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The Adventures of Dick Maitland: A Tale of Unknown Africa

by Harry Collingwood · English · Gutenberg #21059 · 505,120 chars · public domain (US)

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Title: The Adventures of Dick Maitland: A Tale of Unknown Africa

Author: Harry Collingwood

Illustrator: Alec Ball


        
Release date: April 13, 2007 [eBook #21059]

Language: English

Other information and formats: www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/21059

Credits: Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England


*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ADVENTURES OF DICK MAITLAND: A TALE OF UNKNOWN AFRICA ***




Produced by Nick Hodson of London, England




Dick Maitland
A Tale of Unknown Africa

By Harry Collingwood
________________________________________________________________________
Dick Maitland is working as a doctor's apprentice in the East End of
London, at that time a place of great poverty.  The doctor with whom he
is studying is rather a philanthropist for, instead of setting up trade
for the wealthy, in Harley Street, he is curing the poor for practically
nothing.

Dick's family circumstances take a turn for the worse, and he goes down
to the docks to work his passage to South Africa.  He has no idea how he
will proceed when he gets there, having no money, but he meets a rich
young man called Grosvenor on the ship, and, striking up a friendship,
they decide upon going together on a voyage of exploration.

After meeting a tribe whom this author, Collingwood, had written about
in a previous book, and sorting out various problems there, they proceed
on their way.  They had heard rumours of a mysterious white race living
not too far away, and they decide to investigate.  These turn out to be
one of the lost tribes of Israel.  They are eventually accepted there as
friends, after initially being taken prisoners.  Here again they are
able to sort out various problems.  Grosvenor marries the Queen, and
Dick, who in the course of these travels has managed to find some very
valuable jewels, eventually returns home with them.  He converts them
to cash, and is able to provide his poor old mother, whom he had left in
abject poverty, with a luxurious style of life.  He also puts lots of
money in the account of the doctor with whom he had been working before
these adventures began.
________________________________________________________________________
DICK MAITLAND
A TALE OF UNKNOWN AFRICA

BY HARRY COLLINGWOOD



CHAPTER ONE.

THE CATASTROPHE.

Doctor Julian Humphreys was spoken of by those who believed that they
knew him best as an eccentric; because, being a physician and surgeon of
quite unusual ability, he chose--possessing a small independence
amounting to a bare three hundred pounds per annum--to establish himself
in the East-End of London, and there devote himself with zeal and
enthusiasm to the amelioration of the sufferings of the very poor,
instead of capitalising his income and setting up in Harley Street,
where his exceptional qualifications would speedily and inevitably have
brought him a handsome fortune.

An income of three hundred pounds per annum--out of which one has to
feed, clothe, and house oneself--does not afford very much scope for the
practice of philanthropy, as Dr Humphreys very well knew; his
establishment, therefore, was of very modest dimensions, consisting
merely of three rooms with the usual domestic offices, one room--the
front and largest one--being fitted up as surgery, dispensary, and
consulting room, while, of the other two, one served as a sleeping
apartment for himself and his pupil, Mr Richard Maitland, the third
being sacred to Polly Nevis, a sturdy and willing, but somewhat untidy
person, who discharged the united functions of parlour maid, housemaid,
chamber maid, cook, and scullery maid to the establishment.

The large red lamp which shone over Dr Humphreys' door at night was the
one and only picturesque feature of Paradise Street--surely so named by
an individual of singularly caustic and sardonic humour, for anything
less suggestive of the delights of Paradise than the squalid and
malodorous street so named it would indeed be difficult to conceive--and
in the course of the four years during which it had been in position
that lamp had become a familiar object to every man, woman, and child
within a radius of at least a mile; for the Doctor's fame had soon
spread, and his clientele comprised practically everybody within that
radius.

The apparently insignificant event that initiated the extraordinary
series of adventures, of which this is the narrative, occurred about the
hour of 8 a.m. on a certain day of September in the year of our Lord
19--; and it consisted in the delivery by the postman of a letter
addressed to Mr Richard Maitland, care of Dr J.  Humphreys, 19
Paradise Street, Whitechapel, E.  The letter was addressed in the well-
known handwriting of Dick's mother; but the recipient did not
immediately open it, for he was at the moment engaged in assisting the
Doctor to dress and bind up the wounds of Mrs William Taylor, whose
husband, having returned home furiously drunk upon the closing of the
public houses on the previous night, had proceeded to vent his spleen
upon his long-suffering wife, because, having no money and nothing that
she could pawn, she had failed to have a hot supper ready for him upon
his arrival.

When, however, Mrs Taylor, scarcely recognisable because of the
voluminous bandages that swathed her head and face, and carrying with
her a powerful odour of iodoform, was bowed out of the surgery by Dr
Humphreys, with a reminder--in reply to a murmur that she had no money
just then--that she was one of his free patients, and a message from the
Doctor to Mr William Taylor, which the poor woman had not the remotest
intention to deliver, Dick drew his mother's letter from his pocket and
opened it.  As he mastered its contents he went white to the lips, as
well he might; for this is what he read:

                                                             The Cedars,
                                                14 South Hill, Sydenham.
                                                 _September 10th, 19--_.

  "My dear Dick,--

  "I am sorry to be obliged to call you away from your work, but I must
  ask you to please come home to me as soon as you can possibly get
  away, for I have just received news of so disastrous a character that
  I dare not put it upon paper.  Besides, I am so distracted that I
  scarcely know what I am writing, as you will no doubt understand when
  I tell you that we are ruined--absolutely and irretrievably ruined!
  Come as soon as you can, my dear, for I feel as though I shall go out
  of my senses if I cannot soon have someone to counsel me as to what is
  the best thing to be done under these dreadful circumstances.

  "Your loving but distracted mother,--

  "Edith Maitland."

"Hillo, Dick! what's the matter?" exclaimed the Doctor, catching a
glimpse of his assistant's drawn face and pallid lips as Maitland stared
incredulously at the letter in his hand.  "Nothing wrong, I hope.  You
look as though you had just seen a ghost!"

"So I have; the ghosts of--many things," answered Dick.  "Unless this
letter is--but no, it is the dear Mater's own handwriting beyond a
doubt.  Read it, Doctor; there are no secrets in it."  And Dick passed
the letter over to Humphreys.

"Phew!" whistled the Doctor, when he had read the letter twice--from the
date to the signature; "that sounds pretty bad.  You had better be off
at once, and get at the rights of the thing.  And when you have done
so-- By the way, have you any friends with whom you can consult, should
you need help or advice of any sort?"

"Not a soul in the world, so far as I know, unless I may call you a
friend, Doctor," answered Dick.  "Of course there is Cuthbertson, the
family solicitor and the sole executor of my father's will; but the
suggestion conveyed by this letter from my mother is that something has
somehow gone wrong with him, and he may not be available."

"Quite so; he may not, as you say," agreed the Doctor.  "In that case,
my dear Dick, come back to me after you have become acquainted with all
the facts, and we will discuss the matter together.  That you may call
me your friend goes without saying, as you ought to know by this time;
and although I am only an obscure East-End practitioner I am not wholly
without friends able and willing to do me, or any friend of mine, a good
turn, if necessary.  So come back here when you have threshed out the
matter, and we will see what--if anything--can be done."

"Right!  I will.  And a thousand thanks to you for this fresh evidence
of your kindly feeling toward me," exclaimed Dick, grasping the doctor's
hand.  "Are you quite sure that you will be able to get along without me
for a few hours?"

"Absolutely certain," was the cheery reply.  "You are a very clever
young fellow, Dick, and have proved a marvellously apt pupil since you
have been with me, but I managed this practice single-handed before you
came to me, and I have no doubt I can do it again, if needs be.  So be
off with you at once, my lad; for your mother seems to be in sore need
of you."

Five minutes later Dick Maitland had boarded a tramcar, on his way to
London Bridge railway station, from whence he took train for the Crystal
Palace, the nearest station to his mother's home, which he reached
within two hours of his departure from Number 19 Paradise Street.

Now, as Dick Maitland happens to be the hero of this story it is
necessary he should be properly introduced to the reader, and this seems
as appropriate a moment as any.

To begin with, then, when we caught our first glimpse of him, assisting
Dr Humphreys to dress and bind up those tokens of affection which Mr
William Taylor had bestowed upon his wife, Dick Maitland was within
three months of his eighteenth birthday, a fine, tall, fairly good-
looking, and athletic specimen of the young public-school twentieth-
century Englishman.  He was an only son; and his mother was a widow, her
husband having died when Dick was a sturdy little toddler a trifle over
three years of age.  Mrs Maitland had been left quite comfortably off,
her husband having accumulated a sufficient sum to bring her in an
income of close upon seven hundred pounds per annum.  The provisions of
Mr Maitland's will stipulated that the income arising from his
carefully chosen investments was to be enjoyed by his widow during her
lifetime, subject to the proper maintenance and education of their only
son, Dick; and upon the demise of Mrs Maitland the capital was to go to
Dick, to be employed by the latter as he might deem fit.  But a clause
in the will stipulated that at the close of his school career Dick was
to be put to such business or profession as the lad might choose, Mr
Maitland pithily remarking that he did not believe in drones.  But since
Mrs Maitland, although a most excellent woman in every respect, had no
head for business, her husband appointed honest old John Cuthbertson,
his own and his father's solicitor, sole executor of his will; and so
died happily, in the full conviction that he had done everything that
was humanly possible to assure the future welfare of his widow and
infant son.  And faithfully had John Cuthbertson discharged his trust,
until in the fullness of years he had laid down the burden of life, and
his son Jonas had come to reign in the office in his father's stead.
This event had occurred some three years previously, about the time when
Dick, having completed his school life, had elected to take up the study
of medicine and surgery.

This important step had involved many interviews between Mrs Maitland
and "Mr Jonas", as the clerks in his father's office had learned to
call him; for the said Mr Jonas had succeeded to the executorship of
many wills--Mr Maitland's among them--as well as the other portions of
his father's business; and so great had been the zeal and interest that
he had displayed during the necessary negotiations, that Mrs Maitland
had been most favourably impressed.  Indeed Jonas Cuthbertson had
honestly earned the very high opinion that Mrs Maitland had formed of
him, displaying not only interest and zeal but also a considerable
amount of acumen in the matter of Dick's placing.  For, when Mrs
Maitland, perhaps very naturally, expressed the wish that Dick should
begin his studies under the guidance of some eminent Harley Street
specialist, the solicitor strenuously opposed the idea, not only upon
the score of expense, but also because, as he argued, Dick would
certainly acquire a wider knowledge of diseases and their cure--and
acquire it much more quickly--under some hard-working practitioner among
the East-End poor of London; and that, as he very truly pointed out, was
the great desideratum in such a case as Dick's, far outweighing the
extra hard work and the sordid surroundings to which Mrs Maitland had
at first so strenuously objected.  Moreover, Dick agreed with the
solicitor; and in the end the maternal objections were overcome, careful
enquiries were instituted, and finally Dick found himself installed as a
pupil in the somewhat Bohemian establishment of Doctor Julian Humphreys,
M.D., M.R.C.P., M.R.C.S., and several other letters of the alphabet.
And, queer though the arrangement was in many respects, it proved
eminently satisfactory to Dick; for Dr Humphreys was not only an
extraordinarily able physician and surgeon, but also marvellously clever
and learned outside the bounds of his profession, gentle and tender-
hearted as a woman, and a thoroughly good fellow all round, in the best
and highest sense of the term.  As for Dick, he displayed from the
outset a quite exceptional aptitude for the noble profession which he
had chosen; study, instead of being irksome, was a pleasure--almost a
passion--with him; his nerves were steel, he never for a moment lost his
head even when assisting at the most sickening operation; his touch was
light and sure; and knowledge seemed to come to him intuitively.  No
wonder that Doctor Humphreys persistently predicted a brilliant and
successful career for his pupil.

Upon his arrival home Dick found his mother in such an acute state of
distress that for the first few moments of their interview she seemed to
be quite incapable of making any intelligible statement: she could do
nothing but weep copiously upon her stalwart son's shoulder and gasp
that they were ruined--utterly and irretrievably ruined!  At length,
however, the lad managed to extract from Mrs Maitland the statement
that she had seen, in the previous morning's papers, an account of the
suicide of Mr Jonas Cuthbertson, a solicitor; and, judging from the
name and other particulars given in the published account, that it must
be their Mr Cuthbertson, she had hurried up to town and called at
Cuthbertson's chambers, where her worst apprehensions had received
complete and terrible confirmation.  From the particulars supplied by
Mr Herbert, Cuthbertson's chief clerk, it appeared that "Mr Jonas",
after walking worthily in his father's footsteps for two years, had
become infected with the gambling craze, and, first losing all his own
money, had finally laid hands upon as much of his clients' property as
he could obtain access to, until, his ill luck still pursuing him, he
had lost that also, and then had sought to evade the consequences of his
misdeeds by blowing out his brains with two shots from a revolver.  This
final act of folly had been perpetrated two days before the account of
it in the papers had fallen under Mrs Maitland's notice, and in the
interim there had, of course, been time only to make a very cursory
examination into the affairs of the suicide, but that examination had
sufficed to reveal the appalling fact that every available security,
both of his own and of his clients, had disappeared, while sufficient
evidence had been discovered to show pretty clearly what had led to
their disappearance.

This was the sum and substance of Mrs Maitland's somewhat incoherently
told story, and when Dick had heard it through to the end he had no
reason to doubt its truth; but manifestly it was not at all the sort of
story to be taken upon trust, it must be fully and completely
investigated, if only for the purpose of ascertaining whether or not
anything, however small, was to be saved from the wreck; accordingly,
after partaking of a hasty lunch, young Maitland wended his way to the
City, and there had a most discouraging interview with Mr Herbert, who
was by this time busily engaged upon the preparation of a detailed
statement of the position of affairs, for the information of his late
employer's clients and creditors.  This, Mr Herbert explained, was
proving a task of much less difficulty than he had anticipated, since
Cuthbertson had apparently kept an accurate account of all his gambling
transactions--some of which had, latterly, been upon a gigantic scale--
with the evidently desperate resolution of recovering his former losses,
or ruining himself in the attempt, while he had not destroyed any of his
papers, as so many suicides do before perpetrating the final act of
folly.  The position of affairs, as outlined by Mr Herbert, was gloomy
enough, but he made it clear to Dick that for the moment he was speaking
with reserve, as it was impossible for him to say anything of an
absolutely definite character until the investigation--which was being
conducted with the aid of a firm of chartered accountants of high
standing--should be complete.

Having now ascertained all in connection with the deplorable business
that was for the moment possible, Dick returned to his mother and did
his best to comfort and encourage her; but, as might have been expected,
his efforts met with no very great measure of success, seeing that there
was practically nothing of a comforting or encouraging character in the
story told him by Jonas Cuthbertson's chief clerk.

The next morning Dick Maitland returned to Number 19 Paradise Street,
where he found his friend Humphreys as busily engaged as ever in his
work of healing the sick and comforting the sorrowing poor, and received
a welcome from the cheery, genial medico that seemed to ease his
shoulders of at least half their load of anxiety.  But it was not until
well on towards evening that the claims upon the Doctor's time and
attention slackened sufficiently to afford an opportunity for Dick to
tell his story, which, after all, was only an amplified edition of the
story originally told in Mrs Maitland's letter.

When at length the tale was fully told, and Humphreys had, by dint of
much cross-questioning, fully mastered all its miserable details, he sat
for half an hour or more, smoking diligently and silently as he
considered in what way he could best help his young friend.  At length,
however, an idea seemed to occur to him, for he looked up and said:

"Well, Dick, my friend, it sounds about as bad as anything that I have
heard of for many a long day!  Why in the world did that fool of a
lawyer want to meddle with gambling?  Why could he not have been content
to devote his energies to the conduct of the business--a first-class
one, according to his chief clerk's account--which his father left him,
and which would have provided him with a very comfortable living all his
days and, probably, a snug competency to retire upon when he found
himself getting too old for work?  I tell you what it is, my boy: this
mad craving to get rich quickly is one of the great curses of these
latter days.  When it once gets a firm grip upon its victim it quickly
converts the honest, upright man into a conscienceless rogue, who soon
becomes the centre of a widespread circle of ruin and untold misery!
Look at this fellow Cuthbertson.  He had an honest and honourable
father; and, as I understand you, was, to start with, himself perfectly
honest and honourable; yet look at him now!  What is he?  Why, simply a
dishonoured corpse, hastily huddled away into a suicide's grave; a man
who, having utterly spoiled his life, has presumptuously and prematurely
hurried into the presence of his Maker, burdened not only with the heavy
load of his own sin but also with the responsibility for all the ruin
and misery which he has left behind him!  Moralising, however, will not
help you, my boy; for if I know anything at all about you it is that you
are not the sort of character to make such a horrible mess of your life
as that poor wretch has done.  But now, the question is: What can I do
to help you and your respected mother out of this slough into which
another man's weakness and sin have plunged you both?  Not very much, I
am afraid; for I cannot restore to you the property of which you are
robbed.  That appears to be gone beyond recall.  But I can do this for
you--and it may possibly help you a little--I can give you a letter of
introduction to a man who is under very heavy obligations to me, and
who--being a thoroughly good fellow--will be more than glad to discharge
those obligations if I will only afford him the opportunity to do so.
You shall go to him and give him full and complete particulars of this
terrible misfortune that has befallen you; and if there is anything at
all to be saved out of the wreckage, he will save it for you, without
fee and without reward--for my sake.  He, too, is a solicitor, but an
honest one, as many still are, thank God; and it is a solicitor whose
aid will be most useful to you in the unravelling of this tangled
skein."

"I say, Doctor, that is awfully good of you," exclaimed Dick, struggling
to conceal his emotion of gratitude, after the manner of the Englishman,
but not altogether succeeding.  "If the matter concerned myself alone,"
he continued, "I would not let you do this thing for me; but I must
think of my poor mother, and for her sake must humble my pride and
suppress the assertion of my independence so far as to accept your help,
so kindly and generously offered.  And here let me say that there is no
man on earth whose help I would so willingly accept as yours," he
blundered on, dimly conscious that there had been something of
ungraciousness in his speech; and so stopped dead, overcome with shame
and confusion.

"That is all right, my dear boy," returned Humphreys, smilingly laying
his hand on Dick's shoulder; "I know exactly how you feel, and very
heartily respect your sense of sturdy independence, which is very
estimable in its way, so long as it is not carried too far.  But, as a
matter of fact, Dick, none of us is absolutely independent in this
world, for almost every moment of our lives we are dependent upon
somebody for assistance, in one shape or another, and it is not until
that assistance is withheld that we are brought to realise the extent to
which we are individually dependent upon our fellow creatures.  But I am
moralising again--a habit which seems to be growing upon me since I came
among these poor folk down here, and have been brought face to face with
such a vast amount of misery that can be directly traced to ignorance
and crime.  Just pass me over that stationery cabinet, will you?
Thanks!  Now I will write to my friend Graham at once, and you had
better call upon him at his chambers in Lincoln's Inn to-morrow morning
at ten o'clock sharp, which is about the only hour of the day when you
can be reasonably certain of finding him."

When Dick called upon Humphreys' friend Graham, upon the following
morning, and sent in his letter of introduction, he soon had abundant
evidence that the rising young solicitor was quite as busy a man as the
Doctor had represented him to be; yet he was not too busy to respond
promptly to his friend's claim upon him, actually leaving an important-
looking client waiting in his outer office while he interviewed Dick and
listened with the utmost patience to the story which the latter had to
tell, questioning him occasionally, and making notes of his answers upon
a writing pad.  At length, after an interview of over half an hour's
duration, Graham closed the pad sharply and, rising, extended his hand
to Dick, saying:

"Thank you, Mr Maitland.  I believe I have now all the essential facts;
and you may assure my friend Humphreys that I will take up the case with
the utmost pleasure, and without loss of time; also that I will do my
best for you and your mother.  From what you tell me I am inclined to
imagine that the wreck of Cuthbertson's affairs will prove to be pretty
complete, therefore I very strongly advise you not to reckon upon my
being able to save anything for you out of the wreckage; but if there
should by any chance be anything, you shall have it.  And now, good
morning!  I am very pleased to have made your acquaintance; and as soon
as I have anything definite to communicate I will write to you.
Remember me very kindly to Humphreys.  Good morning!"

