for emergencies when
fodder might be scarce. "Don't say that any of the cattle have
strayed?"

"Strayed, sir? Not they! They are all right--eight-and-forty of them.
I counted them over twice to make sure, after the night's scare. My
bullocks are all right. I only wish I could trust my men as well as I
can them."

"What has happened, then?"

"You ask him, sir," replied Denham, pointing to the miserable looking
little Hottentot--"a pretty sort of a half-bred animal! Look at him
squatting there grinning like one of them there dog-nosed baboons."

"Don't insult the man," said the doctor sharply. "What has he done?"

"Man, sir! I don't call him a man," said Buck Denham. "Got nothing to
do but a bit of driving now and then and to give a shout at his span,
and naturally I trusted him as I was keeping my eye on the oxen to keep
his on the two forelopers. I let him do it because he understands their
lingo better than I do."

"Well?" said the doctor. "What then?"

"What then, sir? Here are we just two days out from the town, and he's
lost one of them already."

"Lost? Nonsense!"

"Well, where is he, then, sir? He has gone."

"Gone?"

"Yes, sir. Sniffed at his job, I suppose, and gone off. I saw him safe
enough last night; this morning he is nowhere. My foreloper he was, and
now we shall have to stop here three or four days, perhaps a week, while
I go back and hunt up another; and I can tell you, sir, they are
precious scarce."

"That's vexatious," said the doctor. "Don't be put out, Denham, I think
I see how it is. The poor fellow was no doubt scared by the alarm of
the lion in the night, and very likely we shall see him come creeping in
before it is time to start."

"Oh, thank you, sir," said the big fellow. "I am very glad you take it
so easy. Some gen'lemen would be ready to jump down a poor man's throat
for half this."

"Indeed!" said the doctor, smiling. "Well, I don't think you will find
Sir James and me so unreasonable as to bully a good servant for an
unavoidable mishap."

"Thank you, sir," said the big fellow, smiling. "That's done me good.
I was afraid to meet you this morning, and I hope you are right, because
we must have two of us to each waggon, and I don't suppose either of
your servants would like to be asked to do such nigger's work. Hadn't I
better start back at once and get another? It would save time if I took
one of them ponies."

Sir James winced as he looked a