taken my well-meant advice
in good part.

"A nigger, sir," he had answered with heat, "is created to work. If he
won't work he must be made to--and, damme, sir, I'm the man to make
him."

I had ventured to remind him that there were about four hundred thousand
of the said "niggers" in the colony of Natal, and that we stood in a
precious deal more need of them than they did of us. But, as the last
thing in the world I wished was to quarrel with him, I fear I did so
half-heartedly.

"So," now continued Tyingoza, "they will have to herd their own sheep
and milk their own cows themselves, for none will do it for them. Will
they not soon become tired of this, and go elsewhere?"

This I thought more than likely, but I did not wish it. The chief's
words had pretty well summed up the situation. The Natal native,
especially there on the Zulu border, is a difficult animal to lead and
nearly impossible to drive, and the hot-headed old soldier was of the
sort which prefers driving.

"All you say is true," I answered. "Yet--We are friends, Tyingoza,
wherefore for my sake, use your influence with your people not to join
in driving out these. I do not want them to leave. See, I am lonely
here, and if I had no neighbours I might leave too."

"_Au_! it is difficult," was the answer. "They are like children.
Still for your sake, I will do what I can."

We were interrupted by the appearance of two young men. Their bronze
figures, straight and tall, moved with easy, supple grace as they
advanced to where we were seated, and, having saluted the chief with
infinite respect, they squatted down at a becoming distance; for they
would not interrupt our conversation. However I wanted to get rid of
them, so allowing sufficient time for the requirements of etiquette, I
asked them what they had come for.

They answered that they were in need of a few articles such as I kept in
the store, and so I took them within. I reached down from the shelves
the things they required, a matter of trifles whose aggregate value
hardly amounted to a shilling, and I thought as I moved thus, clad in an
old shirt, and ditto pair of trousers, among green blankets and pots and
kettles, and sheepskins and goatskins, with strings of beads and brass
buttons festooned from the beams, and the shelves loaded with roll Boer
tobacco and sugar pockets and coffee canisters and butcher knives, and
all sorts of minor "notions" in demand for native trade--I wond