The interview was certainly not very encouraging; but on the other hand
it was by no means disappointing; for Dick had already quite made up his
mind that every penny of his mother's money was lost.  It was,
therefore, a very pleasant surprise to him when, about a fortnight
later, a letter came from Graham announcing that he had succeeded in
rescuing close upon five hundred pounds for Mrs Maitland from the ruins
of Cuthbertson's estate, and that the good lady could have the money by
presenting herself at the writer's office and going through certain
formalities.



CHAPTER TWO.

DICK MAKES UP HIS MIND.

It was late in the evening of the day upon which Mrs Maitland, having
fulfilled the formalities required of her by Graham, had received from
him a cheque for the sum of four hundred and eighty-seven pounds,
seventeen shillings, and eightpence, which, apart from the house in
which she lived, represented all that remained to her of the very
comfortable fortune left to her by her late husband.  Dick had escorted
his mother up to town, and, upon the conclusion of the transaction, had
taken her back to The Cedars; after which he had made the best of his
way to 19 Paradise Street; for the moment had now arrived when he must
come to an understanding with his friend Dr Julian Humphreys, and
consult with him respecting the future.  Ten o'clock had struck a few
minutes ago, a belated patient had been attended to and dismissed, the
surgery had been closed by the simple process of drawing down the blind
and locking the outer door, and now the two friends were sitting
opposite each other in that same drug-scented apartment, conversing
earnestly together, as Humphreys pulled contemplatively, yet somewhat
vexedly, at a brier pipe which had seen so much service that it was now
charred down to about half its original size.

"The fact is," remarked Dick, in continuance of their conversation,
"that there is no other course open to me; for I am resolved that I will
not touch a farthing of the money that your friend Graham has so
cleverly rescued from the ruins of Cuthbertson's estate; every stiver of
it will be required for the maintenance of the poor Mater while I am
away.  And I must go away, because, as you yourself have admitted, there
is no employment or occupation of any kind here at home to which, in my
present condition of unpreparedness, I could turn my hand with any hope
of earning a sufficient income to maintain her and myself, though ever
so modestly; even if posts were to be had for the asking, which--in this
country, at all events--they are not.  You know that to be the plain,
unvarnished truth, do you not?"

"Yes," Humphreys answered unhesitatingly, "it is true--unfortunately."

"Very well, then," Dick resumed; "that being the case, the next question
is: Where am I to go, and what am I to do, in order to earn enough money
to maintain myself and my mother in the meantime, and eventually to
restore her to that position of security of which she was robbed by that
rascal Cuthbertson?"

"_De mortuis nil nisi bonum_!" reproved Humphreys gravely.  "The poor
chap has gone to answer for his sins, whatever they may have been, and
there is an end of him, so far as you are concerned.  To rail at him
now, and speak of him disparagingly, will not hurt him, or do you any
good, Dick, my friend, so do not unnecessarily bespatter his memory.
This by the way.  And now to return to our muttons.  The problem that
you propound is indeed a hard one to solve; to many it would probably
appear an impossibility.  But, although I am by no means an old man, I
have been long enough in this world to have recognised that what many
people deem impossibilities are nothing of the sort, if only one has the
grit to face and tackle them.  It is grit, my boy, that makes
impossibilities possible, and I believe you possess that quality in
sufficient measure to enable you to accomplish great things.  The
question is: What is the particular great thing which will meet your
case?  What is the work which you are best fitted to do?  You are
already very well up in the profession which you have chosen.  There is
many a man in successful practice to-day who knows less about it than
you do; but, unfortunately, you are not yet `qualified', therefore you
cannot set up for yourself, even if you could afford the time to create
a practice--which you cannot.  And as to becoming an unqualified
assistant, that of course is out of the question; the pay is altogether
too poor to justify the entertainment of that idea.  But there are
countries where the restrictions are not nearly so great as they are in
England; and there are others--beyond the pale of civilisation--where no
restrictions at all exist, and where a clever man, with plenty of grit
to back him up, might perhaps do remarkably well.  Still, to penetrate
to such countries a man must take his life in his hands, and, even then,
all his courage may prove insufficient to save him from an unspeakable,
horrible death.  Now, what can you do besides doctoring?"

"Nothing that will help me in my present strait," answered Maitland.  "I
can sail a boat, swim, ride, or drive a horse, and I can shoot straight;
consequently if I possessed sufficient influence I might be able to get
a job as groom, stableman, or even under-gamekeeper.  But none of those
things is good enough for me; I am capable of better things than
grooming horses, cleaning harness, or looking after pheasants; I want
employment that will bring me in good money, and I mean to have it too."

"That's right, Dick; that's the way to talk," returned Humphreys
approvingly.  "Modesty is all right, a very desirable and admirable
quality in every young man's character, and one which is seen far too
seldom nowadays.  Modesty, however, is one thing, and self-depreciation
quite another.  It is a mistake for anyone to underrate his own value,
and, as you very truly say, you are capable of doing much better work
than that needed in either of the occupations that you have named;
therefore you are justified in insisting upon having it.  A man has a
perfect right to the very best and most profitable work he is capable of
doing; but he must get it for himself; it is no use for him to sit down
supinely and demand that Providence shall put it into his hands.  The
man who is worth his salt will get up and `hustle'--as the Americans
tersely express it--and not rest until he has secured what he wants.
Now, you, my boy, are very heavily handicapped.  You have neither money
nor influence to help you to what you want, therefore you will have to
depend upon `hustle' and grit alone; also you have no time to waste in
looking about in this country for the kind of thing you want, which,
even with all the `hustle' and grit imaginable, may take you months, or
even years, to find.  No, as you said at the beginning of this
conversation, you must go somewhere abroad to get what you want; and in
a foreign land you may find even such despised accomplishments as
riding, swimming, and straight shooting of the utmost value to you.  But
in my opinion your mainstay must be the medical and surgical knowledge
which you have acquired.  Now, whereabout on the face of this old globe
of ours are you likely to be able to employ your knowledge to the best
and most profitable account?  It should be where wealth is abundant, and
where medical and surgical skill is pretty frequently in demand, also
where there is plenty of scope for a young fellow who, like yourself, is
imbued with the spirit of adventure.  Now, let me consider for a
moment--where is the country which most nearly answers to these
conditions?  What do you say to South Africa?  It is the land of gold
and diamonds; it is not, I believe, overrun with medical men; and as to
adventure--" Humphreys shrugged his shoulders and spread his hands
abroad expressively.

Dick's eyes sparkled and his face lit up with enthusiasm.

"South Africa is the place for me, without a doubt," he exclaimed with
animation.  "It is, as you say, rich; it is also a land of unbounded
possibilities; and-- But how am I to get there?  The passage money
amounts to something considerable, and I have no money to spare for that
sort of thing; also, as I have said, I will not take a penny from the
Mater."

"What about borrowing?" suggested Humphreys.  "As you know, Dick, I am
not a rich man, but I have no doubt I could manage to--"

"No!" interrupted Dick emphatically; "a thousand times no.  It is like
you, Doctor, to offer to help me out of your own exceedingly limited
means, and I am more grateful to you than I have words to express; but I
simply will not avail myself of your kindness, or that of anybody else
indeed, for I should be starting with a millstone of debt hanging round
my neck.  No, I have thought of a better way than that; I will work my
passage out."

"Work your passage out!" ejaculated the Doctor, staggered, in spite of
his whole-hearted belief in the virtues of self-help, at this bold
suggestion on Dick's part.  "In what capacity, pray?"

"Oh, as anything!" returned Dick buoyantly; "as ordinary seaman, cook's
mate, stoker--what does it matter?  I will find a way, never fear.  I'll
take a trot round the docks to-morrow, and it will be strange indeed if
I cannot somewhere find a market for my labour.  Why, even the
elementary knowledge of nautical matters that I have acquired in sailing
my little single-handed cutter during holiday time will be of service to
me.  I can steer, I can box the compass, I know the name of every sail
on a full-rigged ship; and I will guarantee that before I have been
forty-eight hours out I will know the function of every bit of running
rigging, and where to lay my hand upon it in the dark."

"Ay, I'll bet that you will, Dick," answered Humphreys, with enthusiasm
as great as Dick's own.  "And I have not much doubt as to your being
able to get a berth as ordinary seaman; for you are a big strong fellow,
and for mere pulling and hauling purposes any skipper ought to be glad
to get hold of you.  Yes, I think we may consider that part of your
problem solved.  But what about after your arrival in South Africa?  How
do you propose to proceed at the end of the voyage when you have safely
landed?  For you must remember that in all probability you will have no
wages to draw; people who work their passages are usually shipped at the
princely rate of pay of one shilling per month."

"Yes, I know," said Dick.  "Still, I shall have reached the scene of my
great endeavour without cost, and that is the important thing.  After
that I shall of course be obliged to trust to my own push and `hustle',
as you call it, for it is impossible to make any definite plans at this
distance from the scene of operations."

"Quite so," agreed Humphreys.  "And you must also remember that there is
always the element of luck, or chance, or whatever you please to call
it, in the background, and to be watched for.  Opportunity often
presents itself literally at a moment's notice and in the most
unexpected fashion, and the one who profits by it is he who is alert
enough to seize it as it passes.  But there is one thing you must do,
Dick; you must take with you a well-stocked chest of drugs, as well as
your case of surgical instruments; and, since you will not let me lend
you any money to help you on your way, you must allow me to make you a
present of that medicine chest just as a token of my appreciation of the
way in which you have conducted yourself as my pupil-- Nay, boy, you
must not refuse me, for if you do I shall be deeply hurt as well as
seriously offended."

"Very well, then," acquiesced Dick, "since you put it in that way, and
so very strongly, I will accept your generous gift with a thousand most
hearty thanks, not only for the gift itself, but also for the kindly
feeling that prompts it."

"My dear Dick," protested Humphreys, "there is really no reason at all
why you should feel so extraordinarily grateful, for in doing what I
propose to do I shall only be very inadequately repaying you for much
valuable assistance rendered, and much very pleasant companionship
during the time of your pupilage with me.  And do not think that because
I have not expressed much voluble regret at this abrupt severance of our
connection I do not feel it, for I do very keenly, I assure you; but I
see quite clearly that the thing is inevitable, therefore to complain
about it would be both useless and foolish.

"Now, there is one other way in which I can help you; and when I have
explained to you how tremendous is the power which I propose to place in
your hands you will understand, more clearly than I could show you in
any other way, the absolute trust that I repose in you.  For I tell you
this, Dick, in all sincerity, there is not another person in the whole
circle of my acquaintance--and it is pretty wide--whom I feel I could
safely trust with this power, so potent is it for evil as well as good.
But I am convinced that I can trust you; and that is why I have
determined to endow you with the ability to perform deeds which to many
people will seem positively miraculous.

"You have often expressed amazement at the uniform success which attends
my treatment of even my most difficult cases, both medical and surgical,
but especially the surgical; and I know, from the remarks you have made,
that you attribute those successes purely to the extent of my knowledge.
Well, of course, knowledge has something to do with it; but the true
secret of my success lies in the free use which I make of hypnotism.
Yes, no doubt you are surprised; for you have never seen me employ any
of the well-known methods of the ordinary hypnotist.  Very true.  But my
method is not the ordinary method at all; it is one which I claim as my
own exclusive discovery, and it is as far in advance of ordinary
hypnotism as that is in advance of the methods of the stage hypnotist.

"Almost at the outset of my professional career I directed my attention
to the investigation of hypnotism, determined to ascertain whether or
not there was anything in the claims set up by its exponents; and I soon
discovered that there was something in it, despite the disrepute cast
upon it by the grotesque performances of certain so-called entertainers.
There is no need for me to detail to you the successive steps by which
I at length attained my present knowledge of the marvellous powers of
the science.  Let it suffice me to say that by diligent study of it I
eventually acquired such a mastery of it that it has enabled me to--
well, to put it mildly--succeed where but for it I must have failed.
And a large measure of this success is due to the fact that I have
discovered an infallible method of instantly hypnotising a patient
without that patient's knowledge.  They are hypnotised, but they don't
know it; haven't the remotest suspicion of it.  Then I convey to them a
powerful suggestion that my treatment of them is going to be absolutely
successful, and--there you have the whole secret."

Humphreys paused for a moment, as if considering whether or not he
should say more; then he gazed abstractedly at his carefully kept finger
nails, and his right hand wandered to his waistcoat pocket.  Then,
looking up, he extended the hand toward Dick, saying:

"Just lend me your penknife a moment, will you?"

Dick produced the knife and held it out to Humphreys, who looked at it,
then shrank back.

"Good heavens, man," he exclaimed, "I asked for a penknife, not for an
adder!  Where did you get that brute from?"

With an inarticulate cry, and an expression of unutterable disgust and
loathing, Maitland dropped the penknife to the floor, and then stamped
on it savagely, grinding the heel of his boot on it as though grinding
the head of a snake into the ground.

"Why, Dick!" exclaimed Humphreys, looking his assistant square in the
eye; "what are you doing?  What has that good knife been doing to you
that you should treat it in that barbarous manner?"

Maitland stared back blankly into the Doctor's smiling eyes for a
moment, then looked long at the penknife on the floor, and finally
stooped and cautiously took it between his forefinger and thumb, eyeing
it doubtfully the while.  Then he suddenly sat down, pulled out his
pocket handkerchief, and mopped off the perspiration that freely bedewed
his face.

"Well, I'll be shot!" he ejaculated.  "What an extraordinary experience!
Will you believe me, Doctor, when I tell you that as I drew this
penknife out of my waistcoat pocket it actually seemed to change into an
adder in my hand?  There was the flat, wicked-looking head, the
malevolent eyes, the characteristic markings of the body, and, above
all, there was the feeling of it writhing strongly in my grasp, as
though it were trying to get enough of its length clear to turn and
strike me!  Talk about Aaron's rod and those of the old Egyptian
necromancers turning into serpents!  Why, I could have sworn that this
knife of mine did precisely the same thing!  Now, there is a problem for
you, Doctor: What sort of mental aberration was it that caused me to
imagine such an extraordinary thing as that, eh?"

"Simply, my dear boy, that I hypnotised you `unbeknownst', so to speak,
in illustration of what I have been telling you," answered the Doctor,
laying his hand upon Dick's shoulder.  "Hope I didn't scare you very
severely, eh?"

"N-o," answered Dick slowly, "you did not actually scare me, Doctor; but
you managed to give me such a thrill of horror and disgust as I have not
experienced for many a long day.  But, I say, do you really mean to tell
me, in sober earnest, that that abominable experience was due to
hypnotic suggestion on your part?"

"Yes, I do," answered Humphreys.  "I wanted to bring home to you in a
very convincing manner the power which the hypnotist exercises over his
subject.  I could have done it even more convincingly, perhaps, by
commanding you to take that perfectly cold poker in your hand, and then
suggesting to you that it was red hot, when--despite the fact of the
poker being cold--your hand would have been most painfully blistered.
But probably the `adder' experiment was convincing enough, eh?"

"It was indeed," assented Dick with a little reminiscent shudder.  "But
look here, Doctor, you say that you hypnotised me.  When did you do it?
I didn't see you do anything peculiar."

"No, my boy, of course you didn't, because I adopted my own especial
method, which is instantaneous and undetectable, and which I will teach
you if you care to learn it; for I seem to foresee that there may be
occasions, by and by, when you get out to South Africa, when you may
find the power extremely useful to you, particularly if you should get
any medical or surgical work to do.  In such a case just hypnotise your
patient in the way that I will teach you, then powerfully suggest to him
that your treatment is going to cure him--and it will do so.  As to when
I got you under my influence, it was done while I asked you to lend me
your penknife."

"By Jove!" exclaimed Dick; "it is marvellous, perfectly marvellous; and
if I did not know you to be an absolutely truthful man I do not think I
could bring myself to believe it.  Now I can understand what you meant
when you spoke of the potency of hypnotism for good or for evil, and
why, as I understand, you have never yet dared to pass on the secret of
your power to anyone else.  But I swear to you, Doctor, that, if you
will entrust it to me, I will never, under any circumstances whatsoever,
use it except for a good purpose, nor will I ever pass on the secret to
anyone else except with your express permission.  And now that you have
given me an idea of its capabilities I simply long to know the secret,
for it seems to me that a chap with your powers could come very near to
working miracles."

"Yes," assented Humphreys quietly, "that is so; indeed, even with my
imperfect knowledge--for I have not yet nearly mastered all the
possibilities of the science--I have done things that without its aid
would have been impossible.  And now, if you like, I will initiate you
into the secret of my power, which is very simple after all, and which,
once known, will enable you to do everything that I can do.  First of
all, however, I propose to throw you into a cataleptic sleep, in order
that, while you are in that condition, I may imbue you with an absolute
faith in yourself, without which everything that I can teach you would
be practically useless, at least until you had acquired faith in
yourself by the somewhat slow and laborious process which I had to
pursue.  I had to acquire faith in myself and my powers by repeated
experiments extending over a period of several months; but you have not
time for that, so I must imbue you with it by the process of suggestion
while you are in a state of trance.  Now, are you ready?"

"Yes, quite," answered Dick, with a quick indrawing of the breath; for
now that it came to the point he suddenly found that to submit himself
unreservedly to the hands of even his friend Humphreys, for the purposes
of an experiment that smacked rather strongly of the uncanny, was
something of a nerve-trying experience.  Humphreys evidently noted his
momentary hesitation, for he said:

"You need not have the least fear; you will be profoundly unconscious
during the period of sleep, and will awake without the slightest trace
of any unpleasant feeling.  Now, stretch yourself out comfortably on
that sofa, and do exactly as I tell you."

------------------------------------------------------------------------

When Dick descended to the surgery, a few minutes late, the next
morning, he found his friend Humphreys, with his coat off, his shirt
sleeves rolled up, and his clothes protected by a white apron extending
from his throat to the tops of his boots, busily engaged in dusting his
bottles and the shelves whereon they stood.

As Dick entered, the Doctor, mounted upon a step ladder, looked down at
him with a smile and nod of welcome, and said:

"Well, my boy, how did you sleep, and how do you feel after your ordeal
of last night?"

Dick laughed joyously.  "My `ordeal'!" he exclaimed.  "I hope I may
never have to undergo a more trying ordeal than that.  I slept like a
top, thank you, and feel as fit as a fiddle this morning, indeed I don't
know that I ever felt so fit in all my life before.  But that is not
all: I have not the remotest idea what mysterious thing you did to me
last night, but this I know, that you have imparted to me a something
that I have never hitherto possessed.  I feel this morning a buoyancy of
spirit that it seems to me no amount of disappointment could damp or
lessen for a moment, and I have a belief in myself so complete, so
boundless, that I feel I cannot help but be successful in this new
venture of mine upon which I am about to embark."

"Yes," said Humphreys, nodding his head in a manner which very clearly
expressed his satisfaction, "that is the result of your `ordeal', and it
will be quite permanent.  Mind you, I don't say that you will always
feel quite so buoyant and confident as you do at this moment, for it is
beyond the power of any man to make another absolutely immune to
circumstances; but in spite of circumstances, however adverse, you will
always retain some at least of your present buoyancy and confidence.  I
do not think you will ever sink into that condition of utter and abject
despair which overwhelms some people and drives them to suicide.  To
change the subject.  Are you still minded to go to the docks this
morning in quest of a shipmaster benevolently enough inclined to allow
you to work your passage out to South Africa?"

"Rather!" answered Dick.  "That is to say, if you think you can spare me
for a few hours."

"Of course I can spare you," answered Humphreys.  "And I would advise
you to go immediately after breakfast, for, as you know, `it is the
early bird that catches the worm.'  But how do you propose to set about
your quest?  Not quite haphazard, I suppose?"

"No," answered Dick.  "I thought of getting the _Shipping Gazette_, and
perhaps the _Telegraphy_ and consulting their advertisement pages, with
the view of learning what ships are on the berth for South African
ports, where they are lying, and their date of sailing."

"An excellent idea," declared the Doctor.  "As soon as Polly has put
breakfast upon the table we will send her out to get the papers, and you
can consult them and prepare a list of likely vessels before you go
out."

This was done; and by nine o'clock, Dick, having breakfasted, was ready
to sally forth on the first stage of his journey in quest of fortune,
duly armed with a slip of paper containing a list of some half-dozen
ships loading for South Africa, "with quick dispatch."

And two hours later he returned to the surgery, his visage beaming with
satisfaction.

"Hurrah, Doctor!" he exclaimed, as he dashed in through the open
doorway.  "I've done the trick; got the skipper of the _Concordia_ to
allow me to work my passage out to Port Natal as ordinary seaman at a
shilling a month.  I `sign on' at the shipping office the day after to-
morrow, and have to be on board by eight o'clock the same evening in
readiness to haul out of dock at daylight on the following morning."



