re I
was, and so on. Well, I didn't want much pressing, and it was obvious
my welcome hadn't worn thin just yet.

"Let's take the grog out on to the stoep, uncle," said Falkner. "It's
cooler there."

"What d'you think, Glanton?" said the Major, when we were comfortably
seated outside, each with a glass of grog before him and a pipe of good
Magaliesberg--than which there is no better tobacco in the world--in
full blast. "Why is it I can't do anything with these damned fellows of
yours? Now in India I could make any sort of native do anything I
wanted, and no bother about it. He had to, don't you know."

"Exactly, Major, he had to and these haven't. Wherein lies all the
difference."

"I believe I was a damned fool to come and squat here at all," he
growled.

"I don't agree with you, Major," I said. "You've only got to try and
understand them, and they're all right. I don't mean to say they're
perfect, no one is, but make the best of them. To begin with, learn the
language."

"Good Lord, I'm too old to begin learning languages."

"Not a bit of it," I said. "I knew a man once--he must have been about
your age, Major, an old Indian, too, only he had been a civilian--who
had gone stone blind late in life. But he had a hobby for languages,
and I'm blest if he hadn't taken up this one among others. He had got
hold of the Bible in Zulu, done up by missionaries of course, and began
putting all sorts of grammar cases to me. I own he fairly stumped me.
I told him I didn't know anything of Biblical Zulu--had always found
that in use at the kraals good enough. Then he had the crow over me.
But you ought to have a try at it, certainly your nephew ought."

"By Jove, I believe I will," growled Falkner. "Only it'd be an infernal
grind."

"Not much more grind than punching a boy's head because he can't
understand you," I said, "especially when the weather's hot; and far
more profitable. Still I can rather enter into your feelings. The
feeling of helplessness when we can't make out what the other fellow is
talking about is prone to engender irritability. I was not guiltless
myself in that line when I first went up-country. You set to work.
Miss Sewin was saying this evening that she intended to."

"Oh was she?" growled Falkner again, with renewed interest, and the
glance he gave me was not at all friendly, I thought.

"Well, you take my tip, Major, and then I don't think you'll at all
regret coming here.