old and a little groggy in the fore
legs. He came down with her the other day, and the child had rather a
nasty spill. I shall not let her ride him any longer than I can help.
But I have nothing on my place suitable for her; I don't go in much for
breeding horses, you know."

"No," I concurred, "I know you don't. But we have the very thing for
her, a two-year-old filly, unbroken, all but thoroughbred, with the
makings of a splendid horse in her. If you care to ride down to the
vley I will show her to you; it won't take us much more than a mile out
of our way, and I should like Nell to have her."

Mr Lestrange agreeing, we forthwith made off toward the flat where the
horses were turned out to graze, and presently I had caught the filly,
which was a very gentle creature and quite a pet of mine, and led her up
by her long forelock for inspection. She was a bright bay, with very
long dark mane and tail, and of course very ragged-looking as to her
coat, never having been groomed in her life; but that did not matter,
her points were quite unmistakable, and Mr Lestrange, to say nothing of
Nell, fell in love with her on the spot. Then, when the visitors had
done admiring the animal, we turned our horses' heads and rode toward
the house, on the broad veranda-covered stoep of which we could see my
father and mother, the latter waving her handkerchief by way of welcome
to Mr Lestrange and Nell. A quarter of an hour later we had dismounted
at the foot of the broad flight of steps leading up to the stoep, which
my father and mother had descended in order to extend greeting to the
visitors, and the "boys" were leading the horses away to the stable at
the back.

The usual interchange of greetings having passed, we learned that Mr
Lestrange and his daughter had come prepared to pass the night with us;
and when our guests had been taken to their rooms and had refreshed
themselves after their journey we all gathered on the spacious front
stoep and chatted until dinner was served. Our subjects of conversation
were naturally rather limited, isolated as we were in what was then
practically a wilderness, where it sometimes happened that several weeks
elapsed between the departure of one visitor and the arrival of another.
Like my father, Mr Lestrange had devoted himself to sheep farming, and
the conversation therefore turned chiefly upon the most approved methods
of dealing with the several diseases to which the sheep were subject,