CHAPTER THREE.

BEFORE THE MAST.

The remainder of Dick Maitland's time in England was pretty fully
occupied in comforting and encouraging his mother, in view of the
pending separation, and in getting his somewhat slender wardrobe ready
and packed for the voyage.  The first-mentioned part of his task proved
very much more difficult than the other, for Mrs Maitland was rather a
helpless kind of person, and had already come to look to Dick for advice
and help in every sort of difficulty, whether great or small; the
prospect, therefore, of being henceforth obliged to look after herself
and manage her affairs unaided filled her at first with dismay.
Besides, there was the separation from her son, the feeling that she
knew not whether she would ever again set eyes on him in this world, and
the terrible uncertainty generally of the future, to further distract
her; but at length the buoyancy and unquenchable hopefulness of Dick's
spirit had its effect upon her; and, finally, when the moment of parting
came, she had been brought to a frame of mind that enabled her to say
the last words of farewell almost with calmness.  As for Dick, he had
already received Humphreys' assurance that he would keep in touch with
Mrs Maitland, and see, in conjunction with his friend Graham, the
solicitor, that she came to no harm; therefore he had few fears for her
immediate future; while, for the rest, he was confident that before his
mother's little capital became exhausted he would have found means to
replenish it.  He spent with her the remainder of the day upon which he
had interviewed the skipper of the _Concordia_, and practically the
whole of that which succeeded it, finally bidding her farewell about six
o'clock in the evening, in order that he might spend the remainder of
the day with Humphreys, with whom he had still much of importance to
discuss.

Upon Dick's return to Number 19 Paradise Street he found the genial
Doctor so busily engaged in dispensing drugs and advice that the two had
time for little more than a mutual nod of greeting; but later on, when
the last patient had departed and business had been brought to a close
for the night, they sat down together for a chat over a cup of coffee
and--so far as Humphreys was concerned--a pipe.  Dick had not yet taken
to tobacco, and Humphreys, although an inveterate smoker himself, so far
from urging his young friend to adopt the habit, had strongly dissuaded
him from having anything to do with the weed, at least until he had
reached his twenty-first birthday, learnedly descanting upon the
injurious effects of nicotine upon the immature constitution, and
incidentally warning him to eschew narcotics generally, which, he
insisted, were always injurious, and only to be resorted to, even
medically, when it became a choice between a narcotic and some greater
evil.

"Well, my boy," remarked the Doctor, when they were at length
comfortably settled in their respective chairs, "so you have parted with
your mother.  I hope you were able to cheer the poor lady and reconcile
her to the separation.  It is of course very hard upon her that at her
time of life she should be left absolutely alone, but necessity is a
pitiless jade, exacting her tribute of sorrow and suffering from all
alike, from the monarch to the pauper, and when she lays her hand upon
us there is no escape.  But do not allow anxiety on behalf of your dear
mother to worry you for a moment, lad, for I have promised to keep an
eye upon her, and, as you know, I am a man of my word, and no harm shall
befall her so long as I have the power to avert it.  No, don't thank me,
Dick, there is no need; the satisfaction and pleasure that I shall
derive from helping your dear mother will be reward enough for me, for I
regard her as a personal friend, and shall consider it a privilege to be
allowed to do all that I can for her."

"And now, to pass on to another topic, let me show you the medicine
chest which I intend shall be my parting gift to you.  Here it is,"--
producing a stout case measuring about eighteen inches long by fourteen
inches wide and twelve inches high.  "It is not inconveniently bulky or
heavy, but it contains a practically complete assortment of drugs,
sufficient in quantity to enable you to fight successfully about half a
dozen cases of almost every known disease.  More than that it would be
inconvenient to carry about with you; and when any particular drug shows
signs of exhaustion you must take timely steps to replenish your supply.
And, with reference to that same replenishment, you will find a little
manuscript book, written by myself, containing full instructions in the
art of preparing several of the drugs from their parent plants, which I
believe you will find exceedingly useful."  Here Humphreys' talk became
professional and his speech surcharged with technicalities--for he was
an enthusiast in everything relating to the combating and cure of
disease, and far into the small hours he descanted learnedly upon his
beloved science, confiding to and instructing Dick in many valuable
secrets that, by dint of laborious research and much consumption of
midnight oil, he had wrung from Dame Nature.  And on many an occasion in
the not-far-distant future Dick Maitland had ample cause to look back
with gratitude upon that long midnight conversation.

------------------------------------------------------------------------

With exemplary punctuality young Maitland presented himself at the
shipping office at ten o'clock in the morning, and duly "signed on" as
ordinary seaman in the good ship _Concordia_, bound for Natal; Mr
Sutcliffe, the chief mate, privately congratulating Captain Roberts, the
skipper of the ship, immediately afterwards, upon his good fortune in
securing so "likely" a hand for the small sum of one shilling per month,
and expressing his fixed determination to "make a man of him" before
they reached the Line.  At the private suggestion of the said chief
mate, Dick lost no time in conveying his belongings to the ship and
depositing his bedding in the best-sheltered bunk in the forecastle;
after which he returned to Number 19 Paradise Street, where he spent the
few hours of freedom remaining to him in assisting his friend the
Doctor, and absorbing further knowledge from him.  Finally, as the
clocks in the immediate neighbourhood were striking the hour of eight in
the evening, Dick stepped over the rail of the _Concordia_ and formally
reported himself to the chief mate, thereafter repairing to the
forecastle and making his preparations for the night.  He was the first
hand to join the ship, notwithstanding the fact that the entire crew had
been ordered to be on board not later than eight o'clock that evening;
and it was not until close upon midnight that the remainder found their
way down from the neighbouring public houses, all of them as surly and
quarrelsome as bears at the termination of their short period of
liberty.  Fortunately for Dick, all hands were too far gone in drink to
admit of their quarrelsomeness going further than words, and eventually,
by about one o'clock in the morning, he was able to compose himself to
sleep, to the accompaniment of the snores and mutterings of his
companions--thirteen in number.

Many lads in Dick Maitland's position, and brought up amid refined
surroundings, as he had been, would have regarded with horror and
loathing such a situation as that in which he now found himself, and
would have been overwhelmed with self-pity at the cruelly hard luck
which forced them to herd with such uncongenial companions in such a pig
sty of a place as the _Concordia's_ forecastle just then presented; but
Dick was something of a philosopher, and was, moreover, full of "grit".
He held the doctrine that a man can make what he chooses of his
surroundings, and always find in them something of amusement or
interest, if he cares to look for it; and now he consoled himself with
the reminder that life in that forecastle, and among those men, whose
highest ideal of happiness seemed to be helpless intoxication, would
after all be but a brief experience, out of which it would be hard
indeed if he could not learn some useful lesson.  With this philosophic
reflection, he curled himself up in his blankets and dropped into a
sound, dreamless sleep.

At six o'clock next morning the mate came thundering upon the fore
scuttle with a handspike, following up the resounding blows with a yell
of:

"All hands ahoy! tumble up there, you sleepers, and don't wait to curl
your hair.  Hurry up, now, and give me a chance to see who are the
`smarties' among you!"

With low growls of disgust at such rude and untimely disturbance of
their slumbers the fourteen occupants of the forecastle rolled
unwillingly out of their bunks and proceeded to scramble into their
garments, most of them anathematising the sea life generally, and their
present ship in particular.  For forecastle Jack is a curious creature,
and, if you are to believe him, "last voyage" is invariably the supreme
period of his life, wherein has been crowded the utmost comfort and
pleasure and the most remarkable adventures, while the ship on board
which he happens to be at the moment is, as invariably, the slowest,
ugliest, most uncomfortable, and most rotten tub that he ever had the
ill luck to ship in.  And all this, mind you, as likely as not before
the much-maligned craft has passed out through the dock gates, or Jack
has done a hand's turn of work on board her.  Dick listened with a good-
tempered grin to the chorus of grumbling that was proceeding around him,
interjected a merry jest or two which caused the growlers to stop in
mid-career in amazement at his audacity, and then, having slipped nimbly
into his clothes, he sprang up through the hatchway and presented
himself first on deck of the forecastle hands, to be greeted by the mate
with a cheery:

"Well done, youngster!  First to answer the call.  That comes of joining
your ship with an unmuddled brain.  I think you and I are going to get
on well together."

"I sincerely hope so, sir," answered Dick.  "If we don't it shall not be
my fault.  And although I am rather an ignoramus at present in respect
of a sailor's work generally, you will find me both willing and eager to
learn."

The mate stared at Dick for a moment with compressed eyebrows, rather
taken aback at the lad's refined tone and manner of speech; then he
nodded, and remarked gruffly:

"That's all right; if you are willing to learn I'll take care that you
have the chance.  And, as a starter, you may get a broom and sweep up
all this litter.  But don't heave it overboard, or you'll have the dock
people after you.  Sweep it all together and put it into that empty
barrel until we get out of dock and can heave it over the side."

The rest of the forecastle hands now came stumbling up on deck, and were
set by the mate to various tasks, pending the opening of the dock gates
and the arrival of the tug which was to tow the _Concordia_ down the
river.  At length the order was given to unmoor ship, the dock gates
swung open, the vessel was warped through the opening to where the tug
awaited her, the towrope was passed, and presently the _Concordia_ was
heading down the river toward Gravesend, from whence, having first
shipped her passengers, she was to take her final departure for the
southern hemisphere.

The _Concordia_ was a steel barque of eight hundred and seventy-four
tons register, Clyde built, and modelled upon lines that combined a very
fair cargo-carrying capacity with high speed possibilities.  She was a
very handsome vessel to look at, and Captain William Roberts, who had
commanded her since she left the stocks some two years prior to the date
at which we make his and her acquaintance, was inordinately proud of
her, sparing no pains either to himself or his ship's crew--and
especially, his boatswain--to keep her as trim and neat as a man-o'-war.
The decks were regularly holystoned every morning when the ship was at
sea--to the intense disgust of the crew--the brasswork was as regularly
polished, not with the usual rottenstone and oil, but with special metal
polish provided out of the skipper's private purse; and there was no
more certain way of "putting the Old Man's back up" than for a man to
allow himself to be seen knocking the ashes of his pipe out against any
portion of the ship's painted work.  It was even asserted of Captain
Roberts that, so anxious was he to maintain the smart appearance of the
ship, he would, whenever she ran into a calm, have the quarterboat
lowered and manned, in order that he might pull round his vessel and
assure himself that her masts were all accurately stayed to precisely
the same angle of rake; and woe betide the unhappy boatswain if there
seemed to be the slightest occasion for fault-finding.

The _Concordia_ was a beamy ship in proportion to her length, and she
carried a full poop extending forward to within about twenty feet of her
mainmast, underneath which was a handsome saloon, or cuddy, fitted with
berth accommodation for twenty passengers; for although the steam liners
have, for all practical purposes, absorbed the passenger traffic, there
still remains a small residue of the travelling public who, either for
health or economy's sake, choose a well-found, well-built sailing
clipper when they desire to make a sea voyage.

Such was the vessel in which young Dick Maitland was to make his first,
and, as he hoped, his only, essay as a seaman before the mast, and after
the slight sketch which has been given of her and her skipper, it will
be readily seen that he could scarcely have hit upon a craft where he
would be likely to have more hard work, or better opportunities for the
acquirement of a large measure of seafaring knowledge in a very short
time.

Mr Sutcliffe, the chief mate, had been favourably impressed by Dick
from the moment when the two had encountered each other at the shipping
office, and Mr Sutcliffe's method of showing his favour was to provide
his favourites with an ample sufficiency of work to do.  The ship had,
therefore, not been out of dock half an hour when Dick was sent aloft
with an able seaman named Barrett to get the fore and main royal-yards
across; and so eager was the lad to learn as much as he could that
Barrett very willingly permitted him to do all the work, merely
directing him what to do and how to do it, and at the same time
instructing him as to the nomenclature and purposes of the various parts
of the gear which were manipulated during the operation.  Naturally,
Dick, being a novice, took about twice as long as his companion would
have taken over the job; but so eager was he to learn and such aptitude
did he exhibit that he won the unqualified approval of Barrett, as well
as of Mr Sutcliffe, who had been keeping a sharp eye upon what was
going on aloft.  As for Dick, although it was the first time that he had
ever been aloft in anything deserving the name of a ship, and although
the hull upon which he looked down seemed ridiculously inadequate to
support the lofty spar upon which he was working--suggesting the idea
that unless he exercised the utmost caution in the disposition of his
weight he must inevitably capsize the entire complicated structure--he
felt neither giddy nor nervous, but went about his work with all the
coolness and confidence of a thoroughly seasoned hand.

Arrived off Gravesend, the anchor was let go, and the ship swung to the
now fast ebbing tide, the quarterboat was lowered, and the skipper was
rowed ashore, while Mr Sutcliffe went the rounds of the decks and
satisfied himself that everything had been done to make the _Concordia_
perfectly ready to get under way at a moment's notice; the yards were
accurately squared by the lifts and braces, the running gear hauled taut
and neatly coiled down, the decks once more swept; and then the worthy
mate found himself compelled to admit, with a sigh, that nothing more
could be done, at least to advantage, until the passengers should have
come off and the ship be once more under way.  These two events happened
late in the afternoon, and meanwhile the occupants of the forecastle
were sent below to snatch a few hours' rest in preparation for the
coming night, during which Dick Maitland had an opportunity to become
better acquainted with his messmates.  For a wonder these proved to be
without exception British, consisting of two Irishmen, five Scotchmen,
and one Welshman, while the rest were English.  There was nothing very
remarkable about any of them, they were all just ordinary average
sailormen, but it did not take Dick very long to make up his mind that,
with the possible exception of the carpenter, and Barrett, the A.B. who
had been his companion and instructor aloft during the morning, the five
Scotchmen were the pick of the bunch.  But all hands seemed to be very
decent fellows in their own rough way, now that they had had time to
recover from their previous day's debauch, and manifested a distinct
disposition to be friendly toward the young greenhorn whom they found in
their midst, especially as they had already had an opportunity to see
that the greenhorn's greenness was not of such a character as to entail
upon them very much extra work.

The afternoon was well advanced when at length the passengers, seventeen
in number, came off to the ship; and the moment that they and their
baggage were embarked the anchor was hove up, the tug once more came
alongside and took the towrope, and the _Concordia_ proceeded upon her
voyage, the hope being freely expressed, both fore and aft, that there
would be no more anchoring until the ship should have arrived under the
shadow, so to speak, of Natal Bluff.  As soon as the ship was fairly
under way, and the anchor at the cathead, the chief and second mates
picked the watches, and Dick, to his satisfaction, found himself picked
by Mr Sutcliffe as a member of that officer's watch.

As the ship drew down toward the lower reaches of the river she met a
slight breeze breathing out from the north-east, to which she spread,
first, her fore-and-aft canvas, and, later on, her square sails, so that
by the time of her arrival off Deal, near midnight, she was practically
independent of the tug, which at that point cast her off.  Here also the
pilot left her, taking with him a goodly packet of letters from the
passengers to their friends ashore; and the _Concordia_, spreading her
studding-sails, swept on into the broadening waters of the English
Channel.  With the other letters went one from Dick to his mother and
another to Dr Humphreys, written during his watch below.

The fair wind which the _Concordia_ fell in with at the mouth of the
Thames lasted long enough to carry the ship, not only clear of the
Channel, but also well to the westward of Ushant, Captain Roberts having
availed himself to the utmost of the opportunity to make as much westing
as possible, as his experience had taught him that at that season of the
year the prevailing winds which he might expect to meet with to the
northward of Madeira would most probably be strong from the south-
westward.  And the event proved the correctness of that mariner's
surmise, for on his seventh day out from Gravesend he fell in with the
expected shift of wind, and four hours later the _Concordia_ was
fighting her way to the southward, under double-reefed topsails, against
a heavy and fast-rising sea.

Those seven days had made a vast amount of difference to Dick Maitland,
so far as his usefulness as a seaman was concerned.  In that
comparatively brief period he had contrived not only to learn the name
and function of every bit of running rigging in the ship, but also to
lay his hand unerringly upon any required halyard, brace, sheet,
downhaul, clewline, or other item of gear in the darkest night; he was
as active and almost as handy aloft as the smartest A.B. in the ship;
and he proved to be a born helmsman, standing his "trick" at the wheel
from the very first, and leaving a straighter wake behind him than any
of the other men, even when the ship was scudding before a heavy
following sea.  Mr Sutcliffe, the chief mate, was delighted with his
young _protege_, and declared, in unnecessarily picturesque language,
that he would qualify the boy to perform the duties of an able seaman
before Natal Bluff should heave in sight.

But Dick was to prove his mettle in quite another fashion before long;
for the strong south-westerly breeze which the _Concordia_ encountered
on her seventh day out rapidly developed into so furious a gale that,
after battling with it for some fourteen hours, Captain Roberts decided
to heave-to under close-reefed fore and main topsails, and at eight
bells--noon--the order was accordingly given to clew up and furl the
already reefed courses, and to haul down and stow the fore-topmast
staysail.  This, under the weather conditions of the moment, was a task
requiring the services of all hands, and by the orders of the chief
mate, who was conducting the operations, Dick was stationed at the
weather fore clew-garnet, with three other hands.  The men, having gone
to their stations, were waiting for the word of command when suddenly
the chain main-tack carried away, and the part attached to the sail,
acting like a whip, struck one of the men who was standing by to ease it
away, smashed the poor fellow's right arm above the elbow, shattered his
jaw, and laid open his right cheek from the turn of the jaw to the right
ear, which was all but torn away from the man's head; the force of the
blow also was such as to dash the unfortunate fellow against the
bulwarks so violently that he instantly fell to the deck senseless.

The accident, naturally, at once occasioned the utmost confusion, in the
midst of which the mainsail promptly threshed itself to rags, the mate
sprang down the poop ladder and rushed to the spot, yelling a whole
string of orders, to which nobody paid the slightest attention, and
Dick, with two or three others, abandoned their posts and ran to the
injured man's assistance.

"Back to your stations, you skowbanks," roared the mate.  "What d'ye
mean by rushing about like a flock of frightened sheep?  D'ye want to
see the ship dismasted?  Here you, Dick, and Joe, pick him up and carry
him below to his bunk until the skipper can attend to him."

"I beg your pardon, sir," spoke Dick, "but I am afraid we may do the
poor fellow some further injury if we attempt to carry him below.  I
understand that there is a spare bunk in the deckhouse where the
boatswain and carpenter are quartered.  May we not take him in there?
And, if you will give me leave, I will attend to his hurts.  I have
studied both medicine and surgery, and feel sure that I can do better
for him than anyone else, excepting, of course, a qualified surgeon."

"The dickens!  You don't say so?" ejaculated the mate, staring at Dick
in amazement.  "Very well, then, in that case you had better take charge
of him.  And--yes, of course, take him into the deckhouse.  Now, lads,
clew up that fore-course, and be lively with it; haul taut your clew-
garnets, ease up your tack and sheet; man your buntlines and leach-
lines; that's your sort, up with it; away aloft, some of you, and make a
good, snug furl of it!"

Quickly, yet with the utmost care, the injured seaman was lifted up and
carried into the deckhouse, where, in accordance with Dick's
instructions, he was laid upon the table, a mattress having first been
hurriedly dragged from one of the bunks and placed to receive him.
Then, leaving the patient for the moment in charge of the other man,
Dick hurried to the forecastle and brought up the medicine chest which
had been Humphrey's parting gift to him, and his case of surgical
instruments, which he opened and placed upon the carpenter's chest, to
the undisguised admiration and horror of his assistant, who gazed as
though fascinated at the array of highly polished saws, knives,
scissors, and other instruments of queer and horribly suggestive shape.
Then, dexterously removing the man's jacket and shirt while he still
remained unconscious, Dick rapidly proceeded to give his patient a
systematic overhaul, with the object of ascertaining the precise nature
and extent of his injuries.

