The pioneer express. [volume] (Pembina, Dakota [N.D.]) 1883-1928, 1903-09-11

over : ledge with ! jar that wIrenched
every bolt and wheel spoke, the heavy
wagon crashed down the bank only
to come to dead stop at the bottom,
imbedded in sand up to tho axles.
The span were knotted In q tangled
mob Of clashing horns and twisted
yoke reins, snufing and paving up the
sand with impatient hoofs; instinct
told them that water was there-but
it was far, far below, for the rains had
fallen many months back.
"Verdomte rooinecks!" ragged the
angry Baas. beside himself. 81 Twist
their tails; get that iron spike here.
Hendrik-that will make the devils
move"
But 1t was Of no use; the span only
became more hopelessly entangled. In
vain Klaus dashed in among them,
sjambok in hand, kicking here and
slashing there, while Hendrix ana the
voerloper called upon the beasts by
name and urged them forward. Wa
ter they knew was there, and water
they would have
"The whip! Why don't you take the
whip, you scheims? Where Is it?"
roared the infuriated Boer, rising and
glaring about the wagon.
AS he went forward he stumbled
over the baby and its box, upsetting
it and sending the child rolling across
the floor of the wagon, where it lay
in a ball on heap of skins, growing
/
ed games with it.
The Boer thrust the empty box back
against the side with his foot, and
snatched up the bamboo whip handle.
Posing it carefully above his head in
both hands, he gave preliminary
flourish, but the end was caught in
something-the brat again, curse it!
1t opened wide eyes of pleasure at
him, holding up its dimpled wrists,
wound round with the end of the lash.
With savage oath. he kicked it off
the end of the wagon into the midst of
the struggling cattle and brought the
great whip down upon them with all
his force Again and again it uncoiled
and whizzed down with crack like
rifle shot, cutting into the steaming
TANKS of the plunging mob until they
beloved again. Scared and bleed
ing, deafened by the report of the whip
and the hoarse yells of the men, the
maddened beasts Strengthened out, and
with Klaus and the voerloper Juggling
at the leaders heads, strained, pant
ing up the further bank of the drift.
1t was late that evening before
Klaus crawled stealthily away from
the wagon, taking full beaker of
fresh water from the pool, and his
suppel; the Baas was very angry with
him because the wagon had stuck in
the drift-though how could he help it
If the oxen would not be driven? -and
had forbidden him to leave the wagon
to see Beta. But no Baas could keep
him from doing that, no matter how
many hidings he got for it.
Klaus walked for many hours, but
the girl did not come. Of course, hav-
ing the baby to carry again would
make her take longer; for Baas Jakob
had told him how he had seen it roll
off the wagon that morning trying to
reach big tortoise on the road and
crawl after it unhurt, and how he had
watched it there until Beta had pick.
ed it up when she came along. Still,
she would catch them up next evening,
and he left the water beaker and the
food tied up in a piece of rag under
a heap of stones in the middle of the
road, so that the aasvogels could not
get at them, and Beta might find
them there in the morning.
But Beta did not catch the wagon
up next evening. or the next.
Four days afterward they had pass
ed the edge of the desert and out
spanned among the shady tamarisks
and the willows by the banks of the
Great river.
Never mind. Klaus" said Baas Piet
kindly, patting him on the shoulder:
hunger is bad death, but it is Gods
will. Besides" he added, with smile,
there are yet many good girls in Ba-
sutoland. But you will stay with Baas
Jakob and me yet bit?"
II stay with you-and Baas Jakob,"
answered Klaus simply. "He treats
me as we'll as any other Baas."
(The End.)