn't.
I thought you'd soon give it up, and we had our own hands pretty full.
I started the other two off with the oxen, and came back to look for
you. Thought I'd find you'd only been spending the night under a bush."

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN.

"HAND TO THE LABOUR--HEART AND HAND."

"Bring back Meerkat," had been Beryl's parting injunction, and I had
fulfilled it to the letter. And as I restored her favourite horse,
literally with my own hands--and none the worse for his enforced
travels, though the other two returned with sore backs--I was conceited
enough to think that the pleased light of welcome that came over Beryl's
sweet face was not entirely due to satisfaction at his recovery, and
that approbation of his rescuer bore some small share therein.

"Well done, Kenrick," sang out Iris, clapping her hands. "Man, but
you're no sort of a raw Britisher anyhow." And I own that the dear
child's frank and homely form of approval fell gratefully upon my ears
just then.

"You should have seen Revell sabreing them all right and left with a
sjambok when they cheeked him at that kraal," guffawed Trask. "Oh--h--"

The last in a subdued howl, evolved by the contact of Brian's boot with
the speaker's shin, under the table. For in another moment Trask would
have blundered out the whole story as a joke of the first water, in
anticipation whereof Revell was beginning to redden furiously.

"He got us out of that in the nick of time," struck in Brian with his
wonted tact. "Pass on the grog, Trask. Help yourself first--thanks.
Well, we've brought back the whole plunder, except one of the oxen, and
Kenrick's gun. The first they've scoffed, and the second we shan't see
again, I'm afraid. Eh, dad?"

"I'm afraid not. You've done well--very well. I never expected you'd
recover so much. I'm very much obliged to you fellows for your help."

Of course we all disclaimed any expression of thanks; but later on what
does this prince of good fellows do but send for a first-rate gun to
replace my missing piece. No, he would not listen to any protest. I
had lost my own in recovering his property, therefore it was only fair
he should make it good.

Later on, too, when Beryl heard the story of my own p