civility or courtesy from the Boers, who, indeed, would feel a malicious
pleasure in shunting you off into a siding, and letting you wait there
for any number of hours. You must mind, Chris, above all things, to keep
your temper, whatever may happen. You know how our people have been
insulted, and actually maltreated in scores of cases, and in their
present state of excitement the Boers would be only too glad to find an
excuse for acts of violence. I was speaking to you about it three days
ago, and I cannot impress it too strongly upon you. I have already given
you permission to join one or other of the corps that are being raised
in Natal, and if anything unpleasant occurs on the road, you must bottle
up your feelings and wait till you get a rifle in your hand and stand on
equal terms with them."

"I promise that, father. I think, after what we have had to put up with
here, during the past two or three months especially, I can bear
anything for these last few days."

"Yes, Chris; but it will be more trying now that you have your mother
under your charge. It is for her sake as well as your own that I impress
this so strongly upon you. Now, will you go down at once to the railway-
station and enquire about the trains? I shall go myself to the manager
and see whether I can get him to make any special arrangement in your
mother's favour, though I have no great hopes of that; for though I know
him well, he is, like all these Dutchmen in office, an uncivilized brute
puffed up with his own importance."

Chris started at once, and returned an hour later with a very
discouraging report. The station was crowded with people. No regular
trains were running, but while he was there a large number of cattle-
trucks had been run up to the platform, and in these as many of the