als Fed

of the work. He had just dragged himself quietly to the top of a kopje-so, my baasjes, so-with his stomach close to the ground, and his ears moving backwards and forwards"-Outa's little hands, on either side of the kopdoek, suited the action to the word-"to hear the least sound. Then

made a plan. A white thing fluttered in a little bush near him. It was a piece of paper. He picked it up and folded it-so-and so-and so-" the

ning,

has killed a

ef, a big

hals, giving the piece of paper to Leeuw. 'As

baasjes, Leeuw was one of the old-fashioned sort. He grew up before there were so many schools and good teachers"-here Outa's bright eyes winked

tten his spectacles; you

e says Oom must kill a nice fat Boer hamel and send it

agreed with her, so we must coax her a little. I don't want to say anything, but you know a vrouwmens is a dangerous thing

lf at the same time that he would have something more than the offal. 'How fortunate am I

tep, the children following his movements with breathless interest. "Now it stops to listen." Outa was rigid as he bent forward to catch the least sound. Suddenly he started violently, and the children involuntarily did the same. "Hark! what was that? What is coming? Ach! how Steenbokje skriks and shivers! A terrible form blocks the way! Great eyes-cruel eyes burn him with their fire. Now he knows. It is Leeuw!-Leeuw who stands in the path! He growls and glares at Steenbokje. Steenbokje cannot turn away. They stare at each other-so-just so-" Outa

ll of tears. The old native's graphic description has made

bit through the bones-skrnch, skrnch, skrnch-and ate little Steenbokje for his breakfast. Then

e is nothing for a meal for Oom Leeuw. But before hunting again he thought he would go home and see

rying, Tante spluttering and scratching with rage, everything

te. 'The bad, wicked Jakhal

atter?' asked Leeuw

with the nice fat hamel, and me-yes, me, the King

' cried one of the c

il,' roared the oth

the offal. Oh, the cunning

ing and wailing, while Leeu

said. 'Before the world wakes

in a dark kloof when there is no moon, and when he brulled it was very terrible to hea

round to the other side of the world, Leeuw took his strongest sjambok and started off to look fo

,' he thought. 'Well and happy are

very time he got up a little way, his claws just scratched along the hard rock and he came sailing down again. At last he thought, 'Well,

ay to get the better of a schelm is to be schelm, too. When anyone cheats, yo

he mentally prescribed and stored up for future use an antidot

antz and called out quite friendly an

ning,

ke to go hunting with me

s very seldom he had the honour of such an invitation, but now he was

t now. I'm busy grilling some nice fat mutton chop

re, but this krantz is s

Here, vrouw, give me a nice thick riem. That old rotten one th

t the bad riem, and they set to work to pull Oom Leeuw u

e pulled the riem this way and that way along the sharp edge of the krantz"-Outa vigorously demo

How stupid can a vrouwmens be! To give me an old riem when I ca

e the rope broke and each time his fall was greater, because Jakhals alway

you, Jakhals, but

ry. 'The carbonaatjes are done to a turn, and the smell-alle w

licking his lips. 'I have a big hole inside

hot stone out of the fire and wrapped a big piece of fat round it. Then

ide and I'll drop this in. It's such a ni

hile Mrs. Jakhals and the little ones doubl

ou read

outh wide open to catch the carbonaatje, an

m. Down fell the tit-bit and-slu

ocky ledges far above, and peeped timidly down; the circling eagles swooped nearer to find out the cause; the meerkats and ant-bears, the porcupines and

hy tails waving and their pointed ears standing up, they dan

ronger than the K

urther than the

ed Jakhals, but th

t sly one; he, t

catch him; catch hi

catch him! Ha! ha!

y out; grills the

Beastland with t

ed hamel while th

dying! Ha! ha! ha

onotone, and on the last words his voice quavered o

re too much for his eyes. Little Jan sigh

ow that Oom Leeuw was d

rst time he looked, he saw Oom Leeuw rolling over and over; the next time Leeuw was scratching, scratching at the rocky krantz; then he was digging into th

d little Jan. "He was such a pretty little thin

teenbokje, who never did him any harm, and then Jakhals killed Oo

it is so. Sometimes the good ones are killed and the bad ones grow fat. In

t Jakhals kill Oom Leeuw. Oom Leeuw was much stro

they know of the ups and downs of a hard world where the b

ople went about in skins like the Rooi Kafirs, and Outa's people were still monkeys in the bushveld. It has always been so, and it will always be so-in the story and in the old wicked world. It is the head, my baasjes, the head,"

which saw many strange things. Then, rousing himself, with a quick change of voice and manner, "Ach! pleas

t, handed them to Cousin Minnie. "The old sinner!" she said. "We all spoil him,

s. "That's my young lady! Nonnie can have Outa's skeleton when he is dead. Yes, it will be a fine skeleton for Nonnie to send far across the blu

. How the time goes when a person is with the baasjes and the noois! Night, Baas; night, N

nter and fainter, and finally died away in th