gence, that it was not impossible that the schemes might be
carried through.

"I think you will say so, sir, when you have heard what I have to tell
you," said Anderson, resolutely keeping down his excitement in a way
that boded well for his powers of self-control.

"I shall be much interested," said Sir William. "Now, what about those
mining rights? Do I understand that you are the proprietor of a mine on
the Equator, a thousand miles from anywhere?"

"Yes, and no," said Anderson. "At least, yes to the first question; no
to the second."

"What," said Sir William, still speaking lightly, "has the mine come
nearer since we first heard of it?"

"Yes, practically it has," said Anderson, looking Gore in the face.
Then, unrolling the paper which he held in his hand and rolling it the
other way that it might remain open, he laid it carefully out on the
table before Sir William. "I have brought you the map with all the
indications on it, that you may see for yourself." Sir William adjusted
an eyeglass and bent over the map, roused to more curiosity than he
showed.

"This," said the young man, pointing to a large tract in pink, "is
British territory; that is Uganda; here is the Congo Free State. There,
you see, are the Germans where the map is marked in orange. There is
the Equator, and _there_ is the mine. Look, marked in blue."

"That is a pretty God-forsaken place, I must say," remarked Sir William.

"One moment," said Fred. "That thin, dotted ink line running north and
south from the top of Africa to the bottom is the Cape to Cairo Railway,
of which the route has now been determined on, and this," with a ringing
accent of triumph, bringing his hand down on to the map, "is the place
where the railway will pass within a few miles of us."

"What?" said Sir William, starting.

"Yes, there it is, quite close," Anderson answered. "When once it is
there, all our difficulties of transport are over."

Sir William recovered himself.

"Cape to Cairo!" he said. "You had better wait till you see the line
made, my boy."

"That won't be so very long, Sir William, I assure you," said the young
man. "This cross in ink marks where the line has got to from the
northern end, and this one," pointing to another, "from the south, and
they have already got telegraph poles a good bit further."

"Before the two ends have joined hands," said Sir William, "another
Government may be in which won't be so keen on that mad enterprise. As