The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1899-01-08

possession of confidence. which, on that
lonely veldt, fifty miles from an inn IN
a stranger peOpled country. rejOined me
as with the nearness of a home. a
dwarfed tree afforded him SHADE a
nearly dried Up path was not far off:
his blanket was thrown beside him. and
a billy of a convenient size reposed be-
tween the extended military breeches.
Doubtless an extra sincerity was af-
fOrded to my cordial greeting by the
dainty Vapors which arose from that
billy, as l drew near. \ hot mOuthful
prevented him from doing more III the
way OF invitation than waving me to q
seat on the bowIder peppered tiTf. It
was enough, MY knife was, handy, and
I foTked from the pot by its aid ten
Derby steWeG birds wing. Our eyes
therefore suf1ced for a space to crafty
any natural curiosity, our mouths il
would have been a rudeness to inter-
rUpt. The meat dispatched, the trooper
pushed the billy my way, and, in the
absence Of spoons, I drank from it q
fair share of the SOUP which he
promptly finished. It was then my good
fortune TO contribute to the repast the
las cupfUl Of coffee in my possession.
At the pan I cleaned the billy and flied
it with fresh water, while the trooper
placed some more fuel upon the smoul-
dering fire.
81 fear" said I, that I have no
sugar.
This is a beast of a country said
the trooper. Z haven't had any sugar
in my coffee for three days. Come to
think, / haven't had much coffee either.
Well, there IS always tobacco some
how. I am economizing on native.
q have yet a pipe or two OF birds
eve I was glad 10 say, and with that
Ne fraterniZed
It was early in the day when we
slung our blankets about our shoulders
and stepped out along the lonely trek
cheerfully, for TO each some companion
ship was that morning the nlost. need
ful thing. Fer nearly a week my way
had been entirely ore of solitude, so
that my own voice had sounded start
lingly in my ears if 1 had called out to
raise q chance bird in my path. SO, il
appeared, had been the fortune of the
stranger, and it was now mutual de-
light 20 keep step and chatter.
He pleased me. His gray eyes twin
kled humOrously, his laugh rang heart !
somely. He strobe athletically forward
with the frank front of one who would
meet all adventures with the confident
Indifference OF alert strength, and the
consciousness OF a viii and a liver
equally good. Also, though he was
CARRIED in the uniform of a private it |
was TO surprise to me to find him of |
education and breeding. He was read
ily catalOgued-a, pTOdigal and an exile |
one of the South African army who had ]
LETT his past. perhaps his name, in Eng /
land, despaiTingly s -eking q new req Gte. !
1T is unnecessary he remarked, I
when we had exchanged names, Ito ask (
if you are for the Rand"
1T is the bookstore, l said. Every /
body is drawing there ana for my pur- ;
poses, which are pretty vague, johann !
nesburg is perhaps the most promising /
place in South africa
side of the TransVaal-if we may fiat
ter it by calling it '-Toad''--is terribly
mOnotonous, through unwooded veldt,
sinking to dried-up brooks, rising to
dusty SUBMITS, weariiy inteTninable.
We met, l remember, in over twenty
miles, not d living creature-nor Boer
nor Kaffir.
We We're fortunate in having cold cot
fee and plenty Of tobacco, and it was
not until we began to feel hungry that 1
in the proper fashion of the road we
cast about for a method Of providing
supper. We had not between US, it is 10
be thought a sixpence OF lodging we
were well assured. Our wide bed spread
ali about, our blankets were ready to
unfold at shutdown. But the taste Of
the mornings stew was dead upon the
palate, and our naJher garments hung
slackly from the waist. We chirruped
not so gladly, and began to reconnoitre
the surrounding veldt with a yearning
for the sight of a farmstead.
It neared SHUTDOWN. when we found
what we sought. a mile and more from
the trail, a house of comforting proper
ti9ns, wrapped in an outer cloak of
woods. An oblique path led down to it. ,
and this we took, to levy wallaber's
tribute from the farmer. The sun sank ]
rapidly as we approached. seeing no. s
body about. and it was dusk when we :
halted to consult by large pond lit I
tie distance from the house By this ]
the trooper sat him down and grinned 5
al me. s
My dress,'t he said. "is obnoxious to
the BOer, who has shot at such a uni 5
form before, and may again. You 90 $
alone, and do your best. 1t does not \
matter if he doesn't speak English. E
He's pretty sure to understand YOU c
left him SCREAMING crumbs from his q