He had just completed this examination when the injured man showed signs
of returning consciousness, at the same moment that the skipper, having
heard from the mate the particulars of the accident, came bustling into
the deckhouse with a bottle of brandy in one hand and a tumbler in the
other, intent upon doing something, though he scarcely knew what, for
the relief of the sufferer.  The brandy arrived in the nick of time,
and, seizing the bottle and tumbler unceremoniously, Maitland poured out
a small quantity and held the tumbler to the patient's lips.  With
difficulty the man contrived to swallow about a teaspoonful, which
considerably revived him, and then, with a groan of anguish, strove to
mumble a few words in spite of his broken jaw.  Now, if ever, was the
moment when Humphreys' doctrine of the efficacy of hypnotism might be
effectively tested, and fixing the man's upturned gaze with his own, in
the peculiar manner which Humphreys had described and illustrated, Dick
said to his patient, in a quiet, yet firm and confident tone of voice:

"Now, Tom, don't attempt to say anything or ask any questions, but
listen to me.  You have met with an accident, but it is not at all
serious; and I am going to put you right and make you quite comfortable.
I shall be obliged to pull you about a bit, but understand this, you
will suffer no pain whatever, and when I have finished with you you will
fall into a quiet and refreshing sleep, from which you will awake
without fever or complication of any sort.  Now, turn over on your left
side, and let me begin by attending to the injuries of your face."

To the utter amazement of the skipper and Joe--the man who had assisted
Dick to carry the injured man into the deckhouse--the patient turned
quietly over on his left side as directed, without a groan or any other
sign of suffering, and resigned himself quite contentedly to Dick's
ministrations.  The latter, to all outward appearance perfectly calm and
self-possessed, but inwardly full of astonishment at the complete
success of his first experiment, at once proceeded with quick and deft
hands to arrange in position the shattered fragments of the jaw,
strapping them firmly in place with bandage and sticking plaster; then
he deftly drew together the edges of the gashed cheek, stitched up the
wound, applied an antiseptic dressing, and bound up the injured face in
such a manner that the patient might be enabled to take liquid
nourishment without disturbance of the dressings.  Lastly, he placed the
broken bone of the arm in position, and firmly secured it there with
splints and bandages.  As Dick inserted the last pin in the bandage and
arranged the arm in a comfortable position the patient closed his eyes,
and a minute later his quiet and regular breathing showed that he was
fast asleep!



CHAPTER FOUR.

PHIL GROSVENOR'S PROPOSITION.

"Well, dash my wig," exclaimed the skipper, his face the picture of
blank astonishment, "that beats the record!  Why, the man's fast asleep,
in spite of all your handling of him!  How in the name of all that's
wonderful did you manage to work that miracle, youngster?"

"Oh, easily enough!" laughed Dick.  "Everything is easy, you know, sir,
when you understand how to do it.  I learned how to do that, and a great
many other very useful things, under one of the cleverest men in London,
a man who would be famous but for the fact that he prefers to work in
the obscurity of the East-End, and let the poor enjoy the benefit of his
wonderful skill, instead of becoming a fashionable Harley Street
practitioner.  With your permission, sir, I will look after our friend
Tom, here; and I guarantee to have him up and about again, as well as
ever, before we reach the latitude of the Cape."

"You do?" ejaculated the skipper.  "Then by George, sir, you shall have
the opportunity.  But, look here, why didn't you tell me that you were a
doctor, when you came and asked me to allow you to work your passage out
to South Africa?"

"Well, you see," answered Dick, "I was rather down on my luck just then;
I--or rather, my mother--had learned, only a few days before, that she
had been robbed of all her money; and it was imperative that I should at
once go out into the world and earn more for her, hence my anxiety to go
to South Africa.  But I was so badly off that I couldn't even afford to
pay my fare out there; I therefore determined to work my passage.  And,
as I considered that the fact of my being a doctor would be no
recommendation to you, I decided not to mention it."

"Ah!" remarked the skipper; "that is just where you made a big mistake;
your services as a medical man would have been far more valuable to me
than as an ordinary seaman.  Besides, you can do better work than mere
pulling and hauling and dipping your hands into the tar bucket.  You are
a gentleman in manner and speech, and will look like one when you get
into another suit of clothes.  Now, I tell you what it is; I am not
going to waste you by allowing you to remain in the forecastle any
longer, so just turn to and get the tar stains off your hands, shift
into a white shirt and a shore-going suit of clothes, and come aft into
the cuddy as ship's surgeon.  There is, very fortunately, a vacant cabin
that you can have; and you may earn the rest of your passage by looking
after the health of the passengers and crew--there are three or four
ladies who are pretty nearly dead with seasickness, and if you can
relieve 'em they'll bless me for discovering you."

"Oh yes," answered Dick cheerfully, "I have no doubt I can relieve them
all right!  But there is one thing with regard to this arrangement that
perhaps you have not thought of, Captain.  Perhaps your passengers will
not approve of your bringing me aft out of the forecastle to associate
with them upon terms of equality."

"Don't you trouble your head about that, my son," returned the skipper.
"That is my affair.  But I'm quite sure that they won't object when I
tell 'em the facts of the case.  Besides, they've already noticed you
while you've been at the wheel, and have remarked what a well-spoken,
gentlemanly young fellow you are.  No, no; that'll be all right, never
fear.  Now, if you've finished with this poor chap for a while, you had
better cut away and make yourself fit for the cuddy, and then shift aft,
bag and baggage."

"Very well, sir, I will, and many thanks to you for the promotion,"
answered Dick.  "But we cannot leave Tom here on the table, comfortable
as he is.  Therefore, with your permission, sir, I will call in a couple
of hands, who, with Joe and myself, will be able to put him into the
spare bunk, where he will be out of everybody's way, and where I can
attend to him quite conveniently."

To this proposal the worthy skipper at once consented; and half an hour
later Dick, having discarded his working clothes for a suit of blue
serge, and otherwise made himself presentable, moved aft and established
himself in the spare cabin which Captain Roberts placed at his disposal,
the skipper having meanwhile ensured a cordial reception for him from
the passengers by telling them such particulars of Dick's history as he
was acquainted with, and also describing, with much picturesque detail,
the masterly manner in which the lad had patched up the injured seaman.

Dick had no reason to complain of the manner in which the passengers
received him among them; on the contrary, his reception was cordial in
the extreme, especially by the women, to whose sense of romance the
lad's story, as told by the skipper, appealed very strongly.  The
introduction took place just as the passengers--or at least those of
them who were not too ill--were about to sit down to tiffin, and Dick
was assigned a place at the long table halfway between the head and the
foot, where Captain Roberts and Mr Sutcliffe respectively presided; but
the young man declined to sit down until he had visited and relieved his
new patients, consisting of five ladies and three men.

His method of dealing with these unfortunates was simplicity itself.
Relying wholly upon the wonderful power of hypnotism with which his
friend Humphreys had endowed him, he prepared for each patient a draught
consisting of sugar and water only, slightly flavoured with an aromatic
bitter; and, as he presented this, he got the patient under his
influence in the instantaneous manner which Humphreys had taught him, at
the same time saying, in a quietly confident tone of voice:

"Now, I want you to drink this, please.  It is an absolutely unfailing
and instantaneous remedy for the distressing complaint from which you
are suffering, and the moment that you have swallowed it every trace of
discomfort will disappear, to return no more.  You will feel so
thoroughly well that very probably you will wish to rise and dress; but
I do not advise that.  On the contrary, I recommend you to remain where
you are until you have had a few hours' refreshing sleep, after which
you can get up to dinner.  That is right,"--as the patient swallowed the
draught.  "Now you feel quite all right, don't you?  Yes.  You will feel
very sleepy presently; just let yourself go; and when you awake you will
find yourself as well as you ever were in your life."

And, incredible though it may appear, that is precisely what happened.
What was perhaps at least equally remarkable was that, although these
good people had all suffered more or less from seasickness every day
since leaving Gravesend, from that moment they were entirely free from
it for the remainder of the voyage.

Among the passengers who were thus suddenly and completely cured was a
Mr Philip Grosvenor, who, having been crossed in love, and, moreover,
possessing far more money than he knew what to do with, while he had no
disposition to dissipate it on the racecourse or at the gambling tables,
was going out to South Africa to shoot big game; and this young man--he
was only a month or two over twenty-six years of age--at once struck up
a warm friendship with Dick, originating, possibly, in a feeling of
gratitude for his prompt relief from those sufferings which had hitherto
made his life a burden to him, from the moment when the South Foreland
light had sunk beneath the horizon astern of the _Concordia_.

He made his first advances after dinner on the evening of the day which
had witnessed his cure.  As Dick had foretold, he fell asleep
immediately after swallowing the draught which the young medico had
administered, had awakened, feeling absolutely well, just in time to
rise and dress for dinner, had partaken of a very hearty meal, and
thereafter had made his way up on the poop to gaze upon the stirring
spectacle of the ship battling with and gallantly holding her own
against the raging wind and sea--and possibly also to revel in his new-
found immunity from the horrors of _mal de mer_.  Here he had found
Dick, a born sailor, walking the heaving and plunging deck and chatting
animatedly with Mr Sutcliffe, who, honest man, felt somewhat at a loss
to determine precisely the manner of his behaviour toward the youngster
whom he had so recently patronised and ordered about, but who was now
translated aft to the quarterdeck upon an equal footing with himself.
Dick had just about succeeded in putting to flight the worthy chief
mate's feeling of awkwardness and embarrassment when Grosvenor appeared
and joined the pair, whereupon Sutcliffe, who was rather shy with the
passengers, sheered off, upon the pretence of attending to his duty, and
left the two together.

"By Jove, Doctor, but this is a grand sight, isn't it?" exclaimed Dick's
recent patient.  "Never saw the like of it before, and shouldn't be in
form to see it now, but for you.  'Pon my word, you know, you are a
wonder--a perfect wonder!  Give me your arm and let's walk about a bit,
shall we?  That's right.  D'you know I don't think I ever felt more fit
in my life than I do at this moment; and to reflect that only this
morning I was--ugh!  Tell you what it is, Doctor, you should patent that
prescription of yours, have it made up, and sell it at five shillings
the bottle.  You would soon make your fortune.  And I'll write a
testimonial for you.  `Took one dose and never needed another!' eh?  No,
hang it all, that wouldn't do, either, rather too ambiguous, eh? sort of
double meaning in that kind of statement--what?  But, joking apart, old
man, I'd very strongly advise you to patent the thing and advertise it
extensively.  I'm certain that there's money in it."

"Possibly," agreed Dick, who had no intention of taking this young man
into his confidence to the extent of explaining the actual character of
the draught.  "Unfortunately, however, to do as you suggest needs the
preliminary expenditure of a good deal of money, which is a singularly
scarce commodity with me.  No, I am afraid that plan of yours will
scarcely do; it is true that I am particularly anxious to make my
fortune, and that, too, without a moment's loss of time, but I am afraid
I shall have to hit upon some other way of doing it."

"Ah!  Well, what is your plan, if it is a fair question?  Excuse me, old
chap, I'm not asking out of mere vulgar, impertinent curiosity, but at
the dinner table to-night somebody mentioned that you are working your
passage out to South Africa.  What do you propose to do when you arrive
there?"

"Heaven only knows; certainly I do not," answered Dick with a lugubrious
smile.  "When I step ashore on the wharf at Port Natal I shall not know
in what direction to turn my steps, or where to look for a meal or a
night's lodging.  Also the whole of my available capital will consist in
the wages which I shall take up when Captain Roberts gives me my
discharge, amounting, probably, to a couple of shillings."

"What?" ejaculated Grosvenor incredulously.  "Oh, I say, my dear chap,
you are not in earnest, surely?"

"Indeed I am, then, in deadly earnest," answered Dick.  "But I am not
worrying.  I am strong and more than willing to work, and I mean to take
the very first job that comes to hand, let it be what it will.  I
believe that if a chap is willing to work he can always get something to
do, though it may not be precisely the kind of work that he would like.
And when once I have secured the means of providing myself with board
and lodging I shall be able to look round for something better."

"Yes--yes, of course you will," responded Grosvenor, a little dubiously.
"I say, old chap," he continued admiringly, "you are a `gritty' beggar,
and no mistake!  I wonder if you would mind telling me your story?"

"No, not at all," answered Dick; "there is nothing in it that I need be
ashamed of."  And forthwith he proceeded to give his new-found friend a
brief yet clear account of the circumstances which had resulted in his
being reduced to his present plight.

"By Jove, Maitland, I admire you!" exclaimed Grosvenor when Dick had
come to the end of his story.  "There is not one man in a hundred who,
under similar circumstances, would have tackled the situation with the
indomitable pluck and whole-hearted belief in himself that you have
shown; and I feel sure that such courage will meet with its just reward.
You are the kind of fellow that always comes out on top, simply because
you will not allow yourself to be kept down.  Now, look here, I am going
to make a proposition to you--and, understand me, it is on purely
selfish grounds that I am going to make it.  I am going out to South
Africa because I want to forget a--well, a very bitter disappointment
that I have recently sustained, and the particulars of which I will
perhaps tell you some day if you fall in with my proposition, as I hope
you will.  The way in which I propose to conquer this disappointment of
mine is to go in for a life of adventure--exploration of the interior,
big-game shooting, and that sort of thing, you understand.  I have heard
some most thrilling stories of the wonderful things and people that are
to be found in the interior of Africa, and, while many of them are
doubtless lies, there is evidence enough of a perfectly reliable
character to prove that there is at least a certain amount of truth in
others; and it is my purpose to ascertain at firsthand the exact measure
of that truth.  Take, for example, the contention of certain
antiquarians that the ruins of Ophir must exist somewhere upon the east
coast.  I have read pretty nearly everything that has been written upon
that subject, and I am convinced of the soundness of the contention, as
I am also of the contention that Zimbabwe is not ancient Ophir.  Then,
again, there is the statement of the existence of a mysterious white
race in the far interior, which persistently crops up at intervals.  It
would be interesting in the extreme to be able to settle that matter
beyond a doubt, wouldn't it?  Very well, then; my idea is to attempt to
find ancient Ophir, and also the mysterious white race, if possible.

"Of course I know that what I propose is scarcely in the nature of a
picnic; it no doubt means a good deal of hardship, privation, and
danger; in fact, my friends without exception pronounced me a fool for
thinking of engaging in such an undertaking, while at least half of them
confidently prophesy that if I make the attempt I shall never return.
Well, that is as may be; plenty of better fellows than I have gone under
in such excursions, but, on the other hand, as big duffers as I am have
done great things and turned up again all right, so there is no
particular reason that I can see why I should not do the same.  And so
far as money is concerned I have more than enough to enable me to equip
the expedition in such a manner as to ensure the minimum of discomfort
with the maximum of everything necessary to success.  The only item that
I have had any doubt as to my ability to obtain is--a suitable
companion; for of course in my maddest moments I have never been ass
enough to contemplate going into so big a thing single-handed.  But the
precise kind of man that I want was not to be found either among my
friends or elsewhere at home, so I came away without him, trusting that
I should be lucky enough to pick him up somewhere on the way; and, by
Jove, Maitland, the event has justified my trust; for I have found in
you exactly the kind of man I have had in my mind all along--or, rather,
somebody better, for in addition to your other qualifications you have
very considerable skill as a physician and surgeon, which is what I
never hoped to secure, even in my most sanguine moments."

"Do you wish me to infer, then, that you are proposing to take me as a
hired assistant--or what?" demanded Dick.

"Well, yes--and no," answered Grosvenor, with a somewhat embarrassed
laugh.  "As a hired assistant, certainly, because the services of a
fellow like yourself would be of incalculable value to me, especially
when the inevitable sickness comes along.  But I want particularly to
secure you because--well, to be perfectly plain and blunt, because I
have taken a great fancy to you, and because I recognise in you exactly
the qualities that would make of you not only an invaluable assistant
but also a perfectly ideal partner, friend, and companion.  Therefore,
in your capacity as medical attendant to the expedition I propose to
offer you a regular fixed salary of, let us say, two guineas a day, or,
taking one month with another, sixty-five pounds a month--the first six
months to be paid in advance--and, in your capacity of partner, all the
ivory, skins, and other matters which we may accumulate during the
progress of the expedition, except what I may desire to appropriate as
trophies wherewith to adorn the ancestral halls."

Dick laughed.  "Thank you very much," he said, "but I couldn't possibly
accede to your terms; they are altogether too glaringly unfair.  The
salaried part I don't at all object to, because of course if you desire
to include a medical man in your retinue you must pay him a fair salary,
and two guineas a day is not too much, in my opinion.  But when you come
to talk about my share of the spoils, in my capacity of your partner, it
becomes a different matter altogether, since I cannot contribute a
farthing to the expenses of the expedition, therefore I cannot by any
process of reasoning be entitled to any share of its possible profits.
No; if you care to engage me as doctor, at the salary that you have
named, I will accept the post with pleasure and my most hearty thanks,
because the pay will suffice to keep the dear old Mater going; and when
we return to civilisation--if we ever do--I shall be able to set about
the task in earnest of `making my fortune.'"

"But, look here my dear fellow," remonstrated Grosvenor, "it is just
nonsense in you--if you will excuse my saying so--to refuse the second
part of my proposal, for this reason.  I am not undertaking this
expedition as a speculation, or with any idea of making it pay.  I have
already a much larger income than I know what to do with, and for that
and other reasons money does not come into the question at all.  Like
other fellows who go hunting, I shall naturally desire to have a few
trophies to exhibit as tokens of my prowess; but, beyond those, I shall
have no use at all for ivory, skins, horns, and such other matters as we
may acquire; therefore you may as well have them as anyone else,
especially as you are avowedly out fortune-hunting.  Besides, two
guineas a day is an altogether inadequate rate of remuneration for a
young fellow of your exceptional ability--why, before you had been
practising a month you would be earning four or five times that amount,
and you will be sacrificing that possibility for an indefinite period if
you elect to join forces with me.  Therefore I contend that if any
profits of any kind accrue to the expedition, you are justly entitled to
them, and I shall not be content unless you consent to take them; indeed
if you refuse I shall be obliged to withdraw my offer altogether, much
as I shall regret having to do so."

Under those circumstances there was of course nothing more to be said;
and finally Dick agreed to Grosvenor's proposal in its entirety, the
more readily that, after all, when he came to reflect upon it, there was
much truth in what Grosvenor had said with regard to the possible loss
which Dick might sustain by attaching himself to the expedition and
burying himself in the wilds for a more or less indefinite period.

As time went on there could be no doubt as to the fact that Grosvenor
was genuinely pleased with the arrangement by which he had secured Dick
as his companion in the projected expedition, nor did he make any secret
of the fact that he regarded the terms of the agreement as eminently
satisfactory from his own point of view; while Dick, for his part, felt
that he had done not at all badly in securing a post at a salary of
sixty-five pounds a month, to be enjoyed the moment that he set foot on
shore.  Moreover, that salary was a sure thing for at least six months,
and since Grosvenor insisted upon paying in advance for that period Dick
would be in a position to remit quite a nice little sum home to his
mother, immediately upon his arrival on South African soil.  Both
parties to the agreement were thus equally satisfied, and thenceforward
devoted much of their time to elaborating their plans, in order that no
time should be lost upon their arrival.

Grosvenor, with the confidence of the inexperienced, was quite prepared
unhesitatingly to plunge into the very heart of darkest Africa with no
other companions than Dick, and a few Kafir or Hottentot "boys" as
servants; but Dick, although the younger of the two, had discretion
enough to understand that this would be a very unwise thing to do, and
that it would be altogether more prudent in every way to secure the
services of some white man, well acquainted with the country, and the
ways and language of the natives, to act as a sort of general overseer
and factotum, and this view Grosvenor at length somewhat unwillingly
accepted.

Meanwhile, Tom, the injured man, made the most extraordinarily rapid
progress toward recovery, under Dick's skilled treatment, much to the
enhancement of that young gentleman's reputation; and some appreciable
time before the period that Dick had named he was out again and on duty,
very little the worse for his accident save that his right cheek bore a
scar which he would carry with him to his grave.

At length a day arrived when Captain Roberts, having worked out his
observations for the determination of the ship's latitude and longitude,
made the welcome announcement that, if the wind held and all went well,
the passengers, by this time thoroughly weary of the--to most of them--
changeless monotony of sea and sky, might hope to feast their eyes upon
the glowing picture of a South African landscape within the ensuing
twenty-four hours; and at once everybody became cheerfully busy upon the
task of packing up in preparation for the joyous moment when they might
exchange the eternal movement of the rocking deck for terra firma, and
rejoice once more in the sight of trees and grass and flowers, of busy
streets, and of the much-talked-of beauties of suburban Berea.  Dick
Maitland's possessions were so few that they needed very little packing
to prepare them for transit from ship to shore, and when he had finished
he adjourned to Grosvenor's cabin to assist that gentleman, who, since
dispensing with the services of a valet, seemed quite incapable of
replacing his possessions in the receptacles from which he had taken
them upon the beginning of the voyage.  The remainder of the day was
passed in the animated discussion of future plans and arrangements,
while one effect of the imminent termination of the long ocean voyage
was the sudden development of an amazing access of cordiality between
people who had hitherto manifested but little interest in each other,
accompanied by pressing invitations to "come and stay a few days at my
place whenever you happen to be in the neighbourhood".  Also a few of
the more enthusiastic occupants of the cuddy remained on deck until
midnight, in the hope of catching a glimpse of the Bluff light before
turning in, only to retire to their cabins, discontented and grumbling,
because at eight bells the gleam still obstinately refused to appear on
the horizon over the port bow, where Mr Sutcliffe, the chief mate, had
been anxiously watching for it.

