I was astonished; I was not dreaming that they would answer in anything but American.
The voices, too, of the African women, were familiar to me sweet and musical, just like those of the slave women of my early days.

I followed a couple of them all over the Orange Free State--no, over its capital -- Bloemfontein, to hear their liquid voices and the happy ripple of their laughter.

Their language was a large improvement upon American.

Also upon the Zulu.

It had no Zulu clicks in it; and it seemed to have no angles or corners, no roughness, no vile s's or other hissing sounds, but was very, very mellow and rounded and flowing.
In moving about the country in the trains, I had opportunity to see a good many Boers of the veldt.