Nobody could have looked upon that simple camp without thoroughly agreeing with the speaker. It was hot certainly, but there were trees which afforded a cool and pleasant shade: while around for many a mile stretched a glorious roll of bush veldt--all green and golden in the unclouded sunlight--and the chatter of monkeys, the cackle of the wild guinea-fowl, the shrill crow of the bush pheasant together with the gleam of bright-winged birds glancing overhead, bespoke that this beautiful wilderness was redundant with life. The two men lounging there, with bronzed races and chests, their shirtsleeves turned up from equally bronzed wrists, looked the picture of rude health: surely if ever there was such a thing as a free life--open--untrammelled--this was it. The day was Sunday, which may account for the lazy way in which we found one at any rate of the pair, spending the morning. For they had made it a rule to do no work on that day, not, we fear, from any particularly religious motive, but acting on the thoroughly sound and wholesome plan of taking one day in seven "off." A thoroughly sound and wholesome appetite had they too. When they had done, Skelsey remarked: "Shall we go and have a shoot?" The other, who was tugging at a knot in the strings of his tobacco bag, looked up quickly. "Er--no. At least I won't go," he said rather nervously. "Er--I think I'll ride over to Blachland's." "All right, old chap. Let's go there instead." This did not suit Spence at all. "Don't know whether you'd care for it, Jack. The fact is, Blachland's away." "I see-ee!" rejoined Skelsey, significantly. "Oh-h, l-lucky Jim! How I envy hi-im--" he hummed. "You know you always swear you hate talking to women," said Spence eagerly, as though anxious to apologise for or explain his unfriendliness. "So I thought it only fair to warn you as to what you had to expect." "I see-ee!" repeated the other with a laugh and a wink. "Who's this?" shading his eyes and gazing out over the veldt. "Jonah back already?" A native was approaching, a clothed native; in fact one of their boys. He had been despatched to a trading store, a trifling distance of twenty-five miles away, to procure certain supplies, and now as he reappeared, he was bearing on his head a prodigious load. "Now we shan't be long!" ejaculated Skelsey, "and good biz too, for the grog was running most confoundedly low. Jonah is therefore for once a welcome sight." The load on being investigated was found to consist of a case of whisky and sundry unconsidered trifles in the grocery line. When this had been overhauled the boy, fumbling in the pockets of his greasy cord jacket, fished out a greasier bundle all rolled up in newspaper.