But full compensation came to the disappointed ones when, awakened on
the following morning about six o'clock by the voice of the mate issuing
certain sharp orders from the poop, followed by the flinging down of
ropes upon the deck and the cheery "yo ho's" of the sailors, as they
threw their weight upon various portions of the ship's running gear, the
said disappointed ones leaped from their bunks and hastened out on deck
clad only in pyjamas and overcoats; for they found the ship hove-to on
the starboard tack with her head to the eastward, while stretching away
astern of them, from the starboard to the port quarter, was the
dominating eminence of the Bluff, bush-clad from base to crest, crowned
with its lighthouse and signal staff--from the latter of which was
fluttering the answering pennant, acknowledging the deciphering of the
_Concordia's_ number--with the long breakwater jutting out into the sea
from its foot, while, nearer at hand, there stretched across the scene
the low outline of the Point, also bush-crowned, with the roofs of a few
houses and a flagstaff or two showing above the verdure, the sandy
beach, with the eternal surf thundering upon it in long lines of rainbow
spray, reaching for mile after mile athwart the ship's stern, and for
background the far-stretching ridge of the bush-clad, villa-studded
range of the Berea, the windows of its houses already ablaze with the
ardent beams of the newly risen sun.  The prospect is a charming one at
any time, but never more so perhaps than when it is suddenly presented,
fresh, green, and beautiful, in the clear atmosphere and the light of
early morning, to the vision of those whose eyes, after seventy days of
gazing upon sky and sea, are yearning to behold once more the beauties
of the solid earth.

For a full hour the ship remained hove-to with her head to seaward,
during which an early breakfast was served to the occupants of the
cuddy; then, upon the appearance of the tug coming out over the bar, the
_Concordia_ wore round and headed inshore, the light sails were rapidly
clewed up or hauled down, the towline was got ready for passing, and in
a moment everything was bustle and apparent confusion upon the ship's
decks, barefooted seamen rushing hither and thither, flinging down coils
of rope on deck, casting off halyards and sheets, and dragging
vociferously upon clew-garnets, clewlines, downhauls, and the other
complicated paraphernalia of a ship's furniture, with the captain
shouting orders from the poop, and the mate in charge of a gang of men
on the forecastle getting the anchor a-cockbill ready for letting go,
and preparing for the arrival of the tug alongside.  Then up came the
little steamer, rolling and pitching heavily upon the long ground swell,
sweeping round in a long curve that brought her all but alongside the
wallowing ship; a brief interchange of hails between her bridge and the
_Concordia's_ poop, the sudden snaking out of a whirling heaving-line
from the forecastle of the latter, followed by the thin but tremendously
strong steel towing hawser; and as the few remaining sheets of the
ship's canvas shrivelled in to the masts and yards the tug passed ahead,
the towrope rose dripping out of the water, tautened to the semblance of
a metal rod, and away went the two craft, heading for the middle of the
space of water that divided the two breakwaters.  Half an hour later the
_Concordia_ came to an anchor in the spacious but shallow inner harbour
opposite the railway station, and the long voyage was at an end.

But the eager passengers were not yet at liberty to go on shore.
Although the _Concordia_ carried a clean bill of health, certain
formalities had yet to be gone through; the medical officer had still to
satisfy himself that there was no sickness of any infectious kind on
board before pratique was granted.  And, as the medical officer happened
to be a thoroughly conscientious man, the determination of this fact
consumed a full hour.  But at length the tedious examination came to an
end, the ship was pronounced perfectly healthy, and the boats which had
been hovering round her were permitted to come alongside.  Then ensued a
few minutes of strenuous bargaining between passengers and boatmen, at
the end of which time Dick and Grosvenor, having said goodbye to the
captain and officers--Dick also included the crew in his farewell--found
themselves being pulled across the few yards of water which intervened
between ship and shore, and presently they stood upon the sun-blistered
wharf fighting their way through an odoriferous crowd of shouting,
laughing, gesticulating, and more than half-naked Kafir rickshaw-men who
clamoured for the honour of dragging them the mile or so that separated
the Point from Durban.  But the Custom House officers had first to be
placated, and Grosvenor disgustedly found himself obliged to disburse a
goodly sum as duty upon his firearms and ammunition before he was
permitted to retain possession of them.  At length, however, the Customs
barrier was successfully negotiated; and then Dick in one rickshaw,
Grosvenor in another, and their baggage in a third, the two friends
proceeded in triumph along the bush-bordered road, over the level
crossing of the railway, and so up Smith Street to the Royal Hotel,
where they purposed to put up for a day or two, and where, upon their
arrival, they joined their fellow passengers at a hilarious second
breakfast in accordance with an arrangement made at the cabin table a
few hours earlier.



CHAPTER FIVE.

THE BEGINNING OF THE ADVENTURE.

The second breakfast over, farewells were spoken--with, in some cases,
the promise to meet again speedily--and the voyagers separated, some to
make their way home to their sugar or coffee estates in the
neighbourhood, others to take train to more distant localities, some
three or four being bound as far afield as Johannesburg or Pretoria--and
Dick, with his friend Grosvenor, set out to wander about the town of
Durban, inspect the shops, pass through the aristocratic quarter of the
Berea, per tram, and finally, on a couple of horses hired from the hotel
stable, to ride out to the River Umgeni, and thence to Sea Cow Lake, in
the vain hope of getting a sight of a few of the hippopotami that were
said to still haunt that piece of water; finally returning to the hotel
in time for dinner, hot, tired, but supremely happy, and delighted with
everything that they had seen.

During the progress of the meal they made the acquaintance of a Mr
Gerald Muspratt, a coffee planter, whose estate was situate some twelve
miles distant, in the adjoining county of Victoria; and, the
acquaintance ripening over the after-dinner coffee, with that breathless
celerity which is one of the most charming characteristics of the
Colonies, before retiring for the night the two friends had accepted
Muspratt's very pressing invitation to ride out with him to his place
next morning, and spend a couple of days there with him to look round
the estate and be introduced to Muspratt's two or three neighbours.
This they did in due course, the two days' visit lengthening itself into
four, and ending by the acceptance of another invitation, this time from
a sugar planter whose estate, Mount Pleasant, was situate some fourteen
miles farther up the coast, on the other side of the Umhloti River.
This invitation Dick would fain have declined, for he was impatient to
begin the real business that lay before them; but Grosvenor was so
charmed with the country and everything that he saw in it, and
especially with the spontaneous kindness, friendliness, and hospitality
of its people, that he seemed in no hurry to rush away from it all and
bury himself in the wilderness.  As it happened, neither of the young
men had any reason to regret the time thus spent, for their host, an
old-time transport rider, named Mitchell, had penetrated far beyond the
Zambezi in his younger days, was an experienced hunter, knew the
interior, its inhabitants, and their peculiarities as well as, if not
better than, any other man living, and was brimful of information and
hints absolutely invaluable to the new arrivals, which he freely
imparted.  When told of the nature and scope of the young men's
projected adventure, however, he shook his head dubiously, and strongly
urged them to abandon the idea of attempting more than just a few
months' big-game shooting.

"Mind you," he said, "I strongly sympathise with you in your very
ambitious aims, ridiculous as many men would pronounce them, for I was
animated by precisely the same desire myself when I was a youngster of
about your age," turning to Grosvenor.

"By Jove! you don't say so?" ejaculated Grosvenor, surprised and
delighted to meet a man of such wide experience as Mitchell who did not
pronounce his plans chimerical; for it must be stated that thus far the
enunciation of those plans had been almost invariably received with
either covert or open ridicule.  "Then," he continued, "do I understand
that you believe in the possibility of finding the site of ancient
Ophir?"

"Well--yes--you may understand me to mean that--in a general way," was
Mitchell's somewhat guarded admission.  "But," he continued, "if you ask
whether I think it probable that you will discover either Ophir or the
mysterious white race which rumour has asserted to exist somewhere in
the far interior, I answer: Certainly not."

"The dickens!" exclaimed Grosvenor.  "But why, my dear sir, why?"

"Well--if you will not be offended by my exceeding candour--chiefly
because I think you both much too young and too inexperienced to have
any chance of succeeding in so very formidable an undertaking," was the
somewhat discouraging reply.

"Yes, of course," admitted Grosvenor, "it is true that we are both quite
inexperienced; but our youth is surely in our favour rather than against
us, for we are strong and healthy, and no doubt will soon become inured
to fatigue, hardship, and even privation.  We both have splendid
constitutions; and, moreover, my friend Maitland here is a doctor and
surgeon of quite remarkable ability, which fact I regard as of the
utmost importance.  Then, as to the matter of experience, I imagine that
we are bound to acquire that as we go on; we are not going to be
transported into the heart of the wilds in a few hours by express train,
you know."

"No," answered Mitchell, with a somewhat grim smile, "that is quite
true, as is also your contention that you will acquire some experience
as you go on.  Then, of course, the fact that Mr Maitland is a doctor
and surgeon--of which I was unaware--is a great point in your favour.
But, when all is said, I still think that you will find the undertaking
too much for you.  Why-- By the way, did you ever hear of a certain
Charles Menzies?"

"The explorer, you mean?  Yes, I have heard of him; in fact I believe it
was an account of his travels that first put this idea into my head,"
answered Grosvenor.

"Ah!" remarked Mitchell cryptically; "I wonder just how much you have
heard respecting his travels?"

"Well, not very much, I must confess," acknowledged Grosvenor.  "So far
as I can remember, it amounted simply to the statement that after one of
his long absences from civilisation he returned with the story that he
had actually discovered the site of ancient Ophir; and that he had
gathered reliable information concerning the existence of the mysterious
white race, which is to be one of the objects of my quest."

"Just so," commented Mitchell, relapsing into a pregnant silence.  It
was evident that he was intently considering some difficult question.
Presently he looked up and said:

"I knew Menzies very well in my younger days.  As a matter of fact I
saved his life; for had I not happened to have fallen in with him and
picked him up he must have inevitably perished; and in that case the
public would never have heard any of the extraordinary rumours
respecting his discoveries that afterwards leaked out.  I was away up-
country elephant hunting at the time, and I found him, some seventy
miles this side of the Zambezi, in the last stages of exhaustion from
starvation.  He was then returning from the journey that made him
famous, and had lost everything he possessed, even to his rifle; it is
therefore nothing short of marvellous that he had contrived to make his
way as far back as he did when I found him.  He was too ill to talk much
when I first picked him up, but afterwards, when he grew stronger, he
told me the whole astounding story of his journey and his adventures.
He talked of publishing the narrative, but I very strongly dissuaded him
from doing so; for, as I pointed out to him, there were portions of that
narrative which were of so absolutely incredible a character that nobody
would believe them, and the story would lose all value from the fact
that it would be regarded as merely a fantastic fabrication, and he
would gain the reputation of an unblushing romancer.  To tell you the
truth, I was firmly persuaded at the time that what he had gone through
had affected his brain, and that he was the victim of a series of the
most weird and horrible illusions.  But I had reason to modify my
opinion in that respect a few years afterward, although I am still
unable to make up my mind definitely as to just how much of his story
was true and how much was due to an imagination that had become warped
and distorted by peril and suffering."

"By Jove!" exclaimed Grosvenor, with a sort of thrill in his voice.  "I
say, you know, all this is intensely interesting.  Eh, what?  I wonder
if you would mind repeating to us a few of those statements that you
found it so difficult to believe at the time, and with regard to which
you were afterwards inclined to modify your opinion?"

"Well," answered Mitchell, "I am afraid I must ask you to excuse me from
doing that.  You see, Menzies was my friend, and one of the finest
fellows that ever lived.  He is dead now, poor chap, and I would not
willingly say a single word that might cause you or anyone else to think
lightly of him, or picture him in your mind as other than the very soul
of truth and honour.  Yet if I were to repeat to you some of the
statements that I have in my mind, I know that you two hard-headed,
matter-of-fact Englishmen would at once set them down as the veriest
fairy tales, their author a second Munchausen, and myself a credulous
old fool for attaching the slightest weight to them.  And yet, let me
tell you, Africa is a very queer country--as you will discover if you
persist in attempting to carry out your plan--and queer things happen in
it, things that strain a man's credulity to the breaking-point, until he
has had personal experience of them.  That remark of Shakespeare's, that
`there are more things in heaven and earth than are reckoned in our
philosophy' is nowhere more forcefully confirmed than in this continent
of Africa, and especially in those parts of it which are practically
unknown to the white man.  Why, even here, close at hand, among our
neighbours the Zulus, there have been happenings--well authenticated,
mind you--that are absolutely unexplainable by any knowledge that we
whites possess.  But I think I have prosed enough for one sitting, and
it is growing late--one o'clock, as I am a living sinner!--and you must
be growing tired.  Do you wonder why I have told you all these things?
Well, it is because I should like to dissuade you from this mad scheme
of yours, which my experience tells me can only end in disaster, and
induce you to content yourselves with a two-months' hunting trip in the
company of some good man who knows the country, and can be trusted to
see that you come to no harm.  Now, good night, both of you! think over
what I have said; sleep well, and don't dream of fantastic horrors such
as my talk may have suggested."

If Mr Joseph Mitchell, sugar planter, and thoroughly honest, well-
meaning man, flattered himself that the foregoing conversation would
have any other effect than to stimulate the curiosity of his guests and
confirm them in their determination to carry out their plans in their
entirety, he very greatly over-estimated his persuasive powers, and
completely misread the characters of those to whom he had been talking.
For both Grosvenor and Maitland were of a highly adventurous
disposition, and what Mitchell had told them had simply whetted their
curiosity to a keen edge, and had strongly suggested to them that the
adventure promised to be of an even more alluring and thrilling
character than they had ever ventured to hope, even in their most
sanguine moments.  So much, indeed, they made clear to their host when
they met him the next morning at the breakfast table; and, when he would
have made a further attempt at dissuasion, laughingly assured him that
their minds were finally made up, and that the kindest thing he could
now do for them would be to give them as much information and as many
hints and wrinkles as he could think of to help them to a satisfactory
conclusion of the adventure.  This Mitchell proceeded to do, when at
length the conviction had been borne in upon him that all his efforts at
dissuasion were worse than useless; and when, two days later, they took
leave of the genial planter, Dick carried away with him a notebook
crowded from cover to cover with information that was destined to prove
of incalculable value to him and his companion, as well as a sketch map
showing the best route to follow, and certain localities that were to be
most carefully avoided if they desired to return sane and sound to
civilisation.

Arrived in Durban once more, after a most delightful jaunt, they at once
set about making their preparations in earnest, one of the first things
which Grosvenor insisted upon doing being the payment to Dick of six
months' salary in advance, from the date of their landing upon South
African soil.  Practically the whole of this Dick was able to remit home
to his mother, since Grosvenor would not hear of his contributing so
much as a single penny toward the expenses of the expedition, therefore
the junior member of the partnership had no need to spend anything,
except for a few curios which he thought his mother might like to
display to her friends; but he laid in a few additional drugs, and also
added a spare instrument or two to his surgical case, to cover the
possibility of loss or accident.

Three days later they started for Johannesburg, by way of Delagoa Bay
and Pretoria, Grosvenor being very anxious to get a glimpse of life on
the Rand and to gain some knowledge of diamonds and diamond mining
before he finally bade farewell to civilisation.  Since Johannesburg lay
on the direct line of their route, and the knowledge sought might
possibly prove useful in the future, Dick raised no objection to the
proposal, especially as they went armed with letters of introduction
from Mitchell to some of the most influential of the Rand magnates and
others whose advice and assistance would be exceedingly helpful.  A busy
three weeks spent in the city and at Witwatersrand enriched them with
much very valuable information, both particular and general, and also
enabled them to acquire four excellent horses and an Indian coolie groom
named Ramoo Samee, who not only bore a most admirable character, but
also raised no objection when informed of the nature and scope of the
adventure upon which his employers were bound.  Here, too, and also at
Pretoria, the partners endeavoured to secure the services of a hunter as
guide and general superintendent, but were unable to meet with one who
conformed in all respects to their requirements; they therefore
ultimately decided to defer their further quest until their arrival in
Bulawayo, which was to be the point from which they would finally bid
farewell to civilisation.

But upon their arrival at Bulawayo, although they met with no difficulty
in providing themselves with a brand-new wagon and a team of twenty
"salted" oxen, together with a Hottentot driver named Jantje, and a
Kafir boy named 'Nkuku as voorlouper, no suitable candidate for the post
of guide offered himself or could be found; and finally, after devoting
a full week to fruitless search and enquiry, Dick and Grosvenor agreed
to start without one, and trust to luck and their own good sense.
Everybody, with one solitary exception, declared that it was a most
risky thing to do; but the solitary exception, in the shape of an old
Boer farmer named Van Zyl, applauded their pluck, and declared that they
were far more likely to succeed by learning the lesson of the wild for
themselves, and depending upon their own courage and adaptiveness, than
if they set out under the guidance of another, and remained more or less
in leading strings throughout the journey.

"What I would advise," he said, "is that you should look out for a good
`nigger'; he will be far more helpful to you than any white man, and
will be content to be a good servant to you--if you are careful to keep
him in his proper place--instead of trying to be your master."

This sounded like good, sensible advice, coming as it did from a man who
had been born, brought up, and had spent a long life on the borderline
separating civilisation from savagedom, and it finally confirmed them in
the determination, to which they had already practically come, to do
without a white guide.

According to Mitchell, their route from Bulawayo lay generally in a
north-easterly direction, and accordingly, after transacting all their
business, making every possible preparation for the long journey before
them, and writing their final letters home, announcing the fact that
they were about to plunge into the wilderness, and that, therefore, no
further news must be expected of them for an indefinite period, they set
out about ten o'clock on a certain glorious morning, boldly striking
straight out across the veldt, and directing their course by compass.
Their wagon was already fully loaded, the load consisting of several
air-tight cases of ammunition, six barrels of flour, a cask of sugar, a
bag of coffee, a chest of tea, a small keg of brandy--to be used only in
cases of the utmost emergency--a case containing pickles, condiments,
preserves, salt, and other articles of a similar character, to be
regarded as luxuries and used accordingly; their own personal belongings
including clothes and firearms, a small tent made of waterproof material
for sleeping in, two net hammocks with portable supports, a full set of
cooking utensils, four sacks of mealie meal, and, finally, two large
boxes of beads of various kinds, a quantity of brass wire, and a case of
cheap mechanical and other toys, small mirrors, etcetera which Grosvenor
had had the foresight to bring out from England with him, the last three
items being destined to be employed in bartering with the natives.  All
this constituted quite as heavy a load as it was at all desirable to put
upon the wagon, although the full team of twenty oxen made light of it,
especially as it was now the dry season, and the ground was firm and
hard for travelling.  As for Dick and Grosvenor, they travelled on
horseback, changing their steeds at every outspan, in order to accustom
the animals to them, and gradually to get them into good, hard condition
by working them to a certain extent every day.  They rode armed each
with a good, serviceable sporting rifle, capable of dealing with
practically any game except elephant, a formidable hunting knife, and a
revolver; and, in addition, each of them carried a pair of the finest
and most powerful binocular glasses that Grosvenor had been able to
procure in London.  He had had the foresight to provide two pairs in
case of accident, which was fortunate, for now each rider was
independent of the other.  Acting upon the advice of their friend Van
Zyl, they confined themselves strictly to short treks, averaging about
five miles each, and three treks per day, for the first four days, in
order to keep the oxen in good condition as long as possible.

Those first four days of their march were quite uneventful, the going
was good, the grass still rich and abundant, water plentiful, and there
was just enough game to keep the party well supplied with meat, while
the animals worked well and improved in condition rather than otherwise,
especially the horses, which proved to be even more promising than their
owners had hoped for when they purchased them.

