us choose any we liked at one price, and I think I can say that we shall
be as well mounted a corps as any out here. Of course we avoided the
showy-looking horses, and chose those specially suited to the country
and likely to be fast. Mr. Duncan had several thoroughbreds from home,
and there is no doubt that his stock has benefited by it; they are all
of the country type, sturdy and compact, and yet somewhat finer in the
limb than any I ever saw in the Transvaal. We were delighted with them."

All the lads were accustomed from childhood to horses, but those Chris
had selected as the committee of inspection were admitted by their
friends to be the best judges of horseflesh in the party, their fathers
being wealthy men who always bought the finest horses money could
obtain.

"We will go over in a body to-morrow," Chris said, "and pay for them and
bring them back. We are lucky indeed to have got hold of such a good
lot. Are they pretty even animals, Peters?"

"Yes, I really don't think there is anything to choose between them."

"Well then, the fair way will be, to make one-and-twenty tickets with as
many numbers and fasten one to the mane of each horse, then we will put
another twenty-one numbers into a hat and draw them; in that way
everyone will be satisfied. Those of you who have not got their money
from their people had better ask them for it this evening, so that we
can settle up to-morrow for the horses and rifles and ammunition. The
hundred pounds we have each been promised will well cover all our
expenses up to the moment we start, and I should think leave us with
something like twenty pounds apiece in pocket, but all we have and the
other hundred for future expenses we had better put into the bank here