there beside the water. How often do you _opsit_ (sit up at night) with
Uncle Croft's pretty girl, eh? I'm not quite as blind as an ant-bear
yet. I saw her blush when you spoke to her just now. I saw her. Well,
well, it is a pretty game for a young man, isn't it, _nef_ Frank?" (this
was addressed to Muller). "I'll be bound the Captain here 'burns a long
candle' with pretty Bessie every night, eh, Frank? I hope you ain't
jealous, _nef_? My _vrouw_ told me some time ago that you were sweet in
that direction yourself;" and he stopped at last, out of breath,
looking anxiously towards Muller for an answer, while John, who had
been somewhat overwhelmed at this flood of bucolic chaff, gave a sigh
of relief. As for Muller, he behaved in a curious manner. Instead of
laughing, as the jolly old Boer had intended that he should, although
Coetzee could not see it, his face had been growing blacker and blacker;
and now that the flow of language ceased, with a savage ejaculation
which John could not catch, but which he appeared to throw at his
(John's) head, he turned on his heel and went off towards the courtyard
of the inn.

"Almighty!" said old Hans, wiping his face with a red cotton
pocket-handkerchief; "I have put my foot into a big hole. That stink-cat
Muller heard all that I was saying to you, and I tell you he will
save it up and save it up, and one day he will bring it all out to the
_volk_, and call me a traitor to the 'land' and ruin me. I know him. He
knows how to balance a long stick on his little finger so that the ends
keep even. Oh, yes, he can ride two horses at once, and blow hot and
blow cold. He is a devil of a man, a devil of a man! And what did he
mean by swearing at you like that? Is it about the _missie_ (girl), I
wonder? Almighty! who can say? Ah! that reminds me--though I'm sure I
don't know why it should--the Kafirs tell me that there is a big herd of
buck--vilderbeeste and blesbok--on my outlying place about an hour and