scrub made a little
motion in the air, or if Jan, by roasting one half of his body, felt the
other cooler by contrast.

Presently I saw, coming slowly across the veldt, a white-haired Kafir,
carrying a weakly lamb in his arms. He made straight for Jan and sat
down beside him.

Constance, who was looking out too, roused herself and gave a little
laugh. "Caught," she said, and I knew what she meant.

At first the palaver seemed amiable enough, and we saw Jan even go the
length of making a present of grilled mutton--chiefly bone, but not all.

"An attempt at bribery," murmured Constance.

In about half an hour we heard the inevitable demand. One might have
thought Jan had never heard of outspan money, instead of its being a
familiar and heating subject with him. When at last the claim was made
clear to him, he asked the name of the Baas, and expressed the greatest
surprise that any man could be so mean as to ask for money, just because
poor souls had to wait by the road till it got cool, when it was too hot
even for the oxen to eat anything.

The explanation that the place was such a convenient distance from town,
that if nothing was charged the Baas would have nothing left for his own
flocks and herds, was badly received, as was also the reminder that if
it was too hot for the oxen to eat much, they would drink all the same.
The two argued for an hour, Jan emphatic and expostulating, the old
Kafir calm, feeling both right and law were on his side.

[Sidenote: "We shan't Pay"]

At length, Jan surprised us by announcing, "We shan't pay. Your Baas
won't expect money from me anyhow, if he does from other people."

"Why not?" exclaimed the other in surprise, for Jan spoke with
conviction.

"My Baas' wife is cousin to your Baas' wife, so of course we're free on
his veldt."

We laughed, but the collector remarked that he would go and inquire. So
he marched up to the wagon, followed closely by Lang-Jan, in fear of
treachery, and asked Mrs. Gilbert if it was true, and being informed
that the ladies were related, he retired at once, and Jan triumphantly
accompanied him back to the fire.

I thought Jan would be happy now the wicked had ceased from troubling,
but the storm had its after-roll. He now expressed indignation that two
shillings had been demanded. If such an iniquitous claim was made at
all, one shilling was all that should be asked for.

They harried this point till the stranger asked Jan what odds it was