e veldt. At the least he would have kept the
ceremony for private celebration, if only out of respect to the feelings
of others. On this occasion John's entry was received in icy silence.
The old woman did not deign to look up, the young ones shrugged their
shoulders and turned their backs, as though they had suddenly seen
something that was not nice. Only the countenance of the sardonic lover
softened to a grin.

John walked to the end of the room where there was a vacant chair and
stood by it.

"Have I your permission to sit down, ma'am?" he said at last in a loud
tone, addressing the old lady.

"Dear Lord!" said the old lady to the man next to her, "what a voice the
poor creature has! it is like a bull's. What does he say?"

The man explained.

"The floor is the right place for Englishmen and Kafirs," said the
old lady, "but after all he is a man, and perhaps sore with riding.
Englishmen always get sore when they try to ride." Then with startling
energy she shouted out:

"_Sit!_"

"I will show the _rooibaatje_ that he is not the only one with a voice,"
she added by way of explanation.

A subdued sniggle followed this sally of wit, during which John took his
seat with such native grace as he could command, which at the moment was
not much.

"Dear me!" she went on presently, for she was a bit of a humorist, "he
looks very dirty and pale, doesn't he? I suppose the poor thing has been
hiding in the ant-bear holes with nothing to eat. I am told that up in
the Drakensberg yonder the ant-bear holes are full of Englishmen. They
had rather starve in them than come out, for fear lest they should meet
a Boer."

This provoked another snigger, and then the young ladies took up the
ball.

"Are you hungry, _rooibaatje_?" asked one in English.

John was boiling with fury, but he was also starving, so he answered
that he was.

"Tie his hands behind him, and let us see if he can catch in his mouth,
like a dog," suggested a gentle youth.

"No, no; make him eat pap with a wooden spoon, like a Kafir," said
another. "I will feed him--if you have a very long spoon."

Here again was legitimate cause for merriment, but in the end matters
were compromised by a lump of biltong and a piece of bread being thrown
to John from the other end of the room. He caught them and began to
eat, trying to conceal his ravenous hunger as much as possible from the
circle of onlookers who clustered round to watch the operation.

"Carolus,