A grand design now occupied the mind of Von Bloom.

The troop of quaggas became suddenly invested with as much interest as if it had been a herd of elephants; and the field-cornet had started to his feet, and stood gazing upon them--his eyes sparkling with pleasure and admiration.
He admired their prettily-striped heads, their plump well-turned bodies, their light elegant limbs; in short, he admired everything about them, size, colour, and proportions.

Never before had quaggas appeared so beautiful in the eyes of the vee-boor.
But why this new-born admiration for the despised quaggas ?--for despised they are by the Cape farmer, who shoots them only to feed his Hottentot servants.

Why had they so suddenly become such favourites with the field-cornet?
That you will understand by knowing the reflections that were just then passing through his mind.

They were as follows:-- Might not a number of these animals be caught and broken in ?--Why not?
Might they not be trained to the saddle ?--Why not?
Might they not serve him for hunting the elephant just as well as horses ?--Why not?
Von Bloom asked these three questions of himself.