CHAPTER XI.. Ice-Making in Africa--a Hunters' Luncheon--After

ICE-MAKING IN AFRICA--A HUNTERS' LUNCHEON--AFTER GEMSBOK AGAIN.

The next morning Jack's stroke of paralysis in the way of a feast developed itself. He fished out from one of the wagons a box containing a small machine for making ice. The machine was small, and also its capacity: it could make two pounds of ice in three hours, and that was the utmost of which it was capable. I forget the name of the machine, but it was of French manufacture, and Jack said in case it got out of repair it was necessary to send the thing to Paris. It worked in an odd sort of way, as the ice was obtained by means of the condensation of ammonia-gas into the fluid form, and the gas was formed by building a fire under a retort. It struck me as very funny that heat was required for making ice, but so it was.

"I bought this thing in Paris," said Jack, "and brought it along, thinking it might be useful. Have thought of it several times since we came up-country, but didn't want the bother of taking it out and setting it up. But it's all right now, and I don't mind the trouble, when we're going to give a reception to ladies."

Jack put the machine in operation in the neighborhood of the cook's quarters, and detailed one of the most intelligent of the men to watch it. In the meantime Harry had taken his fowling-piece and gone out to shoot some quail, which were abundant in the open region a mile or so to the south of the camp. He came back in little more than an hour with a fine string of them, and said he could have bagged enough for a London evening party had there been any occasion to do so. He also shot a bustard, and said it would make a first-rate substitute for turkey.

Our cook was a native of the soil and had not been to Paris for his training in the culinary art. His science was limited to plain stews and broils; but as to anything else he was a failure. We tried him two or three times on making bread, but the article he produced was of a quality that would have been refused by a starving beggar. We set him to work making a stew of the best parts of the young buffalo, and also intrusted him with the broiling of some gemsbok-steaks. The rest of the cooking was supervised by ourselves, and we managed to get along very well, considering our inexperience. We had a very fair quality of bread, which was prepared by Harry overnight and baked in a Dutch oven; and we also drew upon the resources of the wagon for various things. For soup we strained off the thin part of the buffalo-stew, rejecting all the rest. It was not lost, however, as the Kafirs made short work of what was left.

Altogether the menu for our luncheon was as follows:

Buffalo-soup Gemsbok-steak Boiled eland's tongue Cutlets of roast turkey (bustard) Broiled quail Salad of South Africa Bread Claret Iced champagne Tea and coffee Crackers and cheese

"That wouldn't be a bad lay-out for New York or London, would it?" said Harry, as we went over the list.

"Not by any means," I answered. "I don't believe we'll get through with it and eat heartily of every dish."

"No more do I," said Jack; "and I think we will astonish our visitors by showing what three bachelors can do when left to their own resources."

Everything was ready about noon--the time when our visitors were expected. All the articles were under the supervision of the cook, and he was threatened with instant death in case anything was missing.

While we were waiting for our guests Jack suggested that we might possibly think up something else to add to the feast, but Harry and I deterred him from so doing. He thought he might be able to bring something more out of the recesses of the wagon, but we voted that it would be useless to do so.

We were just a little pushed on the score of tableware, as our canteen was made up for four persons; but by making some of the plates and dishes do double duty, and calling into use some tin cups and tin plates, we managed to get along.

About half an hour past the meridian one of our Kafirs reported people approaching from the westward, and shortly thereafter our visitors arrived. The fair ones were accompanied by their manager and after-rider, and all were on horseback. We met them at the front of the kraal; I assisted Mrs. Roberts to dismount, while Jack showed the same civility to Miss Boland. The manager and after-rider disappeared in the direction of the kraal, where our manager took charge of them; and after presenting my two friends to the ladies I escorted them to the tent. We had been not a little curious as to the costume they would wear on their visit, but all our doubts were set at rest when they came in sight, as they were habited precisely like English or American equestriennes, and their riding-habits had a decidedly fresh and unused look; but more about that by and by.

They departed a little, though, from the fashion of civilized life in avoiding the chimney-pot hat which custom ordains for the woman on horseback. On their heads they wore the sola topee, or sun-hat, which is familiar to everybody in Africa and Asia, and pretty well known at present throughout Europe and the United States. And I may add that this head-gear is a pleasing addition to a woman's riding-dress and ought to be more generally used than it is.

We had a little conversation in the tent, and then I suggested to Jack and Harry that our duties as assistant cooks required our presence in the kitchen. If the ladies would excuse us we would go and see that the ice-cream was properly on the fire and the Scotch whisky browned after the style of the old country. The ladies excused us graciously, and we left them to themselves in the tent, so that they might remove their hats and repair any little damages to hair or face which the ride might have caused. But there was more earnestness than jest in my suggestion, as we all had something to attend to in the way of preparing the feast.

We returned in a little while, and conversation was resumed on general topics. The ladies had much to say about the neatness of our camp and the stanch manner in which our kraal was constructed. I told them of our lion adventure, and added that I thought their kraal was quite as well built as ours.

"As to the neatness of things as you see them," said Jack, with the most outspoken frankness, "it is very largely due to your visit. Man, when left to himself, isn't a very orderly being, and we three fellows haven't wasted much time in making things shipshape about our camp. Each of us has his corner in the tent and leaves his things pretty much as he likes. We have a rule that no one is to disturb the property of anybody else, and we abide by it strictly. So, although everything may appear in disorder, we can each of us lay hands on everything of our own that we want, because we know exactly where it is."

