the lowest point; for on that very
day,--even within that very hour--an incident occurred, that not only
gave relief to his afflicted spirit, but that promised to lay the
foundation of future wealth and prosperity. In one hour from that time
the prospects of the field-cornet had undergone a complete change,--in
one hour from that time he was a happy man, and all around him were as
happy as he!

You are impatient to hear how this change was effected? What little
fairy had sprung out of the spring, or come down from the cliffs, to
befriend the good field-cornet in his hour of misery? You are impatient
to hear! Then you shall hear.

The sun was just going down. They were all seated under the great tree,
and near a fire, upon which they had cooked their supper. There was no
talking, no cheerful conversation,--for the children saw that their
father was in trouble, and that kept them silent. Not a word passed
between them, or only an occasional whisper.

It was at this moment that Von Bloom gave utterance to his sad thoughts
in words as above.

As if seeking for an answer, his eyes were raised to heaven, and then
wandered around the plain. All at once they became fixed upon a singular
object, that appeared at some distance off, and was just emerging from
the bushes.

It was an animal of some kind, and from its vast size Von Bloom and the
others at first took it to be an elephant. None of them, except
Swartboy, were accustomed to elephants in their wild state,--for,
although these animals once inhabited the most southerly portion of
Africa, they have long since deserted the settled districts, and are now
only to be found far beyond the frontier of the colony. But they knew
that there were elephants in these parts--as they had already observed
their tracks--and all now supposed the huge creature that was
approaching must be one.

Not all, Swartboy was an exception. As soon as his eyes fell upon the
animal he cried out,--

"Chukuroo--a chukuroo!"

"A rhinoster, is it?" said Von Bloom, knowing that "chuckuroo" was the
native name for the rhinoceros, or "rhinoster," as he called it in
Dutch.

"Ya, baas," replied Swartboy; "and one o' da big karles--da, 'kobaoba,'
da long-horn white rhinoster."

What Swartboy meant by this was that the animal in question was a large
species of rhinoceros, known among the natives as the "kobaoba."

Now I dare say, young reader, you have been all your life under the
impression that t