‘The one I shot will never run again; I shot him just behind the shoulder.’
Keith stared at him and thought he was being fooled again, so did not say anything more, but followed Ignatious, only to be led to a dead _oribe_, shot dead through the heart--the bullet had penetrated the buck just behind the shoulder, as Ignatious had said he intended it to do.
Keith thought to himself, ‘I wish I could fire a shot like that, and be as sure of it too. Why, it was three hundred yards away if it was one.’
After a pleasant evening and a good supper, our party went to bed, Steve and Theron occupying the bed of the old people, while Harrison, Steve’s cousin and Keith took possession of the boys’ room; those who were thus ejected, satisfying themselves with a _shake down_ on the floor of the dining-room and kitchen respectively. At whatever sacrifice, the guests must be made comfortable!
It had been arranged that the visitors should have another try at those _oribe_, but this time under the guidance of the old man himself, as the young men had arranged to leave after breakfast for the _kerk plaats_ (farm on which a church is built, and where periodical services are held).
They would have stayed to oblige their guests, but two fair ones expected them there; the arrangement had been made to meet there, and even the claims of hospitality could not induce them to disappoint two loving hearts.
Everyone on a farm is too busy before breakfast to go shooting; the sheep had to be counted out of the kraal and sent to the veld, cows had to be milked, and all the work of the farm had to be set going and to be seen to first; therefore the party could not leave till after breakfast for the veld.
Ignatious and Daniel had to ride out to an outlying station before starting for their own particular trip. After breakfast, Steve was standing talking on the stoop to Lettie, waiting for his party to get ready. Ignatious and Daniel had just saddled their horses, and were saying good-bye to Steve and his party, as they would very likely be still away when Ignatious and Daniel returned from the out station, when they would immediately leave for the _kerk plaats_.
‘What fine fellows these brothers of yours are,’ remarked Steve to Lettie. ‘You ought to be proud of them.’