CHAPTER XXIV

ANOTHER TRY

After a pleasant evening and a good supper, our party went to bed, Steve and Theron occupying the bed of the old people, while Harrison, Steve’s cousin and Keith took possession of the boys’ room; those who were thus ejected, satisfying themselves with a _shake down_ on the floor of the dining-room and kitchen respectively. At whatever sacrifice, the guests must be made comfortable!

It had been arranged that the visitors should have another try at those _oribe_, but this time under the guidance of the old man himself, as the young men had arranged to leave after breakfast for the _kerk plaats_ (farm on which a church is built, and where periodical services are held).

They would have stayed to oblige their guests, but two fair ones expected them there; the arrangement had been made to meet there, and even the claims of hospitality could not induce them to disappoint two loving hearts.

Everyone on a farm is too busy before breakfast to go shooting; the sheep had to be counted out of the kraal and sent to the veld, cows had to be milked, and all the work of the farm had to be set going and to be seen to first; therefore the party could not leave till after breakfast for the veld.

Ignatious and Daniel had to ride out to an outlying station before starting for their own particular trip. After breakfast, Steve was standing talking on the stoop to Lettie, waiting for his party to get ready. Ignatious and Daniel had just saddled their horses, and were saying good-bye to Steve and his party, as they would very likely be still away when Ignatious and Daniel returned from the out station, when they would immediately leave for the _kerk plaats_.

‘What fine fellows these brothers of yours are,’ remarked Steve to Lettie. ‘You ought to be proud of them.’

‘So I am. I only hope that if ever I marry, I may get a man as good as they are for a husband.’

‘Daniel is going to get married soon, is he not?’

‘Yes, within three months, probably. Do you think he looks sickly, or unhealthy?’

‘No; on the contrary, I think he looks remarkably healthy and strong. Why do you ask?’

‘Because, a few days ago, I came into his room; he was looking at the photo of his intended; tears were in his eyes. I asked him, “What is the matter?” He replied that he loved her so much, and that yet she would never be his wife. “What! never your wife!” I said, “and you are going to be married in a few months to her; what do you mean?” He replied that _he felt it in his heart_; he did not know why, unless _he should die before the time came_. And then he told me that I was to take his Bible, if he should die, and his sweetheart his new hymn book, and other things he told me to give to mother and father, as well as something for Ignatious. The foolish boy, as if he were going to die so soon; the idea is ridiculous; and yet, if he should die, I don’t know what we should do without him.’

‘Oh, you need not fear for him, he is strong and healthy enough to outlive us both.’

No more was said, and Steve did not think much of what was said, but he had reason sooner than he could have thought, to recall this conversation.

At last they started, and all hoped to have better luck than the day before. Steve was a fairly good shot at a target, in fact he was (like most South Africans) a born shot; but he had never had a chance to practise rifle shooting at a distance at real game, but he was a good hand at bird shooting with a shot-gun. Ever since he was a boy of twelve, he used to scrape his pennies together to buy powder and shot, and go pigeon-shooting with an old muzzle-loading shot-gun, which had formerly belonged to his father, and a good hand he learned to be at it by such practice. It was one of the few kinds of sport he enjoyed; he loved shooting. For the above reasons, Steve longed to bring down a real antelope of some kind, but he was doomed to disappointment. The game was too shy, and kept at a distance, requiring a really good shot to bring them down. Theron was the only one to kill that day. After a long walk in the hot sun and among the trees, Theron succeeded, by taking a good steady aim (and being told what sight to put on by Oom Ignatious) at a buck standing broadside on, unaware of their presence, in bringing it down. Oom Ignatious refused to shoot, as he said he did not like to spoil their sport, but inwardly he thought that, after the previous day’s occurrence--of which he had been told by Steve--it would be too unkind to humiliate the poor young greenhorns by a display of his accurate aim, for he knew that with him to shoot was to kill. The sun was hot and heavy, thunder-clouds were beginning to rapidly cover the sky, so it was determined to return home as fast as possible before the heavy storm, which was surely coming on, broke on them.