It was on the morning of the fifth day that the party encountered what
might be spoken of as their first exciting incident, and it occurred, or
rather began, as they were nearing the end of their first trek, about
nine o'clock in the morning.  Dick and Grosvenor, mounted as usual, with
the half-dozen dogs that constituted their pack quartering the ground
ahead of them, were nearly a mile ahead of the wagon, looking out for a
suitable spot for the first outspan, when a sudden clamour on the part
of the dogs, who had just disappeared over a low rise in the ground,
caused the two riders to put spurs to their horses, in order to see what
was the cause of the outcry.  A short gallop sufficed to carry them to
the crest of the ridge, when they beheld the dogs baying and snarling
round a fine, well-set-up native "boy", who, armed with assagais and
knobkerrie, constituted one of a party of some thirty in number who
appeared to be guarding a herd of about three hundred grazing cattle,
while about half a mile farther on was a native village of some fifty
Kafir huts of the usual beehived shape, built in the midst of a number
of mealie fields occupying an area of, roughly, about half a square
mile, situated near the banks of a small stream.

Dick Maitland, who had early developed a rather remarkable aptitude for
picking up the language of the natives, at once cantered forward, and,
calling off the dogs, demanded to know the name of the village, and
where would be the best place at which to outspan.  But the native whom
he addressed, and who seemed to be labouring under considerable
excitement, replied with such a rapid flow of words that his speech was
utterly unintelligible, save that his communication had something to do
with lions, the boy pointing first to a big clump of bush about a mile
distant, and then to the village itself.  Dick made several attempts to
arrive at a better understanding of the nature of the communication, but
without any very marked success, and at length suggested that Grosvenor
should ride back to the wagon and hurry it forward, in order that
Jantje, the Hottentot driver, might act as interpreter.  This was done,
and about twenty minutes later the wagon arrived, and the situation was
explained to Jantje, who forthwith poured out a flood of eloquence upon
the little band of natives, who by this time had gathered round Dick and
were earnestly endeavouring to make him understand something that they
evidently regarded as of very great importance.  A brief but animated
conversation at once ensued, at the end of which Jantje turned to his
employers and explained:

"Dhese people say, sars, dat dhere is four, five lion in de bush yander
and dhey won' go 'way, and dhey wan' to know if white gent'men be so
kind as to kill dhem lion; because if dhey not be killed dhey kill de
poor Kafirs' cattle.  Two day ago dhem lion kill two oxen and mos'
horrible maul de boy dat was herding dhem."

"Phew! lions, eh?" exclaimed Grosvenor.  "I say, Maitland, this is good
news, eh, what?  I am longing for the chance to have a pot at a lion.
All right, Jantje; you tell them that we will kill the lions for them
with the greatest of pleasure.  We'll outspan at once and set about the
business forthwith.  That will be the right thing to do, I suppose,
Dick, won't it?"

"Yes, certainly," answered Dick, "by all means.  But before we think of
tackling those lions I must see that poor beggar who was mauled.  Two
days ago!  By Jove, I dread to think of what the state of his wounds
must be in this hot weather, that is, if he is still alive.  Just ask
them, Jantje, whether the boy who was mauled is still living, or whether
the lions killed him?"

The question was put, and Jantje duly interpreted the reply.

"Yes, sar, de boy he still alive, but most drefful sick, dhese people
say."

"Good!" exclaimed Dick, dismounting from his horse.  "Then say to them
that I am a great doctor, and that I intend to save the poor fellow's
life if I can.  I want one of them to carry my medicine chest for me,
and to take me to the injured man's hut.  Then you had better take the
wagon down and outspan near the river, where the grass is good, but
where our oxen are not likely to get among the mealies, and then come to
me, for I shall probably need you to interpret for me."

The first part of this speech being interpreted to the little crowd of
natives, one of them at once stepped forward, expressing himself as
willing to carry the medicine chest and act as guide, while another
volunteered to point out a suitable and convenient spot upon which to
outspan, the others forthwith breaking into a song of thanksgiving in
which they announced to all and sundry that this was their lucky day,
inasmuch as that the white _'mlungus_ were not only going to make well
again their brother who was nigh unto death, but were also going to
utterly root out and destroy those cunning beasts who refused to come
out into the open and face their assagais.  Grosvenor announced his
intention of accompanying Dick, and five minutes later the pair, with
their sable guide leading the way and carrying the medicine chest, were
_en route_ for the village, Dick carrying his case of surgical
instruments under his arm.  Their rifles they left with the wagon,
deeming it unnecessary to cumber themselves with superfluous weapons in
face of the fact that the villagers were obviously quite friendly
disposed to white men, indeed they were still too close to civilisation
to anticipate anything else.

As they neared the village the "boy" who preceded them began to shout
the great news that the white men were coming to make whole the injured
man, and the occupants of the huts, to the number of about two hundred
men, women, and children, swarmed out to gaze upon the strangers.  The
guide, who was inclined to put on airs, upon the strength of being the
bearer of the white men's _muti_, would fain have made the most of the
occasion by pausing in the centre of the village and haranguing his
fellows, but Dick nipped the intention ruthlessly in the bud by
repeating several times, in an imperative tone of voice, the word
_hamba_ (go), and presently the procession--for every occupant of the
village formed up and followed the trio--came to a halt in front of one
of the huts.

As the bearer of the medicine chest pushed his burden in through the
low, narrow entrance of the hut, and dropped on hands and knees in order
to follow it, Dick turned and, perceiving a disposition on the part of
the crowd to gather close about the entrance, and so exclude what little
light and air might otherwise make its way in, took an assagai from the
hand of an astonished native, and, holding it by the blade, waved the
press back with the butt end of the weapon.  Then, still waving the butt
end, he described on the ground the arc of a circle of some twelve feet
radius from the hut entrance, and, returning the weapon to its owner,
pointed to the mark on the ground, and, addressing the curiosity-ridden
mob, said impressively in English:

"Now, good people, please have the goodness to keep carefully outside
that line, and oblige yours truly!"

There was not one of those odoriferous, dark-skinned Kafirs who
comprehended a word of English, but Dick's actions and the tones of his
voice were so expressive that his meaning was almost as distinctly
understood as though he had spoken in the language of the tribe.  He saw
at once that this was so, and that his wishes would be obeyed, and
signing to Grosvenor to precede him, forthwith passed into the hut.

Entering the windowless structure straight from the dazzling sunshine
that flooded the outside world, the two Englishmen found themselves
plunged for the moment in a darkness so profound that they could see
nothing, and were fain to stand just where they rose to their feet after
creeping through the low doorway, lest, moving, they should stumble over
something--possibly the patient.  But in addition to the hot, close
odour of the interior of the hut there was another taint that assailed
their nostrils, the taint of festering wounds, with which Dick was
already familiar, and he shook his head doubtfully as he turned to the
figure of Grosvenor, just beginning to reveal itself in the midst of the
enveloping obscurity, and said:

"I don't like this at all.  I can't see my patient as yet, but there is
a certain something in the atmosphere of this hut which tells me that if
the poor beggar's life is to be saved we have no time to waste.  Where
is he, I wonder?  Oh, I think I see him, there on the ground at the far
side from the doorway!  Yes, there he is.  Another minute and I shall be
able to see him clearly.  Meanwhile, perhaps his pulse will tell us
something."

And, crossing to the far side of the hut, he knelt down by the side of
the indistinctly seen man, felt for his hand, and, having found it, laid
his fingers upon the wrist.



CHAPTER SIX.

AN ENCOUNTER WITH LIONS.

"Um!" murmured Dick, as the feeble throbbing of the man's pulse met his
finger tips; "quite as I expected.  Very low and weak.  Evidently
sinking from exhaustion.  I must have him out of this into a better
light, although I am almost afraid to run the risk of moving him.
Still, it must be done.  I can see nothing here."

He went to the door of the hut and looked out, the crowd still grouped
on the outside of the curve he had described on the ground respectfully
making way before him.  There was a small but densely foliaged tree
growing at no great distance from the hut, and casting a strong shadow
upon the ground; that, Dick decided, would be as good a place as any for
his purpose.  As he was about to re-enter the hut there arose a slight
commotion upon the outskirts of the crowd, and presently Jantje, the
Hottentot driver, appeared, endeavouring to force his way through to his
master.  The sight was a welcome one, for Dick felt very much at a loss
with no one to interpret for him, and in tones of unmistakable relief he
lifted up his voice and shouted:

"Come along, Jantje; you are just the man I wanted."  Then, as the
Hottentot joined him, he continued: "See here, Jantje, I want the
wounded man very carefully removed from the hut, and carried over yonder
into the shadow of that tree.  Just explain to these fellows, will you,
and ask them to help me."

No sooner said than done; with the passing of the last word through
Jantje's lips half a dozen stalwart Kafirs dived into the hut and in
another moment reappeared, bearing between them the unhappy patient,
stretched upon an eland's skin.  It was an exceedingly awkward job to
get the poor fellow out through the low, narrow doorway of the hut, but
they managed it somehow, and in another minute had him satisfactorily
disposed beneath the shadow of the tree.  Then Dick approached and
proceeded to examine his hurts.

They had been severe enough to start with; but now, after nearly forty-
eight hours of neglect, their condition was so indescribably loathsome
that even Dick, seasoned hand though he was, nearly vomited at the sight
of them, while as for Grosvenor, he was compelled to beat a precipitate
retreat, but returned gamely, some five minutes later, to see if he
could be of any assistance.  Dick, however, although he had never in his
life before beheld anything approaching such a dreadful sight, quickly
pulled himself together and, his professional instinct promptly
asserting itself, ordered some hot water to be brought to him, and,
while it was being prepared, opened his medicine chest and his case of
surgical instruments, the rest of the inhabitants of the village
gathering round in a wide, silent, awestruck circle.  They had often
before seen similar sights, and were therefore in a measure accustomed
to them; they knew what the patient's condition meant, and there was not
one among them who did not regard the injured man as already as good as
dead.  Nevertheless their curiosity was powerfully aroused; for they had
heard many wonderful stories of the white men who had lately come into
the country toward the south, and were eager to see whether or not it
was true that they could perform miracles, as had been asserted.

As for Dick, he found himself confronted at the outset by a very serious
difficulty.  His patient's condition was such that he could not possibly
do what was necessary without inflicting upon the unfortunate man an
amount of suffering that in his low and exhausted condition threatened
to result in collapse and death.  The man was too far gone, indeed, to
justify the use of anaesthetics, yet without them Dick feared to
proceed.  What was he to do?  Suddenly he bethought himself of
hypnotism.  Yet, how hypnotise a man whose language he could not speak?
Then he remembered a very remarkable statement which Humphreys had made
when discussing this same subject of hypnotism.  "It is not the actual
words which you address to a patient," Humphreys had asserted, "but the
commands which your will imposes on him that produce the desired effect,
which can be obtained without the employment of words at all, if your
will be strong enough.  And remember, also, that no abnormal strength of
will is needed if your patient be passive, unresisting."  "Surely,"
thought Dick, "that ought to meet the present case, and at all events it
is well worth trying; so here goes."  Therewith he bent over his patient
and, fixing the man's gaze in the peculiar manner which Humphreys had
taught him, silently willed him to sink into so deep a sleep that he
should feel nothing of what was about to be done to him.  Almost
immediately the man's eyelids fluttered, closed, and he sank into a
profound sleep, breathing slowly and deeply, as could be seen by the
regular rise and fall of his bare, brawny chest.

"_Wao! 'mtagati_--_'mkulu 'mtagati_ (a wizard--a great wizard)!"
murmured the astonished crowd of onlookers behind their hands, gazing
wonderingly in each other's eyes.

Again Dick laid his fingers on his patient's pulse; already it was
stronger and more steady.  Very gently he raised one of the man's
eyelids and lightly laid his finger upon the eyeball; the patient might
have been dead for all the effect that the touch had upon him.  Then,
the warm water opportunely arriving, the young doctor got to work
without further delay.  Strongly impregnating the water with an
antiseptic, he proceeded rapidly to cleanse the wounds, taking a pair of
scissors or a knife from time to time and removing the already
putrefying flesh; then he proceeded to dress the wounds, one after the
other, with healing ointments, drawing the edges together, where
necessary, with a few stitches; and when at length, after more than an
hour's diligent, careful work, his labours came to an end, he ordered
the wagon cartel to be brought to the village, the door of the man's hut
to be enlarged, and a window opening to be made; and finally, when all
these things had been done to his satisfaction, he caused a comfortable
bed to be arranged upon the cartel, with skins borrowed from other huts,
and the man to be laid thereon and taken back to his hut.  And all this
time the patient had been sleeping as calmly as an infant!  The time had
now, however, arrived when he must be aroused, in order that an anti-
febrifuge might be administered; Dick therefore once more bent over the
man, strongly willing him to awake, which he instantly did, when,
through Jantje as interpreter, the question was put to him how he felt.
He immediately replied, in a wonderfully strong voice, considering his
condition, that he felt much better, and that his wounds were no longer
so painful as they had been; whereupon Dick administered the draught,
telling him, still through Jantje, that immediately after taking it he
would again fall asleep and so remain until the evening, when he would
awake much refreshed and stronger.  And while the words were being
spoken Dick strongly willed that they should be fulfilled.  The man
obediently gulped down the draught, Dick gently lowered the patient's
head to the pillow, and again deep sleep fell upon the poor fellow.

"Now," ordered Dick, "I want two women to come and watch by this man.
They must constantly fan him with leaves, to keep him cool and prevent
the flies from troubling him; and when he wakes someone must immediately
fetch me.  I shall be in my tent by the wagon, yonder."  Then, turning
to Grosvenor, who had remained at his elbow all the time, he said:

"No more trekking for us to-day, Phil, or for the next week, I expect.
I must stay, and pull this poor chap through, if I can, now that I have
taken him in hand."

"Oh yes! rather; of course; that goes without saying," cheerfully
assented Grosvenor.  "But, I say, Dick, old chap," he continued, "you
have astonished me to-day, fairly taken my breath away; I hadn't the
slightest notion that you were such a swell at your profession as you
have just proved yourself to be.  Never saw anything like it in my life
before, y'know, and couldn't have believed it if I hadn't seen it.  Why,
I wouldn't have given three ha'pence for that Kafir's life when I first
set eyes upon him; but now, dash it all, I believe you're going to set
him on his feet again.  If you do, your fame will spread far and wide
through the country, and do us a lot of good.  But, I say, it was a
jolly lucky thing for you that the poor chap dropped off into that sound
sleep just when he did, eh?  Because it enabled you to do several things
that, it seems to me, you couldn't possibly have done had he remained
awake.  What puzzles me is that he continued to sleep all through it.
And I noticed that you didn't seem to worry in the least about whether
you awoke him or not.  I suppose it was sleep, was it not?"

"Oh yes!" answered Dick airily; "it was sleep, right enough; nothing in
the nature of swoon about it, if that is what you mean.  But now, what
about those lions?  My patient will sleep for several hours to come, and
I can quite well leave him.  It is now,"--consulting his watch--"only a
few minutes past eleven o'clock, and we ought to be able to organise the
hunt and bag the beasts comfortably before tiffin.  Are you game?"

"You bet I am, rather!" responded Grosvenor.  "It is just what I was
itching to suggest, but I thought it would seem callous to propose that
you should leave your patient, and it would not have been sporting to
have proposed to go off alone, leaving you behind."

"Oh, that is all right!" returned Dick confidently; "my patient will not
need me for hours yet, so let us see about it at once.  Where is
Jantje?"

Jantje was close at their elbows, and already "putting on side" among
the villagers upon the strength of being in the service of an _'mkulu
'mtagati_.  He stepped forward at the question and answered, with an air
of proud humility:

"I'se here, sar.  What you please to want?"

"Mr Grosvenor and I are going to have a try for those lions, Jantje, if
they are still lurking in the neighbourhood," observed Dick.  "I believe
you said that these people report the beasts to be somewhere in yonder
clump of bush?  Very well.  Now, I want a party to enter the bush on the
windward side and carefully beat down-wind in order to drive the brutes
into the open.  Mr Grosvenor and I will place ourselves on the down-
wind side of the bush, and if the lions can be induced to break cover we
will do our best to bowl them over.  We shall also require two steady,
reliable men to come with us to carry our spare rifles; but, understand
this, they must be men of courage, who will not be scared out of their
seven senses and bolt, carrying our rifles off with them, if the lions
should show in the open."

"Yes, sar," answered Jantje, "I understan' you puffekly.  You leave
everyt'ing to me, sar; I arrange it all, jus' as you wish.  An' I will
come wid you myself, sar, to carry gun.  I am a brabe man, sar; no
pusson in dhis worl' more brabe as me; you shall see, sar."

"Very well," answered Dick, suppressing a smile at the Hottentot's
vainglorious boast; "you, being so exceedingly brave and reliable shall
go with Mr Grosvenor; but you must pick me out a good man to come with
me.  Just see about it, will you, and bring the whole party to the
wagon, where we are now going to get our rifles."

Puffed up with the honour of having so important a matter confided to
him, the Hottentot saluted, and turned to address the crowd that still
hung about the white men awaiting possible further developments,
explaining to them what was required.  A few words sufficed, and the
moment that the white man's intentions and wishes were understood the
crowd dissolved, as if by magic, the men hurrying away to their huts to
procure their weapons, while Dick and Grosvenor sauntered away toward
the wagon, noting, as they went, that their team of oxen had been driven
to a spot where the grass was especially good, close to the banks of the
river, and that it was being zealously watched and guarded by a dozen
well-grown lads armed with hunting assagais and knobkerries.

Arrived at the wagon, the two friends proceeded to bring forth and don
their bandoliers, having first satisfied themselves that the belts were
filled with the kind of cartridge required for the particular pattern of
weapon which they were about to employ; and then, having taken down and
loaded the four rifles which they intended to use, they awaited the
arrival of the beating party, conscious now, for the first time, of a
peculiar and not altogether pleasant feeling compounded of excitement
and--was it "funk"?  No, certainly not, for neither of them would have
backed out of the adventure on any account; yet, if the sensation was
not "funk", it bore some sort of family resemblance to it, something
perhaps, in the nature of stage fright.  The fact is that each realised,
at nearly the same moment, that they were about to embark upon a
perfectly new experience, an adventure in which they were as yet
untried, in which courage and the most perfect _sangfroid_ were of the
utmost importance, and they were by no means certain how they would
emerge from the ordeal.  To put it plainly, they were just a little
afraid that at the critical moment they might fail to exhibit that
superlative coolness and aplomb, the slightest lack of which would cause
each to feel for ever humiliated and disgraced in the eyes of the other.
Besides, there were the natives, keen of eye, and quick to observe the
smallest sign of anything approaching to perturbation; it would be awful
beyond words to fail before them!  By a curious coincidence the mind of
each had been following precisely the same line of thought, and as they
saw Jantje approaching, followed by some forty beaters and every mongrel
cur belonging to the village, the same resolution came to each--they
simply would not disgrace themselves and their colour by displaying the
slightest sign of nervousness or trepidation in the eyes of those
savages; so, drawing a deep breath, they pulled themselves together and,
resolutely dismissing their apprehensions, prepared to do or die.

Proudly leading his party of beaters, the Hottentot approached and,
giving a sort of semi-military salute, announced that the villagers but
awaited the orders of the white chiefs to proceed.  Then, leading
forward a tall savage of some thirty-five years of age, of magnificent
physique, he introduced the man as Mafuta, the half-brother of the
injured man, and informed Dick that he, Mafuta, had specially requested
the honour of being allowed to act as gunbearer to his brother's
benefactor on this occasion.  Dick ran his eye over the man, noted the
splendid development of his thews and sinews, marked several ugly scars
on his body and limbs bearing mute testimony to the fact that he had
already proved himself a warrior, met his unflinching glance, proud and
resolute, yet respectful, and instantly decided that here was a man who
might be absolutely trusted.  Without hesitation he placed his spare
rifle in Mafuta's hands, explaining to him, through Jantje, exactly what
he wished him to do with it; and then issued his final instructions to
the beaters, who at once moved off to work round to the windward side of
the clump of bush in which the lions were said to be hiding, while
Grosvenor and he, followed respectively by Jantje and Mafuta, took their
leisurely way toward the points where they intended to station
themselves.  For a considerable part of the distance they walked
together; and when at length they separated, Dick, who somehow seemed to
have assumed the direction of affairs as a matter of course, with
Grosvenor's tacit consent and approval, said:

"Now, Phil, anything that may break cover to the right of that baobab,
as we stand facing it, belongs to you, while anything that emerges to
the left belongs to me, neither of us to interfere with the other's
chances unless the brutes seem likely to get away and make good their
escape.  And, just one caution, old chap: don't fire until your quarry
has passed out clear of the line of bush, or you may quite
unintentionally shoot one of the beaters.  Ah! there are the dogs giving
tongue; the beaters are putting them into the bush.  To your station,
old man, and good luck to you!"

