manner, as his ancestors might have done to a king of France.

Leblanc's face fell. Then he rose and walked away rather unsteadily; as
I learned afterwards, to plunge his head in a tub of cold water and
swallow a pint of new milk, which were his favourite antidotes after too
much strong drink. At any rate, when he appeared again, half an hour
later, to begin our lesson, he was quite sober, and extremely polite.

When he had gone, my childish anger being appeased, I presented the Heer
Marais with my father's compliments, also with the buck and the birds,
whereof the latter seemed to please him more than the former. Then my
saddle-bags were taken to my room, a little cupboard of a place next to
that occupied by Monsieur Leblanc, and Hans was sent to turn the horses
out with the others belonging to the farm, having first knee-haltered
them tightly, so that they should not run away home.

This done, the Heer Marais showed me the room in which we were to have
our lessons, one of the "sitkammer", or sitting chambers, whereof,
unlike most Boer stead, this house boasted two. I remember that the
floor was made of "daga", that is, ant-heap earth mixed with cow-dung,
into which thousands of peach-stones had been thrown while it was still
soft, in order to resist footwear--a rude but fairly efficient
expedient, and one not unpleasing to the eye. For the rest, there was
one window opening on to the veranda, which, in that bright climate,
admitted a shaded but sufficient light, especially as it always stood
open; the ceiling was of unplastered reeds; a large bookcase stood in
the corner containing many French works, most of them the property of
Monsieur Leblanc, and in the centre of the room was the strong, rough
table made of native yellow-wood, that once had served as a butcher's
block. I recollect also a coloured print of the great Napoleon