g voice, if not by the words, of its rider, the
horse responded to the exhortation by breaking into a shuffling canter.

After a short time the youth came in sight of what appeared to be a herd
of cattle in the far distance. In eager expectation he galloped towards
them and found that his conjectures were correct. They were cattle in
charge of one of that lowest of the human race, a Bushman. The
diminutive, black-skinned, and monkey-faced creature was nearly naked.
He carried a sheepskin kaross, or blanket, on his left shoulder, and a
knobbed stick, or "kerrie," in his right hand.

"Can you speak English?" asked Considine as he rode up.

The Bushman looked vacant and made no reply.

"Where is your master's house?" asked the youth.

A stare was the only answer.

"Can't you speak, you dried-up essence of stupidity!" exclaimed Charlie
with impatience.

At this the Bushman uttered something with so many klicks, klucks, and
gurgles in it that his interrogator at once relinquished the use of the
tongue, and took to signs, but with no better success, his efforts
having only the effect of causing the mouth of the Bushman to expand
from ear to ear. Uttering a few more klicks and gurgles, he pointed in
the direction of the setting sun. As Considine could elicit no fuller
information he bade him a contemptuous farewell and rode away in the
direction indicated.

He had not gone far when a dark speck became visible on the horizon
directly in front.

"Ho! Rob," he exclaimed, "that looks like something--a bush, is it? If
so, we may find water there, who knows--eh? No, it can't be a bush, for
it moves," he added in a tone of disappointment. "Why, I do believe
it's an ostrich! Well, if we can't find anything to drink, I'll try to
get something to eat."

Urging his jaded steed into a gallop, the youth soon drew near enough to
discover that the object was neither bush nor ostrich, but a horseman.

The times of which we write were unsettled. Considine, although "lost,"
was sufficiently aware of his whereabouts to understand that he was near
the north-eastern frontier of Cape Colony. He deemed it prudent,
therefore, to unsling his gun. On drawing nearer he became convinced
from the appearance of the stranger that he could not be a Kafir. When
close enough to perceive that he was a white man, mounted and armed much
like himself, he re-slung his gun, waved his cap in token of friendship,
and galloped forward with th