Charge! | Page 2

as if it were only

yesterday. I looked at him, and he looked at me. My eyes were fixed
upon those trousers; and I burst out, boy-like, into the heartiest fit of
laughter I ever had. As I laughed his eyes opened wider and wider, and
the corners of his mouth began to creep back farther and farther till they
nearly disappeared. Then, suddenly, his mouth flew open, showing a
wonderfully white set of teeth, and he gave vent to "Yer-her! Yawk,
yawk, yawk, yawk! Yor-hor!" Then he helped to outspan the oxen, and
I showed him and the man with the wagon where to find water. At
every order I gave he opened his mouth and laughed at me; but he
eagerly did all I bade, and followed me back to the wagon to help in
unloading the bundles of trees, taking the greatest interest in everything,
and lifting the boxes and packages of stores which had come with the
trees, no matter what their weight, as if he enjoyed putting forth his
tremendous strength.
"Well, Val," said my father as he took out his big knife to cut the string,
and then carefully unlaced it--for string was precious out in the
desert--"I thought I'd chance a few; but it's quite a spec, and I'm afraid
they'll be all dried up. However, we'll try them; and now they are here
we must get them in at once. Mind, I shall look to you to make them
grow if they are still alive."
"How am I to make them grow, father?" I said.
"With water, my boy. You must bring down buckets from the spring till
we have time to dig a channel; and then they'll shift for themselves. I
hope they'll grow, for it will be pleasant for you and Bob to sit under
them sometimes and eat apples and pears such as your father used to
have in his old orchard at home."
"Yes, father," I said; "and for you too."
"Perhaps, my boy; perhaps," he said, with a sigh. "We shall see.--Here,
Jenny!"
My aunt was already at the door, in her print sun-bonnet, and looking
very cross, I thought.

"Yes," she said.
"Give these two men a good hearty meal; I dare say they're pretty
hungry."
"It's all ready, John," she said.
"That's right, my dear," said my father; and then, as if to himself, "I
might have known." Turning to the short, thick-set Dutch Boer in
charge of the wagon, father told him to go to the big wagon-sheet
supported on poles, which we used for a dining-room, and then clapped
the big black on the shoulder, bidding him go too.
"Get two spades, Val," he said as soon as the men were gone; "and you,
Bob, come off that bundle of trees. It wasn't sent all these thousands of
miles by ship and wagon to make you a horse."
I fetched the spades while my father went on unpacking the little trees,
Bob being set to help by unlacing the string from the pleasant-smelling
Russian mats. Before the new arrivals were cast loose, the big black,
with a tremendous sandwich of bread and bacon, had joined us, and
showed at once that he meant to help. After taking a big bite, he put his
sandwich down while he carried trees to the places where they were to
be planted, and after putting them down, returned for another bite,
giving me a grin every time.
Then the spades were taken up; and by that time the Boer had eaten and
drunk as much as he could, and gone to sit on the big chest in front of
the wagon, where he filled his pipe and began to smoke, never offering
to help, but watching us with his eyes half-closed.
"Here, steady, nigger!" said my father, smiling; "we're not going to
bury bullocks. Little holes like this just where I put in these pegs.-- You
keep him in hand, Val. I never saw such a strong fellow before."
The great black fellow grinned and dug away, making the rich and soft
dry earth fly as he turned it out; while he laughed with delight every
time I checked him, and followed me to another place.

By that time he had finished his sandwich, and a thought occurred to
me.
"Here, Bob," I said; "put down those pegs"--for he was marching about
with us, looking very serious, with the bundle of pegs under his arm.
"Go and ask Aunt Jenny to cut another big bit of bread and a very large
slice of bacon, and bring 'em here."
Bob ran off, and the big black looked at me, threw back his head, and
laughed, and laughed again, as he drove the spade deeply into the rich
loamy soil; and when