s or Griquas."

"By Jove, Pater, there may be something in it, after all!" I exclaimed.
"Our `boys' are mostly Totties, as you know, but we have had a few
Griquas--about half a dozen--until within the last few days; now they
are all gone, two or three of them without waiting to get their pay. I
did not think very much of that, however, for they have done the same
thing before; but in the light of what Mr Lestrange has just told us it
certainly looks a bit suspicious."

"Yes, it certainly does," agreed my father, "although, after all, there
may really be nothing in it. At the same time it will be well to be
prepared; therefore to-morrow you shall take the wagon and make an
errand to Port Elizabeth. I believe some of our stores are running
rather low, so there ought to be no difficulty in arranging for the trip
without unnecessarily alarming your mother. And you can complete your
back load by bringing as much powder and lead as the wagon will
conveniently carry. I have no doubt that our friend Lestrange here will
willingly take half of what you bring."

"Ay, that I will, and be glad to get it," answered Lestrange. "And if
you will take my advice, Ned, you will not loiter unduly on the way. If
a rising is really meditated it may occur at any moment, although I do
not believe it is exactly what you may call imminent; were it so, I
think we should have heard a little more about it. Still, there is
nothing like being prepared in good time; in a case like this it is
better to be a couple of months too early than a day too late."

So it was arranged, and for the next half-hour we were all busy
discussing the question of what precisely I should bring out with me,
and preparing a detailed list of our various requirements; for a wagon
journey to Port Elizabeth was no trifling matter, the distance across
the veld and by road being about one hundred and seventy miles, and
occupying the best part of nine days each way. By the time that we had
finished it was past midnight, and I went to bed and slept soundly, for,
to be quite truthful, I had no very profound belief in the threatened
rising, despite the ominous departure of the Griquas; such things had
happened before--were constantly happening, in fact--and nothing ever
came of it, although more or less alarming rumours were continually
arising, nobody quite knew how. As a matter of fact I felt quite easy
in my mind about it, for I was confident that, even should a risi