The young fellows stared at each other. They were hungry, and only bread and coffee. True, it was nice, fresh, delicious home-made bread; but bread and coffee was no supper for a hungry townsman. True they had plenty of nice tinned meats and fish on the cart, but on its being suggested in a whisper to Steve by his cousin, he shook his head. He had no wish to humiliate the poor old people by bringing food to their table, after they had offered them the best they had. So after their frugal meal, they retired to bed. They slept on the bed of the old couple themselves; who, as Oom Ignatious and his wife had done, slept on the floor to accommodate their stranger guests. The son had a little nest of his own, but one too poor to offer to these city folks.
The four had to make themselves as comfortable as they could on the large double bed of the old people, by lying crosswise. At any rate, the bed was perfectly clean.
CHAPTER XXVIII
A CHANGE OF ROUTE
The party rose early next morning, fed the horses, and held a consultation. They learned that they had passed the farmhouse to which they had been directed, far to the right. They were told by Oom Zarl Venter that they would find very few people at home on their present course, as in that direction nearly everybody was in the bush veld with their cattle.
‘But if you want game, why don’t you go to the bush veld. There you will find lots of game as well as people.’
‘But it is too far away from here.’
‘Not at all, you can be in the bush veld to-morrow if you choose, tired as your horses are.’
He further told them that they might go as far as Mijnheer Stienberg’s place, just this side of Kameelpoort, and the following day pass through Kameelpoort, when they would be in the outskirts of the bush veld, and just in the right place for pheasants and partridge shooting.
‘But is there no place half-way between this and Mijnheer Stienberg’s place where we might obtain forage for our horses?’ asked Steve.