"One night I went over, so to be ready to go on a long hunt nex' day with Jimmie, and down the hill there came a Kaffir, with his kerrie across his shoulder, and his arms resting on the stick by the wrists, after their way of walking. "`Gumela!' he sed, and stood near by, waiting, drawin' his red blanket round him, and his face set like a block o' wood. "Ole baas Tolver he jes' grunted, and the Kaffir he stood there lookin'. "Arter a time the ole baas up and sed--`Jake, fetch him a stick o' tobacco!' "Jake riz up, and there seemed no end to him, and he reached out a long arm with a yank of black tobak. "`Yoh!' sed the Kaffir. "`Oll,' said the ole baas; `step inside for a strip of meat. Seth, put another stick on the fire. You, Harry, draw a bucket o' water from the spring.' "As, one arter the other, these big chaps riz up from the ground, and went striding off about their jobs which the ole man had set them a-purpose, the Kaffir looked more an' more s'prised. "`Sit and eat,' sed the ole baas. "`Inkosi,' sed the Kaffir; and he squatted down to the fire, with his hands out to the blaze, and his black eyes half-closed; while the meat spluttered on the coals, giving off a fine smell. "`Willie,' sed the ole man; `fetch out the guns and give 'em a clean up.' "Willie sprang up--nearly six foot of him--and the Kaffir looked roun' the fire at the other two boys. "`Yoh,' he said, `these men are like trees;' and his eyes shone in the light, and on his breast there gleamed white a string of tiger claws. "So he sot and eat, and then he said he were going on to the Kasouga to see his brother, who was herding cattle for a white man. "When he went the ole man laughed in his beard. `I guess,' he sed, `he'll see we're too much of a mouthful in case they mean trouble.' "`I hope we haven't frightened him,' sed Harry; `things are gettin' too quiet.' "`The quieter the better,' sed Jake; `we don't wan't any Kaffirs swooping down here. I didn't like the look of that fellow; he said too little.' "`Phooh!' said Harry, `I'd take him with one hand.' "`I'll jes' walk over to Clumber,' sed Jake, stretching hisself, `and fetch the sweet pertaters for sowing to-morrow.' "Harry laughed. "`You're getting nervous, Jake,' he sed, `now you're in love. There's somethin' sweeter'n pertaters over yonder.' "Jake laid Harry on his back--not so's to hurt him, and swung off inter the dark, while me and Jimmie and Tom reckoned that Harry was the chap if there was any trouble. "Early next morn, me and Jim stretched away across the veld, towards the Fish River, carrying a tin for the honey and a hunk of black bread. "We'd gone about six miles when Jimmie stubbed his toe, and sit down, with a holler, to nurse it. "`My gum!' he sed, `it's bad; I guess we'll go back and leave this trip for nex' week. There's a honey-tree near home, and we'll go there.' "I were 'leven and he were sixteen, and what he sed I'd got to do, so we turned back, and he limpin'.