“What business was that of the Boer’s?” asked Frank, as soon as the noise had subsided.
“Why, he contends that Jones couldn’t have fixed it himself, and so you went and did it, and gave the Griquas just one more gun to shoot Boers with. He says we can’t stay in his settlement after that.”
“We don’t want to stay in his settlement,” said Uncle Dick. “We’ll start through it early in the morning; and the goods that we can’t barter to the natives we’ll bring back with us, and try to sell to the Boers nearer the colony.”
This decision was acted upon. Mack had the travellers all astir at an early hour the next morning, and while the boys were busy striking the tents and packing them away in the wagon, the cook made coffee and the other servants went off to drive up the oxen. By the time breakfast was disposed of the inspanning was completed; and when Mack had taken a turn about the camp to make sure that nothing had been left behind, he mounted his box and set the oxen in motion. Uncle Dick rode on ahead in company with Frank, as he generally did; the rest of the boys and the trappers came behind to keep the loose cattle and horses in their places; and the extreme rear was brought up by the Griquas on their sorry-looking beasts. The Zulus had left camp the night before, after begging a little tea from Uncle Dick. The sight of the goods that had been displayed for the Boer’s benefit, made them open their eyes, and they were hastening to their own country to inform their chief that a trader was approaching. This was what Mack told the boys, and he knew it by what he had overheard of the conversation they had with the Griquas just before they left. But they needn’t think that they were going to get him to trek so far out of the world, he said. He wouldn’t cross that desert and take his chances with the wild Bushmen for all the ivory there was in Africa.
When the wagon passed the farmhouse the Boer was standing in the door, pipe in hand. “Good morning and good-by to you, Mynheer Schrader,” exclaimed Mack, cheerfully. “I may see you again in a few weeks, and then I hope I shall find you in a better humor. Remember that I have the best stock of goods—”
“I wants nothing but that the lions may catch you while you are going through the veldt,” growled the Boer, in reply. “Ah! you’re going to a bad place, and there’ll be no traces left of you in the morning.”
“Never fear. I know more about that veldt and the lions that are in it than you do.”
The boys did not quite understand this, so after a little consultation among themselves, Featherweight rode up to the wagon to ask some information. He remained in conversation with Mack for ten minutes, and when he dropped back beside his companions again, his face was all aglow with excitement. “We may see something now, fellows,” he exclaimed. “That ‘veldt’ the Boer was talking about is a valley in the hills about a day’s journey from here, and the lions are so numerous there that it is known all over the country as ‘the lion veldt.’ Every traveller dreads it. No one pretends to go through there by night, and people have been killed in broad daylight.”
“Human natur’!” ejaculated Dick.
The rest of the party said nothing at once, but looked down at the horns of their saddles and thought about it. They had not yet caught a glimpse of the king of beasts on his native heath. They had heard his voice on several occasions, and that was enough for them, especially for the trappers, who, judging of the animal by the noise he was able to make, formed the opinion that he must be of immense size and something fearful to look at. To hear a tame lion roar in a menagerie, when they were standing in a crowd of spectators and the lion was penned up in an iron cage and deprived of all power for mischief, was one thing; and to hear that same tame lion’s uncle or cousin give tongue in the wilds of Africa on a dark and stormy night (Uncle Dick had often told them that when a lion made up his mind to do any particular damage he always chose a stormy night for it), when there were no iron bars to confine him, and nothing but the thin sides of their tent, and a frail breastwork of thorn-bushes, to keep him from dashing into their very midst, was another and a widely different thing. The boys had heard lions roar under all these circumstances, and George expressed the sentiments of the most of the party when he said: