Part 64 (1/2)

Von Bloo, and various other remedies; but to no purpose

There is no cure for the bite of the tsetse fly!

CHAPTER XVI

THE LONG-HORNED RHINOCEROS

Great, indeed, was now the affliction of the field-cornet Fortune see Step by step he had been sinking for years, every year beco poorer in worldly wealth He had now reached the lowest point--poverty itself He owned nothing whatever His horses arded as dead The cow had escaped fro out upon the plain; and this animal now constituted his whole live stock,--his whole property! True, he still had his fine wagon; but of what use would that be without either oxen or horses? a wagon without a teaon

What could he do? Hoas he to escape from the position he was placed in? To say the least, it was an aard one--nearly two hundredthere,--no ; and hoere his children to walk two hundred miles?

Impossible!

Across desert tracts, exposed not only to terrible fatigue, but to hunger, thirst, and fierce carnivorous animals It appeared impossible that they could accomplish such a task

And what else was there to be done? asked the field-cornet of himself

Were they to reame and roots? Were his children to become ”Bush-boys,”--hih his mind, no wonder that Von Bloom felt deeply afflicted

”Merciful Heaven!” he exclaimed, as he sat with his head between his hands, ”ill become of me and mine?”

Poor Von Bloom! he had reached the lowest point of his fortunes

He had, in reality, reached the lowest point; for on that very day,--even within that very hour--an incident occurred, that not only gave relief to his afflicted spirit, but that promised to lay the foundation of future wealth and prosperity In one hour froone a coe,--in one hour from that time he was a happy man, and all around him were as happy as he!

You are ie was effected? What little fairy had sprung out of the spring, or coood field-cornet in his hour of misery? You are impatient to hear! Then you shall hear

The sun was just going down They were all seated under the great tree, and near a fire, upon which they had cooked their supper There was no talking, no cheerful conversation,--for the children saw that their father was in trouble, and that kept them silent Not a word passed between them, or only an occasional whisper

It was at this hts in words as above

As if seeking for an answer, his eyes were raised to heaven, and then wandered around the plain All at once they becaular object, that appeared at so from the bushes

It was an animal of some kind, and from its vast size Von Bloom and the others at first took it to be an elephant None of them, except Swartboy, were accustoh these animals once inhabited thesince deserted the settled districts, and are now only to be found far beyond the frontier of the colony But they knew that there were elephants in these parts--as they had already observed their tracks--and all now supposed the huge creature that was approaching must be one

Not all, Swartboy was an exception As soon as his eyes fell upon the animal he cried out,--

”Chukuroo--a chukuroo!”

”A rhinoster, is it?” said Von Bloo that ”chuckuroo” was the native name for the rhinoceros, or ”rhinoster,” as he called it in Dutch

”Ya, baas,” replied Swartboy; ”and one o' da big karles--da, 'kobaoba,'