the present; all we
have to do is to explore the island, and to go to the cove and examine
our collection from the wreck."

"Very true, William; and the weather has been so fine, that I think we
may venture upon one or the other in a few days more; but not till you
are stronger."

"I shall soon be strong again, Ready."

"I have no doubt of it, William; and we have good reason to thank God,
for we could ill spare you."

"It's a long while since you have gone on with your story, Ready," said
William, after they had taken their supper; "I wish you would do so now,
as I am sure I shall not be tired."

"With pleasure, William," replied Ready; "but can you remember where I
left off, for my memory is none of the best?"

"Oh, yes; if you recollect, you had just arrived at a Dutch farmer's
house, in company with the savages, at a place called Graaff Reinet, I
think."

"Well then, the Dutch farmer came out when he saw us coming, and asked
us who we were. We told him that we were English prisoners, and that we
wished to give ourselves up to the authorities. He took away our arms
and ammunition, and said that he was the authority in that part, which
was true enough; and then he said, `You'll not run away without arms and
ammunition, that's certain. As for sending you to the Cape, that I may
not be able to do for months; so if you wish to be fed well, you must
work well while you're here.' We replied, that we should be very glad
to make ourselves useful, and then he sent us some dinner by a Hottentot
girl. But we soon found out that we had to deal with an ill-tempered,
brutal fellow; and that he gave us plenty of hard work, but by no means
plenty of food. He would not trust us with guns, so the Hottentots went
out with the cattle, but he gave us plenty of work to do about the
house; and at last he treated us very cruelly. When he was short of
provisions for the Hottentots and other slaves, of whom he had a good
many, he would go out with the other farmers who lived near him, and
shoot quaggas for them to eat. Nobody but a Hottentot could live upon
such flesh."

"What is quagga?"

"A wild ass, partly covered with stripes, but not so much as the zebra;
a pretty animal to look at, but the flesh is very bad. At last he would
give us nothing to eat but quaggas, the same as the Hottentots, while he
and his family--for he had a wife and five children--lived upon mutton
and the flesh of the antelope, which is very excel