Part 14 (2/2)
”'She looks beautiful, doesn't she, e, 'and please God so we shall still find her somewhere in the world'
”I did not answer him, or even remark upon the withdrawal of the curtain, as to which indeed I never made an inquiry I suppose that it was done by so to eat my dinner--there were one or t ones in the house whose names and appearance I did not know What impressed itself upon ain on the earth, even in a picture, was once iven to my eyes, it mattered not how This, into be sed and a pistol at full cock for firing do not induce calmness in a man already almost mad, at any rate until they have fulfilled their offices, did in truth appear to n such as that spoken of in Savage's idiotic dream, which I was to find if 'I looked round the study'
”'Savage,' I said, 'I don't think much of your dreaht be well to see Mr Quatermain
To-day is Sunday and I believe that the African mail sails on Friday Go to town early to-es'
”Also I told hiunsmiths and bid them send down a selection of rifles and other weapons for ht wander in Africa, and to s he did, and--here we are”
”Yes,” I answered reflectively, ”here you are What is h for a regie and followed by a long line of Kafirs carrying sundry packages upon their heads that, ate
CHAPTER VIII
THE START
That evening when the baggage had been disposed of and locked up in e tinned foods, etc, which had proved too heavy for the Scotch cart, Lord Ragnall and I continued our conversation First, however, we unpacked the guns and checked the ae supply, with more to follow
A beautiful battery they were of all sorts frouns down, the most costly and best finished that money could buy at the time It made me shi+ver to think what the bill for them ether and stood in a long line against the wall of -roo while he conteiving to each a nah they were all alive, then exclaimed:
”With such weapons as these the Baas could kill the devil hi Intombi with him”--a favourite old rifle of ood service in the past, as those who have read what I have written in ”Marie” and ”The Holy Flower” may remember ”For, Baas, after all, the wife of one's youth often provesones a e Also one knows all her faults, but who can say how many there may be hidden up in neomen however beautifully they are tattooed?” and he pointed to the elaborate engraving upon the guns
I translated this speech to Lord Ragnall It lad for up till then I had not seen hi weapons there were no fewer than fifty e-bore Sniders that had just then been put upon the reat quantity of aulations were not so strict then as they are now, Iall this arnall however had letters from the Colonial Office to such authorities as ruled in Natal, and on our giving a joint undertaking that they were for defensive purposes only in unexplored territory and not for sale, they were allowed through Fortunate did it prove for us in after days that this ht before ent to bed I narrated to Lord Ragnall all the history of our search for the Holy Flohich he see Also I told him of my adventures, to me far more terrible, as chairman of the Bona Fide Gold Mine and of their melancholy end
”The lesson of which is,” he remarked when I had finished, ”that because a man is master of one trade, it does not follow that he is e, one of the finest shots in the world, you are also a great hunter and explorer But when it coht to be grateful to that Bona Fide Gold Mine, since I gather that had it not been for it and for your rascally friend, Mr Jacob, I should not have found you here”
”No,” I answered, ”it is probable that you would not, as by this tiht have been far in the interior where a man cannot be traced and letters do not reach him”
Then he made a few pointed inquiries about the affairs of the ht this odd but concluded that he wished to verifyinto a close coht be the largest liar in the world and a swindler to boot So I said nothing, even when I heard through a roundabout channel on the ht an intervieith the late secretary of the defunct company
A few days later, for I may as well finish with thisobject of these inquiries wasI found upon ht of which I groaned, feeling sure that it must come from duns and be connected with that infernal mine Curiosity and a desire to face the worst, however, led me to open the first letter which as it happened proved to be from that very shareholder who had proposed a vote of confidence inBy the ti and really I felt quite faint It ran:
”Honoured Sir,--I knew that I was putting ht horse when I said the other day that you were one of the straightest that ever ran Well, I have got the cheque sentpay I invested in the Bona Fide Gold Mine, and I can only say that it is uncommonly useful, for that business had pretty well cleaned me out God bless you, Mr Quatermain”
I opened another letter, and another, and another They were all to the same effect Bewildered I went on to the stoep, where I found Hans with an epistle in his hand which he requested h to read
I read it It was from a well-known firm of local lawyers and said:
”On behalf of Allan Quater to enclose a draft for the su the value of the interest in the Bona Fide Gold Company, Limited (in liquidation), which stands in your nan enclosed receipt and return sa!
I explained the :
”You see you have got your ain But Hans, I never sent it; I don't knohere it co the draft with suspicion ”It looks very much like the other bit of paper for which I paid money”