"Thanks! same to you, old chap," cheerily responded Grosvenor, as he
wheeled and strode away to the spot fixed upon as his station.

The clump of bush in which the lions were said to have secreted
themselves was an isolated one, with nothing in particular to
distinguish it from the thousands of other clumps that dotted the
visible country, except that one extremity of it abutted upon the edge
of a small shallow ravine, through which trickled a tiny rivulet
discharging itself into the larger stream which flows through the long
valley that intersected the landscape.  Close to the spot where the
clump of bush touched the edge of the ravine the rivulet flowed into and
through a shallow basin of rock, which formed an ideal drinking place
for animals; and it was possibly this circumstance that had caused the
lions to take up their temporary abode in that particular clump.  There
was the possibility that the lions, when breaking cover, might attempt
to escape by bolting into and up the ravine; and accordingly, when this
fact had been pointed out and explained to Dick, he had very unselfishly
placed his friend Grosvenor on that side in order that the latter might
have the benefit of the most likely chances.

The barking and yelping of the dogs grew steadily louder and more
insistent, and to it was presently added the shouts and shrill
whistlings of the Kafirs as they forced their way through the thick
undergrowth.  A few birds flew out with startled cries, but for about a
quarter of an hour there was no further result.  Then suddenly the dogs
burst into a chorus of sharp, savage barks, entirely different in
character from their former utterances, and quite sufficient in itself
to inform even the veriest novice that game of some sort was afoot; the
Kafirs' cries of encouragement were redoubled; an occasional rustling
and crackling of branches became audible to the intent watchers.
Presently there arose a terrific outburst of furious snarlings, growls,
and yappings, intermingled with the violent swishing and crackling of
dry leaves and twigs, evidence conclusive that a fight was proceeding in
the heart of the bush.  Then the sudden, sharp, agonised pow-wow of a
dog in pain rang out, accompanied by a horrible sound of worrying; a
still further increase of the hubbub followed, then a heavy crashing of
bushes, and out sprang a magnificent tawny-maned lion into the open.  He
broke into view immediately opposite to Dick, and not more than twenty
yards distant, stopping dead as he sighted the lad standing rifle in
hand, with Mafuta like a bronze statue behind him.  As the splendid
beast stood at gaze, with blazing eyes, and his tail switching in short,
angry jerks from side to side, the feeling of anxiety and nervousness
that had been oppressing Dick seemed to drop from him like a garment.
In an instant he became absolutely cool, steady, and self-possessed, and
lifting his rifle to his shoulder with a lightning-like movement, while
the sights of the weapon seemed to line themselves of their own volition
upon the centre of the beast's broad forehead, right between the eyes,
he pressed the trigger.  There was a flash, a sharp, whip-like report, a
faint puff of smoke, and the lion dropped stone dead where he stood.

Meanwhile the hubbub in the bush was raging even more fiercely than
ever, showing that the beast which had just fallen to Dick's rifle had
not been the cause of it, and that the sport was by no means over.
Dick's weapon was a magazine rifle, and with a quick movement he jerked
another cartridge into position, just as the uproar grew so loud and
near at hand that it became evident another break was imminent.

The next instant it occurred.  A splendid lioness, carrying a small cub
in her mouth, crashed into the open, with a dozen or more yapping and
snarling curs at her heels.  She broke cover well on Grosvenor's side of
the baobab; and, like the lion, came to an abrupt halt as soon as she
saw Grosvenor, straight toward whom she was charging.  In an instant the
white man's rifle leapt to his shoulder, and the next instant he fired.
But even as he pressed the trigger, a dog, more valiant or more
foolhardy than the rest, dashed in upon her, and with the rapidity of
lightning she turned to meet his rush, dropping her cub, and nearly
tearing the miserable cur's head from his shoulders with a single stroke
of her powerful fore paw.  At the same instant Grosvenor's bullet, aimed
at her head, crashed into her flank, passing right through it and
utterly paralysing her hind quarters.  With a whining, snarling roar the
poor beast rolled over on her side, but instantly recovered herself so
far as to raise herself on her fore legs--between which the cub, but a
trifle bigger than a well-grown cat, took refuge--her jaws champing and
foaming, and her eyes blazing lightnings at the dogs, which, recognising
her helplessness, closed in round her.

"Save the cub!" shouted Dick; "don't let the dogs worry it; I want to
keep the little beast alive."  And, leaving his position, he hurried
forward, regardless of danger, to beat off the dogs.  Grosvenor and
Jantje also rushed forward at his shouts, and were quickly joined by
Mafuta, who seemed to divine what Dick required.  Dashing fearlessly in
among the snarling and snapping dogs, the Kafir and the Hottentot at
length succeeded in beating them off, upon which Grosvenor stepped close
up to the lioness and gave her the _coup de grace_ by sending a bullet
through her brain.  As she rolled over dead, Mafuta sprang in and
grabbed the cub by the skin of the neck, despite the fact that it
snarled and spat like an angry cat and struck out viciously with its
claws, which were already strong enough to inflict quite a painful
scratch, and carried it off to the wagon, tying it to a wheel by a stout
reim.

Having ensured the safety of the cub, Dick, carrying his own and the
spare rifle which he had snatched from Mafuta, hurried back to the point
which he had so hurriedly deserted; for the commotion in the heart of
the bush clearly evidenced the fact that the remaining members of the
troop of lions still clung to cover, and that the beaters and dogs were
doing their utmost to dislodge them.  Laying the spare rifle at his
feet, Dick stood facing the great clump, with the rifle in his hand at
the ready, prepared for any emergency.  The noise and confusion,
however, seemed to indicate that the next event would occur in the area
under Grosvenor's jurisdiction, and, sure enough, about a minute later
another lion and lioness broke cover together, followed by the remainder
of the dogs.  The noble beasts, both of which were apparently young
animals, and but barely full-grown, evidently intended to make for fresh
cover in the ravine, but, finding Grosvenor blocking the way, came to a
sudden halt, upon which the dogs instantly gathered round them, yapping
and snarling furiously, while individual members made sudden feints of
dashing in, only to retreat precipitately with their tails between their
legs as the infuriated beasts turned this way and that to meet the rush.

The crowding, clamouring dogs, with their quick rushes, and the
incessant twists and turns of the regal pair to meet those rushes, were
anything but conducive to good shooting, and Grosvenor, with rifle to
shoulder, held his fire, watching for a favourable opportunity.
Suddenly it came: a dog more venturesome than the rest sprang at the
lion, and was caught by him.  Planting both his front paws on the body
of the unhappy cur, the lion stood for a moment glaring at his foes, and
in that moment Grosvenor pulled trigger, the bullet striking the great
beast full in his massive chest.  For perhaps a quarter of a minute the
lion stood absolutely motionless, his eyes blazing defiance; then he
suddenly collapsed, and, with a half-whine, half-roar, slowly rolled
over on his side, his great head sank to earth, his limbs stretched
themselves stiffly out, and with a violent shudder he yielded up his
life.

Grosvenor chose this moment to inject a fresh cartridge into the chamber
of his rifle.  But something went wrong with the weapon, and while he
was still fidgeting with it, forgetful of the fact that Jantje was
standing behind him with a second rifle, fully charged, in his hand, the
lioness, with a mighty, snarling roar that sent the dogs scuttling in
all directions, crouched with the evident intention of springing upon
the slayer of her lord.  For a moment Dick, who was interestedly
watching the scene, took no action, for, according to the arrangement
come to between them, the lioness belonged of right to Grosvenor.  Then,
realising that his friend was in peril, he shouted excitedly:

"Shoot, Phil, shoot, or the brute will be upon you!" at the same time
lifting his own weapon to his shoulder.

"Can't," returned Grosvenor, still struggling with his rifle; "the
beastly thing's--"

Crack!  Dick instantly pressed the trigger; and as he did so the lioness
rose into the air with a curious writhing movement, falling short of the
spot where Grosvenor stood by about a foot.  As she fell she rolled
headlong, but instantly recovered herself, standing upon three legs,
with the fourth broken close to the shoulder, while Grosvenor, stepping
back hurriedly in the long grass to avoid her, was tripped up and fell
flat upon his back.  Fearing that, despite her broken leg, the lioness
might spring upon his prostrate friend and badly maul him, Dick
impetuously sprang forward, injecting a new cartridge as he ran, but
stopped short, convulsed with laughter, at the sight of his friend, his
long legs flourishing in the air, rolling with frantic energy out of the
reach of the lioness.  Then, as Grosvenor finally scrambled to his feet,
minus his rifle, which he had dropped during his hurried retreat--while
Jantje had incontinently bolted, carrying Grosvenor's second rifle with
him, as the lioness sprang--Dick again levelled his piece and bowled the
great tawny brute over with a bullet behind the ear, which penetrated
the brain.

Thus satisfactorily terminated the adventurers' first experience with
big game, each of the sportsmen bagging a lion and lioness, while the
cub might be regarded as the joint property of the two.  A very
satisfactory feature of the day's sport was that nobody had received so
much as a scratch, the actual casualties amounting to two Kafir dogs
slain.  As for the Kafirs, they fell upon the carcasses and with
incredible rapidity and skill stripped off the hides and pegged them out
preparatory to treating them in the native fashion, afterwards removing
the heads and carefully depositing each in the near vicinity of an ants'
nest, in order that the insects might remove--as they very speedily
would--every atom of flesh from the bones.  Then, having rendered this
service to the champions who had delivered them from their formidable
enemies, they departed, dancing, to the village, singing a triumphant
song to the glory of the white men, in which each incident of the recent
hunt was graphically described with appropriate gesture.



CHAPTER SEVEN.

THE MAKOLO COUNTRY.

A full week was spent by the travellers among those friendly villagers,
during which Dick Maitland assiduously tended the wounded man, who by
the end of that time, thanks in part to his own healthy flesh and blood,
the result of simple, frugal living, and, more largely, to the young
doctor's skilful treatment, had advanced so far toward recovery that
nature might safely be left to complete the cure.  The week had been not
altogether unprofitably spent in other respects, the two white men
assiduously devoting themselves, with Mafuta's assistance, to the study
of the native language, varied occasionally, on Dick's part, by a little
botanising--during which he discovered some half a dozen plants that
seemed to possess valuable properties--and the taming of the lion cub,
which, after the first two or three days of captivity, responded with
ever-growing alacrity to his young master's advances, until by the end
of six weeks he had learned to answer to the name of Leo, to come at
Dick's call or whistle, and, in short, had become as tame as a dog.
This result, and the gentleness of disposition which Leo manifested,
Dick attributed largely to the fact that the animal was never allowed to
taste blood, or raw flesh of any kind, his food--after a milk diet for
the first three weeks of his captivity--consisting entirely of well-
roasted flesh.

The natives witnessed the preparations for the departure of their white
friends with every manifestation of sincere regret, assisting to drive
up and inspan the oxen, presenting a fine milch cow for Leo's especial
benefit, as well as quantities of mealies, bananas, and other garden
produce, warning the travellers of various difficulties and dangers that
lurked on the next hundred miles or so of their route, and carefully
instructing them how they might best be avoided, and in many other ways
making plain the sorrow with which they bade them farewell.  Finally,
when the oxen were inspanned and the wagon was on the very point of
moving off, Mafuta, who had hitherto been missing, presented himself in
full marching order, armed with shield, assagais, and knobkerrie, with
plumed head-dress, and cows' tails bound about his legs below the knees,
and curtly informed Dick that it was his fixed intention to join the
party!  Although both Dick and Grosvenor did their utmost to dissuade
him, by representing to him the great length and exceeding danger of the
journey upon which they were bound, and the possibility that they might
never return, it was all of no avail, he alternately insisted and
entreated, declaring that he wanted no wages or reward of any kind.
Dick had pulled his brother back out of the grave, and he felt it to be
his duty, as well as his pleasure, to devote himself henceforward to the
service of the white man who had done this wonderful thing; and finally,
when Dick, loath to take the man away from his kith and kin, definitely
refused to take him, the Kafir countered by saying, in effect: "Very
well; the veldt is free to all, and if you will not permit me to join
your party, I can at least follow you at a distance, and be at hand
whenever you require my services."  After which, of course, there was no
more to be said, and Mafuta was allowed to have his own way, to the
great joy of his brethren of the village.

Nor was it very long before the travellers had abundant reason to
congratulate themselves upon their decision in this respect, for Mafuta
not only proved to be a most intelligent and devoted servant, but also a
splendid guide, knowing the exact localities of the various streams and
waterholes on their route, as far as the Zambezi, also the most
favourable crossing places, where the best grass and the most game were
to be found, and, most important of all, perhaps, the exact boundaries
of the fly country.  Indeed but for this last knowledge it is almost
certain that in their anxiety to take the shortest possible cuts they
would probably have lost practically all their cattle, and thus have
been obliged to bring their adventure to a premature end.

On their ninth day out from Mafuta's village they struck the Hanyani
River, without meeting with any adventure worthy of record, and
following its right bank for a couple of days, bore away in an easterly
direction, skirting the northern slope of Mount Inyota, where they
struck another small stream flowing to the northward and eastward; and
as this was, broadly speaking, the direction in which they wished to
travel, and as Mafuta assured them that it discharged into the Zambezi,
they decided to follow it, and did so, finding eventually that it united
its flow with another stream, which they followed, still without any
particular adventure save such as daily occurred while hunting; and
three weeks from the day on which Mafuta joined them the travellers
found themselves gazing with delight upon the broad bosom of the
Zambezi, its waters sparkling in the golden light of the westering sun.

Here again Mafuta's knowledge proved to be of the utmost value, for he
was able to guide the party to a spot where the river was fordable, and
where they succeeded in effecting a crossing that same evening before
sunset.  Once safely arrived on the left bank of the river, Grosvenor
and Dick decided to camp for a few days, in order to give the oxen a
rest, the grass being good.  Also there was a small native village a few
miles higher upstream, where canoes and their crews might be hired, and
within easy paddling distance of which there was a spot where
hippopotami still abounded, affording a prospect of good sport, of which
Grosvenor was particularly anxious to avail himself.  Accordingly, while
the Hottentot Jantje, and 'Nkuku, the Kafir voorlouper, remained in
charge of the wagon and oxen, Ramoo Samee, the groom, accompanied his
masters to the native village, to look after the horses and attend to
the cooking while his employers shot hippopotami and crocodiles from the
two canoes which they chartered; Mafuta, meanwhile, taking four days'
rations, and going off upon a prospecting expedition in search of
elephant and buffalo.  Three days at this village sufficed to provide
the hunters with more trophies than they cared to encumber themselves
with, while the natives enjoyed a record feast of hippopotamus flesh;
and on the fourth morning Dick and Grosvenor returned on horseback to
the wagon, while Ramoo Samee, in charge of the spoils, was conveyed down
the river to the same spot in a canoe manned by the grateful natives.
They found the cattle all right, and visibly improved by their three
days' rest, while Leo, the lion cub, welcomed Dick's return with almost
embarrassing demonstrations of affection.  Late that same evening Mafuta
also returned, with the intelligence that although he had not actually
seen either elephants or buffaloes, he had obtained, from natives whom
he had encountered, intelligence of a large herd of the former at a
distance of four days' trek from the river.  He also reported the
natives to be quite friendly disposed and willing to allow the white men
to traverse their particular section of country.  Everything thus
appearing favourable, on the following morning the oxen were once more
inspanned, and the journey resumed.

Then ensued a long trek extending over a period of more than two months,
including a day's halt here and there to rest the oxen, or to indulge in
a little hunting, during which they enjoyed excellent sport among
elephants, buffaloes, lions, leopards, giraffe, veldebeeste, zebra,
ostriches, and the various species of buck to be found in the southern
portion of the great African Continent; so rapidly, indeed, did their
spoils accumulate that at length they could no longer find room for them
in the wagon, and were glad to avail themselves of the opportunity
afforded by their arrival at a particularly friendly village to leave
everything of the kind, including some eighteen hundred pounds of ivory,
in charge of the villagers.

Of the last three weeks of this long trek, nine days were consumed in
forced marches through sterile country, bordering a wide and--according
to Mafuta--utterly impassable desert, during which both water and grass
were so exceedingly scarce that the entire party suffered terrible
privation, no game of any kind being seen, where more than half the oxen
died, while the remainder were reduced to such a miserable condition
that they were scarcely able to drag the now more than half-empty wagon.
Presently the character of the country gradually changed, a water-hole
or two were found, with small patches of fairly nutritious grass growing
round them, and as soon as a favourable spot was reached the wagon was
outspanned and the oxen allowed a couple of days' holiday in which to
rest and recuperate.  Then Grosvenor and Dick, mounting their horses,
which had been spared as much as possible during the preceding ten days,
set off with their rifles in search of game, and eventually succeeded in
finding and shooting a pair of bush buck wherewith to replenish their
larder.

At the end of the second day's rest Mafuta--who had by this time
completely won the confidence of the two leaders of the expedition, and
had attained rather to the position of a humble comrade than a mere
follower--gave it as his opinion that the oxen had now sufficiently
recovered to justify the party in resuming their journey; and
accordingly on the following morning the animals were once more
inspanned.  Dick and Grosvenor had already seen enough of the
surrounding country during their two days' foraging expedition to have
come to the conclusion that conditions would now improve with every mile
of progress, and this conclusion was fully borne out by their first
day's experiences, the country gradually becoming more hilly and broken,
with small watercourses occurring at steadily decreasing intervals, with
more and richer grass at every mile of their progress, until by the end
of the day they once more found themselves in a district that might
fairly be termed fertile, while a few head of game--bucks and a brace of
paow (a kind of bustard)--had been seen.  All this was exceedingly
encouraging to the two explorers, for their experiences thus far--with
one very important exception--had been in strict accordance with
Menzies' story, as repeated to them by their friend Mitchell, and
confirmed them in the conviction that at length they had arrived within
measurable distance of the spot where, according to the account given by
the former, the ruins of ancient Ophir still existed in recognisable
form.  The exception referred to consisted in the fact that whereas,
according to Menzies, the Makolo nation, upon whose territory they had
now entered, were exceedingly jealous of all intrusion--Menzies himself
having escaped a frightful death at their hands by the very skin of his
teeth--they had thus far met with no molestation whatever; which,
however, might possibly be accounted for by the fact that thus far they
had seen no natives.

But this state of affairs was not to last much longer; for on the third
day of their resumed trek, by which time they had reached a somewhat
rugged, well-wooded stretch of country, watered by numerous streams,
upon surmounting a ridge they sighted a native village, some three miles
ahead, surrounded by well-cultivated fields which, upon their nearer
approach, the travellers found to consist chiefly of maize and tobacco,
with here and there a patch of sugar cane, or a small fruit orchard.
Soon afterwards they encountered a large herd of cattle in charge of
about a dozen native lads, one of whom, upon sighting the strangers,
took to his heels and ran, as though for his life, to an eminence at no
great distance, where, placing his hands funnelwise to his mouth, he
began to shout, in a peculiar, high-pitched tone of voice, a brief
communication of some sort to some unseen person or persons.  At the
same time one of the other lads, after intently scrutinising the
newcomers for several minutes, advanced cautiously toward them and
finally halted--evidently holding himself ready to bolt at the slightest
suspicious sign--and, raising his sheaf of assagais in his right hand by
way of salute, shouted the single word:

"_Bietu_!"

The word was evidently a variant of the Zulu _Biete_, the form of
salutation addressed to a great chief, and, so construing it, Mafuta at
once placed his shield and weapons in the wagon and, advancing rapidly,
proceeded to address the lad in good Zulu.  The stranger, however,
although it was evident that he caught the meaning of a word here and
there, seemed unable to grasp the sense of Mafuta's communication in its
entirety, whereupon the latter made a second attempt, this time using a
sort of dialect or corruption of the true Zulu tongue; and was now more
successful, quite a long interchange of conversation ensuing, at the
termination of which the stranger turned and ran to the before-mentioned
eminence, from the summit of which he shouted, in the same high-pitched
voice as his predecessor, a communication of very considerable length,
while Mafuta returned to the wagon.

