Part 7 (1/2)

”Your master wishes to thank you for your help in a dark hour, Footsack, and I wish to congratulate you all upon the swiftness of your feet,” I said in Dutch

”Oh! Baas, the Basutos were etically

”Be silent, you running dog,” I said, ”and go help your ate, Ansob leaning on my shoulder and on that of Mr Marnham, and up the path which was bordered with fences of the monthly rose, towards the house Really this was al to look at near at hand as it had been fro was crude in detail Rough, half-shaped blocks ofquarry had been built into walls and colu was finished, and considered bit by bit all was coarse and ugly Yet the general effect was beautiful because it was an effect of design, the picture of an artist who did not fully understand the technicalities of painting, the work of a great writer who had as yet no proper skill in words Never did I see a s that struck s, and, as Ansob rened when the world was young, or rather when civilization was young, and ery, saw beauty in his dreams and tried to symbolize it in shapes of stone

We cah blocks ofchair made of native wood and seated with hide rioas reading a book He raised hiht of the sun, for the verandah faced to the east, shone full upon his face, so that I saw hi under forty years of age, dark, powerful, and weary-not a good face, I thought Indeed, it gave me the impression of one who had allowed the evil which exists in the nature of all of us to becoed it to do so

In the Psalhteous and the unrighteous until those terroearisome It is only of late years that I have discovered, or think that I have discovered, what they ed by our deeds; they ed by our desires or rather by our moral attitude It is not e do so much as e try to do that counts in the formation of character All fall short, all fail, but in the end those who seek to climb out of the pit, those who strive, however vainly, to fashi+on failure to success, are, by cohteous, while those who are content toin our native lut thehteous To turn our backs thereon wilfully and without cause, is the real unforgiveable sin against the Spirit At least that is the best definition of the problehts have often occurred tothe character of Dr Rodd and soer wearied at the time and therefore somewhat vacant, was perhaps the more open to external ier on the stoep Moreover, as I aly He was a blackguard who, under other influences or with a few added grains of self-restraint and of the power of recovery, ood or even a saintly man But by some malice of Fate or sorains were lacking, and therefore he went not up but down the hill

”Case for you, Rodd,” called out Marnha to his feet and speaking in a full voice, which, like his partner's, was that of an educated Englishman ”What's the matter Horse accident?”

Then ere introduced, and Ansob began to explain his injury

”U hio Ought to be attended to at once Also you look pretty done, so don't tire yourself with the story, which I can get from Mr Quatermain Come and lie down and I'll have a look at you while they are cooking breakfast”

Then he guided us to a room of which the double French s opened on to the stoep, a very pretty roo Ansob lie down on one of these he turned up his trouser, undid e and examined the wound

”Painful?” he asked

”Very,” answered Ansob, ”right up to the thigh”

After this he drew off the nether garain, ”I et some stuff”

I followed hi on the stoep inquired what he thought I did not like the look of that leg

”It is very bad,” he answered, ”so bad that I a if it wouldn't be best to remove the limb below the knee and make it a job You can see for yourself that it is septic and the infla up rapidly”

”Good Heavens!” I exclaimed, ”do you fear mortification?”

He nodded ”Can't say as on that slug or bit of old iron and he hasn't had the best chance since Mortification, or tetanus, or both, are more than possible Is he a temperate man?”

”So far as I know,” I answered, and stared at hiht Then he said with decision,

”That ; soive him a chance, but if those symptoms do not abate in twenty-four hours, I eon at a London Hospital-once, and I keepmade his preparations and washed his hands, he returned, syringed the wound with so up to the knee After this he gave Ansob hot s broken into it, and told hi solid at present Then he threw a blanket over hi to me to come away, let down ainto that milk,” he said outside, ”which will send him to sleep for a few hours So ill leave hi to take Mr Quatermain?” asked Marnham as seated on the stoep

”Into my room,” he answered

”Why? There's Heda's ready”