Part 55 (2/2)

Such a change in two hours! He could scarce credit his senses--he could scarce believe in its reality He knew that the locusts would eat up his arden; but his fancy had fallen far short of the extreme desolation that had actually been produced The whole landscape was rass was out of the question--trees, whose delicate foliage had played in the soft breeze but two short hours before, now stood leafless, scathed by worse than winter The very ground seemed altered in shape! He would not have known it as his own far the period of the locust-flight, and approached without any infornised the place of his own habitation!

With the phlegm peculiar to his race, the field-cornet sat down, and re tiathered near, and looked on--their young hearts painfully throbbing They could not fully appreciate the difficult circumstances in which this occurrence had placed theht only of the loss he had sustained, in the destruction of his fine crops; and this of itself, e consider his isolated situation, and the hopelessness of restoring therin

”Gone! all gone!” he exclaiain art thou cruel!”

”Papa! do not grieve,” said a soft voice; ”we are all alive yet, we are here by your side;” and with the words a little white hand was laid upon his shoulder It was the hand of the beautiful Truey

It seeel had smiled upon him He lifted the child in his arms, and in a paroxysm of fondness pressed her to his heart That heart felt relieved

”Bringone of the boys

[Illustration: THE SHOWER OF LOCUSTS]

The Bible was brought--itsof praise rose up in the midst of the desert

The Book was closed; and for soain stood upon his feet, and looked around him, the desert seemed once more to ”rejoice and blossoic influence of resignation and humility

CHAPTER VI

”INSPANN AND TREK!”

With all his confidence in the protection of a Supre to the Divine hand That was not the religion he had been taught; and he at once set about taking measures to extricate himself from the unpleasant position in which he was placed

Unpleasant position! Ha! It was an to perceive It was a position of peril!

The more Von Bloom reflected, the more was he convinced of this There they were, in the reen spot extended beyond the liuess; but he knew that the devastations of the ratory locust sometimes cover an area of thousands of miles! It was certain that the one that had just swept past was on a very extensive scale

It was evident he could no longer remain by his kraal His horses, and cattle, and sheep, could not live without food; and should these perish, upon ere he and his fao in search of pasture, without loss of time,--at once Already the ani their varied cries, ier; and it was hard to say when food could be procured for thereat importance,--even minutes must not be wasted in dubious hesitation

The field-cornet spent but a few minutes in consideration Whether should he mount one of his best horses, and ride off alone in search of pasture? or whether would it not be better to ”inspann” his wagon, and take everything along with him at once?

He soon decided in favour of the latter course In any case he would have been compelled to ether

He o out alone, it rass and water--for both would be necessary--and,

These and other considerations decided hion, his horses, his cattle, his sheep, his ”household goods,” and his whole family circle