me to no sort of harm.

"What--what did you do that for?" stammered Dawes. "How did you do it?"

"I just grazed one wheel in falling. Luckily I fell between both, and
remembering all you had said about falling off the disselboom, I hung on
like grim death to the bottom of the waggon--held my breath under water,
knowing we would be out in a minute. Then I worked my way along till I
was clear of the wheels and got out. But I'm pretty well blown after
it. I couldn't have held on a minute longer," he gasped, still out of
breath with the almost superhuman exertion he had just gone through.

"By Jove, youngster, but you'll do!" said the other. "You've got pluck
and presence of mind, and that's all you want to carry you through any
mortal thing." And he turned away, to give orders about outspanning,
glad of the opportunity to recover his self-possession, for even he had
undergone a rude shock over the frightfully narrow escape his young
companion had just experienced.

The next morning, when they turned out, Dawes said--

"Do you feel like paying Bob Kingsland a visit, Ridgeley?"

"Rather. Does he live near here, then?"

"A few miles off. In fact, this outspan is almost on his farm. Doorn
Draai, it's called. We've come along very well, and the grazing here is
first rate. It won't hurt the oxen to have a day's rest and a real good
fill up. We'll have breakfast early and ride over. We are likely to
find some of them at home, anyway."

"That'll be first rate!" said Gerard, with genuine pleasure. And then
he set to work to serve out rations to the leaders and drivers, each of
whom received a measure of maize-meal, which, going into a common stock,
was stirred up in a three-legged pot and soon reduced to porridge, for
on such fare do the natives of Natal wax fat and strong. Afterwards he
got out a clean basin and kneaded up _roster-koekjes_, a species of
damper-cake, and put them to bake on the ashes for their own breakfast,
while Dawes superintended the cooking of a savoury game stew, compounded
of partridges, ringdoves, and a plover or two, which they had shot the
day before while coming along.

"We don't live so badly, even on the road, eh, Ridgeley?" said Dawes, as
they sat doing ample justice to this, and to the steaming cups of strong
black coffee wherewith it was washed down.

"No, indeed," assented Gerard, briskly, beginning on half a partridge.
"Shall we take a gun along this morning?"

"We migh