is always lamenting the advent of the inkosi-casa, or
chieftainess, and the piccaninnies and their following, especially the
"vaiter," whom he detests. In his way, Charlie is a wag, and it is as
good as a play to see his pretence of stupidity when the "vaiter"
or French butler desires him to go and eat "sa paniche." Charlie
understands perfectly that he is told to go and get his breakfast of
mealy porridge, but he won't admit that it is to be called "paniche,"
preferring his own word "scoff;" so he shakes his head violently and
says, "Nay, nay, paniche." Then, with many nods, "Scoff, ja;" and
so in this strange gibberish of three languages he and the Frenchman
carry on quite a pretty quarrel. Charlie also "mocks himself" of the
other servants, I am informed, and asserts that he is the "indema"
or headman. He freely boxes the ears of Jack, the Zulu refugee--poor
Jack, who fled from his own country, next door, the other day, and
arrived here clad in only a short flap made of three bucks' tails.
That is only a month ago, and "Jack" is already quite a _petit maitre_
about his clothes. He ordinarily wears a suit of knickerbockers and
a shirt of blue check bound with red, and a string of beads round his
neck, but he cries like a baby if he tears his clothes, or still worse
if the color of the red braid washes out. At first he hated civilized
garments, even when they were only two in number, and begged to be
allowed to assume a sack with holes for the arms, which is the Kafir
compromise when near a town between clothes and flaps made of the
tails of wild beasts or strips of hide. But he soon came to delight in
them, and is now always begging for "something to wear."

I confess I am sorry for Jack. He is the kitchen-boy, and is learning
with much pains and difficulty the _wrong language_. My cook is
also French, and, naturally, all that Jack learns is French, and
not English. Imagine poor Jack's dismay when, after his three years'
apprenticeship to us is ended, he seeks perhaps to better himself,
and finds that no one except madame can understand him! Most of
their dialogues are carried on by pantomime and the incessant use,
in differing tones of voice, of the word "Ja." Jack is a big,
loutish young man, but very ugly and feeble, and apparently under the
impression that he is perpetually "wanted" to answer for the little
indiscretion, whatever it was, on account of which he was forced to
flee over the border. He is timid and s