have,
for years past, been seeking for an opening like this, and always
hitherto having failed to obtain it, I cannot be thankful enough to the
merciful Providence, which has at last been pleased to hearken to my
prayers."

CHAPTER TWENTY TWO.

LIFE IN THE BASUTO KRAAL--A GIRAFFE HUNT--AN UNEXPECTED INTERFERENCE--
ERNEST AND ELLA--ERNEST'S EMBARRASSMENT.

De Walden soon discovered that Queen Laura had not overstated her
friendly feelings towards him and his companions. Not only was every
provision made for their comfort, but a large building was set apart for
the special purposes of a missionary school and chapel. Here such of
the Basuto children as were allowed by their parents to receive
instruction from the English teachers were instructed for two or three
hours every day; while morning and evening prayers were regularly
offered up by the missionary, which all were invited to attend. The
Queen did not directly order the people to send their children to the
school thus opened, but it was known that she approved of it, and her
popularity with the tribe was so great that very few held back.

The afternoons were usually given up to the more especial education of
Ella; who, though she had been taught by her mother to read and write,
and had studied the few English books which had been saved from the
wreck of the _Grosvenor_, was of course greatly behind English girls of
her age in respect of knowledge. De Walden undertook her religious
instruction, and gave her besides some general lessons in history and
grammar, but was obliged, by lack of time, to hand over arithmetic and
geography to Warley, who, fresh from a good English school, was well
acquainted with both. Such an arrangement would have been a somewhat
questionable one in an English family; but here, in the heart of the
African wilderness, its awkwardness was not felt, and Ella's extreme
simplicity of mind prevented any embarrassments which might otherwise
have arisen.

So passed several weeks, with scarcely anything to distinguish one day
from another. In the morning De Walden and Warley, assisted generally
by Ella, taught the village children to read, write, and cipher; then
came the mid-day meal, when the whole party dined at the Queen's table;
after that there were Ella's lessons, lasting two or three hours; then
some excursion on horseback (for the Queen owned a large stud of
horses), or on the river, when the lads took their rifles with them,