He names me mother and your father, father; and you he names sister, but
to us he is neither son nor brother. Well, a day may come when he learns
to understand this, when he learns to understand also that he has other
kindred, true kindred far away across the sea; and if those birds call,
who will keep him in the strange nest?"

"Ah!" she echoed, all dismayed, "who will keep him then?"

"I do not know," I answered; "not a foster father or mother. But I
forgot. Say, did he take his rifle with him to the kraal?"

"Surely, I saw it in his hand."

"Then, daughter, if you will, get on a horse, and if you can find Ralph,
tell him that I shall be very glad if he can shoot a small buck and
bring it back with him, as I need fresh meat."

"May I stay with him while he shoots the buck, mother?"

"Yes, if you are not in his way and do not stop too long."

Then, without more words, Suzanne left me, and presently I saw her
cantering across the veldt upon her grey mare that Ralph had broken for
her, and wondered if she would find him and what luck he would have with
the hunt that day.

Now it seems that Suzanne found Ralph and gave him my message, and that
they started together to look for buck on the strip of land which lies
between the seashore and the foot of the hills, where sometimes the
blesbok and springbok used to feed in thousands. But on this day there