ocked about), took
her hand and began to chafe it between his own. It was a well-formed
hand, but brown, and showed signs of doing plenty of hard work. Soon she
opened her eyes, and he noted with satisfaction that they were very good
eyes, blue in colour. Then she sat up and laughed a little.

"Well, I am silly," she said; "I believe I fainted."

"It is not much to be wondered at," said John Niel politely, and lifting
his hand to take off his hat, only to find that it had gone in the fray.
"I hope you are not very much hurt by the bird."

"I don't know," she said doubtfully. "But I am glad that you killed the
_skellum_ (vicious beast). He got out of the ostrich camp three days
ago, and has been lost ever since. He killed a boy last year, and I told
uncle he ought to shoot him then, but he would not, because he was such
a beauty."

"Might I ask," said John Niel, "are you Miss Croft?"

"Yes, I am--one of them. There are two of us, you know; and I can guess
who you are--you are Captain Niel, whom uncle is expecting to help him
with the farm and the ostriches."

"If all of them are like that," he said, pointing to the dead bird, "I
don't think that I shall take kindly to ostrich farming."

She laughed, showing a charming line of teeth. "Oh no," she said,
"he was the only bad one--but, Captain Niel, I think you will find it
fearfully dull. There are nothing but Boers about here, you know. No
English people live nearer than Wakkerstroom."

"You overlook yourself," he said, bowing; for really this daughter of
the wilderness had a very charming air about her.

"Oh," she answered, "I am only a girl, you know, and besides, I am
not clever. Jess, now--that's my sister--Jess has been at school at
Capetown, and she _is_ clever. I was at Cape Town, too, though I didn't
learn much there. But, Captain Niel, both the horses have bolted; mine
has gone home, and I expect yours has followed, and I should like to
know how we are going to get up to Mooifontein--beautiful fountain,
that's what we call our place, you know. Can you walk?"

"I don't know," he answered doubtfully; "I'll try. That bird has knocked
me about a good deal," and accordingly he staggered on to his legs, only
to collapse with an exclamation of pain. His ankle was sprained, and
he was so stiff and bruised that he could hardly stir. "How far is the
house?" he asked.

"Only about a mile--just there; we shall see it from the crest of the
rise. Look, I'm all righ