ght
for the farm, but his foot was so bad, and he was so weak from want of
food, that he could only travel at the pace of a lame ox, now hopping
upon one leg and now crawling upon his knees. In this fashion it was
that at length, about half-past eight in the morning, he reached the
house, or rather the hut of Sihamba, for she had sent him out, and
therefore to her, after the Kaffir fashion, he went to make report. Now,
when he came to Sihamba, he greeted her and asked for a little food,
which she gave him. Then he began to tell his story, beginning as
natives do at the first of it, which in his case were all the wanderings
of the cow which he had followed, so that although she hurried him much,
many minutes went by before he came to that part of the tale which told
of what he had heard in the wood some eight hours before.

So soon as he began to speak of this, Sihamba stopped him, and calling
to a man who lingered near, she bade him bring to her Jan's famous young
horse, the roan _schimmel_, bridled but not saddled. Now this horse was
the finest in the whole district, for his sire was the famous stallion
which the Government imported from England, where it won all the races,
and his dam the swiftest and most enduring mare in the breeding herds at
the Paarl. What Jan gave for him as a yearling I never learned, because
he was afraid to tell me; but I know that we were short of money for
two years after he bought him. Yet in the end that _schimmel_ proved the
cheapest thing for which ever a man paid gold.

Well, the Kaffir hesitated, for, as might be guessed, Jan was very proud
of this horse, and none rode it save himself, but Sihamba sprang up and
spoke to him so fiercely that at last he obeyed her, since, although she
was small in stature, all feared the magic of Sihamba, and would do her
bidding. Nor had he far to go, for the _schimmel_ did not run wild upon
the veldt, but was fed and kept in a stable, where a slave groomed him
every morning. Thus it came about that before Zinti had finished his
tale, the horse was standing before Sihamba bridled but not saddled,
arching his neck and striking the ground with his hoof, for he was proud
and full of corn and eager to be away.

"Oh! fool," said Sihamba to Zinti, "why did not you begin with this
part of your story? Now, to save five from death and one from dishonour,
there is but a short hour left and twenty long miles to cover in it. Ho!
man, help me to mount this horse."