nd.

"They're as strong as horses, Dick," panted Jack. "There! Now, you
sirs, shake hands!"

"No!" shouted one.

"No!" shouted the other; and with a make believe of fierceness, Jack
gave each what he called a topper on the head with one of the kiris he
held.

"Now will you make friends?" cried Jack; and again they shouted, "No!"

"They won't. Let them go," said Dick, languidly; "and it makes one so
hot and tired."

"They shan't go till they've made friends," said Jack, setting his
teeth; and thrusting his hand into his pocket he brought out a piece of
thick string, the Zulu boys watching him intently.

They remained where Jack had placed them, and going down on one knee he
seized the right hand of each, placed them together, and proceeded to
tie them--pretty tightly too.

"There!" cried Jack. "Now you stop till you're good friends once more."

"Good boy now," cried one on the instant.

"Good boy now," cried the other.

"Then shake hands properly," said Jack.

"Give him the boot," cried Sepopo, as soon as his hand was untied, and
he had gone through the required ceremony with his brother.

"No, no; give him the boot," cried the other.

"Hold your tongues," cried Jack. "I say, Dick, let's call them
something else if they are going to stop with us, Sepopo! Bechele!
What names!"

"Well," said Dick, languidly, as he sat down in a weary fashion: "one's
going to be your boy, and the other mine. Let's call them `Black Jack'
and `Black Dick.'"

"But they are brown," said his brother.

"Yes, they are brown certainly," said Dick, thoughtfully. "Regular
coffee colour. You might call one of them `Coffee.'"

"That'll do," said Jack, laughing, "`Coffee!' and shorten it into
`Cough.' I say, Dick, I'll have that name, and I can tell people I've
got a bad `Cough.' But what will you call the other?"

"I don't know. Stop a moment--`Chicory.'"

"And shorten it into `chick'. That will do, Dick; splendid! Cough and
Chick. Now you two, one of you is to be Cough and the other Chick; do
you hear?"

The Zulu boys nodded and laughed, though, in spite of the pretty good
knowledge of the English language which they had picked up from their
intercourse with the British settlers, it is doubtful whether they
understood the drift. What they did comprehend, however, was, that they
should make friends; and this being settled, there was the old boot.

"Give me boot, and show you big snake," cried Chicory.

"No