"Well, Mafuta, what is the news?" demanded Dick, as the Kaffir
approached.

"The news, Chief, is good," answered Mafuta, saluting.  "We have arrived
within the borders of the Makolo country; and the word of the _'mfana_
who spoke with me is that it will be wise of my fathers to outspan at
the first suitable halting place until the will of the king regarding
them be made known.  The Makolo do not approve of strangers entering
their country, it would appear; but their objection no longer applies to
white men, to whom the Spirits of the Winds have commanded that all
kindness be shown, should such ever visit the Makolo country.  News of
our arrival has already been sent forward to Lobelalatutu, the king; and
his will concerning us will be made known as soon as it comes; but,
meanwhile, Matemba, the _'mfana_ who spoke with me, advises that we
outspan until that will be made known."

"Um!" remarked Dick; "that does not sound altogether promising, eh,
Phil?  Seems to indicate that there may possibly be difficulties put in
the way of our penetrating the country, doesn't it?  What did you say to
the _'mfana_ Mafuta?"

"I said," answered Mafuta, "that the two white men, my chiefs, had come
from afar across the Great Water to visit Lobelalatutu, the King of the
great Makolo nation, to offer presents, and to request his permission to
examine the ruins of the great city of which they had heard."

"Yes, of course; I suppose that was the correct diplomatic way in which
to put the matter," remarked Dick.  "And what said Matemba in reply?"

"He said," answered Mafuta, "that doubtless the king, remembering the
commands laid upon him by the Spirits of the Winds, upon the occasion of
their last visit to the country in their great glittering ship which
flies through the air, would gladly permit my chiefs to visit the ruins,
even as the Spirits themselves had done."

"Ah!" exclaimed Dick; "that sounds better.  But,"--turning to
Grosvenor--"I wonder what the fellow means by the `glittering ship which
flies through the air'--and the `Spirits of the Winds'?  Can it be
possible that an airship has ever penetrated so far as this?  Stop a
minute--let me think.  `Spirits of the Winds--glittering ship which
flies'--by Jove! can it be possible?  I thought, when I heard the
expression `Spirits of the Winds' that it sounded not altogether
unfamiliar, that I had met with it before, in fact; and now that I come
to overhaul my memory I very distinctly remember reading a yarn
describing the adventures of some people who possessed a wonderful
airship in which they made the most extraordinary voyages and met with
some astounding experiences--"

"Yes," interrupted Grosvenor; "I know the book you mean.  I, too, read
it.  But I took it to be fiction, pure and simple; a somewhat daring
flight of a novelist's imagination.  And now that you have reminded me
of the yarn I distinctly remember that the four fellows in the story
were described as having visited these same ruins of Ophir that we are
hunting for--"

"Yes," cut in Dick, "that is so.  And, if I remember aright, they met
with some rather exciting adventures among these Makolo, didn't they?"

"Rather!" assented Grosvenor.  "Were taken prisoners, or something of
that sort, and only escaped by the skin of their teeth."

"That's it," agreed Dick.  "Yes; the man who was then king wanted to
steal their airship, didn't he?"

"He did--and got banished for his pains," answered Grosvenor.  "But that
was not the end of the story.  He--the king, I mean--returned from his
banishment, killed the king who was reigning in his stead, and--yes, was
found practising his old dodges of cruelty and murder when the `Spirits'
paid a second visit to his country."

"Precisely," agreed Dick.  "But that part of the story was given in a
second book recounting the further voyagings of the wonderful _Flying-
Fish_--that was the name of the airship, you will remember.  By Jove!
How vividly those yarns recur to one's memory when anything special--
like this adventure of ours--occurs to recall them.  Do you know, Phil,
it now seems to me that, quite unconsciously to ourselves, those two
books have had a distinct influence upon us in undertaking and carrying
through this journey?"

"Possibly," agreed Grosvenor; "though I am obliged to admit that I have
been, and am still, quite unconscious of it.  The point that is of real
importance to us is this.  Had the narratives in those two books the
slightest foundation of fact?  Because, if so, our recollection of them
might stand us in good stead should difficulties arise between us and
these people.  Take, for example, the matter of the four Spirits of the
Winds.  If we were to judiciously exhibit some knowledge of them and
their doings, this king might be inclined to be a great deal more
complaisant than he otherwise would be.  Don't you think so?"

"Perhaps," conceded Dick; "it is impossible to say.  But what knowledge
do we possess, or can we exhibit?  Absolutely none, except what we can
remember through the perusal of those two books.  And, for my own part,
I am inclined to believe that the alleged adventures of the four persons
therein referred to were purely fictitious, or at least had no more than
the slenderest connection with actual fact."

"Yet," contended Grosvenor, "it is remarkable, to say the least of it,
that in our very first communication with these Makolo--which, now I
come to think of it, was the actual name of the nation given in those
books--the four Spirits of the Winds should be mentioned.  Isn't it?"

"Yes, it certainly is," agreed Dick, somewhat reluctantly.  "And of
course," he continued, "if it should happen that those two yarns are a
record of actual occurrences presented in the guise of fiction, it will
not be by any means the first time that such a thing has occurred.
Anyhow," he concluded, "I do not see that we can possibly do any harm by
acting, as you suggest, upon the assumption that the yarns, however
extravagant they may have appeared to us when we read them, are records
of actual fact, and using our recollection of them in any manner that
may seem advantageous to us.  Is that agreed?"

"Yes, certainly," assented Grosvenor.  "We can but try it, and see how
it works.  And now, to change the subject, what say you about
outspanning?  This seems to be a good spot, eh?"

During the foregoing conversation the two speakers had been walking on
ahead of the wagon, with their rifles in the hollow of their arms, the
dogs and Leo, the lion cub, trotting amicably at their heels.  They had
arrived at a spot about a mile from the village, and were now traversing
an open "flat" with plenty of grass, close to the margin of a small
stream.  As Grosvenor had suggested, it was an excellent spot upon which
to outspan, for there were grass and water for the cattle, and it was
sufficiently far away from the village to prevent any of those
annoyances that a nearer approach might have subjected them to; they
therefore halted, and when the wagon came up the order to outspan was
given.  A few minutes later, while Jantje and 'Nkuku were superintending
the watering of the oxen, some half-dozen women, carrying baskets poised
upon their heads, were seen approaching from the village.  When,
somewhat later, these women arrived at the wagon, the leader of them
announced that the contents of the baskets, consisting of green mealie
cobs, sugar cane, eggs, sweet potatoes, half a dozen shockingly skinny
chickens, milk, and _joala_ (a kind of native beer) were a present from
the headman of the village to the strangers.  (Six months earlier the
travellers would have laughed incredulously at the idea of liquids being
conveyed in baskets; but now they took it quite as a matter of course,
for they had by this time grown quite familiar with the native basket,
so exquisitely woven out of grass as to be quite impervious to leakage).
They accepted the gift with a few words--but not too many--of thanks,
and then, desirous of creating a good impression upon the Makolo as
early as might be, they directed the women to wait, and, going to the
wagon, took from their store of "notions" a few yards of gaudily printed
cotton stuff, two or three yards of brass wire, half a dozen empty two-
ounce tobacco tins decorated with gilt and coloured lettering, in the
style familiar to all devotees of the weed, a small wooden box
containing about a pint of mixed beads, and to each of the smiling and
expectant basket-bearers a special present for herself, consisting of a
necklet of large particoloured beads, the remaining gifts being of
course for the headman in return for his present.  The necklets Dick and
Grosvenor personally clasped round the shapely, bronze-tinted throats of
the recipients, to the intense delight of the latter, and then the
damsels took their departure, smiling to such an extent as to display
every tooth in their heads.  Presently, when they were a few yards from
the wagon, they burst into song, the burden of their lay being the
magnificent generosity, enormous wealth, and splendid personality of the
visitors.

About an hour before sunset that same day another party made its
appearance, approaching from the village.  On this occasion it consisted
of men only, some twenty in number, which, upon their arrival at the
wagon, proved to be the headman of the village and his retinue, all
unarmed.

The party halted at a distance of some ten paces from the spot where
Dick and Grosvenor sat before their open tent, and as they did so, with
the precision of trained soldiers, every man's right hand was flung
aloft, and in deep, sonorous tones the salute was given:

"_Bietu_!"

Then the headman stepped forward and said, Mafuta standing by to act as
interpreter:

"I, Insimbi, headman of the village of M'gama, in the country of the
Makolo, bear the greetings of the great King Lobelalatutu to the unknown
white men who have crossed the Great Water to visit him, to offer him
gifts, and to request his permission to visit the ruins of the great
city that are situate near the king's village.  He bids you welcome to
the country of the Makolo, and his word is that you are to be conducted
forthwith in all honour to his presence.  You are his guests, to be
treated by all men as such, and by them to be supplied with all things
necessary to your comfort and wellbeing.  Your oxen are poor in
condition and few in number, therefore shall they be cared for here
until they are again fit for work; meanwhile a fresh team shall be
supplied from the herd belonging to this village for the conveyance of
your wagon to the ruins you desire to visit.  And if there be any other
thing that you desire, my orders are to furnish it to you.  I have said.
Is it well, O white men?"

"It is very well, O Insimbi," answered Grosvenor.  "It is well for the
Makolo and for your king that he keeps fresh in his memory the commands
laid upon him by the four Spirits of the Winds, and we are satisfied.
When can we be supplied with the fresh team of oxen?"

"At sunrise to-morrow shall the herd be driven hither, when my lords
shall choose for themselves as many as they will," answered the headman.

"Let it be so," answered Grosvenor; "for to-morrow at sunrise will we
resume our journey to the king's village and the ruins.  By the way, ask
him, Mafuta, how far the ruins are from here."

"With a full team of fourteen fresh oxen it may be done in seven days,"
Mafuta translated Insimbi's answer to the question.

"Seven days!" ejaculated Grosvenor, glancing in astonishment at Dick.
"Then how the dickens has this fellow Insimbi contrived in the course of
a single day to communicate with the king and get a reply from him?"

"Why, easily enough," answered Dick.  "Don't you remember the wonderful
system of voice-telegraphy mentioned in those two books that we were
discussing to-day?  That, of course, is how it has been accomplished.
And, now that I come to think of it, we had an illustration of that
system this morning when those two boys ran to the top of yonder hill
and started shouting in that queer, high-pitched tone of voice.  They
were telegraphing to the king the news of our arrival without a doubt."

"Yes," assented Grosvenor, a little doubtfully, "I suppose that was it.
But seven days' trek with fresh oxen!  That means a hundred and forty
miles, or thereabout--it is wonderful!"

"You are right; it is," agreed Dick; "but not more wonderful, to my
mind, than that we, destined, as one may say, to make this trip
together, should have both been fortunate enough to stumble across and
read those two books, which I am now beginning to understand were
records of sober fact instead of extravagant fiction, as we both thought
them to be.  We must certainly polish up our recollection of what we
read, for it is not at all difficult to imagine circumstances in which
the knowledge may be of vital import to us.  By the way, Mafuta, tell
those fellows that they are dismissed, and that all we shall require of
them to-morrow, in addition to the oxen, will be a guide."

Oxen and guide were both duly forthcoming on the morrow: the journey
toward what may be called the capital was resumed, and continued day
after day without adventure, the guide supplied on the first day
continuing with the party for the whole of that day, and then turning
them over to another, who in like manner piloted them a day's trek, in
turn to pass them on to another, and so on, day after day; each guide
returning to his starting-point on the following day.



CHAPTER EIGHT.

KING LOBELALATUTU.

The one thing that, after the spreading, well-tilled fields surrounding
every village, the great herds of cattle, and the general aspect of
prosperity everywhere met with, most impressed the two travellers during
their progress through the Makolo country, was the extraordinary
courtesy and deference uniformly extended to them by the natives.  These
people were savages, pure and unadulterated, a fierce and warlike race,
who had been obliged to fight for their very existence throughout
countless ages, ignorant and superstitious to a degree, with all the
virtues and most of the vices of the primeval savage, unspeakably cruel
and relentless as enemies, absolutely fearless in battle, and, above
all, intensely suspicious of strangers; yet, although white men were
practically unknown to them as a people, they never annoyed the
travellers by any display of undue curiosity, every man deferentially
saluted them, and all were willing, even eager, to do them service.

The character of the country, although it could not by any stretch of
the imagination be described as mountainous, maintained its rugged
character almost to the end of the journey, consisting of a constant
succession of low hills, or ridges, mostly of granite formation, divided
from each other by broad, fertile, well-watered valleys, dotted here and
there with villages which, as the travellers advanced, gradually drew
closer together and increased in importance.

It was as the travellers surmounted a certain ridge, about an hour and a
half before the time of their midday halt, that they caught their first
glimpse of the sea since losing sight of it on their departure from
Lourenco Marques.  It stretched away to right and left and in front of
them, a narrow, faint, grey streak, softly shimmering under the beams of
the noontide sun; and between it and the observers lay a wide-
stretching, level, grassy plain, in the midst of which appeared
numberless irregularities that, viewed through their powerful glasses,
assumed the aspect of architectural ruins of enormous massiveness and
strength.  But they were some ten miles distant, and through the highly
rarefied atmosphere that intervened it was impossible to obtain any very
clear conception of their character, except that they were undoubtedly
of human origin and of quite unexpected extent.  One thing, however, was
certain, in the light of Menzies' story, as recounted to them by his and
their friend Mitchell, those enormous ruins could be none other than the
remains of the ancient Ophir mentioned in Holy Writ; and the two friends
sent up a shout of irrepressible exultation at the thought that they had
advanced thus far upon their difficult journey without mishap of any
kind.  They were now all eagerness and impatience to reach those
wonderful ruins; but the oxen were tired and hungry, having already been
trekking for more than two hours; moreover, they took no interest in
archaeology, and preferred an acre of rich grass to the finest ruins in
the world, therefore it became imperative to outspan as soon as the
wagon had plunged down into the plain far enough to reach the first
watercourse.  But Grosvenor and Maitland were not long in arriving at
the decision to saddle up and ride forward as soon as they had partaken
of a hasty tiffin.

This resolution they duly carried into effect, observing the precaution
to slip their loaded revolvers into their belts and to sling their
loaded rifles and fully charged bandoliers over their shoulders, to
guard against the possibility of accident, although they had thus far
seen nothing to justify the slightest suspicion that either the king or
his people meditated treachery.  As they rode they had ample opportunity
to observe--as indeed had been the case ever since they entered the
Makolo country--the operation of the curious voice-telegraph system
practised by the natives in their communications with each other, the
high-pitched messages--doubtless reporting their progress-breaching
their ears at frequent intervals.

They advanced at an easy canter, heading straight for the ruins, for
there was no semblance of a road, or even of a footpath, and scarcely
any people were to be seen, except in and about the villages which they
occasionally passed.  But when they had arrived within about three miles
of the ruins they observed, approaching them round the spur of a low
hill, a troop of about fifty horsemen, which their field glasses enabled
them to perceive were splendidly mounted, and garbed in the full panoply
of war, consisting of shield, war axe, sheaf of broad-bladed spears,
plumed head-dress, and--in the case of the leader--leopard-skin mantle,
and necklace of leopards' claws.  It was a distinctly formidable
cavalcade for two men only to meet, even although the latter were armed
with weapons of such deadly precision as the rifle and revolver; and for
a minute or two the travellers were just a little uncertain as to how to
meet the situation.  Finally they reined in and came to a halt,
whereupon the leader of the troop threw up his right hand, as though
giving an order, upon which his followers, who had been advancing at a
gallop, reined their horses back upon their haunches, coming to an
abrupt halt, while he, reducing his pace to a hand-gallop, continued his
advance alone.

"All right, old chap, come along," exclaimed Grosvenor; "those fellows
mean us no harm, I am sure.  I expect it is a detachment sent out by the
king to bid us welcome on our approach to his village."

"Very possibly," assented Dick.  "But, having halted, we must now remain
where we are until that fellow approaches and delivers his message.  To
resume our journey at this moment would be tantamount to an admission of
distrust on our part, which would never do.  No, no; let the man come to
us, not we go to him.  Among savages, you know, first impressions count
for a good deal, and it would never do to let those fellow think that we
halted because we were nervous."

"No, of course; you are quite right, it would not," agreed Grosvenor;
and sitting straight up in their saddles, and assuming an air of
absolute confidence which somewhat belied their inward feelings, they
patiently awaited the arrival of the solitary horseman.

In less than a minute he had arrived--a fine, stalwart man, of about
middle age, clean-limbed, broad chested, upright as a dart, of dauntless
aspect; his limbs and body showing many scars of battle.  As he reached
a point some ten feet from where the two white travellers awaited him he
abruptly reined his horse to a standstill, and threw up his right hand
in salute.

"_'Nkosi_," he cried, in a full, deep, resonant tone of voice,
"Lobelalatutu, the King of the Makolo, salutes you by the mouth of me,
'Mpandula, and bids you welcome to his royal village.  Behold a squadron
of his royal guard, which he has dispatched, under my command, to
conduct you in all honour to his presence.  He awaits you now in his
palace.  Does it please my lords that the squadron, approach to give
them the salute?"

Now, this speech was only very imperfectly understood by those to whom
it was addressed; a word or two here and there they comprehended because
of their similarity to those in the language spoken by Mafuta; the name
of the king also they recognised; and 'Mpandula's gestures and the tones
of his voice also told them a little.  Thus in one way and another they
contrived to gain a sort of hazy general notion of the gist of the
chiefs speech.  But how were they to reply to it, and what were they to
say?  So early a summons to the king's presence was rather unexpected,
and, in the absence of Mafuta, who was behind, with the wagon, would be
rather embarrassing; for how were they to converse with the king without
the assistance of an interpreter?  There was but one thing to be done,
and that was to reply to the best of their ability, which Dick undertook
to do in the only native tongue with which he was familiar, explaining
as well as he could the difficulty in which the pair found themselves.

It was evident at once, by the puzzled expression on the chiefs face,
that he understood Dick as little as Dick understood him; and for a
moment there seemed to be the possibility of a deadlock.  But suddenly
'Mpandula's brow cleared, he turned on his horse and shouted a name, in
response to which one of the guards drove his heels into his horse's
flanks, and dashed forward to his chiefs assistance.  The latter
appeared to explain the position in a few terse words, and when he had
finished, the newcomer, at 'Mpandula's dictation, repeated the message
of the king, word for wood, in the language with which Dick was
familiar.

"What do you say, Phil," questioned Dick, when the message was
concluded; "shall we go?  Or shall we excuse ourselves for the present,
upon the plea that we would prefer to wait until the wagon comes up, in
order that we may take with us the gifts that we have brought for His
Majesty?  I am not quite sure that I altogether like this escort
business.  It may be all right, of course.  The king's message sounds
all right; but if the chap means treachery it will be exceedingly
awkward for us, will it not?"

"It certainly will," agreed Grosvenor.  "But," he continued, "I fancy it
is altogether too late to think of that now.  When we determined to
enter this country we tacitly decided to take all the risks of so doing;
and in any case we cannot now escape, do what we will, therefore I think
our best policy will be to take everything for granted, and go willingly
with these fellows, since if we refused they have the power to compel
us.  What has so suddenly put the idea of treachery into your head?"

"Upon my word I don't know," answered Dick.  "Unless it is the sight of
these armed men.  But, as you say, it is too late to hesitate now, and,
after all, their presence may merely signify the desire of the king to
do us honour.  Yes, I suppose we had better go."  And, turning to
'Mpandula, he said:

"We are ready to go with you into the presence of the king, therefore
let the squadron approach.  But our followers are behind, with the
wagon, and it is desirable that they should know what has become of us;
therefore I pray you let a message be transmitted to them, informing
them of our whereabouts, and also directing them where to outspan at
their final halt."

"The will of my lords shall be done," answered the chief, through the
interpreter.  And, raising his right hand, he shouted an order,
whereupon the squadron of native cavalry, which had remained motionless
as so many statues, at once awakened into life, and, starting forward at
a gallop, advanced in as close formation and as perfect line as the
finest civilised troops, halting a horse's length in rear of their
commander.  Then, at a signal from the chief, every man tossed his right
hand aloft in salute and thundered out the word _'Nkosi_!  This salute
Dick and Grosvenor acknowledged by placing their hands to their hat-
brims, in military fashion, to the evident satisfaction of 'Mpandula and
his followers; and then, as the two whites touched their horse's flanks
with the spur and moved forward at a canter, the escort formed up,
com

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