The scene was too much for mortal man to stand. Steve fell on the ground, and rolled about on the grass as he laughed. He had to close his eyes. He felt, if he looked longer on the ludicrous scene, he would break something; his sides had already been abnormally strained. When he opened his eyes, Piet and Speelman were arguing the matter out.
‘If you hang to me again with those dirty paws of yours I shall kick you.’ Piet was saying in disgust.
‘But, baas, how can I help it, when Baas Daniel frightened me so? Please give me some other tobacco, baas; mine fell, and I can’t find it,’ he said supplicatingly.
‘Ask Baas Daniel; he made you lose yours, and now he can give you some other.’
‘Oh, please, Baas Daniel, give poor old Speelman some other tobacco, I have had nothing to smoke all the afternoon.’ said the old hypocrite, as he went and stood in front of Daniel. Piet saw his opportunity was come for revenge. He shouted,—
‘Speelman, kiss Baas Daniel.’
Speelman rushed forward and caught hold of Daniel, and tried his level best to approach his already smacking lips to the lips of Daniel. The woods rang with the roars of laughter as the young fellows saw the biter bitten in this unexpected manner. Daniel caught hold of Speelman by the throat, and even then he had great difficulty to keep the dirty smacking lips of the Hottentot away from his, for Speelman had again, for the second time, heard Piet’s command to ‘kiss Baas Daniel.’ At last Daniel succeeded by main force to throw the Hottentot away from him.
At first Daniel was inclined to resent the trick played on him by Piet, but he was told that he had done as much to Piet, or nearly so, in causing Piet to shake hands with the Kaffir woman; and he had to acknowledge the truth of it and join in the laugh against himself.
When Steve recovered from his last fit of laughter, he called Speelman to him, emptied his pouch in his hand, and said,—
‘Now, Speelman, tell me what makes you so disrespectful to your baas as to try and kiss him?’