CHAPTER XXIX.

THE ANT-EATER OF AFRICA.

Hans was saluted by a volley of questions, "Where have you been? What
detained you? What has happened to you? You're all safe and sound? Not
hurt, I hope?" These and a few others were asked in a breath.

"I'm sound as a bell," said Hans; "and for the rest of your inquiries
I'll answer them all as soon as Swartboy has skinned this 'aard-vark,'
and Totty has cooked a piece of it for supper; but I'm too hungry to
talk now, so pray excuse me."

As Hans gave this reply, he cast from his shoulders an animal nearly as
big as a sheep, covered with long bristly hair of a reddish-grey colour,
and having a huge tail, thick at the root, and tapering like a carrot; a
snout nearly a foot long, but quite slender and naked; a very small
mouth; erect pointed ears resembling a pair of horns; a low flattish
body; short muscular legs; and claws of immense length, especially on
the fore-feet, where, instead of spreading out, they were doubled back
like shut fists, or the fore hands of a monkey. Altogether a very odd
animal was that which Hans had styled an "aard-vark," and which he
desired should be cooked for supper.

"Well, my boy," replied Von Bloom, "we'll excuse you, the more so that
we are all of us about as hungry as yourself, I fancy. But I think we
may as well leave the 'aard-vark' for to-morrow's dinner. We've a couple
of peacocks here, and Totty will get one of them ready sooner than the
aard-vark."

"As for that," rejoined Hans, "I don't care which. I'm just in the
condition to eat anything--even a steak of tough old quagga, if I had
it; but I think it would be no harm if Swartboy--that is, if you're not
too tired, old Swart--would just peel the skin off this gentleman."

Hans pointed to the "aard-vark."

"And dress him so that he don't spoil," he continued; "for you know,
Swartboy, that he's a tit-bit--a regular _bonne bouche_--and it would be
a pity to let him go to waste in this hot weather. An aard-vark's not to
be bagged every day."

"You spreichen true, Mynheer Hans,--Swartboy know all dat. Him skin and
dress da goup."

And, so saying, Swartboy out knife, and set to work upon the carcass.

Now this singular-looking animal which Hans called an "aard-vark," and
Swartboy a "goup," was neither more or less than the African ant-eater.

Although the colonists term it "aard-vark," which is the Dutch for
"ground-hog," the animal has but little in common with the hog ki