"You'll do; you'll do," said the dealer, with a little chuckle. "Now then; it was half my fault, and half yours." The next moment Mark was in his seat, holding his mount with a tight hand as it began to paw up the sand, eager to start. "Wait for me," cried Dean, for the dealer was clapping the halter on another of the ponies, whose back Dean reached without mishap; and then as if thoroughly accustomed to run together, the attractive looking little pair moved off at an easy canter, closely followed by the other two, and going soon after at a quiet hand gallop twice round the large kraal, and stopping short close up to the dealer at the end of their career. The boys jumped down, and the two unmounted ponies waited patiently while the halters were shifted and the performance repeated. "Well, gentlemen, are you satisfied?" said the man, patting the ponies' necks as he spoke. "Yes, quite," said Sir James. "What do you say, doctor?" "I should say more than satisfied, only I am afraid that they won't be up to our weight." "Don't you make any mistake, sir. These little fellows can do more than you expect--that is, if you treat them well. You won't ride them till they founder, I'll be bound. Just you take care that they have enough, and you will find that they will do all you want. You would like me to keep them till you start, I suppose?" "Certainly," said the doctor; and soon after the little party returned to their inn, the boys talking eagerly about their new acquaintance. "But I say, father," said Mark, "why, what a party we are going to be-- five men, our four selves, four ponies, and all those oxen. Let's see; that's all, isn't it?" "No," said Sir. James; "you forget the guide." "Black, isn't he, uncle?" "Yes; I suppose he's a regular Kaffir, a sort of Zulu. What did the captain say he was, doctor?" "An Illaka, he called him, I believe, something of the same sort of black, as the Matabeles. But you have forgotten two more." "Two more, sir?" said Dean. "No, we have counted them all." "What about the two black forelopers?" "Why, what are they?" cried Mark. "The two blacks who go in front of the foremost bullocks." "Oh," said Mark. "I say, we are beginning to grow." "Yes," said Sir James; "we are getting to be a pretty good hunting party. What with ourselves, men and cattle, we shall have a good many mouths to feed." "But you don't want to go back, father?" "I did, thoroughly," replied Sir James, "when we were down at that dreadful port." "But not now, uncle," cried Dean. "Certainly not, my boy. I am as eager to go forward as you boys, and I believe the doctor too. I think we are going to have a most delightful trip. But I say, this doesn't look to me a very good specimen of the health of the country;" and he nodded his head in the direction of a very tall, extremely thin, bilious-looking individual who passed them, and whom they saw make his way right up to the dealer's house.