The Van Buren press., 1898-01-01

"Maru, baasi jolly hot. 'ope may
diel" cried July, graciously, for he
prided himself on his polite English,
picked up from drivers and gold pros
peetors. "You new baas?"
'sYes, you burned little ugly imp, I'm
your new baas, and the first thing
you've got to do is to take your bloomiu'
hockey out of this, dye mindP I've
heerd all about you. Last thing the SUI
perintendent says to me, he says, says
he: You kick that lazy niger out of
that, first thing, Mr.. Roser, he says,
s'eause he's no good says he. ] says:
.supe,' says !, no 'Ottentot or Kaffir
amt no good | says, AN ye can depend
on me to do the necessary klckin' in a
methodieal an artistic manner not to
be beat says I, cause | believe most
teenashushly that the only way to make
the natives of this blasted land know
their place is TO kick 'em hard an fire.
quent. In pursooance of which-take
that"
Thereupon the ugly brute, having dis
mounted, twisted July around by the
neck and kicked so vciously that the
boy went sprawling through the door
way into the barn. The cordial smile
of welcome which had broadened his in
noeent black face had died away as the
white man talked, giving way to look
of extreme fear, for even his life had
not been so lonely but that the rough
ness of outcast civilization had
scratched it. Now, with one long howl
of grief and dismay, he picked himself
up, sore in mind and body, and fed from
the house, until from the shelter of
distant ant heap he felt ii safe to watch
the fierce newcomer.
Mr.. Roser, having carelessly flung
few Whlteehapel terms of affection aft
er July, appeared TO dismiss him from
his mind, led his horse into the stable,
stayed there awhile, probably eXamin-
ing the stock, and, coming out again,
sat down in July's former seat in the
sun and smoked pipe with patience
and apparent content.
Suddenly there came a distant call.
the Australian "coo-cel" from the veldt,
and Roser jumped to his feet and sang
cut "coo-ee!" in return. Swiftly Looping
over the plain came another horseman
with arother rifle, and the two met in
quick and eager consultation. Says
Roser:
Its all right. We'd best be off.
Wheeler can't be here before morn
ing, but we'll set good start. I've
frightened the young niger away, and
he won't stop running, | bet, tonight.
There's only 12 horses, though, fit to
take, an If we get them into Bechuana
land by tomorrow night we'll be all
right. There's no hurry, but there's no
telling who may pass along the trek;
so as soon as dark, an that's now, We'll
drive 'em off Are you on?"
"sure, I'm on" says the other rogue,
ean' it's easy as mud, fyou ask me-
1t darkened rapidly, and at last was
fairly night-a moonless night. AS the
twilight died away July crept nearer
the stable, from one ants hill covering
to another. He had as yet no doubt
that the newcomer was his fathers le-
gitiuiate successor, but he crawled near
for chance to recover his worldly pos
sessions without being kicked. His
amazement was vast, therefore, when
from across the trail he beheld the two
men leading out the horses, mount their
own and drive the herd quietly off
across the veldt, with cool leisureli-
ness, too, which was dumfounding, for
the villains knew well that no coach
would pass for two days, and the new
stationmaster would not now arrive
until next day.
July's mouth was wide open with sur
prise as it dawned upon him that the
company's horses were in the posses
sion of pair of audacious horse thieves,
who would drive them across the Trans
vaal border, to dispose of them to Beeh-
uanaland settlers at their leisure.
The boy awoke at once to fair re-
alization of his own part in the matter
No more faithful servant than his fa-
ther had the stage company ever had,
and July had been trained to look upon
a horse thief as the vilest of mankind.
He was oppressed with his own unwari-
ness in being so tricked and he was
terror-stricken at what the company, a
thing of unlimited power for punish
ments and rewards, would do to him for
his lack of faith in not defending the
ctn nj tpt hn t,1 III i
found four horses left, those in poorest
condition, but one of them, though
along in years and gaunt, was not so
contemplate as the hasty thieves had
apparently thought it,
July jumped bareback on the old
horse and proceeded to follow the
thieves with great cunning, never COM
ing within sound or sight of them. but
continually dismounting and by listen
ing close to the ground and by the help
of an instinct which only veldt-born
native could have, tracking them surely.
Mile after mile through the night, over
bowlder-strewn strips and through
parks of scrubby trees, now down n ra-
vine, now across a ridge of hillocks,
through grass up TO the horses bellies
and over rocky streams, all by the faint
light of the stars, went the herd and the
thieves, and, all unsuspected, little July.
Suddenly the Hottentot came to a halt
and listened, for a minute puzzled.
After awhile he proceeded very eau
,iously, leading his horse very, very
slowly and cautiously, so that he took
more than an hour to go a little way.
Then he came out round low kopje,