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Updated: May 22, 2025
How Swartboy knew this would appear a mystery, as there were no particular marks about the animal to distinguish him from others of his kind.
"A rhinoster, is it?" said Von Bloom, knowing that "chukuroo" 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, da long-horn white rhinoster." What Swartboy meant by this was that the animal in question was a large species of rhinoceros, known among the natives as the "kobaoba."
His body quite filled the gorge from side to side, and his long yellow tusks projecting more than two yards from his jaws, curved gracefully upward. He was an "old bull," as Swartboy whispered. Up to this time the rhinoceros had not had the slightest intimation of the elephant's approach; for the tread of the latter big beast as he is is as silent as a cat's.
But he had scarce time to give utterance to his fears; for the next moment the tree gave way with a crash, and fell to the ground, bringing the Bushman down among its branches. It happened that the tree, dragged down by the elephant's trunk, fell towards the animal. Swartboy even touched the elephant's body in his descent, and slipped down over his hind-quarters.
He had been released at length, and was now convinced that no one was to blame for his protracted imprisonment. Swartboy had been punished for his ill-timed mirth, and Congo was willing to forget and forgive. "But where is Arend?" asked Willem, who could not forget, even while amused by the ludicrous aspect of the two Africans, that his brother was missing.
The first work which Swartboy assigned to them was, to cut and prepare three stakes of hard wood. They were to be each about three feet long, as thick as a man's arm, and pointed at one end. These were soon procured. Meanwhile Swartboy had not been idle.
Swartboy, in the joy of seeing them again, increased by the sight of the giraffes, declared that he would never more call Congo a fool. This promise he has never been known to break. In the afternoon, the journey towards Graaf Reinet was resumed.
Hans pointed to the "aard-vark." "And dress him so that he don't spoil," he continued; "for you know, Swartboy, that he's a tit-bit a regular bonne bouche and it would be a pity to let him go to waste in this hot weather. An aard-vark's not to be bagged every day." "You spreichen true, Mynheer Hans, Swartboy know all dat. Him skin an' dress da goup."
Of course there was a good deal of kicking, and plunging, and flinging, and many hard gallops, and some ugly falls, before it came to this; but both the Bushman Swartboy and the Bush-boy Hendrik were expert in the manege of horses, and soon tamed the quaggas to a proper degree of docility.
He had only taken out his pipe to pass the time, while the horses were gathering a bite of grass. As soon as their strength should be recruited a little, it was his design to take three of the strongest of them, and with Hendrik and Swartboy, ride back to the old kraal.
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