Jack paused, and Harry took up the line of talk by suggesting that we had been straightening up a good deal since I returned with the announcement that the ladies were coming to visit us. "We don't think it at all right to allow you to take things as they were, but rather as you find them now. At the same time, we don't believe it proper to live under any false pretenses."

"I think I ought to blush for my conduct in this matter," I said, as Harry paused.

"How so?" queried Mrs. Roberts.

"Why, because I called at your camp without warning, while we have had two days' notice."

"Oh, but don't you remember," the lady replied, "I kept you waiting outside for at least a quarter of an hour? You can't imagine what prodigies of setting things to rights we did in those fifteen minutes."

"Well, we didn't accomplish ours in any fifteen minutes, I assure you," I answered; "to be frank about it, we were at work all yesterday forenoon."

"We appreciate the compliment, I am sure; do we not, Miss Boland?" was the reply.

"Certainly we do," said the young lady; "and I almost feel conscience-stricken for having put you to so much trouble."

"The trouble has been a great pleasure," Jack responded; "it has been more than a pleasure--it has called us back to civilization, which we were rapidly forgetting, and so becoming like the barbarians around us. No visit of men could have raised in us the energy to do what we have done--nothing short of a visit of fair women. I have often thought that if Adam had been left in Eden without the presence of Eve he would have become as great a barbarian as a South African hunter, and the only security for the animals which abounded there was that he didn't have any firearms."

"Oh, but he could have dug a pitfall for them, just as the natives do here," said Miss Boland; "or perhaps he would have driven them into a kraal and slaughtered them by wholesale."

The conversation went on in this way for a little while, and then, as I saw our three personal attendants standing near the table, I rose and asked the ladies to walk into the dining-hall, offering my arm to Mrs. Roberts and requesting Mr. Delafield to escort Miss Boland. I remark by the way that the question of the division of two ladies among three men had previously been decided by a "toss-up," Harry being left out in the cold by this appeal to Fortune. I had Mrs. Roberts at my right; Jack came next; next was Miss Boland; and between Miss Boland and myself Harry was placed. This was about the best arrangement we could make. Harry had suggested that another woman might be obtained, so as to make the party an evenly-balanced one, by washing and dressing one of the Kafir women. Jack inquired whether she would be dressed with butter or olive-oil, and then the subject was dropped.

To tell the whole story of the visit would be tedious, and I forbear. Considering that we were in South Africa, we had an excellent luncheon; while the cooking was not up to the Delmonico standard, the food was abundant and by no means poor in quality. Our visitors praised it rapturously, and declared they had not sat down to as fine a table since they started from Walvisch Bay. Jack's salad was a success of the highest order, and received the sincere praise of everybody.

When the quail were brought Jack begged to be excused for a few moments while he went to the kitchen. He came back with five glasses, filled to the top with ice, on a battered tray which he carried in one hand, while in the other he held a bottle of champagne. Placing the tray on the table, he cut the string and allowed the cork to escape from its confinement with its well-accustomed sound. Then he filled the glasses with champagne and passed them around to our surprised visitors and to ourselves.

I say "surprised"--they were more than surprised; they were paralyzed, as Jack predicted they would be. They sat in speechless astonishment looking at the bubbles rising around the lumps of ice, and I think both of them brought their hands to their foreheads to make sure whether they were awake or dreaming.

"Ice in the wilds of South Africa!" exclaimed Mrs. Roberts. "Who ever heard or dreamed of such a thing!"

"Yes, indeed," said Miss Boland, "this is the greatest surprise since we started from Walvisch Bay. I felt sure we would be received in princely style, but this is more than princely--it is royal; it is imperial!"

"Ladies, we drink to your very good health," said Jack, with all the grace of a master of ceremonies at a royal court. Bear in mind that he was clad in check shirt and trousers and a very shabby moleskin jacket, which was about the same as the dress of Harry and myself.

All the healths were drunk, and then we had more conversation. The coffee was brought, and Mrs. Roberts suggested that if we wished to smoke we were at liberty to do so, as the dining-room was well ventilated and smoke would be no inconvenience to them.

We thanked her and said that we did not care to smoke at that time, the usual period for our pipes being at the end of the day. After a while we adjourned from table, took a stroll outside the kraal, and managed to get fairly well acquainted all around. The ladies told us who they were, and gave us a sufficient amount of information about their families.

The afternoon wore on, and in due time Mrs. Roberts said they had better be returning to their camp. Their horses were ordered up; but before mounting they gave us a cordial invitation to visit them at home, and the day was named for our doing so. Then we helped them into their saddles--their manager and after-rider were already mounted--and away the quartet cantered in the direction of the sun, which was much more than half-way from the zenith to the horizon.

After our visitors had disappeared we discussed them briefly, and our talk was brought suddenly to an end by the arrival of one of our Kafirs, who reported a herd of gemsbok not more than a mile away to the southward. We agreed that it would be a good settler for our luncheon to take a run in their direction, and in a few minutes we were mounted on our horses and off in pursuit of the game.

We had a good run, and a successful one too, as each of the party brought down an animal without much delay. We managed to get on three sides of the herd, and in this way confused them, thus rendering our success comparatively easy. We got back to camp a little after sunset, and when we sat down to supper Jack remarked that he had not much appetite.

"Well, that's about the way with me," said Harry; "that luncheon was enough to spoil anybody's appetite for the rest of the day."

I had a similar confession to make, and we did not linger long over our suppers; but what we did enjoy was our smoke afterward, and we made amends for our deprivation during the day.

"Charming young woman, that Miss Boland," said Jack, as he lit his pipe with a coal from the fire.