"It is a _mooi_ place now, that little valley; but I tell you then it were a spot to make a man look and long. But it were risky. The Fish River bush were a leetle too close, in case the Kaffirs raided. "Howsomdever, there were one man who took the risk. He were ole Mr Tolver--a farmer from Devonshire, and with him were seven sons--two on 'em born here, the rest away in the ole country. My gum! you should a seed 'em. The ole man hisself were not so big, though he were broad an' deep; but four of his boys were over six feet, and the other three were growing fast. Ole Mr Tolver druv his stake into the little valley. `This is my settlement,' he sez to the Government officer who came riding round, and tried to persuade him to give it up, because of its aloneness. `Here I am,' he sez, `and here I stays, and durn the Kaffirs!' "`You're a stubborn man, Tolver,' sez the officer, `but I have warned you. If the Kaffirs come they would cut you off before you could reach Grahamstown.' "`Jes' cast your eyes over my boys,' sez Tolver; and the boys laughed, and stood in a row. "There was Jake at the top, six-foot-four, with a yeller beard, and eyes blue as a bit of sky. Slow he were and heavy in his tread, with a hand like a leg o' mutton and a heart soft as a woman. He were courtin' a girl over at Clumber. I seed him offen there, but all the time you'd a thought he were there to play with the little girl, and not her big sister. Nex' to him were Oll, with a smooth face and a bull neck, and brown eyes that were always laughing. He took arter his mother. Arter him come Seth--long and thin and solum, with a habit of croonin' to hisself. And nex' him were Harry--the devil of the family; straight as a ramrod, handsome, and hot-tempered. He were a fine young chap, and the girls ran when he came in sight to put their hair straight. Then come one below six foot--young Willie, who took after his brother Jake, and jes' follered Harry like a shadder. Nex' him were barefooted Jimmy--a boy that was a born hunter, and knew more about animiles and how to cotch 'em than any man; an' last of all were the baby Tom. Tho' they called him `baby,' he were as big a'most as you, with the hair sticking through a hole in his felt hat, and bare brown legs. "There they stood in a row--the seven sons; and the officer threw his eye along 'em. "`By God!' he sed, `they're fine chips from the ole country. Well, you'll do as you like, Tolver; but take my advice--build a house with stone walls out in the clearing, and don't have a thatch-roof.' "Well; he rode off, and Tolver squatted in that little valley, clearing out the bush from the centre, and growing a'most anything. Many a time I went over there to climb the trees for plums with Tom, or go off bee huntin' with Jimmie, and in the quiet of the evenin' I've sot outside with the others, while Seth he played on his concertina bellers, making the saddest music, fit to make you roll over an' cry.