They had rather starve in them than come out, for fear lest they should meet a Boer." This provoked another snigger, and then the young ladies took up the ball.
"Are you hungry, _rooibaatje_ ?" asked one in English.
John was boiling with fury, but he was also starving, so he answered that he was.
"Tie his hands behind him, and let us see if he can catch in his mouth, like a dog," suggested a gentle youth.
"No, no; make him eat pap with a wooden spoon, like a Kafir," said another.

"I will feed him--if you have a very long spoon." Here again was legitimate cause for merriment, but in the end matters were compromised by a lump of biltong and a piece of bread being thrown to John from the other end of the room.

He caught them and began to eat, trying to conceal his ravenous hunger as much as possible from the circle of onlookers who clustered round to watch the operation.
"Carolus," said the old lady to the sardonic affianced of her daughter, "there are three thousand men in the British army." "Yes, my aunt." "There are three thousand men in the British army," she repeated, looking round angrily as though somebody had questioned the truth of her statement.

"I tell you that my grandfather's brother was at Cape Town in the time of Governor Smith, and he counted the whole British army, and there were three thousand of them." "That is so, my aunt," answered Carolus.
"Then why did you contradict me, Carolus ?" "I did not intend to, my aunt." "I should hope not, Carolus; it would vex the dear Lord to see a boy with a squint" (Carolus was slightly afflicted in this way) "contradict his future mother-in-law.

Tell me how many Englishmen were killed at Laing's Nek ?" "Nine hundred," replied Carolus promptly.
"And at Ingogo ?" "Six hundred and twenty." "And at Majuba ?" "One thousand." "Then that makes two thousand five hundred men; yes, and the rest were finished at Bronker's Spruit.