The Works of John Dryden, now first collected in eighteen volumes. Volume 07

UNTRY

cing operations, which need care, thought, and application; journeys to various market centres with troops of fat stock; and a host of other details, not all of which are exactly what may be regarded as pure pleasure or light work. Too many young Englishmen, it is to be feared, look upon stock-farming and cattle-ranching as pleasant out-of-door occupations, entailing merely an ornamental kind of existence. They picture to th

parts of South Africa who can testify to the excellent result of application

a well in a distant part of the estate. This well, and the erection of a windmill pump, were needed for the supply of water to the cattle in what had been so waterless a portion of the ranch that it had been hitherto practically unavailable, excellent as was the grass veldt. A good-sized basin was formed in a piece

ing the wooded glades in which the herd had been discovered, took away over the open plains. Guy was well mounted, and for a long seven miles pushed after the big red-brown antelope, which swept away in front of him with a free, machine-like action that, despite its wound--a bullet through the middle of the body--showed no symptom of tiring. At length the hartebeest climbed the ridge of a wave in the grass plain, and disappeared. Guy's pony, good and willing as he was, was now tiring visibly. The lad doubted whether he could gallop much farther--the pace had been too great--and the game looked like getting clean away. It was too annoying. They reached the top of the ridge, a

e, Guy now rode back for the woodland. It was a long eight miles, and his nag was by no means fresh after his tremendous exertions. They reached the acacia groves at last. By this time there remained an hour to sunset. Through these endless groves and glades, all much resembling one another, the young Englishman now attempted to thread his way, with the result that, by the time the sun sank, he found himself completely lost. Ju

ly have given half a crown, nay, half a sovereign, for a quart of clear water. It was useless to think about it, however, and, philosophically enough, Guy set to work to prepare for the night. First he cut a quantity of grass and placed it before his pony, which by this time he had off-saddled and tied to a bush. On the lee side of this bush he himself meant to sleep, and for this purpose cut more grass and made a rough bed. Then clearing a space--for he had no wish to start a veldt fire--he cut and gathered sticks and odd timber. He had camped by a dead acacia tree, destroyed by white ants, and soon had before him a cheerful blaze. Now cutting some collops of v

xing forest, and he steadily pushed on. Two hours later, having cleared the timber country and emerged once more upon the open plains, he came upon the spoor of horses, which convinced him that he was going in the right direction. After another hour of cantering and walking, he struck a wagon track, and knew that he could now find his way to the hom

so waterless, except during the rains; and I was getting seriously anxious about you. We wandered about firing shots yesterday afternoon, and t

ere far away to the east, and I couldn't make anything of them, though I wande

re, April," turning to the native; "unfasten that water-bottle and giv

k, and presently r

I begin to understand what thirst really is. In England we can have no idea of it, i

s a year back, looking at stock, who got lost in the veldt out here for three days, two of which he passed without a drop of water. Ultimately we tracked him to a native kraal on the Molopo, thirty miles away. In this kind of country--i

phy. "By Jove, Guy," he exclaimed, "you've got a first-rate head! T

had to go without water another twenty-four hours, I should have brought it b

and I'm sure you will shoot many a head of big game before you've finished. Some day we'll go

w in search of black and white koorhaan and Coqui partridges on a wide piece of grassy plain which ran up to a distant line of kopjes. Juno, the pointer, stood; and Tom, slipping quietly from his saddle, walked cautiously forward, his gun at the ready. Still the staunch

the bird. Guy came up and inspected the game, which

e," he said. "Father shot one years ago in Suffolk, and

me little difference in the species, here we call it by the Dutch name dikko

nd placing it in the wallet slun

e seemed to neglect the sport in front of her, and turned perpetually to sniff the breeze which blew from

up to?" ejaculated To

to know what had so alarmed the dog, walked his nag that way. The two cousins rode on together for thirty yards, and then, with a curious hissing sound, there rose, ten paces in front of them, the

s [buck shot], and then we'll have a go at the brute. He's been following us." They cantered away

ble quarry than it had bargained for, was slipping away. The lads galloped to the spot where they had last seen it

s pony with the spur and rode after him. Nearer and nearer they drew towards the rustling grass. Suddenly the movement ceased, and

pered Tom in

uckily broken its backbone a foot or so below the head; but the huge serpent was by no means disabled, and now, half impotent though it was, it struggled furiously to reach its adversaries. Beating and flapping the earth

d approached it; then, stretching out the reptile to its full length,

ising from his task. "The bigge

over the monster with his foot, and comparing the greenish white o

e beggars, and one very seldom, indeed, comes across

of these creatures in the neighbourhood, I should come bird-shooting precious seldo

g enough--like this one, for example--they might give you a very unpleasant time of it. They certainly do kill small buck occasionally. Three years ago a python--rock snakes, the colonists call them--which father had shot w

a piece of cord which Tom carried with him, they trailed the serpent behind them and struck for home. Arrived at Bamborough towards four o'clock, they stretched out the great se

h you to-day. Suddenly, as I turned round--I don't know what made me do it--I saw, sticking out above the grass not ten yards behind me, a python. Just for one second I was in a real fright, I promise you--the thing was so sudden. However, the brute looked very nasty, and I put up my gun and fired at once,

y. "I don't like the brutes at all.

ould kill a man. They could kill a child, as they do undoubtedly kill a young calf sometimes; and for that reason I'm not over fond of them--in fact, I des

his part of the task, and together he and Guy rolled the stripped body of the s

land the natives will never touch them. They have an idea that the souls of their ancestors return to the bodies of these s

he two lads rubbed in arsenical soap, and pegged it out on the shady sid

t of information that might be useful to him. He had seen mealies and oats reaped, and assisted in other operations. He had had a very good time, for, mingled with the preliminaries of a pastoral farmer's life, to which his uncle had introduced him, he had had a fair amount of s

ll heavily at intervals, and they were often drenched to the skin. Even their wagon tent by no means sufficed to protect them from the tropical downpours that periodically fell from the lowering heavens. Nevertheless, to the secret satisfaction of Mr. Blakeney, Guy bore all the discomforts that overtook them with the most che

of the office work connected with the farm, and kept his papers, books, and accounts, as well as his guns, rifles, and ammunition. Guy was

heery laugh, "I'm defeated again, I see. Y

ou are getting along very well. This has been quite a good fight,

ng. Mr. Blakeney was a man of methodical habits. His books and papers were always in their

mething about your views of cattle-farming and South African farming life generally. Is it the kind of life you think will suit you, and c

o it. I can think of nothing that will suit me half so well as to settle down steadily to the same kind of existen

e thing, my cousin and I--I mean, of course, George Forster, who farms the adjoining land, and is my partner. We do the thing well, and our homesteads are exceptionally good. We have, as you see, some of the refinements as well as the comforts of civilization about us. And hitherto we have had good seasons and great luck. But you have to remember that there come times of d

t I can't always expect to live in the lap of luxury, as I do here. Please take my word for it. I want to go in for this kind of life. I mean to stick to it seriously and learn the business, and try and make something ou

west boundary. They are called Hartebeestfontein and Bushman's Kraal. I can get them cheap. They are the usual six thousand acre farms, and I can buy them from Government for ￡600 the pair. I shall write to my agent at Vryburg to-morrow to secure these farms, which I shall henceforth take to and stock. I shall hold these at your disposal, either one or both of them; and in two or three years' time, if you like to try and make a start on your own hook, why, we'll put up a decent house for you, open up the water supply--I know on Hartebeestfontei