ountains over which they had been
travelling. Still following the cow, though at a distance, he moved
down towards the kraal and hid himself in a patch of bush. Presently the
cattle were let out to graze, and the cow rushed to them lowing loudly,
till a certain calf came to it, which it made much of and suckled, for
it was its own calf.

Now Zinti's errand was done, but still he lay hid in the bush a while,
thinking that he might learn some more, and lying thus he fell asleep,
for he was weary with travel. When he woke the sun was high, and he
heard women talking to each other close by him, as they laboured at
their task of cutting wands, such as are used for the making of huts.
He rose to run away, then thought better of it and sat down again,
remembering that should he be found, it would be easy to tell them that
he was a wanderer who had lost his path. Presently one of the women
asked:

"For whom does Bull-Head build this fine new hut in the secret krantz
yonder?"

Now Zinti opened his ears wide, for he knew that this was the name which
the natives had given to Swart Piet, taking it from his round head and
fierce eye, according to their custom when they note any peculiarity in
a man.

"I do not know," answered a second woman, who was young and very pretty,
"unless he means to bring another wife here; if so, she must be a
chief's daughter, since men do not build such huts for girls of common
blood."

"Perhaps," said the other; "but then I think that he has stolen her from
her father without payment; else he would not wish to hide her away in
the secret krantz. Well, let her come, for we women must work hard here
where there are so few men, and many hoes clean a field quickly."

"For my part I think there are enough of us already," said the young
girl, looking troubled, for she was Swart Piet's last Kaffir wife, and
did not desire to be supplanted by a new favourite. "But be silent, I
hear Bull-Head coming on his horse," and she began to work very hard at
cutting the wands.

A few minutes later Zinti saw Swart Piet himself ride up to the women,
who saluted him, calling him "Chief" and "Husband."

"You are idle," he said, eyeing them angrily.

"These wands are tough to cut, husband," murmured the young woman in
excuse.

"Still you must cut them quicker, girl," he answered, "if you would not
learn how one of them feels upon your back. It will go hard with all of
you if the big hut is not finished in seven d