Part 15 (1/2)
Again I explained, reiterating that I knew nothing of the transaction
”Well, Baas,” he said, ”if you did not send it someone did--perhaps your father the reverend Predikant, who sees that you are in trouble and wishes to wash your naain Meanwhile, Baas, please put that bit of paper in your pocket-book and keep it for ht be tempted to buy square-face with it”
”No,” I answered, ”you can now buy your land back, or some other land, and there will be no need for you to coht a an to tear up the draft; indeed I was only just in ti to turn me off because of this paper,” he said, ”I will make it small and eat it”
”You silly old fool,” I said as I possessed myself of the cheque
Then the conversation was interrupted, for who should appear but Sae:
”The perfect rectitude of your conduct, Mr Quaterh indeed I wish that I had put souiled us all, that would have caused hierous order My holding in the gold mine was not extensive, but the unpaid bill of the said Jacob and his friends----”
Here I cut hialloping to the gate, and behind hie into put away that pile of letters In so doing I observed that there was one still unopened Half lanced at its contents They ord for word identical with those of that addressed to ”Mr Hans, Hottentot,” only my name was at the bottom of it instead of that of Hans and the cheque was for 1,500, the amount I had paid for the shares I held in the venture
Feeling as though -pot, I departed from the house into a patch of native bush that in those days still grew upon the slope of the hill behind Here I sat myself down, as I had often done before when there was a knotty point to be considered, ai, a jewel of light, from tree to tree, while I turned all this fairy-Godmother business over in nall in this case was the little old lady with the wand, the touch of which could convert worthless share certificates into bank-notes of their face value I remembered now that his wealth was said to be phenomenal and after all the cash capital of the company was quite small But the question was--could I accept his bounty?
I returned to the house where the first person whonall himself, just arrived from some interview about the fifty Snider rifles, which were still in bond I told him solemnly that I wished to speak to him, whereon he remarked in a cheerful voice,
”Advance, friend, and all's well!”
I don't know that I need set out the details of the interview He waited till I had got through ratitude and expostulation, then remarked:
”My friend, if you will allow me to call you so, it is quite true that I have done this because I wished to do it But it is equally true that to --to be frank, scarcely aon that shi+p to Natal would pay for it all Also I have weighed my own interest in the matter, for I am anxious that you should start upon this hazardous journey of ours up country with a mind absolutely free from self-reproach or any money care, for thus you will be able to dothat you will say noto add, naht up at par value a few of the debentures The price of them will pay the lawyers and the liquidation fees; ive me a status as a shareholder which will enable me to sue Mr Jacob for his fraud, to which business I have already issued instructions For please understand that I have not paid off any shares still standing in his name or in those of his friends”
Here Iever came of this action, for the lawyers found themselves unable to serve any writ upon that elusive person, Mr Jacob, who by then had probably adopted the name of some other patriarch
”Please put it all down as a rich man's whim,” he concluded
”I can't call that a hich has returned 1,500 odd to nall”
”Do you reamble at my place and what you did with it, which sum probably represented to you twenty or fifty tiument does not appeal to you, ive uide for nothing”
”Ah!” I answered, fixing on this point and ignoring the rest, ”noe come to business If I may look upon this amount as salary, a very handso the risks ofincapacitated before it is earned, I will say no more of the ift”
”I confess, Quaterht have been willing to call it a retaining fee However, do not let us wrangle about money any more We can always settle our accounts when the bill is added up, if ever we reach so far Now let us co the scheme, route and details of our proposed journey Expenditure being practically no object, there were several plans open to us We o by Kilwa, as I had done on the search for the Holy Flower, or we ht retrace the line of our retreat froht advance by whatever road we selected with a s to force to break a way through to the Kendah Or weon our native wit and good fortune to attain our ends Each of these alternatives had so much to recommend it and yet presented sohours of discussion, for this talk was renewed again and again, I found it quite impossible to decide upon any one of thenall always left the choice with its heavy responsibilities to th in despair I opened theand whistled twice on a certain low note Athe wet off the new corduroy clothes which he had bought upon the strength of his return to affluence, for it was raining outside, and squatted himself down upon the floor at a little distance In the shadow of the table which cut off the light fro lamp he looked, I remember, exactly like an enormous and antique toad I threw him a piece of tobacco which he thrust into his corn-cob pipe and lit with ato his satisfaction, ”what does Baas want of Hans?”
”Light in darkness!” I replied, playing on his native name, and proceeded to set out the whole case to hilass of gin, which I gave hih it ater, he delivered himself briefly to this effect:
”I think the Baas will do well not to go to Kilwa, since itone; also there may be more slave-traders there by noill bear hio On the other hand the road through Zululand is open, though it be long, and there the name of Macumazana is one well known
I think also that the Baas would do well not to take too on or two and soo no farther Froers can be dispatched to the Mazitu, who love you, and Bausi or whoever is king there to-day will order bearers to meet us on the road, until which time we can hire other bearers in Zululand The old woman at Beza-Town told me, reat people who live by themselves and will allow none to enter their land, which is bordered by deserts Therefore no force that you could take with you and feed upon a road without water would be strong enough to knock down their gates like an elephant, and it seeh theh they appear to be shut in your face Perhaps also they will not be shut since did you not say that two of their great doctors proh them?”