iscovered swinging head downwards
from the branch of a camel-thorn, and seeing him, it did strike one that
if he had had a tail he would have been swinging by that. Phoebe called
to him: he never answered, but set off running to her, and landed
himself under her nose in a wheel somersault.

"I hope you are watching them, Tim," said his mistress.

"Iss, missy, always washing 'em."

"Why, there's one straying towards the wood now."

"He not go far," said Tim coolly. The young monkey stole off a little
way, then fell flat, and uttered the cry of a jackal, with startling
precision. Back went the sheep to his comrades post haste, and Tim
effected a somersault and a chuckle.

"You are a clever boy," said Phoebe. "So that is how you manage them."

"Dat one way, missy," said Tim, not caring to reveal all his resources
at once.

Then Phoebe rode on, and showed Christopher the ostrich pan. It was
a large basin, a form the soil often takes in these parts; and in it
strutted several full-grown ostriches and their young, bred on the
premises. There was a little dam of water, and plenty of food about.
They were herded by a Kafir infant of about six, black, glossy, fat, and
clean, being in the water six times a day.

Sometimes one of the older birds would show an inclination to stray out
of the pan. Then the infant rolled after her, and tapped her ankles with
a wand. She instantly came back, but without any loss of dignity, for
she strutted with her nose in the air, affecting completely to ignore
the inferior little animal, that was nevertheless controlling her
movements. "There's a farce," said Phoebe. "But you would not believe
the money they cost me, nor the money they bring me in. Grain will not
sell here for a quarter its value: and we can't afford to send it to
Cape Town, twenty days and back; but finery, that sells everywhere. I
gather sixty pounds the year off those poor fowls' backs--clear profit."

She showed him the granary, and told him there wasn't such another in
Africa. This farm had belonged to one of the old Dutch settlers, and
that breed had been going down this many a year. "You see, sir, Dick
and I being English, and not downright in want of money, we can't bring
ourselves to sell grain to the middlemen for nothing, so we store it,
hoping for better times, that maybe will never come. Now I'll show you
how the dam is made."

They inspected the dam all round. "This is our best friend of all," said
she. "W